DisneylandForward

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
I was doing some playing around on Google Earth to see how big the Disneyland Forward site actually is. I was able to copy over all of Toontown (in green), all of Fantasyland other than iasw and the theater (in red), and all of Frontierland other than the Rivers of America (in blue).

View attachment 782028

Probably not all of this would actually fit given they need room for backstage and roads and other things, but that's a total of 15 rides, 4-5 dining locations, and 6 shops. Just goes to show (a) how much space there is, and (b) how good Disneyland was at packing things into the park.

Even if we use Galaxy's Edge, which has huge ride buildings and wastes a ton of space, there's still room for all of Galaxy's Edge (green), most of New Orleans Square other than Haunted Mansion (red), and Indiana Jones Adventure (blue).

View attachment 782031

Nice illustration of space but I think you have to throw out the Fantasyland data. Maybe even Toontown to an extent. They just don’t build lands like they that anymore. Fantasyland would have 4-5 rides today.
 

Consumer

Well-Known Member
I was doing some playing around on Google Earth to see how big the Disneyland Forward site actually is. I was able to copy over all of Toontown (in green), all of Fantasyland other than iasw and the theater (in red), and all of Frontierland other than the Rivers of America (in blue).

View attachment 782028

Probably not all of this would actually fit given they need room for backstage and roads and other things, but that's a total of 15 rides, 4-5 dining locations, and 6 shops. Just goes to show (a) how much space there is, and (b) how good Disneyland was at packing things into the park.

Even if we use Galaxy's Edge, which has huge ride buildings and wastes a ton of space, there's still room for all of Galaxy's Edge (green), most of New Orleans Square other than Haunted Mansion (red), and Indiana Jones Adventure (blue).

View attachment 782031
I just don't get how any of this is supposed to connect. Punch a hole in Critter Country, punch a hole in New Orleans Square, and have bridges going over the road? I don't see how that could work. First, I would think the entirety of Disneyland Dr. needs to be made underground, passing underneath the park, to avoid any long stretches of nothingness. Second, you would need to hide the show buildings and backstage facilities behind New Orleans Square. It all seem excessively complicated.
 

Vegas Disney Fan

Well-Known Member
Nice illustration of space but I think you have to throw out the Fantasyland data. Maybe even Toontown to an extent. They just don’t build lands like they that anymore. Fantasyland would have 4-5 rides today.
I had a similar thought, with modern Disney I think our expectation should be limited to 3 mini lands comprised of 1 E ticket, 1 C ticket, and several shops/restaurants/bars each.

I’ll be surprised if we get more than 6 rides in that space, and I wouldn’t be suprised if we end up with 4.
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
I had a similar thought, with modern Disney I think our expectation should be limited to 3 mini lands comprised of 1 E ticket, 1 C ticket, and several shops/restaurants/bars each.

I’ll be surprised if we get more than 6 rides in that space, and I wouldn’t be suprised if we end up with 4.

Yeah I’d say 6 rides on the DL and 6 rides on the DCA sound about right. I just don’t see what the incentive to expand Disneyland right now would be. It’s stacked as is. It’s not like they’d be advertising a third park that would get more people to travel and book more days. It would just be Disneyland with a few more rides. So Disneyland but with a Frozen boat ride and kiddie coaster is going to move the needle? Especially with a phased approach it could be decades until they use all that space.

I think it makes a lot more sense to center the conversation around the Simba lot and the expansion space on the DCA side of DL Forward. That’s something that could actually happen in the next 5-10 years IMO.
 

etc98

Well-Known Member
Nice illustration of space but I think you have to throw out the Fantasyland data. Maybe even Toontown to an extent. They just don’t build lands like they that anymore. Fantasyland would have 4-5 rides today.
Oh for sure. They definitely don't build like they used to. The second comparison with galaxys edge is probably much closer to what will actually be built.

It is crazy to think though that if they did build things the way they used to, they could fit more rides in that single parking lot than there are in 3 of the 4 Disney World parks
 

McMickeyWorld

Well-Known Member
Another good reference would be this: in theory, Fantasy Springs and Tokyo Disneyland's New Fantasyland would fit into the space. There would be 6 attractions, 1 theater, 4 restaurants, 1 exclusive popcorn shop, 1 extremely thematic meet & greet, along with various other services such as food stalls, bathrooms, shops, etc.
2024-04-27 (20)_edited.jpg
2024-04-27 (6)_edited.jpg
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
I just don't get how any of this is supposed to connect. Punch a hole in Critter Country, punch a hole in New Orleans Square, and have bridges going over the road? I don't see how that could work. First, I would think the entirety of Disneyland Dr. needs to be made underground, passing underneath the park, to avoid any long stretches of nothingness. Second, you would need to hide the show buildings and backstage facilities behind New Orleans Square. It all seem excessively complicated.
How does the bridge used now for DTD work? The road is lower than the bridge and goes under it, all of DL Dr is not lowered for it. You don't even know you're walking over a road when inside DTD. And I don't expect a "hole" to be punched through NOS for a bridge, likely just CC and one in DCA I would guess near where Downtown Dr is now.

So the same would be done for any bridge crossing for expansion. Lower DL Dr in the sections going under the bridge, not very complicated. And the bridge isn't likely to have much on it in terms of actual "in-park experience" beyond some basic theming to hide the outside views and maybe some ODV carts I expect. I also don't expect the bridge to be very wide across either, not much wider than the DTD bridge is now or the path from CC to GE.

Also its not like there is much to look at now on Disneyland Dr when going under the DTD bridge. I imagine some basic facades and coverings put up in place to block views in both directions. Again not very complicated at all. And since as I mentioned no NOS bridge I don't expect a need to "hide" any show buildings. And even if they did they can just add some fake rock work up to "hide" things. Again not very complicated at all.

Out of all the projects of DLForward, this is the least complicated.
 

ThemeParkTraveller

Well-Known Member
Yeah I’d say 6 rides on the DL and 6 rides on the DCA sound about right. I just don’t see what the incentive to expand Disneyland right now would be. It’s stacked as is. It’s not like they’d be advertising a third park that would get more people to travel and book more days. It would just be Disneyland with a few more rides. So Disneyland but with a Frozen boat ride and kiddie coaster is going to move the needle? Especially with a phased approach it could be decades until they use all that space.

I think it makes a lot more sense to center the conversation around the Simba lot and the expansion space on the DCA side of DL Forward. That’s something that could actually happen in the next 5-10 years IMO.

Interestingly, 12 rides (anything with a vehicle) would be more than any of the non-MK parks at WDW. If they had been permitted to build additional entrances in the DisneylandForward plot, this could have been a pseudo-third gate. Layout would have been very wonky though, assuming there was a way to connect the two sections.
 

McMickeyWorld

Well-Known Member
Another good reference would be this: in theory, Fantasy Springs and Tokyo Disneyland's New Fantasyland would fit into the space. There would be 6 attractions, 1 theater, 4 restaurants, 1 exclusive popcorn shop, 1 extremely thematic meet & greet, along with various other services such as food stalls, bathrooms, shops, etc.View attachment 782045View attachment 782046
It's time to play Tetris! It's just an idea, but something like that.
disneylandforward.png
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
If they built Fantasyland today everyone would be SCREAMING mad that they put in 8 B Tickets.

I disagree. You copy paste DL’s Fantasyland with modern IP anywhere and people would be thrilled. Especially with a modernized Matterhorn and IASW. Also how many things have they created that are more charming than Storybookland?

Now if they built 1955 Fantasyland today of course people would be disappointed. But 1983 with a mix of modern and classic IP nope.
 

CastAStone

5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
Premium Member
I disagree. You copy paste DL’s Fantasyland with modern IP anywhere and people would be thrilled. Especially with a modernized Matterhorn and IASW. Also how many things have they created that are more charming than Storybookland?
Well yes I am sure it would be incredibly popular and well attended, but the people HERE and on DisTwitter and the jaded blogger universe would be furious.
 

Vegas Disney Fan

Well-Known Member
Yeah I’d say 6 rides on the DL and 6 rides on the DCA sound about right. I just don’t see what the incentive to expand Disneyland right now would be. It’s stacked as is. It’s not like they’d be advertising a third park that would get more people to travel and book more days. It would just be Disneyland with a few more rides. So Disneyland but with a Frozen boat ride and kiddie coaster is going to move the needle? Especially with a phased approach it could be decades until they use all that space.

I think it makes a lot more sense to center the conversation around the Simba lot and the expansion space on the DCA side of DL Forward. That’s something that could actually happen in the next 5-10 years IMO.
I agree, I think the DL expansion is likely the last priority, my guess is priority #1 is going to be the Manchester parking area, Harbor bridge, and security… priority #2 is going to be Hotels, DVC, shopping, and standalone upcharge attractions at Toy Story lot… Priority #3 will be DCA expansion into Simba… and then priority #4 will be DL expansions. I also suspect we’ll see 2 or 3 separate rounds of expansion at Toy Story, Simba, and the DL Hotel parking areas, it wouldn’t make sense to do one massive expansion and use all that space all at once, I think they’ll spread it out over a couple decades so there’s always something new to market.
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
I agree, I think the DL expansion is likely the last priority, my guess is priority #1 is going to be the Manchester parking area, Harbor bridge, and security… priority #2 is going to be Hotels, DVC, shopping, and standalone upcharge attractions at Toy Story lot… Priority #3 will be DCA expansion into Simba… and then priority #4 will be DL expansions. I also suspect we’ll see 2 or 3 separate rounds of expansion at Toy Story, Simba, and the DL Hotel parking areas, it wouldn’t make sense to do one massive expansion and use all that space all at once, I think they’ll spread it out over a couple decades so there’s always something new to market.

Agree. I think Avatar will happen simultaneously with Priority #1 though. But I also still want to believe the Toy Story lot will be used for a third gate
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Well yes I am sure it would be incredibly popular and well attended, but the people HERE and on DisTwitter and the jaded blogger universe would be furious.

Furious? Nah. Maybe slightly disappointed in there not being one modern E ticket or disappointed that it’s too similar to Disneylands version of Fantasyland but they’d be charmed nevertheless.
 

chadwpalm

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Until they break ground on a hotel there I will refuse to believe the Toy Story lot will be used for anything other than a third gate.
This is my take.

Disney spent a lot of effort to tighten their security bubble several years back and to include DTD into it. When they first proposed the Eastern Gateway they wanted to expand that into the bubble as well. The point being that Disney does not want you to leave their bubble. They want to keep guests on property as long as possible to spend your money with them and not anyone else.

That said, putting a third gate at Toy Story requires you to leave the bubble and their property temporarily (if you park-hopped mid-day), and since there is no indication of them purchasing GardenWalk, you pretty much would have to either walk or take a bus on Anaheim streets to get from one park to the other since without a direct route from DL/DCA to Toy Story, Monorails and Peoplemovers are essentially out.

It just makes more sense to either make the property west of Disneyland Dr. either a third park or current park expansion so they can keep guests within their property/security bubble.
 

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