Tiana’s Bayou Adventure expected to open at Disney Parks in late 2024

I guess we have a lot of project management and construction experts in the community too.

Touchdown, I don't mean this in a personal way, but I find your criticism without merit. Do you think Joe Tourist visits and says, "Boy this project sure is going up slow!" Is anyone leaving Enchantment (especially if they had to watch from Main Street) leaving disappointed? I don't think HarmonioUS Stargate-Tacos is as good as Illuminations, but where, anywhere, not Disney can you see something like that?

Pandora is being in Avatar. Galaxy's Edge is being in Star Wars. There's nothing equivalent. Relative to the intended audiences of each attraction, Guardians, Ratatouille, Railway, Toy Story, Seven Dwarfs, Little Mermaid, even Frozen, have been excellent. And their food game (MK aside) keeps getting better.

And if anything there sucks, apparently the unwashed masses didn't get the memo, because it's crazy busy every day. There's no off-season anymore.

Touchdown:

You mean the ride that promotes suicide multiple times?

Promotes? That's a big of a stretch.

Well Disney’s own polling has shown Enchantment has been a disappointment, and that’s why rumors are pointing to that show being retired and reverting to HEA this spring. Enchantment uses less pyro then HEA, and it’s much easier to get a spot for it. It’s not what you do for a 50th show. You go bigger, like what KI did this year (that show is amazing and thanks to the drones, Disney like quality.)

Star Wars could have been executed better, the second stories of the buildings are rigged for stunt shows that now only occur on the Starliner, and it desperately needs more characters around, where’s the walk around droids and aliens promised? I don’t linger there like I do in Pandora or the Potter Lands. In my opinion it falls short. As bad as some aspects of it are Avengers campus nailed the character appearances, they are everywhere and doing mini stunt shows constantly.

just because I’m critical of some things doesn’t mean I don’t like others, I like Harmonious, but I know I’m in the minority on that one. Pandora is amazing. Love 7 Dwarfs, the food has always been good, however they have hit a few home runs with new TS restaurants (haven’t hit Topollinos yet but want to, Steakhose 71 is fantastic though.)

What’s your source for saying their polling shows that? Just like theming and IP, I have a hard time believing that the average guest keeping the lights on there could tell the difference between HEA and Enchantment.

It seems to be the consensus from the insiders at WDW magic that can usually be trusted. Multiple ones have come forward stating that. I’ve also taken spot polls from Disney asking me about the entertainment and the only other time I’ve had that happen was for World of Color Celebrate that was also not well received.

Disney admitted Galaxy's Edge was a dud when they abandoned all communication on the 3rd one they announced in Paris. Here is a bit of background on that:

• After Disney took over Disneyland Paris, buying all stockholders except for one and taking over the loans, they announced a multi-billion dollars expansion plan for the troubled Walt Disney Studios Park.
• Three lands were shown among the concept arts: Avengers Campus, Frozen land and Galaxy's Edge.
• Construction started in 2019 on Avengers Campus and land clearing for Frozen and Star Wars Galaxy's Edge began around a new lake they were digging.
• In September 2019, Disneyland Paris had a panel about the future of Disneyland Paris at IAAPA Expo Europe in Paris. They talked about the redone Hotel New York Art of Marvel, Avengers Campus and Frozen. Oddly, the presentation was cut short after Frozen.
• Avengers Campus is opening this month, permits were filed for Frozen along with a new lakeside restaurant and flat ride. About the third land: no communication and Disneyland Paris will not mention anything. Rumors have been going about a Star Wars land set in the original trilogy, a return to Galaxy's Edge or a whole new IP all together.

I know Jeff will be skeptical about all of this, but here is what Emmanuel Macron, France president, had to say about it when Robert Iger visited him to ratify the expansion plans in 2018:

Frozen, Star Wars and Marvel, three new lands to open in @DisneyLandParis
. Thank you @RobertIger
for your long-term investment and very strong commitment in France. Your confidence shows that France is back! #ChooseFrance

The large concept art unveiled at the same time clearly showed part of Galaxy's Edge, minus Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run. The word going around IAAPA Expo Europe when they did the presentation was that Galaxy's Edge was cancelled shortly before and the presentation cut up as a result.

Touchdown:

Well Disney’s own polling has shown Enchantment has been a disappointment...

That sounds like the usual fan bull**** festering into fact. Some friends from Norway were just here and couldn't believe the show. And every friend and family member who comes here is blown away by Galaxy's Edge. The crowds and lines verify this. The imaginary narrative where it isn't good while waits for Rise are insane isn't even logical.

If this is what failure looks like, I want to fail like that.

Absimilliard:

Disney admitted Galaxy's Edge was a dud

The swarm of people waiting for rope drop at Hollywood Studios and the consistent crowds throughout the day at Galaxy's Edge would beg to differ.

I never used the word failure, I am a big Star Wars fan and had incredibly high expectations for the place. Rise and the cantina exceeded my expectations, I felt like I was in a Star Wars movie. The rest of the land disappointed me for reasons I’ve mentioned.

Pandora and Cars Land remain the best Disney has done recently. Star Wars Land I would put in the next tier with New Fantasyland where they are good but missing some things, and for the most popular movie franchise of all time it’s disappointing.

But you're extrapolating your disappointment into some argument for failure by referencing unattributed rumors that suit your feelings. You've gotta expect to be called out on that.

Mulfinator, I’m a huge HM fan but I quote:

”This chamber has no windows and no doors which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! Of course, There’s always my way (queue illuminating a hanging corpse)”

”We have 999 Happy Haunts here but there’s room for 1000 any volunteers?”

”Hurry back, Hurry back, be sure to bring you Death Certificates”

I fear it’s the next target.

I'll give you the first one but the other two? Again, a stretch. Apparently Disney did consider removing the hanging corpse during the most recent refurb but decided against it. Even if they remove the corpse it doesn't significantly alter the attraction in my opinion. The magic of the attraction is the clever use of projection and the practical effects.

Jeff:

There's nothing equivalent.

Nothing?

Absimilliard:

Disney admitted Galaxy's Edge was a dud when they abandoned all communication on the 3rd one they announced in Paris.

It's ok that you don't like it but to call it a "dud" is absurd.

I don't know anything about it but maybe it's because Parisians are not Americans? If you're using silence on Galaxy's Edge as an argument for it being a dud, then Disney itself is a dud because the Paris park has always seemed to struggle to find its audience.

Touchdown:
MK splash’s sets in the mountain are decidedly temperate Midwest

The last scene features singing alligators and riverboats...

Maybe Parisians aren't Americans, or maybe DLRP execs decided that they didn't need as large a CapEx project to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish in the park.

These are after all businesses.

The Galaxy's Edge land, and its attractions, range from popular to holy-cow-this-is-insane. There is no way you can possibly call them anything but a success, no matter what the shortcomings happen to be. The same is true of the MK fireworks show. I sure did like HEA more. But, what they have is doing the job it is supposed to do. Will it be a relatively short run? Maybe. Time will tell. Until then, we think we know but we don't know.

WDWMagic insiders have a better-than-chance track record of knowing the immediate future. But, they are collectively a bunch of Eeyores who don't like anything, ever. I take all of the "it's a failure" posts over there with a salt mine.

Edited to add: Falcon is a lot more fun when you know everyone in the cockpit, even if you aren't the pilot. We made a point of riding with a party of six, and had a blast--even though we'd all individually been on it before.

Those idiots have been predicting decline for as long as I've lived next door, and pandemic aside, the exact opposite has happened.

Remember when FastPass/FlashPass/FastLane was going to kill the amusement industry?

There was a time I feel that we all felt that way around here.

Except Gonch.

If this makeover provides an opportunity to find a location to bring the Disneyland beignets out to WDW...I'll take it. We had some at Disneyland last week and, holy cow.

On that note, is this where I can finally admit that I have been converted? I used to think that those who were on the "Disneyland is better" bandwagon were just being silly. After my visit I must admit...I get it. Attraction for attraction I think that is correct (save for the monorail that had no air conditioning). And, I might have a new Disney park favorite in DCA. I was going into that park with low expectations which must have been mostly due to the pre-makeover criticism. I might go back out to California again JUST to visit DCA. I fell in love with that park.

Absimilliard:

Disney admitted Galaxy's Edge was a dud when they abandoned all communication on the 3rd one they announced in Paris.

It's ok that you don't like it but to call it a "dud" is absurd.

I don't know anything about it but maybe it's because Parisians are not Americans? If you're using silence on Galaxy's Edge as an argument for it being a dud, then Disney itself is a dud because the Paris park has always seemed to struggle to find its audience.

Disneyland Paris is not struggling anymore to find an audience: the park has had steady revenue and attendance gains since the Walt Disney Company took over the resort. Disneyland Paris first gate is now effectively at capacity: the first park was designed for 12 million guests a year and that's what its hitting for the first time since 2001. Disneyland Paris was profitable from 1995 to 2001, saved by Space Mountain.

With this in mind, Disney main goal now is expanding Walt Disney Studios, which was not built on solid bases in 2002 and sent the resort back into financial issues. It has always lacked guest capacity, restrooms, restaurants, etc. and that is what the new expansion is solving. Avengers Campus has the Spiderman dark ride seen at DCA, a rethemed Rock n Roller Coaster and they rethemed and redid 3 restaurants in the area. Frozen will have a slightly bigger version of the Epcot Frozen dark ride along with a large quick service restaurant.

Galaxy's Edge was never going to have Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run there due to the language issues. Think back to the instructions you receive in Florida or California and then what it would be in Paris: guests speaking french, english, spanish, german, portuguese, dutch, etc. in high volumes would need to understand what to do during the experience. On a ride like Buzz Lightyear, it is easy to understand, but Smuggler's Run would not be. With that in mind, they focused on the restaurant, store area and Rise of the Resistance portion of the existing Galaxy's Edge.

The sudden silence on the one in Paris happened after the summer where Disneyland saw low attendance after opening Galaxy's Edge and all the issues they had opening and operating Rise of the Resistance. We'll know soon enough what Disney will build since they will need to fill for building permits around 2023-2024.

wahoo skipper:

On that note, is this where I can finally admit that I have been converted? I used to think that those who were on the "Disneyland is better" bandwagon were just being silly. After my visit I must admit...I get it. Attraction for attraction I think that is correct (save for the monorail that had no air conditioning).

Welcome to the light! I too find the attractions at Disneyland better. I also love that park hopping is such a breeze.