[Question] Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

[RandySavage]

This is a question for the TDR regulars.

I am interested in learning how successful the OLC's recent investments in the parks have been.

How would you rate the recent additions on a scale of 1-5 in terms of return-on-investment (i.e., how well have they driven attendance, satisfaction and spending in relation to how much they cost?). 1 being be a total failure (e.g. the Magic Kingdom's Stitch Live show that closed after a week) and 5 being a park savior (e.g. DLP's Space Mountain).

Going backwards in time:
1. Turtle Talk
2. Aloha e Komo Mai (Stitch Tiki Room)
3. Monster's Inc Ride & Go Seek
4. Sinbad's Storybook Adventure
5. Tower of Terror
6. Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters
7. Raging Spirits
8. Hunny Hunt

Please add any additions of the last 10 years you think are noteworthy (for their success or failure).


In an unrelated question, has the old tent facade for Mickey Mouse Revue been removed or are there any signs that the large section of FL may be getting a new facade in the style of DL or DLP?

Thanks very much.

Edit: Forgive me for misspelling "gauging" in the header - slightly embarrassing.

[DreamSweetsLove]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

Hi RandySavage!
I can only guess like anyone else but my opinion is that we haven't had any spectacular failures like the MK Stitch show and people would be freaking out here if Mikes arm went flying off like in the Christmas version of that show they did.

Here is just a guess for the attractions:
1. Turtle Talk - Maybe a 3? It is cute and people seem to like it. Lot's of adults actually, much more so that children in the last show I went to a couple of days ago. Last time I went it was a 20 minute wait (which is the most I personally would wait) but the park was not that busy. It was a good use of space for that area in the SS Columbia.

2. Aloha e Komo Mai (Stitch Tiki Room) - I can't really give a good opinion of this right now because I have barely been to TDL in the last few months because TDS's Halloween was so fabulous! Maybe a 2 and 1/2 or 3. It usually does not have a long wait but it fits a lot of people so I really don't know how many people go in and out all day. It is a cute show and people generally enjoy it I think. Personally my fave is the original but I'm just so happy we don't have anything like the WDW tiki room so I am fine with Stitch!

3. Monster's Inc Ride & Go Seek - 5? I don't know what park savior means but this attraction is a success. There is always a line and FP runs out really soon after park opening. It's fun and repeatable but maybe I'm biased because I really love it!

4. Sinbad's Storybook Adventure - 2? I can guess that it's because of the attractions location and like it's a small world lot's of people fit on those boats but it really rarely has a line. During Halloween there were some times when it was 15-20 but that's because TDS was packed during Halloween. The Chandu merchandise does well though so I think that at least is a plus from the remodeling!

5. Tower of Terror - 4 maybe. During normal days it's wait is up there with Journey and Indy. On crazy busy days the queue goes out to the garden area. Yesterday it was 15 minutes but it was not a crowded day. It is a great attraction though and was in the story line for the insanely popular Mysterious Masquerade.

6. Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters - 4? Not the most impressive ride but popular and fun! Always a line and the merchandise is very popular!

7. Raging Spirits - 3 probably. It fills in that little space and provides a very nice atmosphere for the area. It's fun but short and not really worth waiting a long time for.

8. Hunny Hunt - 5! Popular, great attraction, sells mad merchandise!

The worst investment, though I really hate to say it may have been Zed. It's a beautiful show and I really recommend anyone to see it. At least while it is still at it's current running length... I was told it will be cut to 60 minutes but that doesn't mean the price will necessarily be cut. We will see what happens but I don't understand the decisions they are making with this show.

TDS's Halloween on the other hand was a fantastic investment. The park was mad busy and it was definitely a success. It was so wonderful to see TDS packed until closing and really holding it's own with TDL.

[RandySavage]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

^Thanks! That is just the information I'm looking for.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

I agree pretty much with Ichigopara. In regards to ZED... from the moment they announced this show for TDR, i questioned if it was a good decision, and sure enough...it appeares to not have been,

Randy, the facade for MMR is all covered up right now, but it does not appear that the old tent style has been taken down yet.

In regards to the addition to the parks.. anything OLC has done at TDR's parks is more than what we see WDC doing at WDW, so regardless of how successful the new rides are, they are welcomed, if not really embraced to the degree such instant classic like Hunny hunt have been. I still believe OLC's shinning achievements will be measure better if you take a look at their entertainment offerings, regular and special (seasonal), and that is where the real value of TDR comes into play. For example.. how all guests at TDR are now enjoying a full schedule of Xmas events, while guests at the MK have to dish up $59.00 for 5 hours at the park, with entertainment that has been repeated for over a decade with hardly anything new to make these parties worth it.

[jedimaster7313]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

I thought Zed was pretty good and have seen it twice, but do agree on the fact that it is too expensive as compared to other shows in Japan.

I really don't see how cutting it down to an hour will help, unless they plan to drastically reduce the prices- why would anyone pay more, for less of a show.

I'm not too sure about Talk Turtle either- something new and original should have been planned utilizing another character to more fit the NY Waterfront setting. They did Stitch in both Hong Kong and Paris and Crush in both US parks already. If it were Duffy, wait times would have smashed the Monsters Inc or Pooh wait times.

I hope by adding Toy Story mania, doesn't detract too much from the area- I see they recently broke ground while I was there last week- unless they were ripping up the area for some other purpose.

Maybe we can have weekly fun shots of construction walls like we have in miceage of DCA on a weekly basis.

[DreamSweetsLove]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

Zed is a beautiful show which we have gone to see many times and even paid for a friend to see it. The male singer Kevin is amazing the costumes are gorgeous and all around it is one of the better cirque shows. With the recent price changes though and with them soon shortening the show we won't be back. I don't really understand why the would make it 60 minutes either and what I was told was that the La Nouba show was shorter and it would take away less time from a day a Disney which neither reason really makes that much sense. Why not make a child price for seating like they have for the visiting show Corteo? Why not lower the price to compare with shows in Tokyo instead of lowering by a couple hundred yen but pushing out the 13000 seats out so there is many more of those seats where the 8000 yen seats used to be? Open th souvenir shop so you can sell omiyage all day instead of just for people who bought a ticket! What if you saw the show and forgot something you want to buy before leaving?? You could add merchandise to Bon Voyage or the store in Ambassador hotel at the very least.

[jedimaster7313]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

My friend would agree with you on the shop- We went over one day last week during the performance to see if they would allow him to just purchase something at the shop & they basically told him he had to buy a ticket to the show in order to go into the shop. He was going to try to wait till the show was ending, but figured we wouldn't bother since he didn't want to wait around to be turned away again.

Most likely there wasn't anything new, but he had wanted to see if they had came out with a Zed T shirt yet.

Shortening it to meet the approximate time of La Nouba isn't really a good idea either. On a personal note, I was actually happy when I went to see La Nouba a few months ago- I don't know if it's just me, but I was incredibly bored watching that show-I also had no idea that there was no intermission during it- so when the final act came up & I realized the show was over, I was relieved.

I had no problems with Zed, it held my attention- I loved the music and performers. La Nouba, on the other hand- I was basically done with it within the first 20 minutes & couldn't wait to get out of there. I've seen a few other Cirque shows in Las Vegas- Believe & Ka- I sort of liked Believe since Chris Angel was in it, but Ka- even though it's incredibly popular- I wasn't too thrilled with it either.

I've seen Wintuk in NY and it was just OK- so with my experience with some Cirque shows- I'm really not that crazy about them- but Zed is really good.

[Fukai]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

My 2 cents regarding your list:

1. Turtle Talk: This is an excellent attraction, done far better in Japan than at either venue in the United States due to the pre-show and the superb location (which makes sense). And there are big lines, so the Japanese love it, too. At the show I attended, there was constant laughter from the audience. A PLUS.

2. Aloha e Komo Mai (Stitch Tiki Room): Dreck. The show is now so short at 8 minutes that the few people who bother to see it are shocked when it's over so quickly. Fortunately, it's over quickly. A train wreck. A MINUS.

3. Monster's Inc Ride & Go Seek: Huge lines tell you that the Japanese love it, but we'll see how things go after the first few years and whether Pooh's Hunny Hunt returns to its former position as the longest line in the park (I'm betting it will). I was far from impressed on my first visit when I saw it two times--in fact, I thought the version in DCA was better because it told more story and had a charm lacking in the Tokyo Disneyland version. However, my opinion is changing after riding it three times on my most recent visit. I now rate it as one of the top non-thrill rides in the park. Not sure what exactly changed my mind, however expectations were so high in advance that, perhaps, they could never be met. On its own terms, it's a very entertaining ride. A PLUS

4. Sinbad's Storybook Adventure: Japanese don't care about this ride. They didn't care before the big renovation, and still don't care. It's always a walk-on. Westerners, on the other hand, routinely seem to love this attraction and it's easy (since I'm a Westerner) to see why. It has everything a successful Disney dark ride AA-show should have: great sets, great AA figures, completely immersive, wonderful theme song. A PLUS

5. Tower of Terror: A ride whose popularlity has dropped by 50% since opening day a few years ago. Its wait time is now on par with, or often exceeded by, Indiana Jones and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Still, a sensational ride, better done than in any of its three other incarnations in the West. It embodies everything a Disney-style thrill ride should: complete immersion and thrills that are fun. A PLUS

6. Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters: A surprisingly popular ride that is no better than its counterparts in Disneyland or Disneyland Paris (Orlando loses because it's guns are attached to the front door of the omnimover). It's a plus only because the Japanese love it and it has a uniformly respectable wait time. A PLUS

7. Raging Spirits: An off the shelf coaster that has become increasingly popular as more people spend time in DisneySEA. It has healthy wait times. While there is nothing innovative or very Disney about it, it has fulfilled its goal, which is to provide another thrill ride in the back of the park. A PLUS.

8. Hunny Hunt: The gold standard and aside from Soarin' over California, one of the best recent attractions WDI has developed (Journey to the Center of the Earth would be the third to fill out the list). It routinely had the longest line and most rapid FastPass dispersal in the park until Monster's Inc. opened, and I suspect that it will regain its supremacy once again within a few years. There is nothing else on the horizon for Tokyo Disneyland to challenge that--certainly not Mickey's Philharmagic or whatever Cinderella thing is going into the Castle. How good is this ride? I would never consider making a trip to the park from the US if it's down for rehab. A HUGE PLUS.

You'll notice I didn't give ratings with numbers. Too simplistic.

[Fukai]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

Oh--and I couldn't care less about ZED. Cirque du Soleil is "Cirque'd out." Their time in the sun is waning. Zed is an ugly building in a bad location, and most people would rather spend their time in the park. People are not captive at the Tokyo Disney Resort the way they are in tourist destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando. The only solution is to cut the price of the tickets in half. If they have to cut the length of the show in half as well, that would probably help. Still, it's a fiasco and I bet Cirque is out of there in less than ten years and Disney puts their own big show in (like The Lion King, Mary Poppins, or Little Mermaid). That would make sense and sell tickets.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

Turtle Talk, an excellent attraction? You are joking, right? And Soaring.. a "gold standard"? Obviously, you standards of excellence are lowered than mine. Any attractions that heavily depends on TV or film is by all means.. a lazy approach to a show.

[1FoolishMortal]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

^ TEA didn't seem to think so. The original Soarin' in DCA won an Outstanding Achievement award. The general public and most critics seem to agree. The ride always has the longest wait times in the park, and even though most critics bashed the park upon opening, they did agree on one thing: that Soarin' was a spectacular attraction.

Anywho, though, back to Tokyo....

[Malin]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

Zed is an outstanding show but like someone else pointed out the Tokyo Disney Resort is not a vacation destination like WDW or Vegas. I feel one of the reason's why it fails to attract an audience is because tickets are so hard to purchase outside Japan. I was able to purchase tickets after sending a few e-mails to Cirque du Soleil ticketing office. Attending the show I notice a good portion of the audience were made up of many differnt nationality's. If Zed is to be a suscess than the Resort needs to forget the locals and target tourist and business people more.

Out of the list above I would say only Aloha e Komo Mai (Stitch Tiki Room) and Sinbad's Storybook Adventure have had a zero impact on Guest. The Stitch overlay to the Tiki Room was a bad and poor concept. The idea and concept art looked interesting but WDI really messed up here and the attraction is lame, very lame and makes Tiki Room Under New Management look good. Also I have not seen that much a an attendance spike between this and the other version. Sinbad on the other hand is a good attraction but is located in a poor location and is easily overlooked by the few Guest who do pass by, some stuff the Japanese just don't appreciate, and Sinbad is one of them. Although in Sinbad's defense it is a faster capacity mover than a lot of other TDS rides, so this a big factor I feel in why other attractions seen to be more popular.

The best investment made in the last 10 years besides the second park would be both the Mira Costa and TDL Hotels. occupancy appears to be at 100% all year, as the Resort offers no discounts and rooms sell out quickly, so I would have to consider the Hotels a huge suscess.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

Zed is an outstanding show but like someone else pointed out the Tokyo Disney Resort is not a vacation destination like WDW or Vegas.

Thank GOD for that. Otherwise, if it were a vacation destination ala WDW, we would be getting royally ripped off with substandard entertainment and cheap looking parks and outdated attractions. ZED was an accident of sorts because in typical TDR fashion.. it had to be better than the counterparts at the other Disney resorts.. but let's face it. OLC is trying to implement a show from a company that is on the way out. Cirque has lost IMHO.. the edge of it all. Like the DL parks.. you open too many and the fun is out the door.
If ZED is so grand.. then why not replace "LaOldie" at WDW with ZED? I am sure the silly fans on Cirque who run to see the decripit show at DTD would probably eat this up like cake. Which reminds me, many of them should not be eating cake in the first place.

[Fukai]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

TDLFAN, while you may not like Soarin Over California or Turtle Talk with Crush, both are extremely popular and with good reason: they're entertaining and the technology surprises the guests.

Both exceed the expectations of the audience.

I suppose you hate Philharmagic, too.

The Japanese would go nuts for Soarin--WILL go nuts for Soarin when it gets built in a few years.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

I actually like Philharmagic, for the simplicity of it. I still take the time to enjoy it every now and then at both the MK and HKDL.

As for Soaring.. just because it is popular does not mean that Disney could not have done it better. So, how can I argue with the popular opinion..? After all, people like to be suspended in mid air. Very bondage of them..
As for Turtle Talk.. yes, even the japanese seem to enjoy this.. but trust me, with the fast speed of technology and communications, how long will it be before talking to an actor on a big TV screen become obsolete? Even many of us do that already at home via messenger and Skype.

[RocknGuitar]

Re: Guaging the Success of Recent Attractions

I actually like Philharmagic, for the simplicity of it. I still take the time to enjoy it every now and then at both the MK and HKDL.

As for Soaring.. just because it is popular does not mean that Disney could not have done it better. So, how can I argue with the popular opinion..? After all, people like to be suspended in mid air. Very bondage of them..
As for Turtle Talk.. yes, even the japanese seem to enjoy this.. but trust me, with the fast speed of technology and communications, how long will it be before talking to an actor on a big TV screen become obsolete? Even many of us do that already at home via messenger and Skype.

What, so you can go on skype right now and have a chat with a Disney character that will be different every time?

An that statement about "any ride with a video screen is lazy" is quite untrue. Soarin' is a great ride because of many factors. The music is incredible, possibly One of the best next to Journey, the sensory effects, smells, wind, etc.. And, yes the movie itself. It isn't simply a movie screen. Through all those factors it conjures up emotions that nothing else in California Adventure can.

In short, you can have your opinion, but Soarin' is not a lazy attraction and that's fact.