Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 By popular request I'm going to re-post what I know about WDW with regards to Star Wars, DHS and future expansion projects. There have been a lot of wild rumors that DHS will be getting "everything" which began with the "themeparkinsider" website and now similar sized rumors coming from the "ThisIsInfamous" site. While the information I have should also be considered rumors, it is backed-up by a lot more of the cold hard facts. WDW fans saw DCA's Carsland construction and assumed that DHS would get a similar treatment, well, these parks are different, different geography and different guest flow patterns and of course WDW is a whole different 'world' with the blessing of space. Anyway, this is where I believe the situation currently stands: 1. The DLR SWLand project won't be expected to open for years, possibly in 2021, that's a way to go and in the short-term WDI will put in a version of the Star Wars Spaceport going into Shanghai into the form Innoventions venue in DLR. WDW had a number of recent new offerings open, as well as the continuing construction of Avatarland and in the shorterm will probably have a StarWars spaceport type project installed in Reedy Creek. There isn't a push to quickly open a new land in WDW within a few years of Avatarland opening in 2017. In the end fans win as we'll get Avatarland in WDW *and* SWLand in DLR within the next half-decade or so. 2. DHS is 'landlocked' with much of the surrounding land being below the 100-year flood plain, and the parking lot is small. Listed in the Reedy Creek Development Plan is land *west* of World Drive that can be used to expand DHS. Disney *could* reroute World Drive, or much more likely, build an underpass for tram access to additional parking, about the same as the cost of an additional parking garage. The largest of the four sections of DHS's parking lot is about the size of Simba and is zoned for entertainment uses and Star Wars land could be built here at some future point. This is in the area of Star Tours and could be removed and replaced with a much more detailed Star Wars land. Is it realistic to say that almost everything in DHS will be demolished? Not in the least, and Disney rarely, if ever, completely demolishes existing infrastructure, offering preferring to switch out attractions versus existing buildings. 3. WDW has been on a construction frenzy with the opening of the New Fantasyland, construction of Avatarland, and the Frozen ride. Typically, Disney has several years of a wash-out period to see how additions to WDW improve/effect guest attendance patterns. Don't expect Star Wars land construction in WDW to be contemporaneous with what is happening in Anaheim. Remember how the "insiders" proudly proclaimed that Carsland was already greenlit for DHS and that at the last D23 the announcement would be made? Nobody's talking about that now. DHS's short-term plan includes an expanded Toy Story and they could also add an additional Pixar ride at some point in the future. Adding a whole Star Wars land is a big project. 3. Another issue with DHS is that there isnt' room for a Star Wars themed hotel, and Star Wars land is expected to generate a huge amount of guest traffic, and WDW's attendance is forever rising skyward. Reedy Creek has the option of constructing a fifth gate, most likely in the land to the east of the TTC. This parcel is actually pretty convenient as the size of the TTC parking lot will be increased somewhat when the racetrack is demolished, and it has handy access to buses and the monorail. They were blueskying concepts for a SW-themed hotel in the area and a Star Wars land, plus two other themed land for the start of a fifth gate. WDW is a different beast, who knows what the future will hold. 4. There was what might have been a bit of playing Anaheim off of Orlando (more than a little), and the formerly real possibility that Disney would not build in Anaheim, but since the Anaheim City Council decision, the focus is on Anaheim for the next big project, which is kinda expected as that is where Trowbridge is planted. 5. DHS as a entertainment venue. DHS is very much a major entertainment venue at WDW with a variety of shows which the guest-nomics of WDW support. WDW guests love to park hop and a number of high-quality anchor attractions make the park a must visit for many visitors. It was a no-brainer that AK was expanded as that park has space for a new larger offering without major parking changes. 6. Disney has been data-mining guests, and they've discovered that there is a sizeable cohort of fans/travelers who would/do visit WDW/DLR for unique offerings and would, for example, travel west for Carsland and east for Avatarland, where if they were opened on both coasts Disney wouldn't get as many total visits from these folks. So, yes, as opposed to the good old days when duplicate Haunted Mansions/Mermaid rides were planned at the same time, there is this new push for unique offerings to differentiate the parks, which is a plus for guests, diehard fans, and WDI. Star Wars is a big IP, and should it come to WDW in a big fashion (other than a Star Wars exhibit type experience) eight years from now, don't count on it being a clone of what DLR will have. Yes, they might duplicate one of the SW E-tickets, but make moderate changes, and have the other E-Ticket be something new with a focus on different SW worlds. 7. Tron has been shelved, and momentum has shifted to established properties/IPs post the Tomorrowland debacle. (Turns out that having a compelling villain is a plus for live action non-Pixar films), and while DC comics and their team of anti-heroes in the form of the Suicide Squad might out do Marvel films like Ant-Man, Disney's anti-Potter is coming: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://images.contentful.com/7h71s48744nc/5P00nzMUCcKwgeAUAqCSIY/6db0ba5401f989beefb9a4db436d51df/artemis-fowl-eoin-colfer-review-image.jpg">http://images.contentful.com/7...mage.jpg</a> Bottom-Line: Disney will be opening a lot fantastic things in the next 5-6 years, including Shanghai DL, Avatarland in WDW, Star Wars land in DLR, Frozen ride in WDW, to mention a few, and it will definitely be the middle of a new WDI renaissance. There are smaller projects (at least compared to the land-sized offerings in the works) that will probably get the green light in the medium-range (6-9 years), such as possibly a Fantasyland E-Ticket for Disneyland, an Incredible ride for DHS, and a Marvel ride or two for DL's Tomorrowland (Stark Expo Cars/Hulk Encounter), the Good Dinosaur ride for Epcot's eastside, but a lot of these are dependent on company financials.
Originally Posted By oc_dean <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blackhairinformation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/grain-of-salt-300x266.jpg">http://www.blackhairinformatio...x266.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By phruby Well, he is right about number 1. I loved the Artemis Fowl books. It could make for some fun theme park environments and rides. However Artemis Fowl is not Harry Potter.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://giphy.com/gifs/MWYbIyPpTXYVa">http://giphy.com/gifs/MWYbIyPpTXYVa</a>
