Mistakes

[ValenciaCalling]

What would you consider the worst mistakes when it comes to the Walt Disney World Resort?

Looking back, it's easy to get caught up in the nostalgia of lost attractions, and I still to this day can not figure out why they decided to close the original JII and why they were shocked by the severe backlash when they opened Journey Into Your Imagination.

Some other "What were they thinking?" moments...

-Closing the WOL Pavilion

-Getting rid of the Jeremy Irons version of SE

-The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. And Stitch. They should have just replaced AE with the Laugh Floor and kept The Timekeeper.

-Disney Hollywood Studios as a whole just upsets me because there's no organization to it now. It's just a mess.

And...of course...

Horizons...

[retiredfigment]

I agree with all your observations! Only one I might add was closing the Welch's grape juice stand that was between TL and FL. Does anyone else remember it?

[1DisneyNut]

I have always thought it was a huge mistake removing 20 leagues under the sea submarines instead of just redoing it to work off of electricity instead of diesel engines so it would be more feasible. I remember riding it as a kid and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.....I wish I could ride it again.

[Main Street Jim]

I have always thought it was a huge mistake removing 20 leagues under the sea submarines instead of just redoing it to work off of electricity instead of diesel engines so it would be more feasible. I remember riding it as a kid and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.....I wish I could ride it again.

Well, the subs (as a whole attraction) were a maintenance *nightmare*. The lagoon started leaking down into the Utilidors as the heavy subs rolled along on the track. The subs themselves weren't going to last forever in the water and the Florida sun (rusting, leaking, etc.). The biggest thing, though, was the leaking downstairs into the tunnels.

I still to this day can not figure out why they decided to close the original JII and why they were shocked by the severe backlash when they opened Journey Into Your Imagination.

Kodak's sponsorship of the attraction was ending. The original turntable for the loading area was slowly "sinking", becoming "unaligned" with the rest of the track. The track in the "new" version is about 1/3 less than the original track.
Now, when they did redo it, they *completely* removed what had become a beloved EPCOT icon - Figment Yes, there was a LOT of backlash, because the attraction had become 180 degrees from what it had been - it became dark, loud, and scary. The original was lighthearted, colorful, and full of music. With the backlash from Figment fans, the Imagineers figured out how to work Figment into the "new version" - and it became "Journey into YOUR Imagination (with Figment)".

[Altair]

The lagoon started leaking down into the Utilidors as the heavy subs rolled along on the track.

Didn't anyone think is was a bad idea to put all that water above a inhabited tunnel below?

[Main Street Jim]

Some other "What were they thinking?" moments...

...of course...

Horizons...

Again...another ride/show building issue. If you look around on Google, you can find stories and facts about why the attraction was closed. Because of the way the ride system was designed (hanging from track which, in turn, hung from the ceiling, on three different levels inside of a pretty-much "open" building"), the ride system basically slowly collapsed the roof over time. This one was more of a safety issue than anything, as the ride only lasted until (officially) 1999.

Horizons, though, was *genious*. It was meant to be a sequel to Walt's Carousel of Progress, and showed the promise of tomorrow - today One of, if not, *the* all-time favorite attraction of mine.

[brownie]

Since this discussion is focusing on attractions, I'm sending this to the Theme Parks forum.

[1DisneyNut]

Well, the subs (as a whole attraction) were a maintenance *nightmare*. The lagoon started leaking down into the Utilidors as the heavy subs rolled along on the track. The subs themselves weren't going to last forever in the water and the Florida sun (rusting, leaking, etc.). The biggest thing, though, was the leaking downstairs into the tunnels.

LIne the lagoon with either elastomeric waterproofing or have a pool type liner fabricated. Replace the subs with new models redesigned and fabricated out of newer lighter weight materials and use electric propulsion instead of diesel engines. It isn't exactly rocket science, if they couldn't have figured out how to do it, they could have given me a call and I would have covered it in about a 15 minute phone call.

Everything mentioned was regular maintenance issues. As an example they replace the monorails with newer, better, lighter, more energy efficient models regularly.

[Jillirose]

I have always thought it was a huge mistake removing 20 leagues under the sea submarines instead of just redoing it to work off of electricity instead of diesel engines so it would be more feasible. I remember riding it as a kid and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.....I wish I could ride it again.

My sentiments exactly! They probably could redesign giving us the illusion we are traeling below the sea....

[Main Street Jim]

LIne the lagoon with either elastomeric waterproofing or have a pool type liner fabricated. Replace the subs with new models redesigned and fabricated out of newer lighter weight materials and use electric propulsion instead of diesel engines. It isn't exactly rocket science, if they couldn't have figured out how to do it, they could have given me a call and I would have covered it in about a 15 minute phone call.

You also have think back to 1970/71, when the park was built, until 1994 when they closed the attraction. These are all great suggestions, but this kind of stuff wasn't available in the early '70s, or cost too much $$$ in the 1990's.

Everything mentioned was regular maintenance issues. As an example they replace the monorails with newer, better, lighter, more energy efficient models regularly.

? The last "new" Monorails were put into service in 1991 - over 20 years ago. Doesn't seem like "replaced regularly". Out at Disneyland, they're on the Mark VII's, which were put into service in...2008, I think.

[Main Street Jim]

My sentiments exactly! They probably could redesign giving us the illusion we are traeling below the sea....

I'm not understanding why they completely removed the lagoon in Florida in the first place, unless it was just because of the Utilidor issues. The men's and women's locker/changing rooms were directly underneath the lagoon; and I can tell you that when I first started at the park in 2001, there *was* water dripping through the ceiling.

Now, out at DisneyLAND, they closed their Submarine Voyage in 1998. It reopened in 2005 as the "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage". They never removed the lagoon when the attraction closed the first time. But, then again, there aren't any tunnels under the park at Disneyland, either.

[c&d]

I can't think of the name of it, but the sky ride that used to go over the MK. I loved riding it and looking down on the people in the park. I understand why they took it down but I still miss it.

[CU Tiger]

My thoughts went straight to Stitch. Going from Alien Encounter to Stitch was not an improvement. They could have used their money and time more wisely with something else.

[ANG]

I hope it won't be the new My Magic

[SBETigg]

I can understand changing things when safety issues or sponsorship issues come into play. Plus, in a land called Future World, I would expect it to be changing with technology. If the same rides were always there without changing, it would cease to be a vision of the future (which some might argue has happened anyway).

That said, I question the execution of the Test Track refurb-- I think they had some great ideas that could have been done so much better. And, the addition of the carnival-style Chester and Hester's Dinorama to AK seems like a huge misstep to me, not in keeping with my expectations of what Walt Disney World has to offer.

[Gator]

The change of Alien Encounter is the only attraction change that I'm not a fan of. The rest of them I'm pretty ok with.

However, the biggest mistake by my account was when the let the Beavertail's pastry stand escape from the Canada pavilion. That was yummy and truly a taste of the world.

[kbean]

It's not really a mistake, its more because of lawsuits, and parents afraid to control their kids, but I miss when characters could roam the park freely.

[Cheshire_Girl]

It's not really a mistake, its more because of lawsuits, and parents afraid to control their kids, but I miss when characters could roam the park freely.

I miss this too. I only got to go to DLR once when I was a kid, and what I remember the most was seeing the characters walking around the park...Some where there is a picture of my sister and me with goofy, and she is crying her eyes out!!! I will never forget that.
Yep-it is sad that you now have to wait in line to see Donald...You should just run into him around the corner...that's pretty magical.

[Polynesian Dweller]

However, the biggest mistake by my account was when the let the Beavertail's pastry stand escape from the Canada pavilion. That was yummy and truly a taste of the world.

Not really a mistake but nonetheless a disappointment. The Beavertails company decided to leave because it wasn't financially viable for what was then a very small Canadian based company.

Most of the mistakes mentioned in Epcot are very much sponsor based or lack of sponsor such ad WOL. In TT GM wanted to change it to a Chevy based attraction, Imagination gets changed because Kodak wanted updates and do on. The biggest mistake was getting so dependent on sponsors that they've let the sponsors control the Imagineering.

[Juggalotus]

Replacing Mr. Toad's (Awesomely) Wild Ride with a Poo(h) Bear attraction will always stand out as one of the biggest mistakes.