A Spirited Perfect Ten

[ItlngrlBella]

Frozen is going to give Epcot and Disney a huge bump in 2016. I don't see Kong giving IOA the same bump.

We have 2 daughters, 9 & 5. I told them about a new "Frozen" ride opening in a year to which the 9 year old said, "Nah, I want to see Star Wars Land." (She's heard my Hubz & I talk about it). Then I hear a little voice from the bathroom says, "yeah - I want to see Stat Wars Land too."

... So we may wait... A long while... until we go back.

My girls LOVED Frozen but they are into Star Wars as well. Why book for 1 Frozen ride when our $ and value is better spent in a new land?

 

[Next Big Thing]

Do you know what bump DHS received from Frozen? That's probably as good as an indication as we'll get.

IDK that that'll be a good indication. DHS still may have dropped in attendance last year as far as we know (and just anecdotal clues).

Frozen Summer Fun was never meant to increase attendance last year, it was meant to get through a rough period when people were cutting DHS from their trips to go see the Boy Wizard as Diagon debuted last summer.

 

[WDW1974]

Told someone about the price differences between now and then. Guess what their answer was?

"You're not becoming one of those old people that complains that burgers used to be 10 cents are you? Things increase in price."

Except I believe if you simply took the one-day price then and adjusted for inflation that it would be somewhere between $60-70 today. Not $105.

It's just as @alphac2005 put it ... it's all about corporate profiteering. I'll add it's also about a Walmarted society that thinks it should be standing up and defending the very companies and policies responsible for screwing them.

Right now, TDO has spread sheets showing possible pricing increases for the next five years. Pretty much the only thing, other than timeshares, they plan that far out for.

 

[WDW1974]

Universal is quietly announcing their new waterpark today at 11am. https://twitter.com/UniversalORL/status/603910588075474945

So, they didn't invite blogging whores and offer free cupcakes?

 

[PhotoDave219]

We have 2 daughters, 9 & 5. I told them about a new "Frozen" ride opening in a year to which the 9 year old said, "Nah, I want to see Star Wars Land." (She's heard my Hubz & I talk about it). Then I hear a little voice from the bathroom says, "yeah - I want to see Stat Wars Land too."

... So we may wait... A long while... until we go back.

My girls LOVED Frozen but they are into Star Wars as well. Why book for 1 Frozen ride when our $ and value is better spent in a new land?

A little voice from the bathroom? You keep Yoda in the bathroom?!

 

[ItlngrlBella]

No, just our youngest Sophie - she was "dropping her kids off at the pool."

She later yelled... "Mom, come see the family in the pool! Two big ones and two little ones!"

Okay - enough kid/bathroom humor.

Back to... Where The F is Star Wars Land?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Back to... Where The F is Star Wars Land?

Good damn question.

Stuck in corporate limbo. A fate far worse than the Sarlacc.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Well @marni1971 knows details of Frozenstrom. I dont.

They have to somehow expand capacity or they're gonna be hosed.

Then they need to drop 500M on Future World and Make it Rain.

$500M is only a drop in the bucket. Say Imagination redo, Energy redo and do something with Innoventions and fix the plaza.

But it's a start.

 

[PhotoDave219]

$500M is only a drop in the bucket. Say Imagination redo, Energy redo and do something with Innoventions and fix the plaza.

But it's a start.

Gotta start somewhere.

So this whole Shanghai deal? While important for the company, it angers me that they can drop $5.4 reeeeaaal large but can't even take care of the parks they have.

 

[theRIOT]

Sounds like Diamondback at KI. Nice but I think Banshee is a step up. Still, nothing competes with the Beast, IMO.

As former Ohioan, you're damn right nothing beats the Beast.

 

[SpaceMountain75]

Forgive my ignorance, but who is Dr. Blonde that '74 keeps mentioning?

 

[Tony Perkis]

Disney, and Knott's, need to be strong and be out in front of this. Sea World bungled the whole Blackfish thing so badly. I could have helped them, but was never contacted. I still could because their current PR just isn't working. It's all defensive.

I saw one of their ads today while running on the treadmill in the gym. Who's idea was it to actually use the term "captivity" in their ads?

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Disney now operates WDW where it [...] sets quarterly records for profits.


Again, across four theme parks and two water parks, what new things are being offered to WDW Guests for Summer 2015?

Surely the former answers the latter?

The ultra-regular fan base may not like it, but why would WDW overhaul itself when it is filled to capacity while Bob can ask Willow for a random number between one and twenty and raise prices by that amount quarterly.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

And there's also my semi-famous annual Halloween tally. In my Villa Park, California neighborhood full of trick or treaters (I go through at least three big bowls of candy every year), I have never seen anyone dressed up as anyone from Pandora. Ever.

That's the part that worries me about WDW putting all this money and focus on Avatarland. There's no market for that product at the nations big box stores, and free consumers choosing to be their favorite character on Halloween never choose someone from Pandora. Quite simply, Avatar is not a thing.

And yet WDW is planning for Avatarland to be this huge driver of attendance and attention. Did no one on the planning team go down to Target to see what the demand was like? Does Bob Iger not answer his own door on Halloween? It's not rocket science; Avatar is not a thing.

Yes, Avatar was a thing way back in 2009. Mainly because it ushered in a new era of 3D. Wow, feels so long ago already....almos feel like we need to explain to the kids how we old people had 2D blockbusters...

But Avatar is not character driven. Cinderella is not a thing without her. But not Avatar. It doesn't matter no one can name a single character. On the contrary, more's the better. WDW could build an entire AVland without a single character. The central element of Avatar is the exoplanet, the alien lifeforms, with their bioluminescence and interconnectedness. This aspect is remembered by everybody who's seen it.

And even if they don't, or have never seen the movie in the first place, that doesn't matter. IP doesn't make a Disney park, or else all of the criticism of the fanbase the past 15 years has been mistaken.

 

[ford91exploder]

Yes, Avatar was a thing way back in 2009. Mainly because it ushered in a new era of 3D. Wow, feels so long ago already....almos feel like we need to explain to the kids how we old people had 2D blockbusters...

But Avatar is not character driven. Cinderella is not a thing without her. But not Avatar. It doesn't matter no one can name a single character. On the contrary, more's the better. WDW could build an entire AVland without a single character. The central element of Avatar is the exoplanet, the alien lifeforms, with their bioluminescence and interconnectedness. This aspect is remembered by everybody who's seen it.

And even if they don't, or have never seen the movie in the first place, that doesn't matter. IP doesn't make a Disney park, or else all of the criticism of the fanbase the past 15 years has been mistaken.

Yes however the most appealing feature of Avatar is the one least likely to make an appearance because biolumenescence will be an enormously expensive effect to create and maintain, On a dark ride it can be done easily with UV paints, But outdoors think artificial leaves with fiberoptics which would need to be custom produced.

The WDI of the 1980's could have done it, I'm not sure WDI 2015 still can.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yep. they have no plans for the character and he (very sadly as I am a huge fan) has no relevance today ... like Oswald, only he moves merchandise to crazy fanbois. He'll be around in Tokyo, though!

I often wonder what the outcry would be though, if the movie was made now instead of then...against the "adult" themes for a Disney movie with animation in it.

 

[ford91exploder]

Spinal Tap joke.

Alas, we are watching the death of Disney's Guest Service much like how Nero fiddled while Rome Burned.

Also an engineering joke as in answering a question posed by a rock band.

ENGINEER:

"The numbers on the dial are arbitrary and allow you to set the volume to a known level"


SMART ENGINEER:

"I'll build you one that goes to 15"

 

[Nubs70]

Nope. Too damn big. Ships that seem like giant floating Lifestyle centers. You'd barely know you were at sea. And waaaay too many people with you... Besides, I hear a woman could blow eight grand in a spa in a week on one.

Fabio???
Happy Endings?

 

[Cesar R M]

I actually don't doubt Frozen will post big numbers to Epcot, and I'm actually kind of afraid that it will move the meter more than Kong (as sad as it is).

But - I am absolutely with you that unless capacity increases in a spectacular manner, it's going to be causing more guest dissatisfaction than it is worth. That's on top of concerns of whether it will actually be a passable attraction...

but we're talking one attraction with a M&G versus a firework show, singalong..etc..
I dont think they are similar comparisons. (aka event with multiple things vs single attraction)

 

[Cesar R M]

I'm really not. Guest Relations doesn't deserve the abuse that is created by the actions (and inaction) of the P&R leadership team from Glendale.

The people who made the decisions and deserve to be blasted will never interact with a guest. EVER.

Dont you wish you could force these P&R leadership to do the "undercover boss"? as long they do not have an army of CMS protecting and helping them of course..