Disney 5th Park?

[brunette8706]

Hi All!

With Magic Kingdom opening 1971, EPCOT 1982, Hollywood Studios 1988, Animal Kingdom 1998, do you think their will be another park? It seems like Disney's trend was approimately every 10 years to open a new park, which was great! I did see on the travel channel last year that Disney was thinking of the possibility of opening it's 5th park. Maybe they should stop building less DVC's and hotels and open another park???

What do you think?

Brunette

 

[feezle]

Improve DHS first.

 

[21hearts]

I would love another park. Will it happen? Who knows. Maybe Disney is secretly planning it out now.... Or maybe not.

 

[brunette8706]

Improve DHS first.

*
Hi! I see what you are saying. I think there are few things (attractions) there that are stuck in the 80's. Put different (updated) movie star hand prints in front of the movie ride, Update BodyWars, update Indiana Jones. DHS needs an icon instead of the hat in my opinion. Maybe something that is interactive?? You do make a valid point.

Brunette

 

[dmank]

Improve DHS first.

Awww -- That's my favorite Park because it is so laid back and easy.

 

[chartle]

Here is my standard reply.

Disney will build a fifth park when they can either get families to stay longer on vacation, good luck with that, or figure out how to add at least one day to the week, maybe easier .

Disney knows that a family of 2 adults and 2.2 children visit WDW for an average of I would say 6 days. With 4 parks, two that most will say take 2 days each, 2 water parks and DTD, how could you fit another park into that schedule? If a new park just steals visitors from other parks it just adds more to Disney's overhead without adding to revenue.

OK you may say what about all the people who have been there and want something new. Well people have posted that for 70% of visitors its their first and maybe only trip. So nothing is stale to them.

Disney's money is much better spent adding more attractions to parks that most here consider "half day parks" like DHS and AK or building parks in world wide untapped markets.

Also I think there was never any 10 year between parks plan. MK and Epcot where planned by Walt. They most likely waited for MK to get established and maybe also for the infrastructure outside the park to grow before building Epcot. DHS was built and open, too early, to compete with US IOA. Then AK came along when I guess someone high up said lets do an animal park, maybe to compete with Sea World.

As I said there is a limit and 4 parks seems to be it.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I will say it is unlikely at this point. With MK on both US coasts expanding (fantasyland and Radiator Springs) and a new ship due in 2012, they just dont have the finances right now for construction. That said, they could easily be working on the plans for a 5th gate to begin construction in a few years.

 

[Funwith4kids]

Doubt it since they don't need to based upon occupancy levels (Peeps keep on coming for the existing parks!!!). As a PP stated, an add'l park will take away from existing parks (e.g. DHS) which will not drive tons more add'l revenue - just add'l cost.

With that said, I think they could do more with the expansions and updates of existing parks that will keep folks coming back more often. For example, for as much as we love DHS for the attractions the shows are not refreshed to bring back repeat visitors to DHS. IMO, it is the RnR, TSM, ToT that bring some folks back. For example, they could do different versions of LMA in the morning and afternoon. Just a thought....

 

[W.E.D.]

While I would enjoy having a new Disney park to visit, I think most of the pp's are correct. We wont see it any time soon.

IMO, they should spend the money on the parks they have now.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

There are numerous threads about 5th parks, speculation on planned, nixed past plans, etc on the rumor board.

I would love another park but feel that major additions to existings parks would be a better improvement, as well as be more cost effective.

 

[Colleen27]

I think Chartle hits the nail on the head as far as the biggest argument against a 5th gate - most families only have so much vacation time and can't or won't come for longer than a week, so there's no reason for another park.

Personally, I'd rather see them update, expand, and utilize the "dead space" in the existing parks rather than build a new park and leave the others unimproved. DHS is in desperate need of another all-ages, wide-appeal attraction to take some of the pressure off of Toy Story Mania. Animal Kingdom has ample room for expansion and could use another actual ride or two. And Epcot has the Body Wars pavilion just sitting empty, as well as the dated Captain EO show running in a theatre that is begging for something new and state-of-the-art.

I think the Magic Kingdom projects point in a good direction - interactive queues, fastpasses for the two constantly overloaded meet & greets (a concept they will hopefully apply to Tink as well when she gets to her permanent home), more attractions with broad appeal, and more dining capacity. Hopefully DHS is the next park to get a facelift; it is the one most lacking in "whole family" attractions and could use some improvements.

 

[Mom2aJessieGirl]

I will say it is unlikely at this point. With MK on both US coasts expanding (fantasyland and Radiator Springs) and a new ship due in 2012, they just dont have the finances right now for construction. That said, they could easily be working on the plans for a 5th gate to begin construction in a few years.

Getting nit-picky....Radiator Springs is at DCA not DL. But the entire Disney parks complex in California is VERY easy to park-hop! I can understand the confusion.

They are also getting the Little Mermaid ride as well.

 

[brunette8706]

I think Chartle hits the nail on the head as far as the biggest argument against a 5th gate - most families only have so much vacation time and can't or won't come for longer than a week, so there's no reason for another park.

Personally, I'd rather see them update, expand, and utilize the "dead space" in the existing parks rather than build a new park and leave the others unimproved. DHS is in desperate need of another all-ages, wide-appeal attraction to take some of the pressure off of Toy Story Mania. Animal Kingdom has ample room for expansion and could use another actual ride or two. And Epcot has the Body Wars pavilion just sitting empty, as well as the dated Captain EO show running in a theatre that is begging for something new and state-of-the-art.

I think the Magic Kingdom projects point in a good direction - interactive queues, fastpasses for the two constantly overloaded meet & greets (a concept they will hopefully apply to Tink as well when she gets to her permanent home), more attractions with broad appeal, and more dining capacity. Hopefully DHS is the next park to get a facelift; it is the one most lacking in "whole family" attractions and could use some improvements.

*
Hi Colleeen! Great post and points are well taken. There certainly is a lot of modifications/updates to be had on all 3 parks. I too agree that they need other "E" attractions at DHS besides Toy Story, and the AK should have some other "E" attractions as well. The DHS needs to get out of the 80s, and it does need quite a bit of update/modifications. Thanks for posting!

Brunette

 

[chartle]

Maybe they should stop building less DVC's and hotels and open another park???

Two more thoughts.

• Building DVC keeps people coming back to WDW year after year so not going to give that up.
  
• More on site hotels means more revenue since more people will stay on site and only eat and shop onsite.

 

[TinkBride]

I would not be surprised if AK sees an expansion in the future. There is no reason to add a fifth park, but there is reason to expand and update parks. Animal Kingdom has been a work in progress since day 1.

MK is seeing an expansion with Fantasyland, DHS has added Pixar Place, Epcot does not have the expansion space at this time, so that makes me think AK is next on the list to see an expansion of some kind.

I agree with the above opinions that with the average 6-7 day vacation and 4 parks, 2 waterparks, and DTD.....they have no reason to add another park at this time.

 

[feezle]

Yes DHS is stuck in the 80's.....however.....Hollywood is also kinda stuck in the 80's right now. Hollywood sucks at this time, so it makes sense that DHS is going to suffer a bit. Hollywood is stuck remaking movies.....DHS is starting to remake rides (Star Tours).

I would love to see the backlot tour revamped but it would be kinda hard to show CGI sets and props on a tram ride wouldn't it?


As far as AK goes, I would like to see some aquatics. Yes there is an aquarium at Epcot but give us a dolphin show or something. I would really like my daughters to get a little of what Sea World has to offer without having to go offsite. I do plan on taking them to Sea World within the next couple of years, but if AK had something similar, I wouldn't bother.

 

[katla33]

I wonder if DHS will replace the Playhouse Disney stuff since PHD doesn't exist anymore. My preschooler has no idea who Jo Jo and the Little Einsteins even are. They need to do a lot with DHS.

 

[aurorae]

Add the extra, missing, land to DAK (Beastly Kingdom).

Update DHS (update or replace the tired attractions, and find something to take the pressure off TSM at rope drop).

Update Epcot (Add another country, fix the wonders of life pavilion, put another ride in WS either in a country that has nothing, like Italy, or in the new country).

I think we have enough meet and greets, and enough stores. So they can stop building them now, please.

 

[feezle]

I wonder if DHS will replace the Playhouse Disney stuff since PHD doesn't exist anymore. My preschooler has no idea who Jo Jo and the Little Einsteins even are. They need to do a lot with DHS.

They changed the Live on Stage show to Disney Junior and added Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

 

[katla33]

Well, that is good to know. We will have to check it out when we are there in 2 weeks