bkroz Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I thought this was worth sharing since so many of us are park map collectors and fans and have opinions galore about Kings Island's map styles through the ages. Walt Disney World has updated their paper park and resort maps for the first time in about fifteen years. The new maps appear to be part of its ongoing efforts to re-route guests to its all-in-one app, which synchronizes with MyMagic+ wristbands to hold Fastpasses, dinner reservations, room keys, maps, touch-free purchasing, etc. In that app, you are presented with a giant map of the entire resort and can zoom in and out to parks and rides within one giant image. The new paper park maps are simply screenshots from that app and as such are hyper-accurate and realistic (since on the app, you can GPS track your location) with absolutely no embellishments or "animated, whimsical" style. Most oddly, because they're based on the giant app, all of the maps are oriented north, even for the parks that aren't. This means Epcot is displayed "upside down" from its "traditional" orientation, and Disney's Hollywood Studios is... Well... Almost unnavigable. BEFORE AFTER (Click for much larger image) To me, I believe it's counterintuitive. People don't orient themselves by cardinal directions, they do so by landmarks. The new map style actually downplays landmarks like the water tower, Chinese Theater, and Studio Arch for the sake of accuracy. The harshly-overhead angle actually looks like a satellite image from Google Maps... The old maps were handy AND attractive, fun to keep as souvenirs. Who would want this map hanging on his or her wall, or show it to their friends and family as they recount their visit? I can't imagine why they wouldn't have at least oriented the parks in the "traditional" way... What are your thoughts? Is this new map style beneficial? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Magic Kingdom Epcot Disney's Animal Kingdom Typhoon Lagoon Blizzard Beach Downtown Disney EDIT: You can explore the interactive mega-sized map either on the My Disney Experience app or at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/maps/ with the whole website recently having been given a streamlined, app-style layout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Even Disney bungles from time to time... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdawg1998 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Why are the entrances for Hollywood Studios and Epcot on the top? That would confused the heck out of me when trying to find stuff in the park! Edit: Just realized you already said that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortex Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Not bad it fits in with the app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vortexfan Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I'd have to test these maps out in person to see if they're effective, but I have a feeling they won't be very helpful in a park like Animal Kingdom whose layout was evidently designed by a group of people knee-deep in narcotics. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 I'd have to test these maps out in person to see if they're effective, but I have a feeling they won't be very helpful in a park like Animal Kingdom whose layout was evidently designed by a group of people knee-deep in narcotics. Worse, the new map revealed JUST how long and tediously un-enchanting the walk to Festival of the Lion King really is! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick00 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I haven't looked at any Disney map for years. I know the parks very well so I don't ever have a use for them but I'm not a fan of these new ones. Like goodyellowcorn said, it's viewed from an odd angle. I don't think I've ever since a park map that wasn't centered from the front. I didn't even know what I was looking at the first time I looked at that Hollywood Studios map. On a side note, Kings Dominion is releasing a new style for their park map this year that will be the first in the Cedar Fair chain. Lets hope its nothing like Disney's new maps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Really? I hadn't heard that about Kings Dominion. Great news, though. Of all the Cedar Fair parks with that comic-book style map, Kings Dominion's is by FAR the worst. That park is way too convoluted and concentrated with shops, attractions, and stores to have that tacky style and huge labeling. And in such a forested park to have no trees... Well, ya'll know how I feel about Cedar Fair maps and trees / three-pronged bushes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 That will be interesting to see. I`m going to be hitting up Kings Dominion opening weekend, so I should be able to give a report on the new maps. I wonder when Disney will start building the advanced Fast Passes into the My Magic app. I am likely going to get down to Disney World in July. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 The date for MyMagic+ keeps getting pushed back. Your Fastpasses would be stored on an RFID bracelet. You'd just be able to see them in the app. Crazy stuff, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenban Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I know the Disney parks pretty well. For actual navigation I think this is a huge improvement. The old maps were very unrealistic and drawn in a way to draw attention to certain attractions but that caused the maps to ignore the sizes of attractions or the distances between them. On the new maps the icons for everything from attractions to the bathrooms look like they are actually located at or near the entrances which is a huge upgrade over just sticking them in the middle of buildings. The problem is that park maps are a lot more then just a way to get from point A to point B. A park map also is a guide to the attractions available. You should look at the map and think I want to go and do that. The old ones did a much better job drawing your attention to the attractions. On a side note, you can actually see most of the hidden mickey in the new Disney Studios park map above. The one ear is gone, but the face and one ear are still around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I'd have to test these maps out in person to see if they're effective, but I have a feeling they won't be very helpful in a park like Animal Kingdom whose layout was evidently designed by a group of people knee-deep in narcotics. The layout was supposed to invite exploration rather than planning out routes on a map. That's why, originally, there were no signs giving directions either. Also, there were originally trails through the undergrowth. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I really like the map on the apps, but I don't like some of the orientations that they chose for the printed out versions. They're not as pretty as the older ones, but I think they are functionally very good to give an idea how close or far something is rather than over exaggerate the size of the attractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I should add, I really wish Disney sold souvenir maps. I have a set of the ones you can send away for hung up in my room, but it's not as cool as, for example, Cedar Point's poster-sized version. Please? I'll settle for an old one that has Horizons and Journey Into Imagination on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 I should add, I really wish Disney sold souvenir maps. I have a set of the ones you can send away for hung up in my room, but it's not as cool as, for example, Cedar Point's poster-sized version. Please? I'll settle for an old one that has Horizons and Journey Into Imagination on it! Send an email requesting those maps. One little spark, they say... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan73 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I wish I knew enough about Disney World to critique their maps! (trips to DW=0) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 You need to fix that. Even better, go to Disneyland and California Adventure. I was 43 before ever going to a Disney park. I knew I'd hate it. I couldn't have been more wrong. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTD-120-420 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I, too, have yet to go to a Disney park. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voicetek Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I absolutely love Disney World! Every time I come back from there, I can't wait until I can go back again. That being said, I'm not a huge fan of the new map at all. Like some of you, I'm so familiar with the park that I don't really need a map. I can walk through the gates and I know exactly where I'm going and what I want to ride. For me, the maps were always just to keep. They were fun and colorful and you could see the main landmarks of each park very well. The last time I went down, my niece and nephew went also and my niece (8 years old at the time) was having a great time looking at the map and trying to navigate us through the park. I just don't see that happening with the new map. It looks too official or something...too realistic. It doesn't really play into the fun, colorful atmosphere that is a Disney park. I don't think it invokes that same feeling of fun. Like goodyellowkorn182 said, it looks like a Google Maps image or something. Not very fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium13 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Here it is for those who have been waiting, the NEW 2013 Kings Dominion map......... is Not sure what is different about it other than the grid system, which should make it a bit easier to use. If I'm not mistaken, the Paramount Parks' maps used a similar system for a few years, did they not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 I saw that a few days ago and was... disappointed. Who started the rumor that they were getting redesigned maps? Check out all the muddled offerings at Planet Snoopy! Looks like a lot of fun with absolutely no rides visible under the ride names! And the map does a spectacular job of showcasing the natural, evergreen, forested splendor of one of the most beautifully-located parks this side of the Mississippi! Frolicking through the not-so-verdant grey-green open fields of Virginia, I guess? In such a convoluted and organic park with crazy paths and wildly dense areas, this map is doing no favors for anyone. Meanwhile, the "Cedar Fair" design style maps did find a bit of improvement at Worlds of Fun this year, where they at last recognize and proudly display different themed areas. Here's hoping more Cedar Fair maps at least make that change. EDIT: Also, I'm not sure if this is new this year or if it happened last year, but Carowinds' map is now Cedar Fair style too, leaving Great America the last holdout, with its 2013 map already released and in CitiGraph style. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium13 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I don't know where the rumor of a new map came from, but I definitely agree that out of all the Cedar Fair maps, Kings Dominion has got it the worst. I wish they would go back to numbering the rides and attractions like they used to, pre-2007 I think. While I think Kings Island probably has one of the better, if not the best of the Cedar Fair maps in terms of clarity and not being overly-exaggerated, but you still run into the slight issue of an overly congested looking kids area. I'm not a huge stickler on how the maps look, but when the kids area is just a mess of ride names, that doesn't make for a very effective map in my opinion. I'm also surprised CGA didn't a Cedar Fair style map this season, I figured with their new roller coaster they'd make the change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 A lot of us here thought Kings Island would make the change when Diamondback came around, but it didn't happen then, either. Weird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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