With construction in full swing, Walt Disney World has updated it's Fantasyland expansion (
full Orlando Sentinal article here). In short, no pixie dust for Pixie Hollow, the Cindrella, and the Aurora areas. That magic will instead go into a Seven Dwarves themed mine train, a Goofy Barnstormer coaster retheme, expanded Dumbos, and other such changes.
Yep commentary time. These changes to the originally proposed Fantasyland expansion seem to better balance with different members of it's park goers and audience. While capitalising the the princesses is a natural, the revamp slanted heavily towards little girls, more than anyone else. This left many of us guys and non princess fans out in the cold. Yes, we would've enjoyed the themeing and the detail would be great, but the enjoyment would only go so far. To be fair, one could argue this counter perspective "There's the whole rest of the park that varies in theme and is not princess and fairy heavy. What's your beef? Go to those other parts." Translation: It's all subjective, but my opinion that Disney made a better balanced move here, stands.
The new coaster in the works is a pleasent surprise. Always glad to see a new coaster, and surely the hardcore enthusiasts are pitched and ready for a new credit. There are probably a few vibes or correlations to Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain as well. As for the Barnstormer retheme, it sounds like a pretty light mod to fit it in with the rest of the circus. Since fairs and circuses are similar forms of entertainment, this isn't a big stretch.
In an odd way, I was looking forward to Pixie Hollow. Keep in mind this is coming from the themeing and RPG/WoW side of me that loves exploring fanciful worlds, ancient ruins, etc. I pictured large twisting trees with hollows in almost a Honey I Shrunk the Kids way. Whatever Disney had in mind, this would've been neat to see. The only thing that's odd is why the faeries are being moved to Hollywood Studios. The short term reasons are obvious: you need a place to put them during building. Hopefully, after the expansion is done, they move back to Magic Kingdom, simply because Tinkerbell, thanks to marketing, is associated strongly with Cinderella's Castle. Tink being permanently stationed at studios just sounds odd, since that feels more like Star Tours and Pixars turf.
I'm curious to see how the Belle's restaurant, Gaston's tavern, and the new gift shop come out. The medieval style of the village could be fun take in as you try the adjusting dinner options. From the artwork, it almost seems like a modified Ratatouille dining experience with Lumiere instead.
Now we come to the first work on Pleasure Island. I've heard time and again that part of the reason the clubs were closed down, was because they weren't family friendly. While this may true, it's odd not to have a club district for 20-somethings and above, since the vast majority of property is geared to families/little kids anyway. Yes, the resorts have bars, and the restaurants serve alcohol, but it's not the same as having a dedicated area for some reasonable adult fun. Now, one could argue "Just go to Universal CityWalk, that's what it's there for." True, but why send people off property, into a competitor's arms, when Disney mantra states otherwise? (Keep them on the property) Myself and others greatly enjoyed Pleasure Island. Granted, I was a teenager and could only go to the Adventurers Club, but I still had a great time. Suffice to say, closing PI a few years ago, seems an imbalanced move that estranged the adult party crowd that loves Disney just as much as the little kids dressed up like pirates and princesses.
All that said, PI needs the update, however, are boutiques and more restaurants really the answer to fill in the lost party section? In some ways, it might depend on the type of said restaurants. I can agree with a few more mid-priced options or even a lower option or two. That would be nice to have. The boutiques, however, mainly cater to women, leaving guys and kids, many of which don't like to shop, out in the cold. Boutiques also tend to be high end and expensive, which may not fly well in a still ailing economy. Plus there's Boardwalk just up the street with a couple functioning clubs. Yay for progress, but this just feels off, even with a positive attitude.
To be fair here, I'm a frequent guest and park enthusiast. I'm not a corporate executive, park owner, park expert, nor claim to be any of those. I want to see you guys (parks, etc) succeed, not tear you apart for ego's sake or 15 minutes of fame. These observations come straight from my gut, and they're tempered with honest questions and thinking, not ill will. Obviously, the powers that be are privy to more info than I, and they're juggling many social, resource, and political aspects among others.
Well there you have it in a rambling nut shell. Now we sit back and wait for these new things to open and cast our final opinions.
