[Question] Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

[disneyismylife87]

My friend and I were arguing over which attraction we thought was the most expensive to build (including the queue line). My vote went to Indiana Jones with the elaborate queue and interior and the programmable cars. His went to Splash Mountain with the building of a mountain and the numerous AAs.

I don't know if anybody actually knows the answer to this question but what do you guys think? What do you think was the most expensive attraction to build at Disneyland? Annnnnnnd GO!

[Dr. G]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I'm going to guess Indy--the vehicles are very expensive and the environment is very immersive. The queue is intensely themed (and long, and underground for some). I would think Splash would be second--a lot of the AAs came from America Sings. In today's dollars, I would think Pirates would be incredibly expensive to build. My understanding is the new Radiator Springs Racers will be the most expensive ride ever when it is completed. All of these are guesses, of course.

[Nautilus]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

RSR's will be the most expensive to this date, considering it's sheer size and complexity. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the biggest thing Disney has ever done.

[Nautilus]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

As for current attractions, I'd say the Disneyland Railroad is the most expensive to run because of the constant and heavy maintenance for the locomotives and the cost of fuel because they aren't the most fuel-efficient machines in the world.

[mycroft16]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

Most expensive to build... I'd guess Nemo with a price tag that, according to Al, got up near $150,000,000.

RSR and TLM will probably challenge that easily.

[MarkTwain]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I'm betting that, adjusting to inflation, Pirates would have been the most expensive. The sheer scale, the level of theming, and number of AAs would have really driven up the cost.

Most expensive to build... I'd guess Nemo with a price tag that, according to Al, got up near $150,000,000.

RSR and TLM will probably challenge that easily.

From what I understand, RSR will cost in the neighborhood of $300 million. (!)

[Mike_M]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I'm betting that, adjusting to inflation, Pirates would have been the most expensive. The sheer scale, the level of theming, and number of AAs would have really driven up the cost.



From what I understand, RSR will cost in the neighborhood of $300 million. (!)

I would guess Pirates as well, especially since you can count nearly all of NOS into the price tag (The show building also houses the Blue Bayou, half of the shops and a majority of the facades) It was also new ground with the level of detail and technology. R&D almost always costs more cause you need to come up with techniques before you can implement them.

[monotonehell]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

Help me out guys; RSR - what's that stand for?

I bet I'm being immensely dense... and will go "Ohhhhhhh..." when someone reminds me what it stands for.

[aaronpaulcustoms]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

Radiator Springs Racers RSR

[DaHatTrick]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

indy or the new rides coming, TLM and RSR

[timbabbcomedian]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I would guess Pirates as well. Didn't they get a good deal of the way in to creating it as a walk through attraction and then have to tear it our and start over to make it into the boat ride? That's gotta add to the price tag.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

An early concept for Pirates was as a walk-through attraction called "Rogues Gallery" which would be underground, below New Orleans Square. A cast member would guide guests through it and give live narration of each scene. (Even before Disneyland opened there were early sketches of a "Bluebeard's Den" and a "Pirates' Shack"). But a problem was capacity, it wouldn't be able to put enough guests through per hour. The success of "it's a small world" at the 1964 New York World's Fair and its move to Disneyland convinced WED that the flume system would be able to provide the throughput needed, so they decided the pirate attraction would use a system similar to "it's a small world." (While small world uses chlorine in the water, Pirates uses bromine, giving the ride its characteristic smell). They had already dug the underground part for the Rogues Gallery but realized a boat ride would take much more space, so they added the show building outside the berm and dug under the berm to connect them. So the ride became much larger than was originally envisioned. Much more about the history of Pirates is at this page:
Dead Men... TELL NO TALES!

[Madame_Leota]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

Help me out guys; RSR - what's that stand for?

I bet I'm being immensely dense... and will go "Ohhhhhhh..." when someone reminds me what it stands for.

What's TLM for that matter?

EDIT: Never mind, it hit me as soon as I posted. The Little Mermaid. D'OH!!

[techskip]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

Somewhere I have a scan of one of the original Indy backdoors that if I remember correctly had the cost to build it listed as a fact on the back. Pirates cost a small fortune as did Thunder and Splash. If I had to hazard a guess though I would actually rank Jungle as being a pretty penny considering how many "upgrades" it has received over the years...

[MrLiver]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

NOS (and Pirates) cost 15 million in 1966 dollars. Adjusted for inflation, the whole area would have cost around 99 million.

Indy cost more than that, and if the rumors about Nemo are true, then Nemo would have been the most expensive to build.

I seriously doubt that the new RSR will be close to that.

[nonob88]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

Al's article a while back said RSR would be the most expensive attraction Disney has done, at $300 million for that ride alone.

This one is being referred to as a "Super E Ticket" by folks internally, as the scale of the show scenes and the scope of the entire facility approaches or surpasses some of the biggest and grandest E Ticket attractions that Disney has done anywhere in the world. The budget on this one ride is just as impressive as the towering red cliffs that will camouflage the huge show building, as the price tag attached to the ride has recently crept above the 300 Million mark. Yes, you read that right, 300 Million dollars for this one ride alone.
-Al Lutz

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

If the calculator at Today's Dollars is accurate, Disneyland's original cost of $17 million in 1955 translates to about $114 million today - meaning that RSR will cost more than twice what the 1955 Disneyland cost to build.

[Imagineer Scott]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I get the impression that Cars won't be 300 million. It just doesn't seem logical they'd spend 300 million on one ride.

[nonob88]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I get the impression that Cars won't be 300 million. It just doesn't seem logical they'd spend 300 million on one ride.

you get that impression based on what, personal opinion? Al said 300 million based on the inside sources he has. RSR will be a huge attraction.

[mainstreetcm]

Re: Most Expensive Attraction at Disneyland?

I get the impression that Cars won't be 300 million. It just doesn't seem logical they'd spend 300 million on one ride.

Isn't the whole expansion going to cost somewhere around $1.2 Billion after its all said and done? I believe $300 million will be spent on other things than just the "ride" system. Isn't construction labor a big factor in how much rides cost to build?