A Spirited 15 Rounds ...

[rael ramone]

CNBC now. Les Moonves (CBS) said people don't want to pay for content they don't watch.

CNBC a few minutes ago. Lowell McAdam (Verizon) said he doesn't want to buy $DIS.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You should visit again this year. I would be very interested to hear your take on it. It is a beautiful park and the coasters are a lot of fun, but I just find the quality to be lacking. They did a good job with theaming the new Cobras Curse coaster, and its fun too. The deals are incredible though, passholders frequently get free admission for friends and after Irma there is a promotion right now for BOGO tickets.

Busch Gardens Tampa seems to be the park that has taken the biggest beating since SeaWorld’s independence. Lots of little cuts here and there at a park that seems forgotten.

 

[brb1006]

Not trying to throw feces, but I have an alternative perspective on this that I need to share. Zootopia is about anthropomorphic animals, not real animals, and the themes of nature's power and beauty. This is why the buildings in animal kingdom don't overshadow the natural environments. Zootopia is 100% about people, it just uses cute animals as a roundabout way to discuss contemporary identity politics and a hero's journey of self-actualization in the face of challenges prevalent in our society. Zootopia belongs in Animal Kingdom as much as Robin Hood or Dumbo belong in animal kingdom; they don't.

Zootopia belongs in EPCOT's world showcase far more than it belongs in DAK. This is the kind of story that would make epcot personal and relevant to audiences. The problem with their first approach was that it was like riding textbooks, and not only that, people are selfish and see the world through their perspective. The pavilions did nothing to give people a sense that the stories were about them, relevant to them, or could resonate with them. The way with which future world divides all of these topics into isolated pavilions speaks directly to this problem. They would all be far more interesting if we had a narrative, human-focused, personal story weaving through them. a survival story, like the rides at Disneyland, that beg us to pay attention and remember and contextualize the random facts we are being exposed to. It would make people understand why these topics are relevant to them.

I disagree, I find Judy and Nick to be very out of place at Epcot.

 

[rael ramone]

I disagree, I find Judy and Nick to be very out of place at Epcot.

I find IP (not named Figment) to be out of place at Epcot.

 

[Viget]

Thinking back to the Irma storm response.

One would (and should) question having extra cast members on hand to add 'extra MAGIC' to resort guests when they should have been home with their families. But at the same time, look at the effect of those extra hands on deck had on resort guests...

People are a big reason why WDW is a success. Pleasant interactions from waiters to line attendants to janitorial add significantly to the experience. Even if you see a lack of upkeep that results from those same people not having enough numbers and/or not equipped to do their jobs to the level that the Heritage and Price Point require.

Reduce those people even more, and you hurt the base experience even more. And it's the base experience that everyone there, including the 10 per-centers, are there to enjoy.

Wow, THIS x 10^6. This is exactly what I try to tell people why I loved going to WDW as a child and still want to like going now. It is the little extras that cast members give every time that I go that makes me want to come back. The small details add up in a way that is more than the sum of its parts.

Put simply, sure it's the E-tickets and new lands that got me to go in the first place, but it's the cast interactions and attention to detail that makes me want to come back for more, even if there's nothing "new" the next time. I hope this culture is never lost, but I fear it is slowly being eroded as more and more old-timers retire or decide to look for employment elsewhere.

 

[AEfx]

Some of us see the Avatar mistake a a symptom of a bigger problem as in Iger goes after the BIGGEST shiny objects without thinking. Avatar, Maker Studios where he sunk a half billion of the companies money whereupon the supporting talent quit because they DID NOT want to work for Disney, leaving the 'Star' behind who was subsequently revealed to be a disgusting sample of humanity, yet a bit of due dilligence would have discovered many similar examples

MLBam which is dying on the vine because Iger does not understand that one cannot map the old business model onto new tech and more importantly new viewing habits.

Iger consistently goes after the biggest fish with no clue as to what he'll do when he catches them.

Star Wars deserves its own dedicated Park not an underwhelming 2 rides and a restaurant (+50 or so merchandising locations). I say this even as a non-fan I understand the multigenerational appeal of the source material which Iger clearly does not.

In short Iger is an stolid banker who belongs at Goldman-Sachs not as the head of the (formerly) most creative company in the world

See, that's where it loses me.

I accept the theme park misdirections, but Marvel is the biggest film franchise of ALL TIME under Disney stewardship. After the next film, Star Wars will be #2. His priorities were with the core film business which Disney had been ignoring for so long. And although I disagree with the stuff that money was poured into at the parks, it should have been spent much much better (no one has been as critical of MM+ as I have been, I think it's about as close to tragic as a theme park topic can be) - but I also can't deny the realities of running a major corporation in the current atmosphere, and investing huge sums and building new parks (as much as I would pretty much move to Orlando if they build a Star Wars park) - that were already hugely profitable - I just don't see how anyone could have gotten away with it.

We can romanticize what some "trailblazer" would have done, but the reality is - they would have been ousted, just like the last CEO was.

 

[Clopin Trouillefou]

Spirited Quickees (because they are the best kind):

I hope our Central and NE Florida members are OK. Have we heard from @The Mom?
I asked about whether Disney was going to have any EPCOT-related announcements around 10/1 and ... crickets. I am starting to think there won't be any, perhaps even to get Wall Street's attention off all the spending that is finally happening in the swamps.

Do you think that Georgie K and Phil Holmes and Danny Cockerell and Co are thrilled that they lost a lot of trees in Irma? Fewer to hack down and remove the benches underneath.

SDL is up and running and successful, so Disney is moving into seasonal celebrations. https://news.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn
/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=8&id=599

Speaking of SDL, our favorite Twink Tweeter in the Desert, @Daykota, is just back and ... I hate to take shots at anyone (as my followers know), but it would appear he went all the way to Shanghai and ... and spent six days in a theme park that honestly is a two-day visit tops, three if you want to hang at DisneyTown etc. I will never understand people who travel to the other side of the world to spend an OCD amount of time in a theme park and skip actually experiencing the amazing place they are at. But he gets the award for the Disney online community for spending the most amount of time in SDL since its opening. What he does in all that time is a huge question.

Talking about the online community, Anaheim is really in for it. At least three (and likely 12) O-Town bloggers are either out there or on the way to 'cover' the start of Halloweentime at DLR. Really!

Spoke with a DCL insider today and there is a lot of concern about not being able to go to popular islands in the Eastern Caribbean for "many, many months" ... I was told DCL is going to likely be very slow about announcing long term plans now that many of these places (St. Martin, St. Thomas, Tortola etc.) that were staples are largely (sadly!) decimated. One exec apparently joked about "maybe two new ships were enough" and it was not warmly received. Tasteless, tacky, but also likely true right now.

Was told to expect "major" entertainment cuts at WDW starting this fall, but most after Christmas holiday period unless numbers drastically improve. Was told there is consideration to dropping many night shows to a rotation instead of a nightly basis. Was also told this isn't etched in stone ... but may be following the fourth quarter earnings report.

How come no one ever comes out and says what most observers can see: MNSSHP is an incredibly tired event?

How is it that rumors of FW permanently closing are being taken serious? Camp sites for tents that are more costly than the average 3.5 star O-Town hotel? Just no.

No, stop bothering me, nothing has changed on the Tiki Room show ending. It will be.

Aren't we supposed to have heard about Club 33 WDW plans by now?

If I'm ESPN, I'm even more concerned that NFL ratings, which were down last year, haven't turned around.



Anyone know how many upcharge Food and Wine events were cancelled due to Irma?

I know I could say this all the time and be right, but price increases are coming ..across the board.

Notice how quiet all is on UNI-Beijing? Notice how it resembles SDL at the same point in its development? You think that is all they have in common (beyond the fact that about 2/3rds of the people who built SDL are working on Beijing)?

Having missed Cars 3, I am anxious to see Coco. It looks very good.

Marvel at DCA is ... is ... something that will be happening sometime in the future and will include a few really kewl attractions that may be open in 5-7 years time.

NFL can't even fill the stadiums. LA has been abysmal.

 

[AEfx]

NFL can't even fill the stadiums. LA has been abysmal.

That's a great example of a bursting bubble, one that people have often compared Disney to in terms of "look, they get away with gouging the hell out of people".

 

[ford91exploder]

Cool new Star Wars toys is part of the fun!

I outgrew toys when I was about six, Traded them for tools and books.

 

[wannabeBelle]

That's a great example of a bursting bubble, one that people have often compared Disney to in terms of "look, they get away with gouging the hell out of people".

Exactly, but only to a point, after that maybe Dad says at that price he cant afford the bring even him and Junior, let alone the rest of the family. Dad finds other events and attractions for everyone. Junior doesn't grown up with the same connection to the players or the game as a whole, so doesn't buy the football jerseys, t shirts etc. and finds other interests elsewhere. Junior now sees no value in the cost of admission for this event and doesn't pass it along to his child. Multiply this by enough families and you will see an issue sooner rather than later. Marie

 

[ford91exploder]

See, that's where it loses me.

I accept the theme park misdirections, but Marvel is the biggest film franchise of ALL TIME under Disney stewardship. After the next film, Star Wars will be #2. His priorities were with the core film business which Disney had been ignoring for so long. And although I disagree with the stuff that money was poured into at the parks, it should have been spent much much better (no one has been as critical of MM+ as I have been, I think it's about as close to tragic as a theme park topic can be) - but I also can't deny the realities of running a major corporation in the current atmosphere, and investing huge sums and building new parks (as much as I would pretty much move to Orlando if they build a Star Wars park) - that were already hugely profitable - I just don't see how anyone could have gotten away with it.

We can romanticize what some "trailblazer" would have done, but the reality is - they would have been ousted, just like the last CEO was.

I'm not looking for a trailblazer CEO, I'm looking for a CEO who thinks past his next quarterly bonus and the long term viability of one of the great entertainment companies in the world not a 'gnome of zurich'.

Here's the deal, Iger is managing Disney's STOCK PRICE, Not the company most of the really smart companies like Cisco, Apple, HP and HPE, Berkshire Hathaway have been letting their stock price float and quietly accumulating GINORMOUS cash hoards, This enables them to go after new lines of business or weather downturns.and in many cases tell Wall St to pound sand.

Under Iger Disney has ed away nearly 70 BILLION dollars in cash money supporting the bloody stock price. If Disney had that money in the bank they could have BOUGHT a streaming service or anything else they wanted.

No it would not have been spent on the parks that's insane and unrealistic, But Uni is spending money on the parks even as their subscribers drop cable subs (BUT UP their internet speeds) Comcast understands that their business is in transition from a cable provider to a Internet provider and they are investing in their ancillary businesses to create new revenue streams.

 

[ford91exploder]

CNBC now. Les Moonves (CBS) said people don't want to pay for content they don't watch.

CNBC a few minutes ago. Lowell McAdam (Verizon) said he doesn't want to buy $DIS.

Hmm, Is $DIS becoming a 'catch a falling knife' company ???

 

[AEfx]

I outgrew toys when I was about six, Traded them for tools and books.

Things are different now, LOL. Although they are called "collectables".

Disney makes exponentially more money on adult collectors than children. Go check out Sideshow's Star Wars section and watch your mouth fall at what people pay for this stuff. Even the "toys" at mass retail - kids aren't buying the 6" Star Wars Black Series figures which fly off the shelves for $20-22 each.

This is where the money comes from - and it's not Disney's dong - this is how Lucasfilm survived as long as it did without actually producing more content.

 

[Nubs70]

I'll stop lighting my candles when you stop obsessively poking pins into your set of Iger and the Mrs. Voodoo dolls.

But thanks for the clarification.

They sell Bob & Willow Voodoo Dolls?

 

[AEfx]

They sell Bob & Willow Voodoo Dolls?

I think he has them handcrafted by a witch doctor in Vegas.

 

[ford91exploder]

They sell Bob & Willow Voodoo Dolls?

No you need to make your own if you are a real Voodoo priest.

 

[Stevek]

Spirited Quickees (because they are the best kind):

Talking about the online community, Anaheim is really in for it. At least three (and likely 12) O-Town bloggers are either out there or on the way to 'cover' the start of Halloweentime at DLR. Really!

My buddy Tommy will be here. I might be visiting Friday night...sooo hoping I run into him so we can chat. So much to say.

 

[ford91exploder]

I think he has them handcrafted by a witch doctor in Vegas.

He is a Spirit after all so I imagine he makes his own

 

[bclane]

I outgrew toys when I was about six, Traded them for tools and books.

Maybe that's why you're so grumpy all the time here in the forums? J/K

There's an old saying that men are just boys with more expensive toys.... I'd agree but women are buying up the Star Wars toys too these days. Maybe it's time to update that old saying?

 

[ford91exploder]

Maybe that's why you're so grumpy all the time here in the forums? J/K

There's an old saying that men are just boys with more expensive toys.... I'd agree but women are buying up the Star Wars toys too these days. Maybe it's time to update that old saying?

Possibly, I've worked since I was 14 and Wall St has ensured comfortable retirement impossible due to losses when bubbles burst. So like most in my cohort I'll work till I drop.