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merlinjones
05-28-2002, 06:50 AM
Over at alt.disney.disneyland, someone asked what you would remove and/or add to DCA. Here are my thoughts:

Take out:

Superstar Limo (totally embarrassing, lame)

Mullholland Madness (ugly blight on environment, lame)

Entrance Mural and attached buildings (ugly)

Farm crop exhibit

Hollywood and Dine (ugly environment in which to eat)


Add:

Monsters Inc Carnival Funhouse Dark Ride

Rock n Rollercoaster

Surfing Simulator ride with Frankie and Annette

Zorro Black Whip Coaster and Pueblo de Los Angeles

Disney's Hyperion Studio repro with Walt Disney Archives and Museum
(new hub?)

Country Bears playing California Folk Rock Festival

Herbie Ride in San Franscisco

Cable Car in SF (with more buildings and better, immersive SF layout)

Mary Poppins Dark Ride in Hollywood

Skyway to PP Hotel

Import good parts of Great Movie Ride to DCA (sans interactive/acting
crap)

State Fair/Farm exhibit as interesting as the ones at the State Fair.

Redress/rename Hollywood Backlot as Disney Studios (will allow more
Disney related rides and stuff)

New lush Santa Barbara Mission style entranceway/train station

Move Golden Gate over by SF (maybe replaces footbridge to Monterey).

Ghoulish Delight
05-28-2002, 07:23 AM
You should really start paying attention to what other people post, Merlin. Just because YOU don't like something doesn't mean there aren't thousands of others who do. Personally, Mullholland is one of my favorite rides, I've always found Hollywood and Dine a great place to eat, and I like the look of the murals. And I'm not the only one. None of us has a proper perspective to decide what is and isn't working at DCA. We see the fanatics come here and complain, and people assume that the moaning on this board represents the majority opinion. Faaar from it. Disney, who has rider counts and exit surveys, are the only ones with perspective on what attractions the majority of people do and do not like.

merlinjones
05-28-2002, 07:55 AM
>>You should really start paying attention to what other people post, Merlin. Just because YOU don't like something doesn't mean there aren't thousands of others who do. Personally, Mullholland is one of my favorite rides, I've always found Hollywood and Dine a great place to eat, and I like the look of the murals. And I'm not the only one. None of us has a proper perspective to decide what is and isn't working at DCA. We see the fanatics come here and complain, and people assume that the moaning on this board represents the majority opinion. Faaar from it. <<

Too bad simple ideas threaten you so much. I think its fun to come up with blue sky stuff - - seems like a tradition on fan boards! I think everyone's opinions are interesting for debate and like to hear them, including yours. Too bad you want only one opinion expressed...

>>Disney, who has rider counts and exit surveys, are the only ones with perspective on what attractions the majority of people do and do not like.<<

And what do these surveys show to your knowledge? Are you saying no one should ever make any opinion counter to that of the corporation? Or that all opinions must reflect the majority? Or that criticism of commercial product is bad thing? Hmmm... I though we were in America!

Marty
05-28-2002, 09:14 AM
Maybe what Goulish is objecting to isn't so much the ideas, but the way you feel compelled to utterly deride anything you don't agree with. Imagine this post for a sec:

Disneyland (Take Out)

Tear down Pirates (totally lame ride, well past its prime, ugly blight on New Orleans Square)
Demolish Main Street (nausea inducing strip mall that could use better theming)
Dismantle Teacups Ride (boring off the shelf ride, what was Walt thinking)

Disneyland (Add)

More stores selling stuffed animals
Starbucks (maybe 9 or 10, some right across from each other)
Complaintland (dark ride where you see animitronic web heads furiously posting complaint after complaint on their favorite message board)

Ghoulish Delight
05-28-2002, 09:33 AM
Originally posted by Marty
Maybe what Goulish is objecting to isn't so much the ideas, but the way you feel compelled to utterly deride anything you don't agree with. Imagine this post for a sec:

Disneyland (Take Out)

Tear down Pirates (totally lame ride, well past its prime, ugly blight on New Orleans Square)
Demolish Main Street (nausea inducing strip mall that could use better theming)
Dismantle Teacups Ride (boring off the shelf ride, what was Walt thinking)

Disneyland (Add)

More stores selling stuffed animals
Starbucks (maybe 9 or 10, some right across from each other)
Complaintland (dark ride where you see animitronic web heads furiously posting complaint after complaint on their favorite message board) :D :D
Precisely, Marty. I have no desire to squash opinions, and I do want to see others' opinions. I have posted my opinions about DCA and DL many many times, whether or not they were the popular opinion. And I've made it known what I do and do not like about DCA. But I can't even begin to count the number of threads that begin "We could make DCA better if we take out this sucky ride, and this lame attraction, and the whole place sucks..." blah blah blah. It's OLD NEWS. It, in my opinion, has ceased to add substance to the discussions on this board.

Maybe everyone will jump all over me for "trying to prevent the free discussion" here, but I'm really getting sick of it. We're beating a dead horse. I just hardly think this was worth a new thread. You don't have to dig very far to go find another DCA thread to add this to.

Sigh. Hitting the submit button is just going to get me in trouble, but this is just how this thread struck me.

mousey_girl
05-28-2002, 10:45 AM
Actually GD, I think you have just hit on what quite a few of us have been thinking for a while (or at least one other!!).

innerSpaceman
05-28-2002, 11:27 AM
Sure it's old news to bash DCA or talk about our relative opinions (good and bad) about DCA. It's old news to talk about the downhill slide in many attributes of Disneyland. It's all old news, but until there's truly some new news, what is it we are going to talk about in the Disneyland Resort section of MousePad?

Letsee, there's new Splash Mountain seating to talk about in one thread. That leaves us with, um, 78 old subjects to rehash until the next bit of new news (good or bad) happens at the Resort.

Till then, rather than silence, I say any subject - no matter how old - is worthy of a thread. How that thread will fare depends on how many people want to participate in that thread. Let's leave it up to the marketplace and let all ideas be talked about as often as is desired - two great American ideals.

Uncle Dick
05-28-2002, 12:40 PM
I'm gonna back up merlinjones on this one. I think he has every right to express his opinions that Mulholland Madness is lame (I tend to agree) or that Hollywood and Dine is ugly (I totally disagree) without being attacked. In fact, back in the "What would you change in the Haunted Mansion Holiday?" thread, I stated that I thought the giant Jack head was cheesy and that I would can it. No one seemed to have a problem with me saying that, and I don't see how it's any different from what merlinjones is doing here. In fact, I'm happy to see that he has some great ideas for improvement to DCA, and I don't see bashing of any kind in his posts.

I think the reaction to this thread is largely a result of some ruffled feathers over on the DCA [Doesn't] Rock[s] threads.

Anyway, I, too, would remove MM and replace it with some kind of "Monster's Inc" attraction. They could bulldoze the Sunglass Shack and Burger Invasion to make enough room for a truly awesome dark ride.

SSL would be "reimagineered" into a Pooh dark ride, and the Country Bears would make an amazing comeback to coincide with the release of the new movie.

The "San Francisco" section would be moved to the Main Entrance (ala Main Street) with the Palace of Fine Arts dome serving as a hub. The old SF area would be become part of the Grizzly Peak area with the Country Bears replacing the empty facades. The Golden Dreams theater would be rethemed to the new area, but the movie could stay minus the lame ending song.

Marty
05-28-2002, 01:07 PM
Originally posted by Uncle Dick
I'm gonna back up merlinjones on this one. I think he has every right to express his opinions that Mulholland Madness is lame (I tend to agree) or that Hollywood and Dine is ugly (I totally disagree) without being attacked.

Very good UncleDick,

So in that vein, let me accentuate what I liked about merlinjone's post. I am in absolute agreement that there should be a Surfing Simulator ride with Frankie and Annette. For those of us who live outside of SoCal, the first thing that comes to mind about California (first thing after how much we all admire DCA that is) is the beaches and the hollywood version of California beach culture. Hey merlin, how do you see such an attraction shaping up?

Also, I love the idea of the "Country Bears playing a California Folk Rock Festival". Except that I would make it a 60's like rock festival. How about making the setting the historic Fillmore West in San Francisco and having the bears emulate great California bands of the era (Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, Grateful Dead…) There are also lots of great ideas for theming the wait area - the bears in protest, the bears at a sit in, the bears visiting a head shop….

Well, isn't DCA supposed to be the adult park?

PaleRider
05-28-2002, 01:34 PM
I agree with Merlinjones, the Mad Mouse (...err..um..excuse me,
I mean Mullholland Madness) should give way for something else.

Personally, I'd like to see Mickey and Donald water ski behind a competition ski boat driven by Goofy. Pluto could ride a jetski while Minnie cheers from an island in the middle of the lagoon.

A few light pyrotechnics (emphasis on light) and H2O effects...
baddabing! You've got a summer show. :D

Dave Z
05-28-2002, 01:47 PM
Originally posted by merlinjones


Monsters Inc Carnival Funhouse Dark Ride

Surfing Simulator ride with Frankie and Annette

Skyway to PP Hotel

New lush Santa Barbara Mission style entranceway/train station



I like these ideas. In fact, how about a People Mover or the Monorail extended to PP and DLH with a stop closer to DCA entrance or even inside DCA.

I haven't visited DCA very many times (all or part of 7 days since it opened) but I haven't been disappointed in it at all. I've enjoyed my visits and, actually, still haven't experienced all it has to offer.

DZ

Iceman
05-28-2002, 08:30 PM
Okay, maybe now I'M the Pollyanna, but I like the positive aspect of merlinjones' post, the constructive ideas on what to add to make the park better. What turns me off are the exaggerated editorial comments!

merlinjones
05-28-2002, 09:03 PM
>>Sure it's old news to bash DCA or talk about our relative opinions (good and bad) about DCA. It's old news to talk about the downhill slide in many attributes of Disneyland. It's all old news, but until there's truly some new news, what is it we are going to talk about in the Disneyland Resort section of MousePad?

Letsee, there's new Splash Mountain seating to talk about in one thread. That leaves us with, um, 78 old subjects to rehash until the next bit of new news (good or bad) happens at the Resort.<<

Here's a new one, buddy. Did you see that web photo of some generic contemporary theme park DCA-level light posts installed in Critter Country? That's contemporary - - not Song of the South Southern... or 100 Acre Wood makeshift... or Bear Country North Woodsy... or Frontier western - - but generic mall-like fixtures... with Winnie-the-Pooh drawings on the glass panes - - like a Disney Store. This on the gorgeous West Side of Disneyland... once the theming capital of the parks! Are the marketing chix designing and approving light fixtures now? What the hell is going on down there...?

innerSpaceman
05-28-2002, 09:22 PM
Originally posted by merlinjones
Did you see that web photo of some generic contemporary theme park DCA-level light posts installed in Critter Country? That's contemporary - - not Song of the South Southern... or 100 Acre Wood makeshift... or Bear Country North Woodsy... or Frontier western - - but generic mall-like fixtures... with Winnie-the-Pooh drawings on the glass panes - - like a Disney Store. This on the gorgeous West Side of Disneyland... once the theming capital of the parks!
Yeah, I almost can't believe it from the photo - this I'm gonna have to see with my own eyes. But if in fact this is what the concept of theming has come to along the Rivers of America, then indeed the mighty have fallen.

Uncle Dick
05-28-2002, 09:45 PM
Originally posted by Iceman
What turns me off are the exaggerated editorial comments!
You mean opinions? People are allowed to have opinions, aren't they? I can understand why people dislike general, unfounded DCA bashing, but what's wrong with voicing one's distaste for certain attractions?