Picture yourself sitting down to enjoy the greatest meal of your life.
You most likely didn’t picture yourself ordering a steak for an appetizer, a steak for an entree, and a steak for dessert, right?
I know, that sounds ridiculous. But, then, so too does the idea of building a theme park with only headlining attractions.
Yes, the dream of a Magic Kingdom or Islands of Adventure featuring nothing but the latest and greatest thrills sounds exciting at first, but in reality, a park made up entirely of major attractions would be a park you’d never want to visit.
In Disney parlance, we refer to these types of must-ride attractions as “E-Ticket” attractions — a term borne from Disney’s old practice of categorizing each ride by its demand in a pay-per-ride admission system. While E-Ticket attractions are usually the most visible and major attractions in a park, they aren’t always the most important for that park’s experience.
Just as important are the more minor rides — simple diversions which are enjoyed by many but listed as favorites only by a precious few. These are the attractions like the Walt Disney World Railroad, the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Country Bear Jamboree, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. These aren’t the attractions that bring guests to the park, but they still serve a vital purpose in giving guests memories for years to come.
A theme park, like a meal, requires a good balance of attractions in order to be successful — no matter whether it’s Disney, Universal, or even a regional park. Why? Let’s take a look.
Variety is key
There is no one perfect theme park attraction.
If you’re building a theme park with the intention of attracting as many people as possible, you have to build attractions that can appeal to as many different kinds of guests as possible. You can’t obsess over building the perfect ride. Instead, you should focus on delivering different types of rides.
Look at the exquisitely designed Liberty Square, for example. In this one land, we have one of most iconic E-Ticket attractions in Disney’s history with the Haunted Mansion. But, we also have a much different and not-E-Ticket show in The Hall of Presidents, which appeals to a broadly different group of people. Additionally, we have a scenic-but-relatively-staid riverboat journey, as well as a charming walk-up show featuring the Muppets.
In all, you only have one E-Ticket attraction in this area, but the other attractions are there to provide a reason to visit Liberty Square, even if you aren’t a passionate Haunted Mansion fan, or if the idea of spooky stories creeps you out. That kind of variety helps balance the park by attracting and holding people in all of its lands equally — even if they don’t care for one particular ride.
Scale and story
It’s massive. It’s dead center as you look down Tomorrowland’s midway. It’s bright white. It’s nearly impossible to miss.
All of these things give you clues about this attraction’s importance in the park. And, just as importantly, all of these things set the stage for Space Mountain’s story and suggest to you what the experience of riding Space Mountain might be like.
But while the exterior of Space Mountain can change how you feel about the ride itself, other attractions also possess the power to change how you feel about Space Mountain.
Image: Disney
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority — a classic minor attraction — serves a lot of purposes, but one of the biggest is creating hype and anticipation for Space Mountain. The TTA travels inside Space Mountain itself, offering a kind of preview and showcasing just how action-packed the attraction is.
In a park with only E-Ticket rides, each ride would have to stand on its own and compete with the others. The benefit of minor rides is that you can create a ride that helps increase enjoyment of other rides, either by providing a contrasting experience or by heightening that attraction’s thrills.
Theme parks have pacing too
The most important reason we have non-E-Ticket attractions, however, is pace.
Think about it like this: Sometimes, when you get home, you’re really interested in watching that new Netflix documentary your friends told you about. But, once you’ve watched it, you probably don’t want to sit down and watch another heavy feature right away, right? Maybe you go read a book, or do some chores, or listen to music.
Theme parks are designed in a similar fashion. Sometimes, when your brain is finished with an exerting task, it just wants something new to keep it feeling fresh. After you get off of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, you’re probably not itching to immediately go on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, right? You want to experience Ollivander’s or ride the Hogwarts Express — both perfect examples of D-Ticket attractions.
If we only ever experience the highest of highs, then eventually, all those highs start to seem the same. And that, ultimately, is the entire point.
The minor attractions are fun, yes — but they serve a greater purpose than just pleasure. They provide the background from which the E-Ticket attractions can stand out.
