Will the demise of the Eastern Gateway at Disneyland be a death blow for businesses on Harbor? - OCR

[flynnibus]

The eastern gate is a lot more than the pedestrian access! This is Disney moving its knight piece... not Disney calling checkmate. That bus terminal represents a huge amount of space that doesn't disappear because you build more garages... it has to be somewhere. And space (and people moving capacity from nearby areas) is already constrained.

The west side of Disney is still a barren wasteland compared to harbor because access is so poor. Where in this presentation did Disney show any hints of improving access from the west? Are they going to cut right through the DLH with a peoplemover?? . It's a LONG way from the esplanade to walnut street (half mile or more..).

Disney is pinched to the west... and BoH constrains them to the north (and traffic access).

Where is the space for reclaiming all the services used by the eastern access today? Where is the space for new western access? And then building it big enough to handle the expansions?

 

[Texas84]

I'm another who doesn't see this impacting Harbor at all. If they close the Harbor entrance those cheaper hotels just get an ART stop. ART won't go away.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Seriously? They need those guests in the parks as well. They might fantasize about that, but it would be a very bad business move.

If Disney does this they will give another option. They'll need to move the bus drop of area somewhere. Perhaps in the Simba lot. The Harbor hotels will be forced to increase their operating costs by providing bus transport.

 

[Stevek]

I think it has little if any impact on Harbor. The folks that would stay there, like me, are unlikely to change their spending habits and shell out what Disney asks for their rooms. These are the value and moderate resorts where Disney has chosen not to play and there will always be a demand for those.

 

[Curious Constance]

but Bob Iger seems to have lost my phone number.

I had nothing to do with that, I SWEAR.

 

[Antaundra]

I think it has little if any impact on Harbor. The folks that would stay there, like me, are unlikely to change their spending habits and shell out what Disney asks for their rooms. These are the value and moderate resorts where Disney has chosen not to play and there will always be a demand for those.

It won't have any effect on the hotels but it would have an effect on the restaurants. The restaurants benefit from easy access for guests leaving the park to eat. those restaurants are neither the cheapest nor the best options outside of the park. Why would anyone choose to eat there if they weren't convenient?

 

[Stevek]

It won't have any effect on the hotels but it would have an effect on the restaurants. The restaurants benefit from easy access for guests leaving the park to eat. those restaurants are neither the cheapest nor the best options outside of the park. Why would anyone choose to eat there if they weren't convenient?

Do we know for sure that guests still can't leave the parks and access Harbor? If they can, I'm not sure how that changes anything for those restaurant.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Harbor Boulevard, piece of crap that it is, is like the International Drive of Anaheim and the area surrounding the parking garage is a worse disaster. People aren't going to abandon cheaper hotels, food and CVS because Disney adds additional parking on the other side of the resort. The Toy Story lot is incredibly efficient compared to the current parking garage. During the summer, when Haunted Mansion was still its normal self and I could just swagger in and out of it, I could show up to the Toy Story parking lot at any time and walk onto a bus with no wait and get dropped off in front of the Magic Kingdom. Meanwhile, the poor saps parking in the garage are still taking the ferryboat or monorail, if you catch my drift.

Have I mentioned I miss The Haunted Mansion lately?

Yes, I'm drunk.

 

[Kiwiduck]

I had nothing to do with that, I SWEAR.

I wouldn't believe you otherwise but your profile picture proves that your bond with Bob has been broken.

 

[truecoat]

Seriously? They need those guests in the parks as well. They might fantasize about that, but it would be a very bad business move.

Right, but they could use shuttles like the other hotels.

 

[truecoat]

If Disney does this they will give another option. They'll need to move the bus drop of area somewhere. Perhaps in the Simba lot. The Harbor hotels will be forced to increase their operating costs by providing bus transport.

The Harbor hotels would lose a lot of money. They'd no longer be able to charge the rates they can being on Disneyland's door step.

 

[Furiated]

The Harbor hotels would lose a lot of money. They'd no longer be able to charge the rates they can being on Disneyland's door step.

This. We always stay at the Best Western right across from the entrance. If Harbor pedestrian access is closed and the Best Western adds a free shuttle, I’m not still booking there, I’m switching to whatever offsite hotel now has the closest walking access to the new main pedestrian entrance.

 

[flynnibus]

Still think the idea that Disney would close their east side access to harbor sidewalks is insane. What Disney is doing with traffic from the interstates really has little to do with this access on the east. Parking moving.. sure... but Harbor's purpose extends beyond what the EG was to add.

Might as well talk about 'what if there was a red dawn invasion of disneyland'. It's not happening.

 

[BrianLo]

I don't think this effects Harbor in the least. It is what they wanted, status quo. There won't be some great volume reduction in the East and they will never in a million years close off that gate.

What the Harbor businesses didn't realize that there was a plan in there that could have been a real boon. One to drag out of Disney - Essentially creating an entire pedestrian shopping and dining egress on the back side of Harbor.

Currently no one taking hotel or Disney transport actually has to cross over to Harbor, nor does half the foot traffic who'd rather walk down the opposite side of the street unencumbered (myself included). They could have forced volumes of guests much closer to their businesses or actually right by them.

Instead they were so damned focused on maintaining the status quo, that they've for the moment lost out on an opportunity to force more guests towards their businesses, on BOTH sides.

 

[truecoat]

Still think the idea that Disney would close their east side access to harbor sidewalks is insane. What Disney is doing with traffic from the interstates really has little to do with this access on the east. Parking moving.. sure... but Harbor's purpose extends beyond what the EG was to add.

Might as well talk about 'what if there was a red dawn invasion of disneyland'. It's not happening.

You've put this pretty much at a zero percent. As they say, never say never.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Seriously? They need those guests in the parks as well. They might fantasize about that, but it would be a very bad business move.

If their ultimate goal is to be as uncooperative as possible and anger everyone and their grandmother I can't think of a better way to do it.

 

[5thGenTexan]

If the businesses on the East side are worried, they should increase the quality of the food they serve. If I remember correctly, they're all really lousy quick service restaurants that make you regret leaving Disneyland to eat at- and are only profitable because of the large number of tourists who don't know better.

Mimi's Café is not "lousy" not did we have any regrets about meals there. It was nice to have an easy place with decent food at a reasonable price.

 

[DLR92]

Mimi's Café is not "lousy" not did we have any regrets about meals there. It was nice to have an easy place with decent food at a reasonable price.

Agreed. But on the other hand...Captain Kidds, worst eating establishment.

 

[Phroobar]

Agreed. But on the other hand...Captain Kidds, worst eating establishment.

That honor belongs to Tiffs. It was voted most likely to get food poisoning if you can get someone to take your order.

 

[5thGenTexan]

Agreed. But on the other hand...Captain Kidds, worst eating establishment.

We stayed at the HoJo, so Mimi's Café made sense. We walked by the other places but decided against them.