New WDW resorts--no time soon? but...

[Macadamite85]

For the curious, here is the 1991 map that NickC posted on the "Epcot/BV Drive" thread:

http://i.imgur.com/0VKjWD0.jpg

This was helpful in resolving a conflict of sources. According to the following link...

http://yourfirstvisit.net/2015/06/1...-jim-korkis-the-missing-disney-world-resorts/

...the Persian resort site was the Marginally Suitable area just north of BLT. But according to Disney's 1991 map, the actual site (designated "H4" on the map) was the current Existing Development area (parking lot and staging) north of the bend in World Drive. Forensic cartography, always fun!

 

[PhilharMagician]

I'm in the unstable land camp. The Venitian and two Meditteraneans have been proposed for the plot - one of the most valuable deluxe resort plots left. And nothing has been built. I recall in the early 90s they sank test piles that went to 250-300 ft and carried on going.

@ABQ - the plot I mentioned is west of the Grand Floridian (opposite way from Seven Seas Lagoon)

Wasn't that area recently over the past 5 years marked out and checked again for stability? I do remember it being staked out for something.

 

[WDWVolFan]

Can we please please please have a Frozen themed resort where you can have the Oloff suite with a giant Oloff faces the bed while you sleep and if you push a button you hear "Do you wanna build a snooooowmaaaaaaan?" and then the A/C drops the temperature to 60F as if Elsa was in there herself? </sarcasm>

 

[marni1971]

Wasn't that area recently over the past 5 years marked out and checked again for stability? I do remember it being staked out for something.

I recall it being partially cleared for monorail pilot visibility.

 

[doctornick]

If they built a new resort I'd like to see the concept of having resorts be surrogates of MK lands go further. Since all the others have been done, maybe one that is a surrogate of Liberty Square would be cool. A resort with a colonial theme perhaps?

Or they could consider a medieval one (a la Fantasyland) in the vein of Excalibur in Vegas. Which could have a Medieval Times/King Henry's Feast type of show similar to Hoop-Dee-Doo or Spirit of Aloha.

 

[doctornick]

I think in theory they could build Avengers Tower and have a restaurant where the characters were available for meet and greet. They just can't put it in the parks.

While I would think Uni might contest it, I don't think the contract would prohibit building a Marvel themed resort. It wouldn't be a theme park or a "planned Retail concept which may include interactive elements as a major or minor element". They wouldn't be able to use the Marvel name, however, which would reduce a chunk of the value. Also, I don't think Disney would be able to advertise the resort much due to the wording of the contract with Uni (maybe they could use non-Uni characters like the GotG in an advertisement).

All that said, what's the point? Given the limitations, it doesn't seem worth it to bother. If they really were interested, it would probably make sense to just add a superhero wing to AoA or add a characters M&G restaurant to another hotel. If they really were interested in making a themed hotel for a specific IP, Star Wars makes a ton more sense.

 

[Macadamite85]

I recall it being partially cleared for monorail pilot visibility.

Would that have been after the very sad fatal accident (July 2009)?

...how the ridership would be affected by adding a whole new hotel.

Honestly, I would NOT stay at a new deluxe resort near the monorail line, that wasn't ON the monorail line.

These two potentially conflicting considerations likely get discussed at Team Disney. What would yield the most Happy guests and the least Grumpy guests--and thereby yield the better return on investment? It would be no surprise to learn that the Lagoon West idea was scrapped in part because guests staying near the monorail would want to ride it; then "H6" and "H7" on the 1991 map dropped out of the mix (marni1971 and ABQ, H6 and H7 look like the ones you noted earlier).

http://i.imgur.com/0VKjWD0.jpg

 

[Texas84]

Great write-up.

If AK North is anywhere near the garbage dump or animal pens that's a big negative. Those areas are not pleasant.

 

[Macadamite85]

Texas84: Agreed--it's surprising that RCID would even suggest it as "Potential" anything other than backstage.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'll believe an entire resort when I see it. A monorail wrap and a resort in which cap, thor, and whomever else can show up sounds like a different story legally.

It's not a different story, legally. Legally, the "border" is the theme park gates. It's why the Avengers monorail couldn't be on the Epcot beam.

Practically, it would be stupid to feature characters that have prominent attractions at the competitor down the street. Anyone who wants to stay in Avengers Tower is going to want to ride the Incredible Hulk roller coaster. I think any Marvel resort activity would come from IP that's unrestricted in terms of theme park use.

 

[WDWdream97]

I would have loved for WDW to have a golden-age Hollywood themed hotel, similar to the Ambassador Hotel at TDL and the Hollywood Hotel at HKDL. I always felt that studios was missing a "signature hotel" like how DAK has AKL, and MK has the Cont and Poly.

 

[doctornick]

There's some "usable" land near Bambi lake. I don't know if this is one of the areas talked about by the OP, but it's right near the Epcot monorail. Would it be possible to have a resort on the Epcot monorail line in that area? The Epcot monorail is someone underutilized so this might be an opportunity to breath some life into it.

 

[Macadamite85]

There's some "usable" land near Bambi lake. I don't know if this is one of the areas talked about by the OP, but it's right near the Epcot monorail.

Lake Bambi is north of Epcot Center Drive, adjacent to a large Conservation-designated area (i.e., not usable). It's unlikely any major construction would happen in there near-term, especially given all the non-Conservation options available.

Which is not to say it never happens, but Disney seems content to use small chunks of Marginally Suitable and Conservation-designated areas when needed on the periphery of other projects that don't require large wetland offsets. A good example is ongoing in Disney Springs. The (sort of) L-shaped Marginally Suitable/Resource Management area between the Casting Center parking lot and the Speedway gas station used to be trees. Now it's a retention pond that serves Disney Springs construction. And over to the west of Team Disney, Disney did use a small sliver of Conservation-designated land for the Orange garage ramp from I-4. It's a fair guess that accumulations of these types of small areas are the kind of thing that Disney wants its wetland offsets for, as opposed to large parcels of wetland where they would build new resorts or theme parks (for the near future, at least, IMO). And we'll see what they do with the L-shaped area by the Casting Center lot. It would be no surprise to see natural space there again in a few years.

 

[Jon81uk]

I would have loved for WDW to have a golden-age Hollywood themed hotel

Just don't take the elevator....

 

[Unplugged]

If AK North is anywhere near the garbage dump or animal pens that's a big negative. Those areas are not pleasant.

Are you saying you wouldn't want to stay at Disney's All Star Dump? I'm sure if the price is right, there's a crowd for that....as gross as it may seem.

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Felt like a teacher reading a research paper, and I give you and A++++

Now let's get Disney expanding.... parks, resorts, shopping, restaurants... etc!

 

[Macadamite85]

Whoa! Just noticed that the Solar Panel Mickey Head is going into #9 "Epcot Resorts North" from the OP. Scratch one Suitable parcel!

P_Radden and JohnD: OP now with map and summary--thank you very much for your input!

 

[JohnD]

For the curious, here is the 1991 map that NickC posted on the "Epcot/BV Drive" thread:

http://i.imgur.com/0VKjWD0.jpg

This was helpful in resolving a conflict of sources. According to the following link...

http://yourfirstvisit.net/2015/06/1...-jim-korkis-the-missing-disney-world-resorts/

...the Persian resort site was the Marginally Suitable area just north of BLT. But according to Disney's 1991 map, the actual site (designated "H4" on the map) was the current Existing Development area (parking lot and staging) north of the bend in World Drive. Forensic cartography, always fun!

Interesting how a lot of those are now existing resorts:

• H2: AKL
• H6: Pop Century/Art of Animation
• H10: Coronado Springs
• H11: All Star Sports
• H12: All Star Music
• H13: All Star Movies

The "Theme Park" north of H1 is Animal Kingdom and the "Theme Park" west of H15 is the ESPN Sports Complex.

 

[Macadamite85]

^ JohnD: Yes, and it's also interesting how H9 became Blizzard Beach

Felt like a teacher reading a research paper, and I give you and A++++

Thank you, Teach, but I think a few pluses need to come off because I missed that solar-panel Mickey head. Shucks.

 

[bjm72385]

Whoa! Just noticed that the Solar Panel Mickey Head is going into #9 "Epcot Resorts North" from the OP. Scratch one Suitable parcel!

P_Radden and JohnD: OP now with map and summary--thank you very much for your input!

I was gonna mention the solar farm, but you beat me to it! Also, what is the purple existing developments on your new map? Any way you can put the original map back on the OP with the new one?