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It’s an extremely busy time at Walt Disney World, but whether the changes are exciting is up for debate. We can view rising ticket prices and growing complexities as a sign of the end times or necessary for amazing new immersive attractions. The reality is somewhere in the middle and depends on what we’re seeking for theme parks. Tim Grassey of WDW Theme Parks returns to The Tomorrow Society Podcast this week to discuss all the pressing topics surrounding Walt Disney World. We dive into upcoming attractions, what’s happening at each park, and larger trends at the resort.
During our extensive chat on all four parks, Tim and I discuss the following questions:
- What type of attractions should Disney add during the next expansion to Disney’s Animal Kingdom?
- How will the new TRON attraction and revamped Speedway change the face of Tomorrowland at The Magic Kingdom?
- Could Galaxy’s Edge disappoint, and what would Disney do in that situation?
- What are our hopes for the show replacing Illuminations: Reflections of Earth?
- Is there any cause for optimism with Guardians of the Galaxy rollercoaster and the other changes coming to EPCOT?
Tim and I also talked about the growing narrative surrounding the costs and many layers to a Walt Disney World vacation. There are also positive changes coming in the future, and Disney is making a serious investment in the parks. There are so many intriguing topics to cover at Walt Disney World today, and we’re learning more each day. It was great to dive into so many of them with Tim during this podcast.
Show Notes: Tim Grassey
Listen to the Marty Called podcast.
Tomorrow Society Podcast, Episode 19: Tim Grassey on Fixing Epcot
Tomorrow Society Podcast, Episode 38, Tim Grassey on Epcot’s Future
When discussing how far in advance they announced Illuminations would be replaced, how far in advance did they announce the Osborne lights were going away, or the Main St Electrical Parade, or Wishes? Wishes is probably the most direct analogy because it was immediately replaced by something. Wishes got about 3 months from when they announced HEA, but I don’t know when the rumors of it being replaced solidified. Osborne lights got about 4 months lead time. The Main St. Electrical Parade got 2 months. Illuminations is getting a lot more than all 3 of those.
Somehow I found a way to get to see all 3 towards the end of their runs – really it was luck. My family loves Illuminations and we’ve seen it a few times. I’d like to get down sometime over the next few months to see it again before it changes.
Interesting comparisons. I wonder if the response to Wishes also led them to give more time for Illuminations. I still hear people talking about how much they miss the Osborne Lights. It’s cool that you were able to catch them all close to the end. I’m glad we had a great experience seeing the Main Street Electrical Parade in early 2016. Lucked into a spot in Liberty Square right on the path. The downside is that I really want to see it again after such a perfect view. Heck, I’d take almost any nighttime parade at this point.
I heard some worrying when they announced the change from Wishes. We had been to the parks a few weeks earlier when it changed, so we live streamed HEA. People loved HEA enough that they stopped missing Wishes. The Osborne lights made way for Galaxy’s Edge. I trust that the replacement for Illuminations will be good, even if it isn’t what I would pick.
The way the hub fills up with people 1.5-2hrs before HEA would make a night parade difficult. People want to be close for the projections, while they could be wherever for just fireworks. They’ll figure something out.
Good point about the hub and how they’ve adjusted for Happily Ever After. On our last trip, we did some crazy navigating to go from Tomorrowland to Adventureland right before the show. Then we basically did Pirates, Tiki Room, and Jungle Cruise by ourselves. It was the Sunday of MLK Weekend, but the hub was crazy!
Enjoyed listening to this podcast. I think Tim was trying to be fair to say ‘let’s give Guardians a chance’ to see if it’ll fit at Epcot. Sadly, I don’t think I’m ready to give Iger and his administration the benefit of the doubt, he’s already lost my trust. it’ll be a coaster for crying out loud, how is there the remotest chance that it can be either inspirational or educational. Adding nostalgic crumbs only adds insult to injury.
I’ve also seen first hand the lack of love Disney has given its parks. Don’t get me started about all the things that are broken and abandoned at Epcot. Or how Epcot is now a year round festival, which of course doesnt equate to new attractions, just more opportunities to spend money. We know how they don’t like to pay their employees. Now they are cutting back and trying to run things with fewer and fewer cast members. But at the end of the day, happy content workers are the lifeblood of an operation like Disney. They could have a bunch of silly carnival rides, but a stellar cast will make all the difference.
Unfortunately, as long as people keep handing Disney wads of cash, I can’t imagine this will change. I’ve been a Florida resident for a few years now, and am also an annual pass holder. I’ll surely continue to visit Disney, but already we’ve begun to diversify and spend some of our money elsewhere. The latest resort parking cash grab was really the last straw. I will be skipping Disney altogether next year, and maybe every other year after that. Sure , I enjoy It enough to return, but in the end Ill be giving them less, not more, until they start producing more of what made me love the Disney parks to begin with.
Chris, I can definitely understand that perspective. I’ve thought about it a lot myself given the price increases and cutbacks that we’ve seen in recent years. I only visit about once a year, which I know is less than a lot of avid fans. Even so, I would love to see some changes to the approach from leadership. We’ve still had great trips with my daughters, so it’s hardly one-sided either way for me.
I think with new additions like Guardians of the Galaxy, I’m trying to at least give the benefit of the doubt until the attraction is released. With that said, it would definitely not be my preferred choice for a replacement for Universe of Energy. I’m just hoping that I’m surprised by what we end up seeing if nothing else. Thanks for the great comment!