Is a bigger disney world a better disney world????

[airlarry!]

If every Thrill ride they made were up to Splash or BTMRR, or ToT. AND were interspersed amoung the parks, it would be all good

This is what I agreed to.

 

[Bob O]

Regarding wdw and thrill rides IHMO the only true thrill ride on property is TOT. Some mention TT but most people travel faster on the freeway going to wdw than the ride does. RNRC is a ok coaster but not a thrill type coaster. Ive been on alomst 100 roller coasters and RNRC isnt a thrill coaster IMHO compared to rides you find in lots of other parks. If disney wants a true thrill type coaster they need to work with the coaster company B & M or build one with a height of at least 200ft. I dont think alot of true coaster/thrill ride fans are going to be impressed enough to come to wdw till a truely world class coaster is built. Now IOA accomplished this with Hulk and also added Dueling Dragons and IMHO the best thrill ride(non-coaster)Spiderman. Now disney hasnt even tried to compete with these rides or a true interactive ride like MIB. And these type of rides draw a younger crowd and as this crowd gets older i think alot wont look at wdw the same way we do. Disney doesnt need as many coasters as some coaster parks(though i would perfer it) but they do need some to draw away the audience that is now going to IOA and if rumors are true another thrill ride that will be built in US based on the Apollo 13 movie. And other than mssion space disney has nothing on the drawing board to use as a carrot to draw more people into the parks.

 

[SPAGo 98]

I think many people would consider a launched coaster with multiple inversions to be a thrill ride... I know I do, and I've been on several B&Ms and coasters over 200 ft tall...

 

[Bob O]

When it comes to coasters everybody has their opinions. All i know is ive been on alot better launched coasters IMHO. And when you see lists on different web sites ranking coasters ive never seen RNRC on one but ive seen numerous B & M coasters. When coaster enthusiast groups rank coasters you find none of disneys mentioned. This doesnt mean they are the be all to end all but if RNRC was that good it would be mentioned somewhere.

 

[YoHo]

Since when does Thrill=good?

Its a Thrill ride, it just isn't the most thrilling.

 

[daannzzz]

I used to love big coasters. The bigger the better. And spinning around was great. As I have gotten older (and the coaster have gotten bigger) I now tend to get nauseous and shacky riding those kinds of rides. From reading the message boards it appears there are alot of people like this. I don't know that Disney needs to compete with the HUGE Hyper coasters going in. I use to go to Six Flags and Great America but now I skip those parks and my Theme Park trips are all Disney.
I don't mind if Disney builds a hyper coaster as long as it is non obtrusive. If it includes and major scenes and effects I would hope they could put in another kind of conveyance so that everyone has a chance to see it.

 

[raidermatt]

I've been thinking more about the 5th gate, target markets and the such, and a true thrill park is starting to make more sense.

Here's how I see the timeline for a typical Disney guest:

Up to age 12 - Big on Disney theme parks.

Age 13-22 - Still a Disney fan, but probably just as happy to go to Six Flags. Wants the thrills, and doesn't want to be viewed as a little kid..

Age 23 until have children - Start to comeback to Disney more. Likes the thrills too.

Parents - Disney becomes their destination of choice again. The little ones love it, and they love to see their little ones love it.

Now, I know this is an extreme over-simplification, there are exceptions, etc, but I think it definitely has value.

So what does this tell us? Universal's primary target market is the market that Disney is weakest in, teenagers, and families with teenagers. Disney has always known this, but really hasn't had the caliber of competition in FL that Universal is providing.

What does Disney do? Well, one choice is do nothing about it, and let Universal have its market, while Disney concentrates on its current strength. But a 5th gate, that has world-class thrill rides and coasters, themed Disney style would allow Disney to keep some of the customers that they at least temporarily lose. A family with young children will still spend most of their time at MK, MGM and AK. As the kids get older, Epcot and the 5th gate get more of their time and money. When the children have children, its back to MK, MGM and AK. No longer does Universal become an automatic "must visit" for the thrill seekers.

Thoughts?

 

[raidermatt]

Let me also say that I agree with a lot of the other points made, two in particular:

1- I don't want to see many more height restricted rides in the current parks. One of the appeals of Disney is that our family, including 3-year old DS can go on rides that we all enjoy. We usually go with friends, and ride the big rides in shifts, but I don't want to do this all day. Since we hope to have little ones in our family for quite some time, we look forward to being able to enjoy Disney parks together.

2- I defintiely would like to see some new E-ticket attractions that aren't necessarily thrill rides. Rides like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Small World are one of the things that set Disney apart from everybody else.

 

[Bob O]

From having been to several events thru American Coaster Enthusiats at different parks most of the members their riding coasters were older and not younger. And im 40 and most were older than i am and were riding the coasters. I think disney needs more height restricted rides and not less for a more adult flavor like Universal, they have more than enough kid attractions though i wouldnt be against both being added. I would love a dark ride like Pirates but they dont seem to do that anymore, instead we get a weak ride like Dinosaur instead of a classic like Indiana the Eye of Mora.