First Lighted outdoor Christmas tree was there as well.
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A Spirited Perfect Ten
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Have you ever driven the length of OBT or Irlo Bronson? Most in Orlando can't afford the park, either.
RivieraJenn
Well-Known Member
I find it interesting that, despite the fact that something like 2 million Chinese visit the U.S. each year, WDW does not offer maps in Chinese. Japanese, Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, yes. But no Chinese.
Interpret as you see fit.
Interpret as you see fit.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Quite frankly we all know this is total BS. They are spinning it as additional ride capacity because they don't want to tell analysts "we're spending an extra $800M because the project is hopelessly over budget". When was the last time a major WDI/Disney project didn't go over budget. A lot of times they end up cutting things or at least scaling down. At least in this case they are just bucking up and spending the extra money.
Absimilliard
Well-Known Member
The Wanda Group has become an heavyweight in the theme park business in China. They have been making ride manufacturers from around the world very happy and along with the OCT group (owner of the Happy Valley and OCT East in Shenzhen among other), they have been building at least one new park a year in China.
They also have their own design division and always have a large booth at the IAAPA Attraction Expo.
Now, it appears to be that Wanda is eying either property or an existing theme park in Europe, but I have seen zero confirmation of who, what or where they would go.
They also have their own design division and always have a large booth at the IAAPA Attraction Expo.
Now, it appears to be that Wanda is eying either property or an existing theme park in Europe, but I have seen zero confirmation of who, what or where they would go.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Disneyland came out of the financing from ABC because Walt had two huge Christmas specials and knew he could leverage that demand for funding. The show was also selling a still very nascent form of entertainment. Themed entertainment is not new to China, and if anything there is a bubble brewing. While the U.S. sent architects off to Europe to study and bring back the wonders of the built world, China is brining in the only people who still practice such revivalist design, themed entertainment designers.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
And if I were a betting man my money would be on Wanda group and Universal for the theme park war winners in China, 1 - Wanda group because it's seen as patriotic to spend money with Chinese companies, 2 Universal as the Chinese seem to really like the movies from Universal and to a lesser extent SKG unlike Disney where Frozen garnered a pathetic 49 Million in Box Office.
Lee
Adventurer
Reliable sources.
Just another point to ponder in what is a fascinating discussion, but y'all do realize what a HUGE sum of money $5.5 billion USD is in China, right?
In terms of what can be bought or created.
Look at the costs of parks built in the last 15 years elsewhere.
This is a place where costs are so low, a place where construction workers are housed in (I'll be kind here) 'dorms' on site and work goes on 24/7 despite again Disney lying and talking about workers demanding eight-hour Western days.
And yet, one looks at the menu of what will be in SDL and they don't get overly excited because this isn't a park full of brand new cutting edge E-Tickets. It is lighter on attractions than any castle park except HKDL.
In a country where graft is a major problem, it is very fair to ask where all this money is going, especially if you are a stockholder or analyst.
$800 million can build you a damn fine theme park in the USA right now with all of the laws and regulations that they don't have to follow over there. It's being thrown around by Iger, Staggs and Rasulo like it's a simple table scrap. Yet, they refuse to answer to anyone what they are spending it on.
I don't understand how they can do that? How Wall Street simply allows for it. Where's that picture of you Bob standing on the site of 'your' park? C'mon, if you ask Shendi really nicely maybe they'll finally let you release one ... after only four years.
I can understand why Bob wanted that story to die quickly because one sentence that didn't even concern his company was enough to get people asking questions. I firmly believe they are the kind of questions that could bring down his MAGIC Kingdom of Cards.
In terms of what can be bought or created.
Look at the costs of parks built in the last 15 years elsewhere.
This is a place where costs are so low, a place where construction workers are housed in (I'll be kind here) 'dorms' on site and work goes on 24/7 despite again Disney lying and talking about workers demanding eight-hour Western days.
And yet, one looks at the menu of what will be in SDL and they don't get overly excited because this isn't a park full of brand new cutting edge E-Tickets. It is lighter on attractions than any castle park except HKDL.
In a country where graft is a major problem, it is very fair to ask where all this money is going, especially if you are a stockholder or analyst.
$800 million can build you a damn fine theme park in the USA right now with all of the laws and regulations that they don't have to follow over there. It's being thrown around by Iger, Staggs and Rasulo like it's a simple table scrap. Yet, they refuse to answer to anyone what they are spending it on.
I don't understand how they can do that? How Wall Street simply allows for it. Where's that picture of you Bob standing on the site of 'your' park? C'mon, if you ask Shendi really nicely maybe they'll finally let you release one ... after only four years.
I can understand why Bob wanted that story to die quickly because one sentence that didn't even concern his company was enough to get people asking questions. I firmly believe they are the kind of questions that could bring down his MAGIC Kingdom of Cards.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I've been asking about this $800 million ever since it was announced. The most damning and specific quote came from the NY Times:
This is not a case of a sneaking 800 million into an inflated budget. They been very specific (and worse, re-iterated again and again, as opposed to letting it fade away) that
1. It is for all new attractions (Phase Two)
2. The majority of them would be ready opening day
3. It is specifically not for budget over-runs
4. The new attractions would lead to a 30% increase in attendance
5. These so-called attractions were NOT under construction as of April 2014 before the budget was approved
It was a question I wish was asked directly at the last share-holder meeting, even more so since Bob brought it up again himself multiple times.
At this current time, we don't even have evidence that everything that was already budgeted for (aka Toy Story Playland) is coming, let alone *NEW* attractions.
Skewing the truth is one thing, but is a major media company allowed to all-out lie to its shareholders?
This is not a case of a sneaking 800 million into an inflated budget. They been very specific (and worse, re-iterated again and again, as opposed to letting it fade away) that
1. It is for all new attractions (Phase Two)
2. The majority of them would be ready opening day
3. It is specifically not for budget over-runs
4. The new attractions would lead to a 30% increase in attendance
5. These so-called attractions were NOT under construction as of April 2014 before the budget was approved
It was a question I wish was asked directly at the last share-holder meeting, even more so since Bob brought it up again himself multiple times.
At this current time, we don't even have evidence that everything that was already budgeted for (aka Toy Story Playland) is coming, let alone *NEW* attractions.
Skewing the truth is one thing, but is a major media company allowed to all-out lie to its shareholders?
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I disagree with this. You are looking at HKDL too much in a microcosm (the problem with quarterly reports and the problem with only looking at the numbers). 2014 attendance as a whole was up, as was revenue.
The 2013 Winter quarter was coming fresh off the finished expansion, spending hadn't yet kicked off on Iron Man. Of course attendance was at an all time high and spending at a low.
2014 was a slower year for additions. Spending is up due to Iron Man AND the Third hotel having broken ground.
Euro Disney on the other hand is coming off a 2013 quarter when attendance was down year-on-year and spending was up due to Ratatouille.
It's easy for Euro Disney to look impressive when they set a low bar, and HKDL to look like it's struggling when they set a high bar, but neither tells the actual story.
Context is needed, not just the numbers.
Phil12
Well-Known Member
Thus far all we have is unconfirmed rumors from unattributable sources.
The one thing that I find really strange about this whole thing of the story disappearing is that at first after it was pulled there was the blurb about the writer not having the credentials he claimed to have. Now this has disappeared as well. So strange that they kill a story, give a reason for killing it and then go and delete the supposed reason for why it was deleted. Kind of makes me wonder why they really deleted the story in the first place...
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Phil12
Well-Known Member
Yes, the same questions have occurred to me as well. It's interesting that the author first appeared in the HuffPost back in August, 2014 and then was silent until January, 2015. He wrote one article in August, 2014 and then two articles in January, 2015 and then his final article on February 18, 2015.
It reminds me of some members here at WDWmagic. They join the forum and make a few posts and then may wait several months or even several years before they come back to unload a viewpoint or a criticism that they know will get them banned. Contrary to some theories, I don't think anyone was upset by any of the stories. It looks as if the HuffPost discovered some information about the author that didn't jive. The author is listed as a "Writer and Media Strategist" so perhaps he has some grand strategy that will be revealed.
If I was the author and felt that my writing had been unfairly spiked, I would rewrite the article and publish it elsewhere. Certainly an experienced writer and media strategist would not find it difficult to find another venue in the blogosphere for his works. I think the onus is upon the author to get the word out that he was treated unfairly. Unless, of course, there was some sort of shenanigans on his part. In that case silence will work to his advantage as the rumor mongers spin their tales.
I honestly don't know the answers but I think Iger is media savvy enough to know about The Streisand effect and realize all of its implications.
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