What a waste

[Speedway]

I apologise if this is in the wrong forum board.

Hi, this is my first post.

I am a proud Disneyphile, as I'm sure everyone else is here. I am not really affected as deeply as many other people like me by most things wrong with the Walt Disney Company, and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts because I have only ever visited Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Paris - it seems most problems lie with the Disneyland Resort.

But I know quite a great deal about both parks in the Resort, despite never setting foot in either. And I don't think Disney's California Adventure should be given the honour of 'Disney park' status - especially when you take a look at the other side of the world and at Tokyo Disneysea. OK, so people say that DCA is so poor in terms of comparison with TDS because the Oriental Land Co. were willing to let the Imagineers have a much bigger budget - and they are absolutely correct. But it seems that people are forgetting that the Walt Disney Company are generating more pure net profit in a month than the Oriental Land Co. in quadruple that.

They have the talent (we have seen what the Imagineers can do when they have the right money), and they have too much money to know what to do with it. So why are they producing bog-standard showcases of imported Disney attractions? Sometimes I think we would be better off with the Walt Disney Company selling their parks and resorts to companies like the Oriental Land Co., who take the same look out on things as Walt Disney himself - who borrowed out his own life insurance to get Disneyland off the ground.

I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but it is a subject close to my heart and I wanted to talk to other Disneyphiles about it.

[kevdo]

But I know quite a great deal about both parks in the Resort, despite never setting foot in either. And I don't think Disney's California Adventure should be given the honour of 'Disney park' status

With all due respect, perhaps you should actually visit DCA before calling it a "waste."

Disney Studios in Paris has a bad rep too but for me to post something similar would be ridiculous if I hadn't actually visited before.

Compared to every theme park I've ever visited, besides DL and WDW, DCA is wonderful. It is certainly head and shoulders above any other non-Disney theme park in California in terms of overall quality.

[MickeyMania]

DCA just happened to be built at an inoppertune time. They could have put together a pretty decent park even with a smaller budget but the executive heap in Anaheim had narrow vision.

I think if the second gate was just getting off the ground today (i.e. Matt Ouimet in charge instead of Paul Pressler) we'd have a better looking park. On paper, DCA isn't really a disasterous park, just an unfortunate occurance.

[Speedway]

With all due respect, perhaps you should actually visit DCA before calling it a "waste."

I'm not calling DCA a waste, the name of the post refers to the amount of money the WDC has stored up somewhere. I personally don't think it is a waste, I think it has great potential.

Nor is the Studios Paris park a waste, but it is not quite a Disney park. Although, I have read reports somewhere (I think Jim Hill Media) that there is a new indoor Toontown-style land being built in the Studios, more closely based on the original plans for the Disneyland Toontown.

[sleepyjeff]

I have been to DCA several times. While I did have a good time every time I went, I did not have a magical time....that is it in a nutshell. The place has no magic. Could a magical place have been built here instead of DCA, I think it very well may have. Although I have never been to Tokyo or Paris I have visited many a park in the US. ALL of the other Disney parks I have visited(which include Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and the Disney Studios) had what I would describe as Magic. DCA did not. DCA has been fun every time Ive gone, but it does not even approach being magical.

So was DCA a waste of money?

I felt magic the last time I visited Disneylands old parking lot before it was destroyed for DCA.......so I think it was a waste

[innerSpaceman]

With all due respect, perhaps you should actually visit DCA before calling it a "waste."

So perhaps I should not be able to call DisneySeas a fantastic park until I've actually gone there, is that the logic?

[figment1986]

You can have opinions before going... (heck..i thought AK was wonderfull before going and noticed how lack of thigns to do... on can stair at animals for soo long before getting bored..)

I currently think DCa of a mid.. a good.. between poor and excelent.... It has some good things... and some bad.... though untill i see it in july.. I wont have much to say...

[AP2CM]

unfortunately, the Walt Disney Company has to answer to its shareholders, who demand increasingly higher profit postings. If it were only a matter of putting together the best themepark experience in the world, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all! Obviously, with a profit posting in the 100s of millions, TWDC could put ALL of that back into the parks and build a fantastic place indeed (one that would even put TDS to shame), but, unfortunately, that's just not the reality of the American business market.

[figment1986]

hmm.. why do those shareholders want short term profits.. Long term is better.. short term losses work for Anheuser Busch... (not to mention Universal recently finally showed a profit after how many years of losses..)

[Jspider]

hmm.. why do those shareholders want short term profits.. Long term is better.. short term losses work for Anheuser Busch... (not to mention Universal recently finally showed a profit after how many years of losses..)

because after the stock market slowdown or recesion or whatever all the financial advisers told everyone invest short term only which in effect encourages everyone to put out pure k-rap and kill themselves longterm

apparantly in Japan they had the backing of shareholders as far as building this park went

then again Disney had the backing of Anihiem

DCA could've been worse though and I think there are many ways that could make it much better

from what I've seen of TDS I dunno if Epcot even compares to it as far as detail is concerned

but you should be aware that alot of reviews have said that while the attractions in this park are great and the level of detail is amazing it isn't a full day park and is short on things to do (hence the addition of two new Etickets which will open within a short time of each other)

[MasterGracey]

but you should be aware that alot of reviews have said that while the attractions in this park are great and the level of detail is amazing it isn't a full day park and is short on things to do (hence the addition of two new Etickets which will open within a short time of each other)

I'm trying to think of the two E-Tickets opening... I got one- Tower of Terror...
What about the second? There's no way Monster's Inc will be an E-Ticket...
And if you include the "new" attractions opening at Disneyland, Buzz isn't an E-Ticket.. everywhere I've read says is a D-Ticket, and Space Mountain doesn't count ... as its just been "re-imagineered"

Am I missing something? :confused: Please help! haha

[pjdonnell]

I'm trying to think of the two E-Tickets opening... I got one- Tower of Terror...
What about the second? There's no way Monster's Inc will be an E-Ticket...
And if you include the "new" attractions opening at Disneyland, Buzz isn't an E-Ticket.. everywhere I've read says is a D-Ticket, and Space Mountain doesn't count ... as its just been "re-imagineered"

Am I missing something? :confused: Please help! haha

He's actually talking about Tokyo DisneySea. One of the E-Tickets will be a Tower of Terror. As to the other?

[Captain Jack]

Raging Spirits, a roller coaster that looks similar to the Indiana Jones Coaster at DLP.

[MiceMan]

I think that we should juat wait for DCA. When MGM Studios opened it was a park that was lacking in many corners but over the years they improved it. So just give DCA time, Disney will turn it around.

[Cousin Orville]

DCA has no intrinsic creative value. There is nothing really emotional about it. It does not immerse you as it has deliberately ignored the berming concept of escape from reality. You are continually reminded that you're in the parking lot. It promises to give you the "wow" of California and fails miserably, even on an abstract level. I'm a big Los Angeles and California booster. I'll defend my hometown till the wee hours, but DCA does not possess of the magic found in the real California and is much less of an adventure.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

I apologise if this is in the wrong forum board.

Hi, this is my first post.

I know quite a great deal about both parks in the Resort, despite never setting foot in either. And I don't think Disney's California Adventure should be given the honour of 'Disney park' status - especially when you take a look at the other side of the world and at Tokyo Disneysea.

Has it ever occured to you that you're just hearing other people's opinions and maybe everyone else isn't as big an expert as they think they are?

I mean obsessive Disneyfiles are never going to be satisfied and many of them who go on and on about Oriental Land Company have never set foot in Japan and only have formed thier opinions from the boards as well.

Get out of the pack mentality and visit DCA with your family, esp some kids and you'll probably have a nice time. It's probably my least favorite among the 6 Disney parks I've been to but it's still more interesting than many non Disney parks. I like it better than Universal Hwood anyways lol.

[squinky]

DCA is nowhere as horrible as the internet would have you believe. Is it Disneyland quality? No. Should they charge as much for it? Probably not. It is, however, a fun day's trip (you can rush through in a 1/2 day) and the good rides are very, very good. Screamin' and GRR are great, Soarin' is fun, TOT is Indy-quality and a few of the smaller rides (Maliboomer, Ferris Wheel, etc.) are fun. I admit that it's not the best that Disney can do but it's worth visiting at least once.

I'm inclined to agree about TDS, though. Every picture I've seen of that park makes it look absolutely amazing.

[Evil Minion]

With all due respect, perhaps you should actually visit DCA before calling it a "waste."

Disney Studios in Paris has a bad rep too but for me to post something similar would be ridiculous if I hadn't actually visited before.

You don't have to bite the donut to know it's sweet.

:monkey:

[The Mad Hatter]

I'm just tired of the 'I hate DCA' threads.

[SurfedUpDane]

I think this is the one hundreth time SpeedWay has talked bad about DCA that I have seen. We get the point that you don't like it, you are pretty thurough in your descriptions so you obviously have some good things going on, so talk about something else! And I find it hard to respect your opinion when you have not ever set foot in the park?