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[Anthony]

A fifth gate? A new Pleasure Island?  If you haven't heard already, WDW is buzzing with rumours of a new "boutique park" development... a park that would only be open from 4pm and only for a few thousand people each night. You'd get a meal included, and the chance to experience some very personalised, unique 'attractions'.

Jim Hill has all the rumours:

"Disney's Night Kingdom" is the Mouse's long overdue response to SeaWorld's Discovery Cove. And -- yes -- the Mouse is actually going to build this $520 million project. Current plans call for this niche park to officially throw open its doors in October of 2011, just in time for the start of Walt Disney World's 40th anniversary celebration.

"Why did you call 'Disney's Night Kingdom' a niche park?," you ask. Well, because -- just like Discovery Cove (Which only allows in a thousand visitors each day) -- DNK will be restricting the number of guests that can enter this park every afternoon. Only 2000 people will be allowed into WDW's 5th theme park at any one time.

Click here.

So what do you think to that?  From what I've read since, it doesn't seem like it'd be a 5th gate but maybe something they'd group with the waterparks or (in the past) Pleasure Island.

[Kristof]

I think I'll go with Screamscape's idea.  Instead of creating a new park, giving these groups access to the existing parks after closure times.

[Garrett]

I must be the only one who loves this idea. I think it's unique and inventive, which is what Disney is known for doing. I say bring it on. I'd drop $300 to visit in a heartbeat.
My question, I wonder if this will be included in some extra expensive annual pass?

-Garrett

[Malin]

when it comes to Jim Hill I tend to not listen to much this man has to say. But I must admit he writes an entertaining article, shame the content is always questionable?

[Dlrpfan]

hmm i kinda like the idea of a night park but its gonna take a while to get my head round it as it wont be like any other park

[experiment627]

from Screamscape

2012 - Disney's Night Kingdom - In Development - (4/25/08) Today I have to officially change my stance on the whole Disney's Night Kingdom park concept. New information has come to my attention proving that the concept is indeed in the works for Walt Disney World and shooting to open possibly in 2012. From what I've been told the history of the project comes from a desire by Disney to create their own version of a high-end Discovery Cove style mini-park experience mixed with an original proposal for a major overhaul and expansion to the existing Adventure's Club at Pleasure Island.
  From the sound of things basic funding has been approved to proceed on with the design of this small but expensive project, but it's not without some serious design challenges and still isn't exactly the experience that Jim Hill had previously described. The big attraction and icon of the park, right now, appears to be a large central Disney-made mountain structure where guests will be forced to 'rock climb' to the top, take zip lines down again and explore a serious network of caves. The goal is for this to be a very interactive game based adventure experience, with both mental and physical challenges. The tricky part of the design process they're said to be in now involves balancing it all out so that it doesn't become so physically difficult that guests will become too pooped or intimidated to play while at the same time, they have to be sure they aren't catering to the bottom end and make it all far too easy and boring for everyone else.
  As for the game aspect, it seems that the test run of that Kim Possible Communicator game at Epcot a year or so ago was just a large scale concept test for the Night Kingdom game concept. The idea is to equip every guest with their own communicator unit that will guide them from place to place, push them in the right direction when they get stuck, and be used to help solve the various games, puzzles and adventure challenges. Your communicator will also serve as a way for the park to identify you individually as a player and customize your interactions with the various game stations and animatronics. Fuzzy robots wont be the only things you interact with however, as there seems to be a plan in place to develop a number of encounters with live animals as well.

...all in all, this sounds a lot like some very old rumours regarding a possible park based on the then popular computer game "Myst" being built on Discovery Island... back then, reportedly the logistics of building a park on this island as well as the technology necessary, which was too sophisticated at the time, killed the project (among other things).

[anthonysprincess]

This is incredible although Im always always skeptical of these rumours because theyre usually well rumours.

It all sounds awesome and Id probably be willing to pay lol.

But all in all the thing that excites me the most???

Speaking of arriving ... Guests will enter DNK through a new, super-sized version of the Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island. As you & your family are registering for that night's activities, the club's members will entertain as well as offer hints about the extraordinary adventures that await you.

[/color]

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???

If this is for real? Amazing. It sounds fishy. And thrilling. I am a HUGE AC fan.

This claim makes me totally skeptical though. I'm guessing they mean a whole new seperate Adventurer's Club? They couldn't possibly mean the current one expanded because it just isn't possible. But it makes me skeptical because, well, it just sounds odd. Why?

All in all, looking forward to hearing more about this whether it's true or not.

EDIT: Just read post above me.

mixed with an original proposal for a major overhaul and expansion to the existing Adventure's Club at Pleasure Island...
From the sound of things basic funding has been approved to proceed on with the design of this small but expensive project, but it's not without some serious design challenges...The big attraction and icon of the park, right now, appears to be a large central Disney-made mountain structure...

Erm are you serious this really makes it sound like it's going in the existing AC. A MOUNTAIN?? I don't believe it for a second. :mrgreen:

[DisneyNut2007]

when it comes to Jim Hill I tend to not listen to much this man has to say.

Same with Al Lutz and Kevin Yee, both of whom, IMO, are A LOT worse!

Those two have always been questionable.