Forget Walt Disney World Blue Sky, Disneyland Will Get the Next Park

09/19/23 • 15 min

2 Listeners

1923 Main Street: Disney Travel Style Podcast

Is a Third Park featuring Arendelle, Zootopia or Corona Coming to Disneyland, California?

With all the Blue Sky discussion about the potential new lands at Walt Disney World, Disneyland has been quietly moving ahead with plans to add a third park to Disneyland Resort.

As reported by several California media outlets recently, the much-discussed major expansion for Disneyland seems to be one step closer to reality. The city of Anaheim released a major 17,000-page environmental assessment report for the Disneyland Forward project, and while there are a number of issues noted, all signs point to this project moving forward.

Exactly when this might happen isn't clear just yet, but talks of the Peoplemover and Skyway making return appearances are part of the discussion. The land would be built on what is currently a parking lot east of Disneyland, along with surrounding areas. It would also including walking bridges over Harbor Boulevard and Disneyland Drive, to allow guest to move around easier.

Disneyland Park Just Upped its Game When it Comes to Park Food

River Belle Terrace, Cafe Orleans, and Carnation Café are all serving up new dishes, as well as some non-alcoholic and alcoholic specialty drinks.

River Belle Terrace

Located near Tarzan's Treehouse in the heart of Frontierland, River Belle Terrace has great riverfront views and features Southern-inspired cuisine. Here's what's new for food and drink

Food Items:

Warm Bacon & Spinach Salad: Bacon vinaigrette, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and cheese curds (New) (brunch only)
American Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, apple wood smoked bacon, breakfast sausage, house fries, and a biscuit (New) (brunch only)
Signature Pancakes: Pumpkin-spiced pancakes for the fall season (New) (brunch only)
Roasted Summer Squash: Heirloom tomato sauce, heritage grains succotash, greens, and tofu (New) (brunch and dinner)
Chicken Pot Pie Soup: Chicken, carrots, celery, and onion (New) (dinner only)
Pork Chop: Buttery mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and bourbon-apple sauce (New) (dinner only)
Blackened Sustainable Fish with tartar sauce and pickled vegetables served with house fries (New) (dinner only)
BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends Pasta: Pappardelle pasta, caramelized onions, and wild mushroom (New) (dinner only)
Chocolate Chip Cookie (New) (Available for dinner only)
Plant-based Ice Cream (New) (Seasonal topping available on request) (dinner only)

Drinks:

Mississippi Mud Pie: Sprite, chocolate fudge syrup, and cream topped with whipped cream and crumbled chocolate cream cookies (Non-alcoholic) (New)
Wildberry Mule: Tito's Handmade Vodka, blackberry purée, lime, and ginger syrup and blackberries (New)
Nielson Wines Chardonnay (New)
Meiomi Wines Pinot Noir (New)
Modelo Especial Mexican Lager (New)
Smog City Brewing’s Sabre-Toothed Squirrel Hoppy American Amber Ale (New)

Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square

With French Quarter flair. Cafe Orleans has long been a Disneyland favorite. Here's what new on the drinks menu.

Drinks:

Bayou Punch: Minute Maid Lemonade Zero Sugar, orange juice, strawberry purée, blueberry syrup, and an alligator-shaped gummy (Non-alcoholic) (New)
House Hurricane: Pimm’s No. 1 Liqueur, Bacardi Superior Rum, orange juice, strawberry purée, sweet and sour mix, simple syrup, and orange garnish (New)
McBride Sisters Chardonnay (New)
Mirassou Wines Pinot Noir (New)
Karl Strauss Brewing Company Follow the Sun Blonde Ale (New)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Hazy Little Thing IPA (New)

Carnation Café

An American comfort food spot on Main Street, U.S.A., Here's what you'll now find at Carnation Café.

Food Items:

Veggie Skillet: Three-cheese eggs, breakfast potatoes, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and spinach topped with cheese and fresh tomato garnish (New) (until November 9)
Walt's Chili-Cheese Omelet: ...

Is a Third Park featuring Arendelle, Zootopia or Corona Coming to Disneyland, California?

With all the Blue Sky discussion about the potential new lands at Walt Disney World, Disneyland has been quietly moving ahead with plans to add a third park to Disneyland Resort.

Disneyland Park Just Upped its Game When it Comes to Park Food

River Belle Terrace, Cafe Orleans, and Carnation Café are all serving up new dishes, as well as some non-alcoholic and alcoholic specialty drinks.

River Belle Terrace

Located near Tarzan's Treehouse in the heart of Frontierland, River Belle Terrace has great riverfront views and features Southern-inspired cuisine. Here's what's new for food and drink

Food Items:

Warm Bacon & Spinach Salad: Bacon vinaigrette, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and cheese curds (New) (brunch only)
American Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, apple wood smoked bacon, breakfast sausage, house fries, and a biscuit (New) (brunch only)
Signature Pancakes: Pumpkin-spiced pancakes for the fall season (New) (brunch only)
Roasted Summer Squash: Heirloom tomato sauce, heritage grains succotash, greens, and tofu (New) (brunch and dinner)
Chicken Pot Pie Soup: Chicken, carrots, celery, and onion (New) (dinner only)
Pork Chop: Buttery mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and bourbon-apple sauce (New) (dinner only)
Blackened Sustainable Fish with tartar sauce and pickled vegetables served with house fries (New) (dinner only)
BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends Pasta: Pappardelle pasta, caramelized onions, and wild mushroom (New) (dinner only)
Chocolate Chip Cookie (New) (Available for dinner only)
Plant-based Ice Cream (New) (Seasonal topping available on request) (dinner only)

Drinks:

Mississippi Mud Pie: Sprite, chocolate fudge syrup, and cream topped with whipped cream and crumbled chocolate cream cookies (Non-alcoholic) (New)
Wildberry Mule: Tito's Handmade Vodka, blackberry purée, lime, and ginger syrup and blackberries (New)
Nielson Wines Chardonnay (New)
Meiomi Wines Pinot Noir (New)
Modelo Especial Mexican Lager (New)
Smog City Brewing’s Sabre-Toothed Squirrel Hoppy American Amber Ale (New)

Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square

With French Quarter flair. Cafe Orleans has long been a Disneyland favorite. Here's what new on the drinks menu.

Drinks:

Bayou Punch: Minute Maid Lemonade Zero Sugar, orange juice, strawberry purée, blueberry syrup, and an alligator-shaped gummy (Non-alcoholic) (New)
House Hurricane: Pimm’s No. 1 Liqueur, Bacardi Superior Rum, orange juice, strawberry purée, sweet and sour mix, simple syrup, and orange garnish (New)
McBride Sisters Chardonnay (New)
Mirassou Wines Pinot Noir (New)
Karl Strauss Brewing Company Follow the Sun Blonde Ale (New)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Hazy Little Thing IPA (New)

Carnation Café

An American comfort food spot on Main Street, U.S.A., Here's what you'll now find at Carnation Café.

Food Items:

Veggie Skillet: Three-cheese eggs, breakfast potatoes, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and spinach topped with cheese and fresh tomato garnish (New) (until November 9)
Walt's Chili-Cheese Omelet: ...

Previous Episode

What the News from Destination D23 Really Means for Walt Disney World

1 Recommendations

There's a lot of hype following the big announcements at this year's Destination D23 Event at Walt Disney World. But what many have missed is that several things have changed since last year's big announcements. So what's real, what can be trusted and what's as clear as mud for the future of Walt Disney World?

The Big News for Disney Parks from Destination D23

We learned as much from what was said as we did from what was not said.

What's Coming to Disney's Magic Kingdom Park

Hatbox Ghost will be back at the Haunted Mansion in November, but not in the way you may think. He will appear "wherever and whenever he pleases," implying that you may or may not see him on the ride and likely not in the same place each time.

Country Bear Jamboree is changing, this time significantly. An all-new show is coming, complete with a whole new act and new songs. The new show will be modeled after the musical revues of Nashville, featuring some of your favorite country bears singing popular Disney hits in a variety of country music styles, including pop country, bluegrass, rockabilly and more. Disney offered a sneak peak by showing the recording session for Bear Necessities, which will be in the new show.

Pirates of the Caribbean is getting new ambiance with the addition of a new tavern near the ride. Remember the Barker Bird who used to chat will guests at the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean? He will be back and living at the new tavern, chatting it up with guests. Big questions are will this be a reimagining of Tortuga Tavern and will they be selling alcohol?

What's Coming to EPCOT

We know that Moana's Journey of Water is opening on October 16 (including a new location for the Moana meet and greet), but we now know that all of World Celebration will open in December. Yes, the walls are finally coming down.

Bigger news is that Test Track will be undergoing another complete overhaul and update (still with Chevrolet). No dates as to when it will close and for how long, but it is time for a refresh so this is welcome news. Disney promises the new Test Track will include the best elements from the original version along with new updates that point to a future world for vehicles.

World Showcase Lagoon will be getting a new nighttime show entitled Luminous: The Symphony of Us. It will debut on December 5.

What Will the Future Hold for Walt Disney World Parks?

It got interesting here as they teased new information, but in some cases said less than they said last year. Here's what we know.

Beyond Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom still appears to be happening, but they did not mention villains or anything else specifically. It still sounds like a new land with significant size and scale and it will include attractions, restaurants, shows and more.

They did say that Dinoland at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park will be reimagined into a new land themed as the tropical Americas (geographically the space between North and South America). This land will land be Encanto themed, which removes Encanto from Beyond Big Thunder, as was hinted at last year. So Encanto Moves from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom. Plus, an Indiana Jones area is likely coming to Animal Kingdom, potentially where Rafiki's Planet Watch is currently located.

Finally, It's Tough to be a Bug in the Tree of Life is being reimagined as a Zootopia themed attraction/show.

Disney Cruise Line

The seventh ship will be called the Disney Adventure.

The new island stop in the Bahamas on Eleuthera will be called Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

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Next Episode

The One Thing That Can Make or Break Disney's $60B Expansion Plans

1 Recommendations

Details are a little fuzzy, but one thing is clear: if Disney doesn't get the guest experience right in all this talk about big expansion plans they risk alienating their existing core group and the 700 million new guests they're targeting.

Disney's Global Parks Expansion Plans Sound Great, But Details are Lacking and there are some Risks

In the last episode, we discussed the potential future developments for Disneyland and, as if on cue, Bob Iger and Disney executives shared a little more this week about the Disney Company's future park investments around the globe. Here's what we know and what it may mean for you, the Disney traveler.

The Disney Company is working on plans to increase the timing and investments in Parks, Experiences and Products globally. They plan to almost double the spend over the next 10 years to roughly $60 billion, including both American and international parks and Disney Cruise Line (not to mention DVC).

Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro met with Wall Street analysts and investors at Disney World to discuss how they plan to invest in experiences that leverage the ever-growing library of Disney stories.

Which Disney Stories Will Come to Life?

Not unlike Destination D23, this presentation was a lot of talking with little detail.

Disney does plan to fuel future growth with stories that haven't had a significant presence in parks. We know that Frozen-themed lands are coming to Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and Tokyo Disney Resort, and that a Zootopia-themed land is coming to Shanghai Disney Resort. But Disney specifically stated it will explore even more characters and franchises, including some they've never done before.

“We have a wealth of untapped stories to bring to life across our business,” said D’Amaro. “Frozen, one of the most successful and popular animated franchises of all time, could have a presence at the Disneyland Resort. Wakanda has yet to be brought to life. The world of Coco is just waiting to be explored. There’s a lot of storytelling opportunity.”

No Shortage of Park Space for Disney to Build

In a shot likely aimed at Universal, Josh D'Amaro said “We stand alone when it comes to scale and while our scale is impressive, we have no shortage of space or regions of the world in which to tell new stories.”

Disney Parks has over 1,000 acres of land for possible future development to expand theme park space across its existing sites – the equivalent of about seven new Disneyland Parks.

Focusing on Converting Disney Fans into Disney Travelers

For every park visitor today there are 10 other Disney consumers who've never visited a park. So DIsney has a plan to convert those 700 million Disney fans to become park guests. That's a lot of people in Disney Parks.

This sounds great if you're a Disney exec, but could prove to be a nightmare for Disney travelers who sometimes have to navigate parks that are already over crowded. How they do this is critical.

“Ultimately what is most important to us is the relationship that we have with every guest,” said D’Amaro. “Guests can spend a day with us at our Parks, a week with us on a Cruise, or the rest of their lives with us through Disney Vacation Club membership.”

What Disney needs to consider is that every guest includes existing loyal Disney travelers. It will be a balancing act to bring in that many more new visitors, without disrupting the experience for everyone (and that includes convoluted tech processes for just about everything).

Having enough hotel space is critical to making this vision work. While they did not mention hotels, they did talk about Disney Vacation Club (DVC).

The DVC expansion strategy is currently to have a thousand new "keys" (aka DVC rooms) coming on board by the end of 2024. That's a lot of new DVC members.

340 DVC rooms came online with the opening of DVC Disneyland Hotel in September and
there will be approximately 360 Fort Wilderness cabins opening in 2024,
plus approximately 270 new Polynesian Villas also in 2024.

Having every possible guest become a DVC member is clearly a "key" strategy for Disney.

So what does that mean for the future of Disney travel and the management of crowd levels and an overall enjoyable experience? Only time will tell. For now let's focus on the positive fact that somehow somewhere, there will be a new park or parks at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Thank You for Listening to the Disney Travel Podcast

Thank you very much for listening to this episode, Amelia and I hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, we would be very grateful if you could