Recent content by ParentsOf4

The plan includes a replacement of the Dinosaur land at DAK and an expansion behind the MK’s Big Thunder Mountain. WDW theme parks are getting investment dollars over the next 10 years.

We did. Reposting a story I’ve posted here a few times, the last time in 2021. I was at the central hub at the Magic Kingdom in May 1982 with friends and noticed a bench with chipped paint on one arm. We joked about it for the rest of the day. We even took a photo. Wouldn't you know it, we...

Based on public statements, Disney wanted to cool things off some time ago. But with DeSantis running for president, any deal would have been spun as a DeSantis loss by his opponents. Now that he’s no longer running and the national spotlight is no longer on him, I suspect DeSantis was willing...

I’ve been going to WDW for 40 years. During Covid, I was diligently wearing my mask both indoors and outdoors. I was at the Germany Pavilion and got a beer at the outdoor kiosk near the lake. I walked to a park bench, sat down, and then, as allowed, took off my mask to sip my beer. I spilled...

Why does Bob Iger increasingly seem like Bill Belichick?

For reference, I’m quoting my post from June 2023. This post describes Judge Winsor’s background. Disney had an uphill battle as soon as the case was reassigned to Winsor.

The last time WDW opened this number of attractions at the same time was 1982. Both DHS and DAK were highly criticized for their lack of attractions when they first opened. Let’s be real - the last time Orlando saw this kind of theme park expansion was when Islands of Adventure opened in 1999.

We went to Big River Grille many times. It used to be good for a burger, beer, and kettle chips. Several of the sandwiches were really good. We never enjoyed eating inside. It was an oddly shaped space, too small and too loud. Conversely, eating outside on a comfortable night as the sun was...

We have stayed at both many times. As a standalone resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge is Disney’s best (IMO). Fantastic lobby, great pool, multiple dining options, good food court, perhaps WDW’s best hotel store, and giraffes! But it’s incredibly convenient to be able to walk to two theme parks...

If you booked a hotel room (vs. a DVC room), standard view overlooks the bus stop and parking lot. Pool view is IMO much nicer.

Respectfully, $180 million is a huge budget for a film, whether it’s 2019 or 2023. This simply shows that Disney has not been able to control its production costs for years. At the time, Terminator 2 (1991) was rumored to be the first film with a $100 million budget. (Although the exact budget...

There’s another factor to consider: movie budgets. A big budget movie such as 1956’s The Ten Commandments cost $13 million, about $150 million adjusted for inflation. Looking at the most expensive movies ever made adjusted for inflation, nearly all of them have been released in the last 20...

Disney takes blocks of rooms out-of-service when hotel occupancy dips, but these rooms typically are still counted as Available Room Nights. For example, in 2019 when domestic hotel occupancy was 90%, Available Room Nights was 10,030. In 2022 when domestic hotel occupancy was 82%, Available...

Historically, a strong Disney domestic hotel occupancy in the 87-90% range. It's tough for Disney to achieve an occupancy above 90% due to the way people book vacations. For example, there's less demand for Sunday-to-Wednesday nights, some checkout on Saturday, some on Sunday, etc. Except for...