A Spirited Perfect Ten

gmajew

Premium Member


Serious think of all the ideas that are tossed just here about each and every project at every park then movie ideas etc. we all have our wish list. It is huge. Even a company of this size cannot tackle it all at once is the point.

I am thrilled with the budget we are getting if they are smart holy crap we will get some awesome stuff.

Edit. I know I can think of over 7.5b in projects I want done ASAP.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Spirited July 4th Weekend Dumplings (because aren't we all really tired of burgers, dogs and tater salad?):

Forget about D23 ... we may ... 'may' be getting some information regarding some of the entertainment offerings for Shanghai Disney Resort within the next two weeks. Yes, I do have more information. No, I don't wish to place it out here because I've watched how the CCP is playing this, and things are quite subject to change.

On a closer to WDW situation I've been following closely (as has TWDC), the Baha Mar situation continues to explode just a stone's throw from Castaway Cay.

Here's a press release from yesterday:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...-for-the-viability-of-baha-mar-300108539.html

And here's a local story:
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/jul/02/baha-mar-showed-contempt-nation/

What you need to understand from that story is that the language quoted by Bahamian officials mirrors wording the CCP would use. Instead of defending the developers, you have to ask why the local government is refusing to allow Sarkis to pay the employees with his own money and why they seem intent on disrespecting and manipulating the process. July 4th isn't a holiday in the Bahamas or China, after all.

Well, no, you don't. What you need to realize (again, for all the experts who had Chinese chicken salad at Friday's for lunch today, so they think they're experts on global business/finance) is all of this speaks to the fact the the Bahamian government is being ruled by Beijing on this.

You connect your own dots on Shanghai and Bob Iger and Co. Be assured that the reporters who should be writing about ''Did Bob Iger Allow Disney to Be Shanghaied?'' will sit on their tushes (we can use that word here, right?) and ignore it. But it's not simply for Disney. If you think the US government wants the public to think that doing business with the Dragon isn't all that Wall Street has built up, then ... enjoy that chicken salad. I hear they have awesome pot stickers too!

Oh, SoFla media is totally ignoring the Baha Mar situation, despite regularly having reporters in the islands for far smaller and insignificant stories.

Do I really want to argue with someone I respect greatly and agree with 97% of the time about Disney and fifth gates in O-Town? Nah, not really.

Did Ted 2 actually reference Frozen? Yep.

Do we have any breathless capacity threads from O-Town (Disney or UNI) yet?

I was up in O-Town this time a year ago and I think the once in five years approach works quite well. No one puts on pyro like Disney, but you also have to deal with heat, humidity, violent thunder storms and humanity. Not really worth it.

Can't say I have any interest in any films that have opened this week, so maybe I'll just spend the weekend eating until I pass out.

Seeing the capacity crowds that have descended upon UNI-Hollywood, which by most accounts opened a lousy addition to its iconic tram tour, one can only wonder what Potter will bring next year.

Speaking of Anaheim, am hearing chatter that the new WoC is being received so poorly that it might not even last the entire 60th.
 
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WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
fantastic video, what a great little ride they had, themed tunnels, the tron effects tunnel, trees, views, mary blair's mural....are the tracks and tunnels still in place?
I guess were fortunate we still have a peoplemover, even though its condition is.......anyway, I do worry it wont be around for too many more years, why I dont know, something else for them to cut and save money on. I still say heads should roll for whoever decided on and approved the current 0% creative bore of a narration.

Yes, the tracks and tunnels all remain. They were repurposed in the late 90s for the awful Rocket Rods attraction that didn't last long. One of the Blair murals was completely destroyed. The other (I think the one on the Star Tours side) was damaged, but is largely intact under the new siding.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
"The justification for profit is profit." FRoA #202

"Learn the customer's weaknesses, so that you can better take advantage of him." FRoA #87

Wanna know what's scary about that?

It's that a majority of Americans ... including a vast majority of what I'd term the 'working poor' believe that is fine and that is what we're supposed to be about as a nation, as a people.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So everyone had signed off on the plans before the meeting?

I thought after WDI handed over their designs to Iger, he reviews them and then goes to the BoD for final approval? Are creatives allowed at these BoD meetings?

Is WDW management even in the conversation at any point in the process?

Creatives are always brought in to explain/pitch the BoD on major projects.

Generally, no. WDW management, even my good pal George Kalogridis, is viewed as retail and operations-based. They wouldn't serve much purpose on something like this. ... They do play a smaller role before it gets to be a meeting for BoD approval.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
BTW, have gotten notes from fanbois wetting themselves about a rumor regarding the Anaheim Indy ride coming to O-Town. I have no idea where that has come from. I have heard (and seen) numerous plans for redoing this park now dating back to at least 2013 (and possibly earlier) and Indy has been a part of none of them.
 

Mike C

Well-Known Member
I believe it was in an slashfilm article about it but it seemed more like wishful thinking than anything else. Real news in Hollywood Studios is that they reopened a portion of Captain Jack with benches and a trash can as the "Soundstage Lounge". And the Villains in Vogue store was replaced with "Reel Vogue" and selling generic Disney parks merchandise now.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm no pixieduster when I write that Disney needs to construct a 5th Gate in Orlando by 2025. WDW really needs one. :)

Throughout the decades, WDW's attendance has varied quite a bit. However, the general trend has always been upward. Even during Iger's 9-plus years as CEO, WDW's attendance has grown by over 2% annually despite no major expansion to attract more Guests.

If we assume a 4% growth for the rest of this fiscal year (WDW should beat that) and 1% growth after that, this is what WDW's per theme park attendance (i.e. WDW total attendance divided by the number of theme parks) looks like by 2025:

View attachment 99248

In just a few years, per park attendance surpasses even when WDW consisted of only the Magic Kingdom, the World's most popular theme park. WDW's theme parks simply cannot handle that kind of load in 2025.

Now let's assume the same attendance growth through 2024. Then, in 2025, let's assume a 5th theme park opens resulting in a relatively modest (for a new theme park) 10% bump in attendance:

View attachment 99324

Even with 5 theme parks, per theme park attendance in 2025 matches last year's number. 2014 was a record year for WDW and, by the way, one in which crowd levels were a significant source of complaints from Guests.

Note that these projections don't factor in the large investment Disney is about to make in DHS, which almost certainly will result in an additional 5-to-10% attendance bump.

With 5 theme parks in 2025, WDW will be crowded. With only 4 theme parks in 2025, WDW will be insufferable.

Remember, by 2025, it will have been over a quarter of a century since WDW's last theme park.

The numbers suggest a 5th Gate is not a pipe dream. By 2025, the numbers suggest it's a financial and operational necessity. :)

Nope. Despite the 28 'likes' and all the numbers, I will strongly disagree with you on this -- at present.

WDW has one park, with considerable room for expansion, that is generally overcrowded. And it has three others that not only are not, but have vast areas that either haven't been developed (DAK) or have been allowed to sit empty (the others). I'd argue, and quite well, that until WDW balances its crowds and gives people compelling reasons to visit the other parks, there is nothing to suggest a fifth gate is a remotely viable or practical from a business POV.

Americans, who still make up the vast majority of WDW visitors, don't have unlimited vacation time. Additional parks will cannibalize current visitors and, yes, future ones. There isn't a financial reason for adding a new gate any more than there is a compelling creative one (considering that only DAK comes close to being a cohesive themed environment today).

After you have four healthy gates, then we can talk about whether it makes any sense for an additional gate. My strong opinion is that even a decade from now, all we'll be doing is talking. The idea that WDW needs five parks to deal with ever increasing masses of humanity is far more simplistic than your usual spot-on analysis (don't take that as an insult as it reads harsher than intended!)

WDW needs, desperately, new and compelling attractions and entertainment across the four parks it has (yes, even MK needs more ... a lot more!) It may even need a third water park, although I'm not convinced of that either. It needs infrastructure (everything from road work that is finally happening to a transport system not based upon buses).

It NEEDS those things to be healthy and thrive.

It doesn't need a fifth gate, no matter how you torture those numbers! :)
 

njDizFan

Well-Known Member
Nope. Despite the 28 'likes' and all the numbers, I will strongly disagree with you on this -- at present.

WDW has one park, with considerable room for expansion, that is generally overcrowded. And it has three others that not only are not, but have vast areas that either haven't been developed (DAK) or have been allowed to sit empty (the others). I'd argue, and quite well, that until WDW balances its crowds and gives people compelling reasons to visit the other parks, there is nothing to suggest a fifth gate is a remotely viable or practical from a business POV.

Americans, who still make up the vast majority of WDW visitors, don't have unlimited vacation time. Additional parks will cannibalize current visitors and, yes, future ones. There isn't a financial reason for adding a new gate any more than there is a compelling creative one (considering that only DAK comes close to being a cohesive themed environment today).

After you have four healthy gates, then we can talk about whether it makes any sense for an additional gate. My strong opinion is that even a decade from now, all we'll be doing is talking. The idea that WDW needs five parks to deal with ever increasing masses of humanity is far more simplistic than your usual spot-on analysis (don't take that as an insult as it reads harsher than intended!)

WDW needs, desperately, new and compelling attractions and entertainment across the four parks it has (yes, even MK needs more ... a lot more!) It may even need a third water park, although I'm not convinced of that either. It needs infrastructure (everything from road work that is finally happening to a transport system not based upon buses).

It NEEDS those things to be healthy and thrive.

It doesn't need a fifth gate, no matter how you torture those numbers! :)
I agree...the numbers make sense, attendence has spiked at an alarming(mostly in the MK) rate since DAK but the current 4 gates could probably handle the additional 10 million clicks a new gate would allow if they were expanded and fully developed.

That being said, there are 3 other parks in O-town plus the water parks. With an additon of a 3rd Uni gate(possibly a decade out) that will also absorb the numbers and the palty vacation time allotted the average American.

Not saying I would not love to see that mythical 5th gate but I think Uni is going to build it.
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Seeing the capacity crowds that have descended upon UNI-Hollywood, which by most accounts opened a lousy addition to its iconic tram tour, one can only wonder what Potter will bring next year.

Speaking of Anaheim, am hearing chatter that the new WoC is being received so poorly that it might not even last the entire 60th.

I got to check out the new tram tour this week and the F&F piece is campy (fitting with the rest of the tour) and silly, but it's actually pretty fun. I'd never tell someone to go buy a ticket just to see it, and I'm a bit surprised by the public's insanely positive reaction, but it's fun. Better execution than Kong 360 for sure, and the hologram pre-show is fun just for the tech.

As for WOC, I hope this teaches the butt-hat executives who destroyed the show a lesson (I'm positive it won't, because butt-hats never learn). It's the clear loser of the three new shows and crowds are concentrating in DL for the 1-2-3 punch of Paint the Night, Fantasmic and Disneyland Forever. I think WOC-C could have been something really special - in its original form.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I like the upcharge events inside upcharge parties.

I am sorta surprised Harambe Nights didn't return. It was well received. It seemed to the be the highest quality (I may have just answered my own question). Georgie K even liked it and was spotted there weekly, usually with good-looking CPers.

I thought it was a given to return. I guess cupcake parties are the foamheads of upcharge events. Cheap and the rubes love 'em.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
OK, so you agree with it not being hurtful to the show. Good, so the exposure of the back of the Main Street Buildings is fine then? Gotcha!

Just an FYI, but you are close to joining a few others on my ignore. Doubt you'll care, but just saying the being contrary just for the sake of it gets old.

I am saying that from the 1950s thru the 1990s, Imagineers felt the MAGIC of gliding above the park more than compensated for seeing a few roofs.

The back of MSUSA was NEVER supposed to be seen. It has, since 1971, been Cast work areas. There is a difference there.

However, the detail of the towel animals is not important! Alrighty then!

Yes. It isn't. And since you are too cheap to ever stay at WDW resort, how is it that you even care? Please, don't answer. Go to a BBQ. Sit on a bottle rocket. Just don't tell me.

You are saying that the perception that you had as a kid is exactly the same now, as an adult, as it was when the world was new to you! And to think otherwise would be BS! Can't say I agree with that!

Again, how daft are you? Are you saying I was a child in the 70s, 80s and 90s? Are you saying that even children can't see things that are wrong or things that are right? Are you saying that any past observations are tainted by time and unreliable, even with photos or journals? Are you saying my decades of knowing people who 'made the MAGIC' and explained things to me doesn't matter? Why am I even answering this?

Oh yeah because I am wasting my time ... moving on ...
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
And they battle us with corporate buzz words like synergy.

Synergy wasn't always a bad thing.

When Disney opened a new film and had a show/attraction/parade ready to open at WDW ... when it had the shelves of Disney Stores stocked with merchandise based on it ... when window displays on MSUSA had animated displays etc.

Synergy now is more like propaganda ... it's when a character on General Hospital is wearing an Avengers shirt ... or when ESPN is whored in a film etc.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I don't think that most people realize what the entire new Tomorrowland'67 meant at that time. The major shows were truly World's Fair quality with several being new or experimental. It's difficult to describe what it was like to experience Adventure Thru Inner Space Atomobiles for the first time or board the Goodyear Peoplemover from a rotating platform only to watch the doors close automatically. I'm sure that is was very similar to visiting EPCOT Center in it's first few years. And the Carousel of Progress pulled it all together. Not only did one get to enjoy a novel carousel theater presentation, one got to ascend to the upper level to view the concept for a new city. After experiencing all that it was no wonder why Disney had you step out onto that long balcony to see a working prototype of the transportation system featured in his city of the future.

It was also a time in which the Disney name (not BRAND), meant something entirely different. Disney gave an approachable and humanistic quality to the presentations by the various corporate sponsors. Disney wasn't just magical in and of itself -- it created magic by being visionary and cutting edge, and it was considered to be QUALITY first and foremost.

Oh c'mon, what's wrong with you?!?!

Don't you see how Disney is reinventing the theme park experience with the two billion plus NGE?!

Yeah, even with placed content in Fast Company nobody really believes that!
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You know what @WDW1974 often says about WDW having the air of a place about to file for Chapter 11, instead of a place making millions... well doesn't the new 'lounge' at DHS just scream "going out of business!".

https://twitter.com/daveh787/status/616621872319496192

Yep. That is exactly what I mean.

Disney is the world's largest entertainment company. That's what you get. I could do better with two fanbois and a visit to the local Dollar Tree. Seriously.

Embarrassing bad doesn't begin to describe it.

I'm anxious as to know whether Disney has started making one-day Studios tix into park-hoppers (even maybe just to EPCOT) for people who complain that there is nothing to do in that park. It WILL happen. And O-Town media and bloggers will ignore it. As it is now, The Corpse of The Disney-MGM Studios is by far the worst Disney park in the world. And it ain't even close.
 

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