WI: Disneyland Paris Never Built?

i looked into it after the earlier post by @Panzer Zodiark because i had the same thought, but it's actually referring to a planned waterside park that was also going to be in California (it's really easy to forget that Disney has tons of resorts all over the world--iirc they essentially own an entire island in the Bahamas for their cruise line). that's probably why the existing DisneySea has the additional qualifier as "Tokyo DisneySea"

(fun fact: Walt himself was originally going to build Japan's own Disneyland in Nara after it was suggested by a Japanese business magnate but they had a falling out so the park was instead completed as "Nara Dreamland")

there's a good video about this by Defunctland, presented in the style of a Civil War documentary :)

Yes, the island in the Bahamas is called Castaway Cay and it is great, I've been there. Of note, DCL is not the only cruise line to have it's own island (Royal Caribbean's is Coco Cay), most of the major cruise lines have them now although Disney was the first.

On the subject of other Disney resorts, Disney Vacation Club has resorts in Hawaii, Vero Beach (Florida Atlantic Coast), and Hilton Head. They were also going to build one at National Harbor in DC that was going to be an indoor water park to compete with Great Wolf Lodge but they pulled out of that.
 
The "Disney Decade" Michael Eisner announced in the early 1990s would have actually gotten off the ground. Projects like WestCOT, Disney's America, Beastly Kingdom at Animal Kingdom, Toontown and Dick Tracy's Crimestoppers at what was then Disney-MGM Studios, and Tomorrowland 2055 at Disneyland would have very likely seen the light of day.
 
The "Disney Decade" Michael Eisner announced in the early 1990s would have actually gotten off the ground. Projects like WestCOT, Disney's America, Beastly Kingdom at Animal Kingdom, Toontown and Dick Tracy's Crimestoppers at what was then Disney-MGM Studios, and Tomorrowland 2055 at Disneyland would have very likely seen the light of day.

In the late 1990s there was also talk of a fifth theme park in Florida dedicated to Disney villains.

Still wish they had built Beastly Kingdom.
 
Funnily enough this topic would come as I have been thinking about the 'what if's' of Disneyland Paris and where else it could've been built. I think the main problem with the park was they built it in the wrong place with the weather and the backlash the place was getting from the French population (not sure though if it still lingers on to this day). I can understand the idea of building it in Spain as it would make a fair bit of sense, but if my memory serves me well, the political situation was a quite tense which put the Disney higher ups off from Spain, and considering the current politics scenes out there, they might've been justified.

Part of me wished it had been built in the UK and I can understand the reasons why it wouldn't be built there, but at least a British EuroDisney wouldn't have the culture backlash as OTL, not to mention the highest number of foreign visitors to WDW mostly turn to be from the UK. I have no doubt a more successful EuroDisney park would've seen butterflies in Disney circles with many of the planned projects going ahead as it was the early failure of EuroDisney that was to blame for them not happening. Now that I've mentioned this, I'm kind of tempted to write a TL of a British built Disneyland...any suggestions where to place the park?
 
Now that I've mentioned this, I'm kind of tempted to write a TL of a British built Disneyland...any suggestions where to place the park?

Am more interested in finding out what proposed sites in the UK were originally considered by Disney prior to Spain and France ending up becoming the last two candidates in OTL.

As for possible ATL sites.

One idea would be somewhere in Essex or Havering (given the OTL locations of Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures in southwest and south London) possibly around Havering-atte-Bower and Noak Hill.

Which is dependent on the proposed 24-hour Thames Estuary airport at Maplin Sands (aka Foulness) being approved in the early-1970s, together with express railway links between the airport and King's Cross St Pancras (see route 8 plus alternative that was to roughly parallel M12 motorway - between South Tottenham and Noak Hill, along with possibly an additional route from Liverpool Street via Stratford) as well as the planned M12 motorway (link - from South Woodford towards either Chelmsford, Brentwood and Maplin Sands Airport).

Cublingtonmap.jpg


Another idea would be an alternative Essex site near the proposed Willingale airport (link) between Chipping Ongar and Chelmsford, though in terms of rail routes it would entail either an adapted version of route 8 from Brimsdown to Chelmsford via Willingale airport or an alternate Chelmsford via Willingale route from Chingford via Loughton (taking over the Loughton to Epping Central Line route that at the time was still terminating at Ongar from Epping) by either an ATL Overground or an ATL Crossrail-style Metropolitan line*. Though unlike the Maplin Sands proposal there does not appear to be any motorway routes considered though had it been approved, such routes may have still happened to compliment both the airport as well as this ATL "Disneyland London".

*- Such an ATL Metropolitan line would entail platforms being re-sited at Baker Street (still located north of the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines yet separated from both) in order to link up with the City Widened lines to Moorgate (link), prior to continuing from Moorgate to Liverpool Street then diverting northwards and taking over the Chingford branch line from Bethnal Green (in addition to an alternate route towards Chingford via Stratford).​
 
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There were some plans for Disneyland and Disney World and updating the parks. The Big upgrade were due to happen in Tomorrow Land with their Tomorrowland 2050 in both parks but also other sections of the park as well. Also there were plans for Epcot.
All of them got put on hold due to the problems with Euro Disney. Disney canceled many plans for upgrades in the parks because of the problems.
 
I recall when EuroDisney opened in France, there were some complaints from the French professional "intellectuals', bemoaning the intrusion of American culture upon French grandeur. But they have long since resigned themselves to it over the years.
 
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