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I think it is safe to say that Disney will always expand. Whether they expand on the parks that are already there or they will expand by adding new parks and resorts. Disney has a lot of land left for develop new ides for generations to come. I'm sure by the time I take my grandchildren (my son is 1) there will be so much there it will take weeks to see everything!
:mickeykid
There IS a rumor going around Disney World about a new park. That's all I'll say.
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Originally Posted by MayBWeRMnt2B
Congrats on your engagment and upcoming wedding.
Like most everyone has agreed with already, this 'new park' thing is a long-standing rumor that seems to be around just about all the time. If you asked me a year or two ago whether or not I thought it a good idea to add a new park, I would have said no. I felt that, much like Keasmom was saying, much work needed to be done in some of the other parks first, most specifically Animal Kingdom in my opinion.
Magic Kingdom has always been my favorite park, and while I don't always agree with every attraction that goes in there, I think it's in fine shape nonetheless. EPCOT is doing well in my books. World Showcase is pretty much the same now as it always was, and Futureworld will forever be undergoing scrutinous evaluation by Disney purists not unlike myself, who debate whether or not it was right to remove some of the "old-school classic" EPCOT attractions and put in newer rides. I think that so far Disney is doing a fairly good job of walking that fine line (with the exception of the new Imagination ride, which is terrible - but I ride it anyway), by at least making sure that the attractions that go in have some degree of an educational or exploration-type theme to them, and their decision to remove the wand is obviously a move aimed at appeasing said purists. MGM is a park that I was always fond of, but was never quite as fond of as MK and EPCOT. I still look at it as a "half-day park", that is to say that I like to park hop if I visit there, and typically don't spend a full day there. If I do, it's no contest to accomplish everything. But what can they do about that, right? Its not a huge park, and so many of the shows and attractions take up large areas. Theme wise I don't really see an identity crisis going on there. I think that's doing ok anyway.
Animal Kingdom however was a whole different story for me. At least up until this past year. I love the concept and idea behind DAK. I love the theme and the animals and the atmosphere Disney has created for us there. I love the fact that the park is HUGE, with so much space and so much potential for amazing creativity and expansion. But I was always disappointed in the fact that such a large, potentiall awesome park, had seemingly so little to do, and so much that I didn't care to. I could literally go to DAK for less than half a day and see everything I cared to. And don't even get me started on that tacky DinoRama thing... BAD move, Disney! I realize that when a park is new, it tends to open with few attractions and other extras, and will expand as it sees its early successes. All the other parks only had a few attractions in their early years as well. But DAK is 9 years old now, and it still doesn't even have a single table service restaurant! (Unless you could the Rain Forest Cafe outside the main entrance. But heck, I can go visit one of those in the local mall in West Hartford if I wanted.) But in the past year we've seen the addition of Everest, Nemo, and finally a new restaurant is nearing completion in Asia. I can finally spend the better part of a full day at Animal Kingdom and feel like I actually had something to do. Attendance there has also skyrocketed since Everest joined the WDW mountain range, jumping up into I believe the #2 spot instead of the #4 it had held previously among WDW theme parks (I'm not looking at the info now and am going off of memory, so that may not be entirely accurate, but I know it has jumped up at least one place). It is my new opinion that the Tree of Life is finally starting to dig its roots into the Disney soil and become a prominent and important part of WDW.
That said, if you asked me now if I would like to see a new park in the works, I would say "Sure." I don't think they really need one, but I do think the time is right if they have been sitting on an idea waiting for the chance to unveil it. The four other parks are doing well, Animal Kingdom is finally getting its feet on the ground and making some serious forward progress, and with so much else going on with so many of the "other" theme parks - for example Universal's opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Disney is going to have to do something big in order to put themselves back in the spotlight during the last few years of this decade. Heck... I'll say it right now, I'll be first in line to leave Mickey for a day and go check out that Harry Potter thing over at Islands of Adventure. And I'm sure Disney realizes what an awesome fan base there is for such a thing (speaking of which... who's going to see Order of the Phoenix tonight at midnight?). I think that as long as Disney doesn't stop moving forward with their other parks when this new one is introduced, then I see no reason as to why they could not or should not start work on a fifth theme park.
Oh yeah, and look at the timeline.
From Magic Kingdom's opening to that of EPCOT, a time span of 11 years.
EPCOT to MGM, 6 1/2 years.
MGM to Animal Kingdom, 9 years.
Animal Kingdom to present day... 9 years.
Translation? ...We're due.
the rumor going around has to do with Disney's response to the Harry Potter theme park that is opening in 2009.
why didn't disney pick up harry potter before universal did? (just wondering me and my girlfriend have endless debates but no idea)
Disney had a deal signed with J.K. Rowling at one point for the rights to put a Harry Potter something or other into one of the parks, which actually was long before Universal made this announcement, but my guess is that it would have only been a single attraction or that sort of thing. Islands of Adventure, on the other hand, already had an entire section of one of their parks already built and operating under a similar fantasy theme, complete with dragon and unicorn themed coasters, amongst other "magical" and fantasy type stuff. Universal probably had the ability and willingness to re-outfit an entire land to fit the Harry Potter theme for probably not all that much more than what it was going to cost Disney to design and build one single new attraction and some ambient themeing. To be completely honest, I'm kind of glad Universal is doing what they are doing. Rather than just a ride or a show, they are doing a whole land, which I think is pretty cool. Disney really wouldn't have been able to do that without either replacing a large section of a current park, expanding a current park drastically (although I do have a theory about this... that's for another discussion though), or by putting it into a brand new park. Besides, I'm really not sure quite how well Harry would have fit into any of the current park themes. So my theory is that it came down to just that - a single Harry ride... or a "Wizarding World of Harry Potter". I'd have picked Islands of Adventure too if I was them.
Now if Disney had already had plans to put in a new park around the same time, and a Harry themed land would have fit appropriately with the themeing, then it probably would have been a whole different ballgame, with Sorcerer Mickey making use of a good summoning charm on our young wizard friend. After all, we all know how much the mouse loves stories that involve magic.
Off the subject for a second. Have a magical Wedding in the land of Mouse, and Have a long and Happy Marriage! :cheers2:Quote:
Originally Posted by MayBWeRMnt2B
I'm actually glad that Universal got the rights for Harry Potter because the random (or even elaborately themed) placement of Harry Potter in Disney World might have been out of place amongst all of Disney's other characters
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Originally Posted by MainStreet, USA
Yes if you go by the timeline you presented then yes we are about due for one. It will just give me another reason to go!!!!
:hurray:
Hmmm....
I have no idea if they're gonna make another park. What intrigues me right now is: if they do, what would the theme be?
I mean, it's going to have to be something extremely broad that hasn't been tackled before in other Disney parks. Considering what Disney is interested in doing, it limits the options severely and yet, at the same time, offers limitless opportunities.
P.S.
Villains isn't going to be it..... This is just general knowledge :P
I think that WDW is definately going to add a 5th park in abot 6-8 years
but until people have real hard core evidence and proof on what the theme and concept of this park is this rumor should be pushed aside for two years or so
Could the new park actually be in California and not in Florida? There is a battle brewing in Anaheim if you read the news reports. I go to wdwinfo and they have news items posted. One of the stories was about a new park in development in California.
The key to any new park is having the financing to complete a totally new park. It would take the crowd levels in the other parks down a bit. I just hope that more people come to see the new one, so that it was worth money they spend on it. other wise it is just Us regulars who foot the bill to pay for it. Making it just that much more difficult to keep coming back.
i def see a new park in the horizon for disney what it could possibly be i have no idea but disney always must "keep moving forward" so it is bond to happen sooner or later hoprefully sooner so my vaca can be longer :) as for HP i do love it but something about it in disney feels wrong i hate to say it but universal is def the right home for it!