February 26th 2015 archive

Walt Disney World- Can we expect a fifth park in the near future?

 

Walt Disney World is one of the most popular places to vacation in the world. With 4 full-scale theme parks at its disposal, it is no wonder that people travel from all over the world for the amazing experience of attending one or more of these parks. With 4 theme parks, two water parks, plus numerous other attractions, such as Fantasia Mini Golf and Disney Quest on Resort Property, one would think that the crowds would disperse nicely and easily all around the resort. In truth, this is absolutely false. Even with constantly raising ticket prices, extras to get into hard ticket events like “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party”, and ever climbing airfare and gasoline rates, people are still flocking so The Happiest Place on Earth at record numbers. Perhaps most interesting (and most troubling for Imagineers, the people behind the Disney Parks) is that the crowds are steadily increasing year after year, which means that even the slowest seasons are becoming unbearably crowded. The crowds cause 3 hour ride lines and force the parks to be shut down due to being at maximum capacity. This sort of thing can lead to unhappy guests, unhappy cast members, and an unhappy environment. As you can see in the chart below, attendance is steadily rising every year. Even with raising ticket prices, people from all over the world are flocking to Walt Disney World in record numbers. Eventually, the parks will get too full to hold all these people.

A chart showing attendance patterns at Walt Disney World's four main parks

So what’s the solution?

 

For several years, Disney has raised their ticket prices. Undeterred, guests have still entered the parks at record- breaking rates. As you can see from the chart included in this post, Magic Kingdom is by far the most popular park, well on its way to doubling the attendance rates of both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Even for those two parks, attendance was over 10 MILLION in 2013. Since it’s only gone up in the last five years, one can predict it will continue to do so. In which case, we are going to need somewhere to put these people. Where better than a fifth amusement park? When one looks at the numbers, it is clear that Magic Kingdom is by far the most popular. We can see from this that guests like the Magic, the castle, the fairytales, etc. So, how can that be integrated into a fifth park, while making it different enough from the Magic Kingdom?

 

The answer: The Dark Kingdom.

 

Of all the rumors going around for potential expansion ideas, this one is by far the fan favorite (and my own). There is a great article on the Dis Boards right now about the potential for this park and what it would entail.

A lot of people wonder why the park never took off. Here’s a great forum listing the reasons why not

 

Essentially, the Dark Kingdom would be the Magic Kingdom turned on its head. Instead of Cinderella’s (or Aurora’s, if you’re thinking Disneyland) castle in the center, Maleficent’s castle would reign above the park. Rides, attractions, and eateries based on the likes of Captain Hook, Ursula, Scar, and the evil Stepsisters would populate the park. The Dark Kingdom once seemed like a very real possible idea of the Imagineers, but has recently been put on that back burner for projects like Avatarland at Animal Kingdom and whatever they are closing things in preparation for at Hollywood studios (quite honestly, likely Star Wars Land).

It sure isn’t for a lack of space that Disney has kept the Dark Kingdom from becoming reality. Read this great discussion of how much unused land exists and what could be done with it.

The Dark Kingdom has been extremely popular with fans. Any time it is brought up on a forum like the ones I’ve linked to throughout this post or a comment thread it seems to explode with life- with those both vehemently for and vehemently against the park. Some think it would be too much for one park. Mothers of young children worry it would be “too scary,” even though young children aren’t the intended audience for this park. Although the Dark Kingdom never went into development, people have begun to get anxious to see it built, especially with the recent announcement of the already unpopular Avatarland and the depleted look of Hollywood Studios (for now) people have started turning back to this old concept. I personally think this would do really well. People love patterns and parallels. Having a Dark version of Magic Kingdom would add a lot for families with older children (who are increasing in attendance every year) and spark interest in those who haven’t been for awhile. Recently, villain merchandise has really taken off in stores, everything from new makeup lines to villain centric events in the parks (Villains Unleashed) have been embraced. It’s time to build the Dark Kingdom, Disney. They’ve got the idea, they’ve got the support, now all they need is the guts.

 

P.S. Here are two forums where the Dark Kingdom was discussed within the last few years. It is interesting to see people’s different stances on it (and the conflicting information people seem to believe surrounding it):

 

 

 

 

 

Hello World!

Fastpass. Advanced Dining Reservations. 180 day mark. Hopper Pass. Monorail loop. What does it all mean? Whether you’re going to Disney for your first time or your one hundredth time, it can be incredibly overwhelming and confusing to plan a trip. Going to Disney certainly isn’t cheap- and the last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars to wander around a crowded theme park in one hundred degree heat and humidity in a confused haze wondering if you’ll ever find a place to eat that isn’t already full and why some people are getting to go in a faster line! Walt Disney World’s Website and Disneyland’s Website, though awesome resources, aren’t always the most first-timer friendly sites, and one may find him or herself needing a more plain English explanation of what’s going on!

That’s why I’m here!

From ages four to fourteen, I went to Walt Disney World four times. At ages thirteen and fourteen, I was given the great honor of performing on a Disney stage as a participant with dance in Magic Music Days, a program that brings some of the most talented young performers from across the country to perform at the most magical place on earth. This experience became especially precious to me after a career ending injury took me off the stage for good at age 15. The last stage I ever performed on was a Disney one, and I can’t think of a better way to end a career.

At fifteen, I got to go to Disneyland for the first time- wow! What an experience! To see Walt’s light on and to see the original Sleeping Beauty Castle is a breathtaking experience for any Disney fan. To talk where he walked- to see what he saw… there’s nothing like it!

My next Disney experience didn’t come until I was twenty years old. I took my then boyfriend (now fiancé!) to Walt Disney World for the first time. I knew he was the one when he started crying when he saw Main Street USA and Cinderella’s Castle for the First time. He’s not an emotional guy, but he was just blown away in that moment. That time, we stayed at my mom’s timeshare, and though it was beautiful, I think it was the last time we will ever stay offsite.

 

And now here I am at almost twenty two, just weeks away from my next Disney Trip to Walt Disney World! This one’s a little different for multiple reasons. 1) We are getting our Engagement Photos taken in Epcot. 2) This is the first time Kevin (my fiancé) and I will be doing the entire vacation alone and 3) Drumroll please…. WE WILL BECOME ANNUAL PASS HOLDERS! We are moving to Atlanta in May. Since we will be barely 6 hours from WDW, we decided it was time to take the plunge and buy some APs!

 

Plans for the future: Our Annual Passes will surely afford us to become experts very quickly on everything related to Walt Disney World, and we plan to make an effort to visit Disneyland at least every other year as well (including a possibly, our honeymoon). Oh, and did I mention we’re planning a wedding on Disney’s private island Castaway Cay during a cruise on the Disney Magic in 2016? Yep. So… lots of future plans are on the way there as well! If you have a question that I haven’t answered on my blog, you can contact me via my twitter (embedded in the home page) or you can also check out Chip and Co, a professional Disney fan site.

 

Disney is a wonderful place, and with the proper planning, it can be a truly carefree vacation. Trust me when I tell you, with every passing year it becomes less and less possible to “just wing it” at Disney World! Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing a little girl all excited to meet her favorite character or dine at Cinderella’s Castle, only to be disappointed because her parents didn’t know you need to have VERY advanced reservations to eat at the castle or check the times for character meet and greets. It can be disappointing for all-adult parties, too.  There are great resources one can use to ask real people for help, such as The Dis Boards, but even these can be full of acronyms or terms like ADR and 180 day mark that can confuse those who aren’t seasoned veterans. And if you are one of those seasoned veterans, you may still want to get your Disney fix in a way other than watching your vacation planning video on repeat (Don’t lie, we all know you do it!) No matter whether you’re a first timer or a pro, I hope to be able to provide you with some useful info and interesting material that will help you from the magical moment you decide to plan your trip to the final “See ya real soon!” As you pull out of Lake Buena Vista Drive or Disneyland Drive. Let’s get started!