Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Very true WD, very true. Although I cannot help but feel even Westcot or Disney Sea would have appealed to the locals either.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Wow really Dave? You don't think people would've drooled at having a Westcot or DISNEYSEA??? I don't know, all I can tell you is when I show my Disney pics of TDS to family and friends, all L.A. residents they REALLY want to see that park! DCA...not so much . But if you're saying maybe not enough to get the attendance those parks would've needed to suceed, well then that's different and maybe true. Like I said though, the 2nd gate never had to be Disneysea, I just don't know why it had to be this either though . Don't theme a park to something 60-70% of your audience basically LIVES in. Dumb, dumb, dumb!!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo My point is WD. Some of the coolness of Epcot or Disney Sea seems to be the hanging out, the shows, the restaurants. Well DCA provided a lot of those options. But I do not think the SoCal pop would dig any of those. DCA offers some cool attractions with Soarin', ToT, Grizzly, Screaming, some decent 3D offerings and more. Now it's difficult to comment, but when looking at TDS, there are not a huge number of unique repeatable offerings to the SoCal taste is there? I mean only Journey, 20K (which gets mixed reviews) and Sinbad would fit the bill, would they not? So although it is beautiful and people want to visit TDS, I think in SoCal, they would grow tired of it too. (Remember how non locals really enjoy DCA). As for Westcot. Well again, as much as Epcot is a real contender for best park ever in my books, again, the most Epcot like attractions at DL and DCA are given a hard time. TDS would probably fare the best out of the 3 options, but I think the DL AP set would only ever accept a DL MK 2. Shame, as on paper, I would have thought a hang out like Westcot, TDS or even DCA would go down well with locals (but look how quick Puck, Mondavi and SOB left). DL is my fav park anywhere, but the high expectations, personal history, nostalgia and sense of personal entitlement meant no matter what was built, it would not necessarily be a hit out of the park. Sad, but possible true.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney I see your points Dave, but you are assuming everything that was built in Tokyo would be built exactly as is in Anaheim. Maybe they would use completely different attractions and since one of their major attractions, Indy is already AT DL, then that means they would find something different for that area of the land (I'm assuming if its like ANYTHING like DCA, you would get Raging Spirits only ). Again, while I acknowledge your point, I think it would be a little unfair to dismiss one of the coolest concepts has ever produced because you don't think people would enjoy the rides as much. Maybe they wouldn't, but I would suspect they would build rides a little closer to the locals taste if TDS ever came stateside anyway. But who I am I kidding lol. We been whining over DCA because it seems like they missed the mark on pretty much everything their customers want in a Disney park, so I can't imagine they would do much better with DisneySea lol. Also, we already KNOW if they built Disneysea its no way in hell most of those attractions would make it there because most are just too expensive. I'm guessing Stormrider, Sinbad (maybe) and the C ticket rides would've made the cut, but if its anything like the OTHER parks that have been built, nothing that elaborate would've made in that park anyway. Also, they would have to basically cut the thing in half to fit all end and that would be the biggest trasvety in my mind and why I DON'T want a TDS type park built in Anaheim. TDS should be built as complete it is in Tokyo just like all MK parks should be as complete. Look at HKDL and the fact the place is MISSING an entire land (Frontierland, CHRIST!!!!!) to get my point on that .
Originally Posted By WorldDisney And no, I never thought Epcot 'As is' would've all that great too. Most people I know WOULD find it boring, but I think Westcot was cooler and did a good job of addressing the complaints of Epcot (too many exhibits, too many movies in World Showcase, TOO big and etc) and made it a little cooler. I honestly don't know how sucessful it would've been, but the reception would've been a whole lot bigger than what DCA has gotten all these years.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan I think TDS would be very successful had it been put next to Disneyland instead of DCA. TDS does borrow many concepts from the Magic Kingdoms, plus it's probably the park Disneyland AP holders gush about the most on discussion boards.
Originally Posted By bean "While I'm glad the family enjoyed it, the new TPTB seem to disagree with them about the details of the place since the 1.2 Billion overhaul seems like it will include a massive new look to much of the park." People will always have differnt ways of seeing things. The park actually has very high marks from international tourist. the problem is with locals and Disney knows that. Anaheim depends quite a bit on locals so Burbank has to make sure that the park pleases both markets
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^LOL Bean, I said all that in my other posts. The non locals seem to like it for what it is, but its the locals, the majority of the attendance who mainly thinks its bad and hence, needs to get them to expereince it more. What did I miss?
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> Probably obvious, but the whole Grizzly River Run area, particularly the portion as you walk towards the bridge lift just passing the tiny SF alley near Paradise Pier, is absolutely stunning << The rock work, waterfalls and landscaping do make the Grizzly area one of the few parts of DCA that had a Disney-esque quality from the beginning. >> I always say this, but I’ll say it again: the Sorcerer's Workshop in the animation building (except for the unfortunate bare ceiling) is absolutely, 100% DisneySea quality in it’s build. << I still remember going in there back in February 2001 and thinking that if the rest of DCA had the same inherent quality of the Disney animation attraction in general, that DCA would be, if not a DisneySea type of park (which at the time hadn't opened yet), then certainly a big-time, fully Disney-ized type of park. However, the fact that both the Animation exhibit and the Socerer's Workshop are no longer packed with visitors, perhaps even on DCA's busier days, as they were several years ago is one reason I'd love to have detailed data -- were I to be responsible for planning or working on a Disney park -- on the economics of the park and the turnstile counts (and via opinion surveys) of its various features.
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> I never had the opportunity to eat at the Soap Opera Bistro, but I was looking at the Yesterland page.... <a href="http://yesterland.com/soapopera.html" target="_blank">http://yesterland.com/soapoper a.html</a> << Oh, lordy. After seeing that blast from the past, I'm even more gap-mouthed at what a misguided concept SOB was---even its acronym is embarrassing. And as is true of much of DCA in general -- for example, its Hollywood backlot themed to include some of the ugliness and jarring inconsistency of a real backlot or TV set -- the Bistro was a visual mess too: A room of a hospital stuck next to a room of a mansion.... <a href="http://yesterland.com/images-caladventure/soapopera_servers.jpg" target="_blank">http://yesterland.com/images-c aladventure/soapopera_servers.jpg</a> >>>>> The servers are not just there to take your orders and serve your meals. They’re dressed as soap opera characters....and they treat you as a character too.....You might be accused of embezzling money or being someone’s mistress—or both. <<<<< Embezzlement and mistresses!? Ideal for a Disney park! >>>>> Kelly’s Diner from General Hospital. Eat in a restaurant themed to look like a restaurant. <<<<< A restaurant themed to a restaurant!? Ingenious! Sort of like a roller coaster themed to a roller coaster. Soap-opera-themed eateries and re-creations of seaside fun parks?! Big hugs and thanks, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Eisner!
Originally Posted By Bob Paris Disneywatcher - I agree. SOB sounded like my idea of hell. When I am eating just leave me the hell alone to enjoy my meal. Being harangued and hassled by idiot actors who think it's entertaining to play act at bad melodrama right at my table might result in actions that would have me evicted from the park. I could barely stand the one character meal I was given a free pass for(and if not for that, would never have attended one of these zoos come restaurants). As lovely as Cinderella was, I didn't appreciate her questioning why I was alone at a late breakfast(my travel companion was elsewhere shopping).
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<When I am eating just leave me the hell alone to enjoy my meal. Being harangued and hassled by idiot actors who think it's entertaining to play act at bad melodrama right at my table might result in actions that would have me evicted from the park.>> I agree. I've never been a big fan of the 50's Prime Time Café at MGM Studios for this very reason. I only eat there when I'm with a group of friends (and only because they want to). I know that the cast members are just joking and all, but it is rather annoying when you are getting scolded by someone younger than you.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Well, then, you didn't have to eat there. Soaps aren't my thing either, but we can see from the comments that some have left here that some LOVED the Bistro, and the actors coming round and interacting at the tables. To each his own. Except we don't have that choice any more.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney I'm assuming we don't have that choice anymore because a lot of people simply didn't like the idea and didn't eat there....or Wolfgang owned it .
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I think it's more likely most people had no idea what was inside there. It didn't even look like a restaurant from the outside. It really didn't have time to find its audience before it was yanked.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Yeah, that seems to be about 99% of the other places that were closed too lol.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 A place like Hollywood & Dine could presumably re-open (isn't its kitchen still used for private events?), but SOB is gone for good, which is a shame - at least it was ambitious.
Originally Posted By TMICHAEL Ambitious? I don't know about that, but it did have a very limited demographic; women and gay guys into Soaps. Kids, teens, guys and most foriegners could care less about dining on a mock-up of a soap set. Disagree? Just look at how well the ESPN ZONE does. For a restaurant that also has a singular theme, like SOB did, it blows SOB out of the water. Although SOB might have done better if it was located in DTD and not actually in DCA.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Yeah, it sounds like a place you mightve checked out ONCE for the novelty of it all and then not bother again. It doesn't sound all that appealing to me, but I would've probably done it once. Also, I guess it doesn't hurt the actual food is worth something to crow about, or otherwise it would be a place for soap opera freaks!
