Do you think there will ever be a 5th gate?

[SimonSez]

Or is Disney done at 4? I've heard people talk about another park, maybe one for the villains. Sounds cool, but I'll believe it when I see it. Seems Disney has a lot on their plate right now with changes at DTD (Disney Springs), Star Wars, Avatarland and a host of other changes/additions. Thoughts on a 5th gate, if or when it might happen?

 

[revdon64]

It would be very interesting. I can't imagine what they'd theme it to, but then again that's probably why I'm not an imaginer. I guess if they did I'd lie to see more thrill rides.

 

[isestrex]

I thought so before the HS refurb. Now I don't think it's on the table anytime soon. I think their main goal is to strive to make both AK and HS bigger and fuller parks before attempting a 5th gate.

 

[mom2rtk]

They sure act like they're done. They seem too cautious in recent years for me to see them adding another gate.

 

[mummabear]

Ever: yes anytime soon like the next 10/20 years don't think so

 

[Spoiledraf]

They are certainly putting some dollars into AK and DHS. if they can make those two parks more interesting, it will thin the crowds at MK. Adding fireworks to the end of the day at DHS will help and they are working to keep AK open after dark. That park had little draw in late afternoon and evening. If they can spread the wealth to all four parks they don't currently need a fifth. We as guests live an empty park but Disney thinks a crowded park is a Happy Park!

 

[parkluvr]

Ever: yes anytime soon like the next 10/20 years don't think so

Agreed. With as much land as Disney owns in the DisneyWorld complex I think that it is inevitable that they eventually build another park, but I don't see that happening anytime in the near future.

 

[momimouse27]

I don't see it in the near future. What they do at DHS is going to be major and then they have some stuff to tend to at Epcot. If it ever happens, I think it would be fairly far down the road.

 

[larryz]

Not in my lifetime.

They sure act like they're done. They seem too greedy in recent years for me to see them adding another gate.

Fixed it for you.

 

[itchin2go]

I thought so before the HS refurb. Now I don't think it's on the table anytime soon. I think their main goal is to strive to make both AK and HS bigger and fuller parks before attempting a 5th gate.

And Epcot, too.

 

[mom2rtk]

Not in my lifetime.



Fixed it for you.

I guess they'll know for sure on that greedy moniker once they tabulate the AP survey results.

 

[disnut8]

Disney World property is huge and a large part of it isn't "developed". But then again, that undeveloped part is mostly a nature preserve. As much as people want to think of Disney World being a greedy business, those undeveloped parts are being used to study and understand nature. If there were to be a fifth park, all the animals would have to be relocated safely to build something so big.

 

[WEDWDW]

No.

 

[nooneshome]

Not in the next few decades. I agree that they are committed to expanding the four parks.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

The way I look at it: Never say never, but don't hold your breath either.

 

[OKW Lover]

"Ever" = a really long time. Yes, I think they will build a 5th gate at some point. I don't see it happening in the next 10 years though. Maybe not even in the next 20 years.

Right now it doesn't make sense to build a 5th gate when they have not fully used the potential at the existing four parks. While the MK is fairly well built-out there are still spots that could be used for future expansion within the existing footprint and outside the railroad tracks. At Epcot there are about 5 more empty pads around World Showcase and at least two of the Future World pavilions are ripe for renewal. At the Studio's there are lots of current rumors about new attractions (which are desperately needed) replacing some recently closed attractions. At DAK the whole AvatarLand project is moving along and there is still lots of space for future expansion.

Building a 5th gate would require large infrastructure expenditures (roads, parking) which aren't needed when you simply add to an existing park.

 

[jcdean]

I don't expect to see a full fifth gate in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I think WDW won't expand. Aside from the additional resort/ dvc offerings most of us expect I could easily see Disney adding more "lesser" parks like Disneyquest (Rip) and the water parks. ESPN/WWoS might be turned into an attractive destination with a bit of themeing and a few "rides" ( zip lines? Maybe some sport simulations. A Soaring type thing featuring famous ballparks, sports history and some first person perspective football/ basketball/ hockey...). Perhaps one or more retail/ dining areas like DTD but with unique theming.
Magic kingdom will be the big draw for most visitors. The best reason for Disney to have the other gates is to get guests to commit to longer stays. But that can be done more cheaply via other types of expansion.

 

[JimmyV]

As noted above, "ever" is a long time. Humans have an innate inability to envision things beyond their own lifespan. Barring some nuclear holocaust or galactic collision, WDW will still be around a thousand years from now. Many thousands even. There is no reason to think that the first 50 years are, or will be "all there is". So yes, some day there will be expansion. But the upcoming transformation of DHS reveals that no fifth gate is contemplated in the next 20 or so years. Star Wars, Avatar, Pixar and Marvel provide lots of opportunity to branch out in a new direction for a fifth gate and they aren't biting. Maybe some day if Disney ponies up the billions necessary to buy back the Marvel rights, something might materialize. But until then, if George Lucas, James Cameron and John Lasseter are all pigeon holed into existing parks, it is going to take an entirely new generation of IP to muster up the foundation for a new park. "Villains" ain't gonna do it.

 

[glassslippergirl]

As noted above, "ever" is a long time. Humans have an innate inability to envision things beyond their own lifespan. Barring some nuclear holocaust or galactic collision, WDW will still be around a thousand years from now. Many thousands even. There is no reason to think that the first 50 years are, or will be "all there is". So yes, some day there will be expansion. But the upcoming transformation of DHS reveals that no fifth gate is contemplated in the next 20 or so years. Star Wars, Avatar, Pixar and Marvel provide lots of opportunity to branch out in a new direction for a fifth gate and they aren't biting. Maybe some day if Disney ponies up the billions necessary to buy back the Marvel rights, something might materialize. But until then, if George Lucas, James Cameron and John Lasseter are all pigeon holed into existing parks, it is going to take an entirely new generation of IP to muster up the foundation for a new park. "Villains" ain't gonna do it.

It's interesting to think of WDW 1000 years from now. How quaint will IASW seem when humans can (presumably) explore other galaxies?

Eventually, I think there will be a fifth (and sixth, and seventh) gate. It will be a long time coming, and it won't be anything we can even envision now (sorry, villains). I think it will be based around technologies and/or properties that don't exist yet or are in their infancy. Think back just 10 years ago-- very few if us had smart phones, so we couldn't imagine FP+ and MDE; we all thought Star Wars was over (Episode 3 had just been released), so no new movies and no dreams of Star Wars land; we hadn't even heard of Avatar and Frozen, so no Avatar Land and no Anna and Elsa everywhere; Pleasure Island was still going strong, so no Disney Springs; and much more. What will the next decade bring, much less the next century or millennia?

 

[JimmyV]

It's interesting to think of WDW 1000 years from now. How quaint will IASW seem when humans can (presumably) explore other galaxies?

Another problem that Americans have is that our country started out as thatched roof huts in the early to mid-1600's so people forget that 'civilization" is much older and more advanced. The Pilgrims left behind London, a city of 500,000 people with buildings on a grand scale. Notre Dame in Paris was built in the 1100's and 1200's and is almost a thousand years old. Rome was a metropolis of over 1,000,000 in 100 AD. That was 2,000 years ago. Hagia Sophia is 1,500 years old. People (particularly Americans) have a hard time envisioning things 100 years out, let alone 1,000. When viewed in this perspective, "ever" becomes impossible to pin down. In many respects, technological leaps make it impossible to predict what something like WDW will look like in 3015. On the other hand, buildings today haven't changed all that much from Notre Dame and Hagia Sophia from more than a thousand years ago.