HKDR Second Gate - "Disney's North American Adventure"

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

the america park is far better than many ideas that has been put to plans by disney and co but I just can´t see any "america" themed park outside usa...
the dream of america is not in that many peoples minds anymore...

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

besides... Hong Kong is much cooler than New York
.....

[Bryce05]

Originally Posted by TimmyTimmyTimmy

the america park is far better than many ideas that has been put to plans by disney and co but I just can´t see any "america" themed park outside usa...
the dream of america is not in that many peoples minds anymore...

You're forgetting the "North"... This is not a "USA! USA!" park - I am not even an American myself.

[Frank_The_Tank]

I think that Spirit Mountain sound awsome, as does the rest of wat I heard so far. But the one thing I don't like is the name. But, the name can be fixed. The park sounds like a coss between Animal Kingdom, DisneySea, and a classic style Magic Kingdom. I would pay to see this!

[ImagineerWaryur]

Oh no! Now we're gonna have more cloned attractions! I thought DCA was going to be the only one that got to see tortillas being made.

Sigh.

[Bryce05]

Here is an aerial sketch of Aztec Ruins, with North East Harbour to the immediate right.

I should be able to post details on Caribbean Cove tomorrow.

[Bryce05]

CARIBBEAN COVE

[Aerial sketch attached below]

Caribbean Cove is North American Adventure’s third, and smallest, land; it is situated above Aztec Ruins.

The land partially wraps around a small inlet, and its central feature is a crumbling island castle which provides a façade for the attraction exteriors [photo 1 below]. A sand dune (tall enough to keep backstage hidden and dotted with palm trees) acts as a berm.

There are two ways to enter Caribbean Cove – by foot, passing through the castle wall, or by boat. Caribbean Cove is the third and final stop on the park’s passenger boat route.

Upon passing through the castle wall [photo 2 below] one can go either left or right. The two sides of the land are mini-lands in a way; to the left Pirates, to the right Mermaids.

To the left we shall go first.
There are at several places around the castle wall staircases that lead to an elevated level [marked in red on the aerial sketch]. This area – “Castle Explorations” – is something of a cross between Tom Sawyer Island and Fortress Explorations at TDS. As well as walking the castle wall (complete with cannons), one can explore an interior space that houses a map room, treasure room, and dungeons.

Beyond Castle Explorations, and a bridge over the passenger boat route, is a classic attraction that North American Adventure brings to Hong Kong – Pirates of the Caribbean.
This version of PoTC (modeled on the longer DL version), though, is unique in that for the first time riders will leave the show building, if only for a matter of seconds.
The attraction will feature the largest drop of the five versions, splashing down into the water of Caribbean Cove. The drop is not a Splash Mountain-style plunge but rather a ramp similar to Grizzly River Run and Kali River Rapids.

On the right side of the land is a counter service restaurant with an island theme as well as the boat dock.
Beyond these is Mermaid Cave. Here the castle wall rises above a large cave opening. Guests walk down into the cave, and inside is a collection of small but immaculately-themed children’s attractions (similar to those in Mermaid Lagoon at TDS) as well as an Aerial meet-and-greet. At this point guests are supposedly underwater, and if one looks up appears to see the underside of the water surface.

Back outside, a focal point of the land is the bow of a large shipwreck, which – many years ago – must have crashed into the sand dune berm from the ocean beyond it. The dunes have claimed the wreck; the bow (and a sail protruding from the sand) are the only parts now visible.

A wave machine within the cove also adds to the theme of the land.

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Thoughts?

Up next, Hollywoodland.

[FutureImagineer]

as you add each land, i continue to like many ideas yet I'm starting to get the feeling that though the settings and vistas are very elaborate, there doesn't seem to be many attractions and the park seems a bit empty. I guess I can't make a definite opinion until you present the rest of the park

[Bryce05]

Originally Posted by FutureImagineer

there doesn't seem to be many attractions and the park seems a bit empty

That is a fair point.

In total, at opening, the park would feature either 5 or 6 (imo) E Tickets - Spirit Mountain and PoTC being the two I have detailed so far. That is certainly less than the Magic Kingdom parks have (excluding HK ), but more than most of the secondary parks had at opening.

Of course, it is the non-E Tickets that fill in the gaps. I have left out of my posts a few minor attractions that I thought might bore people and/or I haven't fully thought-out, such as a jungle-themed adventure playground in Aztec Ruins similar to The Boneyard at DAK, and walk-through cave tunnels in the rock foundations of the castle in Caribbean Cove like on Tom Sawyer Island at MK.

I also haven't detailed the streetmosphere or stores, which could leave a lacking impression, and possible attractions for post-opening such as a Little Mermaid dark-ride.

Realistically, I do not see Disney opening a more-than-one-day second-gate park any time soon, and North American Adventure would be a full (but just one) day park.

[Bryce05]

HOLLYWOODLAND

[Aerial sketch attached below]

Hollywoodland is North American Adventure’s fourth, and most attraction-laden, land. It is located behind the “The American Story” show building, and stretches from Caribbean Cove to Maple Province.

The land comprises two intersecting streets (Hollywood Blvd and Vine St), as well as a small alleyway.
There is no “studio” or “backlot” here whatsoever; the facades of the land, and, to a large degree, the attractions, represent the Hollywood of the 1940’s – the glitz and the glamour, as well as the grime.

The land is anchored by three main attractions –
- “El Capitan Theatre”
- “Tower of Terror”
- “Hollywood Patrol”

The El Capitan and Tower of Terror sit at the end of the two streets, while Hollywood Patrol, a unique E-Ticket, is found in the aforementioned alley.

EL CAPITAN THEATRE & HOLLYWOOD BLVD

The El Capitan Theatre [photo 1 below] allows one to step into the glitter of 1940’s Hollywood. The close-to full-scale façade of Hollywood’s “first house of spoken drama”, which opened in 1926, houses a luxurious 3D theatre. The film on opening day would be based on “Mulan”, but could be changed-out easily.

Running most of the length of Hollywood Boulevard is the tramway introduced in North East Harbour. After running through, and stopping in, Maple Province as an elevated line, it has come down-to-earth (in a forested area, out of view) and emerged as a street line ready to deposit and collect passengers in Hollywoodland.

The length of Hollywood Boulevard presents one with many shopping and dining options. “Disney Villains” and film memorabilia stores sit alongside character dining and counter service restaurants. Beside the El Capitan is a classic soda fountain.
At the Maple Province end of the street Hollywood Park and a fruit market help to transition guests between lands.

The “Disney Bros. Studios” building provides a more appropriate home for the Animation Academy [currently in Main Street], as well as character meet-and-greets and perhaps a Playhouse Disney stage.

HOLLYWOOD PATROL

Stemming from Hollywood Boulevard, just outside the shine of the bright lights, is a much different streetscape – the alleyway down which one finds the Hollywood Police Dept.
This alleyway is an enclosed show building [think Studio 1 at WDSP]; inside it’s late night and the seedy neon signs of the town are flickering.
The dimly-lit façade of the Police Dept sits at the end of the alley, and behind it the Hollywood Patrol attraction.

Hollywood Patrol utilizes the 4D technology behind “The Adventures of Spider-Man” at Universal’s Islands of Adventure park. [I haven’t fully thought-out the storyline of the attraction, but I will lay out what I have so far.]
The attraction’s queue winds through the reception area, halls, and offices of the Department, leading to the pre-show. Riders are police officers freshly-transferred to Hollywood to help fight the city’s growing underbelly. The pre-show takes place in the office of “the Chief”, and is similar to that of Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster. The Chief issues riders with orders to spend the night patrolling the streets of Hollywood.

The loading platform is the car parking lot behind the Department. Riders board a vehicle modeled on a 1940’s police car [photo 2] and, wearing their 3D glasses, leave the lot. After cruising the streets for a short time the Chief comes over the radio and orders you to check out some reported suspicious activity not far from your location.
You arrive just in time to see a shady-looking man run from the side of a parked topless vehicle, and the vehicle tear off around a corner.

The central part of the attraction is a (perceived) high-speed chase through the streets of Hollywood, complete with near-misses and fire hydrant and electricity pole collisions (for some 4D water and spark effects).

Eventually the chase leads you to the Hollywood Hills where, for the finale, both the suspect and your own vehicle are forced off the narrow road by an oncoming vehicle. A visual effect gives the feeling of careening down the hill.

Turns out the suspect was thrown from his car on the way down and caught by his clothes in a tree. The Chief radios through a congratulatory message.

TOWER OF TERROR

Along with PoTC, North American Adventure brings a more-recent classic attraction to Hong Kong – Tower of Terror.
This Tower is modeled on the one at DHS, complete with garden. The imposing structure sits atop a hill at the end of Vine St, providing a second iconic sightline in Hollywoodland (the first being the El Capitan at the end of Hollywood Blvd).

[I am unsure of whether Hong Kong guests are likely to be familiar with the Twilight Zone aspect of ToT; this version would most likely lack that reference.]

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Please post your thoughts, I enjoy reading them!

Next up, the final land – Maple Province, and an overview.

[Bryce05]

No thoughts on Hollywood Patrol?

Would you rather see this, or a new version of The Great Movie Ride in HK?

[Bryce05]

MAPLE PROVINCE

Maple Province is the final land in North American Adventure. It is the largest of the five lands, and the only set in the present day.
The land is located on the park’s right side, accessible from North East Harbour and Hollywoodland.

The setting is Canada and the land is split into two distinct sub-lands – Quebec Square, and Snowy Peak Mountain Resort. The former is essentially a dining and shopping area, while the latter houses the land’s attractions.

[Aerial sketches of the two sub-lands are attached below; they are a little confusing as they face different directions.]

SNOWY PEAK MOUNTAIN RESORT

Snowy Peak – North American Adventure’s second peak, in addition to Spirit Mountain – is themed to a Canadian ski resort.
The peak itself is similar in appearance to Grizzly Peak at DCA (without the bear head), though larger and mostly snow-covered.
Just as the pyramid in Aztec Ruins provides an iconic sightline to the left of the park’s hub (in front of Independence Hall), Snowy Peak provides one to the right.
The buildings of Snowy Peak are of wood and schist construction, with peaked, snow-littered roofs.

There are four attractions in Snowy Peak –
- Bobsleigh Run
- Snowy Peak Chairlift
- Snowy Owl Flight
- X [see below]

Snowy Peak would also be the home of Santa and his reindeer at Christmas.

SNOWY PEAK CHAIRLIFT

A low-to-the-ground chairlift runs between the resort village at the base of the mountain, and the peak itself. It is similar in design to that at WDW’s Blizzard Beach, though individual over-the-shoulder restraints could be used.

The purpose of the chairlift is to transport guests to the peak, from where they can walk a trail down to the bottom, though it can be ridden in both directions.
From the summit one would be able to see central Hong Kong.

The trail back down to the village would wind gently around the mountain, and be highly-themed. Animatronic deer and other animals could be seen amongst the flora, and guests could enter a cave in which sleeps a hibernating (snoring) bear.

The trail would provide views of the land’s E-ticket – Bobsleigh Run – though rockwork and vegetation could be used to block undesired views.

BOBSLEIGH RUN

This is Maple Province’s E-ticket attraction, and North American Adventure’s second roller coaster. It is in a way a modern take on the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but much different, and more thrilling.

The queue/pre-show area features videos and displays detailing the history of winter sports.

Riders board trains similar to those of the Matterhorn, but more modern and sleek-looking (shiny black perhaps).

The lift hill rises up the backside of Snowy Peak, but only a small portion of the ride (which would have a very large footprint) is on the mountain.
At the top of the lift the train enters the bobsleigh run, which is themed to look like a natural ice run (very glossy) [photo 1 below].
The tubular coaster track is located below the “ice”, with the trains sitting above it. Only two grooves through which the connectors run would be visible [think Test Track, where the mechanics are under the “road”].

The trains would reach very high speeds, and the altitude of the lift hill may not be sufficient, so LIMs could be used through the track to maintain speed.

The highly-banked curves of the run provide most of the attraction’s thrills, as the vehicles fly through turn after turn at high speed.
Bobsleigh Run would also feature the park’s only inversion – a corkscrew themed as an ice tunnel (the train goes up one side of the run and comes down the other).

There could be a water skimming finale as an homage to the Matterhorn.

SNOWY OWL FLIGHT

Snowy Owl Flight is a Dumbo-style spinning ride with Snowy Owls [photo 2] as the carriages.

ATTRACTION X

The building marked “X” in the aerial sketch would house Snowy Peak’s fourth attraction, but I am undecided on what it should be. Post your ideas if you have any!

I’m tossing between two ideas. The first is “Country Bears: On Vacation”, which would see the bears on vacation in Canada visiting polar bear cousins. [Weird, I know]

The other is a classic Fantasyland-style Bambi dark ride, but this doesn’t fit with the mountain theme all that well.

QUEBEC SQUARE

Quebec Square is essentially North American Adventure’s New Orleans Square. The area contains no attractions, other than a tram station, but several French-inspired stores (the most upmarket in the park) and some dining options, including French fine dining.

The area sits directly to the right of North East Harbour, and is connected to that land by a shortcut tunnel (see the sketch).

The architecture is like that in photo 3, with some minor snow around but much less than in Snowy Peak.

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Well that is all of the lands detailed. I will post a sketch of the whole park layout shortly, with just the main attractions located.

Please post your thoughts!!!!!

Do you think the North American theme is too constrictive?
What about the balance of attractions?
Enough unique attractions for the park to have its own identity?
Would you want to visit?

Thanks for reading.

[TDRFAN25]

Your ideas are really good. i like the name but it is a mouthful. I would like to suggest the name of Disney's America. This way disney can use the disney america that they were going to build a park in Virgina and reuse the original name.

[Bryce05]

Originally Posted by TDRFAN25

I would like to suggest the name of Disney's America.

That name is nicer sounding, but do you think it gives the impression that the park is only themed to the USA?

What about dropping the "Adventure"? ("Disney's North America" Park)

[Dlandclub33]

Wow u have great ideas! I think this would be a great addition to the HK parks! I like your Patrol ride! It sounds like it could work!