D23 Dissapointment

[BrianLo]

If there ain't anything to announce, then there ain't anything to announce. Conventions go on without big announcements.

Right, but in this case there ARE things to announce. Believe what you will about DHS, but there is physical evidence of monstropolis prep for DCA.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

There don't appear to be any bulldozers . . .

You didn't answer the question. You're just calling the insiders here liars or that they don't know anything. People have done this in the past and funny thing is that it never really turns out being an intelligent thing to do.

It is stupid and illogical for Disney to leak fake information about an expansion when they have no intention of doing anything at all. Even for Disney's standards it's a terrible business move to hype fans up with lies and then turn out to have been lying the whole time with nothing planned at all. That will accomplish nothing other than ing off your fanbase and losing potential customers.

So, let's say that WDW grosses about $400 million a year in operating income. That's profit to throw into the vault. Let's say that Uni's Potterland 2.0 brings in more guests into Orlando, maybe Disney's profits falls a bit, but they are still pulling in $375 million, heck it might go up given that you have more guests coming into Orlando.

Realize that they could make WDW's yearly profit off of one Star Wars film. Realize that they are looking at expanding into emerging markets. Realize that NFL is greatly needed guest capacity, and that Avatarland will draw in folks, perhaps folks who aren't Potter fans.

In the end this whole, "Disney has to do this or they'll be toast!", is just hyperbole from fans who want something new immediately and can't wait 4-5 years.

Anyone who thinks Disney isn't going to mind a loss of even 25 million by its competition is either crazy or doesn't actually know how Disney works. Disney is already worried about Universal given their success with Potter 1.0. They'd have to be even more monumentally foolish than we already consider them to be if they didn't consider Universal's lineup for the next decade to be a threat to their business and did nothing to counter it. Whatever numbers you try to pull out of the air.

 

[Skip]

LOL, I obviously don't work for Disney as I complained for months about how lackluster the new Mermaid ride might be if they just cloned it from DCA. There's obviously a lot of emotion concerning a DHS partial demolition/construction project, but I'm also a realist who knows a moderate amount about the company, and the rumors seemed bogus based on the long history of how the Disney company works, and other sources of info.

It's funny, or weird, how everybody accepts it as fact that such a project would happen (irregardless of logistical problems and fiscal issues with not using undeveloped land). Some folks were 100% sure that it would be announced at D23 and that the announcement had been leaked beforehand.

Holy crap you actually used irregardless again despite it not being a real word and people giving you a big stink about it last time.

You think we're disregarding (look, real word!) logistical problems and fiscal issues? Good god you've got a one track mind. Disney's got a bunch of underperforming, expensive-to-run, relatively unpopular attractions. Instead of moving an expensive roadway and using some "undeveloped land" they're planning on replacing the underwhelming attractions with something else. What a bizarre concept - Disney's never ever replaced perfectly functioning attractions (even if they may be unpopular and/or expensive to run) with other potentially more popular attractions when there's a bunch of land available all over the place (Toad, Horizons, Alien Encounter, Timekeeper, Snow White, 20K, any of the sound shows at the Studios, any of the Theater in the Wild shows at AK, etc.)

EDIT: Oh, and it's a lot more pricey to build entirely new buildings/infrastructure (in ADDITION to moving an entire entryway road system) than reuse dining and shopping building infrastructure from the existing attractions, another fiscal fact you keep ignoring.

Nope. Your armchair imagineering ideas are clearly far more likely than the plans that multiple credited, reliable insiders are sharing. What a silly notion.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

You didn't answer the question. You're just calling the insiders here liars or that they don't know anything.

. . .

It is stupid and illogical for Disney to leak fake information about an expansion when they have no intention of doing anything at all. Even for Disney's standards it's a terrible business move to hype fans up with lies and then turn out to have been lying the whole time with nothing planned at all. That will accomplish nothing other than ing off your fanbase and losing potential customers.

I believe I said that the insiders got bad info, misleading info, misinterpreted info . . . whatever you want to call it.

Apparently somebody at Disney leaked to the insiders that there would be a major announcement at D23 concerning a DHS project or some sorts.

I don't have to explain the bulldozers because there aren't any . . . but maybe the insides can explain why the D23 announcement, which was supposedly leaked by people at Disney antagonistic to D23 (!), hasn't materialized.

 

[Captain Chaos]

No bulldozers because project hasn't started yet or are you too stupid to understand? So, what are you going to say WHEN THE BULLDOZERS ARRIVE ON PROPERTY? you are an idiot...

 

[danlb_2000]

There don't appear to be any bulldozers . . .



So, let's say that WDW grosses about $400 million a year in operating income. That's profit to throw into the vault. Let's say that Uni's Potterland 2.0 brings in more guests into Orlando, maybe Disney's profits falls a bit, but they are still pulling in $375 million, heck it might go up given that you have more guests coming into Orlando.

Realize that they could make WDW's yearly profit off of one Star Wars film. Realize that they are looking at expanding into emerging markets. Realize that NFL is greatly needed guest capacity, and that Avatarland will draw in folks, perhaps folks who aren't Potter fans.

In the end this whole, "Disney has to do this or they'll be toast!", is just hyperbole from fans who want something new immediately and can't wait 4-5 years.

Shareholders will not tolerate a fall in profit, even a small one.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I believe I said that the insiders got bad info, misleading info, misinterpreted info . . . whatever you want to call it.

Apparently somebody at Disney leaked to the insiders that there would be a major announcement at D23 concerning a DHS project or some sorts.

And why again would Disney leak expansion plans if they actually had no plans to build anything? Again it's a ridiculously bad business move inflaming the fanbase in such a way.

D23 plans can change on a whim. And attraction rumors have changed as well. But the core plan for a major DHS update has remained consistently agreed upon by the insiders for a long time now.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Carsland isn't even a year old yet

It's Cars Land (so sick of people spelling it Carsland). Cars Land is one year and exactly two weeks old, today.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I believe I said that the insiders got bad info, misleading info, misinterpreted info . . . whatever you want to call it.

Apparently somebody at Disney leaked to the insiders that there would be a major announcement at D23 concerning a DHS project or some sorts.

I don't have to explain the bulldozers because there aren't any . . . but maybe the insides can explain why the D23 announcement, which was supposedly leaked by people at Disney antagonistic to D23 (!), hasn't materialized.

You are not in a position to criticize the insiders because you don't have the context to know if their information is wrong. Just because you think something "sounds" wrong does not mean at one point it wasn't true. Folks like @Lee @WDW1974 @HTF and Co. often sit on information because they want to have it verified by as many sources as possible.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Shareholders will not tolerate a fall in profit, even a small one.

That's why they built Shanghai Disneyland. They expect to generate $200 million a year plus. A Brazil Disneyland might be on the slate in the future. If growth is expected to be flat in Orlando . . . they're not going to throw a huge amount of money at WDW. If growth is steady, they will expand park offerings . . . maybe you can see why Uni's improvements aren't necessarily a completely bad thing for WDW.

From some points of view, best way to compete against Uni is building a park where Uni isn't, in a new market.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

You are not in a position to criticize the insiders because you don't have the context to know if their information is wrong.

We know the insiders said big announcement at D23, that the annoucement was leaked by nefarious forces inside Disney bent on attacking D23 people . . . by stealing their thunder or something. They also said last year that bulldozers would very likely be rolling by this summer. So, yes, their information can be wildly inaccurate at times.

 

[BrianLo]

We know the insiders said big announcement at D23, that the annoucement was leaked by nefarious forces inside Disney bent on attacking D23 people . . . by stealing their thunder or something. They also said last year that bulldozers would very likely be rolling by this summer. So, yes, their information can be wildly inaccurate at times.

To be fair D23 has not yet happened nor has the summer finished (in fact it just started).

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

To be fair D23 has not yet happened nor has the summer finished (in fact it just started).

Technically true, but they cancelled the parks and resorts arena presentation, and some imagineer said that they won't be presenting new products, or something along those lines, with regards to a question about announcements.

There will probably be some small hints about what WDI is working on with regards to future projects/concept work . . . they said as much.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Look at the calendar... Summer is not over yet...

Guess this one takes trolling to new heights.. and is constantly allowed to get away with it... But say HOLY DRAGON BALLS and MICKEY CRIES your posts are removed..

 

[Mister Boo]

From some points of view, best way to compete against Uni is building a park where Uni isn't, in a new market.

But then...well that's...no...because its not...how...if--

*head explodes*

 

[Livingwithstartours]

Highly likely that Disney announces new attractions for WDW before D23. They need to get some positive press up and they need it FAST.

When do you expect such announcements?

 

[doctornick]

Highly likely that Disney announces new attractions for WDW before D23. They need to get some positive press up and they need it FAST.

We can only hope.

I think it would be cool to have some splashy announcements in July that are big on hype but light on details, followed up by more specifics presented to the fans at D23. That gets you two opportunities for some positive press.

 

[bubbles1812]

No, WDC is confronting the reality that presently they are going into 2014 and 2015 with only one ride at MK and nothing else while Universal bombards them with one major new addition after another.

Disney's attendance this summer hasn't been hot either. There was already some sense of panic going around that Uni was going to tear up WDW's business like tissue paper next summer, but two more major rides coming to UO in 2015 is a death sentence to Disney's 2nd tier parks. All three of them.

The five year plan for WDW, whatever it was, is going to be more aggressive than Avatar and DHS 1.5 now. Take that to the bank.

Good God let's hope so. It'd be wonderful to see some aggressiveness. I love WDW. I really do. But it needs more than a new website and an even more obtuse FP system. I have some doubt everything is going to happen, truth be told, but least I can have a tiny bit of hope. And as a fan of Universal, I say keep on sticking it to the Mouse! Take that market share!

 

[bubbles1812]

So what are you going to say when the bulldozers do end up going in the near future and the DHS overhaul is underway?

Disney has to step up their game and get cracking at expansions, they're going to eventually be left with no choice. Whether that happens sooner or later is the question, but too late and they're in for a hell of a beating when Universal really starts to cut into their consumer base. Though that is probably inevitable at this point.

He will say he predicted it all along and ignore evidence that he didnt claim there would be no bulldozers... At least that is his general MO. Quite special really.

Also.. No bulldozers does not mean there is no development going on a project. But apparently because there are no bulldozers, everyone who has reported on new DHS developments is wrong... Oh @Pixiedustmaker, you truly are special.

 

[bubbles1812]

But then...well that's...no...because its not...how...if--

*head explodes*

I get what he is trying to say... Kind of. But at the same time, it makes literally no sense. WDW is still the company's flagship resort, the money maker, the one with the most attended park in the world. To NOT compete in the actual arena that is Orlando is just plain stupid, especially when your competitor is ramping things up so much... Not to mention that Uni is gunning for Disneyland with the opening of Potter in the west as well. As a company, you can't just let WDW go and say we will build elsewhere and risk losing a substantial portion of their customer base.