Opinions on Disney

Moosh,

While I don't hate Disney, I don't go to the parks for the reason they have very little in terms of major thrillers. Yes, I understand that is not what they are about. Perhaps that is why I don't care much for them. I will acknowledge that what they do, they do amazingly well, but they aren't my type of park.

Don't get me wrong, they do have some nice rides. I love Mission Space, Test Track, Rock-N-Roller, and a few other rides, but in terms of what I enjoy at parks, I don't get the same feeling out of the park when I leave as I do when I leave, say, IOA for example.

It wasn't until last year when I actually left a Disney park and said, "Wow! That was an incredible day!" I guess it all depends on my mood at the time. For some reason I don't care much for spending more than one day in a Disney park. I can't explain it.

I am really looking forward to Everest as it looks more of what I like in a ride. Maybe one day I will see the Disney parks like some of the other posters do in this thread? Who knows?

-Sean

I haven't spent quality time at Disney parks since 1990, the summer before my senior year of high school. I do recall enjoying myself though.

In November 2002, we did a whirl-wind coaster tour on comp park-hopper tickets at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney-MGM, and for the most part enjoyed ourselves. I'd still like to hit Epcot again, as it's barely the same place. I still saw a lot of magic, and I couldn't help but feel happy and smile there, especially at Magic Kingdom.

The biggest issue for me is that Universal has offered such a compelling product that I don't feel the need to go to Disney. While Universal Studios is only marginally cool, Islands of Adventure provides a pretty huge escape for us (and at $95 for five-day tickets, the best value).

Llike Moosh, I went through a "Disney's for little kids" phase, from late teens to early 30's. During that time I went to one Disney park, EPCOT, and I only went there because a good friend worked for Oracle, and they were demoing their video on demand service at Innoventions. However, I did have a great time on that visit, as I got to alpha-test the Aladdin's magic carpet ride that was put in at DisneyQuest, and talk to some of the Imagineering CMs about the software/hardware that ran the sim. I'm a geek, but there are some days that being a CS PhD student paid off. :)

Then, a few years ago on a trip to Paris---a city I love, but have been to many times---I decided to take a visit to DLP to see the Parisian version of Space---a definite improvement IMO over the stateside versions. While I was there, I was struck by how beautiful the place was.

Last year, the family unit took a trip to DL/KBF, and we'll be taking one to either Anaheim or Orland every February to escape the cold of the upper midwest. My kids are just about at the ideal Disney age, and that's what motivated the trip in the first place. But, my wife and I found ourselves much bigger Disneyphiles than we expected to be, and have since decided that we'd go back even if it weren't for the kids. For example, I'm convinced that Fantasmic alone is worth the $50 it costs to get into DL. I suspect as the kids get older we'll add Universal to the mix, but the attraction mix there is targeted to kids a bit older than mine.

DisneyWorld is fun in a different way. While it's themed beyond belief, a lot of the more recent things don't feel as complete. Animal Kingdom, for instance, feels like a half day park and much of Epcot feels that way as well due to the gap between the time Future World closes and the time Illuminations comes on. World Showcase is nice, but it feels forced after dark when you can't do much else and all of the restaurants are sit down buffet style.

Granted, if you're expecting to fill your day type of park, it's not what you expected, but it's a different pace too. Theming is great and the really good attractions are really good. You go for a few days, though and not a single day. It's worth it then so you can experience all of the parks.

Personally, though, I enjoyed IoA much much more since it felt liek it was more of a thrill park but tried to condense as much of Disney's ideals as possible (the queue for Dueling Dragons alone was worth it) and I didn't fell this odd need to switch parks in the middle of each day, and I feel like I can go to Universal on a yearly or every other year trip, while I had my fill of Disney last time and can wait another few years before going back. But I will go back, and it may just be that I want to give time before going back to re-experience the magic again.

Hey mOOSH, you must be getting old or something! ;)

I agree with Matt, it's a great place to revisit your childhood. And hey, you gotta love the choo choo!

I tell ya...the moment you cross under the train track thru the tunnel and enter Main Street something magical happens. Walt knew what he was doing ;)

You get run over by a double-wide stroller then swore at in two different languages for being in the way? ;)

Just kidding. Hey, you think Walt got it right, I think the guys who built IoA got Walt's idea right. To each his own.

IOA certainly has a magic of its own upon entering the gates, sure. So do lots of other parks ;)

Great America used to have it says I. Now they are off in a different direction.

Not that it's bad...I just miss the train, triple wheel, and Imax. (and Whizzer of course)

---

Impulse-ive said:
You get run over by a double-wide stroller then swore at in two different languages for being in the way? ;)

Just kidding. Hey, you think Walt got it right, I think the guys who built IoA got Walt's idea right. To each his own.

---

Walt never supported total thrill attractions that seperated the family into parts (kids area and rides, thrill rides, etc.) IoA does this, the only park that dosn't do this IMHO is Epcot, there is no land designed specifically for kids or aduclts. Don't get me wrong, Walt built rides with height restrictions, but not ones that were big and bad to the point where families split up.

IoA dosn't fit Walt's idea of a park. Is it well themed, yes, but the design of the park along with the ideas arn't Walt.

So what are RnRC, ToT, Test Track, Mission Space and Cali Screamin' doing in Disney parks? What about the Who Wants to be a Millionaire that is/was at MGM? That's no kids attraction, not on a thrills level but a mental level.

I said it was my opinion that IoA got Walt's idea right. I feel that Walt introduced two things: how to *really* theme a park, and how to create a corporate, money-sucking monster. Now in my opinion, IoA takes his 1st to the next level, and Wal Mart takes his 2nd to the next level.

Didn't Walt also create the hub-and-spoke idea which is esentially what IoA is? Although the spokes at IoA are rides more than their own areas. But that's one that many others have adapted, although I think Magic Kingdom still has the best for what I know of as the intentions of that concept, which is some combination of moving people where you want to move them, and keep them spending money. I remember I saw some explaination of the hub-and-spoke on this site before.

And you didn't tell me how the stroller and swearing fit with Walt's ideals ;)

It's a teaser for "It's a Small World?"

IOA follows the 'donut' design of a theme park started by Six Flags in the 1960s, not the Hub & Spoke style started by Disney. The lake takes up the whole central portion of the park and you cannot cross the center to get from one land to the next, but must follow the ring of concentric lands. PKI, PKD, & PCW, along with the Disney Magic Kingdoms, Disney/MGM, & Animal Kingdom are good examples of 'Hub & Spoke' parks. They usually have some sort of iconic structure at the center of the hub. (i.e, Castle, Eiffle Tower, etc.)

---

Impulse-ive said:
So what are RnRC, ToT, Test Track, Mission Space and Cali Screamin' doing in Disney parks? What about the Who Wants to be a Millionaire that is/was at MGM? That's no kids attraction, not on a thrills level but a mental level.

I said it was my opinion that IoA got Walt's idea right. I feel that Walt introduced two things: how to *really* theme a park, and how to create a corporate, money-sucking monster. Now in my opinion, IoA takes his 1st to the next level, and Wal Mart takes his 2nd to the next level.

Didn't Walt also create the hub-and-spoke idea which is esentially what IoA is? Although the spokes at IoA are rides more than their own areas. But that's one that many others have adapted, although I think Magic Kingdom still has the best for what I know of as the intentions of that concept, which is some combination of moving people where you want to move them, and keep them spending money. I remember I saw some explaination of the hub-and-spoke on this site before.

And you didn't tell me how the stroller and swearing fit with Walt's ideals ;)

---

The listed attractions include non-thrill parts of the experence. Test Track and those rides also arn't in their own lands devoted just for thrills, get the idea?

Somewhere along the way a cool question has been raised. Would Walt have approved of IOA?

I mean, sure, you have plenty of attractions that force families to split up, yet this was also the same guy who pioneered the era of steel coasters with Matterhorn. In other words, I don't think Walt would have objected to Hulk as much as suggested ways to perhaps enclose more of the ride to better theme the attraction. As someone who understood the significance of a musical score -- in his parks and in his films -- I think he would appreciate the sounds of IOA, from the chatter coming from the Port of Entry windows and behind the Frozen Dessert to the way the the music transitions from themed land to themed land (making the circular layout a linear asset).

I think Walt would have been blown away by Spider-Man. I think he would have relished the etched details in Oak Tree Tavern and Mythos. I think he would have sung along on One Fish, Two Fish and immediately give Dumbo an interactive sing-song element. And, truth be told, if he could have a studio up in the lighthouse tower, I'm sure he would have.

So, sure, I think Walt would approve of IOA. And Disney? Well, yeah, it's pretty cool too.