Was Disney planning to someday build a theme park in Hawaii?

[tjkraz]

I don’t think its margins as much as that the target program has changed. Disney has long tried to bring the Disney experience beyond Orlando and Anaheim - they were successful with retail stores, but they failed with restaurants, DisneyQueat, etc.

In many ways, it's a chicken-and-egg situation. Vero Beach was DVC's second ever resort. It was built very small, and still took a decade to sell-out. Sure the target changed...only because the original vision was fatally flawed. Disney itself had to know it was risky, given the laundry list of hotel and timeshare concepts they've scrapped over the years.

There's a price point at which Disney could profit off hotels, timeshares, restaurants and retail stores...maybe even video game parlors...outside of LBV and Anaheim. They choose not to, mostly because the margins are so much thinner than WDW and DL. When weighing how to invest resources, the theme park complexes always look better.

 

[LAS2AMS]

There's a price point at which Disney could profit off hotels, timeshares, restaurants and retail stores...maybe even video game parlors...outside of LBV and Anaheim. They choose not to, mostly because the margins are so much thinner than WDW and DL

The Chicago DisneyQuest was such a heavy loss maker that Disney abandoned the others in development and sold the project off at at loss. I went to the Chicago location several times… it was always dead.

ESPN Zone were losing so much money, Disney pulled the plug on all but one location without any notice.

Disney Cruise Line underperformed (and likely lost money) it it’s early years, to the point Disney explored selling the brand.

I get it, demand for everything Disney is stronger than in the past. But let’s be honest - Disney attracts a certain niche, and most of the people buying into DVC are fanatics. Look at the Alunai forum — many of the narratives about Waikiki Beach are straight out of a horror movie. If people are triggered by a few homeless people and street entertainers in a heavily foot traffic area… they’re not going to be able to handle Times Square.

 

[Cfabar1]

I was unaware of DCL was considered/explored for a sale. Was it for the ships or for the brand itself?

Disney Vacation Club in the early years was a very different vision. Look at the rooms at OKW, VB, and HHI. They are very similar in square footage and planning.

I have openly wondered over the years if the original Disney Hilton Head Island had been allowed to be constructed if Disney's off property future might have been different.

The Vero Beach vision was flawed from the beginning, there wasn't enough to do for the week in Vero Beach certainly then, as there is really not now. But... I do think it fills a niche in the Disney Vacation Club portfolio. I am hopeful it sticks around.

I wish they had built the second phase, but I cannot imagine how furious owners would have been to be paying the same amount of points per night for units on the other side of A1A...

 

[maui22]

Something that didn’t help Aulani was the tsunami in Japan. Fukushima nuclear reactor. I believe Aulani started selling in 2010. Tsunami happened March 2011. Aulani opened later in 2011. Many Japanese visited Hawaii prior to that tragedy. While many still do, not sure it has ever returned to the level prior to that tragedy.

 

[bsmcneil]

Is this the same Polynesian culture that let Waikiki get built?

Man did I have cultural shock when I went from the Big Island to Oahu and my first stop was Waikiki. I still remember that viscerally!

 

[teach22180]

Disney did plan to build a history based theme park near the Manassas, battlefield in Virginia. That's the only other USA based park plan I have heard of

 

[Mommb]

Disney did plan to build a history based theme park near the Manassas, battlefield in Virginia. That's the only other USA based park plan I have heard of

In the early 1990s Disney also considered building a resort and park along the shore in Long Beach, California, about 30 miles west of Anaheim. When that idea was cancelled, Disney considered WestCot, a park similar to Epcot that would be next to Disneyland Park. That area eventually became Disney California Adventure.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Park in Hawaii would have been too close to Disneyland, I suspect.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Park in Hawaii would have been too close to Disneyland, I suspect.

WDW is much closer to DLR than Hawaii is.

 

[Sykes]

Park in Hawaii would have been too close to Disneyland, I suspect.

Geographically Disneyland is closer to Walt Disney World than it is to Hawaii.

 

[NYCgrrl]

WDW is much closer to DLR than Hawaii is.

In distance, certainly but in market share I don’t think so .

 

[LAS2AMS]

In distance, certainly but in market share I don’t think so .

Given that the lion’s share of DLR guests are from Southern California, I don’t know what the heck you’re taking about. I suspect you changed your argument after realizing you were wrong.

 

[IndyToThere]

I'm not sure that Aulani moved the needle much for DVC. Yes, it's a beautiful property which many owners enjoy visiting. But it's also been selling for 16 years with no immediate end in sight.

Is there a site that shows direct point availability that DVC is still actively selling? (ie the 'newer' properties with percentage sold by DVC as they complete their initial sell off) That's something I've been interested in seeing, but not sure how to search for it without pulling up the standard DVC Buyer Interest pages.

 

[Wakey]

We are from UK and whilst it’s a hell of a trip to get there, it was so worth it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Given that the lion’s share of DLR guests are from Southern California, I don’t know what the heck you’re taking about. I suspect you changed your argument after realizing you were wrong.

Err I think you want to argue with someone so please continue talking to yourself

 

[tjkraz]

Is there a site that shows direct point availability that DVC is still actively selling? (ie the 'newer' properties with percentage sold by DVC as they complete their initial sell off) That's something I've been interested in seeing, but not sure how to search for it without pulling up the standard DVC Buyer Interest pages.

The monthly sales reports from DVCNews typically address how much has been "declared" at each WDW property. California and Hawaii data isn't readily available online. However, the 2025 annual budget for Aulani suggests it's about 75% sold.

https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program-men...y-vacation-club-direct-sales-slow-in-may-2025

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

In the early 1990s Disney also considered building a resort and park along the shore in Long Beach, California, about 30 miles west of Anaheim. When that idea was cancelled, Disney considered WestCot, a park similar to Epcot that would be next to Disneyland Park. That area eventually became Disney California Adventure.

In the late 90s Disney also wanted to buy Knott's Berry Farm and convert it to Disney's America. It was shot down by the Knott family who ended up selling to Cedar Fair turning it into whatever it is now.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Many good points in this thread. I agree that Japanese tourism heavily affects Aulani. And it's quite possible the timing of Aulani and the Tsunami had an impact on sales. Disney clearly is in no rush to sell out Aulani or they would increase incentives to buy in to get it all sold. What isn't sold Disney gets to rent for cash and the rooms are far from inexpensive. The resort is almost always at capacity.

If you have been to Aulani you would see how a theme park there would make absolutely no sense. There is one road in and out.

I think what they did is a perfect mix of Disney and Hawaii. I can go to Hawaii and see Mickey Mouse. Win Win

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

There's maybe a 100 mile difference between Anaheim-Honolulu and Anaheim-Orlando. It's pretty much splitting hairs. FWIW I live on the West Coast and have a much easier time finding direct flights to HNL than MCO.

Hawaii politics and logistics aside, the Pacific Rim is already saturated with parks. A park in Hawaii would mostly siphon off of your existing customer base and probably finish what Shanghai started with HKDL.