A point was brought up earlier by someone who didn't like the direction Disney is heading in currently, and I would have to argue that this assumption is most likely made when you look on the other side of O-Town to see what Universal Orlando is doing over there.
Disney is probably satisfied with what they're doing here with Tangled, whereas Universal would spat at the thought of spending time on such an absurd idea.
Two different mindsets in my opinion here.
That's a fair point. And the fact is, Disney continues to have great business, so I'm sure they're not
dying with worry over the competition in the rest of Orlando.
But, we can't just be oblivious to the competition, and here is where my (and others') qualm comes in. We are theme park fans, and we are closely following them. All of them. And not only when comparing WDW with Universal, but also when comparing it to SeaWorld, and hell, even Fun Spot! They're making impressive moves and competing for our business, satisfaction, and return visits; they're putting out new incredibly themed lands, they're amazing us with new innovative attractions, or even just increasing their new offerings by a staggering amount. So, it looks like everyone else in Orlando is currently going
hard, and WDW's moves just pale in comparison.
Now, don't get me wrong, I think what's open in New Fantasyland looks beautifully done, and the rest looks to be in the same level of beauty. No one is questioning that. The problem is that Disney, being the industry giant that it is, doesn't seem to be competing at the level of magnitude as the other parks in Orlando right now. And this is even more noticeable and disappointing because
they are the industry giant, the top dog in Orlando.
I'm sure the case could be made that being the oldest resort, they've done a lot of growing already... but time goes on, the market keeps moving forward and evolving, and WDW just seems kind of stuck in time, where they've been for years. I'm not going to start listing things, because it's been done before in this thread and in others. But, basically, it's been years and years since anything
major has opened in any of the four WDW parks, and now that they are finally doing something new in MK, it's taking
foreeeever to open completely. What's there is beautiful, yes, but there's walls and construction right beside it, so you're not fully immersed in the Disney magic here. And then, when it's all said and done, New Fantasyland is nothing mind blowing. Again, it's beautiful, but it's a restaurant, a tavern, meet and greets, and rides with same-ol' tech (spinner, omnimover, and coaster). Nothing is Earth shattering here. I was, and am, excited about the 7DMC coaster, because it did look like it will have a swinging element that I've never experienced before; that did excite me. And you know what? as stupid as it sounds, that attraction might have been the tipping point to make me buy a ticket to go to MK this year. But, Disney has a missed opportunity, because they're dragging this out and out and out... Then, besides that one element, nothing is much innovative or with amazing new technology, so their efforts underwhelm me/us, theme-park fan(s), when seeing everything else that is going on in the Orlando theme park world and market.
Disney has the resources, and they also have a name to live up to. They should be doing better than this. So, that's my opinion, as a theme park fan, and I think I'm not the only one.