News Coco Boat Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

[truecoat]

If they are already doing early prep work for the Simba lot, I think we might get an announcement at D23 2028 as to what the first phase of it will be.

If you're talking about the dirt pile in the Simba lot, it's just dirt being stored from the Avengers construction area.

 

[Disney Irish]

I think we need to define some issues, terms, and outstanding questions.

1. The route in yellow is classified as an extension of Disney Way, which runs on the north side of GardenWalk (formerly Freedman Way). It's unclear what claims/restrictions Anaheim may have on this "street".
2. This Disney Way extension is inside a fence, but there is another inner fence that is the actual DCA enclosure. Right now the extension is open at the Harbor end.
3. The area under the very high voltage wires is likely an easement owned by SoCal Edison (relocated from the middle of the original parking lot) and also includes the underground less high voltage lines. At one point Disney had proposed to bury both sets of lines, but I'm assuming it is more costly to bury the highest voltage lines, if it's possible at all. This would have been part of the negotiation with SCE because the high tension lines across the old parking lot predate the building of Disneyland.
4. There may be limits on what can be built directly under the lines and whether people can work in close proximity. Typically that space is leased to nurseries, parking, and other uses that are not occupied by people for extended periods.
5. Theoretically Disney could repurpose this yellow area, most likely to become the new perimeter road and some storage (it's two lanes on each side of the high voltage towers).
6. When DCA opened, many of you will recall that there were toll booths at the Harbor entrance of Disney Way with some parking remaining in the old Timon lot where Radiator Springs, Avenger's Campus and the new AC construction are located now. At the east end of Disney Way, guests could be sent across Disneyland Drive to park in the Simba lot south of the Disney hotels. There were parking lot trams that crossed Disneyland Drive and brought them up to the Esplanade (was that what is now the Toy Story drop-off?).

There is a lot of detailed history here and shared easements and rights among Disney, Anaheim, and SCE. I apologize if I have not stated it clearly enough--that's a bad habit of mine.

Bottom line--I think Disney is going to make use of this space along with the landscaping along Disneyland Drive just north of Katella, including the hidden Mickey that Brickey talked about. Hope this is helpful.

Thank you for the detailed posted, and history. If Disney really wants to use the backstage Disney Way area, they can always buy it from Anaheim (if they don't already own that section) like they are doing for Magic Way and parts of Clementine next to the new parking structure. And any high power lines can be buried underground as part of the project, which I'm sure Disney is willing to pay in order to gain access to the land if that is what they want to do.

So I don't see any of these as "issues", just a single question on whether Disney is actually wanting to use Disney Way as part of the expansion or not.

 

[MistaDee]

I think we need to define some issues, terms, and outstanding questions.

1. The route in yellow is classified as an extension of Disney Way, which runs on the north side of GardenWalk (formerly Freedman Way). It's unclear what claims/restrictions Anaheim may have on this "street".
2. This Disney Way extension is inside a fence, but there is another inner fence that is the actual DCA enclosure. Right now the extension is open at the Harbor end.
3. The area under the very high voltage wires is likely an easement owned by SoCal Edison (relocated from the middle of the original parking lot) and also includes the underground less high voltage lines. At one point Disney had proposed to bury both sets of lines, but I'm assuming it is more costly to bury the highest voltage lines, if it's possible at all. This would have been part of the negotiation with SCE because the high tension lines across the old parking lot predate the building of Disneyland.
4. There may be limits on what can be built directly under the lines and whether people can work in close proximity. Typically that space is leased to nurseries, parking, and other uses that are not occupied by people for extended periods.
5. Theoretically Disney could repurpose this yellow area, most likely to become the new perimeter road and some storage (it's two lanes on each side of the high voltage towers).
6. When DCA opened, many of you will recall that there were toll booths at the Harbor entrance of Disney Way with some parking remaining in the old Timon lot where Radiator Springs, Avenger's Campus and the new AC construction are located now. At the east end of Disney Way, guests could be sent across Disneyland Drive to park in the Simba lot south of the Disney hotels. There were parking lot trams that crossed Disneyland Drive and brought them up to the Esplanade (was that what is now the Toy Story drop-off?).

There is a lot of detailed history here and shared easements and rights among Disney, Anaheim, and SCE. I apologize if I have not stated it clearly enough--that's a bad habit of mine.

Bottom line--I think Disney is going to make use of this space along with the landscaping along Disneyland Drive just north of Katella, including the hidden Mickey that Brickey talked about. Hope this is helpful.

wow this is incredibly insightful, thank you for sharing all this. Have you done some work in the space?

Seems like architecture or energy infrastructure or urban planning? I did some consulting work for one of the ports in Long Beach who are trying to electrify all their equipment which will basically mean tripling their current power usage: trying to figure out how to get more high voltage transmission or distribution lines can be such a slow, beastly process.

easements, undergrounding, right of way, all the layers of environmental review - it's a significant challenge to build anything of significance in our golden state

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

wow this is incredibly insightful, thank you for sharing all this. Have you done some work in the space?

Thanks for the kind words. I'm just a lifelong Disney nerd. This is the result of absorbing a lot of information over more than 50 years.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Thank you for the detailed posted, and history. If Disney really wants to use the backstage Disney Way area, they can always buy it from Anaheim (if they don't already own that section) like they are doing for Magic Way and parts of Clementine next to the new parking structure. And any high power lines can be buried underground as part of the project, which I'm sure Disney is willing to pay in order to gain access to the land if that is what they want to do.

So I don't see any of these as "issues", just a single question on whether Disney is actually wanting to use Disney Way as part of the expansion or not.

Well, at least at the west end using Magic Way DISNEY WAY is essential for both Coco and the future overpass.

As to burying the power lines, I think that ship has sailed. I saw expansion diagrams for Westcot and DCA that indicated both sets of lines were buried. In the end they chose not to bury the super high voltage lines. They made a calculated choice then and I can 't see them backtracking now. It would only be more expensive.

 

[Disney Irish]

Well, at least at the west end using Magic Way is essential for both Coco and the future overpass.

Magic Way will not be part of the Coco project, that is further north from where this will happen. Did you mean Disney Way here?

As to burying the power lines, I think that ship has sailed. I saw expansion diagrams for Westcot and DCA that indicated both sets of lines were buried. In the end they chose not to bury the super high voltage lines. They made a calculated choice then and I can 't see them backtracking now. It would only be more expensive.

You're talking about plans that were originally created over 30 years ago, long before DisneylandForward was even a glimmer in Disney's eyes. Something that no one saw on their bingo card back then. Things change, as do requirements for future plans. So just because you can't see it doesn't mean it won't happen, like when you said that no backstage areas would ever be moved offsite for the GE expansion and then it did. If its something that Disney wants to do and its feasible, it'll get done no matter the costs.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Magic Way will not be part of the Coco project, that is further north from where this will happen. Did you mean Disney Way here?


You're talking about plans that were originally created over 30 years ago, long before DisneylandForward was even a glimmer in Disney's eyes. Something that no one saw on their bingo card back then. Things change, as do requirements for future plans. So just because you can't see it doesn't mean it won't happen, like when you said that no backstage areas would ever be moved offsite for the GE expansion and then it did. If its something that Disney wants to do and its feasible, it'll get done no matter the costs.

Thank you--of course I meant Disney Way. It's really bothersome for me that Disney monkeys with names.

As for whatever it was that I got wrong on the land for SWGE (you seem to think that this is some colossal "gotcha"), it was an evolving situation. I couldn't grasp the enormity of what they would be willing to do to create that space. They relocated more than I would ever have expected. I have a bit of a blind spot in that I think a lot of commenters here dismiss the value of the essential backstage support facilities that are required. I have since learned from friends working around the resort that the weenies in TDA are unlimited in how ridiculous they can be. Still, I think they have reclaimed 70-80% of what is realistic from the North Service Area (the backstage facilities backing up to Ball Road).

I've stated my best guess about the high-voltage towers along the Disney Way extension on-property. It's not based on some magical inside knowledge I have--it's just my best guess based on inference. I could be wrong, but I don't think that option is on the table. You may have better information or analysis.

 

[Disney Irish]

Thank you--of course I meant Disney Way. It's really bothersome for me that Disney monkeys with names.

As for whatever it was that I got wrong on the land for SWGE (you seem to think that this is some colossal "gotcha"), it was an evolving situation. I couldn't grasp the enormity of what they would be willing to do to create that space. They relocated more than I would ever have expected. I have a bit of a blind spot in that I think a lot of commenters here dismiss the value of the essential backstage support facilities that are required. I have since learned from friends working around the resort that the weenies in TDA are unlimited in how ridiculous they can be. Still, I think they have reclaimed 70-80% of what is realistic from the North Service Area (the backstage facilities backing up to Ball Road).

I've stated my best guess about the high-voltage towers along the Disney Way extension on-property. It's not based on some magical inside knowledge I have--it's just my best guess based on inference. I could be wrong, but I don't think that option is on the table. You may have better information or analysis.

Its not some gotcha, its just acknowledgement that none of us really know what Disney will do, least of all Disney themselves at the time, until they do it. And that while being a former CM gives some unique insight into how Disney worked operationally during your time there, its a whole different ball game in terms of future expansion. That there is almost no backstage facility that is unmovable, heck I've even wonder if the TDA building itself is movable. And that you or I or anyone here might not see something that Disney is willing to do until they go do it.

This is why I fall back on what Tony Baxter once said, oh must be like 8 years ago now, that Disney has way more space available to them to expand than anyone in the public realizes. And its clear based on what Disney is doing that is way more true than any of us could have ever imagined.

 

[MistaDee]

I'm so stoked for this ride, what songs are a must have for you all? I'd start a poll but I am not especially forum literate

 

[mickEblu]

I'm so stoked for this ride, what songs are a must have for you all? I'd start a poll but I am not especially forum literate

I’d say the 3 big ones are Remember Me, Poco Loco and Proud Corazon. For Remember Me I’d love if they borrowed from that creepy arrangement from Ernesto’s Oogie boogie meet n greet. Would be great music to play before a drop into the land of the dead. Poco Loco would be good for a big show scene in the middle of the ride and then “Proud Corazon” to tie it all up and bring heart that people love from the movie to the attraction.

Going back to the drop(s) it’s not that the story from the movie necessitates one so much as that it’s just a perfect storytelling device for the attraction to go from Santa Cecilia to the Land of the Dead. It would be such a great transition not only in a practical way but also in how it would emulate “death” or our transition into the Land of the Dead. In addition to the thrill factor and being a moment of anticipation that would add to the rides repeatability.

 

[Gusey]

I really love La Llorona and would be happy if that's included, but I know its underated so they might not include it

 

[mickEblu]

I really love La Llorona and would be happy if that's included, but I know its underated so they might not include it

It’s a good song too but not one that I think would be a main feature of the attraction. They could certainly fit it in somehow though.

 

[build_it]

I think it would be interesting to use the bridge to the land of the dead to be a lift or incline that brings you up to the land of the dead, with a small drop later on in the ride that returns you to the land of the living.

 

[MistaDee]

I think it would be interesting to use the bridge to the land of the dead to be a lift or incline that brings you up to the land of the dead, with a small drop later on in the ride that returns you to the land of the living.

it'd be kinda cheesey but they could also theme the bridge to Simba as the "Marigold Bridge"

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

it'd be kinda cheesey but they could also theme the bridge to Simba as the "Marigold Bridge"

Dave from FBD recently talked about Hey Brickeys video, and he brought up this point.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

I think it would be interesting to use the bridge to the land of the dead to be a lift or incline that brings you up to the land of the dead, with a small drop later on in the ride that returns you to the land of the living.

I think this is really clever. The marigold bridge was a very grand and inspiring visual. I can see real possibilities in what you describe. In my very preliminary thinking about this ride I hadn't even started considering the kinetic possibilities. Thanks for posting this.

 

[coffeefan]

Iger name dropped Coco. Hope that means budget.