Disney Resort In Cool/Cold Weather Area

[Raineman]

Would it be financially feasible for Disney to investigate opening a new resort in an area that is not relatively warm year round? Currently, DLP has quite a few months of the year where the temperature is quite cool, if not cold (even getting a bit of snow last month, which was very odd to see snow at a Disney park), and Disney was planning on building Disney's America resort in Virginia in the 90's. Obviously, any park built in a northern climate would have to maximize revenues during spring/summer and early fall, while possibly shutting down for the winter, as almost all amusement parks in northern US & Canada do. Is this just wishful thinking? Having a Disney resort that is closer to my home in southern Ontario than California or Florida would make me very happy.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

Personally...I would love a true Blizzard Beach Ski Resort. Something out in CO or Utah would be awesome. People could ski during the winter months and then hike and do pool stuff during the warmer months.

 

[spacemt354]

I feel like a DVC in the Northeast (close to NYC) would be really great. You can theme it to pretty much anything.

Other than that though a Ski resort in the rockies would be awesome!

 

[NelleBelle]

I would totally do a ski resort! But for our family, we try to escape the 9-months of cloud cover in the Pacific NW and want someplace warm (well, at least sunny). We have been to FL and CA in Jan/Feb where it's been downright cold for the trip and swimming was totally not an option! But a Disney ski resort would be really cool!

 

[wdwperry]

If they actually built the Disney America I'd be the happiest person in the world. The only thing is that Disney doesn't want to close the park for the winter. I feel as though they would see that as a loss of revenue.

 

[spacemt354]

If they actually built the Disney America I'd be the happiest person in the world. The only thing is that Disney doesn't want to close the park for the winter. I feel as though they would see that as a loss of revenue.

Disney's America was actually going to be the next project I wanted to do over on the Imagineer Forum, if you wanted to help out?

I love the concept as well!

 

[IanDLBZF]

Tokyo Disney Resort is in a cold-weather climate, and it does snow there. However, the water rides are closed if the weather gets so cold that the water turns to ice.
In my theory, it seems as if the domestic parks in FL and CA were built in warm weather climates. Whereas the international parks, namely TDR and DLP were built where it snows during winter. Sounds weird?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Tokyo Disney Resort is in a cold-weather climate, and it does snow there. However, the water rides are closed if the weather gets so cold that the water turns to ice.
In my theory, it seems as if the domestic parks in FL and CA were built in warm weather climates. Whereas the international parks, namely TDR and DLP were built where it snows during winter. Sounds weird?

It does look more mysterious with the snow fall...

 

[NelleBelle]

It also looks empty, comparatively

 

[POLY LOVER]

Disney is having trouble maintaing their current parks without expanding into cold weather areas. I can just imagine the problems they would encounter in cold weather spots. I would say take care and update what they have now before expanding any further.

 

[yedliW]

Several years ago the local radio station ran a story in their news segments that Disney was considering opening a smaller park in the Rochester, NY area that would be enclosed in a Carrier Dome type structure. Each newscast (every 1/2 hr through the morning drive) they talked about it. At the end of the morning show, they confessed that it was an April Fools hoax.

But kidding aside.. wasn't that the concept behind Disney Quest? wasn't that supposed to be a test to see if an indoor 'mini park' would work?

 

[Raineman]

Several years ago the local radio station ran a story in their news segments that Disney was considering opening a smaller park in the Rochester, NY area that would be enclosed in a Carrier Dome type structure. Each newscast (every 1/2 hr through the morning drive) they talked about it. At the end of the morning show, they confessed that it was an April Fools hoax.

But kidding aside.. wasn't that the concept behind Disney Quest? wasn't that supposed to be a test to see if an indoor 'mini park' would work?

I would definitely settle for a Disney mini-park somewhere in the northeastern part of the US (or southeastern part of Canada). If you think about how much room there would be in a large domed stadium without the seating structure, you could fit a few large attractions and alot of smaller attractions in there. It just sucks for all of us Disney park fanatics who do live in an area of North America where it isn't a fairly short trip to get to a Disney resort, and having a mini-WDW, or a Disney attraction of some kind, would help us in between trips to WDW or DLR.

 

[yedliW]

I would definitely settle for a Disney mini-park somewhere in the northeastern part of the US (or southeastern part of Canada). If you think about how much room there would be in a large domed stadium without the seating structure, you could fit a few large attractions and alot of smaller attractions in there

It could be done.. but I'm not an engineer, there may be structural components to the seating. But there are examples of indoor 'parks'.. The Mall of America in MN has a roller coaster in it (among other attractions besides the stores..), and I have seen a carnival set up on the field at SkyDome in Toronto (now the Rogers Centre). It wasn't huge, but there was a Ferris wheel.. We didn't go to it, but looked down on it from the Hard Rock Cafe.. There is also a huge indoor water park in Edmonton that features some of the highest rated slides as well as a wave pool.. (google it.. it looks pretty cool).

I don't know the economics of it, how much would it cost to build and run.. it could be cost prohibitive.

 

[bethymouse]

I think Disney wanted to build a "resort" at the National Harbor ( Maryland/Washington DC on the Potomac River). Not sure if that will ever happen. I'd love it though, since I'd be close to there.

 

[wdwperry]

I think Disney wanted to build a "resort" at the National Harbor ( Maryland/Washington DC on the Potomac River). Not sure if that will ever happen. I'd love it though, since I'd be close to there.

They did buy land up by the National Harbor to build an Aulani style resort but they ended up selling the land. Now the land houses a casino...disappointing since I would've been 30 minutes away from a Disney resort...

 

[JIMINYCR]

Disney is having trouble maintaing their current parks without expanding into cold weather areas. I can just imagine the problems they would encounter in cold weather spots. I would say take care and update what they have now before expanding any further.

I know a lot of folks who go to Disney because its in a warmer climate. They are escaping the cold weather or snowy climates and Disney happens to attract them. Yes the die hard Disney guests will go to a cold climate park but a lot of people would think twice about staying North. If I had a choice I'd be Southbound even if there was a closer park.

 

[yedliW]

I know a lot of folks who go to Disney because its in a warmer climate. They are escaping the cold weather or snowy climates and Disney happens to attract them. Yes the die hard Disney guests will go to a cold climate park but a lot of people would think twice about staying North. If I had a choice I'd be Southbound even if there was a closer park.

A cold weather market wouldn't be a destination on its own, it would be a drawn for those already in the region.. unless it was in a area that people were going for something else.. i.e. Niagara Falls.. NYC.. Toronto.. DC.. etc..