Anaheim GardenWalk Development Status report - 10/17/2017

[DanielBB8]

GardenWalk is “mostly” developed although not fully leased. Disney can’t do anything with it unless they demolish it and start over. That day is many decades away if the Center deteriorates from abandonment, which is still a long shot. So what will happen is GW gets further developed with hotels and timeshares as they are already on the books. Let that play out. If this doesn’t happen, then Disney could buy it even cheaper.

Not a prediction, but the Eastern Gateway project should be revived with Downtown Disney East especially with the current Downtown Disney being shortened with the luxury hotel construction. Add a Disney Resort and a new mixed use resort, theme park, and shopping parking structure. This won’t happen until well after 2020 when the government building lease expires and the building is demolished. The bridge is built, but it can be smaller especially since it won’t have nearly the traffic even if the parking structure should remain the same size. A thousand spaces each is reserved for Dtwn Disney and the Resort. The remaining 4000 spaces for the theme park or CM parking.

So the other issue the Toy Story Lot. Certainly, it cannot be the third park with how Disney allowed parcels to be developed by other hotels on Katella. It was a missed opportunity. Theme park expansion has to move to the other side Paradise Pier, south of Disneyland Hotel. Toy Story Lot has to be the location of new Disney Hotels with a water park.

 

[SSG]

A couple years back when Galaxy’s Edge was announced, Iger flat out said there were no current plans for a 3rd Gate, and energies would go into completely building out DLR. Everything Disney has done lately--Galaxy’s Edge, Marvel expansion, DTD improvements, new hotel and parking, etc—has followed that plan. Rumored stuff like a Fantasyland expansion or Tomorrowland remodel would follow that plan. Sure, Iger could come out tomorrow and announce a 3rd Gate, but there doesn’t look to be any indication that a 3rd Gate will happen anytime soon.

 

[mickEblu]

A couple years back when Galaxy’s Edge was announced, Iger flat out said there were no current plans for 3rd Gate, and energies would go into completely building out DLR. Everything Disney has done lately--Galaxy’s Edge, Marvel expansion, DTD improvements, new hotel and parking, etc—has followed that plan. Rumored stuff like a Fantasyland expansion or Tomorrowland remodel would follow that plan. Sure, Iger could come out tomorrow and announce a 3rd Gate, but there doesn’t look to be any indication that a 3rd Gate will happen anytime soon.

Dammit I didn’t want to “like” this post but it makes sense. Well hey, a TL redo, although not a 3rd gate, could be really exciting.

 

[TROR]

I don't expect a third gate to happen for a minimum ten, possibly fifteen, maybe even twenty-five, years, but I do expect it to happen within my lifetime.

 

[mickEblu]

I don't expect a third gate to happen for a minimum ten, possibly fifteen, maybe even twenty-five, years, but I do expect it to happen within my lifetime.

Well I guess the next question is, how old are you?

 

[TROR]

Well I guess the next question is, how old are you?

Nineteen. BTW you can always just click on someone's username and it'll tell you their age, if they provide it.

 

[mickEblu]

Nineteen. BTW you can always just click on someone's username and it'll tell you their age, if they provide it.

Oh Wow. Ok then I agree and think you will see a third park in your lifetime.

I’m always on mobile, so I just check the new comments and I’m out... but good to know. Although, I don’t think most people provide their age.

 

[DanielBB8]

Disneyland and DCA has too much deteriorating lands and bad land use. The potential to add additional capacity to Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Toontown, Hollywood Backlot, and the empty plot behind Bugs-land will give Disney another 10 years of projects. If they do it correctly, their 2 park capacity should match Tokyo Disneyland. Right now, Disneyland Resort has the opposite problem of Disneyland Paris. Not enough on-site hotels. The parking situation is terrible and mass transit is nonexistent. Even Disney Springs at WDW has more parking structures. I guess construction projects are just too expensive to do in California and especially in Anaheim. (Iger’s politics are well known. He’s positioned himself against his own interests.)

So this will play out and I don’t expect anything different.

 

[Curious Constance]

As much as I would like to see a 3rd gate it is really low on Disney's radar so GardenWalk doesn't make sense unless it was basically given to them.

They are focused on expanding internationally right now. They had to invest in Orlando because Universal was beginning to take market share from them. Potter is successful in Hollywood but hasn't affected Disneyland at all. Better to hold the 3rd gate land in their back pocket in case they need it somewhere down the line should customers begin to take their business elsewhere.

Plans and potential plans for DL and DCA should keep them busy investing in Anaheim without having to take on a new park anyway.

That all makes sense to me.

When your problem is you're too popular and don't have enough room to put all the people and cars that want to travel to your business, it's probably not a good idea to try and attract more people.

 

[DanielBB8]

“Better to hold the 3rd gate land in their back pocket in case they need it somewhere down the line should customers begin to take their business elsewhere.”

That’s the only line that makes no sense. Customers won’t take their business elsewhere. And where exactly? The 3rd gate isn’t need right now. There’s a lot of unrealized capacity that can be built into the existing parks. And Disney needs to improve DCA attendance before it will start construction of a third park. When DCA has less than half the attendance if Disneyland, why even bother with a third gate. DCA needs to exceed 10 million yearly attendance. It barely surpasses 7 million now.

 

[TROR]

If Disney wants to have DCA reach 10 million annually, maybe they should stop changing everything people like about the park and have a singular plan instead of all this flip flopping.

 

[DanielBB8]

If Disney wants to have DCA reach 10 million annually, maybe they should stop changing everything people like about the park and have a singular plan instead of all this flip flopping.

It’s not a flip flop to improve Paradise Pier with Pixar.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Well, customers do have options, other Disney Parks for one, and if Anaheim is the most expensive to operate, then Disney doesn't mind that.

Universal Studios Hollywood is planning multiple park expansions, and 3 Hotel projects.

LEGOLAND California now has three parks and 2 Hotels that get rave reviews.

Or families can opt for something other than a Theme Park vacation, especially if the price to visit the DLR gets out of reach.

 

[Disney Irish]

If Disney wants to have DCA reach 10 million annually, maybe they should stop changing everything people like about the park and have a singular plan instead of all this flip flopping.

There is no flip-flopping. They do have a singular plan, add Pixar and Marvel to the park. It may not be the singular plan you like, but it is a singular plan.

 

[TROR]

It’s not a flip flop to improve Paradise Pier with Pixar.

There is no flip-flopping. They do have a singular plan, add Pixar and Marvel to the park. It may not be the singular plan you like, but it is a singular plan.

Finishing a complete remodel of a land only to completely remodel it seven years later? Yeah, not flip flopping at all...

 

[DanielBB8]

Well, customers do have options, other Disney Parks for one, and if Anaheim is the most expensive to operate, then Disney doesn't mind that.

Universal Studios Hollywood is planning multiple park expansions, and 3 Hotel projects.

LEGOLAND California now has three parks and 2 Hotels that get rave reviews.

Or families can opt for something other than a Theme Park vacation, especially if the price to visit the DLR gets out of reach.

But Disneyland & DCA already reach capacity almost every day so people taking business elsewhere is like everyone else getting the scraps.

 

[DanielBB8]

Finishing a complete remodel of a land only to completely remodel it seven years later? Yeah, not flip flopping at all...

That link refers to the north part of Paradise Pier. They are working on the south.

 

[TROR]

That link refers to the north part of Paradise Pier. They are working on the south.

Oh, that's right. Although that it discussing the entire land's remodel being complete, not just the south side, it does not mention the changes to Games of the Boardwalk, California Screamin, or the Sun Wheel's conversion to Mickey's Fun Wheel that all took place and are now being changed by Pixar Pier. Don't worry, though, I'm sure that, despite the fact Disney Parks changed management from Tom Staggs to Bob Chapek, the current management is 100% continuing exactly what the previous management had planned out and is not doing what they want to instead.

 

[Travel Junkie]

“Better to hold the 3rd gate land in their back pocket in case they need it somewhere down the line should customers begin to take their business elsewhere.”

That’s the only line that makes no sense. Customers won’t take their business elsewhere. And where exactly?

You can make an argument there is more to do in Southern California than anywhere else on earth. There is a lot of competition out there.

There have been dips in Disneyland attendance before (89-94 for example) and it is foolhardy to think it is exempt from a decline. The chances of attendance declining in significant numbers in the immediate future is slim, but once thought of bulletproof companies have gone bankrupt more often than you think.

 

[DanielBB8]

Oh, that's right. Although that it discussing the entire land's remodel being complete, not just the south side, it does not mention the changes to Games of the Boardwalk, California Screamin, or the Sun Wheel's conversion to Mickey's Fun Wheel that all took place and are now being changed by Pixar Pier. Don't worry, though, I'm sure that, despite the fact Disney Parks changed management from Tom Staggs to Bob Chapek, the current management is 100% continuing exactly what the previous management had planned out and is not doing what they want to instead.

Okay, you jogged my memory that they did indeed changed those elements you mentioned in the south. Nonetheless, they are proposing additional more elaborate changes.