A Spirited Valentine ...

[GoofGoof]

--- DVC Expansion in the swamps: First, we all know it is coming to CBR (or the property as it will be a separate resort) because Tom Amity said so ... like two years after I said so here, but who's counting? There are plans right now for DVC from the Contemporary to Coronado to EPCOT-adjacent. They are simply going to continue to turn WDW into The Timeshare Kingdom of the World, something I started calling it over a decade ago.

At age 26, DVC is showing no signs of slowing down. Just a decade ago, the only DVC presence near the MK was the beautifully integrated WLV. Bob Iger and his minions have added the cancer, what it truly is, to every MK resort and then returned to the WL and have taken the wilderness away. It is a quick money grab and a way to cover for the fact they simply can't sustain the price points they now command. The problem is Pop Century is a $49-69 a night property and most people pay closer to $150 a night to stay. Deluxe visitors dropped too the mods and mod regulars to the values with many people opting for off-site or no WDW at all. Now ... y'all do realize that Disney would be making money if it charged $99 a night for a standard room at the Poly, right?

Can't disagree with any of this. It seems like DVC is over saturated already but it keeps selling and at higher prices. The one positive from the WL project is that Geyser Point looks pretty nice. Of course they could have just built a bar there without the cabins.

 

[WDW1974]

Welcome back @WDW1974 !

What of Guardians in Epcot? Or any Epcot plans at all?

Is there anything coming for DHS other than TSL and SWL?

Hi Sue!!! I hear your cousin Lou isn't the big dog in social media whoring circles that he was five years ago ... I know ... great shame on the family and all!

Already answered about EPCOT (well, without talking about the DVC Lounge at the Image Works that just breaks your heart when having your free chips, gummy bears, Peach Sprite etc).

There's a new name coming to The Corpse of the Disney-MGM Studios. Expanded parking. New entry and exit. Oh, you meant the park itself. New toilets. New retail. New dining. ... As to attractions, no word on either the Pixar expansion and not sure about the Great Mickey Ride. Tom Morris was working on that before he was bought out rather than being fired and it seems he is working on Marvel comics for Disney and chatting with fanbois on the Tweeter. Maybe someone should chat him up about that?

 

[WDW1974]

Could everyone give Spirit a break and please stay on topic? He introduced enough topics so that there is something for everyone to discuss- no need to go branching off. Thank you.

Thanks, @The Mom. Happy Valentine's Day! I hope The Dad is taking care of you!

 

[Haymarket2008]

Seems like there is a lot of conflicting info even on the inside............................

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974, with regards to resort/parking fees at DVC resorts for DVC members. We will be exempt from fees at our home resorts. Do you think Disney will do the same if we're not staying at our home resort? After all, we not paying annual dues at those resorts to cover the common areas. What about those renting points through third parties? Can/will Disney distinguish between them and they actual owner? Or do they not care, a point is a point, no matter who uses it.

Don't even want to ask about cash reservations made through DVC.

All very good questions. Will membership alone prevent you from paying? Will you have to be staying at a resort on points for this 'benefit' to kick in (in other words, you are staying at BW, but going to Jiko for dinner ... hopefully with a CM so you pay a fair price for dinner!)? What if I am just visiting for the day and want to say ... try out the new dining location at WLV? Does owning there mean they can never charge me?

There are so many questions. And so much potential anger and ugliness. Again, I'd be emailing and phoning everyone from George Kalogridis to Ken Potrock (who I had a lovely 30-minute chat with recently) to Chappie himself, even the GMs of your home resorts. Let them go on the record, so at least when they change the policy after saying they have no plans, you can call them liars and demand freebies!

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit, welcome back! Any words on Disneyland? How are things over there?

Being destroyed so Bob can leave his mark on Walt's park. No, I won't ever get over the horrible decision to add Star Wars to this park in this fashion. ... I may have some more info on Anaheim matters shortly. (Right now, the plan of returning beloved night fare to temper the anger of ToT being destroyed is working! I am not so weak to think that a 1972 parade and a 2005 pyro show make up for destroying a masterpiece of Imagineering to shove Bob's IP in ... but that is me.)

 

[WDW1974]

Quoting Disney CEO Bob Iger from the 1Q2017 earnings call:

Additionally, our progress continues on Star Wars lands at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World – both of which will open in calendar 2019.​

Disney continues to spend at WDW and DLR, with domestic growth capex (i.e. domestic capex less depreciation) at $281M for the quarter.

If Disney keeps up this pace, Disney could spend over a billion in growth capex at its domestic theme parks for the year, the first time it will have done this.

Ever.

Am I supposed to be impressed? Seriously.

After all the years of letting stuff rot or stagnate, especially in the swamps?

And with the way WDI spends money so recklessly?

I really don't know how I should feel. How do you feel?

 

[sunsetblvd26]

Hi Sue!!! I hear your cousin Lou isn't the big dog in social media whoring circles that he was five years ago ... I know ... great shame on the family and all!

Already answered about EPCOT (well, without talking about the DVC Lounge at the Image Works that just breaks your heart when having your free chips, gummy bears, Peach Sprite etc).

There's a new name coming to The Corpse of the Disney-MGM Studios. Expanded parking. New entry and exit. Oh, you meant the park itself. New toilets. New retail. New dining. ... As to attractions, no word on either the Pixar expansion and not sure about the Great Mickey Ride. Tom Morris was working on that before he was bought out rather than being fired and it seems he is working on Marvel comics for Disney and chatting with fanbois on the Tweeter. Maybe someone should chat him up about that?

While on the subject, is this still the case as far as Marvel and DHS goes for upcoming projects? Definitely what I was most intrigued with reading through your last thread:

There will be a significant Marvel component to the new Bob Iger IP Land MAGIC Park (yeah, I renamed it again!) and, NO, I am not saying Disney is 'making' UNI give up its Marvel characters (as near as I can tell that will never happen). But DIS is going to use whatever characters and properties it is allowed and is going to (talks have already happened ... or at least 'overtures' as I've been told) about Disney giving up certain assets (don't think theme parks here) to possibly be allowed a limited use of Marvel IP in O-Town, while UNI keeps using everything it can for decades to come ...

I do believe this is another reason why this project is being pushed ahead slowly (beyond the PR backlash). Pixar moves in first, Lucas moves in second, some new Disney stuff moves in third and then ... then ... Marvel has a home at Disney's resort in the swamps.

 

[Daveeeeed]

Yeah, the music choice made me stop and actually watch it. I think it was great.

The Pirates trailer was marketing genius. Easily one of the best Super Bowl movie trailers this decade. I mean just compare it to Transformers.

People may say otherwise, but for the majority... it really got people interested in a Pirates again.

Looking back at films (As a hobby I am really big into box office numbers) and depending on if the film is good I can easily see it again taking over a Billion. There's no way it will perform less than Hunger GamesCatching Fire unless it is bad or they fail to continue marketing it properly. I don't know when it is going to be released in China as potc and Transformers should do very well there. Domestically (again if it is good) there's no reason to expect it not to do 300M+ For people saying otherwise they have no idea how big the fanbase is for the franchise -- more casual though so don't expect lots of fans to have 2+ viewings like Star Wars or for the final Harry Potter.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Can't disagree with any of this. It seems like DVC is over saturated already but it keeps selling and at higher prices. The one positive from the WL project is that Geyser Point looks pretty nice. Of course they could have just built a bar there without the cabins.
View attachment 189535

That actually looks quite nice, though I agree on the cabins. Thanks for sharing the picture.

 

[matt9112]

Yes there are but nothing concrete yet.

And not for this decade.

sad....too sad.

 

[matt9112]

--- DVC Expansion in the swamps: First, we all know it is coming to CBR (or the property as it will be a separate resort) because Tom Amity said so ... like two years after I said so here, but who's counting? There are plans right now for DVC from the Contemporary to Coronado to EPCOT-adjacent. They are simply going to continue to turn WDW into The Timeshare Kingdom of the World, something I started calling it over a decade ago.

At age 26, DVC is showing no signs of slowing down. Just a decade ago, the only DVC presence near the MK was the beautifully integrated WLV. Bob Iger and his minions have added the cancer, what it truly is, to every MK resort and then returned to the WL and have taken the wilderness away. It is a quick money grab and a way to cover for the fact they simply can't sustain the price points they now command. The problem is Pop Century is a $49-69 a night property and most people pay closer to $150 a night to stay. Deluxe visitors dropped too the mods and mod regulars to the values with many people opting for off-site or no WDW at all. Now ... y'all do realize that Disney would be making money if it charged $99 a night for a standard room at the Poly, right?

the flamingo crossing hotels do nicely and are insanely close. i wish i could afford a deluxe but i scoff at those prices.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Am I supposed to be impressed? Seriously.

After all the years of letting stuff rot or stagnate, especially in the swamps?

And with the way WDI spends money so recklessly?

I really don't know how I should feel. How do you feel?

As someone who has dealt with the occasional underperforming employee over the decades, I've learned to say "Great job, keep it going" when they finally turn the corner and do something right.

And to terminate them if they fall off the wagon and start screwing up again.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Iger is getting into "Legacy Mode". After a decade of squeezing the parks for every cent, he's starting to think about how he is going to be remembered. Shanghai, the new castle at Hong Kong, a revitalized DLP, Pandora, and two massive Star Wars Lands are all extensions of Iger's ego.

Great movies last forever, but who remembers the studio exec for Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, Star Wars? Film aficionados maybe, but the average joe? Nope. Films immortalize actors and directors, not studio heads.

Who built Disneyland? The Magic Kingdom? Disney-MGM Studios? Shanghai Disneyland? If you remember anyone, it's most likely the company CEO.

How do I feel?

Happy that is Iger is finally more worried about his legacy than his stock options.

 

[BrianLo]

Neither city has what I would call a nice theme park climate. Although neither does Orlando and that sure means nothing!

But you can weatherize and I wish I could give examples (I can't right now) where people wanted covered walkways and larger showbuildings that incorporated dining and retail so people would be indoors more and were shot down (largely by Woodbury). I wish the Chinese were being as forceful with UNI as they were with Disney and that could change. I know there was a lot of concern at Creative about the partners visit.

But it would seem Disney also didn't weatherize Shanghai as much as they should have. I think 90% of the pics I have seen since opening are showing the park in the rain.

If you like everything you see at UNI's existing parks, then you'll like this. The sad thing is the original plans were much greater in scope and more unique (like what Disney did) and UNI is totally playing this safe. I'm debating visiting UNI-Osaka on my upcoming trip to Japan and I have to say after talking to friends, I'm likely dropping it for now. Yes, there are 2-3 attractions that are unique and I'd like to ride Jaws again. But when I hear about the crowds and realize that a good 80% of the park is been there, done that (and not even changed at all from the US parks), I'd rather do more historical and natural sites.

Also about USJ I'll add support that it's a great park with a fantastic lineup... but I'm not sure it's something I'd recommend outside of the mega-fandom. Especially for people with easy access to USO.

Very much a best of copy and paste job. While Space fantasty is fantastic and Hollywood dream silky smooth... I'd point out the three 'original' reasons for visiting are coaster. Two B&M's. The question kind of becomes why USJ and not one of many parks with unique B&M's?

I'd largely say the same thing of Tokyo Disneyland. You visit for TDS, TDL is just the bonus until it starts to continue to role out more unique offerings in the future.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Making up for a lengthy period of cutting back.

2 years ago, I estimated that Iger had undercapitalized his domestic theme parks to the tune of $2.5B over his first 9 years.

Updating that for the last 2 years, that number stands at $2.8B.

There's the distinct possibility that by the time all this spending is done, that deficit will be completely erased.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

(Right now, the plan of returning beloved night fare to temper the anger of ToT being destroyed is working! I am not so weak to think that a 1972 parade and a 2005 pyro show make up for destroying a masterpiece of Imagineering to shove Bob's IP in ... but that is me.)

I'm glad how even the general public is reacting to the stupidity and short sightedness of this decision. Just look at the like-to-dislike ratio on that video they posted!

Disney is probably hoping people will change their opinion once the ride opens, but I don't think they will, judging by how much it is being rushed, and how hideous the exterior looks compared to the ToT. I'm hoping all of the backlash continues, as it may be what ends up saving the DHS version.

 

[GoofGoof]

2 years ago, I estimated that Iger had undercapitalized his domestic theme parks to the tune of $2.5B over his first 9 years.

Updating that for the last 2 years, that number stands at $2.8B.

There's the distinct possibility that by the time all this spending is done, that deficit will be completely erased.

This is neither the time or place for all that positivity

I just hope I can still afford a ticket once all this spending is done

 

[lazyboy97o]

True. And didn't UNI actually start negotiations (or talks) with them prior to Disney's get serious talks? (Not the 'I've been part of this since the 1990s' drivel that Iger likes to spew about SDL.) I could have sworn that UNI had talks with the locals in Shanghai as well ...

Seeing as Universal was willing to sell off their name and build a park for almost anyone, I image there was some level of discussion for almost everywhere.

Shanghai was the forerunner. There was a small inferiority complex about appearing to follow Disney, but for all the reasons of demographics, weather, etc. Shanghai was clearly the better choice. Beijing's officials having an even bigger inferiority complexes is what swung the choice.

 

[SorcererMC]

I just hope I can still afford a ticket once all this spending is done

Exactly this. I already know that UO is probably going to get the larger share of my vacation $ in the future because that is kid's preference (obsessive about Nintendo). I'm pretty certain that in the next 2-3 years WDW prices will be adjusted to accommodate the reality of guests spending 2-3 days at WDW instead of 4-5 days (ie by jacking up their prices).

 

[WildcatDen]

I'm pretty certain that in the next 2-3 years WDW prices will be adjusted to accommodate the reality of guests spending 2-3 days at WDW instead of 4-5 days (ie by jacking up their prices).

That is fine if you actually believe Universal will not simply continue to raise their prices as well. . .