PHOTOS - New concept art shows more of what we can expect at Disney Springs

[mickeysbrother]

Well he did say this them started in the 1890's or so. Adventurer club anyone? Time line is realistic enough

Sorry Had to throw that in...

 

[71jason]

I never knew PI had a backstory and I still managed to have a few real good times there.

Its backstory had backstories. It was ridiculously elaborate. The only place where it sort of mattered, tho, was the Fireworks Factory--and that was one of the first things to close, sadly.

Why does a shopping center and cluster of restaurants even need a story? Shouldn't it just be a place to shop and eat?

Especially when said story needs to somehow explain how a giant pineapple, a giant bowling pin and a giant New Orleans shack all grew up next to one another organically.

 

[GoofGoof]

Its backstory had backstories. It was ridiculously elaborate. The only place where it sort of mattered, tho, was the Fireworks Factory--and that was one of the first things to close, sadly.



Especially when said story needs to somehow explain how a giant pineapple, a giant bowling pin and a giant New Orleans shack all grew up next to one another organically.

When you put it that way it really makes you wonder what the heck was in that water at the spring

 

[jt04]

Guests already enjoy DTD as can be seen from the crowds. This is improving on that exponentially. Good thing they still have room to grow in the future.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

You must work for Disney…and came up with the faux high line idea…. Seriously I have seen tons of lifestyle shopping centers that are made to look like old towns… wow they are going to call the drainage ditch a spring.
spectacular.

Sorry to disappoint, I don't work for Disney, do you work for Uni?....................many shopping areas are themed these days. The high line adds a special touch but that does not mean its a totally Disney idea or even new. Cities have used old elevated rail and highway sections as new shopping and people areas. With the Disney touch, the springs high line it looks like it will be a excellent addition.

I find the art work to show a unique style and presentation , head and shoulders above most others.

AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Wow if this project turns out 97% as good as the art work it is going to be an average nice lifestyle shopping center!

JHC

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so I would suggest you save your money and not visit the springs.

AKK

 

[Mouse Detective]

I'm really impressed with what they have built so far but i'm worried it will not be sustainable long term much like the case with Pleasure Island.

Pleasure Island not sustainable long term? It lasted 19 years.

 

[roj2323]

Pleasure Island not sustainable long term? It lasted 19 years.

I was of the understanding that it only lasted 10 but you are correct with 19. That said there are many venues around disney that have been there for 40+ years so I still think it was a relatively short time period for an entertainment venue built by the company.

Additionally Malls are closing at a record pace around the country so I'm worried that Disney springs may face a similar fate. Article

 

[71jason]

I was of the understanding that it only lasted 10 but you are correct with 19. That said there are many venues around disney that have been there for 40+ years so I still think it was a relatively short time period for an entertainment venue built by the company.

But it was still making good money when they closed it, too. In its current form could have done another decade. With a little bit of TLC, one refurb at a time, another 20 easily.

Additionally Malls are closing at a record pace around the country so I'm worried that Disney springs may face a similar fate. Article

This remains a silly discussion until we know what's going in there--with the right stores, DS could compete with the Premium Outlet malls or Florida Mall, both of which are doing fine. But I will say after a visit to Orlando 360 for lunch, I-Drive looks to be bringing more competition than TDO anticipated.

 

[Mouse Detective]

This remains a silly discussion until we know what's going in there--with the right stores, DS could compete with the Premium Outlet malls or Florida Mall, both of which are doing fine. But I will say after a visit to Orlando 360 for lunch, I-Drive looks to be bringing more competition than TDO anticipated.

Florida Mall lost Saks 5th Avenue and they're losing Nordstrom. The demand for luxury goods in Orlando isn't as great as some very big names thought. Is that the market Disney Springs plans to target?

 

[Stitchon]

Florida Mall lost Saks 5th Avenue and they're losing Nordstrom. The demand for luxury goods in Orlando isn't as great as some very big names thought. Is that the market Disney Springs plans to target?

The Florida Mall's problem is that it isn't conductive to luxury retail. The tenants it has, the demographic it attracts, and the aging and relatively dated mall interior do not attract the people that shop at Nordstrom or Saks. The Mall at Millenia, with its gleaming and beautiful interior, lack of obnoxious kiosks, and mostly-upscale tenant base, is thriving with brands like Prada, Versace, and Saint Laurent PLUS very successful Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus stores.

Brands want an environment that is conductive to the type of product they sell. Even the lower-echelon of upscale tenants like Anthropologie are paying close attention to where they build nowadays. If Disney wants to land truly upscale tenants, they have to think long and hard about creating an environment that supports them.

I have a feeling Disney Springs will end up more like the Anaheim Downtown Disney than anything else: accessible, tourist-oriented brands with a few upscale names like Sephora dotting the landscape. I'd genuinely love to be proven wrong.

 

[71jason]

Florida Mall lost Saks 5th Avenue and they're losing Nordstrom. The demand for luxury goods in Orlando isn't as great as some very big names thought. Is that the market Disney Springs plans to target?

You make a point, but it still has hordes of international tourists. But as Stichon points out, it's a cuththroat environment for these stores, Millenia is doing what it can to lure them away. And I still don't see how DS was going to cater to the super-luxury brands while at the same time appeasing the stroller and plush brigade. Part of why Millenia succeeds is because they aren't all-inclusive.

 

[BrerJon]

You make a point, but it still has hordes of international tourists. But as Stichon points out, it's a cuththroat environment for these stores, Millenia is doing what it can to lure them away. And I still don't see how DS was going to cater to the super-luxury brands while at the same time appeasing the stroller and plush brigade. Part of why Millenia succeeds is because they aren't all-inclusive.

I've always found it odd that the hordes of Brits and Brazilians descend on the Outlets and Florida Mall, yet leave Millenia alone, even though it's a much nicer mall and many of the stores are similar. I suspect it's because it gives the feeling of being somewhere expensive, and the whole point of those shopping bonanzas is to buy things in the USA that are much cheaper than at home.

Disney has a tough balancing act. If it goes too upscale, they miss the point of why the tourists spend so much of their Orlando vacation in malls, but on the other hand they want to create an attractive relaxation destination where people want to spend their money, and a downscale hawkers mall doesn't exactly encourage that either.

 

[71jason]

I've always found it odd that the hordes of Brits and Brazilians descend on the Outlets and Florida Mall, yet leave Millenia alone, even though it's a much nicer mall and many of the stores are similar.

I don't know, also feels fairly busy, and seems like more of an international crowd than, say, Ikea next door. But then again I rarely go to Premium and see another US native unless it's back-to-school season. Then again, in the right season I could say the same thing about Target on 192.

 

[roj2323]

I think the main difference here is the only "anchor" tenant is going to be World of Disney and quite a few of the shops will be disney owned & run boutique shops, some of which are being tested in the CoOp now. It's an interesting experiment.

 

[GoofGoof]

I think the main difference here is the only "anchor" tenant is going to be World of Disney and quite a few of the shops will be disney owned & run boutique shops, some of which are being tested in the CoOp now. It's an interesting experiment.

I thought they were looking for mostly 3rd party vendors for Disney Springs.

 

[jt04]

I thought they were looking for mostly 3rd party vendors for Disney Springs.

Oh yeah, I remember that meme being pushed by the usual propagandists.

It will be mostly third party but that is the way it was originally conceptualized. Just with a lot more Disney style this time around.

This is the path they should have taken from the begining.

 

[GoofGoof]

Oh yeah, I remember that meme being pushed by the usual propagandists.

It will be mostly third party but that is the way it was originally conceptualized. Just with a lot more Disney style this time around.

This is the path they should have taken from the begining.

So it's 3rd party vendors selling Disney stuff? I'm more confused now.

 

[lazyboy97o]

So it's 3rd party vendors selling Disney stuff? I'm more confused now.

Disney wants third party operators but failed to attract any, resulting in the deaths of the "bold, new vision" and Hyperion Wharf (both of which Mr. "Propagandists" above claimed were going to be awesome because he can read tea leaves or some such nonsense). People doubt how much third party support Disney can attract with even more retail space, and therefore less exclusivity, when they have failed to sign many over the past several years be it at Downtown Disney or Flamingo Crossing. Disney was also rather forward about Marketplace CoOp being a place where they are testing retail concepts.

 

[GoofGoof]

Disney wants third party operators but failed to attract any, resulting in the deaths of the "bold, new vision" and Hyperion Wharf (both of which Mr. "Propagandists" above claimed were going to be awesome because he can read tea leaves or some such nonsense). People doubt how much third party support Disney can attract with even more retail space, and therefore less exclusivity, when they have failed to sign many over the past several years be it at Downtown Disney or Flamingo Crossing. Disney was also rather forward about Marketplace CoOp being a place where they are testing retail concepts.

I guess I haven't been paying much attention to the Disney Springs news. So the new stores at Disney Springs are going to be additional Disney owned and operated stores? In the original press release didn't they talk about doubling the retail and dining locations? That's a lot of new Disney souvenir shops. Has the size/scope of the project changed? So far all I remember seeing released publicly are the restaurants where PI was.