Mouse Extra

No, this is not another of those far-fetched stories of Disney buying property for a new theme park in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, or any of the other dozen or so places that seem to be the subject of yearly rumors.  That headline is legit, and the Washington Post is the reporting source.  Disney is not looking to rebuild the lost “Disney’s America” park, but they are going to build a branded resort in the nation’s capitol.

Walt Disney Co. has bought a 15-acre parcel at Prince George’s County’s sprawling National Harbor development, a shot in the arm for a project that opened with big ambitions a year ago, only to run headfirst into one of the sharpest economic declines in decades.

Disney plans to build a 500-room hotel resort on the parcel, providing another anchor for a 300-acre venture that seeks to rival the District as a conference and convention destination. National Harbor already includes six hotels; more than a dozen restaurants; and a giant conference center run by Gaylord Entertainment, owner of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

But, of course being this early in the planning stage there is very little to report on the details of this resort.  All we can make out is this is probably going to be something similar to that of the Hawaii Disney Vacation Club property, though it would seem to be a somewhat less elaborate project.  A better comparison would probably be the DVC resorts in Vero Beach or Hilton Head, just with the challenge of dealing with a much longer and colder winter each year.

The National Harbor, the area where the resort is being built, is a massive project that is seeking to become a destination all its own, rather than just a place to stay for tourists coming to Washington D.C.  Disney’s involvement is the best thing they could ask for.  With the right kind of property, DVC members from the northeast, which is where most of its members reside, will have a place to go for a weekend getaway and the National Harbor will have a set of tourists the convention trade could never supply.

Disney does have a history in the Washington D.C. area.  We all know the story of the failed Disney America theme park and of how politicians and local pressure ended the project.  But Jay Rasulo, Disney’s head of Parks and Resorts, is confirming that the new resort will not be an attempt to get back to that old idea.

“The National Harbor resort is a completely different kind of project,” Rasulo said. “It’s specifically zoned for hotel, residential and other commercial development. This project is a hotel resort. It is not by any stretch of the imagination a theme-park project and never will be. We have no intention of building a large-scale theme park in the Washington area.”

Like I mentioned before, we do not know what the theme will be for this resort or any specifics yet at all.  All we know is around how many rooms the building may have and where it will be.  The article does offer some location details…

The property Disney has bought sits on a rise at the top of a tree-lined promenade named American Way, which is fashioned after the main street in Barcelona, called Las Ramblas. The Disney site overlooks the National Harbor complex and the Potomac and faces north toward the District. Visitors can see the Washington Monument in the distance.

Rasulo said Disney has to weigh “lots of factors in the coming months and the coming years” before deciding when to break ground.

“We wouldn’t be buying this property if we didn’t think this was a great location for a Disney resort hotel,” Rasulo said.

I can honestly say that I have not been more excited about a piece of Disney news then this one in many years.  Being a DVC member and living only a four hour drive from Washington D.C., this just has me smiling.  I simply can’t wait to see what we get here.  To be able to hop in the car and stay at a Disney resort without the hassle and cost of airline travel is a dream come true.  You can bet that I will have my ear to the pavement listening for more on this one.