Possible Third Park

[Carol]

New Disneyland Boss To Oversee Changes, Possible Third Park
By Sandi Cain
Orange County Business Journal Staff

Ed Grier has seen the world with Walt Disney Co., leaving his mark on parks from Florida to Paris to Tokyo.

Now he has a chance to do the same as president of the Disneyland Resort, which includes the company’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and Downtown Disney shopping center.

Grier, 51, was named president in summer after three-year boss Matt Ouimet left to take an executive post with White Plains, N.Y.-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Grier’s the third person to lead Disneyland since 1999 and the first in recent years to come from the operations side of Walt Disney Parks & Resort.

“It’s absolutely a positive to have an operations guy (at the top),” said Jim Benedick, managing partner of ProFun Management Group Inc. in Tustin and a former manager at Disneyland.

“Years ago, operations ruled the roost,” he said. “Disney needs to get back to that orientation.”

Last year, Walt Disney combined marketing, sales and entertainment decisions in Orlando, Fla., and at its Burbank headquarters. The move put more emphasis on operations and guest relations for Disneyland’s president, former executives say.

A soft-spoken, roll-up-the-sleeves kind of guy, Grier started his career at Disney as a senior auditor at Walt Disney World in Florida. The Atlanta native also was part of the opening team at Epcot in Orlando and boosted guest service and resort and financial operations in Tokyo.

He’s no stranger to Orange County, having visited many times. He said he’s been surprised by how urban it has become—and how bad the traffic is.

He said he loves the intertwining of Disneyland and Anaheim. The two have more or less grown up together, Grier said.

He recently moved his family from Tokyo to Tustin, going from one of the newest Disneyland parks to the oldest.

Grier has wasted no time, it seems, learning the lay of the land in OC and setting plans.

He said his priorities for Disneyland include building on the park’s interaction between workers and visitors, spurring attendance after the blockbuster 50th anniversary push that peaked in 2005, and making sure the parks are well kept.

Grier recently worked the third shift with “cast members”—Disney speak for workers—checking rides, touching up paint and doing other maintenance.

“It’s important to do that so you understand what the cast member’s point of view is,” he said.

Grier inherits a work in progress with Disney’s California Adventure. The park, which opened in 2001, enjoyed a spillover surge from Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. But it still hasn’t lived up to expectations. The company last week unveiled plans for a ride at California Adventure based on Pixar Animation Studios Inc.’s “Toy Story” movies.

Some have speculated that Disney might turn California Adventure into a sort of “Pixarland” after its acquisition of the studio last year.

Grier was mum on long-term plans.

“We want to capitalize on all the synergies we’ve got,” he said. “Pixar is a big part of the Disney family now and that gives us a unique opportunity to use some of the Pixar assets.”

Disney is looking to The Year of a Million Dreams, a companywide marketing push, to spur attendance after the 50th anniversary.

Workers grant “dreams” to random park visitors each day during the yearlong promotion. Gifts range from an all-day FastPass to bypass ride lines to Disney cruises. Disneyland has given about 200,000 gifts.

Grier said his favorite is the night’s stay in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel.

Several rides are in the works for Disneyland. The most eagerly awaited is the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage based on the Pixar movie “Finding Nemo.” The ride is set to debut in summer at the old submarine lagoon at Disneyland.

The earlier submarine ride opened in 1959 and closed in 1998 after losing appeal.

“Nemo is a great fit for this attraction,” Grier said. “It’s great storytelling, and we have a lot of innovation (with it).”

Word also came last week about plans to revamp Tom Sawyer’s island with a pirate theme ahead of this summer’s third “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.

The success of the “Pirates” movies—which evolved from the 40-year-old Disneyland ride—has been a coup. The ride gave birth to hit movies that in turn generated interest in the ride.

“Things like that help reinvent the property and look toward the future,” Grier said.

That kind of thinking harkens back to earlier times, according to Milt Albright, who worked for Disneyland for 45 years, including at its opening.

“Roy Disney (Walt Disney’s nephew) always said to maximize the utilization of existing” assets, Albright said.

Grier also is involved in planning for a possible third Anaheim park.

First talked about in 2000, Disney wants a “third gate” on a 75-acre parcel near Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue. The land has been used for little more than employee parking since the 2001 tourism downturn.

Now that things are humming again—if not booming—the company is thinking about expansion.

“What’s important for us is to focus on what’s (going to be there) for the next 50 years,” he said.

Coming from Tokyo, where Grier was part of the masterplanning team, he has a grip on how the process works.

There’s no firm plan for the Anaheim land yet, he said, despite rumors of a Wide World of Sports-type complex.

“We probably have more ideas than we have room for,” Grier said.

Grier also faces the issue of changes around the company’s parks. Disney has been critical of proposals to put housing in the city’s resort district.

An Anaheim panel last week rejected a plan by SunCal Cos. to allow new homes near Disneyland. An appeal is expected. SunCal wants to build 1,500 homes, including 200 affordable apartments on the site.

The district makes up 2% of Anaheim’s land but generates 24% of its sales tax revenue. Hotel room taxes make up about 28% of Anaheim’s general fund revenue, according to the city.

Disney’s take is that homes would be out of place among the parks, hotels and shops.

“It’s very important to maintain the integrity of the district because it’s a big economic generator not just for us but for the community,” Grier said.

[LibertyTreeGal]

Hmmm... I wonder what they would do for a third park? A carbon copy of AK maybe to compete with the San Diego Zoo? Or another Epcot type of thing, or something different entirely?

[LouRodriGIS]

I think a third park would be something totally different. 75 acres is not a lot of land when you figure AK is 500 acres and Epcot is 300 acres. Maybe a water park??

[Melanie]

How many acres are each park in California?

[NotaGeek]

Disneyland = 85 acres
California Adventure = 58 acres

[Melanie]

Disneyland = 85 acres
California Adventure = 58 acres

Huh. So this is definitely doable.

DCA is only 58 acres? Seems bigger, maybe because there are more open spaces in the park.

[*tinker_belle*]

Disneyland definately utilizes its 85 acres very well. That park seems pretty big to me. And CA seems big not only because there are so many open spaces but because there is always just one way to get to everything, in a big circle and it just takes forever.
Yay, i hope there is a new park in the works. I think they should have a Disney Quest in our DD district. Replace the theaters with that. When i'm in DD, the last thing i want to do is see a movie, however i'm sure people on vacation don't really feel that way. And i'm guilty of seeing Happy Feet there. lol

[2Epcot]

New Disneyland Boss To Oversee Changes, Possible Third Park

An Anaheim panel last week rejected a plan by SunCal Cos. to allow new homes near Disneyland. An appeal is expected. SunCal wants to build 1,500 homes, including 200 affordable apartments on the site.

The district makes up 2% of Anaheim’s land but generates 24% of its sales tax revenue. Hotel room taxes make up about 28% of Anaheim’s general fund revenue, according to the city.

Disney’s take is that homes would be out of place among the parks, hotels and shops.

“It’s very important to maintain the integrity of the district because it’s a big economic generator not just for us but for the community,” Grier said.

The rejection of the homes is a good idea, especially if Disney is even considering building another park. The residents near Disneyland have already put a lot of restrictions on Disney, even though my guess would be, most moved there after Disneyland was built. More homes near Disney would just make things worse, not to mention complaints that a new theme park will add more traffic to the area.

The new president seems to be taking a good approach to the future of the Disneyland Resort. I like that he worked the third shift to meet people. I look forward to seeing the future of the resort.

[Paradise Pier Pinocchio]

Agree that it is in the best interest of the resort to keep housing away.

Agree they should do a third gate.

Just not sure if the timing is right. DCA is still in need of some TLC. Midway Madness is great but it'll need more than that. Anything else greenlighted for DCA?

[*tinker_belle*]

I agree too with the NO housing and also a third park.
Yes DCA does need some help though, I'm a for Rock'n'Roller Coaster in CA but i think some people would say its too much like California Screamin. I still like it. Definately need something more in Cal. Adventure though....hmmm
Anyways thats my

[ChipDale]

I'd rather see them build another Resort hotel. It's getting more difficult to get a room at one of the three hotels unless you book way in advance.

[*tinker_belle*]

I'm so jealous that WDW has so much land to expand on. I wish DL had that advantage. They are so limited as to where they can build, and what they can build. I wish we had out own highway system like WDW...

[NotaGeek]

I'd rather see them build another Resort hotel. It's getting more difficult to get a room at one of the three hotels unless you book way in advance.

I agree! It would be nice to see a Disney Budget Hotel so more people could enjoy that Disney Magic, and not have to opt for some of the good neighbor hotels because the present Disney Hotel Options are so out priced for the everyday traveler.

[HndrdPrcnt]

I am way in favor of putting more TLC in to DCA. I would LOVE to see Rockin' Roller Coaster at DCA. It would fit right in since it is a CA themed attraction anyhow. The radio station on in RRC is a LA based station for cryin' out loud.

Another great idea is a value-based hotel such as POP on this property.

Of course, I also like the idea of a water park. CA has perfect weather for a water park and it could be open most of the year without any issues.

[Chescat]

Of course, I also like the idea of a water park. CA has perfect weather for a water park and it could be open most of the year without any issues.

Unfortunately, there was an attempt at doing that a while back. When Disney Corporation purchased the Disneyland Hotel (after the death of the owner which was a long time friend of Walt Disney's), they got the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose in Long Beach. There was a major attempt at doing a water park there, but the City of Long Beach blocked every move they tried to do anything, saying there would be too much traffic in the area. That's when Disney sold the Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose (which went up to an Oregon Museum somewhere). So I think they gave up on the idea of any water park thing here.

BTW, Knotts has a water park just across the street from their park, so not sure how that competition would go.

[MDinPA]

Does anyone else remember when Disney had set up the website www.thirdthemepark.com The site was offically run by Disney. It is still up but I am not sure who owns the URL anymore.

I remember that according to the website the original plan for the new park was a "Greatest Hits" concept where the best attractions from all Disney parks were located in the new park. I never liked that idea.

I think they should build a water park, another resort hotel or two, and maybe expand DtD and link it all to the existing resort via a Monorail expansion.

[Ian]

I'd be all for adding a new resort out there ... it is REALLY hard to get into any of the existing ones for anything approximating a reasonable price.

When I took DW and DD out there in '05, a five day trip cost us more than a weeklong stay in Disney World with the dining plan does.

And that's even factoring out the additional cost of airfare from Philly to L.A. vs. Orlando.

I'd also love to see them do a new park out there, but I gotta be honest ... I think they could pour tens of millions into DCA just to bring it up to par. I'd much rather they do that first, before developing a new park.

Unless it's a water park, which really wouldn't compete directly with DL and DCA.

[BrerGnat]

I'd be all for either a water park, or a resort hotel or BOTH. 75 acres is more than enough for a water park AND a new resort, even a very large one. I think they need to think more along the lines of how the moderates are at WDW. Without all the land, of course.

I really really just hope they do NOT put in a DVC there...they need something else there for the PARK VISITORS.

[frozman]

I'm all for more rooms, but I would prefer they do that kind of like how Grand Californian is in DTD, except build rooms OVER the DTD buildings, therefore they wouldn't take up any real estate, and more rooms would be added.

I'd love to have that greatest hits park, I think I talked about it before, but think of all that could go there:
Indiana Jones coaster from disneyland paris.
A ton of stuff from Tokyo DisneySea
Rock N Roller Coaster (use the Paris version)
the new "Soarin' Over the World" film being built at Paris (leave California at DCA)

If they were to have that, I'd much rather them copy stuff from the foreign parks, since we can just go to Florida to see WDW's rides.

I just hope they don't do an EPCOT. I HATE EPCOT!!!!

[*tinker_belle*]

I heard that the plans for the parks centennial are to open a time capsule that Walt had made with his plans to build a STATE sized resort!! I wonder if thats true. If anybody had plans for a resort like that, it was definately Walt.