What project will be in the spotlight?
The big Walt Disney World news we just talked about (and everybody is talking about) are the 2 new projects related to the Four Seasons resort and a second Disney Village style area with shops and more hotels. While this is big news and will bring big changes to the Walt Disney World Resort, it is not something I am wildly excited about. Maybe it is big to others, I am sure the Four Season Resort will be great, an attraction or new park would have excited me a lot more (I know, The fifth gate will never be out of my head even if it is not something that we might see anytime soon) …
While Disney did add some great new attractions like Expedition Everest or Soarin’, it are the other parks in Orlando that are now getting into the spotlight, stealing Disney’s thunder. Seaworld for example has just announced there new Water Park called Aquatica. (See article Orlando Sentinel)
I love water parks, especially Typhoon Lagoon, and could not help myself being excited about the new one that will get to be opened in May 2008 at Seaworld. Just look at their plans; A lazy river inside tunnels where marina live will be visible around you, a massive sandy beach that will be part of two big pools with individual wave machines, Slides and more slides (36 in total). Together with their main park and Discovery Cove it becomes a resort even more and more. The new park, once finished, might well become some serious competition for Walt Disney World. Personally I like to be at the Walt Disney Resort and not leave it at all (except fore some good Halloween Horror Night scares at Universal Studios), but with this park added to Seaworld a (multiple) visit to them might well be something that will be part of our next family holiday. No, I will not re-allocate Walt Disney Theme Park time, but I guess you’ll see me at Aquatica a lot sooner as you would in the Four Seasons Resort or the new commercial area.
Another rumored big change might take place at Islands of Adventure; Harry Potter! (As mentioned on several pages around the world wide web since a couple of weeks)
I do enjoy a day at IoA, especially a ride on the Dueling Dragons in the “Lost Continent” area. The rumor that Harry Potter might take over this land is not something I am looking forwards too (Why try to mend something that is not broken), it sure brought them out in the news. Now we could fill a couple of blog entries about this rumor (if, why, how, why not Disney doing a Harry Potter), I’ll keep it short. With this news they (have) put themselves into the spotlight too. Over at screamscape they have now spotted some land preparations going on just behind the Unicorn Coaster, next to the Dragons. Together with the Harry Potter news even more speculations will bring the attention to IoA. The area being prepared is the same as where the rumored Kuka robotics arms (the rumored but never realized Von Helsing ride) where going to be placed. The same Kuka robotic arms might still find their place there, in a Harry Potter theme, but of course the preparations could be for other things. It will be interesting to see how the plans evolve around Harry Potter in IoA but I would not like to see the Lost Continent” area being changed. (A new park or new area would have been better), but once officially announced they will have all the spotlight shining on them.
No, I am not complaining, especially with all the great things Disney just added (some of them I still need to see for myself), but with those two big projects Walt Disney World might loose a little of the attentions it normally gets. On the other side, maybe Disney will announced something big too (well they will one day of course) and take the stolen thunder back. Until then they’ll have to share with Seaworld’s new exciting project and Harry Potter at IoA.
