No Fifth Park at WDW?

[NeverEnufWDW]

Sure.....get me to stay longer by adding more DVC and not opening any new attractions other than re-treads from other parks ?

Each park at WDW needs some major upgrade and refurbishment.

If they don't plan on building innovative, NEW attractions at the parks how on earth will they latch onto those pre-teens and teens that the article specifically mentions ?

 

[bicker]

I believe there was specific mention in one of the forward-looking statements that indicated that there would be new attractions replacing old attractions, as well as other enhancements to the parks. The only thing that is almost surely not going to happen in the foreseeable future is the creation of a new GATE -- a new park.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

I just don't want to see them keep adding hotel rooms to the property. They already have more than enough rooms on site. The parks, IMHO, can't handle the load that more rooms would bring. It would be nice to see them add new attractions of some sort and spruce up what's already there.

 

[bicker]

For now, the only rooms they seem to be adding are DVC rooms, which are still selling like hotcakes.

 

[peter11435]

I just don't want to see them keep adding hotel rooms to the property. They already have more than enough rooms on site. The parks, IMHO, can't handle the load that more rooms would bring. It would be nice to see them add new attractions of some sort and spruce up what's already there.

Adding more hotel rooms will not increase the number of guests in the parks. The parks are no more busy in 2005 than they were in 1975 when there were only three on site resorts.

 

[Lewisc]

New attractions are need to help encourage repeat business. Four parks, 2 water parks, DTD, mini-golf, WWoS and resort activiies is probably enough to ensure they typical vacation guest (7-10 days?) has enough to do without leaving WDW. A fifth gate doesn't much sense.

 

[kab407]

While on the KTTK tour last week, I asked the guide (Rae) this same question. Her take was that Disney does have the land to build another park. Right now, they only occupy one-third of the total land it holds in Orlando. (The other two thirds are open for building and are set aside as wetlands and for conservation.) Her guess was that no announcements would be made till late 2006, after the 50th anniv. in DL was done. Interesting that she was able to give a timeframe. We shall see.

 

[bicker]

It is always easy to give a timeframe which is sufficiently far in the future such that the prognosticator is unlikely to be called-on their forecast.

 

[All Aboard]

Her guess was that no announcements would be made till late 2006

Applying logic to this statement, she isn't estimating that any announcement will be made at or after late 2006, only that none will be made between now and then. That's really going out on a limb.

 

[raidermatt]

Four parks, 2 water parks, DTD, mini-golf, WWoS and resort activiies is probably enough to ensure they typical vacation guest (7-10 days?) has enough to do without leaving WDW. A fifth gate doesn't much sense.

One at least has to wonder though... Does it appear WDW has experienced diminishing returns with the 4th gate because its maxing out what people are willing to do, or is it possibly because the 4th gate lacked sufficient appeal and/or scope?

I don't expect anyone to provide a definitive answer to that, because there is nobody who can possibly have a definitive answer to that.

I just have to think that if the 3rd and 4th gates had been built with greater scope and possibly even greater innovation, that the results might have been different. I feel like Disney played the part of the pitcher who got beat with his 2nd or 3rd best pitch, instead of putting his best out there and seeing what happens. (I know that's not a perfect analogy, so no need to point out the flaws... just trying to make my point understood).

 

[All Aboard]

Raidermatt, I'd say it's some combination. And, it drives what I fear about a fifth gate. Looking at the attendance numbers for each of the four parks, they get smaller as you chronologically work through the list. So, suffice it to say that Disney would expect even smaller numbers for the next park. And, as such, they would allocate just enough capital to generate an acceptable ROI. I doubt anyone could present a plan that showed a 8-9 million incremental guest park and have anyone believe it.

Now, what would a park that is expected to attract just 5-6 million guests look like?

 

[cseca]

Adding more hotel rooms will not increase the number of guests in the parks. The parks are no more busy in 2005 than they were in 1975 when there were only three on site resorts.

Hmm... Is this done by percentage?
Just curious, how did you figure this out?
How many parks were there in 1975? How many resorts?

I tend to agree with the previous poster that more rooms will probably get more people and those people most likely will go to the park.
Without adding more areas in the resorts (theme parks, water parks, etc) where are those people going to go?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that disney is busy and still in business. But it would be a turn off for me if I have to stand in line for hours even during moderate peak season.

I think it's a good thing that they're concentrating with what parks they have, but if they keep increasing the amt of rooms without more space for people to go... I wonder what's going to happen.

 

[peter11435]

Hmm... Is this done by percentage?
Just curious, how did you figure this out?
How many parks were there in 1975? How many resorts?

I tend to agree with the previous poster that more rooms will probably get more people and those people most likely will go to the park.
Without adding more areas in the resorts (theme parks, water parks, etc) where are those people going to go?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that disney is busy and still in business. But it would be a turn off for me if I have to stand in line for hours even during moderate peak season.

I think it's a good thing that they're concentrating with what parks they have, but if they keep increasing the amt of rooms without more space for people to go... I wonder what's going to happen.

The more rooms disney adds the more small hotels around the orlando area and 192 close. The fact is that attendance at WDW has not increased as a result of more hotel rooms.

 

[DancingBear]

I tend to agree with the previous poster that more rooms will probably get more people and those people most likely will go to the park.
Without adding more areas in the resorts (theme parks, water parks, etc) where are those people going to go?

Adding more attractions and areas within the existing parks also spreads crowds.

 

[bicker]

Spreading-out crowds only increases cost without increasing revenue.

 

[cristen]

Spreading-out crowds only increases cost without increasing revenue.

Thank God Walt thought so too. I mean a park with 12 rides is fine. Who would want a park with more stuff to do? Those pesky attractions, and new lands like NOS, what a waste. Bottom line really is ONLY how much money can they make. I agree Biker, you are absolutely right.

( I need this last one for my avatar.)

 

[MiknMinMouse]

Adding more hotel rooms will not increase the number of guests in the parks. The parks are no more busy in 2005 than they were in 1975 when there were only three on site resorts.

We must be going to different Disneyworlds then. It seems like each year we go the crowds are larger and larger, and each year more rooms have opened on site. I'd like to see them stop adding rooms, even DVC rooms. Focus on improvement and even if not adding another park adding some other something. I wish River Country would come back

 

[bicker]

Walt is dead. If Walt ran the parks in the 1990s and 2000s the way he ran the park in the 1950s and 1960s, the company would have been bankrupt very quickly.

Keeping things real is very critical for a constructive discussion of things like park expansion and new parks. Nice chatting with y'all.

 

[peter11435]

We must be going to different Disneyworlds then. It seems like each year we go the crowds are larger and larger, and each year more rooms have opened on site. I'd like to see them stop adding rooms, even DVC rooms. Focus on improvement and even if not adding another park adding some other something. I wish River Country would come back

It may seem like, but if you look at the numbers that is not the case. The attendance at MK, Epcot, and the DS are all lower now than they were 10 years ago.

 

[seashoreCM]

Disney-MGM Studios was built with a specific purpose, to capture guests from Universal Studios.

Animal Kingdom was built with a specific purpose, to capture guests from Busch Gardens. I disagree with the idea that AK is a half day park. It takes me all day when I go to see what the park is all about -- animals.

I suppose a fifth park could also be built with a specific purpose, to capture guests from Universal Studios ('s Islands of Adventure) but Disney already tried that in the form of its California Adventure park next to Disneyland and that idea flopped.

I also suppose that there could be another specific purpose, to occupy the land freed up when Disney replaces the MK parking lot with a parking garage.

What have guests been saying about what they would like to see in a fifth park?