Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Maybe if some of the "higher ups" didn't gouge so much in salary and incentives, Disney could front new attractions. I long ago stopped looking at WDW as an amusement park, it's an entertainment center. There's nothing wrong with thrill rides, but I don't like them, so there better be something for me to do while others in my group are doing their thing. Don't sacrifice one group to attract another. Besides, I spend more money than my 25-40 year old children do.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Ok, so I'm reading this and saw an earlier post saying the track was practically falling apart. Is this actually dangerous to ride now then? The last time I rode was in Sept. 2005 so I could use some advice. My fiance (wife when our trip in Dec. comes up...yay!) has a bad back. She can handle the smoother roller coasters, but too many bumps could be a problem. Any suggestions? << I would recommend your wife to pass on this attraction. You don't want to spoil your Honeymoon over one little ride.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 >>The irony is that the changes to SSE that are coming in early '08 have been designed entirely with the future in mind (ie. the new touchscreens on the ride vehicles) that will enable WDI to make changes easily.<< So what you are really saying is that once again Disney is going the lame route and the new version will be all screens/projections/video stuff. Forget dreaming about brand new AA charecters in the finale...forget real special effects..forget original memorable songs like "Tomorrow Child". After all who needs that when you can be looking at a small tv screen and looking at video footage instead! Par for the course from Tom Fitzgerald and Eric Jacobson
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Next time I have a conversation with Marty, this will be the first thing I bring up. I want to hear him clarify and crystallize his thoughts on the park.>> I'd be interested in his thoughts as well. I haven't seen/spoken with him in a long time but as the force that pushed EPCOT Center's development thru WED, I can't think of anyone better to offer perspective on its past, present and future!
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ Then I suggest you buy Issue 11 of Tales from the Laughing Place Magazine that has an exclusive interview with Marty about Epcot.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I was a kid when Epcot opened. I've a terrible memory but I do recall those early trips with a lot of fondness. My love for the parks (and Disney is by and large still about the parks for me) stemmed from those experiences. Epcot drove and fueled those desires. >> See! I knew at your core, you weren't evil! ;-) EPCOT Center was the park that hooked me on Disney for life, no doubt. As a teen, EC in the 1980s was simply the most amazing, awe-inspring, detailed, modern, postive-thinking place I could ever imagine. To watch it being built and then be there from Opening Day on ... it was incredible. It's safe to say, quality was the only thing that mattered in its construction and development. As I've said, I agree parts of (mostly) Future World got tired in the 1990s. But that was to be expected. When the decade started most people didn't even own a cell phone or fax. By the end of the decade, most people were regulars on the Internet, carried PDAs and booked their flights to WDW online. Different worlds. And Disney simply didn't have the stomach to update the park regularly as was needed. They thought they'd sign corporate sponsors to 10-year deals, have them spend the money and then ignore the pavilion for a decade. That resulted in the old, stale, Reagan era view of the future. But when I hear WDW management wanted to close the Seas, which I know to be true, it tells me how out of touch they were and continue to be. Epcot is still an amazing place. Still likely my second fave theme park on earth -- DL will always be No. 1. But its scope... its grandeur ... its ideals all seem to have shrunk along with the budgets. There have been plenty of positives from Soarin to even Mission Space (which should have been only the start of a space pavilion NOT the whole thing) but there have been many negatives (IMagination, WoL, giant cartoon wand etc ...) Hopefully, they'll start to give the park the TLC it needs. But they chose to ignore the 25th, which simply is inexcusable IMHO.
Originally Posted By WeirdJohn Mpierce, Thanks. That was my thinking as well. We both went on in 2005, but it sounds like it has gotten much worse. Thanks for the opinion!
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror >>><<Next time I have a conversation with Marty, this will be the first thing I bring up. I want to hear him clarify and crystallize his thoughts on the park.>> I'd be interested in his thoughts as well.<<< There's a good chance I'll get to discuss this with him tomorrow. If so, I'll let you know what he had to say.
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror Plans got changed... no chat with Marty today. Maybe in a couple of weeks. The question will definitely be on my mind. The archives right now have a nice exhibit on EPCOT Center... Might bring it up with him as well.
Originally Posted By brotherdave It would be nice if that exhibit in the archives worked its way eastward to the park about to celebrate its 25th anniversary! WHY can't Disney at least offer even a small exhibit at Epcot honoring it's 25th??? I'm sure that there's some unused exhibit corner in the park that would be perfect for just such a display!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Heck, they were able to make a pretty decent exhibit on HKDL with just maps for landscaping and a couple information boards. I don't think it would be that tough to come up with something small and stick it in Innoventions or some place like that, as part of a bigger experience (maybe even put it in the sitting area where they already have all the other Disney history...just a thought)
Originally Posted By Socrates True story regarding the swift pace of technological progress: I knew it was time to upgrade my IBM PC home computer when I saw it on display in the Smithsonian. Socrates "The unexamined life is not worth living."
