Rumor a Disney hotel is replacing Circus Circus in Las Vegas

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

It's not very far geographically, but that's not the only way to measure distance!

Absolutely. I simply meant that people who don’t want to fly can get to either of them (depending on where you’re coming from maybe adding about 4 hours), and putting a DVC outpost further away with draw an entirely separate crowd of people who don’t want to fly.

 

[J-Dog]

It had nothing to do with that. It had to do with the taxes that weren't taken into account with the first contracts that were sold. Disney pays for that mistake every year until the condo expires. Big. It was a massive oversight that cost heads to roll.

Huh? The point of your post that I replied to was "Those who fail to learn from their past are doomed to repeat it.". So, I guess I don't get your point, considering that DVD has not and most likely will not repeat that subsidy mistake.

 

[hardcorestitch]

That's why I don't think Vegas is a completely ridiculous spot for a Disney park with DVC properties alongside or just standalone DVC properties. Vegas is a very common timeshare location.

In the same vein, I wouldn't be surprised if we got a Vail, Colorado DVC location someday.

I know the conventional wisdom is that a Hilton Head or Vero wouldn't be built again if Disney had a mulligan, but I don't agree with that. I think Disney chases any opportunity that produces a superior rate of return that doesn't cannibalize existing offerings. And they don't mind trying/failing/reinventing something that failed. In fact, I'd say they tend to overindex on innovation funding some very questionable endeavours compared to their peers. Galactic Starcruiser comes to mind as a recent example of Disney lighting money on fire in the hopes of creating a new market. So with that in mind, I think we'll see something along the lines of a Vegas park+DVC thing within a decade. Might not be in Vegas, but it'll be some new Disney concept outside of the Orlando and LA metros.

With ESPN Bet now gone due to the sour Penn issue… now those chances are a “dream”.

 

[SL6827]

Are you sure about that?

They have lobbied against gambling in Florida, but that strikes me as awfully self-serving.

It is nothing but self-serving. If Florida goes in on gambling, Disney will follow.

 

[SL6827]

Have you been to Vegas in the last decade?

Vegas is no longer about doing anything to draw people in so they spend money gambling. Used to be cheap buffets, free drinks, cocktail girls, etc - anything to draw people to come to gamble.

Now, it's a total destination with expensive celebrity chef restaurants, world-class shows, celebrity musician residencies, etc. Many people these days go to Vegas and are plenty entertained without gambling at all.

Yes. We went to Vegas for the first time this past September. It was like 3/4 company comped, so an excellent deal. We would have never put that amount of money on our on credit cards because it was "Vegas". But we had a Fabulous time. We really enjoyed ourselves and only spent $40 on gambling.

 

[Chuck S]

But even with Gambling, the hotels aren't making money in Vegas. And their timeshare market is flooded. There is really not much of a way for Disney or DVC to make money in Vegas, at least not in the next several years, as they'd have to demolish or completely refurbish Circus Circus, itf that were the property they'd be interested in. And the older generation, like me, aren't going to spend that kind of money for Vegas when we were spoiled by all the comps and cheap food/buffets until this last decade. Remember MGM tried a Vegas theme park years ago, and closed. It isn't a family destination.

 

[J-Dog]

But even with Gambling, the hotels aren't making money in Vegas. And their timeshare market is flooded. There is really not much of a way for Disney or DVC to make money in Vegas, at least not in the next several years, as they'd have to demolish or completely refurbish Circus Circus, itf that were the property they'd be interested in. And the older generation, like me, aren't going to spend that kind of money for Vegas when we were spoiled by all the comps and cheap food/buffets until this last decade. Remember MGM tried a Vegas theme park years ago, and closed. It isn't a family destination.

I agree that hotels aren't currently making money in Vegas. Vegas needs to look in the mirror about it's current pricing schemes, because the main casinos have been consistently declining in revenue for something like the last 16 quarters straight.

But I still have to disagree with the "Vegas isn't a family destination" thing - there absolutely are TONS of kids vacationing in Vegas all the time. Just because the city isn't marketing to them doesn't mean that some company couldn't decide to cater to families. Like I said in this thread last February - I seriously doubt Disney would be that company, but it's not out of the question that someone tries the family tactic again in Vegas at some point.

 

[peder]

But even with Gambling, the hotels aren't making money in Vegas. And their timeshare market is flooded. There is really not much of a way for Disney or DVC to make money in Vegas, at least not in the next several years, as they'd have to demolish or completely refurbish Circus Circus, itf that were the property they'd be interested in. And the older generation, like me, aren't going to spend that kind of money for Vegas when we were spoiled by all the comps and cheap food/buffets until this last decade. Remember MGM tried a Vegas theme park years ago, and closed. It isn't a family destination.

The flip side is that a downturn in Vegas is a good time for Disney to make a big purchase in the area, especially if interest rates are headed lower again.

My perspective on Disney Vegas is that they'd treat it as a 3rd Disneyland park in their international marketing, tied closely to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. This would differentiate it from other similar efforts like DisneyQuest in Chicago. And similar to Aulani, they'd partner with a bunch of excursion companies for things like Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam tours.

With ESPN Bet now gone due to the sour Penn issue… now those chances are a “dream”.

But now they have a new partnership with DraftKings, no? If anything, they're showing they're more committed than ever to sports betting?

The biggest issue for a Disney resort in Vegas IMO is that gambling is all online these days and a giant physical sportsbook is just overhead at this point.

If they're going to do anything with ESPN+DraftKings, they could probably just do it at the Angel Stadium site (Anaheim is again opening the discussion on the future of that stadium? https://voiceofoc.org/2025/12/anaheim-officials-once-again-put-angel-stadium-in-play/) as part of a major redevelopment of that area and put a 3rd park and hotels in that site and still have space for an equivalent to the Wide World of Sports venues in Orlando? The Angel Stadium site and adjacent parking lots are HUGE and could easily accommodate an ESPN + sports betting type of Disney park complex. No reason to even focus on sports betting in Vegas if they can do so in California (and Florida for that matter as well).

 

[Chuck S]

The flip side is that a downturn in Vegas is a good time for Disney to make a big purchase in the area, especially if interest rates are headed lower again.

My perspective on Disney Vegas is that they'd treat it as a 3rd Disneyland park in their international marketing, tied closely to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. This would differentiate it from other similar efforts like DisneyQuest in Chicago. And similar to Aulani, they'd partner with a bunch of excursion companies for things like Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam tours.

Las Vegas is 4 to 5 hours/ 266 miles by car. Kind of hard to market that as a 3rd Disneyland gate. And families likely wouldn't consider it a 4rd gate, either, when you consider that Knotts, Magic Mountain, Universal, and Sea World are all much closer.

If relatively cheap land was their only criteria, there is always Branson Missouri for a mid continent location. There are plenty abandoned hotels there that could be refurbished and a park added. And they would need a park....DVC/Disney has already demonstrated that off site stand alone hotels don't generate the needed tourist draw, even in Hawaii.

Or even the San Antonio area, where there is already a tourist base with Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. This would be a better location for a new regional Disneyland style park.

 

[hardcorestitch]

The flip side is that a downturn in Vegas is a good time for Disney to make a big purchase in the area, especially if interest rates are headed lower again.

My perspective on Disney Vegas is that they'd treat it as a 3rd Disneyland park in their international marketing, tied closely to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. This would differentiate it from other similar efforts like DisneyQuest in Chicago. And similar to Aulani, they'd partner with a bunch of excursion companies for things like Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam tours.



But now they have a new partnership with DraftKings, no? If anything, they're showing they're more committed than ever to sports betting?

The biggest issue for a Disney resort in Vegas IMO is that gambling is all online these days and a giant physical sportsbook is just overhead at this point.

If they're going to do anything with ESPN+DraftKings, they could probably just do it at the Angel Stadium site (Anaheim is again opening the discussion on the future of that stadium? https://voiceofoc.org/2025/12/anaheim-officials-once-again-put-angel-stadium-in-play/) as part of a major redevelopment of that area and put a 3rd park and hotels in that site and still have space for an equivalent to the Wide World of Sports venues in Orlando? The Angel Stadium site and adjacent parking lots are HUGE and could easily accommodate an ESPN + sports betting type of Disney park complex. No reason to even focus on sports betting in Vegas if they can do so in California (and Florida for that matter as well).

Hard Rock Bet/Seminole Tribe of Florida: hold my exclusivity

 

[peder]

Or even the San Antonio area, where there is already a tourist base with Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. This would be a better location for a new regional Disneyland style park.

Given enough time, it seems inevitable that Texas will get its own parks. Within 20 years, Texas is on track to be both the most populous and highest GDP state in the country.

I do think Disney will largely only exist in "super" regions. Disneyland Abu Dhabi is evidence of this IMO, and Texas will fit that overall theme as well. However, I do still think they will try some different concepts in smaller/cheaper areas as well, because they seem to keep trying various concepts like that (i.e. DVC resorts like Hilton Head, Vero, and Aulani, as well as totally failed projects like DisneyQuest). All it takes is some new technology like VR or robotics for some hotshot Disney exec to get funding for a new initiative like DisneyQuest, and I believe all it takes for a future Aulani is the right developers at the right time. If Disney Vegas happens, it'll be because Disney gets an amazing deal on land + some sort of incentives.

 

[J-Dog]

Las Vegas is 4 to 5 hours/ 266 miles by car. Kind of hard to market that as a 3rd Disneyland gate. And families likely wouldn't consider it a 4rd gate, either, when you consider that Knotts, Magic Mountain, Universal, and Sea World are all much closer.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with a 3rd DLR gate, rather Vegas could be marketed as a separate destination for the families that are already going there anyway. IMO, even if Disney did consider buying CC (which I doubt) then they would just refurbish the AdventureDome as a small, kid-friendly, Disney-IP-based attraction, rather than create some new/huge/expensive theme park. That way, they would almost corner the market on the kids who are already tagging along with their parents to Vegas, without spending a ton of money on a new theme park. Just think of how those kids would be nagging their parents, a la Bart and Lisa Simpson: "can we go to the Disney AdventureDome?", "can we go to the Disney AdventureDome?", "can we go to the Disney AdventureDome?"...

 

[LoveDaisy]

Given enough time, it seems inevitable that Texas will get its own parks. Within 20 years, Texas is on track to be both the most populous and highest GDP state in the country.

What is your source? I’m off today so I don’t have access to all my resources (I’m a librarian) but I’m not finding this through a reputable source.

 

[samsp99]

I could see Disney building/adapting a family friendly resort in Vegas, especially if it was themed around ESPN and sports, and was designed to be family friendly. Having a child friendly pool complex, kids club etc could be different enough to be a unique option for Vegas and therefore able to fill enough rooms to work. I doubt it would be DVC though.