Discovery Bay Site Plan

[RandySavage]

I created this (basic) site plan for Discovery Bay based on photos of the Tony Baxter model:


Steampunk meets Barbary Coast with a dirigible trip to the Arctic... my kind of land.

[stevo505]

Ah.. Steampunk. I would love to see Discovery Bay come into fruition.

[jesterjack]

wow

[MouseketeerCole]

Wow, very very cool. Does that path near the Western Balloon Ascent go to Dumbo's Circusland?

What actually was the Balloon Ascent? I thought it was a Skyway type ride to Circusland, but your diagram shows it as a loop track design (next to Spark Cap)?

It's amazing how much land was going to be used for a raft ride.

What was the Old Lighthouse meant to be? Just a set piece?

Would the Columbia have been permanently docked there?

So many questions, haha! Thanks for sharing this!

EDIT: Oh, and Professor Marvel's Gallery is huge!

[RegionsBeyond]

Very good visual layout, if only they had gone ahead with some of this...alas. Thank you for sharing!

[KAN]

That's really awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!


--KAN

[Maverick]

[aenobarbe]

I believe you over estimate the position of the train track in relation to Thunder Trail, otherwise this is pretty impressive.

[Matterhorn Boy]

What was the Old Lighthouse meant to be? Just a set piece?

IIRC, it was the Lighthouse they built for the film "Pete's Dragon". Apparently, they the thing is still in storage. There were rumors it would show up in the new Paradise Pier, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

[MouseketeerCole]

IIRC, it was the Lighthouse they built for the film "Pete's Dragon".

No way! I didn't know that. That would have been a wonderful addition to the park, and would have very nicely fit into this new land. Please can those rumors of Tony and John exploring back there be true!

EDIT: Hmm, I just compared the films lighthouse to the lighthouse on the model, they don't look very similar =/.

[Matterhorn Boy]

No way! I didn't know that. That would have been a wonderful addition to the park, and would have very nicely fit into this new land. Please can those rumors of Tony and John exploring back there be true!

EDIT: Hmm, I just compared the films lighthouse to the lighthouse on the model, they don't look very similar =/.

I'm not sure when that model would have built, but development of Discovery Bay is said to have begun in the early-mid 70's, and Pete's Dragon wasn't released until 1977.

If there really were plans to incorporate the lighthouse built for the film in Discovery Bay, it was probably after that model had been built.

[icepenguin77]

hmm...

[MouseketeerCole]

If there really were plans to incorporate the lighthouse built for the film in Discovery Bay, it was probably after that model had been built.

Ah, makes sense , thanks for the new knowledge!

[RandySavage]

Thanks for the positive comments.

Does that path near the Western Balloon Ascent go to Dumbo's Circusland?

Yes.

What actually was the Balloon Ascent? I thought it was a Skyway type ride to Circusland, but your diagram shows it as a loop track design?

I went back to look at the models and I believe you're right. (I think I recall reading that, as well). You can see from the pics below that there are two large balloons - one in Discovery Bay and one in Circusland. These were likely the endpoints for the ride, in which smaller balloons traveled up the rocky area and the descended into Circusland.

Would the Columbia have been permanently docked there?

I don't know, but making a k-turn backwards out of a dock would probably be a challenge (in designing the underwater guide rail).

Oh, and Professor Marvel's Gallery is huge!

At WDI, plans are always in flux. I've read that Marvel's Gallery was based on the old Museum of the Weird concept. But I've also seen the artwork (above) which show him as a Dreamfinder-like AA with a Carousel of Progress-type show, requiring a larger building.

I've also seen the Fireworks Factory described as both a shooting gallery and a Buzz-like shooter dark ride... in my layout it is obviously the former.

[SoCalPi]

I remember as a kid seeing the model of Discovery Bay at the preview center on Main Street and being so stoked. The whole concept looked like a great new theme and a natural off shoot from Frontierland. I understand that the movies a lot of the attractions were based on tanked at the theater, but the idea was great. I really wish Disneyland would reconsider building this. With the massive crowds, the park really needs to expand one way or another. I did not renew my AP in Feb. because I was just tired of dealing with the crowds.

Justin