Possible Resort-Wide Expansion Including Monorails, Epcot, DAK, DTD, & a 5th Gate

[Right Ear]

For those who missed it, in Kevin Yee's newest article today he discusses the rough layout of a possible expansion for the Walt Disney World Resort:

Disney World Plans - More Monorails, Parks

Layout Plans:

(yellow is where the future expansion will take place)

This expansion will include:
- A replacement for the former Wonders of Life pavilion
- New attractions/new pavilions for World Showcase
- A slight expansion to Hollywood Studios (Possibly a Studio Tour expansion?) which may cause there to be a new parking lot entrance to be built
- new attractions and lands to take up the empty spaces in Animal Kingdom (Note: does NOT include Avatar land)
- a new hotel near the ESPN Wide World of Sport (or a possible expansion of the World of Sports)
- A monorail track that connects DHS and DAK to Epcot (may make stops at some of the hotels near by)
- And finally, a brand new theme park to take up the area East of the Magic Kingdom parking lot (theme is unknown at this time).

So what do you guys think about it.

[goofy donald]

In my opinion order / likelihood these things occur:

1) World Showcase countries
2) HS expansion
3) WoL redo
4) AK expansion
5) Hotel/park near ESPN
6) Monorail
7) MK park

[Homan]

In my opinion order / likelihood these things occur:

1) World Showcase countries
2) HS expansion
3) WoL redo
4) AK expansion
5) Hotel/park near ESPN
6) Monorail
7) MK park

Agreed, I don't see WDW building another themepark for a long time. If people never expanded their vacation stay after they built a 4th park, why waste Money on a 5th one?

[Omegadiz]

I can definately say that epcot could use a little more in terms of WS....well actually the whole park. (on a sided note, i always felt that WS needed a hotel in the back ground that fit with the countries in front. however this obviously cant happen now. DHS doesnt need an "Expansion" persay, it needs to use all that land it already has wasted in the backlot and next to RnRC. AK expansion sounds great. I was always wishing for austrailia and a rain forest themed area. or they could hold out on expansion and maybe recreate dinoland into something more respectable. A Hotle at ESPN makes more sense than some of the resorts they've made in the past couple of years. The rooms would be sports theme, come with the sports package, athelets could stay there etc. The monorail always disappoints me. I get that the monorail is expensive, but i feel that instead of always thinking about it and the money becoming an issue, they should make a new system of transport. though the rails looks cool, maybe a traditional rail can connect the parks? NO MORE PARKS! There is TOO MUCH that needs to happen to the current ones.

[Sam4D23]

This post really inspired me to think up a few new Ideas I will post on my blog but does anyone know what they are doing with River Country and what the new MK park would be based on?

[lazyboy97O]

I think you guys are getting a little too caught up in the article. It's not Disney's direct Master Plan, but the one required of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. It's a guide for things Disney could consider building.

[A113PoCfan]

WDW really needs to fix there current theme parks before they build more if you ask me. Here is my master plan...

Disney's Animal Kingdom is Phase One. DinoLand U.S.A. will be completed redone including the demolition of Dino-Rama. The area will be re-themed to Ice Age mammals and include a new dark ride flume and some sort of kiddie ride. Dinosaur will get a new museum looking facade and a completely new story-line. The Boneyard area will be expanded with more exhibits on paleontology. Expedition Everest's Yeti and other effects will be repaired. A new Australia expansion will be built featuring new animal enclosures and a submarine ride to a coral reef. After these expansions are completed, Avatar Land may be built on the Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Disney's Hollywood Studios is Phase Two. The Hollywood Boulevard will be beatified and the hat will be shipped to the Museum of Disney Theme Park Failures. The Great Movie Ride will get a huge refurb as well. Sunset Boulevard will become a actual 1940's Hollywood street. The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will close with the Beauty and the Beast show. Tower will not change at all. The new Sunset Boulevard will become DHS's new shopping and dinning center. Animation Courtyard will combine with the current Pixar Place and become Animation Center. This land will feature exhibits about 2D and 3D animation and an updated Walt Disney Exhibit. The two currents shows will close and Toy Story Mania will move. Pixar Place will be built on the Backlot Tour and RnRC footprint. It could include an indoor Toy Story Land with TSMM and the other rides from Paris and Hon-Kong, a clone of Cars Land, and the long rumored Monster's Inc. Door Coaster. The Streets of America will become Muppet Studios and all the current attractions will close. A new 3D show, some C or D ticket rides, and some meet and greats with Muppet characters will be added. Echo Lake will be split in half, the top half being Star Wars Land and the bottom becoming Action-Adventure Studios. Star Wars Land will keep the current Star Tours with a new facade. Meet and Greets and new dinning and shopping experiences will wow the entire family. The Action-Adventure Studios will feature a new Indy ride to replace the current show and a car stun show similar to LMAESS. Fantasmic! will stay for now.

Epcot is Phase Three. SSE will get redone to include less interactive crap and more actual scenes. Also those stupid shade things will be gone. The Seas with Nemo and Friends will become The Seas again. The turtle show will stay, but the rest will go back to the original Alpha Base theme. UOE will get a huge update. MS, Land, and Test Track (Post Redo) will remain the same. JII will receive a huge redo and become more to how it was original. (Dreamfinder) WOL will rise again with the same theme. New countries such as Brazil, Russia, Switzerland, and Israel will be added to the world showcase. The Germany boat ride will be built and Maelstorm will be expanded and become an E ticket.

Magic Kingdom is Phase Four, the smallest phase. Old Fantasyland will become more like the Disneyland Fantasyland and Mr. Toad will make an E ticket return. Tomorrowland will lose all its Pixar and Stich and Speedway. New rides themed around a more fun view of the future will be added, such as an Omnimover tour of a house of the future. (Located on the site of Buzz using its track. COP will get a new present time scene and updates.

The new Monorail System will be Phase Five. Using one of the layouts from Kevin's article, the new monorail can connect to MK, Epcot, DHS, DD, DAK, and the Pop hotels. This may cost a lot of money, but it would really be worth it. Maybe an outside company could sponsor it.

After this is done maybe a 5th gate...

Cough(Marvel)Cough

[Sam4D23]

WDW really needs to fix there current theme parks before they build more if you ask me. Here is my master plan...

Disney's Animal Kingdom is Phase One. DinoLand U.S.A. will be completed redone including the demolition of Dino-Rama. The area will be re-themed to Ice Age mammals and include a new dark ride flume and some sort of kiddie ride. Dinosaur will get a new museum looking facade and a completely new story-line. The Boneyard area will be expanded with more exhibits on paleontology. Expedition Everest's Yeti and other effects will be repaired. A new Australia expansion will be built featuring new animal enclosures and a submarine ride to a coral reef. After these expansions are completed, Avatar Land may be built on the Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Disney's Hollywood Studios is Phase Two. The Hollywood Boulevard will be beatified and the hat will be shipped to the Museum of Disney Theme Park Failures. The Great Movie Ride will get a huge refurb as well. Sunset Boulevard will become a actual 1940's Hollywood street. The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will close with the Beauty and the Beast show. Tower will not change at all. The new Sunset Boulevard will become DHS's new shopping and dinning center. Animation Courtyard will combine with the current Pixar Place and become Animation Center. This land will feature exhibits about 2D and 3D animation and an updated Walt Disney Exhibit. The two currents shows will close and Toy Story Mania will move. Pixar Place will be built on the Backlot Tour and RnRC footprint. It could include an indoor Toy Story Land with TSMM and the other rides from Paris and Hon-Kong, a clone of Cars Land, and the long rumored Monster's Inc. Door Coaster. The Streets of America will become Muppet Studios and all the current attractions will close. A new 3D show, some C or D ticket rides, and some meet and greats with Muppet characters will be added. Echo Lake will be split in half, the top half being Star Wars Land and the bottom becoming Action-Adventure Studios. Star Wars Land will keep the current Star Tours with a new facade. Meet and Greets and new dinning and shopping experiences will wow the entire family. The Action-Adventure Studios will feature a new Indy ride to replace the current show and a car stun show similar to LMAESS. Fantasmic! will stay for now.

Epcot is Phase Three. SSE will get redone to include less interactive crap and more actual scenes. Also those stupid shade things will be gone. The Seas with Nemo and Friends will become The Seas again. The turtle show will stay, but the rest will go back to the original Alpha Base theme. UOE will get a huge update. MS, Land, and Test Track (Post Redo) will remain the same. JII will receive a huge redo and become more to how it was original. (Dreamfinder) WOL will rise again with the same theme. New countries such as Brazil, Russia, Switzerland, and Israel will be added to the world showcase. The Germany boat ride will be built and Maelstorm will be expanded and become an E ticket.

Magic Kingdom is Phase Four, the smallest phase. Old Fantasyland will become more like the Disneyland Fantasyland and Mr. Toad will make an E ticket return. Tomorrowland will lose all its Pixar and Stich and Speedway. New rides themed around a more fun view of the future will be added, such as an Omnimover tour of a house of the future. (Located on the site of Buzz using its track. COP will get a new present time scene and updates.

The new Monorail System will be Phase Five. Using one of the layouts from Kevin's article, the new monorail can connect to MK, Epcot, DHS, DD, DAK, and the Pop hotels. This may cost a lot of money, but it would really be worth it. Maybe an outside company could sponsor it.

After this is done maybe a 5th gate...

Cough(Marvel)Cough

Love this and I say Disney holds a bonfire and demo of the hat were fans can come and join in the fun!

[Santana]

I think you got a tad bit carried away there on the DHS expansion, A113POCfan... All of your other ideas seem mostly plausible but I can assure you that most of your ideas for DHS would never happen. Closing Rock 'N' Roller Coaster? Closing TSMM, taking it apart and then reassembling it a few hundred yards away? Closing Lights Motors Action and building a similar show in a different land? Cars Land?

[Disneytwins]

These plans were made in the 80s. There's no proof that they will do anything. It could be three decades for all I know. I think it's pretty much a "If we were to do this, this is how it would be done" type of thing.

[mickdaddy]

Its fun to put together a wish list and do the what could be but that is really all this is. I would love the monorail to all parks and expansion especially to DHS as well as add attractions and new lands to DAK but I am not holding my breath. Especially not where a 5th gate is concerned.

[A113PoCfan]

I think you got a tad bit carried away there on the DHS expansion, A113POCfan... All of your other ideas seem mostly plausible but I can assure you that most of your ideas for DHS would never happen. Closing Rock 'N' Roller Coaster? Closing TSMM, taking it apart and then reassembling it a few hundred yards away? Closing Lights Motors Action and building a similar show in a different land? Cars Land?

I don't think that this is realistic and will happen, I just wanted to share my personal wish list or master plan. You are completely right about my ideas most likely never happening at DHS. The more I think about them, the crazier they seem! This is a fantasy "master plan" I made up, and I understand that.

[traumwelt]

The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will close

Love your plan! It wraps everything up nicely. I would turn Rock 'n' Roller Coaster into a Sci-Fi themed coaster. Maybe the area could be a 1950's era area with the building facade a theater showing a sci-fi film (title = the attraction).

I just don't the way Sunset Blvd. turns into the current area. It doesn't fit.

[Chesire]

Ha, WDW does NOT need a 5th gate at the moment, especially with the current state of DHS.

Disney's Hollywood Studios is Phase Two. The Hollywood Boulevard will be beatified and the hat will be shipped to the Museum of Disney Theme Park Failures. The Great Movie Ride will get a huge refurb as well. Sunset Boulevard will become a actual 1940's Hollywood street. The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will close with the Beauty and the Beast show. Tower will not change at all. The new Sunset Boulevard will become DHS's new shopping and dinning center. Animation Courtyard will combine with the current Pixar Place and become Animation Center. This land will feature exhibits about 2D and 3D animation and an updated Walt Disney Exhibit. The two currents shows will close and Toy Story Mania will move. Pixar Place will be built on the Backlot Tour and RnRC footprint. It could include an indoor Toy Story Land with TSMM and the other rides from Paris and Hon-Kong, a clone of Cars Land, and the long rumored Monster's Inc. Door Coaster. The Streets of America will become Muppet Studios and all the current attractions will close. A new 3D show, some C or D ticket rides, and some meet and greats with Muppet characters will be added. Echo Lake will be split in half, the top half being Star Wars Land and the bottom becoming Action-Adventure Studios. Star Wars Land will keep the current Star Tours with a new facade. Meet and Greets and new dinning and shopping experiences will wow the entire family. The Action-Adventure Studios will feature a new Indy ride to replace the current show and a car stun show similar to LMAESS. Fantasmic! will stay for now.

How does Star Tours, Cars Land, or Monsters Inc have anything to do with DHS?

[Micoofy Duck]

Epcot: Soarin Around The World, New Pavilion to replace "Africa" with new ride

HS: Removal of the hat, updated streets, updated Movie ride, Carsland added in OR Monsters Inc Monstroplios {not sure if I spelled that right} land

Magic Kingdom: Rapunzel's tower added in somewhere for visual indulgence. Tomorrowland updates, removal of Stitch attraction OR removal of Autopia as it does not compare to the length and style of the original in DL.

Animal Kingdom... don't care what they add or take away. It's my least favorite park. OUCH, did I just say that! Yes I did. I guess when I'm in a zoo state of mind then I love it. I've been to my local zoo now a few times and I'm kinda zooed out.

New Theme Park: Not sure what's missing from the four theme parks. I can only expect Pixar building their own theme park so they can stop putting pixar in every nook and cranny in the other theme parks.

that's what i see in the near distant future... OMG

STAR WARS theme park!!!! as the fifth park!!!