Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>As far as the rafts and the Tikis fountains or whatever, no, I can't count those as attractions<< Understandable, but these things still make up the Adventureland panorama and add to the amount of space it was dedicated to it. After all....we are talking about this Adventureland being the biggest one in size, not ride availability.
Originally Posted By disneyshawn You have it exactly right, TDL. The "largest" claim refers exclusively to land area, just as Disney's Animal Kingdom is said to be the largest Disney theme park. In actuality, the Guest areas of DAK don't nearly measure up to, say, Epcot, but in total land area it is the clear champ. While that may seem disappointing to certain people who expect instant gratification, what it means to me is an incredible canvas ripe with potential. No announcements have yet been made, but just think about a day when all the land of HKDL's Adventureland is filled with attractions like Raging Spirits and new takes on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates. All this, plus Tarzan Island and the best Jungle Cruise ever built, will make Hong Kong Disneyland a must-visit destination for Disney theme park fans.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>just think about a day when all the land of HKDL's Adventureland is filled with attractions like Raging Spirits and new takes on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates.<< All you have to do is look at any aerial shot of the park to realize how much space there is from the actual train track bern out to the actual perimeter bern by Magic Road surrounding the park. It's amamzing what they could do, not just in Adventureland but in the other lands of HKDL. The potential is there for this place to become the biggest DL park out there.
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand A transformation from the smallest to the biggest....WOW.... looking forward to that happening...
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<While that may seem disappointing to certain people who expect instant gratification, what it means to me is an incredible canvas ripe with potential.>> Oh yeah, I certainly agree, but the problem is the park was just built so small to begin with, its dissappointing on that level alone. Sure, I HOPE that Disney get their butts in gear and come up with a real plan for this park and I'm sure they are, but its just sad we couldn't see more of this 'potential' on opening day.
Originally Posted By disneyshawn From www.dictionary.com: po·ten·tial ( P ) Pronunciation Key (p-tnshl) n. The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being. Something possessing the capacity for growth or development. Grammar. A potential verb form. Physics. The work required to move a unit of positive charge, a magnetic pole, or an amount of mass from a reference point to a designated point in a static electric, magnetic, or gravitational field; potential energy. So it would appear that all of that potential was there on Opening Day. The beauty of HKDL is that it was built with expansion pads already in place. Now by adding key attractions according to plan, they will be able to increase attendance year after year. There will always be the factor of "We have to come back to see..." Epcot was the penultimate example of this. From day one, there were clear expansion pads and they were starting to tell people what was coming next. Just because all those plans aren't laid out on the table, don't assume Disney doesn't have "their butts in gear." You're just not in the loop.
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand Disney better do something with HKDL sooner or later. Expansion is really needed since the Executive Council of HK Government has approved the HK$5.55 billion redevelopment plan of the New Ocean Park.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney "Epcot was the penultimate example of this. From day one, there were clear expansion pads and they were starting to tell people what was coming next. Just because all those plans aren't laid out on the table, don't assume Disney doesn't have "their butts in gear." You're just not in the loop." Sorry, but that's a terrible example. Yes, EPCOT Center was designed with a great master plan for expansion, but 23 years later most of those pads (many that once had signs for future pavillions) are sitting empty or used for temporary exhibits during things like the Food and Wine Show. Heck, I bet there are few people that know there was an original master plan for a SECOND ring of nations for Epcot basically where the Epcot resorts now sit. So, while having all those pads in HKDL is good planning (vs. parks like Disney-MGM Studios or DCA that have had haphazard growth because of a lack of planning), it doesn't mean you'll ever see the actual attractions that the Imagineers want to put on them.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Thanks for the grammar lesson Disneyshawn, I only teach it everyday in class . Please, don't be a smart alec here, you know what exactly what I'm talking about. HKDL HAD the potential YEARS before opening day to become a great and exciting park. Its just sad to me (very sad) that we are talking MORE about what the park COULD have than what it actually has now. That's just really sad for a park that hasn't even opened two months now. Yes, I KNOW it will get better, but hopefully sooner than later. DCA has been opened 4 years now and although it has opened a lot of things actually, nothing has created any huge buzz for it yet. While HKDL is very much an infant, the fact is that it opened TOO small and the guests know it and Disney certainly knows it (now). Let's hope they they really do the type of expansion we are all hoping for and not be another DCA with a bunch of A stuff and 1 eticket 4 years on.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney ^^^Imagine if HKDL had opened with Pirate Mountain ---- a new, improved version of a classic that also adds some Splash Mountain like thrills and much needed AAs to the park; a Geyser Mountain attraction in Adventureland that used ToT's ride system to push folks up as was originally envisioned for DL; how about a new 21st century take on Peter Pan and/or the Little Mermaid ride that was originally designed for Paris and maybe a 101 Dalmatians dark ride in the same vein as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride; perhaps to take advantage of HK's British Colonial past an attraction based on Mary Poppins; or maybe a different version of Mansion built either as a jungle palace gone decrepit or a victorian house just off Main Street; maybe the AA intergalactic review orginally conceived for DL's Carousel building; heck, maybe a good oldfashioned 360 CircleVision movie for Tomorrowland that took Chinese visitors around the world (like the old MK movie from the 70s); maybe that roller coaster with onboard sound combined with dinosaurs that was discussed etc ... There were/are plenty of ideas out there to take this park to the next level, the only question is whether Disney wants to invest anything.
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand talking about planning...when HK government and Disney made an agreement in 1999 they based on the attendance solely on local Hongkongers and partly on foreign tourists and some chinese mainlanders, so they designed it on a smaller scale. It was not until the year of 2003, that the Central Chinese Government introduced the "Individual Visit Scheme" to allow chinese mainlanders(from designated provinces) to visit HK on their own.(prior to the new scheme, chinese mainlanders were only allowed to visit HK by joining Tours operated by Chinese Travel companies.) There has been a huge influx of chinese tourists from the mainland due to the new "Individual Visit Scheme" since its introduction in 2003. When they realized that there were lots of visitors from the mainland,it was too late, all design work done and construction already started.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN But I wonder how many mainlanders can actually afford to go to HKDL...besides the so-called "nouveau riche". Any statistics on that your Info Excellency?
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand The latest figures released by the HK Government...there was 100% occupancy at Disney's Hollywood Hotel and 70% were Mainlanders during the October Golden Week. so i would assume a greater percentage of Mainlanders at the Park during the golden week. from the report released by HK government, on a regular weekday, the split is 1/3 Local mainders, 1/3 Mainlanders and 1/3 Foreign Tourists. HK Tourism Statistics: Overall visitor arrivals recovered and grew strongly in 2004. In December 2004, the monthly arrivals to Hong Kong reached over 2.08 million, a growth of 16.3% compared to the same month in 2003 and was the highest monthly arrivals figure on record. For the full year of 2004, total arrivals increased by 40.4% year-on-year to 21.8 million and set the highest record for visitor arrivals in history. Mainland China continued to be our largest source market, with over 12.2 million arrivals. Major long haul markets also grew steadily and rebounded to pre-SARS levels. With the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland in September and the continual growth in visitors, the outlook of the tourism industry of Hong Kong is expected to remain positive in 2005. Hotel occupancy was at an average of 88% for the full year of 2004. The growth momemtum of arrivals continued in the first eight months of 2005 with total arrivals reaching 15.17 million, a 7.8% growth year-on-year. Almost all markets recorded double-digit growth rates.
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 Wow 1/3 foreign tourists! These are the people who will quickly disappear if the park does not add any showstopping attractions. I know Paris hits those numbers, but Paris isn't out on an island. Does WDW or Tokyo even come close to 1/3 foreign tourists? I know they make up a very small amount of Disneyland's audience.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Considering all of Hong Kong is about 6 million people, unlike massive cities like L.A., Tokyo and Paris where they already have a huge populations in and around the cities, HKDL can't survive without the foreign tourists. That population is way to small to sustain a big investment like Disney alone and since so many people and although Hong Kong is technically its own area visa wise, its still a part of China, so I think the 'foreign' tourists is really technical in that regards.
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand Hong Kong is close to 7 million, with GuandDong Province, its neighbour, the population is more than 100 million. it is big enough to sustain a Disneyland Park just like L.A.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Hong Kong is technically its own area visa wise, its still a part of China, so I think the 'foreign' tourists is really technical in that regards. >>> It's very complicated. It's interesting that Taiwanese are usually referred to as "residents of Taiwan," politely avoiding the issue of whether or not they are Chinese citizens.
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand Hong Kong is going to pull in more tourists for this coming Xmas and Year 2006. Guinness World Record has named "A Symphony of Lights" (The Light Show at Victoria Harbour) the world's Largest permanent light and sound show. <a href="http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/businessandfinance/051121/html/051121en03016.htm" target="_blank">http://www.news.gov.hk/en/cate gory/businessandfinance/051121/html/051121en03016.htm</a>
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^^COOL!!! Thanks for that info HKDL . I didn't know anything about this. Well, I will certainly be there my first night! I still remember seeing the amazing fireworks for the mid-autum holiday over the harbor there. Simply amazing. As always, you always provide that extra info for us Hong Kong visitors and give all the newbies a reason why they should spend more time in the city and less time at Disney as much as possible .
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Does WDW or Tokyo even come close to 1/3 foreign tourists?<< I am not sure about those numbers since I really never care for statistics but quality in regards to Disney parks... but If I was to guess... I'd say a goos 2/3th of the guests at WDW are foreign tourist (meaning not from FL), and at TDR, about 3% or so are not from Japan. But those are guesses only.
