A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...

[DougK]

Need more evidence that attendance and spending at WDW is headed south? If you are a CM (or friends with one), then take a gander at these CM rates hastily tossed out recently. Disney is just being nice, I'm sure. Because if you are damn near homeless, then you can afford a $139 room at DAK Lodge!

Thanks for sharing this information @WDW1974 . It's too bad the only people who can take advantage of these rates are those who likely can't afford to stay there anyway.

I must say those rates are so low they are actually close to the rates we should ALL be paying when we want to stay at a Walt Disney World resort!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Well the adds for free trough, 200 in Mickey money are being pumped almost every add break. but its for 2017.

 

[ford91exploder]

I agree with many on this board that Iger's comment seems petty, but the "I/we created these jobs" comment is pretty standard rhetoric from business leaders and politicians. Obviously, it only has a smidge of truth (the demand for goods and services is the main driver) and does come off as arrogant. Were you aware Bernie Sanders has a section on his campaign webpage detailing how he is also going to create jobs?

Regarding the rekated topics of Disney's wages, income gaps between classes and the $15/hr minimum wage some are advocating for, these are much more complicated and nuanced problems than you (and the politicians) would have people to believe.

When the US was most prosperous the ratio of pay was on the order of 50:1 Since the 80's and Michael Milliken the ratio has risen to in some cases 1200:1 At TWDC the ratio now is 283:1,

In effect the executive class has captured all of the productivity gains of the last 30 years, while real income in constant dollars for the average american has fallen 30% or so.

The thing which is driving both Bernie and Trump is that the executive class has broken the social contract. No one argues that a senior executive should not be highly paid - but todays US Executive compensation is obscene. Why should Bob Iger make 46 million while Akio Toyoda CEO of Toyota a FAR larger and more successful company only makes $ 800,000 TOTAL.

 

[Nj4mwc]

Any outrage over the fact Disney is turning Captain America into a sorta-but-not-quite Nazi bad guy?

Or are all the fanbois kewl with that?

Its just the comics though, im a big reader pf comic books and i learned long ago that their story lines change in the blink of an eye, minds get erased , aliens mess with time etc. If this makes its way into the movies it would be a real stretch to make it plausible

 

[wdwfan22]

Need more evidence that attendance and spending at WDW is headed south? If you are a CM (or friends with one), then take a gander at these CM rates hastily tossed out recently. Disney is just being nice, I'm sure. Because if you are damn near homeless, then you can afford a $139 room at DAK Lodge!

What better way to start your summer than with a stay at one of our Walt Disney World Resort hotels? Cast Members can enjoy great rates at select resort hotels across property.
The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
Rates as low as $30* per night, plus tax available for most stays Sunday-Thursday nights now-May 26 and May 30-June 11, 2016. Also available for Friends & Family**.
Details available here.
Select Disney Value Resorts
Rates as low as $45* per night, plus tax at Disney's Pop Century Resort for most stays Sunday-Thursday nights and $55* per night, plus tax for most stays Friday-Saturday nights May 30-June 4, 2016.
Details available here.
Select Disney Deluxe Resorts
Rates as low as $139* per night, plus tax at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge for most stays Sunday-Thursday nights and $159* per night, plus tax for most stays Friday-Saturday nights now-May 26 and May 30-June 11, 2016.
Details available here.
Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts
Rates as low as $139* per night, plus tax at Disney's Old Key West Resort for stays most nights now-May 26 and May 30-June 11, 2016.
Details available here.
For more information or to book any of these special offers, call 407-WDW-CAST. Be sure to ask about special Cast Member rates at other Disney Value, Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resort hotel stays.
*The number of rooms available at these rates is extremely limited. Length-of-stay restrictions may apply. Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Advance reservations required. Cast Member must present a valid company ID upon check-in and Cast Member must stay in the room.

There are rates like those available to the general public if you know where to look or are one of the selected few that receive an offer. I'm staying at the Polynesian this summer for less than $200 a night.

 

[The Tuna]

Why doe sit seem like Disney CEO's go crazy towards the end of their reign? or maybe the end of their reign comes because they are going crazy and it just exacerbates the situation? I don't know but Bobby is off his head. Not sure what is going on with TWDC, but it is starting to make me think Bobby boy is angry about leaving and doing what he can to take the ship down with him. ESPN is failing, or failed, ABC is pooping the bed, and attendance at the parks is down. We all wondered when the price increases and lack of new attractions was going to start taking its tole. i think the answer is 2016.

 

[Nmoody1]

And the news is hot and heavy tonight.

Here's a little SDL morsel (I think I will double post it down on the Asian board, so when this gets 'borrowed' from here someone at least thinks about crediting the source!)

Don't know how or why the O-Town Blogger was allowed to wander where he did, or why Disney has been able to keep this hidden in plain sight, but Toy Story Land was simply delayed. It isn't dead and, yes, construction on the important stuff is well under way.

Apparently, it was always a Phase 1B development, which is why it was on all the opening menu docs and planning materials I was sent in 2013. It just wasn't labeled as such. And with so much so far behind schedule, facilities and development are not as far along as was intended (and, no, this isn't part of that pesky $800 million that went into a Chinese hole never to be seen or spoken of again).

Its purpose is to be a quick addition that is nearly finished on opening day, yet doesn't officially open until six to 12 months after park opening. Why? Well, in the worst case, if the park flops, it can be rushed to opening within six months as part of a media campaign to offer amazing "new MAGIC!" at the struggling park. Or OTOH, if the park booms, it can open a year after opening as a way to modestly (slightly?) bump up park capacity while keeping the media buzz going. That's why in those pics it looks so close to completion already, with just show paint and detailing needed to open.

The blogger claims the QSR will open in June, which seems contradictory because then everyone will know this land is coming ... but with Disney, anything is possible.

And there's more ... and not talking Phase II here.

The other little secret that Ops will have at their disposal in Shanghai is "flex spaces" within the park that are currently just open fields (like the one photographed by the blogger, Josh) or lightly landscaped spaces. If the park really does well and has capacity issues due to overcrowding, the Ops Entertainment team already has a short list of quick adds that go into themed tents and temporary facilities. Think the Millennium Village tent at EPCOT in 1999-2000, but filled with the latest IP from Marvel or Pixar or Disney presented as interactive zones and small stage shows. All to soak up crowds and add capacity.

What I am curious about, again, is how this has been a secret in plain view and why this dude was able to see it and take pics, which don't appear to be spreading. Dakota needs to get on this because Joe G. isn't putting pics of this undiscovered, secret, future MAGIC on his closely monitored by Burbank Tweeter.

I'm trying to find these not having much luck! I imagine they will need these open by June 30th! That park is going to more than struggle with its lack of smaller rides..... Whilst these big ticket attractions are grabbing text space, the park is seriously going to lack in people eaters.. unless you like standing in line for Soarin' (which even in previews has a crazy line!)

I'm at a loss as to why Orlando gets 3 soarin' theatres and 2 dumbo spinners, but when they built shanghai they opted for old, smaller capacity designs.

A lack of dark rides and flats (as much as I hate them) could be just as damaging as the news in China as how much it costs for rice and pork! I can't imagine the folks on Weibo will be as easy to manage as the O-Town bloggers!

 

[The Tuna]

My only comment that I can make right now is that UNI has BIG plans for O-Town. That does involve another park (not talking Volcano Bay) and multiple new attractions for existing parks and multiple new hotels.

I would expect to hear about UNI's next big development later this year.

As for the third park, I wouldn't expect it soon ...much like Star Wars Land!

Anyone notice this new land isn't too far from a currently faltering theme park down the road? HMMMMMMM. Wouldn't be too hard to connect it via an elevated train.

PS this is not even a rumour, just an observation.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I'm trying to find these not having much luck! I imagine they will need these open by June 30th! That park is going to more than struggle with its lack of smaller rides..... Whilst these big ticket attractions are grabbing text space, the park is seriously going to lack in people eaters.. unless you like standing in line for Soarin' (which even in previews has a crazy line!)

I'm at a loss as to why Orlando gets 3 soarin' theatres and 2 dumbo spinners, but when they built shanghai they opted for old, smaller capacity designs.

A lack of dark rides and flats (as much as I hate them) could be just as damaging as the news in China as how much it costs for rice and pork! I can't imagine the folks on Weibo will be as easy to manage as the O-Town bloggers!

Old design = MOAR PROFETS!

 

[Cesar R M]

Hmm, Wonder what UNI will build there

biggest bet would be dreamworks land and nintendo land?

 

[Cesar R M]

I'm pretty sure most Disney employees are union, on collectively bargained contracts, and on joining the company union reps are known to give Cast Members a pretty hard sell to get them to join.

not to mention is easier to bribe the leaders of an union than increase the salary of thousands IN the union.

 

[Cesar R M]

When the US was most prosperous the ratio of pay was on the order of 50:1 Since the 80's and Michael Milliken the ratio has risen to in some cases 1200:1 At TWDC the ratio now is 283:1,

In effect the executive class has captured all of the productivity gains of the last 30 years, while real income in constant dollars for the average american has fallen 30% or so.

The thing which is driving both Bernie and Trump is that the executive class has broken the social contract. No one argues that a senior executive should not be highly paid - but todays US Executive compensation is obscene. Why should Bob Iger make 46 million while Akio Toyoda CEO of Toyota a FAR larger and more successful company only makes $ 800,000 TOTAL.

not to mention the golden parachutes. Why are they allowed to retire rich when they ruin a company that fires thousands of workers, destroys infrastructure and can cripple countries/states/cities ?

Or cause massive effects on the economy worldwide or nationwide (see banks and the housing bubble)

 

[ProfSavage]

So I missed the whole "Wanda is going to ruin SDL" discussion?

You mean the Wanda parks with Disney clone rides? I took Wanda's statements as a CEO's bluster. Like Gavin Belson in Silicon Valley.

 

[doctornick]

I don't know the whole deal. And I am much more interested in Shanghai and Bob playing power games to silence voices that run counter to his agenda more.

But I do know they are basically saying the Cap has always been a bad guy and has allegiance to Hydra, which started out as a Nazi group. But who cares about history (or the fact the original writers were Jewish) and he is heiling Hydra to death... it's just some hipster writer trying to be bold, right? And since they'll kill the storyline shortly anyway, why be angry?

Oh, because maybe this is Disney attempting to destroy 70 years of IP of a character they had nothing to do with until six years ago. People got angry with George Lucas because they didn't like what he did with his OWN creation, but Disney should get carte blanche to do what they wish. Oh well, this isn't a comics board. I just find the whole situation typical of Iger's Disney.

It has absolutely nothing to do with Disney owning Marvel and to equate that as a cause of this is pretty silly. This is par for the course for comic books who have been doing this kind of silly "shocking" stuff for decades now, long before Disney was ever in the comic book gig.

Is it offensive to fans of the character? Of course, but that's the point. To get people talking about it and create attention. And in a few months or a year or whatever, it will be retconned away (e.g. he's a triple agent and really a good guy or he's from another Earth continuity or he's a Skrull in disguise or a clone or whatever). Even if the current writer/editor absolutely positively wants this to be "real" at some poine someone else will take over the book and put their mark on it by "fixing" matters. Such is how comic books work. As had been said: "The history of comics is the illusion of change" (I've seen it attributed to Stan Lee or Marv Wolfman) -- nothing ever really happens that can't/won't be undone in the future.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Good luck if you don't spew out constant praise for the new Shanghai theme park that's running the stateside parks into the ground:
bhttp://www.thewrap.com/disney-bans-la-times-reporter-from-frozen-stage-premiere-exclusive/

Uhhhh.... @WDW1974 posted this last night and two pages back....

 

[ford91exploder]

not to mention the golden parachutes. Why are they allowed to retire rich when they ruin a company that fires thousands of workers, destroys infrastructure and can cripple countries/states/cities ?

Or cause massive effects on the economy worldwide or nationwide (see banks and the housing bubble)

Yes it would be a better world if failed executives were treated like the employees they are as in 2 weeks pay and don't let the door hit ya where the $GODHEAD split ya.

 

[VJ]

Bob Iger is a giant crybaby. He's like an eight-year-old who can't handle criticism and pouts and stomps his feet and throws things.

The only difference is most brats don't have Zenia Mucha and her team of flying monkeys at their disposal.
This is typical of how Bob handles the media (or even simply op-ed bloggers on the HuffPo) who don't tow the company line. The LAT has been very fair -- and critical -- of SDL of late. And this is what Bob does to punish them.

http://www.thewrap.com/disney-bans-la-times-reporter-from-frozen-stage-premiere-exclusive/

The best thing to be banned from is a Frozen musical. Just watch the movie, same thing. Guy's probably not even mad.

 

[wdwfan22]

The best thing to be banned from is a Frozen musical. Just watch the movie, same thing. Guy's probably not even mad.

He's probably only mad that he will miss out on the free booze and food that normally comes along with these premier parties.

 

[VJ]

Oh, because maybe this is Disney attempting to destroy 70 years of IP of a character they had nothing to do with until six years ago. People got angry with George Lucas because they didn't like what he did with his OWN creation, but Disney should get carte blanche to do what they wish. Oh well, this isn't a comics board. I just find the whole situation typical of Iger's Disney.

Hold on a minute. Disney? Aren't Marvel and Lucasfilm kind of self-sustaining so Disney doesn't interfere most times? How would this be Disney's fault then? Not questioning you in particular, just curious to know if what I've heard on the subject is wrong.

 

[VJ]

Seems to me that someone other than Bob Iger is controlling Disney's message when it comes to China.

I believe Spirit's been insinuating that this entire time.