(Photo by: Chris Wakefield)
A few months ago I was having a great “catching up”
conversation with a friend who now lives in Southern California. In between the
discussion of having kids and international travel we wandered into the topic
of Disney World vs Disneyland. As with most west coast residents she made an adamant case for why the “original” Disney theme park was better than the “shopping
mall with rides” we have here in Florida. As eager as I was for a decent debate
I couldn’t agree with her. And since she has actually been to both resorts, I haven't
yet, she rattled off issue after issue, point after point as to why Disneyland
is the better of the two. After conceding the argument she said something that
really stuck with me. “You guys just have so much wasted space over there. Over
here we make the most with what we have.” This is something most of us already
know, but to hear it from someones else mouth is a little bit eye opening. And during
a recent walk through of Downtown Disney with a WDW friend that statement from
my west coast friend became even more evident. From empty building after empty
building; broken themeing to bottle necked areas, I began to wonder what
happened to this once great area. Obviously the Disney World fan base is not
happy with the current state of Downtown Disney, and surely WDW management must
be growing impatient and frustrated with Downtown Disney’s less than stellar
state. So I began to do a little bit of detective work and investigating to
figure out what, if anything, is next for Disney World’s Downtown Disney?
Lets start off with the easiest egg to crack. That’s the
Downtown Disney Marketplace. This section of the Downtown Disney is the most
profitable section of Downtown Disney, and the easiest section for Disney to
maintain. With crowd favorites and major draws like the T Rex Restaurant, Lego Store, World of Disney, and the soon to be refurbished Rainforest Café the Marketplace boast
the highest occupancy rates for Downtown Disney. Since this section of the area
is almost 100% occupied and boast so many crowd favorites Disney has resigned
itself to keeping this section as is for the most part. With Earl of Sandwich raking in the dough
for the lunch rush Disney is hoping the sandwich shop continues with its
stellar numbers. Rainforest Café and T Rex Restaurant continue to slug it out
to battle for the family dinner dollar, and with the addition of the ever
popular Disney Dining Plan option, both establishments are seeing record
numbers. The one interesting tidbit about the Marketplace is the adult favorite
Raglan Road pub and eatery. This pub
is increasing in popularity and its price points, service, and food quality
are making it even more popular amongst guests visiting WDW without kids. Due to
this, Disney is actively looking for more of these types of adult friendly
establishments to occupy space in other parts of Downtown Disney.
(Photo by: Chris Wakefield)
Next we are faced with the gigantic eye sore and black hole
of fun and entertainment that is Pleasure Island. We will note even get into
the massive debacle that was Hyperion Wharf, but it is safe to say that Disney
has tried hard before to get this section of Downtown Disney up and running but
still to this day Pleasure Island site almost entirely abandoned and deserted. Guests
walk through this section of Downtown Disney with a confused faces and
childlike curiosity. Recent reports have been surfacing that a couple of the
now closed Pleasure Island clubs will be reopening. While this at first appears
to be nothing more than Fanboy wishing and speculation, Disney actually has been making some steps behind the
scenes to get a couple of the old clubs back up and running. Sources are saying
that Disney has gone even begun to work on costuming for the Mannequins and Comedy Warehouse clubs. Again, while this could just be wishful
thinking, there definitely is a need for these types of establishments in
Pleasure Island. Additionally, in a recent article on wdwinfo.com
Thommy Sandvick speculates about an addition to Pleasure
Island that would be a dance party in the area that is closely themed to the
Mad Tea Party dance party at Disney’s California Adventure. I should caution
though, that unlike the dance party at DCA, this dance party would most likely
be inside of a building and not out in the open. Obviously, this move would
help Disney monetize the dance party. This rumor was further fueled by a recent
addition of a Mad Hatter human statue. To be honest, that’s all the talk going
on for Pleasure Island; the return of two old clubs and a Mad Hatter dance
club.
(Photo by: Chris Wakefield)
Now we arrive to Downtown Disney West Side. This space is
occupied by the new addition of Splitsville;
since this spot is not open yet, the verdict is still out, but it should be
said that Disney is very proud and optimistic about this new addition. Additonally
on the West Side is the AMC Downtown
Disney theaters, and a myriad of restaurants that have a hard time filling
tables and asking the kind of money Disney would like for them to make; i.e. Wolfgang Pucks, Bongos. The exception to
this is the fan favorite House of Blues. So
needless to say, Disney is actively courting new, highly themed eating
establishments to move to the West Side. We also have Cirque du Soleil La Nouba show.
This show has been at the West Side since 1998! So needless to say, everyone who
has wanted to see this show, has. Recent reports have been surfacing of the
show going down for almost 6 months and going through an extensive
refurbishment and re themeing. A lot of noise is being made that this could
turn into a Cirque Du Soleil Disney themed show. there is even chatter that if
Disney can strike a deal with Universal Studios, that this can be turned into an
elaborate Disney Avengers themed
show. That would, without a doubt, be a huge draw for not only Disney fans, but
locals and Marvel fans alike.
(Photo by: Chris Wakefield)
The last hurdle we have to clear is a big one. The massive 5 story Disney Quest interactive gaming, building
is looking more and more like a red herring than a revolutionary indoor theme
park. Lets face it, the last new attraction that was out inside of the building
was Pirates of the Caribbean — Battle for
Buccaneer Gold, and that was a long, long time ago. Now Disney is looking
to do a complete head to toe redo of the indoor complex. Sources say the
Phineas and Ferb and You interactive experience that is currently sitting
outside of Disney Quest will be moved inside and cranked up to a whole new
level. Capitalizing on the popularity of the Disney Channel show, this
attraction will be a main draw for the new Disney Quest. We would also see
Disney gut all of the 1990’s era virtual reality attractions and replace them
with simulator type attractions that are more reliable, can handle more guests
per hour, and can be easily updated with new content. The vintage games and
arcade components of the indoor theme park would stay, but you would see Disney
making more of an effort to more efficiently move guests around the now
confusing layout of the building. Guest flow will become a huge priority. A big
part of that is because Disney is finding that people are too worn out to get
to the fourth and fifth floors of the building. Whats so important about those
floors you ask? This is where the lounge type quick service eateries are. So we
might see Disney move some of their more popular attractions and new additions
to these floors to increase traffic. Now keep in mind that this is a huge refurbishment
and would probably mean Disney Quest would be closed for close to a year. So
whats stopping Disney from moving forward with these projects?
(Photo by: Chris Wakefield)
Disney wants to change the way their guests arrive at Downtown Disney. They
are looking at creating new sections of highway that would lead visitors right
to Downtown Disney. Not the winding and turning road you take now from I4, but
instead Disney is looking to build a off ramp or flyover section of highway
that would take you right to Downtown Disney’s front door. This would also include
a multi level parking structure that would be somewhere near the Cirque Du
Soleil building. This all sounds well and good and Disney was ready to announce
this gigantic project back in the fall of this year, but they ran into a little
bit of a problem. It would seem that Disney ran into some opposition from state
and federal highway officials about building a separate dedicated flyover and
off ramp for Downtown Disney. I have not been able to completely unfold that
part of the story yet, but from what it looks like, as usual, Disney is fighting
over how much of the highway project they will pay for. With both the government
and Disney not wanting to shoulder too much of the cost for this highway
project, the overall Downtown Disney redo is at a bit of a stand still.
(Photo by: Chris Wakefield)
If/when the supposed head to toe refurbishment of Disney Quest is done
Disney hopes to turn all of Downtown Disney into a Disney
Interactive showcase. Featuring new elements from the theme parks, Downtown
Disney would turn into a place where you can legitimately spend the entire day
with your family. The new, refreshing, and excellent restaurants to come would
be more than enough to hold you over and fill your belly up in between running
from shop to shop, while your kids play a version a Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom or Phineas and Ferb scavenger hunt type of game that will take your
family all around Downtown Disney. Cap that off with a a
Cirque Du Soleil show, or a movie at AMC,a little bit of clubbing at Pleasure
Island, or a date night at Splitsville,
and you have yourself a full day of entertainment and fun at the new Downtown
Disney!
Please take the time to visit my Youtube channel.
I am adding new videos everyday so check it out!
No comments:
Post a Comment