Epcot (General Discussion)

[Nick]

Didn’t want to take the Awesome Planet thread off-track so am quoting here:

I doubt Bob Iger knows this theater exists

I'm sure he calls Epcot the "Food and Wine Festival Park" around the office

About that... supposedly the festivals are actually becoming less of a cash cow. Profit margins down the longer they have run.

It seems they forgot that these were special originally because they were limited. Now, the park is a festival 275 or so days a year. I really have no reason to go to one over the other anymore.

Well, rumor on the magical street is that they actually plan on significantly cutting back festival days in the coming years, since they’ll actually have some new rides to attract crowds on their own.

 

[SeventyOne]

It seems they forgot that these were special originally because they were limited. Now, the park is a festival 275 or so days a year. I really have no reason to go to one over the other anymore.

In addition to length, they're just stale. Artful EPCOT had glitter beer and maybe two new dishes that I recall (and an even smaller exhibit in Odyssey). F&G has the Orange Bird booth and one new topiary, but otherwise a carbon copy of last year. Add in rising prices for the same old same old, it's bound to turn guests off. The success of Pandora proves novelty is a huge factor when it comes to attracting Disney guests.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Didn’t want to take the Awesome Planet thread off-track so am quoting here:

About that... supposedly the festivals are actually becoming less of a cash cow. Profit margins down the longer they have run.

It seems they forgot that these were special originally because they were limited. Now, the park is a festival 275 or so days a year. I really have no reason to go to one over the other anymore.

Well, rumor on the magical street is that they actually plan on significantly cutting back festival days in the coming years, since they’ll actually have some new rides to attract crowds on their own.

Profit margins will definitely lower once they open even more restaurants.

 

[Nick]

Profit margins will definitely lower once they open even more restaurants.

Supposedly the reason for opening so many ne episodes is precisely about this. More places to eat & drink will make up for lost festival days.

 

[shiekra38]

Well, rumor on the magical street is that they actually plan on significantly cutting back festival days in the coming years, since they’ll actually have some new rides to attract crowds on their own.

Imagine that, new rides attract people

 

[Parkscope Joe]

About that... supposedly the festivals are actually becoming less of a cash cow. Profit margins down the longer they have run.

It seems they forgot that these were special originally because they were limited. Now, the park is a festival 275 or so days a year. I really have no reason to go to one over the other anymore.

Well, rumor on the magical street is that they actually plan on significantly cutting back festival days in the coming years, since they’ll actually have some new rides to attract crowds on their own.

WHO KNEW SPECIAL THINGS ARE SPECIAL BECAUSE THEY ARE LIMITED. Same reason why they shouldn't have a year around haunt at USF.

In addition to length, they're just stale. Artful EPCOT had glitter beer and maybe two new dishes that I recall (and an even smaller exhibit in Odyssey). F&G has the Orange Bird booth and one new topiary, but otherwise a carbon copy of last year. Add in rising prices for the same old same old, it's bound to turn guests off. The success of Pandora proves novelty is a huge factor when it comes to attracting Disney guests.

Doesn't help that most of the festivals are practically the same, just swap out some merchandise selections from paintings, to pots, to cutting boards.

Imagine that, new rides attract people

Don't tell Disney that in the late 2000s, early 2010s.

 

[Nick]

Don't tell Disney that in the late 2000s, early 2010s.

They got too comfortable.

Being real, 9/11, CEO change and going through FOUR failed park openings (DLP, DCA, WDSP, and HKDL) and an under built one (DAK) from 92-05 did affect this a lot. I think they got a bit timid on the theme park side, but there’s NO REASON for them to have done as little as they did.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Moved MM+ discussion to another thread.

MyMagic+ - Updates and General Discussion | Inside Universal Forums

 

[WebHead1138]

 

[Nick]

This has come up many times over the years as a possibility, so grain of salt. With Phineas & Ferb being off the air for quite a bit now, I can see it happening though.

 

[Skipper Justin]

This has come up many times over the years as a possibility, so grain of salt. With Phineas & Ferb being off the air for quite a bit now, I can see it happening though.

Oow Woo!

 

[Nick]

Hopefully this is to expand the International Gateway entrance as it'll see a lot more traffic once the Skyliner is operational

 

[AlexanderMBush]

From WDWNT,

Permanent Future World Festival Center and Beer Garden, New Starbucks, Water Maze, and More Coming to Epcot for "Project Gamma" - WDW News Today

 

[NuteGunrayWasFramed]

From WDWNT,

Permanent Future World Festival Center and Beer Garden, New Starbucks, Water Maze, and More Coming to Epcot for "Project Gamma" - WDW News Today

Yeah, until it comes from Disney...I’ll hold off from believing this. WDWNT seems to have a pretty bad track record with these kinds of rumors.

 

[SeventyOne]

Seems as good a time as any to mention this. Hate to go against Martin and his stellar track record, but recently received indication the EPCOT entrance hotel is still in active development, or at least was as of last month.

Whether this ties into WDWNT's rumor or not, I can't say.

 

[GadgetGuru]

Seems as good a time as any to mention this. Hate to go against Martin and his stellar track record, but recently received indication the EPCOT entrance hotel is still in active development, or at least was as of last month.

Whether this ties into WDWNT's rumor or not, I can't say.

I'm not doubting that it might be in development, but it seems wild that Disney would be building another hotel. They have so many hotel projects in the pipeline right now. I figured that Disney would hit saturation and focus on upgrading their current hotel fleet to maximize rates.

 

[Alicia]

I'm not doubting that it might be in development, but it seems wild that Disney would be building another hotel. They have so many hotel projects in the pipeline right now. I figured that Disney would hit saturation and focus on upgrading their current hotel fleet to maximize rates.

They've promised new DVC resorts every two years... gotta put them somewhere.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I'm of mixed feelings about the changes. On one had, we just don't know enough yet, "beer garden" and "water maze" don't mean much to me right now. On the other it's really sad that so much of this park will be turned over to festivals that seem to be showing serious cracks.

 

[shiekra38]

Seems as good a time as any to mention this. Hate to go against Martin and his stellar track record, but recently received indication the EPCOT entrance hotel is still in active development, or at least was as of last month.

Whether this ties into WDWNT's rumor or not, I can't say.

What is Disney's occupancy level? Seems like they're building a ton of new resorts/expansions

 

[Parkscope Joe]

What is Disney's occupancy level? Seems like they're building a ton of new resorts/expansions

At this point I have no idea. The parks are crowded, the transportation is pushed to the limit, and they keep adding rooms.