Overheard on the Bus 2024 Edition
Whenever I travel to Disney, one of my favorite things to do is eavesdrop on other conversations.
Judge me all you want, but you do it, too! Sometimes, we cannot help but overhear conversations occurring around us.
Magic Kingdom
After all, excited families often shout or scream their thoughts to one another. This trip proved no different.
So, yes. Your conversations are being listened to on Disney buses, boats, monorails, and even the Disney Skyliner.
Disney Skyliner
Here’s what everyone is discussing at the parks right now.
The Villains Are Coming!
One topic definitely seemed to excite fans more than everything else.
Disney fans know that Villains Land will soon become a reality at Magic Kingdom.
Photo: Disney
Park officials finally confirmed this themed land after what felt like decades of speculation.
Before then, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will debut a new show based on Disney Villains.
Photo: Disney
So, we’re going from the occasional character greeting to full-throated support of the Disney Villains brand in a period of a few years.
The length of the time this will take is up for debate. In fact, a lovely Cast Member and I debated this topic at length.
Photo: Disney
He feels confident that Disney will have this land operational by 2027.
Given all the construction Disney must do simply to address infrastructural needs, I’m quite dubious about that timeline.
Villains Spirit Jersey
As I detail here, I don’t expect Villains Land until 2028 at the earliest, and even that strikes me as a stretch.
In truth, Disney faces a tough choice here. The demand for this area is outrageously high.
Photo: Disney
The topic seemed to be on the lips of everyone we sat near on Disney transportation.
As such, I fully expect this themed land to rival Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in terms of popularity.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Notably, people sound almost as excited about the Villains show, which should work like an appetizer for the main course.
I heard several variations of, “At least we’ll get the show next year!”
Photo: Disney
While I don’t perceive the show as anywhere near the same thing as the themed land, I’m apparently in the minority here.
Many Disney fans will take what they can get when it comes to new Disney Villains content.
Which New Attraction Is Best?
Right or wrong, Disney takes a modular approach to theme park expansion, especially at Walt Disney World.
Park officials add a few new things each year to guarantee that tourists always find something new to discover at the parks.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Lately, we’ve had several park enhancements, which has led to several debates regarding which one is best.
At EPCOT, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana have all debuted since 2021.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT
Magic Kingdom has introduced three new/updated attractions as well.
They are Country Bear Musical Jamboree, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and Tron Lightcycle / Run.
Debating the Best and Worst
During one of my bus rides, a healthy debate ensued regarding which of them was the best and the worst.
To my surprise, one unlikely candidate for best was Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree
First-time guests really respond to the new show and its covers of classic Disney tunes.
Meanwhile, Journey of Water suffers a bit due to a driving question, “What’s the point?”
Journey of Water
I happen to love this experience, which I think is ideal for EPCOT in particular. But I understand the confusion.
As for Remy, there’s a growing number of fans who feel motion sickness during the ride, something that surprises me.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
I consider this ride quite gentle, but my wife has left me know that she’ll only do it once per trip from now on.
While fans are universally positive about the Tiana conversion, what I heard was an evaluation of the change as a lateral move.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
People understand why Disney did it, and they love Tiana as a character as well as the new New Orleans setting.
That doesn’t make Tiana better than Splash Mountain, though, at least not to some critics.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Ultimately, the debate about the best focused on Tron vs. Guardians, with most guests arguing that Cosmic Rewind is superlative.
I think I agree, although I’m a big Ratatouille fan as well.
Why Is EPCOT So Much Better?
There are sites that track overall crowd sizes at Walt Disney World and other theme parks.
We also evaluate average wait times here at MickeyBlog, and I’ll readily admit that it’s a challenging thing to do.
Crowds
Even sites that invest plenty of resources in these endeavors rarely align with their data and conclusions. But it does happen.
For instance, in a huge, shocking twist, many evaluators would agree that EPCOT is now a top two park at Disney World.
EPCOT
In fact, some would maintain that it’s more popular than Magic Kingdom right now.
I realize that’s an outlandish claim, but during my trip, three different metrics suggested this fact.
EPCOT
According to their aggregate analysis, EPCOT averaged a 5 or 6 out of ten in attendance while the other parks were in the 3-4 range.
Yes, I include Magic Kingdom in that, and people on Disney transportation were fascinated by this fact.
Journey into Imagination with Figment
The longtime Disney fans wondered the cause for the change and why a 32-year-old park was suddenly ascending.
MickeyBlog readers know that the answer here is simple. Disney reinvigorated EPCOT by finally ceding to customer demand.
EPCOT Monorail
For many years now, fans have suggested that they would spend more time at the park if only Disney allowed it.
Instead, management had historically operated EPCOT like every other park, encouraging guests to remain in near-constant motion.
Coconut Banana Cream Pie Latte
Meanwhile, fans just want to hang out, drink, and shop. The seven-year EPCOT makeover empowered tourists to do those things.
The applicable movie quote is, “If you build it, they will come.” Now, people are coming to EPCOT in droves…and it’s noticeable.
Will Epic Universe Be Any Good?
Here was an ongoing debate that I kept encountering with Disney Cast Members, a few of whom also work at Universal Studios.
Fans and theme park employees alike wonder whether Universal Studios can pull off its promised plan: the most Disney-like theme park in the world.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture | Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images, Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Walt Disney World’s neighboring theme park appears to have reverse-engineered the entire Disney mystique.
Universal Epic Universe will host several themed lands based on popular properties like Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, and Classic Monsters.
Photo: Universal
This park will host a European take on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter as well.
So, on paper, it looks like exactly the kind of theme park Disney would build: one heavily fortified by IP.
Photo: Universal
Still, the people who visit both parks regularly expressed a concern that Epic Universe wouldn’t live up to its promise.
Some of them, even current Universal Studios employees, suggested that the park would somehow look cheaper than Disney.
Universal Orlando
I don’t share those concerns, as I’ve tracked the construction process for five years now and believe in what Universal is doing here.
Still, I found it interesting that such skepticism exists about Central Florida’s first new major theme park in 25 years.
Photo: Universal
Apparently, the distrust of Universal Studios remains high after a lackluster run of new attractions over the past decade.
Personally, I expect Epic Universe to be a masterpiece rivaling some of Disney’s newest themed lands.
Photo: Universal
We’ll find out for sure in just six months and no matter what, at least Disney fans are thinking about Universal Studios for a change.
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