Are they ever going to build...

[Bigg Robb]

the proposed Asian Hotel. It was proposed for Phase One of WDW. It was to be located on the western edge of Seven Seas Lagoon. Anyone heard any rumors if they are going to build it???

and did they ever build the Venician(spelling?) Resort? if so where is/was it?

thanks alot

 

[imagineer boy]

I don't remember reading about such plans. Perhaps you have it confused with the polynesian?

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Old Idea

The Asian Resort was very much in the works. However, from what I have heard, it was tabled a LONG time ago, along with the Persian resort. As for the Venetian resort, I believe that area is taken by part of the Contemporary and WL (but don't hold me to that). It sat back from 7Seas (Persian was on the lagoon).

All of these have been long since abandoned, though.

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

No Venetian Resort. Would cause quite the guest relations nightmare when guests found curtains in their rooms.

(Edit: I could've swarn one resort was planned between the Contemporary and TTC. Is it the Persian?)

 

[Figment1986]

No... the Asian would have gone where the Grand Floridian sits today.... which is why the road used to be Asian way... which is now Floridian Way.... (I think)

 

[FamilyMan]

Figment is correct. The Persian would have been built north of the Contemporary on Bay Lake. The Asian would have been built where the Grand Floridian now stands, and the Medd. would have been built just north of the TTC on the Lagoon.

Another resort was planned for the site where the Wilderness Lodge sits today. The name of that resort escapes me at the moment.

 

[Captain Hank]

I believe the reason that the others were never built was because of the instability of the ground around the lagoon.

 

[donsullivan]

... and the Medd. would have been built just north of the TTC on the Lagoon.

Another resort was planned for the site where the Wilderness Lodge sits today. The name of that resort escapes me at the moment.

They actually did a whole bunch of site investigation work on this one around the late 80's, early 90's (don't remember the exact year). Unfortunately they learned that piece of land was not suitable for development and the project was tabled for good.

 

[TURKEY]

You won't see another resort other than DVC for many years to come.

 

[peter11435]

You won't see another resort other than DVC for many years to come.

What about the other side of Pop?

 

[TURKEY]

It doesn't appear any work has been done on it in the past few months. My guess is 2006 at the earliest for the other half of Pop and all 10 buildings might not be built.

 

[HennieBogan1966]

With all the talk about how Disney should pay people more, keep the animation studio open, bigger budgets for attractions, and on and on and on, I'm thinking that the last thing they would want to do is to build ANOTHER over-priced, over-staffed, under utilized hotel on property.

 

[wdwmagic]

With all the talk about how Disney should pay people more, keep the animation studio open, bigger budgets for attractions, and on and on and on, I'm thinking that the last thing they would want to do is to build ANOTHER over-priced, over-staffed, under utilized hotel on property.

I dont think you can say any WDW resort is under-utilized. I believe WDW has some of the highest occupancy levels in the hotel industry.

 

[PhotoDave219]

As for Seven Seas Lagoon, There are some serious sinkholes on the shores south of the contemporary. I dont see them building any new resorts on the monorail line anytime soon.

Now with the talk of occupancy and hotel levels and the whatnot, as a whole the overall number of tourists to orlando has finally surpassed the pre-/11 numbers. Its just that the number of hotel rooms continues to expand faster then the growth of tourism.

Until demand reaches capacity once again, there's no logical reason to put money into more resorts, a 5th gate or an expanded monorail. The money is better spent on maintaining and improving the attractions that exist.

 

[marni1971]

When Seven Seas Lagoon was constructed in 1970/1 the land that the Floridian now sits on was built from the start for a hotel (thats why it sticks out into the lagoon). The Asian was on the verge of groundbraking in 1973-ish when the oil crisis hit. Fearing a downturn in visitors, WDP mothballed the phase 2 resorts (Venitian and Persian also). Visitors did pick up, but the Village community was progressed instead. By the mid 70`s WDP was gearing up for EPCOT, so thoughts of other projects were put on the back burner, after the Tomorrowland expansion of 74-5. Indeed, WED was so stretched by EPCOT that the only big-ish project built until after EPCOT opened was Big Thundermountain (1980).

Once EPCOT had opened and its budget doubled in size (estimates are $1.2 billion in 1982) Ray Watson, Ron Miller and the rest of WDP management got too scared to build anything for the forseeable future. Come 1984, and the management is replaced by Eisner, Wells and Katzenburg, who immiediately push ahead in developing all the prime sites in WDW. Money just waiting to be made. First off was the most luxurious money making resort yet. And it had just one place to go (prime MK resort, monorail line) and so the Asian was replaced by the Floridian (a design started before Eisner arrived). The Venitian site was to have been replaced by a resort more luxurious than the Floridian - the Mediterranean - but rumours on the net point to the site being unsuitable..

The proposed resort in Fort Wilderness was to be Wilderness Junction / Buffalo Junction, but Wilderness Lodge was built instead. The final phase 2 resort was to have been the Persian, served by a monorial extention that would have taken the existiong track North from the Contemporary, to the resort that was to have been located on Bay Lake in the Boneyard / dock area and then would have seen the monorail loop back - one plan shows the route going through Tomorrowland - to the Magic Kingdom Station. This seems to have been scrapped before main construction began on WDW since the monorail was built without this loop.

For pictures of the models of all the phase 2 hotels, the monorail loop, and the plan of the Mediterranian have a look through my photo album; http://photoalbums.wdwmagic.com/sho...what=allfields&name=marni1971&when=&whenterm=

 

[HennieBogan1966]

Beleive it or not Dave, I agree with you. I would say that if you were to take a snapshot of all the resorts, you would find that the deluxe resorts on a year to year basis, run lower #'s than do the value or moderate resorts. It's economical.

I would also agree that things are finally beginning to recover from post 9/11 #'s. Some time ago, if I recall, there was some discussion relating to tourism #'s for central fla., and how 9/11 was still having an impact on tourism.

But what I was getting at with my comments similar to yours, was that I feel that the money is best spent elsewhere.

 

[Kopp8699]

I have a question.... it's not really the most relevant but still... What happened to the Disney Institute? I remember like around 1996, I believe, that this was the new resort that everyone was talking about, then poof.... no more mention.

 

[Captain Hank]

The Disney Institute recently re-opened as the Saratoga Springs Resort--a DVC property. Apparently, people didn't want to learn things on their vacations.

 

[PhotoDave219]

The institute still exists.... Just its all done mainly as business conference/team bbuilding stuff.

 

[Bigg Robb]

wow, thanks for info everyone. about the Persian and Mediterrainian, are there any books with these hotels mentioned and/or modeled?? i have "Since The World Began", which only mentions Asian and Venitian, and it shows the Asian being built half way in between where GF an MK sit today. it also shows the Venitian being built south of CR. but if anyone knows of a better book for past plans, photos, and information about WDW, please leet me know.

thanks again