A sequel? Nah, not this one

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capsshield

Active Member
how to get the people to the parks is a massive problem. 80 percent of the country experienced a lockdown that most likely consumed their vacation money. It will take at least a year for most families to recover maybe more. We were forced to close our store for 3 months, and our open hours are now reduced by 25 percent. It will be tough to survive but we will and we will return to the parks in about 12 to 18 months.
No deals will change that.
Now if Disney wants to make sure families like mine will return in that time frame they should make a lot of small enhancements or updates across the parks to counterbalance the bigger attractions that are coming.
The more new things to see the longer my stay will be.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Tony the Tigger said:
I would think big attraction debuts are not smart right this minute. While marginally increasing attendance should be a short-term goal, they/we actually don’t want a glut of people coming, or a glut of people around one attraction (obviously, or they’d be selling AP’s.

Little improvements, temporary (!) overlays, minor events could drive local traffic.

I’d love to see more fine dining events at the resorts. I would be 100% happy with a resort trip and an “Epcot food & wine style dining event” right there at the resort restaurant. Emphasize chef table experiences, etc. These are all nice upcharges, memorable experiences, and I wouldn’t even add to park crowding. Something like the recently announced Swolphin events.

As a small business owner operating at 50% capacity (who hardly ever operated at 100% anyway) there is a sweet spot where you can pay your bills and even improve your numbers without big crowds - and huge events are a big no-no. But small, controlled events can give the bottom line a nice boost.
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The problem is that Disney cannot just pivot to smaller and cheaper alternatives. They don't know how. Rasulo, Staggs and Chapek were all charged with containing costs for new projects. Weis promised a leaner Universal Creative inspired model for Shanghai Disneyland that did not pan out. Billions were poured into MyMagic+ and its promises of reducing the need for expensive new attractions. The Nondescript Coaster Themed to India or Whatever was touted as a $100 million attraction. That type of money now does not even get Pixar Pier. Inflation has only been about 30% over the past 15 years while Disney's costs have risen more like 400%.

Yes, local Entertainment is separate from Walt Disney Imagineering which is a unique vortex of expensive, but its still mired by a bureaucracy that will be decimated but not necessarily streamlined. Disney has known for years now that they are not able to act quickly or cheaply but have been unable to actually push through any necessary change. In a system that is full of triple guessing how do you empower someone to do something that was largely deemed "unnecessary" years ago because "once in a lifetime visitors" won't notice?

CastAStone said:
Millenium Force was $25M. Fury 325 was $30M. Those are the top 2 rated coasters in the US.

I mean, I know a themed indoor coaster will cost more, but what on earth.
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Slinky Dog Dash, which is much more comparable in scope, was more than double those.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
Epcot.... that's why I really came on here to post. That park is in serious trouble. The overall low attendance and park hours cuts have been talked to death. What doesn't seem to be discussed too much is how the loss of private events hurts. One medium sized event at Epcot paid for nearly a week's worth of Illuminations shows. This is a fall and winter season where that revenue is knee capped. The forward looking business on this front is not that great. So much so that the whole dinner table looking thing seems "off the table." The point of it was to massively increase event space and revenue ops.
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Several of the insiders on this site have been saying this for YEARS. That Epcot was a park held up by events and that there was no strategy that was seriously considered by management beyond this.

Fans who thought piecemeal changes like Frozen Ever After was going to substantially increase attendance were proven wrong. The park needed real investment, not IP redecoration.

The pandemic is not Disney's fault, but running Epcot into the ground was. Maddening given the park's potential and initial strong design.
 
U

Unbanshee

Well-Known Member
Magicart87 said:
Right!? That's crazy. Could have done it for a third of that just using an off the shelf coaster and some VR gear. Not ideal but hellalot cheaper. Although 450 still seems like a ballooned amount. I can't imagine Disney "OKing" that budget. Crazy to think. What a waste.
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I don't think it started there. I do think they started to see how much it would cost once they gutted UoE though. That building needed help
 
Doberge

Doberge

True Bayou Magic
Premium Member
So no Poly tower named Motunui upon which Moana places her rock atop at the grand opening?

I'm mostly curious if this would have fit hotel rooms or DVC? Poly lacks a DVC building with bigger accomodations and this would have fit well, but it also didnt fit the DVC timeline considering Reflections, unless this was the plan after Reflections?
 

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