PDA

View Full Version : What does Disneyland need to do?



Pages : [1] 2

PragmaticIdealist
06-08-2005, 12:41 AM
Over the next fifty years, what does Disneyland need to do to preserve its preeminence and make as many different types of people as possible happy?

What existing problems in the Guest experience have you identified and you believe need to be addressed?

What do you predict the future holds for Disneyland? Is it a good future or a bad one?

This anniversary comes at a crossroads for not only Disneyland, but also for The Walt Disney Company, itself. A new C.E.O. is about to be installed. A new Board of Directors may be elected within the next year. And, Disneyland faces the most critical challenges in its history. What does the Disneyland of 2055 look like?

sdfilmcritic
06-08-2005, 12:49 AM
Over the next fifty years, what does Disneyland need to do to preserve its preeminence and make as many different types of people as possible happy?IMO the company needs to remain focused on the family friendly theme the park has maintained in the last fifty years. Keep the park(s) clean, presentable, and attractive. As the family feels comfortable, happy, and relaxed at the park then they are going to enjoy the experience of being there. One family alone has a wide variety of tastes and the park has always offered a variety of attractions that would meet the approval of everyone in the family. As long as the park still keeps this variety available people will be happy to visit the park. Walt knew this from the beginning when he was sitting on the bench in Griffith Park watching his kids ride on the carousel. He wanted something that he could enjoy and have fun doing that would involve having fun with his kids. He felt left out when he was sitting on a bench as an observer rather than a participator. DLR needs to keep the excitement of participation going.

jadeusa
06-08-2005, 06:25 AM
It's the little things that will make or break Disney - the land or the company. People do expect the "special"- a charming extra bit of painting and the unusual desserts, the unique jazz band in NOS and of course, caring CMs.
As for the company, if the data is true about largest grossing films are G rated, then stick to tradition and quality. Disney stock should not be under $28. Sure, ABC is on a rocket ride now, but overall, I think people are very worried about the Eisner fall-out. What would Walt want? If we follow that, Disney will soar. It's all about the vision.

DBJ
06-08-2005, 06:26 AM
Heck, I'm still hoping they restore Tom Sawyer's Island. The only future proof attractions are if they build in the style of Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc. Even coasters have a shelf-life and need to be replaced like Space Mt.. While Buzz is a good attraction, eventually, he will fall out of favor with the kids, so I think they should have a plan to swap out characters when the time comes. Also, they need to keep the filmed 3D or 4D attractions fresh as those experiences age really quickly vs. the timeless rides like Pirates. I like the improvements they made to the Jungle Cruise, so maybe that's a good sign that they are looking at ways to improve attractions.

I think the future is good for DL as a park - although I wish it could all be restored in one year, but from what I've been hearing about job wages/benefits, they need to get a handle on how they treat the cast members as a priority.

nursemelis374
06-08-2005, 06:45 AM
If they build E-tickets, they will come.

fjhuerta
06-08-2005, 07:51 AM
If they build E-tickets, they will come.
This is the correct answer, I guess. :)

JiminyCricket
06-08-2005, 08:53 AM
Disneyland needs a new E-ticket ride. That always attracts new visitors. Also they cannot count the Submarie Ride (Which was there before and is only a "do-over") or Space Mountain (This referb has taken so long that people think it is a new attraction, sad!!)

Doing Mission: Space would be a big draw. There is enough room if they take out Innoventions (a stupid attraction that few like). A new AA show like Country Bears would attract the family. It should not be just CB but a new show. Disneyland is known for its AA's but the cheap Disney management has been cutting back on AA's and think that it can be Disneyland without them. THEY ARE WRONG!

Barbossa
06-08-2005, 10:22 AM
For one, they need to build new attractions with the imagination, quality, and budget of their classic rides. A lot of their new rides (Winnie the Pooh, for example) seem to have been designed on the cheap: a lot of flat plywood and paint. DCA has too many common amusement park rides like Mulholland Madness. (I'm always wondering why a person would visit DCA when the real thing is just down the freeway.) Gimme new rides where I can see that Disney went all-out to design, like POTC and HM. Heck, even Storybook Land has a unique, timeless charm to it (I'm 45 and I still like looking at the little towns).

PragmaticIdealist
06-08-2005, 10:25 AM
Disneyland is known for its AA's but the cheap Disney management has been cutting back on AA's and think that it can be Disneyland without them. THEY ARE WRONG!

I agree. The animatronic puppets are a large part of the Disneyland experience and a major competitive advantage. Stories need characters, after all. The effects at The Twilight Zone and the statuary at Winnie the Pooh are not substitutes for the full-motion, electronically-controlled mechanical animation that is integral to the medium of the Disney theme park.

PragmaticIdealist
06-08-2005, 11:00 AM
One problem I have identified is that with a Disneyland on every street corner around the world, what will make Disneyland or Walt Disney World special enough to warrant being places to take vacations? Duplicating Disneyland is not a wise move, and Walt Disney implicitly warned his successors against it.

There is a way to internationalize without cloning The Magic Kingdom and Xerox-ing castles for Second- and Third-World countries.

"Planting the flag" is a relic from Paul Pressler. The strategy needs serious reconsideration.

pisces
06-08-2005, 01:45 PM
They need to work with the City of Anaheim to make the surrounding area mesh better with the actual Park insides. Harbor Blvd. has been cleaned up considerably since the 1980s, 70s. I remember when Harbor Blvd was very sleazy. They cleaned it up and planted trees, but it still lacks charm and feels, as do the immediate areas, like a parking lot. Much of those parking lots and garages could be built subterranean, and you could have beautiful green space, public meadows, picnic areas, and parks on top. Anaheim needs a major mall with good anchor department stores, as well as a few chain restaurants. Right now, anyone wanting to do any major shopping has to take their money out of Anaheim and go to South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa, to get at the really good chains, or distinctive stores. Downtown Disney isn't providing the total shopping experience. Little gift shops and souvenir stores don't cut it.

Since Disney doesn't really do food, that much. Having all the big chain restaurants within walking distance, would certainly stop someone like me, or at least make me think twice, about going over to Knotts to get a bucket of chicken. Why should Buena Park get my tax dollars, when Anaheim is very handy.

Anaheim needs great streets. When you think of the Via Veneto, Champs Elysees, Rodeo Dr. etc.... Anaheim really needs that. Downtown Disney isn't enough. It's a start. But they need a great and charming shopping street to lead into DCA.

Anaheim really needs to build their environment surrounding Disney. A bunch of parking garages and uninteresting corporate structures don't make a glamorous and exciting environment to support such a world-wide destination such as Disneyland.

Anaheim needs a good development plan for how they are going to feed people into Disneyland, and keep guests, and their tax dollars, in the City once guests leave the Park. Because right now, as it is, once I leave Disney, there's nothing to keep me in Anaheim. All the major chain restaurants, A distinctive shopping Mall with great Anchors, and charming streets with sidewalk cafes open till very late........all create a lively street scene. Downtown Disney doesn't do that, not from what I could see, at 11-12 am, ish, during my week there.

Great, world class cities have great world-class streets to support them and their attractions.

Anaheim is really squandering all that guest money and all the potential business, by not providing a higher volume, and variety, of shopping and dining.

Disneymademoiselle
06-08-2005, 02:11 PM
I would agree that Disneyland can only help its universal appeal with the creation of rides that "set the standard." Look at the rides that people really love...Indiana, Pirates, Haunted Mansion...all high budget, high quality rides quite worthy of Mr. Disney genius. Winnie the Pooh most likely caused him to roll over in his grave. Sure it's cute, but oh so cheap.

I would love to see one change to the set up of the park. There should be some kind of pathway or bridge connecting Critter Country to Toon Town. If the wait for the train were faster that would be one thing, but it's not. I think it would incredibly reduce the congestion in that area of the park. Though the park is so large, I spend majority of my time in Critter Country, New Orleans and Adventureland because that is truly where all the great rides are. Unfortunately, that is the case for most everyone else as well, causing a highly irratating human traffic jam. I will admit that the pathway would be long, but it would create flow instead of a dead end. It might be nice walking along the Rivers of America and the back of Tom Sawyer Island.

DorisZ
06-08-2005, 07:55 PM
It's doubtful that I will be around for the 100 year anniversary, but hopefully, my future Grandchildren will love DL as much as I do.

So this is what I would like to see from the DL suits:

Overall, DL has a very good safety record--keep this in mind always.

Nurture and value their CM's.

Value the locals who support Disneyland in many ways.

Another E ride in Frontierland.

Another major overhaul in TL--let the imagineers have free rein this time.

Another exit out of CC. It's brutal to navigate around the ROA when Fantasmic is being presented.

More variety and availability of food when the park is open in the evening.

Ticket prices neither too low or too high.

Don't try to squeeze every penny out of the typical tourist, but leave them with the feeling that they got the appropriate value for money spent.

The lack of space which I believe adds to Disneyland's charm, also limits the experience of entering a different world. WDW can afford to immerse the visitor into the magic spacewise. I don't know how you can remedy this since the real estate near the park probably is very expensive.

In addition, it would be nice if DLR could add a year round water park or some other feature that would enhance the overall experience. And of course, keep upgrading CA to compliment DL. And we can all only hope for the 3rd gate--may it meet all of our expectations from the get go. I hope that I'm around to see it!

PragmaticIdealist
06-08-2005, 11:37 PM
I would love to see one change to the set up of the park. There should be some kind of pathway or bridge connecting Critter Country to Toon Town. If the wait for the train were faster that would be one thing, but it's not. I think it would incredibly reduce the congestion in that area of the park. Though the park is so large, I spend majority of my time in Critter Country, New Orleans and Adventureland because that is truly where all the great rides are. Unfortunately, that is the case for most everyone else as well, causing a highly irratating human traffic jam. I will admit that the pathway would be long, but it would create flow instead of a dead end. It might be nice walking along the Rivers of America and the back of Tom Sawyer Island.

I agree that the four dead-end's at Disneyland Resort are problematic. They are: Critter Country; Mickey's Toontown; Hollywood Pictures Backlot; and, Downtown Disney (for day-Guests). New pathways are one, but certainly not the only, possible solution, but something definitely needs to be done in the coming years to fix these design flaws.

Hopefully, with more Attractions in Tomorrowland and, especially, in the northeast quadrant of Disneyland, Guests will be able to utilize these other spaces better and, thereby, more evenly distribute themselves.

sdfilmcritic
06-08-2005, 11:38 PM
How about a Skyway Bucket attraction that connects Paradise Pier to Toontown? :~D

PragmaticIdealist
06-09-2005, 12:16 AM
Regaining the prestige Disneyland lost over the past decade should be the first priority of Disneyland management. That cachet has allowed The Company to attract support from the institutional Patrons who have been so important to Disneyland throughout its history.

The previous administrations did such horrendous and inexcusable damage to those relationships that reparation is going to entail a serious commitment on the part of the new management.

King of the Frogs
06-09-2005, 01:29 AM
You can't bridge over the Rivers, because that would destroy the Mark Twain experience, and require 100 foot clearance for Columbia. There is about 30 feet between the Fantasmic! mini-drydock at the north end of RoA and the railroad, so there is no simple way to build a themed walk around the north end of RoA.

To the west of RoA, there are many shops nestled into a "notch" in the park outline, literally backing right up to the berm and the railway - inlcuding the legendary Staff Shop. If these could be moved, then you have to deal with access roads backstage from the Ball Road entry all the way to Main Street - big problems there.

In my opinion, Pooh was placed where it is because they understood that area would be under-populated. Unfortunately, lots of folks don't know that the real reason for that end of the park is to acommodate the back side of, and exit from, Splash Mountain. Once you reach Hungry Bear, you're pretty much done.

In other words, it's just one of the charming weirdnesses of Disneyland - live with it!

PragmaticIdealist
06-09-2005, 01:55 AM
King of the Frogs, I agree that a new connecting walkway near the Rivers of America is not very desirable, but there is a solution that may not have occurred to you and that is not affected by the constraints you cited.

Solving problems just takes a little imagination, and Disney, more than any other organization, should be the best equipped to do so. The purpose of this thread is merely to identify problems and areas of concern that Disneyland needs to address in the coming years.

I am not getting paid to solve Disney's problems for it, but I am also not eager to let Disney become complacent, either.

JiminyCricket
06-09-2005, 09:51 AM
Disneyland needs to improve its food quality to move into the future. One of the joys of WDW is the wonderful restaurants that serve first class food. Fare food, hot dogs, cotton candy, churros, for example, are fun foods but should be additions and not the core of the food choices. Dining in a unique atmosphere with great food is one of the joys of life. Blue Bayou, with its charming riverside nighttime atmosphere, is the kind of restaurant Disney should do more of. People desire more adventure in dining today than they did fifty years ago. Thunder Mountain Ranch, with its barbecue, was another treasure of DL. It is too bad that they have basically closed that restaurant. Pressler did not like restaurant establishments in DL because they did not make enough money. Food is part of the show. Good, quality food makes for a good guest experience. A stomachache from too many hot dogs and cookies, does not make for a great guest experience. WDW has some wonderful choices that both have excellent food and some theme to them. The Crystal Palace offers quality food with Pooh and his friends. Food quality and dining theme are areas that DL needs to grow in for the future.

sdfilmcritic
06-09-2005, 10:43 AM
Disneyland needs to improve its food quality to move into the future.I didn't give the food department too much thought, but I totally agree with what you were saying. DLR needs to focus on the quality of food and the dining experience. There is a limited variety of quality dining selections for the guest to choose from when DLR is compared to the selection that may be available at WDW. The only top notch restaurants at DLR that are open to the general public are Blue Bayou, Napa Rose, and the one restaurant in the Wine Country area of DCA. I can't remember the name of that last restaurant. We need more of a selection of restaurants that not only provide an excellent selection of meals to choose from, but also a unique atmosphere that will be worth the price value of the meal. The administration needs to focus on the restaraunts within the park and not necessarily at the hotels (bear with me on this one). If a group of guests are visiting the park for one day and have no intention of using any of the facilities at either of the three hotels they may not want to walk over to DL Hotel or Paradise Pier. It may be worth the walk to GCH for Napa Rose, but to go to DLH or PP may be too much for a meal. Especially when the return trip may seem like an eternity on a full stomach. Implement quality restaurants within the parks that the average guest can afford to pay that would offer an excellent atmosphere and a delicious menu. Churros and popcorn would be fine and dandy for snack items, but it's time to focus on the quality of meal oriented food service.

PragmaticIdealist
06-09-2005, 01:37 PM
On a related note...

Price gouging inside Disneyland is not a good idea. Certain dining options with greater value need to be made available in order to keep many Guests happy. Walt Disney gave explicit instructions to his successors on this matter.

Some Guests are apt to interpret exorbitant prices inside Disneyland as a hidden cost and a way Disney may be trying to cheat them.

The restaurants and outdoor vendors inside Disneyland cannot think of themselves as being businesses independent of the main gate. The operational style of those restaurants and vendors does have a bearing on the revenues the main gate collects.

I believe most Guests would prefer to have the prices of some food items surprisingly reasonable inside Disneyland and, instead, pay upfront whatever premium Disneyland feels is appropriate with the admission fee, instead. Modifying pricing policy in this way may also result in Guests becoming more willing to purchase non-food items from the shops and outdoor vendors.

Food at Disneyland is a great opportunity to employ some techniques that appeal to value-conscious consumers and others that appeal to Guests who are not as sensitive to prices. To the latter group, Disneyland really needs to redouble its efforts in providing superlative dining experiences with exceptional food and service. Again, the restaurants, and all the other features of Disneyland, have a bearing on the revenues the main gate collects.

I Heart Disneyland!
06-09-2005, 02:36 PM
Two words: Disneyland Seattle :p

PirateSmile
06-09-2005, 03:20 PM
Two words: Disneyland Seattle :p




That's the best idea I think I may ever have heard! They'll have plenty of space! They'd just have to tear down Wild Waves :~D

pirateabbie
06-09-2005, 03:27 PM
That's the best idea I think I may ever have heard! They'll have plenty of space! They'd just have to tear down Wild Waves :~D

But if they do that, where will all those obnoxious, unsupervised, chain smoking teenagers be able wear skimpy bathing suits while swimming in contaminated water? :~D

PirateSmile
06-09-2005, 03:33 PM
But if they do that, where will all those obnoxious, unsupervised, chain smoking teenagers be able wear skimpy bathing suits while swimming in contaminated water? :~D


Hahaha :D


I guess they'll just have to wait until September to do all that in their usual spot, Decatur High School!

Or maybe they'll keep Enchanted Village next door and they'll be able to go there and teach a whole new generation to become delinquents. One of the two.