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

[MisterPenguin]

What was Igers point of saying "there is enough land to expand up with up to 7 Disneyland sized parks." If not to give false hope to Disney fans.

As has been mentioned several times: It was in response to "fans" thinking that there was no room for growth at some seemingly 'land locked' parks. And it was a repeat of an earlier PR which was touting the ability for *every park* to expand capacity as part of the proxy battle. The point was growth. In the last interview in which Iger sloppily restated this capacity for growth, he used the word 'growth' at least 20 times.

It was all geared for investors. And partly for park fans despairing of any new growth or capacity.

So, this statement was not about planned growth.

It was the previous statement of $17B in investment in WDW, and $60B in all parks (with 70% reserved for increased capacity) which was the 'promise' of new stuff for parks. Within a decade.

 

[MisterPenguin]

and not bulldoze something else to build it

Well, 70% of the $60B is supposed to be for new capacity and not a raze-and-rebuilt.

We hope.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I recall there were rumors of a Moana overlay for the Tiki Room at some point.

I agree there is not enough Moana. I think all attractions should be rethemed to Moana, examples:
It's a water world - starring Moana.
Moana's water funnel spin.
Moana's Water Jamboree.
Moana's Big Thunderstorm railroad.
Moana's river cruise.
Mad water balloon party - starring Moana.
Moana's underwaterharMagic.
Moana's flight over water.
Many adventures of Moana.
Moana's rainstormer.
Moan's family tree.
Moana's haunted undersea shipwreck.
Moana'a Hall of Demigods.
Magic flying canoes of Moana.
Moana's people mover canoes.
Under the sea - Journey of Moana.
Moana's Enchanted water grotto.
Moana's Carousel of water conservation.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Even though they clarified what he actually meant, I am still unclear on why people have trouble believing that seven or more lands could be completed within the decade-long scope of this thread. That is not even out of the ordinary. The question is whether they’ll build what you want in the park you want and not bulldoze something else to build it.

Personally I don't think 7 lands can be done in a decade is because they take about 5 years to build one attraction.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Personally I don't think 7 lands can be done in a decade is because they take about 5 years to build one attraction.

You know that several can be done simultaneously, especially in different parks scattered around the world, right? Just like what's been going on right now in Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

 

[WolverineInMichigan]

As a resident of a state where marijuana is fully legal... I am begging all of you who believe Iger will fulfill this "could statement" in any way, shape or form --- "Please, for your brain's sake; get off the Ganja"......

Iger and Company really do not want to build any additional capacity in Disneyland-- Disneyland forward is all about regaining the zoning CONTROL they lost. "look pretty shiny things... Wakanda! Pandora! Frozen!".... Result--- More hotels and shops. Rides? Additional capacity? Pshaw--- (yes I am old!) those cost Operating $$$-- Operation Costs bad!

In Florida... Disney is not going to going to invest heavily until DeSantis goes away. Is it that petty? Yes.

I am a Senior VP of Marketing and Communication in a mid-tier company in the midwest. Due to the nature of my employment, I interact with CEO's of Fortune 500 companies and CEO's of small companies--less than 3 mil a year gross. I can share with you that big decisions are made for petty reasons all the time.

I don't post much on here --- Suffice it to say there isnt enough time to clean up after the circuses in my professional world--- but please.. just get with the program and join reality and read between the lines.

Edited for spelling

 

[Disstevefan1]

You know that several can be done simultaneously, especially in different parks scattered around the world, right? Just like what's been going on right now in Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

Yup, I still don't think 7 lands can be built in 10 years. By the way, the ten year countdown clock started when, a year ago?

Besides that, the company must desire to do this to even start. TWDC has no desire to do it, at least not in WDW.

Maybe, just maybe WDW will be FORCED to REACT to EPIC, but they will wait a couple years AFTER EPIC is open to see if they even need to.

 

[Tha Realest]

As a resident of a state where marijuana is fully legal... I am begging all of you who believe Iger will fulfill this "could statement" in any way, shape or form --- "Please, for your brain's sake; get off the Ganja"......

Iger and Company really do not want to build any additional capacity in Disneyland-- Disneyland forward is all about regaining the zoning CONTROL they lost. "look pretty shiny things... Wakanda! Pandora! Frozen!".... Result--- More hotels and shops. Rides? Additional capacity? Pshaw--- (yes I am old!) those cost Operating $$$-- Operation Costs bad!

In Florida... Disney is not going to going to invest heavily until DeSantis goes away. Is it that petty? Yes.

I am a Senior VP of Marketing and Communication is a mid-tier company in the midwest. Due to the nature of my employment, I interact with CEO's of Fortune 500 companies and CEO's of small companies--less that 3 mil a year gross. I can share with you that big decisions are made for petty reasons all the time.

I don't post much on here --- Suffice it to say there isnt enough time to clean up after the circuses in my professional world--- but please.. just get with the program and join reality and read between the lines.

Yes. They want to build hotels (preferably DVC), shopping/dining, parking, and … at some point, maybe … attractions at Disneyland. In that order.

Disneyland Forward likely means another DVC resort, a massive expansion of Downtown Disney, a new parking structure or two…and maybe Pandora West.

 

[Disstevefan1]

As a resident of a state where marijuana is fully legal... I am begging all of you who believe Iger will fulfill this "could statement" in any way, shape or form --- "Please, for your brain's sake; get off the Ganja"......

Iger and Company really do not want to build any additional capacity in Disneyland-- Disneyland forward is all about regaining the zoning CONTROL they lost. "look pretty shiny things... Wakanda! Pandora! Frozen!".... Result--- More hotels and shops. Rides? Additional capacity? Pshaw--- (yes I am old!) those cost Operating $$$-- Operation Costs bad!

In Florida... Disney is not going to going to invest heavily until DeSantis goes away. Is it that petty? Yes.

I am a Senior VP of Marketing and Communication in a mid-tier company in the midwest. Due to the nature of my employment, I interact with CEO's of Fortune 500 companies and CEO's of small companies--less that 3 mil a year gross. I can share with you that big decisions are made for petty reasons all the time.

I don't post much on here --- Suffice it to say there isnt enough time to clean up after the circuses in my professional world--- but please.. just get with the program and join reality and read between the lines.

 

[James Alucobond]

By the way, the ten year countdown clock started when, a year ago?

I mean, if you’re counting openings over the past year, you’re already almost halfway there with World of Frozen, Zootopia, Fantasy Springs, and the updates coming to Paris.

 

[Drdcm]

We’ll have to see what happens. This scenario sort of reminds me of the titanic. Everyone was having a grand old time right up until they hit the iceberg. If only someone had seen it coming…

There seem to be warning signs for WDW, so called ice in the water, if they do something about it maybe they can avoid any real harm. If they don’t, the super profitable parks might not be so profitable.

 

[Tha Realest]

Yup, I still don't think 7 lands can be built in 10 years. By the way, the ten year countdown clock started when, a year ago?

Besides that, the company must desire to do this to even start. TWDC has no desire to do it, at least not in WDW.

Maybe, just maybe WDW will be FORCED to REACT to EPIC, but they will wait a couple years AFTER EPIC is open to see if they even need to.

They could the “Epcot reimagining” and Tiana in the current $60B/$17B outlay, so probably yes. They seem to have retroactively pushed this back to include stuff already under construction.

 

[Gusey]

I mean, if you’re counting openings over the past year, you’re already almost halfway there with World of Frozen, Zootopia, Fantasy Springs, and the updates coming to Paris.

It's mad to think though that the Frozen attraction at Tokyo was first announced in 2014. It would take decade for that attraction to open because plans changed for that expansion. It went from New Fantasyland and Scandinvia to Beauty and the Beast, Baymax, Soarin and Fantasy Springs.

I think it doesn't help that we are in a bit of a Disney Parks News dry patch. Disney seems to be holding any major announcements for D23 in August, so we just have to wait until then. The earliest we'll see construction on anything major worldwide will be late August 2024, with only WDS Expansion and TDL Space Mountain actually announced to open after this year.

 

[SplashJacket]

The level of stupidity is astounding.

Even more astonishing is that stupidity is the widely accepted principle.

How is Disney supposed to grow as a company (which is the sole interest of shareholders) if they don’t invest to grow?

Movies aren’t doing too hot, so their bet in the film segment is streaming. So investment to grow has been directed to streaming as their linear revenue streams are drying up.

Elsewhere, in Parks and Resorts, you had a steady stream of additions (Shanghai, Fantasy and Dream, 2 Galaxy Edges, Pandora, Zootopia, Frozen, Mystic Point, three Toy Story Lands, Grizzly Gulch, couple Avengers Campuses, another Frozen land and doubling of a park’s footprint, 3 new ships on the way and one (Wish) recently delivered, private island, and a bunch of smaller stuff like a redone TT, two MMRRs, Tron, Guardians, mistake on the lake, cars land, mistake on the lake fix, rivers of light, etc. etc.) across the world Cars Land until covid shut off the pipe and pressed reset on all projects in the pipeline.

But since covid we’ve still had projects open up (albeit delayed) that were from pre-covid. Now, outside of two rethemes and Paris, there’s really no active projects across the globe. Which is an undeniable issue for future growth.

So how can they drive future growth? Jacking up prices? They already did that stateside to absorb post-COVID travel, and it’s not a sustainable business model long-term (which they know, shockingly, not everyone is a bumbling idiot that doesn’t fit your agenda).

A huge number of projects are coming through the pipeline. That is a fact.

Imagineering cleared house during covid, but they’ve been furiously rehiring over the last few months. Plus they’ve just had several projects finish after layoffs ended (Disneyland Toontown, Guardians, Tron, Epcot overhaul, Zootopia, Hong Kong Frozen, and Avengers Campuses), so they at least maintained enough staff to finish those projects, so that’s the baseline floor, and then they’ve been adding like crazy (veteran and new staff), so projects are coming.

On the imagineering side, even Fantasy Springs would factor in. Huge mega project that’s basically delivered at this point that’ll relocate huge amounts of staff.

Restrained optimism is good, but pure cynicism is silly.

 

[el_super]

There seem to be warning signs for WDW, so called ice in the water, if they do something about it maybe they can avoid any real harm. If they don’t, the super profitable parks might not be so profitable.

The context of these threads tends to over-emphasize building new stuff, and the lack of new projects being announced, but really, people have been spending money for 50+ years to see the EXISTING stuff that's still there: Pirates, Small World, Teacups, Space Mountain. There is a lot of "core" experience there that shows no signs of decay or waning demand. If anything, the demand is still outpacing supply.

They will be fine.

 

[DisneyDodo]

Yup, I still don't think 7 lands can be built in 10 years. By the way, the ten year countdown clock started when, a year ago?

Besides that, the company must desire to do this to even start. TWDC has no desire to do it, at least not in WDW.

Maybe, just maybe WDW will be FORCED to REACT to EPIC, but they will wait a couple years AFTER EPIC is open to see if they even need to.

“7 lands in 10 years” is not actually a thing that has been proposed. But if it was, that wouldn’t be ambitious. We’ve easily surpassed that in the past 10 years (2xSWGE, 2xTSL, Pandora, 3xAvengers Campus, World of Frozen, Zootopia, Pixar Pier, 2xNFL [a few of these may be contested as “new lands” but there’s def more than 7]).

 

[Drdcm]

The context of these threads tends to over-emphasize building new stuff, and the lack of new projects being announced, but really, people have been spending money for 50+ years to see the EXISTING stuff that's still there: Pirates, Small World, Teacups, Space Mountain. There is a lot of "core" experience there that shows no signs of decay or waning demand. If anything, the demand is still outpacing supply.

They will be fine.

I’m just curious how you explain how dropping attendance (evidenced by direct statement in the last two earning calls) and declining hotel occupancy (as evidenced by entire wings of resorts mothballed) at WDW isn’t decay or waning demand.

I wasn’t talking about expansion. I like what they have to be honest.

The comparison to the titanic was a joke…

 

[Disstevefan1]

“7 lands in 10 years” is not actually a thing that has been proposed. But if it was, that wouldn’t be ambitious. We’ve easily surpassed that in the past 10 years (2xSWGE, 2xTSL, Pandora, 3xAvengers Campus, World of Frozen, Zootopia, Pixar Pier, 2xNFL [a few of these may be contested as “new lands” but there’s def more than 7]).

That's great. That shows they can do it if they want.

The Iger is spreading now, is just talk.

Lets see what actually happens.

 

[el_super]

I’m just curious how you explain how dropping attendance (evidenced by direct statement in the last two earning calls) and declining hotel occupancy (as evidenced by entire wings of resorts mothballed) at WDW isn’t decay or waning demand.

If it's only impacting WDW, it wouldn't appear to be an issue with the product itself. The other parks, with very similar offerings, seem to be doing well enough business that even with a decrease at WDW, they are breaking revenue records left and right.

That, and/or, the decreases at WDW are being overly exaggerated.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I recall there were rumors of a Moana overlay for the Tiki Room at some point.

That'd be a waste of the Tiki Room AND the Moana IP. Moana is just begging to be a cool water D or E ticket.

At least for me a lot of that goes back to the rides that made me love Disney don't draw like they used to. Rides like Horizons and World of Motion would never be built today.

Your average guest wants flashy with some thrill. The problem is the flashy they originally advertise is never the end product due to budget cuts and the thrill is not on the level of Universal or regional parks.

I wonder why they don't aim for this more. If the rides are already going to have a height requirement then go furtherlmao