Should DisneyWorld Build a 5th park with more emphasis on thrill rides?

[Champion]

Before they announced AK and word was out there was going to be a 4th park I was hoping for a thrill ride park to keep the teens at WDW instead of going to US ... but, alas we have AK instead.. don't get me wrong I love AK.. but a Thrill Park would work, "All Themed Rides" :wave:

And you can see how well the idea is working for Universal.

 

[elabron]

Hey, Hey!!!! What if Disney opened a ...uhhhh....Water Park? you know, with water slides and stuff...yeah..that'd be cool...!!! Like they could have a lazy river, umm, a beach, they could sell hot dogs and stuff..i mean, wow, that would be cool......
Wait, they could open a spot for shopping...like an area that is reserved for major shopping and like uhh, restaurants. They could have a Disney store, movie theatre, places like house of blues, maybe a circus, record store...yeah, that would rock.... :hammer:

Your sarcasm leaves me puzzled.........trying to find your point. :shrug:

 

[majortom1981]

um

why would disney build water parks around the country when they have 2 right in disney world?

That would go with your same statements. Plus there are more water parks that are on disneys level then theme parks. In actuality that new episode it was rumoured that disney wouldnt have been in the wtaer parks thing on the travel channel because they werent number one. I mean they would have pulled out of that show.

Disney building water parks in other states would go against what you are saying for the theme parks.

 

[Champion]

why would disney build water parks around the country when they have 2 right in disney world?

That would go with your same statements. Plus there are more water parks that are on disneys level then theme parks. In actuality that new episode it was rumoured that disney wouldnt have been in the wtaer parks thing on the travel channel because they werent number one. I mean they would have pulled out of that show.

Disney building water parks in other states would go against what you are saying for the theme parks.

No, a water park is a local thing. Not a destination. People don't travel that far to get to a water park only. And water parks are VERY inexpensive when compared to a theme park. And take up less space.

Put it this way: How many people to go Texas for ONLY Schlitterbahn? Not many. Most of their business is local. A Disney water park in an area outside of WDW and DLR would be the same way. Fun for the locals, but not a destination for others.

Now, you're going to say "Well make Great Adventure the same way." It doesn't work like that. You don't make an investment that would be in the billions of dollars to ONLY get locals. And with a Disney theme park outside of WDW and DLR, the only thing Disney would want is locals. They wouldn't want people traveling to go to another location besides those two. Its about keeping people for a week, not for one-two days. A water park is only going to wet someones Disney appetite, a full fledged theme park might very well satiate it.

 

[jmvd20]

Add more thrill rides to the existing parks, just like they have been doing. For Disney rides allegedly not attracting teens there sre as heck are a lot of teens at the parks everytime I go to WDW.

During my teenage years I loved going to Disney, we also went to Cedar Point a few times a year because of how close it is. However if I lived hundreds of miles from Cedar Point I would most likely never have gone there, WDW on the other hand - well, I'd travel around the world to get to it.

 

[speck76]

personally i think it would make disney world complete... little kids already have rule over mk, its time for teens and adults to get their park.....its just a thought guys, dont be so quick to bash it, hopefully disney will take it into consideration and have that as ioa's proposed "harry potter land" competition:sohappy:

no.

 

[Kristi Kay]

I have to agree with the poster of this thread. Disney could use a Thrill Ride park. It could still be magical and be thrill ride focused. I mean, my goodness, we have some of the most creative people in the world putting these parks together, of course it could be done! It doesn't have to be Six Flags Themeless....

I know this has been talked about many times, but it's a fantastic idea: A villian themed Thrill Ride Park. It would be perfect!

I think it would have great sucess too. ToT/RnRC/EE/SM....they ALL have lines...every single time....b/c people enjoy these rides. Plus this would bring in another group of people to the parks that may not otherwise go to disney....

 

[sknydave]

And you can see how well the idea is working for Universal.

I'd say it worked exceptionally well considering the fact that IOA has opened ONE new attraction since it first opened in 1999 (and aimed at the youngsters, no less.)


Also, a lot of you are saying that the major money is brought in by families as if thrill rides somehow alienate families? My family didn't all of a sudden stop visiting the parks when I grew to 48 inches.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

How about finishing and updating the parks they already have before squandering millions on roads and infrastructure required for a 5th gate

 

[ImaYoyo]

I'd say it worked exceptionally well considering the fact that IOA has opened ONE new attraction since it first opened in 1999 (and aimed at the youngsters, no less.)


Also, a lot of you are saying that the major money is brought in by families as if thrill rides somehow alienate families? My family didn't all of a sudden stop visiting the parks when I grew to 48 inches.

Well? Last I checked Uni's profits were in the garbage. Hence the reason GE has toyed with selling them off.

 

[ImaYoyo]

I'd say it worked exceptionally well considering the fact that IOA has opened ONE new attraction since it first opened in 1999 (and aimed at the youngsters, no less.)


Also, a lot of you are saying that the major money is brought in by families as if thrill rides somehow alienate families? My family didn't all of a sudden stop visiting the parks when I grew to 48 inches.

Point being that families on a whole don't come to a park for thrill rides. You need to take a step back and look at the big picture. Just because your family and my family enjoy those, does not mean that every family, or more importantly, the type of family that brings in the $$$, enjoys that type of park. TWDCs philosophy remains the same, quality family focused entertainment brings in the bucks. A thrill park can hardly be called "Family Focused".

 

[sknydave]

I think you are the one who needs to take a step back and read the ridiculous things you are posting. The type of family that brings in the $$$? What in the world is that supposed to mean?

 

[Lynx04]

besides adults do have their parks, Epcot and PI.

If you want more edgy rides go to Universal, that is what their niche is. There is no law against going to both resorts. Let each work their magic in the areas they excel in.

 

[ImaYoyo]

I think you are the one who needs to take a step back and read the ridiculous things you are posting. The type of family that brings in the $$$? What in the world is that supposed to mean?

Families with young children typically spend the highest average dollar amount at Walt Disney World. If you think that's rediculous, I would recommend sitting in on one of the many finance reports like the ones I held during my early days with the company.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

The reason you will never see an all thrill park in Disney is that it would not be profitable enough to provide sufficient returns. Thrill Parks (such as those owned by Cedar Fair and Six Flags) make much of their money on ticket sales and food & beverage. Disney parks make most of their money of Merchandise and Resort Sales. What kind of crowd do thrill parks attract? Primarily teens and young adults. What group spends the most money? Families with young children.

Walt Disney himself knew this from the begining, which is why he didn't build a thrill park himself. He knew that family parks would always be more profitable. And boy, was he right!

One of the best pieces of proof can be found in the Disney Institute program Team Park Challenge (If you're not familiar with DI programs, they're ways for other businesses to learn the Disney Philosophy in a team-building setting). The key to this program is building a family friendly park. Do this, and your returns will be great. But start adding too many thrills? You start to see diminishing returns.

Let's be honest. Walt was a wonderful visionary, and an AWFUL businessman. He knew what people wanted, and frequently almost put his Studio out of buisness trying it. A few times he eve nlet all of his artists get bought out by parent companies. It's lucky Roy was around in the early years, or this board might not be here. Walt built family parks because he was a conservative family man, and wanted to spend time with his children in the kind of park he built.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

How about finishing and updating the parks they already have before squandering millions on roads and infrastructure required for a 5th gate

No matter how many times....everyone is just 5th gate obsessed! Improve the parks now, and then reap the benefits later! And, for all those questioning in their heads, any Harry Potter land still won't be enough for US to really compete with the Walt Disney Resort, as current attendance figures seem to be indicating.

 

[jedimaster1227]

When they build a 5th park (not soon at all), they won't focus on thrills, as they know that their well-rounded parks are the reason that they are so different (and more popular) compared to Universal's parks. The occasional thrill ride additions for Disney are fine, but a park full of them (even though a credit-hunter like myself would dream for) wouldn't work in Disney's favor.

 

[1DisneyDad]

We live in Maryland. We are close to King's Dominion (VA), Hersey Park (PA) or Six Flags (MD). The reason we became Annual Passholders and go to FL is because of the Magic! We go to the other places but after a day we're good for a while. WDW is special!

 

[cpeterstx]

Some seem to forget...

I've seen this topic brought up many times about adding another park that is thrill-ride focused. The one thing to remember is that most theme parks build rollercoasters that have a name and maybe some minor theming. For Disney to build a theme park in the manner in which we are accustomed, they would have to build all of their thrill rides with theming throughout the ride, complimentary landscaping/set design, and line areas that are themed and decorated appropriately (think Expedition Everest).

The cost of such a theme park would be astronomical. This alone would make it fairly unlikely. Lastly, I would rather see the Imagineers plussing the other parks on a regular basis rather than building a whole new park to neglect...I mean, maintain.

 

[ssidiouss@mac.c]

A few years ago before I really fell in love with Disney World I would have said yes to build a 5th park with emphasis on thrill rides.. but now after really getting into all of the ambiance and magic that is to be found at Disney World the past few years I would vote NO. I really hope that the next disney park captures the magic and ambiance of Magic Kingdom and Epcot with more emphasis on animatronics, imaginative rides, and park ambiance than just thrill rides.