News Disney plans to accelerate Parks investment to $60 billion over 10 years

[HauntedPirate]

Translation: We don't have the capability to dynamically respond to our competition because of our sophisticated organizational limitations.

Translation: New stuff cost money and we have to make sure that D+ becomes profitable at all costs. Also our internal surveys revealed that guests can't get enough of perpetual construction walls.

Thanks. I had just gotten the vomit taste out of my mouth from the first time I read that. Now I need to go repeat the process...

 

[Rich Brownn]

Guess its time for the bombardment of the nonsensical postings about how Disney has nothing in the pipeline to compete with Epic Universe... of course they would not want to announce an investment like that just haphazardly. It makes sense for them to be wait for Epic Universe opens to announce a fifth gate, to draw interest away from them. But then again, and I said this on twitter, some of you clamoring for answers are the same type to say Bay Lake Tower wasn’t a hotel let alone a project when it was 40ft off the ground then because Disney didn't announce it.

There will be no fifth gate. And they haven't even broken ground on anything, which means anything they start is 3-5 years away. One can assume Universal isn't going to sit on their butts all that time. There's Zelda for IOA and possibly new coaster for USF among other.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

Not the exec's in Florida. They didn't want the damn thing. But the higher ups approved it on the condition the budget build two for cost sharing. They were stuck with it.

Funnily enough, I was told a completely different story for the attraction from those in the know at the time. The ride system cost them nothing, as it was because of Kong's contract not being fulfilled in time.

 

[UNCgolf]

And even Diagon is an easy skip at this point. The better attractions are in Hogsmeade, and the newest Harry Potter addition will be in EU, so if you are going to skip a park, USF becomes the obvious choice.

I'd personally choose Diagon Alley over Hogsmeade -- Gringotts is obviously a weaker attraction, but everything else about Diagon Alley is so much better -- but IoA offers plenty beyond Hogsmeade and USF offers almost nothing beyond Diagon Alley.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I'd personally choose Diagon Alley over Hogsmeade -- Gringotts is obviously a weaker attraction, but everything else about Diagon Alley is so much better -- but IoA offers plenty beyond Hogsmeade and USF offers almost nothing beyond Diagon Alley.

Hogsmeade, the castle, they are so iconic and impactful, add in Hagrid’s, and the rest of IOA, easy choice over USF / Diagon.

I agree that Diagon itself is an amazing land, but I still think classic Hogsmeade is the bigger draw, at least for me.

 

[UNCgolf]

Hogsmeade, the castle, they are so iconic and impactful, add in Hagrid’s, and the rest of IOA, easy choice over USF / Diagon.

I agree that Diagon itself is an amazing land, but I still think classic Hogsmeade is the bigger draw, at least for me.

IoA is absolutely an easy choice over USF overall -- I just think Diagon is significantly better than Hogsmeade outside of the attractions (and I don't think Forbidden Journey is great, so it's mostly just Hagrid's).

I think Universal made a big mistake by using Hogwarts as nothing more than a facade and some queue space, but I'm sure they also wish they could do things differently there now.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

There will be no fifth gate. And they haven't even broken ground on anything, which means anything they start is 3-5 years away. One can assume Universal isn't going to sit on their butts all that time. There's Zelda for IOA and possibly new coaster for USF among other.

Oh I am almost positive that they will add a fifth gate, but for the time being, UOR and Epic is not a concern for them. I figure, let's put some of the tea out there for everyone to draw their own conclusions.

Universal's concern is first to fix their buildings at USF. Simpsons is for all intents and purposes practically condemned at this point and only half the ride system is working. Mel's Dine-in for example, what was supposed to be a 3 month refurbishment which turned into 10 months and everything inside being redone, down to the fire suppression system. Then there is the laughable joke called Hollywood Rip Ride Rock it, which is also on the short list for removal, along with Simpsons, Fast, and MIB.

If you go to Citywalk, they want to and are slowly working on removing most third-party business from the property, now with Cinnabon and Quiet Flight, closing this month. The thing here too is that the leases are nearing completion for Moe's, Panda Express and Burger King which they've been wanting to remove for a while.

Now practically on Zelda, that is actually up in the air on where on property again. They have an expansion plot for Nintendo where they can put it. The plan was originally for USF but then it changed to IoA when Kids Zone was given a reprieve, from there it's entirely up in the air for now, but the thought process is that its likely Zelda would stay in IOA and Pokémon going to USF, but we still have the Expansion Plot at Epic as well. For Volcano Bay there is also that expansion plot they they did determine to not use but who knows if they will.

In the terms of Epic and overall, UOR is preparing for a reservation system, and have been using it on TMs now since January of 2023. Passholders are getting the first taste of that with the requirement for next year that the free HHN ticket will be subjected to park capacity based on a reservation system. Official nomenclature is for that perk on HHN tickets: "Advance online reservations are required starting with the 2025 event. Reservation is subject to event capacity." Funny thing is, I kept telling people that they were going to roll this out and people honestly thought that they weren't by thinking that UOR is the theme park version of T-Mobile during their "un-carrier" marketing days.

That being said on Epic, I for one would be surprised if they want to offer anything below multiple day/park tickets at first. Secondly, do fully expect their best APs to hit the $1,500 price point with the park opening. Volcano Bay is only worth on the best AP at non-resident pricing $190, and if pricing scales up in a linear fashion, USF and IoA are worth $452.5. Say we round that to the nearest dollar up, to 453, and you are looking a Non-resident Annual Pass at $1,359 and with Volcano Bay, at $1,549 (math wise, this puts them $100 Above the Incredi-pass for 2024.) So Interesting times are to be seen going forward.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Oh I am almost positive that they will add a fifth gate.

I am almost positive WDW will NEVER add a fifth gate.

 

[Eric Graham]

I posted that the new Harry Potter Park at EU would potentially be called The Ministry Of Magic (They copyrighted a number of phrases for EU in a video I viewed) but not a lot of viewed it...Oh Well

 

[MrPromey]

There will be no fifth gate. And they haven't even broken ground on anything, which means anything they start is 3-5 years away. One can assume Universal isn't going to sit on their butts all that time. There's Zelda for IOA and possibly new coaster for USF among other.

Difference here is, Universal could already be ready to file permits and break ground in no time and we still wouldn't necessarily have any idea what they were doing.

Disney has resorted to showing blue sky concept art for public announcements due to a lack of having anything green lit. Heck, Iger is still showing blue sky concept art for the Avatar project DL could be getting nearly a year into the original announcement.

People who want to talk like Disney could be really far along on a project they haven't announced yet haven't been paying attention the last decade or so with how their modern management does things.

 

[PREMiERdrum]

I am almost positive WDW will NEVER add a fifth gate.

This.

 

[HauntedPirate]

People who want to talk like Disney could be really far along on a project they haven't announced yet haven't been paying attention the last decade or so with how their modern management does things.

Nothing to worry about! After all, Disney has a sophisticated approach to analyzing the needs of all of their businesses and strategically deploying capital.

 

[HauntedPirate]

And I really have to wonder if Iger can smell what he's shoveling here:

"And based on the guest experience that we've heard all about, from all of these items that I just mentioned, we know that they're extremely popular and they're serving our guests extremely well."

 

[Disstevefan1]

Then there is the laughable joke called Hollywood Rip Ride Rock it, which is also on the short list for removal

I hope not! I love that ride!

 

[MrPromey]

IoA is absolutely an easy choice over USF overall -- I just think Diagon is significantly better than Hogsmeade outside of the attractions (and I don't think Forbidden Journey is great, so it's mostly just Hagrid's).

I think Universal made a big mistake by using Hogwarts as nothing more than a facade and some queue space, but I'm sure they also wish they could do things differently there now.

Do you have kids?

My son is coaster-adverse which takes Hulk and Velosicoaster off the table. Similarly, the drops for Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park River Adventure make those non-starters, too.

Hagrids is at the top of his current tolerance level, helped, I'm sure by the dark ride elements incorporated into it.

As a result, there is a lot lacking for us currently in IOA.

USF, on the other hand, he'll do almost all of. Won't go near Rip Rocket Ride (which I'm okay with) and has done Mummy but usually won't.

Personally, I'd be fine seeing the Jimmy Fallon attraction go but he loves it. He's never seen the tonight show but he likes the humor of the ride. He's also never seen a FATF movie but really loves the preshow parts of that (again, the humor) and the ride reminds him of GTA (which he isn't allowed to play but has watched his older cousins play).

ET may be one of his favorite rides ever*.

A lot of adults here talk about how much of a disappointment the new Minions attraction is but he'd ride that all day trying to unlock all the upgrades from the quests in the Universal app if he didn't have to wait a half hour for each ride-through.

The Dreamworks update to the kidzone area, I suspect he will be too old for but I imagine will be very popular with the younger set that can't or is too afraid to do most of what's at IOA, too.

Point with all of this is, I think different demographics view the two parks differently. If they put the Harry Potter section of IOA in USF along with Spiderman, I think he'd be willing to part with Seuss Landing and never go back to IOA again**... or at least until his mid to late teens, whichever comes first.

Not to say it doesn't need work. I just don't think it's that behind IOA in either park's current state and in some cases, absolutely is someone's preferred park.

*I, having grown up with the original ET move being a phenomenon, have never liked this ride. Even when I was still a kid and this park was new. I really don't know what his affection for it is other than it being a much more impressive alternative to Peter Pan... and maybe that's really what it is. Also, I agree with the general consensus about FATF. Not sticking up for that one at all - just pointing out an 11 year old likes it.

**For his aging grandmother that has gone on family trips, there's very little in IOA she even can do for health reasons, regardless of if she wants to or not.

 

[DisneyDodo]

The biggest problem with WDW is not Universal. It’s this:

In order to stay fully “current,” any theme park needs to continuously invest in new offerings. Suppose a theme park needs to open one major new attraction every two years on average to maintain its standing. A resort with 2 parks, like DLR or UOR (pre-EU) would then need to open one attraction per year give or take, which those resorts generally do. WDW OTOH would need to open 2 new attractions. But Disney doesn’t want to open multiple attractions at one resort so close together because they will cannibalize each others’ hype and short-term attendance boost. So they focus on one park at a time, knowing that most guests who come for one will visit the others, and meanwhile the other 3 fall behind. As Iger alluded to, WDW did manage to add at the necessary pace from ~2017-2020, but that can’t be a temporary thing. It needs to be the norm.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The biggest problem with WDW is not Universal. It’s this:

In order to stay fully “current,” any theme park needs to continuously invest in new offerings. Suppose a theme park needs to open one major new attraction every two years on average to maintain its standing. A resort with 2 parks, like DLR or UOR (pre-EU) would then need to open one attraction per year give or take, which those resorts generally do. WDW OTOH would need to open 2 new attractions. But Disney doesn’t want to open multiple attractions at one resort so close together because they will cannibalize each others’ hype and short-term attendance boost. So they focus on one park at a time, knowing that most guests who come for one will visit the others, and meanwhile the other 3 fall behind. As Iger alluded to, WDW did manage to add at the necessary pace from ~2017-2020, but that can’t be a temporary thing. It needs to be the norm.

It's already been 4 years since DHS got a new ride. 7 years for Animal Kingdom. GotG was Epcot's first new ride since 2005 (not counting the now defunct Sum of All Thrills that opened in 2009). Tron opened 9 years after Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Slinky Dog Dash was 10 years after Midway Mania. Avatar opened 11 years after Everest.

They're still recovering from the late 2000s/early 2010s when MyMagic+ took precedent over actual construction.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

All of these things were initiated 7+ years ago.

And all were deliberately slow rolled

(Queue the “imagineers” to vehemently defend 6 guys working on a rock wall for 7 months )

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The biggest problem with WDW is not Universal. It’s this:

In order to stay fully “current,” any theme park needs to continuously invest in new offerings. Suppose a theme park needs to open one major new attraction every two years on average to maintain its standing. A resort with 2 parks, like DLR or UOR (pre-EU) would then need to open one attraction per year give or take, which those resorts generally do. WDW OTOH would need to open 2 new attractions. But Disney doesn’t want to open multiple attractions at one resort so close together because they will cannibalize each others’ hype and short-term attendance boost. So they focus on one park at a time, knowing that most guests who come for one will visit the others, and meanwhile the other 3 fall behind. As Iger alluded to, WDW did manage to add at the necessary pace from ~2017-2020, but that can’t be a temporary thing. It needs to be the norm.

Indeed…park stagnation has been the nemesis of amusement parks since Coney Island

Bob told you 10 years ago that doesn’t matter to Disney…because of their “brand”

Is it working?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's already been 4 years since DHS got a new ride. 7 years for Animal Kingdom. GotG was Epcot's first new ride since 2005 (not counting the now defunct Sum of All Thrills that opened in 2009). Tron opened 9 years after Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Slinky Dog Dash was 10 years after Midway Mania. Avatar opened 11 years after Everest.

They're still recovering from the late 2000s/early 2010s when MyMagic+ took precedent over actual construction.

It’s more devious than even that…

They’re trying to make everyone frustrated to beat more out of them

But didn’t you hear? Bob just got this job 18 months ago and he’s hard at work “fixing it”