View Full Version : Disney in Texas?

09-27-2003, 08:05 AM
I know that this has been rumored for years. But I have recently heard from an executive, in an industry that would have something to do with the building of theme parks, that Disney has been in the process of purchasing large pieces of land near I-10 between Houston & San Antonio.

Any chance that there could be some truth to this?

I know there has been some talk in the past that Disney owns a lot of land near Katy, Texas (just west of Houston), but it also seems like locating close to San Antonio would make sense, since San Antonio is a tourist market like Orlando.

Any thoughts?

09-27-2003, 09:03 AM
As you mentioned, the Texas rumors have been around for a very long time. They have covered multiple locations in the state including San Antonion, Houston, Dallas, Houston and even El Paso. While anything is possible, I don' think there is much chance that Disney plans to build a Texas park anytime soon. They have big attendance problems at Epcot, Animal Kingdom and DCA that they need to fix first.

I agree with you that San Anotonion would be a great location for a park, but I think it will be a long time before Disney seriously considers building there.

09-27-2003, 11:10 AM
My guess is that these "Disney is coming to Texas" or "Disney is coming to Missouri" rumors are relicts from the days of the "regional entertainment" strategy, when Disney was all over the country looking for places to build DisneyQuests and other such things. In the case of Branson, which was very popular in the mid 1990s, they may have also looked at building a DVC resort there.
As for a new theme park - it's very unlikely that this will happen anytime soon. If economic, security, and "image" conditions return to standards similar to the good old 1990s, I wouldn't be surprised if WDW and DL announced additions by the end of the decade, but if things stay the way they are now, they may just stick with what they've got now. The 7-park master plan for WDW is in serious doubt now anyway, considering that the southern sector essentially does not exist any more, except for a thin belt surrunding parts of Celebration.
Small, six-flags style regional parks are also a possibility, but I am not sure if they will manage to market such regional parks as a different experience from the vacation resorts, which they certainly would not want to cannibalize. A whole new Disney resort in North America - extremely unlikely.

King Triton
09-27-2003, 09:44 PM
I wish Disney would build a theme park in Texas!!! That would be GREAT!!!!!! I'm sick and tired of Six Flags!

"If you build it, they will come."

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

09-28-2003, 12:43 AM
I agree. I can't stand 6flags! It would be so nice to have a Disney near by again (I grew up in Newport Beach,CA)

09-28-2003, 09:44 AM
I know of 50 acres almost exactly halfway between Houston and SA and only 17 miles from I-10.
Mike, call me we'll talk. You have my number...
Seriously, this rumor has been around for about 25 years. It ain't gonna happen.

10-12-2003, 06:01 PM
When I lived in Memphis a few year ago, like 1997-98 there were reports all over the news that Disney was looking to by land in north Mississippi near the river for a new Disney theme park lol...

It is a fun thought, though, isn't it?

10-14-2003, 09:15 PM
You should not even compare 6 flags to Disney.

Disney is special.

A trip / visit to Disney lasts a LIFETIME.

When was the last time you pulled out your vacation pictures of your trip to 6 flags?

Long live Disney.


10-16-2003, 06:59 PM
All that matters is that in the press conference a week ago Disney said they wouldn't be building anymore theme parks in the US over the next decade, so it's a rumor that doesn't need to be discussed for a long time.

Too bad though, it would be nice to not have to travel all the way to DCA for watered down versions of rides right next door to me.

10-18-2003, 10:45 PM
who installed my gas fireplace logs told me in 1999 that Disney was looking north of McKinney TX for land for a park......... I believed him.........::yes::

10-19-2003, 01:01 AM
I know nothing about these rumors.

But I also have to wonder if Disney isn't getting into regional entertainment in a different way. Disney does have a few resorts outside the theme parks. Perhaps they could expand into regionally appropriate entertainment. So they might go ahead and build the San Antonio Resort, but they also include a lot of ranching activities, horseback riding, area excursions, and of course a cowboy theme represented by Woody and the Roundup Gang.
Now, I've never been on a ranch. Don't know if there's enough to ranchin' to fill up a week. But it is a possibility.

Course, this is all pointless conjecture and likely not true in even the smallest sense. But it is an interesting possibility.

10-19-2003, 12:07 PM
Won't happen. Look at the "success" of the Six Flags parks right now. They are HURTING. The same would happen to Disney. Plus, you'd see a decline in attendance at WDW or DCA. Why fly/drive to Florida when you can drive for two hours over to your local Disney park...and hey! no need to stay in a hotel. They'd lose money on the deal on all angles. I don't see it happening. But then again...what do I care. That's shorter lines for me in Orlando. :)

King Triton
10-28-2003, 10:56 PM
Six Flags is hurting because they have no imagination - in other words, they have no clue about building a theme park. If you have a theme park that is low quality, then they will suffer low attendence later on. Six Flags is boring and lacks charm. Disney is in a league by itself (DCA is another story).

If you build it, they will come.:jumping1:

If Disney did build a theme park of HIGH quality in Texas, I have no doubt it will be successful.

If Disney builds another DCA, then it will be a flop.:crazy2: If Disney builds a DisneySea type quality park (regardless where they build it) it will be a super success!:love1:

Douglas Dubh
10-28-2003, 11:24 PM
I think both the last two posters are wrong. I think a Disney Park in Texas could be a success, but not if it's built anytime soon. Timing is everything. The time to open a Texas park will be when the California and Florida parks are at capacity and adding more parks there are not an option due to infrastructure restraints, low labor pool, or other reasons.

10-28-2003, 11:38 PM
I wish that Disney would build something around San Antonio. I'd be glad to stop there during our trips to see Sea World and the Schlitterbahn. Just kidding!!! Well, mostly. ;)

Seriously, the San Antonio area would be perfect for SOMETHING new. It's already crawling with tourists and expensive as it is.

A Disney ranch resort would be cool. A good ranch is fun. It wouldn't be as exciting as a themepark but it could be restful and just as fun in its own way.

10-29-2003, 10:23 AM
NO, NO, NO. This is the oldest (most annoying) rumor ever! DISNEY WILL NEVER BUILD IN TEXAS!

10-29-2003, 10:37 AM
I'm not so sure I would say this will never happen, but there certainly no plans in the works in the short or long term and all of the rumors out there rioght now are false. Texas has lots of great locations for a new Disney park, but Disney doesn't need a new park right now. However, 15 or 20 years, this could change.

10-29-2003, 12:10 PM
I'm chuckling! Some points to consider... EVERY state would probably like to think they have a great atmosphere and location to serve as another Disney theme park! If you think about it, why Texas, when the other 2 parks are in Southern Ca and Souther Fl?? Seems to me Montana would be thebest choice :crazy: lol. I also heard 20 years ago that Disney would seriously looking a a huge track of land off of I-10 in LOUISIANA :earseek:

Disney will never have a problem with capacity crowds as all they do is raise their prices and thus dropping attendance while keeping the same revenue. Less people, same money.... no need to build other parks...

You Texans crackme up! :wave2: J/K

10-29-2003, 01:50 PM
The reason there have been so many rumors regarding Texas is that it does have several advantages for a Disney park that most other states don't have.

1) Southern Location - Snow and Disney parks do not mix since the park must be open year round and tourists do not like visiting theme parks when it gets too cold (sorry Montana!). Yes, Texas does get a tad hot in the summer, but not much worse than Florida.

2) Central Location - Located halfway between the two existing resorts, which means it is more convenient to the audience fathest away from both those resorts

3) Water and Greenery - Central and east Texas are very lush, with lots of trees and other plant life. Nobody wants to go to a theme park in the desert. Las Vegas would be the only counter example I can think of, but they pay tons of money for the water to keep their tourist areas green. I don't think Disney would want that expense.

4) Right to work state- Unions add a great deal of cost when building and running a park. Not a problem in Texas.

5) Cruise line accessibility - Word is the Disney Cruise Line will soon add cruises out of LA so that they can promote combination the Park/Cruise combination trips that have done so well for them in Florida. I suspect they would want to do this with any new resort they build from here on out if possible, and Houston or Galveston would meet this need.

The only states I can see meeting all these criteria are Texas and Louisiana (though parts of Louisiana are a bit too close to WDW). That doesn't mean they wont build in another state (we know they chose Virginia for the Disney's America project that was never built), but I believe Texas is a more likely choice than most other states, assuming of course, they ever get to the point where they need another resort.

I'm curious. You seem to feel that Disney would never build here. Why? What huge disadvantage do you think Texas has compared to other states?

Also, Disney will have to deal with capacity problems eventually (though not for many years). Raising prices is not a valid answer. The price/value point doesn't usually work the way you described it. When you raise prices, you either maintain your current customers, or you loose way to many to make the same returns you were getting before. Once customers leave due to price, they tend to leave in large numbers. The curve is very steep and there is usually not a point on it where you can make the same amount of money again once the prices become high enough to scare off your average Joe. Its nearly always more profitable to grow your market with more products than to try get more money through price increases.

10-30-2003, 01:52 PM
Heck, I really don't care if they build in Texas eventually.. that would make my life much easier.

Disney ALREADY increased its prices to lower attendance.. that is how they do things. In the last 20 years, ticket prices have gone up 160%.. that's how they operate... too many crowds, raise prices which keeps attendance under control and gives them the same amount of revenue. (I'm looking right now for the exact figure).

You make a great cheerleader. Seriously, you should take that above post and write a nice long letter to Disney and see what kind of response you get.

I was sorta joking when I said Montana...lol... though many parks do close in the winter and I'm guessing Disney doesnt' have a set rule abotu being open year round... do they?

10-30-2003, 04:04 PM
Yes, Disney has been raising prices, but it didn't result in an attendance drop until the last 2 years, and when it did, the loss of attendance and profits was impressive. Your theory on pricing sounds good on paper, but it doesn't tend to work that way in reality. In most profit curves, there exists a price point beyond which the loss of customers is much too great to be compensated for by the higher price. The drop off on the curve tends to be very steep. Its very hard to find a point where raising prices provides the same level of profits once the high price triggers a drop off in customers. The drop off in customers is almost always too large to be overcome by the higher price, thus profits decline. You might a have a little wiggle room near the top of the curve, but not much.

The reason Disney was raising prices is that they beleived they could do so without a drop in attendance (notice they continue to build more hotels at WDW, not the action I would expect from a company looking for less tourists). They obviously didn't feel they had reached the price point where attendance would drop off, and, up until the last 2 years, they were right. However, with the soft economy of the last couple of years, the price point moved slightly lower and, becuase they didn't lower their prices to match it, they had a sudden loss of profits due to dramatically lower attendance. It took them a while to understand what was happening (some will argue they still don't really get it), but they recently offered some great discounts in order to improve attendance, and thus drive up profits.

As for whether the park needs to be open year round, this has always been a prerequisit for Disney in the past. Disney parks are very expensive to build. It takes to long to get a decent return on investment if the park can only be open 6 months out of the year.

10-30-2003, 05:25 PM
Disney realized that regional park idea was a failure. Their whole idea was bascially a glorified mall with some rides, not much else. After the opening of DCA and AK, they saw that the resorts had hit saturation point and any new parks in the US would hurt attendence.

10-30-2003, 07:43 PM
I still tend to agree with TT321-- I dont' think Disney will ever build another theme park in the USA in our lifetimes....

10-31-2003, 02:19 PM
When I went to college outside of Branson, MO, the consistant rumor was that Disney owned a lot of land around Branson, for a 3rd park complex. It was a bunch of hooey!

Walt Disney did consider a park in St. Louis, but abandoned it for Orlando, after a spat with August Busch.

And, don't believe too many people who tell you they talked with someone who was scouting for Disney. I was recently in New Orleans, on Bourbon Street, and was being annoyed by an overly friendly bar patron, who was asking too many personal questions and wouldn't leave me alone. I convinced him that I was from Disney, and that we were looking to buy a city block of the quarter to put in a Disney themed resort. Sure, it was evil, but the guy was really annoying. :rolleyes:

11-03-2003, 11:32 AM
As a long time Houstonian I am saddened that our beloved Astrodome is headed for mothballs because of new baseball and Football stadiums.

I have a dream Disney would take the worlds first domed stadium and make it a Disney Attraction. A huge disney quest with room for stage shows and several rides on the floor of the dome.

Best of all would be the Giant Mouse Ears added to the houston skyline as the top of the astrodome becomes the worlds largest Mickeymouse hat.

11-04-2003, 03:54 PM
I love the idea of Disney in Texas, especially if you could start a cruise there, stop at WDW, and then cruise on back. Not only would they get theme park $$ but also the travel bucks.

11-04-2003, 06:35 PM
Maybe Disney should buy out Six Flags and revamp them all. Six Flags Arlington was very Disneyesque back in the 60's. I remember, I was there.