The Walt Disney Corporation has theme parks in two states – Florida and California. While Disneyland in California is the original theme park with Walt Disney’s personal touch throughout, Disney’s footprint in California is noticeably smaller than in Florida.
Many Disney theme park fans talk about “the Disney bubble” which they experience when they stay on-site, usually at Walt Disney World. World has numerous on-site hotels for all budgets, and all include transportation to the theme park gates. It can be magical to literally stay in the magic.
On the west coast, things are a little bit different. There are currently three on-site hotels, and two of those hotels are across the street from the theme parks. The “bubble” is different here with most visitors choosing to stay across the street at a non-Disney hotel.
Despite this difference, it’s easy to argue that the west coast parks are where the magic is really at, especially when we look to the future. Currently, while there are only two Disney parks in California, there are more rides and attractions at the California parks than at all four of Disney’s Florida parks combined. That means it’s a shorter walk to each attraction, and it’s easy to pack more in each day.
Now, let’s look to the future. DisneylandForward could drastically change the way the Disney “bubble” works in California and even has the potential to add a 3rd theme park or expansions to the two existing theme parks. Disney has been in talks with community leaders to try to gain approval for rezoning land the company already owns. Instead of certain land being zoned for hotels or parking lots, they want to be able to use the land for mixed purposes like hotels, restaurants and theme parks all in the same space.
If the rezoning request is approved, this could drastically change the way Disneyland looks and operates. There have not been any specifics as of yet about what new attractions and lands the expansion would include, but it could include lands and attractions that exist at other parks around the world, such as a Frozen land, a Toy Story land or a Zootopia land.
While Disney is hoping to pour money into this big project over the next few years, the company is pulling back on Florida. The Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience is closing. The tension between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t helping anything. While Walt Disney World may currently be bigger, the future is in Anaheim, California, and we’re here for it!
Planning a trip to Disneyland and want to see the current layout of the parks, hotels and restaurants before you arrive? We have a video for that! Check it out below.
Do you think Disney will ultimately gain approval and be able to move forward with DisneylandForward? What new rides and lands would you like to see built? Would you prefer it if Disney build a third theme park or if they expanded the two existing California theme parks?