RailRider

I had some friends in the park that day. They knew nothing of this incident until they got home, which is interesting.

Does this statement not concern anyone else? This is a quote from the park, FLEW OFF THE SLIDE. Seriously that is not good. Amazed at the poor engineering done on this thing, along with this the wrong calculations is a second concern. Did they Google the calculations? We all know everything on the internet is accurate. Then again if I were building attraction like this I would have hired a firm with expertise in the water slide industry or maybe those respected companies wouldn't build an attraction like this. Hmmm a certain Son had the same issue.

Glad to see The New Kentucky Kingdom is still much like the Old Kentucky Kingdom. Still looking to cut costs and corners at the guests expense. ​Once again a fine job of addressing issues within the park and within the media, best public relations I have ever seen.

Some of the decisions and actions at KK amaze me and some things do not. Seems like they truly stumble with the simple things...

Early reviews of Diagon Alley from media is that the area is rich in detail and is mainly a shopping and dinning hub with 1 attraction Gringotts Bank and a shared attraction in Hogwarts Express. The reviews seem to be more positive for Hogwarts Express and that Gringotts is much more family friendly than the Forbidden Journey. Sounds promising so far and should be interesting to see how the opinions develop of the next few days.

^ One of the many reasons it exists in its modified version today. Disney, especially the Magic Kingdom is not in the business of scaring the bajeezus out of kids.

^ Excellent! We have stayed in Celebration before at some of the house rental properties, a nice time for sure. Sounds like you have a plan, plus buy your tickets early so you can book FastPass+ reservations 30 days in advance.

While I understand what you are saying GYK and agree with most of it, Universal Orlando still has a bit of a direction issue. What I mean is they build what is looking like a gorgeous new area within the park, in Diagon Alley, yet Transformers is another Tan Box ride. In my opinion Universal tore down their best themed area in Amity to build their new best themed area. Old habits die hard and it will be interesting to see how Universal Orlando moves forward, will the entire park get a retheme or will part be Tan Box movie studio park and the other be a few well themed lands?

Good luck Gator during that time. Considered Disney's most busy time of year, but with a bit of planning you can still avoid the majority of the crowds. I copied the link to EasyWDW's crowd calendar and park recommendations for the month of December. Check it out if you haven't already, very helpful. Stinks you are missing the free dinning promotion, which ends on the 23rd, still will be great fun. Are you staying on property?

I experienced the original Extraterrorestrial attraction. I didn't care for it and I don't care for it now. At least now it is somewhat family friendly but with 60+ attractions at the Magic Kingdom I can find many other things to enjoy before it.

Looking at the Disney Studios map and numerous visits to the park. Here are a few thoughts on reimagining the park. Keep the Sunset Blvd area with ToT and RnR, has a great Old Hollywood feel, really enjoy that area. From the Idol Show building towards Star Tours and back through Streets of America could become the new home to a Star Wars Land or even a mini land. 1 additional ride, show and Streets of America could become nothing more than dining and shopping for your favorite Disney Star Wars stuff, Im picturing Mos Eisley with locals like the Cantina, Jabba's Palace and a Bounty Hunter attraction. Finally the Pixar area could stay the same for the most part as a studioish area. But Use the Jack Sparrow building and area behind for a Monsters Ride and possible a Pixar Show.

^ Gator, When in December? We will be there 12th through the 18th and I just booked ADR's yesterday morning! Can't Wait. I am one of the few that loves Lights, Motors, Action a must when we visit the Studios. Have never seen American Idol and have no plans on it. I have heard that American Idol and the Muppets and Honey I Shrunk the Kids will all become part of a much smaller Star Wars Area.

^ Disney Wars is an interesting read. I would also argue that to be successful in the park business you need to be emotionally attached to a certain level. There is a fine balance between emotional attachment and smart business. Disney not to long ago was moving away from their parks as key parts of the business, but as a shareholder it became evident that overall business is good when the parks themselves are vibrant and thriving. I would argue Disney is finally taking that approach after many years of neglecting the parks, it may be slow but it is movement in the right direction.

I guess I tend to take Roy E. Disney's viewpoint and as some of you mention, the first few years were very good under Eisner but towards the end the parks and company became soulless and more interested in a quick buck than the end product. This is why so many parks were built during this time that were only half finished, shopping and dinning and very few rides. I attached a copy of Roy Disney's letter of resignation and it makes a very clear point of Eisner's short fallings towards the end of his tenure.

Amazing Disney is what it is today after all the years with Eisner at the helm. The 90's through his end with the company was nothing more than the company trying to make a money grab off the Disney name with no real thought or effort in to their products. Look at the parks and additions during that time, many are listed in the article listed. No wonder Iger is so cautious about in park development.

I loved the clock/time running out theme. The line always made me nervous because of the ticking clocks. I am surprised more of these didn't pop up, then again I think this ride would have been more popular today with families being the key demographic and not thrill seekers.

Then again Little Miss RailRider's first big coaster outside of Florida was The Beast. That is pretty old school awesome right there.

Fair or Not, Kentucky Kingdom had to know they would be under a media magnifying glass once they opened. With the previous history of the park and how it shut down, plus the deals that were cut to open the new park. There are many in Louisville counting on the parks failure and Im not so sure the fair board isn't one of them.

As many of said Busch Gardens is the better choice between the two parks and if you must stay in Orlando and not travel down to Tampa I would recommend Animal Kingdom of Sea World. Especially if you only go for the evening party Harambe Nights, which looks amazing.

^ Thanks, fixed.

Chocolate World, Ironic when many of Hershey's products no longer contain what can be considered Milk Chocolate or Chocolate.

There is nothing I detest more when getting off a coaster than fighting through a crowd of people who are trying to get their crap they put in bins, while I am trying to keep my daughter with me so we can safely exit the ride platform and get in line again. I have seen basketballs go rolling down ride platforms on to ride tracks, drinks spilled on ride platforms, and multiple items left near the exits. I for one am glad KI eliminated storage bins at Banshee and hope the trend continues. I would prefer ride opps to be solely focused on ride safety and operation than making sure they have opened and locked the correct bins and that little Jimmy got the right pair of flip flops. If the no bin policy were solely about money then KI would provide all prize basketballs deflated and have an air machine located outside the park that charged Nickles, Quarters or more to inflate said prize basketball.

The growth at Universal Florida more than likely stems from Potter spill over at IOA. Universal is finally capitalizing on having 2 parks and on site resorts and getting folks to stay and spend more time on site. This is something that Disney has been doing for a long time, which is why the 4 parks at the World continued to dominate the area. I imagine the Universal parks may climb a bit over 9.5 Million and then level out and drop back. They still don't offer enough in the evening to keep guests in the parks once the sun goes down. SeaWorld may say that Blackfish hasn't effected the gates, but it is very obvious. I also think their handling of the situation has hurt them just as much as the documentary. a 5% drop at SeaWorld Orlando is shocking, especially when all of the other major parks in Orlando were up 2% or more, that is shocking. Disney seeing the growth at both MK and DCA may lead the parks to green light rumored upgrades at both EPCOT and Studios. Animal Kingdom may become the #2 park in Orlando once Pandora and the night time entertainment is added.

Would I love to see Disney make all of these additions to their parks? Yes. Do I think they will in the near future? No. Why? Disney knows their target market, families with younger children, and they honestly do a stellar job of catering to that market. Disney knows that creating a meet and greet like Anna and Elsa from Frozen is considered by families a Major Attraction. A simple Meet and Greet like this is generating 4 and 5 hour waits almost daily at the Magic Kingdom. The new Fantasyland expansion is aimed solely at young families not coaster or thrill ride enthusiasts. Universal is looking to position themselves towards families with older kids/teens looking for more thrilling attractions and who could care less meeting characters and such. I know from my own personal experience my 7 year old daughter who has seen all the Harry Potter movies has no interest in those rides or attractions. Yet talk to her about 7 Dwarfs Mine Train or meeting Anna and Elsa and those are two things she can't wait to do in December. As she gets older and reads the Potter books, she may become more excited, but for now Universal offers very little for her. As a younger coaster/park enthusiasts I never cared for Disney Word and absolutely loved Universal/IOA. As I grew older and started our family, it took only one trip to a Disney park to get it. Our first visit to Universal as a family is down the road, but for now Disney does and offers what we love. I am not defending Disney because I think certain aspects of their parks could use some much needed attention, but at the same time I don't think us as a group of enthusiasts is the best or most qualified to bemoan the decisions Disney makes in regards to their parks. We are not their target market.

^ Another great structural feat by RCCA.