In 1984, Michael Eisner was brought into the Disney company as CEO and Chairman of the
Board, a move meant to strengthen the company during a slump.
Though Eisner is maybe most known for his cost-cutting measures that led to a quality
decline in Disney Parks, the former CEO did his best to kick off his new position with
a bang.
Michael Eisner declared the 1990’s as the “Disney Decade”, which focused on not
just expanding existing parks, but also adding new ones.
Out of the Disney Decade came Disneyland Paris, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney-MGM Studios Paris,
and Disney’s California Adventure.
This Disney Decade wasn’t a total success though, as Disneyland Paris’ opening was
essentially a disaster.
In the shadow of the park’s initial failure, many projects saw drastic budget cuts, or
were cancelled completely.
Disneyland’s second gate is probably the best example of alterations done to save money,
as the final product, Disney’s California Adventure, is a far throw from the initial
extravagant plans.
Though maybe we should consider ourselves lucky to get a second gate at all, Eisner
had plans in mind during the Disney Decade that would’ve taken the parks in California
outside of Anaheim entirely.
One of them, DisneySea, was never built, but featured a rich collection of ideas that inspired
future parks to come.
In the late 80’s, Disney acquired the Wrather Corporation.
This was primarily to take control of the Disneyland Hotel, which until then, wasn’t
actually run by Disney at all!
Most other properties under the Wrather Corporation were sold off, as they weren’t worth the
investment.
One property in Long Beach, California, however, caught the eye of Eisner.
Wrather had previously owned and operated the historical ship, the Queen Mary, along
with a parcel of land surrounding it.
Here, Eisner saw an opportunity to use the ship as a focal point of a new Disney resort.
In 1990 this resort, Port Disney, was announced by the Disney Company.
This resort would feature a ocean-themed amusement park, marinas, a cruise ship port, retail
and dining areas, and multiple hotels.
Though the entirety of Port Disney was an ambitious plan, nothing was more extravagant
than its park themed to the sea itself: DisneySea.
In September 1991, Port Disney News was distributed by Disney to the residents of Long Beach.
This pamphlet gave a more expanded description of the resort than what was originally given
in the Preliminary Master Plan.
The focal point of the park would be Oceana, a two-story aquarium designed to look like
rising bubbles.
Inside, guests could visit different areas representing sea life from different habitats
and ecosystems around the globe.
Overhead walkways and underwater portholes would give guests unique views of the tanks.
Interactive exhibits would educate on everything from how gills work, to how coral reefs build
up over time.
Special demonstrations and experiments would also be available for guests to experience.
Inside the Future Research Center, guests could interact with the nation’s top marine
biologists to learn more about the ocean.
This area would be very similar to Epcot’s Living Seas pavilion.
The Future Research Center would act as a real research laboratory, and in addition
to demonstrations led by marine experts, kids could also enjoy a simulator ride that explored
the jobs of deep sea divers.
Though DisneySea had a focus on the funducational, it was also comprised of many lands that used
attractions and dining to elevate the park experience.
Mysterious Island, an area run by pirates, took guests into the depths of the ocean to
discover Atlantis, and winding through the lava caverns of an active volcano in two of
their E-Ticket rides.
Hero’s Harbor was accessible through Aqua-labyrinth, a maze with walls made of water.
Once guests passed through the maze, they would find rides based on the legends of Sinbad,
Ulysses, and other fabled adventurers of the past.
Boardwalk, an area themed to Long Beach’s defunct Pike amusement park, sat along the
edge of the Bay.
Adjacent to this area would be Fleets of Fantasy, a harbor full of fantastic ships, which were
homes of restaurants, attractions, and entertainment experiences.
Venture Reefs would take guests through a Grecian village, an Asian floating market,
and a Caribbean lagoon.
These areas would allow guests to take a dip in the water to swim, snorkel, and if they
were brave enough- cage dive with sharks.
A park like DisneySea was to have a high price tag.
The park alongside with Port Disney as a whole was projected to cost Disney $3 billion.
Despite the cost, Eisner and Walt Disney Imagineering were up to the task.
The Port Disney Preliminary Master Plan summed up the attitude of the company well:
“Disney’s Imagineers have focused their efforts on exploring the myths, romance, challenges
and mysteries of the ocean – the world’s last great frontier.
Both fun and educational, DisneySea would break down barriers between our guests and
the sea.”
Despite the boost to the economy and creation of jobs that DisneySea would’ve purportedly
brought to the city of Long Beach, the city was opposed to the idea of Disney moving into
town.
Residents were worried that local roads couldn’t accommodate a large influx of traffic, and
having a massive resort in town would surely drive up the cost of living as well.
It was estimated that the cost of reworking Long Beach’s infrastructure to allow more
lanes of traffic would be around $2 billion.
In addition to these concerns, the California Coastal Commission fought hard against Disney
using 250 acres of open coastal water to build their resort on.
The environmental impact would take a toll on the shoreline, an area DisneySea was supposed
to be celebrating.
Combined with the altogether cost of Port Disney, this backlash was too much for Michael
Eisner.
Focus was shifted over to build WESTCOT as Disneyland’s second gate in December 1991,
less than two years after Port Disney was announced.
And as we all know..
WESTCOT didn’t really work out either.
Not all was lost when Port Disney and DisneySea were cancelled.
In fact, most of DisneySea was just put on the shelf for later use.
Back in 1988, Oriental Land Company decided it wanted to build another park in Tokyo.
This expansion to the resort was initially planned as a Studios park similar to the one
in development for Walt Disney World.
After plans were scrapped for DisneySea in California, those ideas were recycled for
a unique park in Tokyo.
California’s DisneySea was set to cost around $1 billion, but Tokyo Disneyland didn’t
have to rely on Disney’s budget for their version of the park.
Tokyo DisneySea was given a budget of $4.5 billion, and it resulted in arguably the best
Disney park in the world.
(Sorry, Disneyland!)
Soon after you walk through the gates of Tokyo DisneySea, you come upon the the S.S.
Columbia, a copy of the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
Mysterious Island houses the planned volcano, with both E-ticket attractions inside: 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
On the Arabian Coast, guests can experience Sinbad’s Storybook Adventure, a boat ride
originally planned for California’s Hero’s Harbor.
Tokyo DisneySea dropped the funducational aspect of the original park, but that loss
came with quite a bounty of rewards.
It goes to show that even when plans for the Disney Parks are cancelled, it doesn’t mean
they’re gone for good.
After all, how could the company turn a blind eye to such a sea of possibilities?
If you want to know what’s inside this treasure chest stick around until the end of the video!
Now for the big reveal!
Foolish Mortals?
Is that a hint for next week’s video?
Maybe it is!
Thank you Ye Olde Proppe Shoppe for the hint!
If you love this sign just as much as we do go check out their store.
They’ve also got lots of other Disney Parks signs!
We also want to announce last week’s giveaway winner!
Congratulations Cameron Rowell!
And be sure to comment with the #disneyseagiveaway for a chance to win this week’s t-shirt!
If you want to connect with Fastpass Facts on Twitter, follow them @fastpassfacts!
If you want to see more of me, I’m Noah, and you can follow me on Twitter @aaayyitsnoah.
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