Only a "Fool" Would Believe the 5th Park is Near...

[doctornick]

Rather than go with a regular 5th gate, I would agree with others that improving/building up the existing gates (DHS, Epcot and DAK will all still need work even beyond any announced additions and MK could benefit from some renovations or additions as well). We are a while away from a 5th gate being needed or warranted.

I do think, however, that WDW would benefit from another smaller draw like the water parks. They could use a replacement for Disneyquest (once it finally closes its doors in the future). I really don't know what sort of concept would be ideal, but something that would be viewed as a good add on to a week (or more) visit to WDW. Not another water park, but something unique. Like maybe some sort of indoor adventure park with climbing, zip lines, rock walls, but also more smaller kid friendly stuff like bounce area/trampolines. perhaps also with indoor laser tag and/or mini golf. I know these are all things that you can find in some degree in most cities, but if it were done on an epic scale with high quality theming/story, I think it would potentially be quite popular and offer something quite different from other activities at WDW.

 

[Speedy71]

They can't even get a night show to work these days I'm not holding my breath for a 5th theme park anytime soon

Heck they can't even schedule a proper refurb for the rides they already have. Adding a 5th park is rubbing salt on the wound.

 

[Brad Bishop]

It's honestly so upsetting, does anyone know what prompted TWDC to want to build SDL when they could've easily spent that money on improving WDW?

It really smacks as "Legacy" stuff for Iger, to me. Eisner did it with DLP. Eisner at least expanded/kept up WDW during the 1990s.

I think there's a mindset that no one will remember the CEO if you just kept things up, did a bit of expansions (updated the parks and all that) but they WILL remember the park that YOU built!

 

[Brad Bishop]

None of the real insiders who would know have said anything about a video game park. It's baseless speculation based on the Nintendo announcement. I think you would be surprised at how many girls play video games. Nintendo also doesn't need to go mobile and here's a good read that explains it http://www.wired.com/2014/01/nintendo-mobile/. They just need to make their next console much better than the Wii U and do whatever they can to prevent the same droughts between releases that plagued the Wii U.

The Wii U actually is a pretty good console. If you're comparing specs then, no, it falls short. If you're just talking about some fun games, it's actually pretty good.

The biggest problems:
- When they announced it everyone thought, myself included, that it was some game pad thingy/expansion for the Wii.
- The name is stupid and confuses people.
- The console looks like a Wii, further confusing things.
- They annoyed the 3rd party folks, which isn't good.

It's not going to recover and was a pretty huge screw-up but the console, itself, doesn't really suck, nor do the games. It's largely a marketing issue. Conversely, the Wii kind of sucked (one trick pony with the motion controls and casual gaming) and it was a huge seller. The GameCube was also really good and it's sales were lacking (games on the GameCube are generally pretty good).

 

[Goofyernmost]

It really smacks as "Legacy" stuff for Iger, to me. Eisner did it with DLP. Eisner at least expanded/kept up WDW during the 1990s.

I think there's a mindset that no one will remember the CEO if you just kept things up, did a bit of expansions (updated the parks and all that) but they WILL remember the park that YOU built!

I won't, and I would venture to think that most people do not. No one gives a snot who was in charge when these things happen. The only legacy available here is that of one Walter E. Disney. All the rest have just been wannabe's. I'm sure if you surveyed people as they left WDW and asked them who built the park, it would be the Disney Company. To the average guests, who runs Disney is of no concern. Every one of them, since Walt's death, have been a legend in their own minds. Sadly, for them, no one else's.

 

[RobbinsDad]

That would be really cool! They could even do like a castle on each side? They could have the main entry way, then on your left would be Aurora's Castle on the left and Maleficents on the right? Then they could meet in the middle on a stage of some sort? An interactive park would also be kinda cool, where the whole park is cursed and everyone who enters gets split up into teams and they all have to work together throughout the day to save the kingdom, and then at the end of the night the castle's curse would clear in a gathering of all the guests? That would have to be really strategically planned and probably really unlikely but it just sounded like a cool idea

I'll concur, and if they really want to cut into Universal this could be primarily thrill-ride based. Think of the demographic - teens and adults would flock to this world, but probably not as much families with young children (although surely there will still be many). Sound like any other theme parks you know of in the general area?

 

[Siren]

Disney has a new app/game called "Magic Kingdoms." The premise is that Maleficent has cast a dark spell over the Disney Parks and it needs to be restored. This sounds vaguely similar to Shadowlands/Beastly Kingdom, aka, a park centered around the Disney villains.

Judging by the game, the concept is still out there. Now Disney "just" needs to build it for real.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftDYHM&hl=en

Wow, that looks really cool -- I just wish it wasn't an app. Like, how many freaking gems do you have to buy to build anything worthwhile? I just wish you could purchase the game outright.

Sorry meant that as a snarky joke, #FAIL my bad

LOL. I knew you were joking!

Sorry I just don't buy it. I see NO way disney reacts at all to Universal, third gate or not, as they are playing catch up, not Disney. My gut says the most we can hope for is one more phase in DHS other than TSL and SWE, and some work put in Epcot. I also think there is more chance of additions to MK before Epcot, just gut feeling.

SWE will take in a ton, an absolute TON of people in, done right nor not. So unless Universal creates a third gate that is totally in vogue, it won't matter a bit.

Just my point of view, but I think @Siren is way off.

I used to argue against a fifth park all the time. However, I changed my mind after news of Universal building a third park.

And, I don't think Star Wars Land will take in a *ton* of people -- it's only getting like *two* rides. Big whoop -- in a park that has barely any rides to begin with. This is a zero sum game as Star Wars will attract a *ton* of new visitors as well. It just doesn't seem like enough.

 

[OvertheHorizon]

I hate the idea of a value engineered anything.

I prefer to think that my idea is "value added." If Disney could develop a less expensive park that would be appreciated by parents and their young children (too small to ride the expensively engineered rides), and at the same time draw that component away from a seriously crowded Magic Kingdom (thus making that park a better experience for its audience), then it becomes a win-win for Disney and its customers.

 

[Phicinfan]

I used to argue against a fifth park all the time. However, I changed my mind after news of Universal building a third park.

And, I don't think Star Wars Land will take in a *ton* of people -- it's only getting like *two* rides. Big whoop -- in a park that has barely any rides to begin with. This is a zero sum game as Star Wars will attract a *ton* of new visitors as well. It just doesn't seem like enough.

Two rides won't matter. SW is a huge draw, for young and old. Too big a draw to not be a huge draw. I would think it will be very close to HP draw. If this is true, the need for a fifth gate is rediculous. And the pairing down of TSL would make sense as it is only to help pull some traffic from SWE.

Add to the two rides some other themeing and a more inclusive world and you have fandom gold. To think otherwise is really naive in my opinion.

 

[brb1006]

Wow, that looks really cool -- I just wish it wasn't an app. Like, how many freaking gems do you have to buy to build anything worthwhile? I just wish you could purchase the game outright.


LOL. I knew you were joking!

I used to argue against a fifth park all the time. However, I changed my mind after news of Universal building a third park.

And, I don't think Star Wars Land will take in a *ton* of people -- it's only getting like *two* rides. Big whoop -- in a park that has barely any rides to begin with. This is a zero sum game as Star Wars will attract a *ton* of new visitors as well. It just doesn't seem like enough.

That would have been a great game for a console.

 

[JassiSidhu2000]

Threads like this surely belong in a 'fatansy board'.

 

[jmmc]

A major draw to Universal, as well all know, has been Harry Potter. Not that there's nothing else in the park, but for some people that became the main reason to go. Then there were some reasons to stay. While I think there could've been some expansion sooner, don't underestimate the Star Wars Land draw, and even Toy Story Land, both of which will make DHS into a park you have to visit. They will need to continue updating once those two open, and hopefully Epcot will be in their crosshairs next.

 

[Mike S]

A major draw to Universal, as well all know, has been Harry Potter. Not that there's nothing else in the park, but for some people that became the main reason to go. Then there were some reasons to stay. While I think there could've been some expansion sooner, don't underestimate the Star Wars Land draw, and even Toy Story Land, both of which will make DHS into a park you have to visit. They will need to continue updating once those two open, and hopefully Epcot will be in their crosshairs next.

Star Wars? Yes. Toy Story? No. Why? Just look at the other two parks that got it. The big draws that came after are what brought people in.

 

[UpAllNight]

Star Wars? Yes. Toy Story? No. Why? Just look at the other two parks that got it. The big draws that came after are what brought people in.

Toy Story will absolutely draw a huge amount of people to the park.

It probably won't bring them back once they've experienced what it is, but that's another point. Most people don't do in depth research in these things. Wow a land all about Toy Story, I love Toy Story! Let's go...

 

[Siren]

Two rides won't matter. SW is a huge draw, for young and old. Too big a draw to not be a huge draw. I would think it will be very close to HP draw. If this is true, the need for a fifth gate is rediculous. And the pairing down of TSL would make sense as it is only to help pull some traffic from SWE.

Add to the two rides some other themeing and a more inclusive world and you have fandom gold. To think otherwise is really naive in my opinion.

I totally misunderstood what you meant when you said "SWE will take in a ton, an absolute TON of people in".

I thought you were talking about *capacity* not crowds. I know Star Wars is going to be a huge draw -- I just question whether two rides will be enough for Star Wars Land. I know Toy Story Land is supposed to ease capacity -- but, I don't see this area drawing in the Star Wars crowd to being with, hopefully it will.

That would have been a great game for a console.

I know, talk about a missed opportunity. I just don't know how much longer consoles will even last because selling coins and gems is way more profitable. I hate how gaming has changed because even Nintendo up-sells extra levels, characters and cars for their games now. But, it's still than buying all those coins and gems for the app games.