Pandora: The World of Avatar Announcement, Construction, & Preview Discussion

[JungleSkip]

at least with DAK you lost nothing you just gained a nighttime show (whatever it is) and a new land
with DHS i think its a wash so i agree

No doubt. At least DAK is a legit expansion project.

 

[IzzyB]

1) I think you're HIGHLY overestimating how much people explore the park.

2) Even if you're not, if you show up at 3, you have 2+ hours (depending on sunset) to see all the animals. The nighttime safari is there to see those ones. FOTLK and Nemo will run into the night, I'm sure. Exploring the environment will be BETTER at night. You wouldn't be missing out on anything.

Prior to having kids I thought it was a 6 hour park. Then my friend came into town and I told her, oh we can do this in 6 hours easily. We ran out of time and didn't get to do some of the stuff in the 6 hours we allocated because she had her 3 year old daughter with her. Kids change a lot of things. Now that I have kids, I see it even more. Now my oldest is tall enough to do some of the rides and now I find myself spending even more time. Then you factor in child swap because the youngest can't do stuff and it takes even more time. Luckily my daughter never asks for Nemo or that would add in more time. But LK adds more time because you end up needing to show up way before the show time to get in.

My point is they ADDED 2 rides, 2 shows, night time safari, and a dance party. If you are a family of 4 that normally spends 6 hours in the park, you will have to add hours to see the new stuff. Even if you decide to only do the safari once, that is still 5 additional things you need to add to your already 6 hours day. You can't just switch it to 6 hours at night time. The kids still want to do the stuff they did before.

 

[Nick]

My only Disney Starbucks complaint is that they don't have them at the resorts.

It'd be nice if they at least put them at the monorail resorts (and Wilderness Lodge).

 

[Nick]

Lots of good points Izzy. I agree with most everything you said....And just to add a bit to what you said about DHS. Those 4 attractions for TSL &SW, with one being a C ticket flat ride, a coaster that's a D ticket at best, and whatever level the SW attractions end up being (either two E tickets or one E one D). will only bring the park back to the capacity it was at before they closed all the other attractions down. And DHS was only considered to be a half day or 3/4 day park then. And I highly doubt Disney will add another DHS expansion phase before ten years are gone.

And this is an issues for the time being. However, DHS had many problems and many of them are being addressed.

The "Studio" nature of the park needed to go 10 years ago. The park was/is also too show heavy. The BLT was a shell of itself (and fairly embarrasing) by the time it closed. Most of that is being addressed and with more actual rides, the park will at least feel like it has more energy and more to do if you don't want to see every show. It will definitely take another phase of construction to get the park in a fairly respectable position.

 

[Nick]

I honestly think both are far from "fixed" after these projects. IMO the DAK changes turn the park from a "6 hours in the morning park" to a "6 hours in the evening park". And even then, that's dependent on how good Rivers of Light is. Both parks will still only have a handful of rides.

I'd love to see either a Jungle book boat ride or Mystic Manor come to the expansion plot in Asia.

EDIT: Thinking about it, I kinda think a JB Boat Ride would be too similar to Pandora's. A boat ride is the most obvious thing from the movie however.

 

[chewbacca1995]

AK is going to be fairly well-rounded after Pandora/RoL open for business. About 75-80% complete.

After that, I'd say there's only some housekeeping left:

• Finding Nemo replacement
• Dinoland revamp
• One more C/D for Pandora
• Rafiki's Planet Watch replacement/revamp
• Australia or South America expansion
• Family-friendly D/E in Asia

It'll somehow be in far better shape than DHS and Epcot in terms of attractions/entertainment

 

[JungleSkip]

It'll somehow be in far better shape than DHS and Epcot in terms of attractions/entertainment

It already is, IMO

 

[IzzyB]

AK is going to be fairly well-rounded after Pandora/RoL open for business. About 75-80% complete.

After that, I'd say there's only some housekeeping left:

• Finding Nemo replacement
• Dinoland revamp
• One more C/D for Pandora
• Rafiki's Planet Watch replacement/revamp
• Australia or South America expansion
• Family-friendly D/E in Asia

It'll somehow be in far better shape than DHS and Epcot in terms of attractions/entertainment

I do agree that AK will eventually need more stuff. I don't think the park should sit there forever. But I think MK and AK will be in the best shape at that point and they need to concentrate on DHS and Epcot. Because those two parks need help. Epcot is only a full day because of special events and food items. DHS is nowhere near a full day and won't be even after TSL and SWL.

 

[JungleSkip]

I'd love to see either a Jungle book boat ride or Mystic Manor come to the expansion plot in Asia.

If we're playing Blue Sky WDI, I'd rather put MM on the Adventureland expansion plot and put something much more DAK-ish in that park.

 

[Nick]

DinoRama - not Dinoland - is the most egregious of all errors remaining in any WDW park imo. While it would be a replacement in a park that needs rides, they need to scrap that area and put something that actually fits Dinoland.

 

[belloq87]

DinoRama - not Dinoland - is the most egregious of all errors remaining in any WDW park imo. While it would be a replacement in a park that needs rides, they need to scrap that area and put something that actually fits Dinoland.

We're straying slightly off topic, but I'm curious what you think could work in that spot that wouldn't feel redundant with Dinosuar right next door. I agree with you, by the way, I'm just not sure what they could put in that space.

On the subject of that Avatar AA (assuming that's what it is), it looks pretty incredible. The only issue would be the context in which we encounter it; if it's stashed somewhere in the boat ride, and we're 20 feet away from it, a lot of that amazing detail won't translate. Perhaps it will be used in a more intimate setting where we're much closer to it.

Hopefully that level of detail will be present in the other various creatures of Pandora, too.

 

[JungleSkip]

We're straying slightly off topic, but I'm curious what you think could work in that spot that wouldn't feel redundant with Dinosuar right next door. I agree with you, by the way, I'm just not sure what they could put in that space.

I still want the Excavator coaster

On the subject of that Avatar AA (assuming that's what it is), it looks pretty incredible. The only issue would be the context in which we encounter it; if it's stashed somewhere in the boat ride, and we're 20 feet away from it, a lot of that amazing detail won't translate. Perhaps it will be used in a more intimate setting where we're much closer to it.

I think it'll be in the simulator preshow.

 

[Nick]

I still want the Excavator coaster

I want the Excavator Coaster as well, but with Everest so close, I highly doubt they ever dust off those plans.

 

[captainmoch]

If only the Good Dinosaur was good... I feel like that was our last hope for DinoRama to die anytime soon.

Also, DAK needs a bunch more before it's a full day park IMO. I vote a Jungle Book boat ride (that's a more traditional dark ride than the Avatar one to make it different), Mystic Manor also in Asia, a DinoRama replacement, and a new land like Zootopia or South America.

 

[IzzyB]

Zootopia seems like it would be easy to create multiple movies off of that concept. So I am thinking this would be a good fit for AK.

 

[Nick]

Zootopia seems like it would be easy to create multiple movies off of that concept. So I am thinking this would be a good fit for AK.

I feel like if Zootopia were to come to DAK, it needs to take over Rafiki's. The major expansion plot needs to be saved for something like South America or Australia.

 

[JungleSkip]

Zootopia seems like it would be easy to create multiple movies off of that concept. So I am thinking this would be a good fit for AK.

I still haven't seen Zootopia, but the aesthetic really seems like a DHS property rather than a DAK one.

 

[Nick]

I still haven't seen Zootopia, but the aesthetic really seems like a DHS property rather than a DAK one.

I'd have to agree, since DAK is more about man's relationship with nature/conservation. Not talking animals.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'd have to agree, since DAK is more about man's relationship with nature/conservation. Not talking animals.

Disney is kind of into talking animals, talking fish, talking birds and the like, though.

 

[IzzyB]

Disney is kind of into talking animals, talking fish, talking birds and the like, though.

Yeah I mean Nemo is in AK and it is talking fish. I figured Disney would be all over talking animals lol

I do also think it could go in DHS and they could re-theme Rafiki to Lion Guard and jazz that place up. Then people would visit it. I also think Jungle Book would work too as something in AK.

But again I would rather they now turn their heads to Epcot and DHS.