New Disneyland Parking Garage and Transportation Hub

[nevol]

View attachment 221638

Remember the Eisner years when Disney prided itself on its architecture but built second rate parks. Now it seems to be the complete opposite.

He did so with fairness though. It wasn't just backstage/corporate locations. He had starchitects develop some of the earliest resorts at Walt Disney World outside of Seven Seas Lagoon. He brought over some leadership from Marriott but ditched them to allow WDI to develop their own hotels because their ideas were so much more fanciful and fun than what outside operators were offering. He also presided over MGM studios and Animal Kingdom. It wasn't until later in his tenure, once WDW had ballooned basically to what it is today, that he entered the darker phase of his career and lost his way not only with parks, but with all divisions of the company. Sadly, theme parks are permanent, unlike a crappy film, that disappears and is quickly forgotten.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

He did so with fairness though. It wasn't just backstage/corporate locations. He had starchitects develop some of the earliest resorts at Walt Disney World outside of Seven Seas Lagoon. He brought over some leadership from Marriott but ditched them to allow WDI to develop their own hotels because their ideas were so much more fanciful and fun than what outside operators were offering. He also presided over MGM studios and Animal Kingdom. It wasn't until later in his tenure, once WDW had ballooned basically to what it is today, that he entered the darker phase of his career and lost his way not only with parks, but with all divisions of the company. Sadly, theme parks are permanent, unlike a crappy film, that disappears and is quickly forgotten.

Don't forget the balancing force of Frank Wells as COO. They rejuvenated the company, but after Wells' death, Eisner's second phase was less effective.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I just really don't like that Disney put a crappy post-modern outlet mall right outside of Disneyland. There should be a clear cut between the outside world and the parks. A clear, obvious beginning to the show. The story and the effort and the careful masterful design that you are paying to experience beginsss HERE. Unlike universal, whose Citywalk is more exciting than half the theme park

Either way you enter is incredibly ugly. The Harbor side is the least offensive. It still has an array of tents and plastic tables you use at the annual garage sale, as well as large men with guns to greet you and police shark spotters. But you don't have to see any of Downtown Disney from there. Just stare at the pavement until you're through the metal detectors like I do. Then look to your right.

 

[TP2000]

Either way you enter is incredibly ugly. The Harbor side is the least offensive. It still has an array of tents and plastic tables you use at the annual garage sale, as well as large men with guns to greet you and police shark spotters. But you don't have to see any of Downtown Disney from there. Just stare at the pavement until you're through the metal detectors like I do. Then look to your right.

That's the best description I've ever seen of entering Disneyland circa 2017.

It never used to be that way. In the 20th century the parking lot was just a giant slab of ugly blacktop, but there was this happy vibe and excitement. They used to decorate the area for the latest marketing slogan. There were no metal detectors, no pat downs, no police state staring at you before you could enter a theme park.

America has changed so much since September 11th, 2001. It's sad that Disneyland management can't spend a little more money and thought to make their entry process more gracious, more attractive and more easy.

Since the execs and their families glide thru park entry via the Grand Californian valet parking and the Grand's mini-security, why should they care about the other 99% of their paying customers?

 

[TP2000]

View attachment 221638

Remember the Eisner years when Disney prided itself on its architecture but built second rate parks. Now it seems to be the complete opposite.

Great point. And how interesting that the forward authors of that book, Tom Staggs and Bruce Vaughn, were both fired by Disney in the last couple years.

 

[nevol]

Bruce always hated the parks. His legacy is a roaming dinosaur. He's now heading up a VR theater company owned by Steven Spielberg. They want to have one at every mall across the country. Could be huge, could also be a disastrous fad like laser tag. I personally have zero interest.

 

[TP2000]

Bruce always hated the parks. His legacy is a roaming dinosaur. He's now heading up a VR theater company owned by Steven Spielberg. They want to have one at every mall across the country. Could be huge, could also be a disastrous fad like laser tag. I personally have zero interest.

I always got a jerky vibe from Mr. Vaughn; like there was a real DB of a jerk lurking just behind a thin facade when he was forced to do WDI publicity speeches and such. No big loss, wish him well with his shopping mall VR thing.

Back in Anaheim, it's now been over a year since the Eastern Gateway was announced to big Disney fanfare. And the next meeting of the Anaheim Planning Commission on August 21st has been cancelled due to "a lack of agenda items". They will adjourn next after Labor Day on Wednesday, September 6th.

http://local.anaheim.net/docs_agend/ag_3vers/planning.pdf

Those of us fans who have followed Disney management for decades know they NEVER announce something unless Legal has blessed it and they feel the bulldozers are ready to move in, sometimes even after the bulldozers arrived. This is a huge failure for TDA, and it must have really taken them by surprise to have the city refuse to grant them the permits to build this project.

I wonder what TDA's Plan B is? They obviously had no Plan B back in 2016, but do they have one now? Are Disneyland execs just waiting for everyone to come back to City Hall after summer vacation, tanned and rested and ready to cooperate?

 

[nevol]

I always got a jerky vibe from Mr. Vaughn; like there was a real DB of a jerk lurking just behind a thin facade when he was forced to do WDI publicity speeches and such. No big loss, wish him well with his shopping mall VR thing.

Totally. I wanted to take a class with him when I was looking at UCLA for grad school, but I knew then and know now he really wasn't the guy to steer that ship. He had never been to a Disney park before he worked at wdi. The film production company he worked for got bought by Disney and some HR person said "you're an imagineer now." and he was like, "a what?" That sort of sh** drives me INSANE to hear about.

 

[No Name]

I haven't been following too close. Is the issue that Disney wants to build a cheaper version, and the city is holding them to higher standards? Or is the city preventing them from building it at all?

Great point. And how interesting that the forward authors of that book, Tom Staggs and Bruce Vaughn, were both fired by Disney in the last couple years.

They resigned

 

[Phroobar]

I haven't been following too close. Is the issue that Disney wants to build a cheaper version, and the city is holding them to higher standards? Or is the city preventing them from building it at all?



They resigned

They "wanted to spend more time with their family."

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I wonder what TDA's Plan B is? They obviously had no Plan B back in 2016, but do they have one now? Are Disneyland execs just waiting for everyone to come back to City Hall after summer vacation, tanned and rested and ready to cooperate?

I can say with pretty strong confidence that you won't see this project on the planning commission docket any time soon.

Or ever.

 

[Kiwiduck]

I can say with pretty strong confidence that you won't see this project on the planning commission docket any time soon.

Or ever.

Are you saying that they are coming up with a completely new (and hopefully better) plan which they will present at a later date, or they have given up trying to deal with the parking/security issue and will just cross their fingers and hope everything works out OK once Star Wars Land opens?

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Are you saying that they are coming up with a completely new (and hopefully better) plan which they will present at a later date, or they have given up trying to deal with the parking/security issue and will just cross their fingers and hope everything works out OK once Star Wars Land opens?

If you had to guess, which one would you say?

 

[Kiwiduck]

If you had to guess, which one would you say?

Don't you go dashing my pixie dust fueled carpark dreams now!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Don't you go dashing my pixie dust fueled carpark dreams now!

Look in your heart, or whatever the tree grandma in Pocahontas says

 

[Curious Constance]

Look in your heart, or whatever the tree grandma in Pocahontas says

I'm not sure @TP2000 could handle this project dying.

 

[Disney Irish]

I can say with pretty strong confidence that you won't see this project on the planning commission docket any time soon.

Or ever.

If this is true, what will Disney do with the land purchased for the project which includes the now shutdown Carousel Inn?

 

[TP2000]

I'm not sure @TP2000 could handle this project dying.

I could care less personally, but I don't think TDA could handle this project dying. I find it hard to believe TDA is just going to walk away from this. But maybe they are waiting a year until Mayor Tait terms out and leaves?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Wasn’t more parking part of the tax agreement?

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Wasn’t more parking part of the tax agreement?

Yes, but the city won't approve the project. I'm still trying to get more detail on what's going on here, but what is going on (or more like, what isn't) is not good.