Will there ever be a 5th gate?...

[SydneyFalco]

1) There wont be a fifth park for a LOOOOONNNNGG time. I can't see the brass doing anything but tinkering until their business model is forced to change.

2) There really SHOULD be a fifth park, or at least a majour expansion of one the existing parks, and I mean pronto, considering the amount of rooms they have now. It's pretty irresponsible.

3) I'd prefer (and I'm probably alone in this) a somewhat more "toney" park, definitely not a Universal clone. Along the lines of EPCOT more than anything else. Perhaps an historical theme park, or something built on timeless literature, myths and culture. I don't need more modern, cluttered, cynical, flashy s*** in my life.

And, shoot, you can always figure out a way to fit in a roller coaster.

 

[StuZioCardyni]

yeah it really MUST NOT be a universal clone...what's the point if it being disney if it was...by that I mean, Something both children and adults can enjoy TOGETHER!!!!! That's the disney way

 

[ilovethisplace]

I can see a 5th gate when the long rumored separation of FW and WS at Epcot happens. 2 gates at Epcot and 3 additional parks is 5 by my count.

 

[BRERALEX]

Should there be a fifth park?

At first I used to fall in line under the response that no there shouldn’t be a fifth park because management should be focusing on “fixing” the two current half day parks they already have. (I consider The Studios and AK half-day parks. I am in and I am out)

But now I’m thinking that perhaps a fifth gate wouldn’t be bad for my own selfish reasons. The Studios to me are a half day park and also designed very poorly. But out of The Studios I enjoy, MV3D, ToT, RnR to an extent, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and TSM.

Out of AK I enjoy It’s Tough to be a Bug (the show and the architecture of the Tree of Life), Festival of the Lion King and Kali River Rapids. Kilimanjaro Safari’s was terrible the last time.

Anyways a fifth gate just by mere accident would have to give us at least 2-4 new awesome attractions. Disney doesn’t seem willing to really build a full day park anymore evidenced by their most recent ones aside from Tokyo Disneysea.

Will there be a fifth park?

Probably some suit will give a great powerpoint presentation showing “proof” that adding a fifth gate will increase guests stay on property and eventually the green light will be given. Aside from the what I would assume is a small amount of people stay longer then a week or longer then 10 days, doesn’t some variable on the law of diminishing returns come into play eventually?

Four parks now. Average trip is a week? If the average trip is a week and we can assume that Epcot and Magic Kingdom take two days to see and we can say Animal Kingdom and The Studios take one day to see aren’t people already taking 6 days to see Walt Disneyworld? If people normally go 7-10 days they are already leaving room to see their favorite parks more. Adding a fifth park I don’t think would necessarily increase the average trip already to more days.

I don’t think the people that want to spend X amount of days at MK Epcot AK or The Studios will add another day onto their trips to see a fifth park. We can say people will take more trips per year to the parks but I think the Pixie Dusted frequent guests are already going as many times as they can afford. A fifth park isn’t going to get the one time a year person or the once every couple of years person to go more frequently.

I don’t think there is any point to a fifth park in Florida. Only reason I want one is to get maybe another 2-4 attractions that I see as park selling attractions.

 

[chartle]

Will there be a fifth park?

Probably some suit will give a great powerpoint presentation showing “proof” that adding a fifth gate will increase guests stay on property and eventually the green light will be given. Aside from the what I would assume is a small amount of people stay longer then a week or longer then 10 days, doesn’t some variable on the law of diminishing returns come into play eventually?

Four parks now. Average trip is a week? If the average trip is a week and we can assume that Epcot and Magic Kingdom take two days to see and we can say Animal Kingdom and The Studios take one day to see aren’t people already taking 6 days to see Walt Disneyworld? If people normally go 7-10 days they are already leaving room to see their favorite parks more. Adding a fifth park I don’t think would necessarily increase the average trip already to more days.

I don’t think the people that want to spend X amount of days at MK Epcot AK or The Studios will add another day onto their trips to see a fifth park. We can say people will take more trips per year to the parks but I think the Pixie Dusted frequent guests are already going as many times as they can afford. A fifth park isn’t going to get the one time a year person or the once every couple of years person to go more frequently.

I don’t think there is any point to a fifth park in Florida. Only reason I want one is to get maybe another 2-4 attractions that I see as park selling attractions.

I was going to say basically the same thing.

Disney has spent millions of $s doing market research that tells them something like that a family of two parents and 2.36 children visits WDW every two years and spends an average of 6.3 days starting on Sunday and they spend 1.93 days at the MK, 1.53 days at at Epcot, .73 days at DHS and .72 days at AK (you know I'm just making these numbers up but you get the point)

I don't see how a family could fit another park into that schedule oh and also go to a Water park or DQ. If they can't lengthen their vacation the new park would just cannibalize the other existing parks.

There's only one way around this problem we have to add another day to the week. and don't think my genius sons (they are very advanced in math and physics, I mean scarily advanced) isn't working on such a riddle.

There is one major problem with adding a day to the week, we would have to (besides all the space time continuum stuff) work a six day week to get 2 days off. Of course we could work it around the other way and have 3 days weekends all the time.

 

[BRERALEX]

Wow I totally forgot the water parks duh!

 

[JDinCO]

They may add on after DCA is finished. But I think it will be to AK or DHS.

 

[YoHo]

There are recent rumors about goings on in Disney Management with regards to a fifth gate. More substantial rumors than bus driver rumors if you will.
http://www.july171955.com/vBulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=1221

 

[StuZioCardyni]

I know it's a little off topic but it's one of my little crusades. Other than it closing earlier than the others you can get so much more out of AK a long as you throw away the attitude that so many people at Disney have, of hitting attractions and planning everything to the last second.

It goes for all of Disney but especially AK...If you've been more than, lets say, twice STOP PLANNING and just walk around. Make a point of not following the classic attraction routes and see what you find.

AK is just about fine as it is, the park they REALLY need to work on is Hollywood Studios. If they get it right it could be an incredible park...They've already got an amazing atmosphere there with all the street performers but they need to adjust some things because they rushed building it in the first place (particularly the whole area by the back lot tour)...If they're smart and do it well it will be AMAZING!

I'm really growing to the idea of an expanded World Showcase, with some proper rides (not that I don't love Maelstrom) and some hotels as part of the new pavilions.

 

[StuZioCardyni]

There needs to be a fully themed and operational Broadway section. A working theater showing songs from the shows, with real shops and restaurants. The theming needs to be really rich, like the better pavilions in world showcase. The studios also need a few more hands on attractions...produce your own TV show kinda idea...where guests become the camera operators and work on the lighting and directing etc and afterwards they get a dvd of their efforts. yes all this will cost money but it will make the studios a proper park...it has soooo much potential but it never quite gets there.

 

[MarylandPirate]

The Adventurers Club would be a perfect addition to Hollywood Studios.

 

[YoHo]

The studios has and has always had big problems.

It starts with the layout. It is designed really really poorly. None of the logic and planning that went into MK and Epcot is seen here. Streets dead end, things are illogical.

And then you have the problem that they killed all the attractions that vaguly fit the theme in the name of synergy.


People always talk about seeing Animal Kingdom differently than other theme parks. That's all well and good, but clearly none of the "normal" non-fanatics are doing that or Disney wouldn't have such a problem with the place.

No, Animal Kingdom is a problem child. It is not intuitive to the guest how to get the most out of the place. That is a problem.

 

[StuZioCardyni]

The studios has and has always had big problems.

It starts with the layout. It is designed really really poorly. None of the logic and planning that went into MK and Epcot is seen here. Streets dead end, things are illogical.

And then you have the problem that they killed all the attractions that vaguly fit the theme in the name of synergy.


People always talk about seeing Animal Kingdom differently than other theme parks. That's all well and good, but clearly none of the "normal" non-fanatics are doing that or Disney wouldn't have such a problem with the place.

No, Animal Kingdom is a problem child. It is not intuitive to the guest how to get the most out of the place. That is a problem.

I completely agree, the trouble is i'm a bit of a disney elitist...people simply don't understand what disney is about, not that I believe the majority of guests will ever, ever change It's the one things I don't like about WDW Guests who just don't get it lol

 

[Imagineer_Tech]

I want a DisneySea for Florida, and we need to go back and give DisneyLand the WestCot that never was. A Florida DisneySea would be amazing.

 

[MJMcBride]

There will never be a true 5th park. Perhaps a high end, boutique park but not a major park. It makes zero financial sense

 

[MJMcBride]

The Adventurers Club would be a perfect addition to Hollywood Studios.

I like it better in DAK perhaps, Camp Minnie Mickey or even Africa

 

[StuZioCardyni]

Yeah I've decided a 5th gate would be silly until they've sorted the others (see my hollywood studios thread)

so yeah, start with HS then move on to AK and once they're truly worthy disney parks, then we'll see

and none of this is to say I don't love HS or AK, they're amazing, but they're children that could do SO much more...just like the two older children do

 

[yitbos96bb]

Never Mind

 

[yitbos96bb]

The studios has and has always had big problems.

It starts with the layout. It is designed really really poorly. None of the logic and planning that went into MK and Epcot is seen here. Streets dead end, things are illogical.

And then you have the problem that they killed all the attractions that vaguly fit the theme in the name of synergy.


People always talk about seeing Animal Kingdom differently than other theme parks. That's all well and good, but clearly none of the "normal" non-fanatics are doing that or Disney wouldn't have such a problem with the place.

No, Animal Kingdom is a problem child. It is not intuitive to the guest how to get the most out of the place. That is a problem.

The other problem is there is no room to expand in the studios. DAK at least has a TON of land to expand.

 

[mackay_j]

The only way a 5th park will be brought on line for discussion at the moment is if it can improve the finacial standing of wdw, as that will be the main focus for the short/medium term. To do this the 5th park would have to be something that they can charge a lot of extra money for (thus not be 'doable' on a normal disney ticket) and its remit would also include encourging people to revist that have not gone back to DWD for a while. Discovery cove met these requirements for the Seaworld parks. Disney would have to come up with a similar thing to compete. I think what ever it is would also house another highend theme hotel perhaps even within it.