Will ANYTHING ever happen to Discovery Island?

[Master Yoda]

I see what your saying, but I have to imagine Disney doesn’t like owning real estate assets that don’t generate profit and sit there.

I guess you could make the argument that Disney should just let it rot, but I have to imagine the department that is responsible for managing all of the real estate assets that Disney owns want to ensure they are utilizing every square inch the best they can.

So type of innovation would have to be done to make transportation more efficient, but I can’t imagine Disney is just willfully happy that it’s not be used to generate income.

Why would a company spend 100 times if not more the cost to develop an 11.5 acre island when it has thousands of acres available that can be developed at a fraction of the cost with zero of the logistical, infrastructure, or ADA issues?

Developing Discovery Island is at best a romantic/nostalgic notion that would make about as much financial sense as lighting a pile of cash on fire.

 

[Ayla]

I see what your saying, but I have to imagine Disney doesn’t like owning real estate assets that don’t generate profit and sit there.

I guess you could make the argument that Disney should just let it rot, but I have to imagine the department that is responsible for managing all of the real estate assets that Disney owns want to ensure they are utilizing every square inch the best they can.

So type of innovation would have to be done to make transportation more efficient, but I can’t imagine Disney is just willfully happy that it’s not be used to generate income.

It's been rotting for over 25 years. They've never been too concerned with leaving real estate assets empty and left to rot. Look at WoL, Stitch and at least a dozen more examples of empty buildings they've left.

 

[Quietmouse]

It's been rotting for over 25 years. They've never been too concerned with leaving real estate assets empty and left to rot. Look at WoL, Stitch and at least a dozen more examples of empty buildings they've left.

I guess it also depends who is ceo and running the show right? Every leader has different priorities.

 

[Ayla]

I guess it also depends who is ceo and running the show right? Every leader has different priorities.

Well, they've been through 3 CEO's since it closed and none of them had bring back Discovery Island from rot as a priority.

 

[Bocabear]

I guess it also depends who is ceo and running the show right? Every leader has different priorities.

No, no one would think it was a good idea to run a skyliner from the Magic Kingdom to Discovery Island... It is a romantic notion but completely not feasible...under anyone's command.

 

[Quietmouse]

No, no one would think it was a good idea to run a skyliner from the Magic Kingdom to Discovery Island... It is a romantic notion but completely not feasible...under anyone's command.

I was talking more in line of just using discovery island property again even if it’s just a fancy resort.

 

[John park hopper]

Why would a company spend 100 times if not more the cost to develop an 11.5 acre island when it has thousands of acres available that can be developed at a fraction of the cost with zero of the logistical, infrastructure, or ADA issues?

Developing Discovery Island is at best a romantic/nostalgic notion that would make about as much financial sense as lighting a pile of cash on fire.

They have thousands of acres but don't develop --they just use the same space tear something out put something in or abandon it

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

Disney has so much land to develop that doesn't have the drawbacks of an island. I would be surprised if we see a Discovery Island development within our lifetimes.

Reimagined to Tom Sawyers Island with all of the good, original stuff the crybabies took out

 

[Streetway]

No, it won’t.

 

[JD80]

They have thousands of acres but don't develop --they just use the same space tear something out put something in or abandon it

What do you think the cost differential is between un-developed marginally unsuitable land and unoptimized developed land with underlying infrastructure in place?

 

[Dead2009]

They have thousands of acres but don't develop --they just use the same space tear something out put something in or abandon it

Isn't some of that land wetlands too? It's not like they can just go ahead and be like "HERES MORE STUFF".

 

[CJR]

I'm a but surprised they haven't gone the "Operating Participant" route. I'm sure many third parties would drool at the chance if Disney doesn't want to.

It's a unique usable space near MK so you'd think someone out there would be interested in it, if Disney's not.

 

[Master Yoda]

I am surprised no one has considered that Disney might have discovered that after 25 years of operation, DI was an absolute nightmare to build, run, and maintain, and shutting it down was the only logical decision.

It might also explain why every proposal for the island since its closure has been shelved.

 

[Moth]

EPCOT is going on 25 years of one empty facility and 17 on another, plus Stitch. If it were that much of a concern for them I think we would have seen movement on all of those by now since they're within active parks. Discovery Island is out of sight & out of mind.

Odyssey and WoL?

 

[donsullivan]

With today's life-safety requirements for occupancy, that space isn't going to be developed unless it is connected to land via either bridge or land bridge for immediate access of fire and ambulance vehicles without delay as well as deliveries. At that point it ceases to be an island and is just a peninsula along the edge of Bay Lake. It's just not enough land to bother with that level of investment, just to say you reused that small piece of 'land'.

 

[KDM31091]

I assume Discovery Island is very low on the priority list, if it's on it at all. It's visible, but not the same kind of visible as something inside the parks, and there's also no way to tell just by glancing at it that it's anything other than an overgrown "normal" island in the water, nothing more. I'd assume 99% of guests have no clue it used to be an attraction.

You also have access issues, relatively small size, realistically there is only so much they could do with it even if they wanted to. It doesn't support much other than what it was, just basically a low key zoological exhibit type of thing, and it would be difficult to market it as, of course, why not just go to Animal Kingdom? (That's part of why it closed to begin with)

It is a fun idea to think of them using the space again, but I don't know how many realistic uses there are for it, if any.

 

[marni1971]

I was talking more in line of just using discovery island property again even if it’s just a fancy resort.

Think of the logistics for a resort. It would make Starcruiser look like a motel.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Odyssey and WoL?

Image Works, Odyssey really isn’t abandoned anymore with the regular festival use and whatnot

 

[Goofyernmost]

Not to worry, in a surprisingly short time it will be underwater. In the meantime it would be a good place for the government to build that prison they were talking about. Between the water and the gators, it would be pretty secure. As an added feature for punishment they could pipe in the music from Small World constantly.

 

[Rhinocerous]

Not to worry, in a surprisingly short time it will be underwater. In the meantime it would be a good place for the government to build that prison they were talking about. Between the water and the gators, it would be pretty secure. As an added feature for punishment they could pipe in the music from Small World constantly.

The Geneva convention likely prohibits that.