Fort Wilderness DVC, TTC relocation, Potential New Resort, New Water Pageant

[danlb_2000]

Just throwing this out there, wouldn't the Drones be for the lanterns in Rivers of Light?

Remember that the drones could also be for nothing. Just because something is patented doesn't mean there are current plans to use it.

 

[Tigger1988]

lol Jim Hill

 

[marni1971]

Remember that the drones could also be for nothing. Just because something is patented doesn't mean there are current plans to use it.

They've looked at introducing drones into every show bar Fant. What actually happens remains to be seen.

 

[Rodan75]

It seems odd that they would head over to Fort Wilderness DVC after finishing the WL DVC expansion. You would think they would head over to Epcot or DHS to add more DVC over there first.

And moving the TTC...I can't imagine that would ever make sense from an ROI perspective. They may shift the Tram loop and the ticketing buildings but the Ferry and Monorail infrastructure isn't moving. (maybe I'm misunderstanding the original rumor)

 

[roj2323]

Not going to happen. Moving TTC would cost somewhere near 500 million I would think and there's no financial advantage for doing it. Now I could see some reconfiguration in the future but I'm talking 20 years from now and it would most likely be a result of clearance needs for the replacement monorails.

 

[Sped2424]

They've looked at introducing drones into every show bar Fant. What actually happens remains to be seen.

That makes a lot of sense ^ The patents have been online for some time I don't know why now they are suddenly turning into rumors for a new water pageant.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Repurposing the River Country land into a DVC area sounds like the only remotely possible thing on this list, and we already knew it has been under consideration in the past. But even that has reportedly been shelved at the moment (and relatively near future). The rest sounds like complete BS. A new water pageant might seem the most easy to accomplish on this list, but still probably just as unlikely as the rest given the absence of any financial incentive for Disney to do it.

I almost wonder if some of these are rumors he just made up (or at least rumors he desperately grasped at from the first random Disney employee he got ahold of) to try to divert attention away from the recent drama stirred up about him...

 

[Vipraa]

Just throwing this out there, wouldn't the Drones be for the lanterns in Rivers of Light?

The lanterns and other things like lotus blossoms and small projection barges for Rivers of Light are all drones but they are water based drones and not flying drones.

 

[MichWolv]

While I find it implausible that the STOLPort will be used for bus parking, necessitating a transfer to a tram to get to the TTC, a quick look at google earth shows that IF that were done, there would be no need to also move the TTC in order to allow access to a new resort along Seven Seas Lagoon.

 

[s8film40]

The FW DVC is more than plausible, in fact I expect it to happen eventually. It's not a new rumor, Disney already had the plans created for it. I think they simply opted to go with Polynesian and WL additions first.

As far as moving TTC, the part about moving the bus parking to STOLport could make sense, however moving the TTC as a whole and rerouting monorails and ferryboats isn't happening. If they were going to go to all that trouble to build a resort why not just build the new resort at STOLport.

 

[captainmoch]

I feel like there's so many other places they could build resorts besides where the TTC is now. Why not get DHS its own dedicated deluxe instead (to coincide with the updates), it's the only park to not really have one and an old Hollywood themed hotel would be great.

 

[homerdance]

So what is the purpose of the current TTC? How many people actually buy tickets the day of arrival? I can't imagine that number isn't something that couldn't be handled at the MK gate. So what does that make TTC? Just a transportation center.

So the question is could a deluxe resort share some prime transportation with the unwashed masses?


--Edit-- not that I think there needs to be another deluxe, doubtful.

 

[FigmentJedi]

So you're saying only poor people like Star Wars?

Or the easiest way to pander to Star Wars fans wanting to stay on-site is through oversized statues of characters adorning generic boxes.

 

[BernardandBianca]

Besides a new deluxe resort and a new DVC, Disney needs another moderate resort and a value resort to handle the Star Wars crowds.

So you're saying only poor people like Star Wars?

I'm not going to interpret other people's posts, but why don't you at least quote and detail the entire sentence, and not selectively pick and choose portions of it?

 

[mm121]

On Episode 94 of The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim Hill, Jim discusses several potential hotel plans coming to the areas around the Magic Kingdom.

• Fort Wilderness DVC: The plan would be to convert the former River Country area adjacent to the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground into a new DVC building. Per Jim, the rumor calls for a 5 story building on that site with site prep beginning later in 2016. The expectation is that the new DVC would have references to River Country.
• TTC Relocation: This relocation involves multiple moving parts.
  • The former STOL port airport is an area of land immediately East of the Magic Kingdom Parking lot. This area is typically used for construction staging, but the new plan is to turn this into the new offsite bus parking area. Transportation would take guests arriving by offsite bus to the Ticket and Transportation Center via some sort of transportation (presumably a standard parking tram).
    
  • This would eliminate the need for the existing Bus area immediately to the right (East) of the Ticket and Transportation Center.
    
  • The TTC would be relocated to the new Bus area and would take into consideration the different demands of today's guests (ADA Compliance, larger crowds, ECVs, strollers, etc).
• New Resort: With the TTC relocated, this allows the former TTC area to be the entrance to a new resort with the area directly North of this area (along Seven Seas Lagoon) potentially being used as part of this new resort.
  
• New Water Pageant: Disney filed patents on a drone based show that was initially rumored to be part of the redesign of Illuminations. This show is now rumored to be part of a new show on Seven Seas Lagoon. The show is expected to feature components on the water that will be supplemented by the new drone based technology. This would be part of the 50th anniversary celebration in 2021.

At this point in time, I'm classifying these rumors as Blue Sky on my site.

Out of all this I could see them expanding/re configuring the TTC most likely to make it be the security checkpoint area which would enable it to be climate controlled without changing the look of the front of the MK, however combining security there, negates what they did by building the big MK bus stop.

Moving bus parking would make sense, though do the busses really park there? at the TTC, I'd think the drivers would just bring them up to the TTC when their group was leaving.

I would hate to see DVC built on river country, river country would be a great place for a relaxed adults only resort/ pool/spa complex.

If they did want to build a new deluxe by MK there's land available without interfering with the ttc, though it may be classified as wetlands

the other option for expanding deluxe by mk is massively more expensive as their originally was plans to build a western branch to the seven seas lagoon.

The DVC - and others - resort has been mooted for a while now. I expect some large changes around the TTC but nothing quite as radical as moving it. More like infrastructure and road realigning.

expanded rebuilt possibly, but agreed monorails cant really be moved especially since theyve just spent many years on the automation project, and the ferries definitely cant be moved.

Part of what Jim Hill suggests may be done but the idea of moving the TTC is crazy. The boats can't be moved and if anyone believes that Disney will have tens of thousands customers every day walk through a deluxe resort to the boats, I have a bridge to nowhere to sell them.

As for more resorts hotel rooms and a DVC, they are in fact needed for the 2021 50th celebration. In fact in the last two earnings calls Disney has suggested that more hotel rooms are needed and will be built. Jim is breaking no new news here. Besides a new deluxe resort and a new DVC, Disney needs another moderate resort and a value resort to handle the Star Wars crowds.

a star wars resort would be cool, maybe build it at the actual park like Disneyland paris.

It seems odd that they would head over to Fort Wilderness DVC after finishing the WL DVC expansion. You would think they would head over to Epcot or DHS to add more DVC over there first.

And moving the TTC...I can't imagine that would ever make sense from an ROI perspective. They may shift the Tram loop and the ticketing buildings but the Ferry and Monorail infrastructure isn't moving. (maybe I'm misunderstanding the original rumor)

the idea of moving bus parking could work, though not sure theyd place it at the airport

Or the easiest way to pander to Star Wars fans wanting to stay on-site is through oversized statues of characters adorning generic boxes.

so many things could be done theme wise, though your right we'd proably endup with boxes character style, since thats the cheapest

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

With the capacity issue MK has it doesn't seem realistic for another Monorail (or MK resort) There are 4 already. And all Deluxe. Seems to me they Disney is going to be expecting an increase in visitors to AK with the opening of Avatarland and at Studios with SW and TS land. Would seem that it would be more likely for any new builds around that area. There is prime land around Coronado, but I think if (when) Disney actively explores a 5th gate, the Coronado land (just south of Buena Vista Drive) is what they'll earmark.

 

[GrumpyFan]

I listened to the show and Jim's musings on the TTC "bluesky", and had many questions myself. I think he got a bit carried away with his alleged info, and, after thinking about it a bit, there are parts of it that do seem to make some sense, just not a full re-lo of the TTC. For instance, I could see them re-locating the off-site bus parking area, and using the STOL port area for this. Busses would drop/pickup there, and guests would have to transfer to a Disney shuttle bus that would take them to either the TTC area or directly to the MK bus stops. I think the main goal would be to reduce some of the traffic at TTC. Still, even this idea leads to more questions.

 

[JamieLee18]

Since we're in crazy thread land for the moment I'm gonna toss this out there. I heard a new rumor that there is talk about expanding the monorail to Hollywood Studios as part of the overhaul of the park. I know monorail expansion is like the craziest of the crazy talk but with the parking situation over there and Star Wars Land, Toy Story Land and an unknown Land over the backlot / LMA area it seems like that might be enough to push something like this through. Dont kill the messenger, just tossing it out there.

I heard a similar thing from some guy at the bus station! Except the plan he heard from "someone on the inside" was that the monorail will go to all parks and Disney Springs. With the cost of bus transportation rising/being out of their control, they've realized that with the monorail they have more control over future operational costs.

 

[Imagineerwannabe]

I heard a similar thing from some guy at the bus station! Except the plan he heard from "someone on the inside" was that the monorail will go to all parks and Disney Springs. With the cost of bus transportation rising/being out of their control, they've realized that with the monorail they have more control over future operational costs.

The reason for not extending the monorail beyond the Epcot/MK loops is the huge financial outlay to do so and part of the reason it has never been done. Monorail operation doesn't necessarily put any more control over operating costs either...

If the 'someone on the inside' is a bus driver...well...

 

[raymusiccity]

I heard a similar thing from some guy at the bus station! Except the plan he heard from "someone on the inside" was that the monorail will go to all parks and Disney Springs. With the cost of bus transportation rising/being out of their control, they've realized that with the monorail they have more control over future operational costs.

It would be great connecting the new solar farm to powering the highway in the sky!