Disneylands third gate

[billville]

Ive been hearing a lot of rumors about a third gate opening up at the DL resort in the distant future. I know it probably wont happen anytime soon at all...but I do have hopes that Disney will find the land and means to push forth with this addition.

I thought it would be kinda fun if we all share what would be a good idea for a third gate. What do you think would make a good third gate for DL??

[js3901]

is there even enough room in the area for a third gate out there? I was under the impression that there wasn't (I've never been out there myself to verify)...

[billville]

Heh! Well technically speaking, right now there really isnt much room. Theyve been under a lot of talks with the city to buy a strawberry field nearby. Theres also been a lot of heat with Disney and a builder regarding some condos being built near the resort. Theres plenty of land if Disney does what they did when they built downtown disney, the new hotels, and DCA. They bought out all of the businesses that lay on what is now Disney Ave. So..its highly unlikely it would happen anytime soon, but some sources say it will happen in the future.

Lets cross our fingers!

[Cheshire Cat]

I read an article on JHM about how they have land reserved on Long Beach and were hoping to have a monorail line going down there, but after DCA failed they decided to postpone it. I think it was going to be a DisneySea or Port Disney or something like that.

I have no idea what kind of park could work out there, based on existing parks. They've got a "magic kingdom", and a mini-studios, ak is probably too abitious for the west coast and I personally don't think epcot should ever be duplicated. That being said a DisneySea type park is the only idea I have. Especially if it's on the beach like they orignally planned. That would be a great location for it.

[blinkereye123]

Hi there. I also have been hearing, (and dreaming), about a third park out here on the coast and have a couple of ideas of my own. One idea would an extension of the original park but little further out of Anaheim, (after all WDW is so spread out that it could encompass more than one city itself). This park could contain some of the more obscure ideas that have been planned over the years such as Discovery Bay or even DisneySeas but on a somewhat smaller scale; more of a historical center than a full-fledged park. Another option would be to expand the short-lived DisneyQuest concept with VR attractions and more of tech-based approach, and ALOT less land involved. If it comes right down to it even an a basic water or recreational park where families could partake in regular physical forms of entertainment. Well, I've got lots of other ideas but otherwise I'd be here all day. So, until later, peace.

[JWG]

That Long Beach Strawberry field rumor is true. Disney used to have a website that oulined expansion plans including DCA and this "3rd gate" property. It even showed how they'd redo parking.

The problem is, DCA isn't the success they anticipated and too much money will go into fixing it. Monorail expansion is too expensive, and if they won't do it in FL, I don't see them doing it in CA. And this extra land is not connected to the current parcel. It's SE of the property almost due east of the convention center if I'm remembering correctly. It doesn't flow well, especially if they don't want the added monorail cost.

[Slimmer Kimmers]

I had heard about six years ago that this strawberry field you're all talking about was going to be made into a Disney water park....then again...my source for that information was the driver of our hotel's shuttle bus to Disneyland. Maybe not too reliable after all.

[danimal3114u]

I remember the rumors that they were expanding the monorail, creating a new people mover, and even doing the rocket rods to the strawberry fields for the new Disney waterpark. That would have been awesome.

[billville]

I remember the rumors that they were expanding the monorail, creating a new people mover, and even doing the rocket rods to the strawberry fields for the new Disney waterpark. That would have been awesome.

Oh yea! Bringing back the people movers is a must!! Having a Disney waterpark would be pretty cool...especially being that ive never been to one. I hear theyre a lot of fun. I guess we will all have to wait and see what they do about this.

Somehow I think we will be doing a lot of waiting.

[DisneyChris]

I read an article on JHM about how they have land reserved on Long Beach and were hoping to have a monorail line going down there, but after DCA failed they decided to postpone it. I think it was going to be a DisneySea or Port Disney or something like that.

I have no idea what kind of park could work out there, based on existing parks. They've got a "magic kingdom", and a mini-studios, ak is probably too abitious for the west coast and I personally don't think epcot should ever be duplicated. That being said a DisneySea type park is the only idea I have. Especially if it's on the beach like they orignally planned. That would be a great location for it.

This is true, but the Long Beach idea came before DCA, Here is an excerpt from a book i am writing that discusses this very topic:

When Michael Eisner became Chief Executive of Walt Disney Productions in 1984, the entire Disney organization would undergo an amazing resurgence as an entertainment industry leader, unparalleled since the 1960s. Eisner, unlike Walt, was a shrewd businessman, and the bottom line was the primary motivation for most of his organizational decisions. This had both a positive and negative impact on the Disney Company. The period of his rein was a time of terrific growth for Disney, but after time, the Disney brand would suffer from his ever-increasing corner cutting, foregoing quality to increase profitability. Right from the start, Eisner saw potential dollar signs in the original Disneyland. Despite the obvious obstacle of being completely surrounded by outside property owners, he actively sought out ways to develop the California destination from a single themepark, into an entire resort destination, not unlike its Florida counterpart. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the Disney Company would have buy out many of the small businesses surrounding Disneyland. Not all of these businesses were eager to sell, but as Disney upped its offer, all but a few caved in. As Disney’s Anaheim acreage began to amass, Eisner approached Disneyland Hotel owner Jack Wrather, offering to buy out his lucrative, one hundred year contract. But much to Eisner’s dismay, Wrather refused to budge. Eisner threatened to sue, but Wrather stood by his ironclad contract. Five years after Wrather passed away, the Walt Disney Company was finally able to take over ownership of the hotel by buying out the entire Wrather corporation.

In purchasing Wrather Industries, the Disney Company would not only garner its namesake hotel, but would also acquire a popular tourist destination in nearby Long Beach, featuring both the RMS Queen Mary, and the legendary Spruce Goose. The historic Queen Mary is no longer a seafaring vessel. It was acquired by Wrather Industries to serve as a both a living museum, and waterside hotel, harkening back to the early days of luxury liner travel. The Spruce Goose was exhibited inside a large, enclosed, dome-shaped aluminum pavilion, adjacent to the Queen Mary landing. This amazing airplane was the brainchild of aeronautical pioneer Howard Hughes, and is the largest floating aircraft that has ever been manufactured. In addition to these extraordinary exhibits, there was a quaint little shopping village within the park grounds, built to resemble Elizabethan Londontowne. In the beginning, the Disney Company planned to continue running this property. They even set forth plans for developing the area into a possible new Disney themepark, which would include an expansion of the monorail line to bring guests back and forth between Long Beach and Anaheim. But when Disney executives approached Orange County officials with these ideas, they were given a less than enthusiastic reception. As an ever-increasing amount of red tape lay before them, Disney finally gave up on the Long Beach project, selling off both the Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose to two separate investors.

[billville]

Thanks for that Chris! I had no idea they were thinking of buying the queen mary and the spruce goose. That would have been quite an interesting place to go visit. With the right Disney touches...it would have actually been pretty cool!

Getting back to the original question I asked at the beginning of this thread...does anyone else have ideas as to what would make a cool third gate??

Whatever happened with westcot? Wasnt that also an idea they were tossing around for a bit??

[DisneyChris]

Thanks for that Chris! I had no idea they were thinking of buying the queen mary and the spruce goose. That would have been quite an interesting place to go visit. With the right Disney touches...it would have actually been pretty cool!

Getting back to the original question I asked at the beginning of this thread...does anyone else have ideas as to what would make a cool third gate??

Whatever happened with westcot? Wasnt that also an idea they were tossing around for a bit??

More from my book...

Just as plans for the Long Beach area were about to fall through, Disney announced its plans for Westcot, a second gated themepark to be built right next to Disneyland, over what was then the guest parking lot. The new park would be the West Coast version, of Florida’s Epcot Center themepark. The name Epcot is derived from the acronym of Experimental, Prototype, Community of Tomorrow, and was an original part of Walt Disney’s master plan for the Florida resort property. Walt wanted Epcot to be a model city of the future, where people would actually live and work. It would serve as a living example to modern city planners and developers, showcasing what was possible through the latest in technological innovation. But without Walt’s guidance, when Epcot finally opened in 1982, it had evolved from a city of tomorrow, into more of a permanent world’s fair. The park has two distinctive themed areas. Future World is a celebration of the many achievements of mankind, with pavilions showcasing the latest advances in modern technology. World Showcase is a celebration of international diversity, with pavilions representing nations around the world. The iconic architectural symbol of Epcot is Spaceship Earth, the world’s largest freestanding geosphere. In the California version, Imagineers planned to erect an even more audacious geosphere, nearly twice the size of the 180-foot tall original, with a web-like outer shell that would surround a glowing sphere of gold in the center. The very prospect of such an imposing landmark generated quite a local stir among Disneyland’s surrounding community, which would ultimately lead to the demise of the Westcot project.

The very notion of Epcot Center grew out of Walt Disney’s frustration over the ugly urban sprawl and congestion that grew around Disneyland shortly after it opened. But ironically, the original motivation behind Epcot, became the very reason why Westcot would never realized, as local residents protested the intrusiveness that this proposed themepark would have created in their surrounding community. Regardless, this amazing exposition would have been a fantastic place. When Imagineers announced their intention to build Westcot in 1991, the master plan included both a Future World and a World Showcase, not unlike the Florida version. A large reflecting pool would surround Space Station Earth, the parks glowing spherical icon, which would house an all-new attraction, called Cosmic Journeys, which would be an updated version of the classic Tomorrowland attraction, Adventure Thru Inner Space. During their journey, guests would not only be reduced to the minuteness of an atom, but would also be enlarged to view the entire universe. The new park would also include several pavilions found at the original Epcot, including Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, Wonders of Life, The Land, and The Living Seas, each containing similar attractions, improved and updated. A centerpiece attraction planned for the new World Showcase area was the World Cruise boat tour, which would have provided a picturesque sightseeing excursion around the perimeter of this international exhibition. Whereas Epcot’s World Showcase features twelve pavilions, each representing an individual country, the Westcot version would have grouped these countries into four pavilions, each representing a geographical region. Even after Imagineers eliminated the massive gold geodesic dome from the park’s blueprints, replacing it with a far less obtrusive, towering white spire, the damage had already been done in the minds of local residents. Disney finally scrapped the project in 1995, replacing it with a new concept that would instead, celebrate its surrounding community.

[horizons1]

Disney owns the strawberry field south of the intersection of Harbor and Katella. They have talked about a water park and thrown a few other ideas around. The latest rumor seems to be a possible high-end mini-park. The concept is to build a small park with a handful of restaurants and attractions and then charge a premium to ensure that the smaller crowds still allow the park to be profitable. If successful, this concept could be duplicated in other cities.

[soccermouse]

I would love to see a miniature World Showcase with 5 or 6 countries with hotels for each country that are well themes to that country. Since this would be on the Strawberry Fields, it would be great to have a second monorail that would run up the middle of Harbor Blvd to get to this resort. Dineyland needs the extra hotels anyway - some coule be DVC.

[Captain Schnemo]

The concept is to build a small park with a handful of restaurants and attractions and then charge a premium to ensure that the smaller crowds still allow the park to be profitable.

Sea World does a similar thing in Orlando called Discovery Cove. You need reservations and the number of guests is limited. It's quite a nice, relaxing experience.