Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<<<What new hotels are being built? AoA resort? Well, it was partially finished when construction halted on September 11, 11 years ago today ( how appropriate to discuss this today ).>> Are you SURE? I thought construction was halted on the Pop Century... not the AoA.>> Oops... never-mind. I re-read the article more closely and see it is the unfinished area of the Pop that is being redeveloped as the AoA. Sorry.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<Theme parks will have to evolve to mesh into the new fabric of society.>> No arguement there. <<The rumored $2 billion Disney is investing in its next-generation theme park project is key to keeping ahead of the technological game.>> Disney is welcome to invest in whatever technology they want. What is argueable is if investing in NextGen actually "enhances" a vacation stay at WDW. The chief complaint among most on this board about a growing trend at WDW ( and not any any other Disney park on the planet, yet ) is how all this new so-called technology "regulates" a WDW vacation. Not everyone plans a WDW trip years in advance and down to the very last minute. I know those people exist, and I'm not one of them. I don't need an overkill of smart phone apps to enjoy a trip to WDW. And quite frankly find the constant chirping, buzzing in addition to the music tone rings on visitors smart phones while on vacation at WDW annoying and taking away from the magic. Do people really have to play cyborg while at WDW? Is our population so dependent on being part of the collective at all times that they can't enjoy a few peaceful moments while in Disney parks? Must they truely impose upon others with their smart phone addiction. Put the darn thing on vibrate! I don't need to hear your smart technology chirping and buzzing constantly! Furthermore, you make it sound as if there needs to be a choice between improving the parks OR Disney adopting NextGen. I would think maintaining the parks and adding what needs to be added to the parks, would take presidence over high tech gadgetry. Electronic, paperless Fastpass and RFID chip refillable mugs do not make a park, rides and attractions do.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<The rumored $2 billion Disney is investing in its next-generation theme park project is key to keeping ahead of the technological game>> So, Disney rolls out high tech gadgetry and no one notices, while the compitition continues to add new "lands", icluding high tech rides and attractions on both coasts.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip WDW needs a "people Eater" to soak up the excess crowds during busy periods... something like the CoP used to do when it ran at capacity. They could redo CoP along the lines of the greatly missed Horizons at Epcot... their future-looking dioramas never became out of date and more than likely wouldn't. Progress in those areas occurs much more slowly than most would predict. Have scenes depicting future life in a big city, life in outer space, life underwater and life on the moon... something along those lines. With the great nostalgia that exits for Horizons I think it could attract very well, while at the same time bringing a touch of tomorrow back to Tomorrowland. It would not have to be a massively expense redo.
Originally Posted By oc_dean In response to post #53 .... Rather than just looking forward ... you got to look to the past, the present .. and take a few steps back to look at the grand scheme of things. Not all change is good. We could place this conversation in 1970 .. and say ... the future is more rollercoasters! And the meaner, the faster they are .. the groovier, man! Just for the theme park industry to take take a step back ... and think ... "What is the future suppose to be for the theme park world?" As the future for Disney was putting focus back into the slow moving "family" rides (Pooh, Nemo Subs, Little Mermaid, Nemo ride in the Living Seas pavilion, etc.) So, if we are going to talk "future technologies" ... lets not so zealously think .. every new wiz bang new discovery that comes along is going to CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR THE BETTER. Not every "future" technology that is developed .. is necessarily good for society. Look at nuclear fission. BIG MISTAKE! Eventually .. we HAVE TO phase it out in favor of Fussion reactors. If we don't ... Chernobl, Three Mile Island, Japan .. will end up being a walk-in-the-park! More about the future .. from the point of view of the past: I'll place myself in Magic Mountain in CA - 1974. My first trip. When the little futurist in me .. was thinking ... This is so cool now ... I can just imagine the future for Magic Mountain 30 years from now!! OOPS! Here was the future - A park that has not evolved .. but devolved into a place more for teens .. and not for families. It's not well kept up. The former monorail/peoplemover it had ... the tracks and stations left abandoned. Sound familiar? In 1977 .. TL in Disneyland ... I was thinking ... wow .. if Tomorrowland is this great now ... I can just imagine how cool it will be in the future! UHHHH! So far, the "future" is a Monsters Inc Comedy Club, flats in Buzz to zap at to score points, and Stitch making a few farts. Wow .. such an exciting future! The future I see .. is a theme park industry that remembers the past first. (PotC, HM, Indy) And look for ways to improve upon them. But so far ... the future has been Stitch farting, and an Improv with cartoony monsters in neon blue, and green.
Originally Posted By Manfried <<What's baffling to me are the people who are literally there all the time and yet are dissatisfied with the experience.>> Right on. They go all the time then complain about their visit all the time. Look, if you don't like it and complain about it, then STOP GOING and STOP PAYING.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip ^^^ YES!! As long as WDW's MK is the most well-attended theme park in the world, it is going to be hard to convince them that they are doing much wrong. IOA and DCA's attendance never met expectations, and in both cases major actions were taken to improve them. As long as those dissatisfied with the MK continue going there all the time, changes will NEVER be made!
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>That isn't going to stop the inevitable though. It's not like people are going to forsake advanced technologies and go back to living like cavemen.<< I know that they aren't going away. But let's not kid ourselves about tech bringing us closer together.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>As long as WDW's MK is the most well-attended theme park in the world, it is going to be hard to convince them that they are doing much wrong.<< I still think Disney fudges the numbers on that statistic. Yes, a Disney park is the most attended theme park in the world, and likely one at WDW (though Tokyo's parks do very well), but I would be shocked if it was MK.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I look at WDW as a city and with the amount of people that come thru the property on a yearly basis, I am not surprised that Disney needs to continue to repair, update and upgrade its infrastructure. That is just a part of doing business. I don't think anyone would fuss about that reality if WDW had been doing a better job of upgrading the parks themselves, which is why people go to WDW in the first place.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<I am not surprised that Disney needs to continue to repair, update and upgrade its infrastructure. That is just a part of doing business.>> Or so one would think. The problem is that basic things like maintainence in the Disney parks is visibly slipping. Disco yeti, parts of the Tree of Life and light posts at Everest now collapsing on guests. No dragon at Fantasmic because the lift broke. WDW needs to get its priorties in order. And all while guests hear the constant, sound of DVC construction. When rides and attractions are breaking and guests are being hurt, we have gone well beyond stand alone conversations about the WDW parks getting stale. New technology, new resorts and park expansions are great. But they don't make up for park maintainence slipping to the point that actual rides and attractions are breaking, routinely left unfixed, and guests, and cast members are getting hurt?
Originally Posted By Blueusion AS far as for me . I have been to WDW over 20 times in over 30 yrs, And untill they add a attraction Like Star Wars land in DHS. and not Avavtar which I saw on my home theater and wasnt really impressed. I want be back, Universal and Sea World and NASA are the places I wanna see. Please Disney get it together. I don't hate you but it's not the same place I was amazed by in 1982.
Originally Posted By Blueusion BTW I can stay at the Marriott Grand Lake's or the Peobdy next door fot a 4th of the price of Disney, So that give me more monry to spend. Disney Hotels are way overpriced and I have alway wanted to stay at The Contemory for over 30 yrs, But not at the price they are asking. Me and my partner that works forMarriott stayed at the Marriott Ko Olinia right next doer to the Aulani in Hawaii. for 8 day in a suite , round trip airfare and a rental car for a total cost of $3500.00 for tthe total trip. not per person total cost Disney was a nice hotel but over priced
Originally Posted By TP2000 I've decided that Mr. Hill long ago passed into the fringe obscurity of the Internet fan community (he jumped the shark and went under back in '08 with that Night Kingdom thing). Mr. Hill now simply wants to get his name back out there and hopefully get invited to some free media events at Disney World. I lived in New England for a time and remember how truly miserable the long winters were. Mr. Hill, up there in New Hampshire, realizes he's fallen off the invite list for free trips to Florida to fawning bloggers who tow the company line, and he needs some hits and buzz to get his name back on the Swag Bag guest list. This latest attempt by Mr. Hill to suck up to Orlando executives and keepers of the blogger invite list was clumsy and amateurish. It also had no real information, just a lot of speculation and assumptions gleaned from every other Internet report on WDW construction of the last three years. WDW's parks are stale and tired, the Orlando management is about as fresh as a tedious corporate team-building event two hours after lunch break, and the New Fantasyland wilts in comparison with what's been going on in Anaheim during the same timeframe. You can't excuse any of that, no matter how smooth the pavement is on the "road widening" that Mr. Hill touts as an example of WDW investment.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>and he needs some hits and buzz to get his name back on the Swag Bag guest list. << Framing his columns to take hits at "fanbois" is not going to do it! Talk about clumsy and amateurish .. not to mention IMMATURE ... You know the funny thing is ... Why would critics bother him, in the first place? Wouldn't a professional columnist write a story .. irrelevant of what other people say? That's just it! It does bother him!! Which I find a little strange.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I want to elaborate just a little more on Mr. Hill's 3-time usage of the word "fanboi". For a while ... I didn't even know what it meant. Then I read this just over a year ago - <a href="http://www.film.com/movies/from-fanboy-to-fanboi-the-evolution-of-the-obsessed" target="_blank">http://www.film.com/movies/fro...obsessed</a> So .. it seems to me .. It works like this - (metaphorical example): If you want to insult a person - You say - 'You are an idiot' (Obsessed Fan) If a standard insult is not good enough for you .. and you want to hit the person harder ... then come the 4-letter words .... 'You are an A**hole! (Fanboy) And if the standard or even hard-hitting insult is still not good enough ... and you want to hit the person as hard as you possibly can ... then you use the absolute worst 4-letter word/phrase known in our language - an M.F.! (FANBOI) You can line up the insult words like a "star rating" 0- Fan 1- Obsessed Fan 2- Fanboy 3- Fanboi
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn This thread is so analogous to Apple fanboys. The iPhone 5 specs come out amid excitement and anticipation, it has honest-to-goodness nice new features, and the Apple user community ends up expressing their universal "ho-hum". They retreat to their Wizarding World of Galaxy III, and yell with glee from afar. Meanwhile, history says we'll have these things for decades to come, with a sure but gradual approach to way-coolness. The same will happen to Disney. It's hear for hundreds of years to come. Be patient. Enjoy the treasures that are there now.
Originally Posted By Manfried It amazes me that the ones complaining still buy tickets to go to the Disney parks. Complain all you want, but if you still pay, they (the Disney corporation) really don't care.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>The same will happen to Disney. It's hear for hundreds of years to come. Be patient. Enjoy the treasures that are there now.<< But how many of us .. are here for "hundreds of years" .. at the rate Disney builds anything new? 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea closed in 1994. It them 18 years to get around to a replacement - Little Mermaid. Lack of maintenance, broken ride effects, closed facilities, slow to building new attractions ..... My last trip to WDW was in 1995. Just before the EPCOT I knew .. changed forever .. and not necessarily for the best! Not much has been done in the magic kingdom park in that time. I think I'd head over to the Paris, and Tokyo parks before hit up WDW again.
