Two weeks ago, rumors were flying around the Web that a fifth theme park was reportedly in the works for Walt Disney World. That construction of a new highway that would cut across property somehow indicated that site prep for this extremely-hush-hush project was already underway. But that it would only be a matter of time before Disney’s new CEO, Bob Iger, stepped up to the podium and revealed what the theme of WDW’s next park would be.
Well, far be it from me to rain on somebody’s else parade … But after two weeks of making phone calls to people at all levels of the Walt Disney Company, sending e-mails to all sorts of confidential sources … I’ve found no one — NO ONE — at the Mouse House who could confirm that a fifth theme park was actually in the works for WDW.
If anything, I found dozens of people within the organization who wanted to dispute this rumor. Who offered up logical, well-thought-out arguments as to why it would probably be another decade (if not longer) before the Mouse would give even semi-serious thought to building a fifth gate in Central Florida.
“Why the hold-up?,” you ask. Because — to be honest — the current perception within the company is that the Mouse really over-built in Orlando in the late 1990s. Which is why it’s now stuck with hundreds of hotel rooms that it can’t fill on a regular basis.
So — at least for the next few years — the emphasis at WDW won’t be on expansion. But — rather — on making the most money off of what already exists on property. Finding new ways to cash in on all of the rides, show, attractions, hotels, restaurants and stores Disney already owns and operates in Central Florida.
This is the whole point behind the “Disney’s Magical Express” program. After all, guests who don’t have rental cars can’t drive off-property to eat, shop and/or visit Disney’s competition. Which forces these people to dine at WDW’s restaurants, buy their souvenirs at on-property stores and only visit Disney’s theme parks during their Orlando vacations. Which makes sure that all of that money goes straight into Mickey’s wallet.
Another way that the company intends to deal with this too-many-empty-on-property-hotel-rooms issue is by converting a number of WDW resorts into Disney Vacation Club properties. This will be done slowly over the next 10 years, which will then effectively remove these hotels from Disney World’s existing resort inventory. Thereby making it easier for the company to concentrate on filling the rooms that remain.
Seeing a pattern yet? The new mantra at the Mouse House is “Make the Most of What We Already Have in Orlando.” Seek clever ways to create new revenue streams out of what already exists at the Central Florida resort. Rather than pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the creation of some brand-new theme park, with the hope that this park will then become a big enough draw that it can eventually recover its construction costs.
Because — as Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s California Adventure have oh-so-painfully proved — just because you build & then open a brand-new stateside theme park doesn’t automatically mean that the public will actually embrace it. In the 7 and 4 years that DAK and DCA have respectively been open, these parks haven’t even come close to meeting their initial attendance and financial projections.
This is why Mickey is now looking overseas for greener pastures. Untapped markets like China and India where it’s thought that a brand-new Disney theme park will give the Disney corporation a much better return on its initial investment.
Of course, given the struggles that we’ve seen Hong Kong Disneyland go through these past two months, as that newly opened theme park tries to find its footing … it’s become painfully obvious that there is no such thing as a sure success. But — that said — the Mouse is still betting heavily on international expansion as being the swiftest path to strong returns on the company’s initial investment. Which is why pre-development work is already well underway on the theme park proposed for Shanghai, while sites are supposedly being sought for future projects in Singapore, India and Australia.
Mind you, this is not to say that the Walt Disney Company won’t be doing any reinvesting in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Far from it, in fact. There are already new rides, shows and attractions in the works for all six of the stateside theme parks. Many of which will come on line in the next five years or so.
Now, as for the far distant future … 10 or 15 years from now, it’s possible that the Walt Disney Company might revisit the idea of adding a fifth theme park to the WDW resort. But — before that can happen — the Mouse really does have to get a handle on this whole heads-in-beds issue. Not to mention shoring up those sagging attendance levels at Epcot, Disney-MGM and Animal Kingdom.
As for the immediate future … Look for more money to be funneled in directions that will hopefully help make the next generation of Disney fans (I.E. Today’s teens and tweens) form a tighter bond with the stateside theme parks & resorts.
Kids today supposedly want their entertainment to be more immersive, more interactive. Which is why the Mouse is throwing cash at projects like “My Pal Mickey” & VMK. Not to mention those new handheld devices that were recently field-tested in Anaheim which allowed Disneyland visitors to capture spooks in “The Haunted Mansion” and/or hunt for treasure on Tom Sawyer’s Island.
I know, I know. This probably isn’t the “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” that most Disneyana fans envisioned for the WDW resort. But the fact of the matter is, folks, that Disney World has a ton of problems that it has to deal with before any expansion of that resort can actually get underway. Which is why I seriously doubt that a fifth Disney World theme park will be coming forth anytime soon.
Your thoughts?