Not sure if ive missed the boat on this but wanted to express something that i havent seen articulated, and if Disney does read this forum it might be worth seeing.
I grew up on Disney. My family crossed the Atlantic multiple times a year just to be there. It wasn’t just a theme park, it felt alive, like it existed even when I wasn’t there. The nostalgia was powerful, and we kept coming back. Even when I turned 18, could have chosen anywhere, I went with my mates, Disney was the focal point of the trip. So even when I was an adult (kind of) i still chose disney, that is a powerful hold.
But I haven’t set foot in a Disney park since 2018. Every time I go to Florida now, I stay on Universal property. And with the removal of Rivers of America, that shift feels permanent. When I have kids, they’ll grow up on Universal, not Disney.
Thi isn’t just about one attraction being removed. It’s about Disney losing the plot entirely. The park was never just about rides. If I wanted pure thrills, I’d go to a Six Flags (well probably just Uni now although i dont even like traditional theme parks). Magic Kingdom was special because it felt like a place that existed beyond the moment you were standing in it. The detail, the atmosphere, the way it felt like a living, breathing world, that’s what made Disney Disney. That’s what made generations of families commit to it.
Disney doesn’t seem to get that anymore. It’s not about creating immersive worlds, it’s about slapping an IP onto everything and calling it a day. It used to be that an IP was just a tool to build a world, to create that sense of place. Now, the IP is the attraction, and everything else is an afterthought. It’s lazy. It’s short-sighted. And it’s why people like me, who should have been lifelong customers, are checking out.
If Disney keeps making these kinds of decisions, they’re not just losing a few visitors, they’re losing entire generations of families. My parents spent hundreds of thousands on Disney, and I probably would have too. But not anymore.
The thing is, they already had me. I was theirs to lose. They didn’t need to win me over, they had a massive head start, deep roots in my childhood. But now? Those roots will be in Universal instead. Anyway this is obviously anecdotal but i feel lile my family as customers, are the customers that may have the biggest impact. Like imagine 10-20 years of me taking my kids to Disney, there is a world where that would have happened.
What will be funny in 20 years from now, will be when Universal rips out the lagoon at Islands of Adventure. Will my kid be posting something just like this.
Edit: also looking at that mock up of the ride above makes me think universal needs to rip out kong and build a jurassic park jeep ride asap, and just make sure its better than cars, that would be a supreme move, expert trolling.
"Jurassic park off-road adventure."