[mickeysgirlz]

This can be moved to the rumor thread if you like.

I saw this on another board . . . interesting stuff:

Today Kris Theiler (VP of operations support for domestic parks and resorts) had the chance to speak to a couple of Disneyland Cast members about her experience with the company. She talked a little bit about the restructuring and how she now does double duty for both DLR and WDW. She mentioned her work on DCA including the expansion and then mentioned she was also working on the expansion in the Magic Kingdom. During a Q&A after her presentation a cm asked if she could elaborate on the Magic Kingdom project, wanting to know if it was for the park or the recent DVC expansion. Kris responded saying it is inside the park but she couldn't elaborate any further and said there would be an announcement about the project soon.

Also another small tidbit from Kris was that Disney is constantly looking at ways to improve and change Fastpass including even charging for fastpass (no surprise there.) She did mention that the "father" of fastpass believes that fastpass should always remain free as it is a service that they owe to the public however a pay system for a "magic pass" is currently being tested in HKDL.



RE: MK Expansion - Is There Enough Room? <MEMBER RESPONSE from disboards.com>

In a word - yes. In two words - yes, absolutely.

There is ample room to expand MK in Florida with some creative thinking and approaches to how to do it..

The map below shows a number of colored areas that could easily be used with bridges or walking paths over the Railroad tracks in some cases ... some internal backstage areas might have to be relocated or better 'hidden' with fake facades or artful landscaping but there is a huge amount of land that is useable when you look closely..

The 'yellow' highlighted areas behind Cindy's castle would be trickiest because some fireworks are shot from that area for Wishes and other nighttime spectaculars at MK and there needs to be a safety 'cushion' so that shell fallout and so forth doesn't land on guests pending wind direction and so on.

I didn't highlight it - but the Magic Kingdom lake area below Space Mountain and behind Carousel of Progress could be used for 'pier like' area and possibly even hosting a new evening show involving water, fireworks and whatever.. kinda like Fantasmic..

All that said - there is enough room for expansion for at least two or three entire 'lands' if they think creatively.. I suspect they are talking about something much less ambitious however in which case space is the least of their concerns.

[Lisnoe]

Interesting post. MK remains my most favorite of all the parks!

[dznygrl]

I can't wait to see what's going to happen to MK over the next few years!! I'm sure they have some big plans under wraps...I just hope they go all-out with whatever they decide to do, and don't do any half-hearted, half-budget expansions just to try to get people into the parks.

[beatman23]

in some ways it seems a little wrong to mess with MK. I know, it has been messed with plenty over the years, but nearly all within its confines. Still I bet it will be cool

[RowdyRAider]

The Tomorrowland area, yes it's possible. The Fantasyland area, EXTREMELY doubtful. Like it was pointed out, that area is a "cushion" for the fireworks and keeps us safe. The backstage area is in such a shape I really don't see how the could build on it.

[Tiggerific]

Originally Posted by beatman23

in some ways it seems a little wrong to mess with MK. I know, it has been messed with plenty over the years, but nearly all within its confines. Still I bet it will be cool

I understand what you are saying, but... I'd love to see what they are dreaming up, I'm sure it will fit into the park just fine.

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by RowdyRAider

The Tomorrowland area, yes it's possible. The Fantasyland area, EXTREMELY doubtful. Like it was pointed out, that area is a "cushion" for the fireworks and keeps us safe. The backstage area is in such a shape I really don't see how the could build on it.

Yeah with the Fantasyland area, I would think fireworks fallout would be a major issue, wouldn't it?

I have no idea what it's like at MK and I'm sure they have a lot more room than at DL, but it seems like that would be a really weird/inconvenient place to build onto!

[MissDisney]

I hope that the expansion will keep a tight, compact appearance, in keeping with the rest of the park. It would bug me if the expansion were to take on a spread-out look like they are just looking for a spot to herd guests. Sort of like the All-Stars (think POP!) and even Saratoga Springs -- they are so huge and not in a scale with the rest of the resorts... I would have liked them to build a ton of smaller, individually themed resorts instead of the huge ones.

[coasterman2002]

Until there is an official announcement, its a rumor. But from what has been said, it sounds real. That being said, it could change at any time up until an announcement.

[hanwill]

Miss Disney- I agree completely. I think that the space and "quaint Little village" feel is part of the unique character of the MK. It is certainly does not have the feel of the other parks. EPCOT is a great park with a great layout, but there is nothing quaint and park like about it. It is built for the huge numbers of people that they get. The MK is the major draw, and while they do a great job at moving people through that place, I could see their thought that they need more space for people. It will be interesting to see what they do -if anything. I know when I was there in June, it was the great walled city with all of the refurbishments that they are doing. Time will tell.

[bribren]

Disney Agrees to Pay $452 Million for Hong Kong Park Expansion - Bloomberg.com

Hong Kong is getting an expansion...