DisneylandForward

[Darkbeer1]

Exactly!

That is what is so exciting, that they want to expand DL itself! After GE, I kind of thought that would be it! The last time DL got a major expansion before GE was literally Toon Town and that was nearly 30 years ago now. So even if they did expand in the future, it could be decades away. The fact they are presenting it as a possibility now is super exciting. We could have another expansion of it in the next decade if things go right.

NOTHING in the Press Release and art work released yesterday has any bearing on what actually will happen in the future.

The next one to two years is the deal making with the city. When that is finalized, then Disney will start on projects. And those projects can and ill be different than what was shown on the art work.

>>Jeanette Lomboy, Disneyland portfolio executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, said during a media briefing on Thursday, March 25 that the DisneylandForward plan includes what could be possible in the future at the Disneyland resort with more flexibility and approvals from the city.

“Because of the current rigid district structure, we just need more flexibility,” Lomboy said. “We’re excited about the possibilities and ready to dream. Believe me, we have no shortage of ideas, content or stories to tell or build.”

“We’re not announcing anything specific today as part of DisneylandForward,” Lomboy said. “These kinds of projects should give you a flavor of the types of industry-defining integrated experiences and story-rich lands that we want to bring to Anaheim.”<<

Disneyland unveils plans for theme park, retail and parking expansion

DisneylandForward is Disney’s effort to work with the city to grow the Disneyland resort, update the blueprint for the resort district and propel Anaheim’s economic rebound following the COVID-19 p…

www.ocregister.com

 

[fctiger]

NOTHING in the Press Release and art work released yesterday has any bearing on what actually will happen in the future.

The next one to two years is the deal making with the city. When that is finalized, then Disney will start on projects. And those projects can and ill be different than what was shown on the art work.

>>Jeanette Lomboy, Disneyland portfolio executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, said during a media briefing on Thursday, March 25 that the DisneylandForward plan includes what could be possible in the future at the Disneyland resort with more flexibility and approvals from the city.

“Because of the current rigid district structure, we just need more flexibility,” Lomboy said. “We’re excited about the possibilities and ready to dream. Believe me, we have no shortage of ideas, content or stories to tell or build.”

“We’re not announcing anything specific today as part of DisneylandForward,” Lomboy said. “These kinds of projects should give you a flavor of the types of industry-defining integrated experiences and story-rich lands that we want to bring to Anaheim.”<<

Disneyland unveils plans for theme park, retail and parking expansion

DisneylandForward is Disney’s effort to work with the city to grow the Disneyland resort, update the blueprint for the resort district and propel Anaheim’s economic rebound following the COVID-19 p…

www.ocregister.com

Dude I know lol. My OP here literally said I understand it's just a proposal. The only point being made someone is THINKING about it. Up until now I had no clue there was any kind of idea to expand Disneyland. Now it's at least feasible. It's exciting to imagine the possibilities now even if nothing comes of it.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Dude I know lol. My OP here literally said I understand it's just a proposal. The only point being made someone is THINKING about it. Up until now I had no clue there was any kind of idea to expand Disneyland. Now it's at least feasible. It's exciting to imagine the possibilities now even if nothing comes of it.

That post is generic. Many Disney related sites are implying it will be built as shown...

 

[Disneyland/DCA]

Next step is to combine the parks! Geauga lake is still prosperous, right?

 

[doctornick]

Dude I know lol. My OP here literally said I understand it's just a proposal. The only point being made someone is THINKING about it. Up until now I had no clue there was any kind of idea to expand Disneyland. Now it's at least feasible. It's exciting to imagine the possibilities now even if nothing comes of it.

I think the point is though that Disney probably is not really thinking about expanding the parks right now. What they are thinking about is having more control and options for development in the future and now is the time to get that flexibility. The concept art is just to sell the idea not necessarily reflective of anything Disney is considering

 

[DavidNoble]

I’d rather they bulldoze those two hotels and build brand new ones with better designs. Heck, use the old designs from Westcot Center. Those hotel designs look much nicer.

Reducing hotel capacity right now is probably not a great idea.

The few videos I seen, they are suggesting it could be basically an extended DTD area or something closer to Disney Springs.

I just went to the site itself and that's what they are basically suggesting.

I think that's all it will be, honestly.

 

[Robbiem]

There's a long decades-old story why the Paradise Pier is untouchable and sits there exempt from planning documents like this.

I don't have all the answers, but I know the old Cliff's Notes version of the story and its being discussed here...

News - Disneyland Working on Future Master Plan- includes Theme Park Expansions, Retail/Entertainment Space, and More!

Didn’t someone say that the hotel and property that it sits in is not considered as part of the Disneyland resort boundaries and therefore can not just be torn down The Paradise Pier Hotel is not part of the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan but is part of the Anaheim Resort Specific Plan. The...

forums.wdwmagic.com

Really interesting read.

Does anyone know how Paradise Pier was handled in the westcot plans? Were the other planned hotels built around the PPH?

Would also be interesting to see what the contract says about closures - I wonder if Disney have had to make payments over the past year?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Really interesting read.

Does anyone know how Paradise Pier was handled in the westcot plans? Were the other planned hotels built around the PPH?

Would also be interesting to see what the contract says about closures - I wonder if Disney have had to make payments over the past year?

It was ignored. It appears on them unchanged as Disney hadn’t acquired it. It’s in yellow on this model.

 

[Robbiem]

It was ignored. It appears on them unchanged as Disney hadn’t acquired it. It’s in yellow on this model.
View attachment 542893

Thanks strange to think if Disney hadn’t bought this and had gone ahead with westcot it could have been the west coast version of bonnet creek!

 

[Nirya]

I think the point is though that Disney probably is not really thinking about expanding the parks right now. What they are thinking about is having more control and options for development in the future and now is the time to get that flexibility. The concept art is just to sell the idea not necessarily reflective of anything Disney is considering

It's a bright shiny distraction from what Disney actually wants. Notice how the concept art focuses on the westside of the resort and doesn't touch the eastern side, where the Eastern Gateway has been a particular sore spot for the company for years.

My guess is they're using this to push through their plans for the Eastern Gateway and nothing more for a good long while.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Thanks strange to think if Disney hadn’t bought this and had gone ahead with westcot it could have been the west coast version of bonnet creek!

Disney had made previous offers before they finally acquired the hotel in 1995 and the owner had been selling off other assets. It was more just waiting for those to cross paths at the right price point.

 

[Movielover]

These drawings make not buying GardenWalk for pennies on the dollar look even sillier. Nothing like dreaming up a mall and hotels right next to a mall and hotels.

Every time I look at a map/aerial picture/drawings/anything it stands out so much that I just can't fathom, even amongst all the other boneheaded decisions they have made, why they did not purchase GardenWalk. Seems like such a perfect choice for a southern section of Downtown Disney, heck they could then even integrate a peoplemover type system to go from the Toy Story lot all the way up and over to the hub and beyond.

 

[Supreme Leader]

That post is generic. Many Disney related sites are implying it will be built as shown...

I think this is the most frustrating thing. People are taking the concept art too literal. From what I understood it's just a concept of what could be possible if given the city approval to expand.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

That post is generic. Many Disney related sites are implying it will be built as shown...

I think that the news has essentially been broken to the public that DISNEYLAND IS BUILDING A THIRD THEMEPARK!!!!!

I've had a ton of non-disney friends contact me over the past few days asking me what I think of the expansion plans and how awesome it all sounds. They don't visit Disney sites and are getting it from standard media/social media. I've had to explain to each one that this is Disney showing what is COULD do, even what it WANTS to do, but it's just to get people excited about things again to jump start the resort again.

Personally I think Disney releasing this kind of 'announcement' right now is the smartest thing they've done in a while... as far as the public is concerned, DisneyParks is ready to rise from the ashes with fists swinging.

 

[DanielBB8]

This is more exciting than Star Wars Land that bombed with all it's mixed messaging. Yet, I really don't think it will be built. Will Disney go thru all the environmental and planning permit process when they had cold feet with their 4th hotel after the city no longer wants to subsidize their projects? Sorry, Disney has lost a lot of credibility.

 

[Darkbeer1]

This is more exciting than Star Wars Land that bombed with all it's mixed messaging. Yet, I really don't think it will be built. Will Disney go thru all the environmental and planning permit process when they had cold feet with their 4th hotel after the city no longer wants to subsidize their projects? Sorry, Disney has lost a lot of credibility.

But that is exactly what Disney is asking for. To eliminate most of the need of the planning department, and environmental review.

So they are asking for the same rights on the property they have acquired over the last 25 years or so.

So just like the Pixar Pals structure and Galaxy Edge projects.

The one project that got cancelled was allowed to be built, they just lost the special tax rebate due to moving the front door. Disney determined that was the tax break, it was not financially feasible.

So the goal is to be able to build, as little or as much as it wants to, whenever they want to, so long as what they build meets current building codes for safety.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

@Darkbeer1 How does Garden Grove’s desire for Disney to set up shop there factor into these plans. The complex on the TS lot feels like something that could work down there.

 

[DanielBB8]

But that is exactly what Disney is asking for. To eliminate most of the need of the planning department, and environmental review.

So they are asking for the same rights on the property they have acquired over the last 25 years or so.

So just like the Pixar Pals structure and Galaxy Edge projects.

The one project that got cancelled was allowed to be built, they just lost the special tax rebate due to moving the front door. Disney determined that was the tax break, it was not financially feasible.

So the goal is to be able to build, as little or as much as it wants to, whenever they want to, so long as what they build meets current building codes for safety.

The tax break was an opening to the $15 per hr mandate that the Anaheim residents passed. Disney would have passed on it regardless, but Disney should have merely downgraded the hotel to 3 or 4 star to make it financially feasible since Disney can still command luxury prices. Then again, the pandemic happened so maybe Disney dodged a bullet. I'm still surprised only one hotel project on Toy Story Lot is proposed. 3 theme parks and only 3 hotels. That's leaving a lot of money on the table unless they add adjoining hotel towers to existing hotels. The Grand Californian can use another new wing. Or consider the Eastern Gateway with a hotel to replace the former government building.

Can Disney avoid environmental review? Maybe that's why it's a piecemeal project. It's first proposed to add on to existing parks. Then when complete, close it as the third park.

 

[Ismael Flores]

No I mean the math doesn't really work out on this any longer. They wanted the Eastern Gateway because of SWGE. They thought they were going to need to pack in more APs to pay for the expansion. But two things have changed since then: They built Pixar Pals which took care of the immediate parking need and they eliminated the AP program. They believe they can make the same amount, if not more money, by having far fewer people in the park.

Without the AP program, you go back to a scenario where the visitors per vehicle shoots back up from 1 to maybe 2 or 3. You basically double the amount of parking inventory you have by eliminating the AP program.

There's just no point in building another parking structure now. Maybe if in a couple years they figure out people really aren't willing to pay more and they revert back to having a discount AP program, they may need it, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will want it.

I don't really think the Eastern gateway is all about expanding capacity but more about pushing the gateway and security area away from it being so close to the park entrances. Pushing it out also means more room to spread out crowd instead of the compacted area they have now crushed between shuttle waiting areas and security gates.

I also do not think it would be wrong to believe that if they can fix the concerns about the bridge that they will get on it as soon possible. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have that new gateway open without construction walls by the time the Olympics are here.

I also do not think they will waste the opportunity to have something to promote during the same period when the world is watching, even if it is something as easy as PR with some of the Olympic teams visiting and talking up additions.

That whole western addition or Toy Story addition can basically have construction ready without compromising the resort ability to function. In order for that to happen though, they would need to have the Eastern parking structures in place.

Buildin in an open piece of land is much easier than trying to construct a new addition within a working park, so if they really wanted and could get approvals sometime in 2023/2024 they would still have five years to build Toy Story out

 

[Nirya]

I don't really think the Eastern gateway is all about expanding capacity but more about pushing the gateway and security area away from it being so close to the park entrances. Pushing it out also means more room to spread out crowd instead of the compacted area they have now crushed between shuttle waiting areas and security gates.

I also do not think it would be wrong to believe that if they can fix the concerns about the bridge that they will get on it as soon possible. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have that new gateway open without construction walls by the time the Olympics are here.

I also do not think they will waste the opportunity to have something to promote during the same period when the world is watching, even if it is something as easy as PR with some of the Olympic teams visiting and talking up additions.

That whole western addition or Toy Story addition can basically have construction ready without compromising the resort ability to function. In order for that to happen though, they would need to have the Eastern parking structures in place.

Buildin in an open piece of land is much easier than tryng to construct a new addition within a working park, so if they really wanted and could get approvals sometime in 2023/2023 they would still have five years to build Toy Story out

Disney doesn't need something that big or shiny for the Olympics, honestly. If they focus on getting the Eastern Gateway built (which, again, is their main goal here), they'd probably then focus on adding something smaller to what they have.

The thing to remember is they will have a new Avengers coaster in DCA and MMRR in Toon Town built by 2023. The Eastern Gateway would likely take a few years to build once it gets approved, so assume 2025 or so. From there, I'd imagine Disney will focus on either a Hollywoodland addition using the newly-freed space, something in Tomorrowland, or using that SW:GE expansion pad. Those are easy additions that don't require a huge outlay of capital on Disney's part while giving them something shiny to promote.