I have gotten information from someone claiming to be deep inside SeaWorld Orlando and, from other things I have heard, it seems legit. While we have already heard about Phase Two of the Waterfront project, we haven't heard any specifics. Apparently pearl-diving demonstrations will be featured, not to mention wood-carving and candle-making. Expect more shops and restaurants, naturally, but also gondolas to replace the paddle boats. Transportation across the lake should also materialize, like that in Epcot. An oak-lined lane will be created as a showcase for Clydesdale wagon.
The Atlantis Bayside Stadium, which used to feature that horrid waterski show, will finally get a new show also, and Shamu will get a new show in 2005 that will be created in Orlando but will debut simultaneously in all three SW parks.
And that's just the little stuff. SWO appears to be entering the water park wars. Which will be an excellent addition if they do add that Discovery Cove onsite hotel they have been chatting about for years. The only problem I see is that DC is still a bit out of range for many visitors, which will make it hard for SWO to market three-or-more-day stays.
Even bigger than a water park, though, is a rumor that Busch is looking at building a second Discovery Cove stateside. Las Vegas is currently topping that list. DC, which doesn't get much press, has to be the most successful theme park created in the past few decades. Sure, it doesn't get the crowds, which is by design, but it rakes in the cash and, unlike many parks nowadays, it is truly an experience people will remember forever. While Vegas has the absolute best tourist market for a new park, I hope Busch realizes that Vegas skies can be cold and cloudy during winter months. Put a lot of it under a glass dome, and they will have another success story on their hands!
TEACHER'S PEST
Yet another potential theme park ride is killed by poor performance at the box office. And, like Peter Pan, it was killed by a movie I wouldn't see if my doing so cured cancer. (Is it really necessary for Ben Stiller to have different character names in his movies, since it is ALWAYS the same person he is playing? Dorky nebbish... okay, we get it. In fact, this whole thing reeks of Meet the Parents: Before the Parents but with a better girlfriend.) Anyhow, Teacher's Pet did SO poorly this weekend that it may not even make its money back when it hits the home market. And this thing was CHEAP! But the $2.5 million it brought in placed it in THIRTEENTH PLACE! On opening weekend, no less! Disney has so poisoned their fanbase's loyalty that even good reviews no longer help them.
More bad news on the Disney animation front: This should be the last week Finding Nemo will enjoy its position as 2003 Box Office Champ. The runaway freight train that is Lord of the Rings: Return of the King should zoom past that total soon. Well, at least The Incredibles won't have to face a LotR movie this year. But it will face a Harry Potter movie. Ugh. At least the Hobbits deserve their victory lap.
SO ENCHANTED IT'S EMPTY
MousePlanet - Jan 19
DLR president Matt Ouimet is warning Cast Members to basically enjoy the Enchanted Tiki Room while they still can. Meaning this forgotten eyesore is getting updated. Will it get the groused-about update the WDW version got a few years back? No one knows, but this should really get the Disney Dorks railing.
I say, NO UPDATE! Instead, get a whole new attraction! I think it's pathetic how all these nostalgia freaks can whine about their "beloved" attractions shutting down, yet how often do any of them ever bother going to them? As far as the Tiki Room is concerned the answer appears to be never. I would hazard to say the Mark Twain gets more visitors each day than the Tiki Room does. Same with Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Same with Tom Sawyer Island. In fact, the only attractions that probably get fewer visitors are the Lincoln thing and MAYBE Innoventions. I bet more people play with that stupid ball in Tomorrowland than visit the birds in Adventureland. SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT DOWN!
Now that I've pissed people off, it must be time to go....
And I like the Tiki Birds, dammit. It's always fun to listen to the kiddies cry (at least in the WDW version - I'm not sure how loud the DL version gets)
Sure, the Tiki show will never again be a blockbuster. But Disneyland would be richer with a well-edited, lovingly maintained show of this era. Nothing but blockbusters makes a park bombastic, even shrill. Great works vary their tempo and tone. Great theme parks should do the same.
It seems that Busch has a lot on the horizon, and especially with some more of the details coming out about Journey to Atlantis in San Diego. Aparently, the ride will have some sort of vertical lift mechanism, and will also contain a 130,000 gallon dolphin exhibit. Sea World Orlando has been recently been playing 3rd fiddle behind Disney and Universal, but changing the park into a complete family destination Sea World will really attract a lot of attention. I really wish I could afford Discovery Cove, but I think they need to keep the prices high in order to present a high quality product. I have yet to read a single bad review of that park, and I would expect it to stay that way when I enentually get around to going. Offering multi-day multi-park passes would be a great idea combining Sea World and Busch Gardens with Discovery Cove, but what I want to see is a discount for Busch Gardens/Sea World Platinum Passholders.
But the Tikis still managed to migrate, becoming the stars of their very own restaurant which went under a completely unrelated name, which I cant remember. Anyway, six months later, and Disney realised that DLP had too many seated restaurants, and not enough take-aways. So the birds were axed. The restaurant was transformed into Colonal Hathi's Pizza Outpost, but the Tiki birds managed to survive the onslaught, being moved to an out of the way corner. Then, when one falls into disrepair, it gets picked off and never returns. I think there are two left at the moment.
But would the Tiki Restaurant survive a reincarnation in its originally planned home? Well, you guys are way more into the whole restaurant thing than the Europeans, in general, so I figure maybe. And I remember the menu being good at the Paris restaurant, so they could simply resurrect that.
So what do they need to lure in the gamblers? Knowing how popular The Secret Garden mini-zoo at The Mirage is, I say they should Busch Gardens Tampa Bay the place up a bit. Bring in some hoofed animals and such to a nice savannah area. Serve the lunch overlooking the savannah and they may solve the little beach problem. Add the jeep feeding safari too. I don't know if the current one has a ray pool, but this one really should. They have to up the interactive stuff if they want to make it in a tourist town with so many tourist alternatives.
