Originally Posted By RandySavage Here are some interesting tidbits from the original Press Release for the park. Since the attractions listed were part of the original concept, it is fair game to consider that they might be part of a future expansion: "Sleeping Beauty Castle is to be the gateway to Fantasyland. Here guests will find the magical home of their favorite Disney stories. In Fantasyland guests can fly to Neverland with Peter Pan, take a spin in a teacup or go under the sea with their favorite Little Mermaid. Adjacent to Fantasyland will be Toontown, a wacky upside-down world where the beloved Disney characters live. Guests will be transported into a three-dimensional cartoon and meet one-on-one with Mickey Mouse. They will be able to stroll through Minnie’s house, climb aboard Donald’s boat or even zip through the wacky Toontown countryside on a whimsical roller coaster. In Adventureland guests will begin a journey to exotic regions of exploration, adventure and discovery. Here guests will have the opportunity to venture into a wild untamed world and ride a roller coaster through a dark jungle filled with mysterious surprises. Guests might explore an ancient dinosaur archeological site, voyage to a whole new world on a magic carpet, or experience the wonder and music from such Disney classics as "The Lion King." From Adventureland guests may want to travel on to the wild American frontier. In Frontierland, they will have the opportunity to experience the American Old West of the 1880s. Here guests might climb through a Wild West fort, take a frightfully fun trip through a haunted mansion and shoot the rapids on a daring river raft. After a trip back to the Wild West the next stop will be the future -- Tomorrowland. Guests will have several exciting opportunities to choose from sci-fi fantasies and soaring space adventures. They will be able to journey to infinity and beyond as they join such popular Disney sci-fi characters as Buzz Lightyear to save the universe, blast off on a high-speed journey into outer space or even pilot their own spacecraft." According to this, the following rides were originally conceived for the park: FL: -Peter Pan's Flight -Teacups -Under the Sea (ride from Paris or show from TDS TT: -Mickey & Minnie's Houses -Donald's Boat -Goofy's Barnstormer AL: -Ragin Spirits (or another coaster) -The Dig (from AK) -Aladdin ride (probably Carpets spinner) -Festival of the Lion King FL: -Fort Comstock (from DLP) -Haunted Mansion -Grizzly Rapids TL: -Astrolblasters -Space Mountain -Orbitron We know at least two of these concepts is in the works for Phase II (Peter Pan & Jungle Coaster (ragin' spirits)), maybe the others are as well. It would be great to see an Under the Sea ride and Grizzly Rapids.
Originally Posted By jmuboy A rafting/rapids ride could be a part of AL. A improved version of Kali River for example.
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 "I'm just starting to read this section so forgive me for being so far behind. "The vast majority of the people visiting the park can hardly even recognize most of the characters so they have little or no concept of what a DL is. I can't wait to see them shape their own Disneyland experience." I don’t think that's proper reason to dupe them. There first impression of Disney should be awe inspiring, not "look what we let you have, and you're lucky to get it." This could be a huge new audience, and a large money generator. For once a park is going to be the first impression of Disney. How often has that happened? These first few years are going to be a lot of fun to watch, especially since Disney has already stated that there are many new takes on classics in the pipeline. And I have heard that the Autopia will be intertwined with the whole land (kind of like those original concept sketches from the 50's). Now that would be interesting. I think the reason why most people dislike the attraction is because the C-ticket takes up as much space as Pirates and the Matterhorn combined. C-Ticket's play a big part in every Magic Kingdom. Like DCA, I don’t think this park has enough of them, and that is where it is going to get hurt. It has a lot of A's and B's (walking paths, spinners, Main Street Vehicles) and 2 decent E's (Jungle Cruise, Space), but it is definitely missing out of the meat of Disney theme parks. Where are those C's and D's? The E-Tickets may bring folks into the park, and the A's and B's may be what creates the most atmosphere, but it is truly the C's and D's that act as the workhorses. They keep the guests happy as they journey between the show stopping E-Tickets. Each one has its own little story to tell, and its own little world to bring guests into. These are the attractions that make Disneyland special. I would say that they even tell their stories better than most E-Tickets, and are in many ways more enjoyable for a wider audience. I was hoping that this park was going to have some fantastic infrastructure, and would be perfectly prepped for future additions. In Adventureland this seems to be true, but Tomorrowland is a small area, and Fantasyland is pretty ugly and it seems to be somewhat rotten at its core. Past mistakes were made once again. There are some great things in place, like the Adventure River/Jungle Cruise, and the Railroad is probably well done too, but I just think that they only seem to want to add E-Tickets. That is what all of the rumors are saying. And if that is true, than this is a problem. Because a big portion of the park is currently missing in its story (C-D-ticket) category. Alright forgive my ranting, but I'm going to keep going... The park has what C's and D's Pooh Philharmagic Lion King Show Buzz The Railroad And that's it? Autopia is a first step at fixing this problem. A large scale D-ticket Peter Pan and an original C-ticket for Fantasyland would help out a lot. And now for something completely unrelated to the above... I hope the Small World isn't on the list of upcoming attractions. And if it is I hope it is the 5 minute version. It is a nice attraction for many young families, but I don’t think it will have any drawing power. It is however pretty good at moving crowds through and keeping people cool, if there is already a sizable amount of folks in the park. I know the following dates aren't feasible, but lets just say we are still in the planning stages of the park, these would be my optimum choices. Autopia would debut in 2006 I think the next big addition should be an original take on a classic. An Adventureland Haunted Mansion of course in Winter 2006. The preshow would be huge and would have a sitdown story portion in the foyer, before the gallery and hallway/load area. This would be a very long attraction, and would allow guests to rest indoors for a long period of time. Rest in peace of course. The ride would have the classic scenery but with a new storyline and a liberal placing of the Adventureland setting throughout. This would be something for the kids to right home about. Along with the Mansion I would debut a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Spring 2007). I can’t imagine why this attraction isn't already in the park. It has to be the best bang for the buck Disney has ever gotten. It is a great attraction that has a huge audience, the scenery is very Disney, and it is quite inexpensive. My addition would kind of tie in with the Haunted Mansion storyline, and the attraction would be a gold/diamond mine in Zimbabwe, where these dinosaur bones had been unearthed (the existing excavation theme is played up extensively). Big Thunder would be pretty close to the main thoroughfare but the Haunted Mansion would be waaaaaaayyyyyyyy back on a cliffside. Guests would walk up many steps to get to the house. The house overlooks both the Big Thunder Railroad (which I hope the Disneyland railroad could interact with, like at WDW) and the Jungle Cruise which uses the Mansion as part of the scenery, kind of like how Indy was used for the first 10 years at Disneyland. The river plays into the Mansions story too, along with that creepy rotting dock that comes within inches of the Jungle Cruise boats... Next up (2008) is a large scale Peter Pan D-Ticket family attraction in Fantasyland. Finally make the ride worthy of its 75 minute waits it always has at Disneyland. After that (2009) Tomorrowland should receive a large addition, which would transform this land from a village setting to more of an outer worldly experience. It would plug in the holes in the obvious areas. Would it be possible to see the ocean from Tomorrowland, if one was up high enough? In 2010 a new fireworks extravaganza is introduced. Then back to Fantasyland (2011) to fill in the holes. Pan helped out quite a bit, but the importance of the dark rides is now apparent. An original Fantasyland C-Ticket is created and debuts with the moderate improvements. Construction is started on a massive new outdoor theater. In 2013 with the obvious success of the fireworks a 21st century Fantasmic would debut. Mulan's villain is used in place of Ursula. Scar is also added alongside Chernboag, the Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Monstro, A large set (think Treasure Island in Vegas) is developed, to avoid the embarrassing Steamboat Willie of WDW. A large craft is created to house dozens of characters, and a new scene replaces the Pocahontas, Peter Pan moment. Something with Mulan could be fantastic. The Maleficent/Dragon thing would be a great way to explain Sleeping Beauty Castle to people. For the park's completion of its first decade, the Pirates of the Caribbean thrill ride adventure would open spring 2015. It is the largest and most complex E-Ticket attraction in years. It will rank alongside Splash, Indy, and the original Pirates. It would be placed in a rather prominent location in Adventureland (where the surrounding area completely takes on the Pirates cove theme). Okay, sorry for the long rant. I really do think this parks first decade is going to be a lot of fun to watch. It especially becomes an important moment in theme park history with this switching of the gueards currently going on at company. I cant wait to see the people's reaction and Disney's next step (hopefully not an announcemnt for more Magic Kingdoms).
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 "I'm just starting to read this section so forgive me for being so far behind. "The vast majority of the people visiting the park can hardly even recognize most of the characters so they have little or no concept of what a DL is. I can't wait to see them shape their own Disneyland experience." I don’t think that's proper reason to dupe them. There first impression of Disney should be awe inspiring, not "look what we let you have, and you're lucky to get it." This could be a huge new audience, and a large money generator. For once a park is going to be the first impression of Disney. How often has that happened? These first few years are going to be a lot of fun to watch, especially since Disney has already stated that there are many new takes on classics in the pipeline. And I have heard that the Autopia will be intertwined with the whole land (kind of like those original concept sketches from the 50's). Now that would be interesting. I think the reason why most people dislike the attraction is because the C-ticket takes up as much space as Pirates and the Matterhorn combined. C-Ticket's play a big part in every Magic Kingdom. Like DCA, I don’t think this park has enough of them, and that is where it is going to get hurt. It has a lot of A's and B's (walking paths, spinners, Main Street Vehicles) and 2 decent E's (Jungle Cruise, Space), but it is definitely missing out of the meat of Disney theme parks. Where are those C's and D's? The E-Tickets may bring folks into the park, and the A's and B's may be what creates the most atmosphere, but it is truly the C's and D's that act as the workhorses. They keep the guests happy as they journey between the show stopping E-Tickets. Each one has its own little story to tell, and its own little world to bring guests into. These are the attractions that make Disneyland special. I would say that they even tell their stories better than most E-Tickets, and are in many ways more enjoyable for a wider audience. I was hoping that this park was going to have some fantastic infrastructure, and would be perfectly prepped for future additions. In Adventureland this seems to be true, but Tomorrowland is a small area, and Fantasyland is pretty ugly and it seems to be somewhat rotten at its core. Past mistakes were made once again. There are some great things in place, like the Adventure River/Jungle Cruise, and the Railroad is probably well done too, but I just think that they only seem to want to add E-Tickets. That is what all of the rumors are saying. And if that is true, than this is a problem. Because a big portion of the park is currently missing in its story (C-D-ticket) category. Alright forgive my ranting, but I'm going to keep going... The park has what C's and D's Pooh Philharmagic Lion King Show Buzz The Railroad And that's it? Autopia is a first step at fixing this problem. A large scale D-ticket Peter Pan and an original C-ticket for Fantasyland would help out a lot. And now for something completely unrelated to the above... I hope the Small World isn't on the list of upcoming attractions. And if it is I hope it is the 5 minute version. It is a nice attraction for many young families, but I don’t think it will have any drawing power. It is however pretty good at moving crowds through and keeping people cool, if there is already a sizable amount of folks in the park. I know the following dates aren't feasible, but lets just say we are still in the planning stages of the park, these would be my optimum choices. Autopia would debut in 2006 I think the next big addition should be an original take on a classic. An Adventureland Haunted Mansion of course in Winter 2006. The preshow would be huge and would have a sitdown story portion in the foyer, before the gallery and hallway/load area. This would be a very long attraction, and would allow guests to rest indoors for a long period of time. Rest in peace of course. The ride would have the classic scenery but with a new storyline and a liberal placing of the Adventureland setting throughout. This would be something for the kids to right home about. Along with the Mansion I would debut a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Spring 2007). I can’t imagine why this attraction isn't already in the park. It has to be the best bang for the buck Disney has ever gotten. It is a great attraction that has a huge audience, the scenery is very Disney, and it is quite inexpensive. My addition would kind of tie in with the Haunted Mansion storyline, and the attraction would be a gold/diamond mine in Zimbabwe, where these dinosaur bones had been unearthed (the existing excavation theme is played up extensively). Big Thunder would be pretty close to the main thoroughfare but the Haunted Mansion would be waaaaaaayyyyyyyy back on a cliffside. Guests would walk up many steps to get to the house. The house overlooks both the Big Thunder Railroad (which I hope the Disneyland railroad could interact with, like at WDW) and the Jungle Cruise which uses the Mansion as part of the scenery, kind of like how Indy was used for the first 10 years at Disneyland. The river plays into the Mansions story too, along with that creepy rotting dock that comes within inches of the Jungle Cruise boats... Next up (2008) is a large scale Peter Pan D-Ticket family attraction in Fantasyland. Finally make the ride worthy of its 75 minute waits it always has at Disneyland. After that (2009) Tomorrowland should receive a large addition, which would transform this land from a village setting to more of an outer worldly experience. It would plug in the holes in the obvious areas. Would it be possible to see the ocean from Tomorrowland, if one was up high enough? In 2010 a new fireworks extravaganza is introduced. Then back to Fantasyland (2011) to fill in the holes. Pan helped out quite a bit, but the importance of the dark rides is now apparent. An original Fantasyland C-Ticket is created and debuts with the moderate improvements. Construction is started on a massive new outdoor theater. In 2013 with the obvious success of the fireworks a 21st century Fantasmic would debut. Mulan's villain is used in place of Ursula. Scar is also added alongside Chernboag, the Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Monstro, A large set (think Treasure Island in Vegas) is developed, to avoid the embarrassing Steamboat Willie of WDW. A large craft is created to house dozens of characters, and a new scene replaces the Pocahontas, Peter Pan moment. Something with Mulan could be fantastic. The Maleficent/Dragon thing would be a great way to explain Sleeping Beauty Castle to people. For the park's completion of its first decade, the Pirates of the Caribbean thrill ride adventure would open spring 2015. It is the largest and most complex E-Ticket attraction in years. It will rank alongside Splash, Indy, and the original Pirates. It would be placed in a rather prominent location in Adventureland (where the surrounding area completely takes on the Pirates cove theme). Okay, sorry for the long rant. I really do think this parks first decade is going to be a lot of fun to watch. It especially becomes an important moment in theme park history with this switching of the gueards currently going on at company. I cant wait to see the people's reaction and Disney's next step (hopefully not an announcemnt for more Magic Kingdoms).
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Re: Post #161 Are you kidding me?? THAT'S what they suppose to have gotten this year? If that's true, look what was left out: -Peter Pan's Flight -Under the Sea (ride from Paris or show from TDS -TOONTOWN -Mickey & Minnie's Houses -Donald's Boat -Goofy's Barnstormer -Ragin Spirits (or another coaster) -The Dig (from AK) -Aladdin ride (probably Carpets spinner) FRONTIERLAND: -Fort Comstock (from DLP) -Haunted Mansion -Grizzly Rapids (I REALLY want to say the J.C. name right now, but I made a promise ) I mean, that is TWO lands and over 10 attractions MISSING. That's about half of this park now!! What are we missing? Was the budget slashed in half or something or was it just to entice more people to get the park funded in the first place. I KNOW things change, but this just seems like an awful lot of cut idea's. Does anyone know?
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 "<<Why are you so eager for HKDL to fail, WD?>> Woah Tom, who said I wanted it to fail???? Don't get me wrong, I want it to be the most sucessful new park to come around since TDS--but for the RIGHT reasons!!!?I don't think that is asking for much, right? " Since TDS World Disney? So as long as it is better than the Paris studios you'll be fine with it? I think the Jungle Cruise, the Railroad, and Buzz already put it over Disney Studios Paris. I'm glad to see you're happy! Does this area have a curfew? I wouldn't want to fear about wandering too far from the park in China once the place closes. However, the folks on Lantua island are very upscale, and probably dont want tourists hanging out for too long. Also, if the park capacity is 30,000, I wonder how many people can fit on that Disneyland line of the train at one time. That seems like an awfully huge investment to only pull 30,000-45,000 people through on a busy day. Or am I really that oblivous to how transportation works, and this is a huge number? And for those folks who may use this as a city park (and beleive me, as a student of architecture and urban planning, this is a very typical recreation style in large urban environments all over the world, through all periods of time), would they come and spend the whole day, or just drop in for a meal, a spin on the train, and a cruise through the jungle? What would your experience with the Hong Kong community say Leemac? Will they be put off by the entrance fee, are those strolling folks going to be the guys who see the free fireworks show from the esplanade, and bring a picnic lunch for the family to eat while sitting near the whale fountain? Hong Kong has very little in common with the rest of China, and I beleive that the majority of the people with spending money have already visited another Disney park. This is truly a tough site to call. But, all of the folks just riding the train line for fun is a good sign of whats to come. I am sure the first season (3 months or so) is going to be packed. Who knows where it would go from there.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^^Where you been dude?? Up until now, I thought it was just me, Jmuboy and Westsider completely out-of-line here. Glad to see another 'nutball' here like us who thinks HKDL is SEVERELY lacking attractions wise .
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<Hong Kong has very little in common with the rest of China, and I beleive that the majority of the people with spending money have already visited another Disney park. This is truly a tough site to call.>> Well, I'm not sure about that. While true, a lot of foreign tourists who make up TDR statistics are Chinese, I'm sure that number is still very small in comparison. We are talking about a country with over a billion people in it. Sure, about 900 million of them are dirt poor, but when you are talking about the middle class to rich people, that STILL makes up more then every citizen living in the U.S. So, I think there is a large pool to tap there obviously (but that's not REALLY our point, is it ). But sure, I'm sure if most are interested in going to a Disney park, they must have SOME idea what to expect. It's not to say that they would know what park has so and so rides or whatever, but it takes about a 5 minute search on the net (assuming the Chinese govt hasn't censored them ) to see what's inside a DL and what's there.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Does this area have a curfew? I wouldn't want to fear about wandering too far from the park in China once the place closes. However, the folks on Lantua island are very upscale, and probably dont want tourists hanging out for too long. >> I wouldn't call Lantau upscale at all. It is a very sparsely populated island with few big community. The new airport has changed that but only marginally. Plus Penny's Bay is literally self-contained. You can't walk anywhere and there isn't anything beyond the resort. The MTR takes you straight up to Sunny Bay which itself is a new station and is going to be a tourist destination itself inf the SAR government get their way in the next few years. Regardless what anyone else says dining and shopping are far more key elements than anyone could imagine. I'm not saying people will go to the park just for that (although when APs are offered that wouldn't surprise me) but it is an integral component. Far more so than at any other resort including Tokyo. And if you have been there you can imagine what a statement that is! Lee
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<Plus Penny's Bay is literally self-contained. You can't walk anywhere and there isn't anything beyond the resort.>> Thanks Lee for bringing this up . I said this a few times on these boards concerning Hong Kong and the resorts. IF this will be your first time to Hong Kong (meaning you have NEVER stepped foot in Hong Kong), don't be Disney dorks and ONLY stay at the resort. TRUST ME, there are plenty of cheaper, just as nice hotels in the middle of the city center to capture Hong Kong itself. The resort is nice and all, but yeah, when you are done riding SM for the 4th time that day and done at 7, you are stuck on an island with NOTHING to do!! From what I understand, it's only a 30 minute ride to reach Hong Kong center (I'm guessing Cenral Station area). Hong Kong has SO MUCH to see and offer, but its easy to get lazy and stay at the resort only, especially if you have a short time there. I would just ride it in every morning and then you can come home to all kinds of shopping, restaurants, nightclubs and etc. Hardly ANYTHING shuts down before 11 there . My advice honestly would find a hotel IN Hong Kong. But, if you're one of those people that needs the Disney magic 24 hours a day, blah, blah, blah, then my other advice would be to maybe split a day or two at a resort on Hong Kong island or Kowloon and then switching one or two nights at the resort itself. Again, just an idea .
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Hey WD, since we all know that HKDL is severely short on rides and real "rideable" attractions..maybe they can call the new sky Tram in the west end side of Lantau "a Disney ride" as well?? ;P
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^What, you mean they haven't ALREADY?? Someone needs to fire the attraction lister guy after he finishes updating the brochure to add another 'attraction' to include the left and right tunnels going into Disneyland as "a magical transition and wonderment from the present of the contemporary world to the past of a timeless one". LETS GET THAT SKY TRAM IN THE BROCHURES PRONTO PEOPLE!!!
Originally Posted By leemac WD, I'm a slave to being pampered so we stayed on HK island this past month at the Conrad at Pacific Place. I really can't wait to get back to HK next month and spend a few days doing the stuff we missed like Stanley Market. On the cable car it is 6km long. That is an incredible length for a cable system. All to take people to a big buddha! It is kinda sad but there have been so few non-Disney vacations in my life over the past 10 years. However HK was never on my list of things to do and HKDL changed that. Now I can say that it is my favourite city bar none. Strange how things work out.......
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Oh Lee! You *gotta* do Stanley Market on your next trip!! A must do!! Also, I a gree about Hong Kong being your fav city. It's simply a great city to explore and enjoy. Breathtaking at night especially!!
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 Thanks for the infor about Lantua Leemac. For some reason I was under the impression that the island only consists of upscale apartment high rises. I think I saw it on the travel channel or something, and just figured it was all like that. As for the China market and Hong Kong booming, I am an architecture major, and I have at least one lecturer a week. Many of them end their lectures with one piece of advice. Learn Chinese! They say that is where all of the work is going to be, because their government now understands how to treat developers and there are many oppertunities for young architects. Is there space set aside, maybe near the train station, for a Downtown Disney type area? I think it is kind of wierd that the shops are at the airport and merchandise is at the station, but the place where an entire railroad line takes guests is void of any merchandise facilities or dining options. I think 30,000 people is a rather small number (I beleive a typical Disneyland weekend at this time of year has around 55,000-60,000 a day). What are those people going to do when the gates close? Head over to the hotel gardens or hop back on the train to try again another day? Or am I sounding too much like the Disney Company circa Winter 2000?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Is there space set aside, maybe near the train station, for a Downtown Disney type area?<< Plenty. According to the master plan on exhibit at the HKDL Preview at EPCOT's China, both sides of the Esplanade from the MTR station to the park and from the hotel and pier side of the Esplanade towards the park is shown on the map as "Future developement sites". A DTD would fit perfectly in that area IMHO.
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 Is the site for the second theme park nearby, or a ways away? (I know I saw it in a photo update before, I believe it was one of yours TDLFAN)
Originally Posted By TDLFAN It would be pretty much across from the DL Park, similar to the DCA in relation to DL, as far as I remember... Lee?
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney FYI, I have a 1999=era press release around somewhere and it definitely inlcuded/mentioned Peter Pan and Little Mermaid. Adventureland was supposed to have coaster with onboard sound that also included elements and AAs from DAK's Dinosaur ride. Frontierland was mentioned as having pretty much a carbon copy of Phantom Manor from Paris and the Lewis and Clark raft ride originally envisioned for Disney's America park in Virginia. Obviously a lot changed between then and now.
