'Disney Springs' - Downtown Disney expansion officially announced

OFTeric

Well-Known Member

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Here's a link to a story and vid from the Orlando Biz Journal with Staggs talking about Disney Springs and why it will be a guest favorite:
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2013/03/disneys-tom-staggs-disney-springs.html

Thank you! This interview with Staggs answers a lot of my questions posed by this announcement and this thread, plus a nice little piece of info from Staggs on the non-status of Avatarland. :rolleyes:

To sum up Staggs: No vendors to announce. Lots of "conversations" with potential vendors, but absolutely nothing to announce. Nothing to say or not say about Avatarland's status or non-status. And they've got 'til 2016 to come up with actual details for the mall. Thanks for flying out Mr. Staggs!

I just hope there's as many trees in the actual mall as are shown in the vague-ish concept art. A shame they have no internal transport system for this large and sprawling mall, trolleys or boats, that seems to be the only major miss with Disney Springs. And I hope they can get some good restaurants in there that aren't the usual microwaved-starch junk for 12 year olds from the likes of Rainforest Café, Planet Hollywood, TRex, etc.

Otherwise, the expanded mall looks pleasant enough, and I don't mind the name change to the harmless Disney Springs.
 

dcibrando

Well-Known Member
did the CEO announce Hyperion Barf? I think this one is a little.. ok A LOT more realistic... dirt will begin moving next month
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I believe the Disneyland structure is larger, isn't it?

The Disneyland parking structure is 10,000+ indoor or rooftop spaces on six levels, with a few hundred outdoor bus spaces alongside it.

This is it back in 2000, when it was brand new, and before all the trees grew in. It's very difficult to get this full perspective now due to the mature foliage. Photo taken from the flyover bridge from the Santa Ana Freeway that leads directly to/from the structure.
d598oc09cd1awgja.jpg
 

muteki

Well-Known Member
did the CEO announce Hyperion Barf? I think this one is a little.. ok A LOT more realistic... dirt will begin moving next month

To be fair, I believe there was a bit of prep work/demolition that followed the Hyperion announcement too. My memory might be fuzzy but I am pretty sure dirt was moving back then as well.
 

DocMcHulk

Well-Known Member
The Disneyland parking structure is 10,000+ indoor or rooftop spaces on six levels, with a few hundred outdoor bus spaces alongside it.

This is it back in 2000, when it was brand new, and before all the trees grew in. It's very difficult to get this full perspective now due to the mature foliage. Photo taken from the flyover bridge from the Santa Ana Freeway that leads directly to/from the structure.
d598oc09cd1awgja.jpg
Not exactly the same sport, but, Google Street View
 

71jason

Well-Known Member
And I hope they can get some good restaurants in there that aren't the usual microwaved-starch junk for 12 year olds from the likes of Rainforest Café, Planet Hollywood, TRex, etc.

Not likely. In order to survive the huge rents Disney wants, you need high-margin food and quick table turn-over. I think it's easier to mark up burgers and fries and surround it with dinosaurs to justify the price then to mark up filet and lobster and try to justify it--different target crowd. Those 12-and-unders are less discriminating. And higher end restaurants means longer meals, which means less turn-over.

Also, the "good" restaurants already in DTD are rarely packed. Adding, say, another half-dozen will just cannabalize the market further. DTD is not Restaurant Row (as TDO found out with the ill-conveived "PI 2.0" plan). For better or worse, WDW has decied to gear itself toward people with little kids and fanbois who are the reason over half the restaurants on property have some kind of burger/fries option.

If you really want good restaurants, you've outgrown WDW, it's time to start staying up by Sand Lake Road. Luckily, there happens to be a theme park up that way that a lot of people seem to rave about...
 

JenniferS

When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
Premium Member
Just curious...what excites you about 1,200 new jobs in addition to the 65,000+ Cast Members (just Disney) in which Casting cannot come close to filling? I understand new jobs are usually great but these are not good jobs and quality will suffer because they will never fill them.

Not being negative...just a realist. Did you know one of the main reasons Pop Century was never completed and sat there unfinished was because they did not have the labor to work the resort? Sure eventually they changed the theme and people booked the rooms to stay but I can tell you those rooms would have sat empty if it was not for the theme change to Animation.
I don't believe that to be true.
Construction was halted due to the tremendous drop in tourism following the 9/11 attacks.
 

OFTeric

Well-Known Member
Not likely. In order to survive the huge rents Disney wants, you need high-margin food and quick table turn-over. I think it's easier to mark up burgers and fries and surround it with dinosaurs to justify the price then to mark up filet and lobster and try to justify it--different target crowd. Those 12-and-unders are less discriminating. And higher end restaurants means longer meals, which means less turn-over.

Also, the "good" restaurants already in DTD are rarely packed. Adding, say, another half-dozen will just cannabalize the market further. DTD is not Restaurant Row (as TDO found out with the ill-conveived "PI 2.0" plan). For better or worse, WDW has decied to gear itself toward people with little kids and fanbois who are the reason over half the restaurants on property have some kind of burger/fries option.

If you really want good restaurants, you've outgrown WDW, it's time to start staying up by Sand Lake Road. Luckily, there happens to be a theme park up that way that a lot of people seem to rave about...

I thought the plan that TDO came up with was lower rent but a MUCH larger Revenue share with the businesses.
 

britdaw

Well-Known Member
The concept art looks pretty interesting... Downtown Disney definitely does need a reboot, so hopefully this will help breathe some life back into the area.
 

Ignohippo

Well-Known Member
Im sure the one by Westside will be completed first. (Just a guess on my part though)


No way. They'll need to start work on the Marketplace garage immediately because the PI lot will need to be open while they're working on the Marketplace garage or else there won't be any parking at all on that entire side of DTD.

Meaning, they won't be able to close the PI lot, and work on the Town Center portion of the addition, until the Marketplace garage is done.

The West Side garage may actually be the very last thing they do.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Many people are commenting that it looks generic and assuming we have all the information on the Disney designed features being added when in fact I am sure they are holding a lot back. Just as they have done with the Shanghai project. Just as Universal has done with Potter 2.0 which is well underway but has not been officially announced. If a certain spirit was at war with Uni like he is with Disney he would be saying how troubled the potter project is because they have not officially announced what will be inside the buildings and infrastructure that is underway.

What you have is corporations that are becoming better at using social media and creating publicity and amplifying buzz.
 

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