Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread

[azza29]

Park-goers over there wanted Soarin' (God knows why), and they got it. Although, after seeing videos of it, I'm kinda disappointed with how it turned out. Definitely could have been better, IMO. Then again, I've never ridden it, so who knows.

 

I don't know if a POV of Soarin' would do justice to the actual ride. That said, the film is getting kind of dated and I'm looking forward to the rumoured update in a few years.

[805Andrew]

There have actually been several photos floating around today that they have already removed all the boats from the ride. Here's one not taken from backstage, but of one heading down the interstate:

 

This brings up many questions...

 

- Are they being hauled away to be destroyed?

- Are they being hauled away to be re-designed?

- If the new ride isn't using these boats, is it using boats at all?

 

If there is one thing I know about my years working for Disney is that they don't ever throw anything away unless they have to. I'm hoping the next pictures that show up are of these boats being shredded to pieces because that will give a bit more hope to possibly maybe it will be a totally new ride system?

 

Maybe the boats wil become reclaimed wood for park benches.

[cfc]

This is an interesting development. If they are redoing the ride system, then it could be more than just a "redress" of Maelstrom.

[Hilltopper39]

First, those ride boats look HUGE out of the water and on the back of a truck bed, I had no idea those things were that big.

 

Second, I feel like they almost have to completely overhaul the ride system for a Frozen ride to work. I don't know what the theoretical capacity of the old system was but there's no way it's big enough to support the popularity of a Frozen attraction. When the line for the character meet and greets is over several hours the lines for the ride will be massive.

 

If they do keep the ride system that same, they're gonna need a bigger boat........

[VegasCoaster]

I was thinking it might be a new ride system with the whole family not having a great track record with boats thing.

 

"Join Anna & Elsa on a terrifying boat journey as they continue to showcase the family's history of trauma, as they meet up with Olaf, a lovable snowman who likes warm hugs and..."

[Guy T. Koepp]

And the hot Norwegian women stay.

 

THIS!

 

Do what you want to anything in the area. But I will start an on line protest if they take away the hot Norwegian chicks!

 

I have a great Idea! Besides FROZEN, what else are the Scandinavian countries known for. That's right people! PORN! Can we get a FROZEN hentai attraction! That way we can satisfy all the masses. Putting the characters from FROZEN in Norway, and still keeping EPCOT distinctly adult. I guarantee my first destination every time I visit WDW would be Norway.

[viking86]

And the hot Norwegian women stay.

 

THIS!

 

Do what you want to anything in the area. But I will start an on line protest if they take away the hot Norwegian chicks!

 

I have a great Idea! Besides FROZEN, what else are the Scandinavian countries known for. That's right people! PORN! Can we get a FROZEN hentai attraction! That way we can satisfy all the masses. Putting the characters from FROZEN in Norway, and still keeping EPCOT distinctly adult. I guarantee my first destination every time I visit WDW would be Norway.

 

If that were to be true I would jump on a plane immediately and go from Norway to EPCOT-Norway!!

 

Norwegian chicks I can look at every day....

[Guy T. Koepp]

 

Norwegian chicks I can look at every day....

 

I want to be you so badly right now! They call to me! They dance in my dreams and taunt me with their hotness! Fortunately for me, in my dreams I end up satisfying them all. Much as it would be in real life, if I were you.

[G$ Kurt]

^Thats just..inaccurate. and I liked Maelstrom.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

This is an interesting development. If they are redoing the ride system, then it could be more than just a "redress" of Maelstrom.

 

The rumored timetable for construction is longer than the average theme overlay. Test Track took less than a year, right? No, this looks like it will use much of the existing building structure, but with a new ride system built inside. I wouldn't be surprised if the show building was extended backstage some while they're at it.

 

I hope that window that Maelstrom didn't use too well since the riders' backs were always to it ends up being used better. There's potential for a wow moment there for both riders and onlookers, much like when Tower of Terror opens the doors at the top of the drop shaft.

[Hilltopper39]

I'm hoping for some kind of trackless vehicle ride system. Seems like the potential to choreograph the motion in the ride with the music from Frozen would make that system pretty appealing.

 

Lance over at Screamscape had a pretty interesting post today about the concept of Epcot as a park and how Epcot has failed. It's a pretty interesting perspective and I guess it's hard not to agree with. He's not saying Epcot is a bad park, just saying the old business model of having rides and pavilions sponsored by countries and corporations is no longer working and with Norway backing out of sponsorship of the pavilion several years ago paired with the Frozen expansion is essentially the last nail in the coffin. It's worth a read....... Epcot has Failed

 

Personally I love the idea that Disney is incorporating their movies and characters into Epcot. I'd love to see a Ratatouille ride in the France section, or some other new Disney branded attractions open in other parts of the park. Epcot is my personal favorite park at WDW and it looks like the future is bright.

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ I read that article as well, but I wouldn't say that the business model failed, per say. Times have changed since 1982 (or whenever it was that EPCOT opened), and Disney has had to change since then. Yes, EPCOT does look outdated in some areas, but I know Disney can make it much nicer. I agree with more attractions in the World Pavilion, though. I always thought a coaster would be nice to see back there.

[hey...hey]

^Agree. Maybe a nice coaster for Japan. A Ratatouille indoor ride for France. Then maybe a Laff-Trak indoor coaster, similar to Hershey, for England with Alice and Wonderland.

[G$ Kurt]

^No no no, England gets a Mary Poppins dark ride. Yes much better than a carny coaster in a box.

[Nrthwnd]

I hope that if they are indeed, redoing the ride system for the new Frozen attraction,

they don't use the omnimover. But if they do use it, it would be nice if they spaced

the 'pods' a bit farther apart? Or use the system in a new way, if there can be one.

[StuckInSD]

With Gringotts casting a shadow next door, it wouldn't surprise me if Disney went all-out on this ride. I also agree that they shouldn't use the Omnimover; sorta killed The Little Mermaid for me. What I'd love to see is a trackless variant akin to Mystic Manor, with 2-3 sleds sliding around an ice-covered Arendelle. That'd be a perfect fit, I think.

[ernierocker]

^Your idea is cool, but I don't think their decision-making has anything to do with Gringotts or what Universal is doing.

[Nrthwnd]

If they do come up with a trackless ride system for Frozen, I am curious if they have

figured out how to move the vehicles up and down hills, etc? Like Alice in Wonderland

at DL, does on it's track? Or does it always have to be a flat floor for the ride system

to work? So far, all four trackless rides Disney has done, are on a flat 'floor' surface.

Maybe an elevator system could be used, like in Transformers at USO, as well.

 

Just curious about that.

[PayneTrain]

I really thought/passionately hoped that Disney would put in a trackless ride system for the Imagination Pavilion, which is practically a dead pavilion walking along with the Universe of Energy. As much as I find some parts of the World Showcase charming, bringing the trackless system to Norway and really knocking it out of the park with a strong Disney property would be great for that half of the park.

[SharkTums]

I think some of you are putting the sled before the reindeer here. This is Disney. How long does it take them to build new rides? Several years! This ride is scheduled to be down for just over a year. I would not expect any sort of crazy awesome ride system, I would expect an updated version of Maelstrom.

 

As for Imagination, I agree it needs a complete redo, but for whatever terrible reason KT *LOVES* it and wants to ride it every time. So again, we have to remember the core demographic before bulldozing rides in our heads.

[robbalvey]

With Gringotts casting a shadow next door

If there is one thing I know for certain about Disney and more specifically Disney World. They do NOT consider Universal to be their competition or worry about what Universal does. Case in point - Diagon Alley. I saw WAAAAAAAAY more people flood the streets of Hollywood Studios and the Frozen shop during their "Frozen Summer Fun" event than I saw in Diagon Alley or at the registers of those shops in that land the entire summer. How many trains did Seven Dwarfs run and what was their hourly capacity compared to Gringotts?

 

Again, I don't personally feel that either of those things should be compared to begin with, but I'm just using it as an example of why the two resorts are so different. Disney focuses on THEIR guests and what they want, not what guests going to Universal are interested in.

 

IMO, they are two very different markets, even though they are both theme park resorts in Orlando.

 

--Robb "And technically Gringott's is not next door to Disney, Shamu is!" Alvey

Edited October 9, 2014 by robbalvey

[cfc]

IMO, they are two very different markets, even though they are both theme park resorts in Orlando.

 

--Robb "And technically Gringott's is not next door to Disney, Shamu is!" Alvey

 

And variety is a good thing. I enjoy both Universal and Disney.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

They do NOT consider Universal to be their competition or worry about what Universal does. Case in point - Diagon Alley. I saw WAAAAAAAAY more people flood the streets of Hollywood Studios and the Frozen shop during their "Frozen Summer Fun" event than I saw in Diagon Alley or at the registers of those shops in that land the entire summer. How many trains did Seven Dwarfs run and what was their hourly capacity compared to Gringotts?

 

This is one of the reasons why it makes me laugh when another, considerably more hysterical website occasionally rants about how this or that Potter whatever is going to kill WDW, or is *the* sign that WDW is on some huge nosedive into oblivion.

[Hilltopper39]

I think some of you are putting the sled before the reindeer here. This is Disney. How long does it take them to build new rides? Several years! This ride is scheduled to be down for just over a year. I would not expect any sort of crazy awesome ride system, I would expect an updated version of Maelstrom.

 

As for Imagination, I agree it needs a complete redo, but for whatever terrible reason KT *LOVES* it and wants to ride it every time. So again, we have to remember the core demographic before bulldozing rides in our heads.

 

I've always wondered why it takes Disney so long to open some of their attractions, not to compare Universal and Disney again but Universal completed Transformers in just over a year and all of London and Diagon Alley in just over 2 years. If Disney really wanted install a totally new ride system in the given time frame they could get it done. Just seems like the capacity of the existing ride system is a disaster waiting to happen if they re-use it as is (I honestly don't know what the existing capacity is but I'm assuming it's not as significant as some of their other major attractions.). Maybe they can re-work the existing ride controls and increase capacity somehow.

 

Call me crazy but I still love Imagination haha, I always take time to ride it whenever I'm at Epcot but yeah a complete re-do there would be welcome.

[robbalvey]

I've always wondered why it takes Disney so long to open some of their attractions, not to compare Universal and Disney again but Universal completed Transformers in just over a year and all of London and Diagon Alley in just over 2 years.

I think most of it comes down to the fact that Disney doesn't *NEED* to rush projects. Case in point - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - They didn't *need* that ride to bring in guests, they were going to plan their Disney vacations anyway, and having a new attraction like Mine Train is just a bonus.

 

On the other side of I-4, people were planning vacations based on Diagon Alley, maybe even some on Transformers. Universal *needed* to get those attractions open because they need to attract more guests. (whole reason why they are called attractions!)

 

Disney on the other hand, if they opened nothing for the next ten years, I doubt we'd even see much of a drop, if any, in attendance at the parks. And that's exactly why Disney can take a more relaxed approach to opening new rides.

 

Just seems like the capacity of the existing ride system is a disaster waiting to happen if they re-use it

I think the "capacity nightmare" is the boats. Didn't the Maelstrom boats have one or two less rows than something like Pirates or Small World? So maybe a solution is to increase the number of passengers in the boat, and maybe even create a dual loading platform so they can load two boats at once like they do on Pirates and Small World.

Edited October 9, 2014 by robbalvey