Disney's America: Is it still on the table?

[jdmdisney99]

Disney's America project. Finally built. Right on Bay Lake. Walt Disney World's fifth gate. Michael Eisner would need a new pair of pants. Discuss.

 

[FrankLapidus]

I thought it was a good idea at the time it was proposed and it would have been interesting to see how it turned out but it's not what WDW needs right now IMO.

 

[jdmdisney99]

I thought it was a good idea at the time it was proposed and it would have been interesting to see how it turned out but it's not what WDW needs right now IMO.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The only time I could see this happening is at least 15-20 years from now. You know, after Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Avatarland, Cars Land/DHS Stuff, Australia, and Future World.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I've always thought Disney's America was a fantastic concept, with some great concept art released.

I would've prefered it build as planned, in Virginia (I think it was?). But in WDW would do just fine! It's not going to happen, but the thought experiment is fun.

 

[lazyboy97o]

For the foreseeable future, a fifth gate at Walt Disney World would be a disaster.

 

[Rasvar]

I may be in the minority but I can't see the viability of a fifth gate for at least another decade. They can't maintain what they have. You have two parks that need significant additions to bring them up to snuff. I think that with four gates and the water parks, you are currently maxing out the vacation capacity of 85% of the guests. Get the other four gates up to snuff before adding the mess of a 5th gate.

 

[jdmdisney99]

For the foreseeable future, a fifth gate at Walt Disney World would be a disaster.

I kind of agree with you. Imagine during construction of all other repairs, a hastily created "Chester and Hester's Camp Minnie-Toontown Fair"

 

[flynnibus]

Much of Disney America already exists in other parks in other guises.. most notably DCA.

 

[jdmdisney99]

Much of Disney America already exists in other parks in other guises.. most notably DCA.

I have heard that. I know most things from America have been featured in other parks.

 

[Rasvar]

Much of Disney America already exists in other parks in other guises.. most notably DCA.

I forget, the parts of DCA that worked or the parts that were jettisoned? I will admit that I wrote of Disney's America the minute I heard it announced knowing the backlash it was going to get. I never actually looked at what it was going to have for more than about thirty minutes and have long since forgotten.

 

[maryszhi]

I may be in the minority but I can't see the viability of a fifth gate for at least another decade. They can't maintain what they have. You have two parks that need significant additions to bring them up to snuff. I think that with four gates and the water parks, you are currently maxing out the vacation capacity of 85% of the guests. Get the other four gates up to snuff before adding the mess of a 5th gate.

agreed. they need to fix whats broken before even thinking about another park

 

[The Empress Lilly]

There are five huge other gates in the area. Two Universal, Sea World, Legoland and Bush Gardens. And countless smaller ones. There is still market share that Disney can fight over. Whether they need to do so with a fifth 'traditional' gate is debatable, but the market is still there.

What's more, the MK and the two water parks are bursting in their seams, so crowded the experience is often simply miserable for the guest. (But not the bean counters)

Me, I would build a 'Florida DisneySea', a hybrid between TDS and water park. With perhaps some boutique experiences thrown in for good measure.

 

[Turtle]

I think we fill out all the parks by 2025... Then we save up money so we don't have budget cuts and don't end up with cancelled plans like Beastly Kingdom and then when we save up we finish it by 2031... The 70th anniversary.

I know it's a big timeframe but after-all we gotta fill up DHS, DAK, and put the icing of Epcot, then save up for the park, then start building the park.

 

[lazyboy97o]

There are five huge other gates in the area. Two Universal, Sea World, Legoland and Bush Gardens. And countless smaller ones. There is still market share that Disney can fight over. Whether they need to do so with a fifth 'traditional' gate is debatable, but the market is still there.

A fifth gate at Walt Disney World has to either take that attendance from either those other parks or from other Walt Disney World parks. It would not generate longer stays or many new visits. You're robbing Paul to pay Paul.

 

[El Grupo]

IMHO, Disney could realistically spend several billion dollars bringing the entire resort up to the show standards of the 90s, addressing DHS, finishing out AK, refurbishing pavilions in EPCOT (including WoL), adding multiple attractions in all four parks, most of which should have been done over the last 20 years (e.g., another country or two in WS, plus a couple of rides in existing countries), building another water park, and helping DTD realize its potential.

This should be priority for Disney Florida before investing in another gate. All could be done before the 50th anniversary, allowing for focus on further expansion in the decade that follows if warranted.

 

[Rasvar]

There are five huge other gates in the area. Two Universal, Sea World, Legoland and Bush Gardens. And countless smaller ones. There is still market share that Disney can fight over. Whether they need to do so with a fifth 'traditional' gate is debatable, but the market is still there.

What's more, the MK and the two water parks are bursting in their seams, so crowded the experience is often simply miserable for the guest. (But not the bean counters)

Me, I would build a 'Florida DisneySea', a hybrid between TDS and water park. With perhaps some boutique experiences thrown in for good measure.

OK, MK and the Water Parks. Water Parks that are only full about six months out of the year. That still leaves three other parks with plenty of excess capacity that is being under used. That is why I said at least a decade. Fill in the other holes before creating another half day experience at full price. When WDW is finally no longer discounting hotel rooms and dining plans most of the year, then you finally have enough market for a fifth gate. That is my point. A fifth gate may be possible down the road. There is just too much to fix and it is going to take a while to fix it.

There is one other thing, Legoland is not huge nor is it really a competitor. It's a nice experience but it is really not big at all. It is somewhere between Sea World and Gatorland size and experience wise (closer to Gatorland). They aren't even open every day. I dare say they are priced too high also. Knowing the location well (I use to work a mile down the road from where it is), it is going to have to take every bit of its name recognition to survive or will be going the way of Circus World/Boardwalk and Baseball or Cypress Gardens that existed prior.

 

[Sky]

I remember this being discussed for Virginia, where I hail from. I'd much rather see it happen in Florida. They can build on the empire in Orlando. If they build in VA they would kill a park and possibly create a massive competition between another. Competition is great but honestly our tourism market here is extremely touchy. An isolated resort in VA may be major risk. Besides, is there a Disney Destination with no Magic Kingdom-like park included? I feel like the VA option would have to include Disney America and a version of MK.

Back to Florida. I feel like it's a great idea, but there are way too many factors that would go into this. It'll be years if we ever see it, at least in my own opinion. Besides, from an urban planning standpoint, the placement is rather odd. MK is a guest-understood boundary of property. I feel like adding a park behind MK could disrupt this dynamic.

 

[Sam Magic]

I always liked the idea of a fifth gate as Disney America. Except Disney needs to plus their other parks and maybe a fifth gate for the big 50. But in all honesty this park is like Beastly Kingdom the idea is dead and it just could not be made in it's original form. I say Disney Sea!

 

[flynnibus]

I forget, the parts of DCA that worked or the parts that were jettisoned? I will admit that I wrote of Disney's America the minute I heard it announced knowing the backlash it was going to get. I never actually looked at what it was going to have for more than about thirty minutes and have long since forgotten.

I can't remember if it was Jim Hill or DisneyandMore that wrote an article on this.. the common link is Bob Weis. But the wiki article mentions (without citing) some of the repurposed concepts - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney's_America

 

[FettFan]

Disney's America = Not going to happen, and probably shouldnt happen. You simply cannot condense nearly 250 years of history for an entire nation down into a single theme park. Things are going to be left out, people are going to get offended, and ticket sales will drop because nobody wants any "fancy book learnin'" on their vacation.

The project was abandoned for numerous reasons, folks. Among them, controversy over the Civil War themed "land" of the park, which would have happily excluded mentions of slavery and Confederate regalia in order to not be offensive. As mentioned here in the Song of the South thread, Disney will bend over backwards to ensure they won't offend anybody...unfortunately this choice offended a lot of historians.

For Disney, the Civil War area was a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" addition. And that's a BIG DEAL considering that the antebellum was going to be the central hub of the park.

Check out Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory by Michael Wallace and History Wars: The Enola Gay and Other Battles for the American Past by Edward Linenthal.