DHS Makeover - What we know so far.....

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
It's not hard to prove that this is the case just look at Disney's 10-K filings with the SEC for the past 10 years, Every year it's been lower or check on @ParentsOf4 's many graphs on the subject. Right now Disney's domestic capex is around 8.8% expressed as a percentage of revenue. Cedar Fair is at 12.9% expressed the same way and UNI's is around 20-25%
Cedar Fair makes SIGNIFICANTLY less money so that shouldn't even be considered and Uni... well yeah, they are spending more, but they have to. They are the ones that are fighting for days out of an Orlando vacation.
 
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ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
Cedar Fair makes SIGNIFICANTLY less money so that shouldn't even be considered and Uni... well yeah, they are spending more, but they have too. They are the ones that are fighting for days out of an Orlando vacation.

Yet Universal with it's level of spending on attractions and better paid CM is seeing profit margins north of 30% oh and by the way has top of the line acts like Mannheim Steamroller which you can see WITHOUT paying a $70 dollar upcharge. Perhaps just perhaps building attractions people want to ride might be a better technique than WDW's demand management system AKA FP+
 

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
Yet Universal with it's level of spending on attractions and better paid CM is seeing profit margins north of 30% oh and by the way has top of the line acts like Mannheim Steamroller which you can see WITHOUT paying a $70 dollar upcharge. Perhaps just perhaps building attractions people want to ride might be a better technique than WDW's demand management system AKA FP+
First of all, UOR does NOT pay their TMs better, trust me. Having worked for both, they both low ball as much as possible (I've worked for both this year).

And yes, you can see Mannheim and many other big musical acts. However, Universal NEEDS those things to draw guests still. Disney does not. They can book 60's/70's bands for F&G, 80's/90's/00's bands for F&W and pretty decent celebrities for Candlelight and it draws the crowds.

Again, if Universal was in Disney's shoes and the crowds were coming no matter what, they would in no way be wasting the money booking big acts to draw crowds that are disrespectful towards the park if the park is going to be crowded anyway. Oh, but it isn't. So they need to book those artists. I've been to Disney and Uni this past week. MK/DHS were PACKED. USF, which just started it's holiday stuff, was empty by 6:30.
 

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
Based on the above numbers...never. Those capex expenditures numbers are gold for shareholders. They want him to keep that up. Buy back more stock. It makes stock prices and net worths go up.
Sorry, no "gold for shareholders" this year. @ford91exploder is wrong. Disney is spending quite a lot this year. It's just that most of it is in Shanghai.

Disney spent 22.3% of Parks & Resorts (P&R) FY2015 revenue on capital expenditures. Excluding the 2 quarters when Disney took delivery of its 2 newest cruise ships, that's the highest annual level since 2000.

However, of the $3.6B spent on capex in 2015, more than $2.1B went overseas.

Domestically, Disney spent $1.46B but with domestic depreciation at $1.17B, the difference (representing growth capex) is actually less than what Disney spent on growth capex in 9 of the 10 years of the 1990s, "the Disney Decade".

And that's nominal, not inflation adjusted dollars.

What's it all mean?

If you're a Disney shareholder, you're watching Disney's theme park spending reach levels it hasn't seen since Michael Eisner was CEO.

If you're a fan of Disney's domestic parks, you're watching the money you used to purchase your tickets disappear into a resort you'll probably never visit.

Even Disney P&R itself can't be too happy. More than half of HKDL's attendance comes from mainland China, and with the 2 parks roughly 800 miles apart, HKDL's numbers are sure to suffer. But it should open doors to sell more Disney merchandise and programming which, I suspect, is Disney's true end game.

I guess who's most happy at the moment with this year's P&R spending is Disney's not so silent partner in China. ;)

"Thank you sir, may I have another (billion)". :D

Returning to the point of this topic, in the past, I've estimated Disney has undercapitalized its U.S. P&R operations to the tune of over $2.5B. By the time Disney is done with its upcoming WDW and DLR makeovers, I won't be able to say that anymore. After it's all done, fans of WDW and DLR should be happy. :)
 
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ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
Sorry, no "gold for shareholders" this year. @ford91exploder is wrong. Disney is spending quite a lot this year. It's just that most of it is in Shanghai.

Disney spent 22.3% of Parks & Resorts (P&R) FY2015 revenue on capital expenditures. Excluding the 2 quarters when Disney took delivery of its 2 newest cruise ships, that's the highest annual level since 2000.

However, of the $3.6B spent on capex in 2015, more than $2.1B went overseas.

Domestically, Disney spent $1.46B but with domestic depreciation at $1.17B, the difference (representing growth capex) is actually less than what Disney spent on growth capex in 9 of the 10 years of the 1990s, "the Disney Decade".

And that's nominal, not inflation adjusted dollars.

What's it all mean?

If you're a Disney shareholder, you're watching Disney's theme park spending reach levels it hasn't seen since Michael Eisner was CEO.

If you're a fan of Disney's domestic parks, you're watching the money you used to purchase your tickets disappear into a resort you'll probably never visit.

Even Disney P&R itself can't be too happy. More than half of HKDL's attendance comes from mainland China, and with the 2 parks roughly 800 miles apart, HKDL's numbers are sure to suffer. But it should open doors to sell more Disney merchandise and programming which, I suspect, is Disney's true end game.

I guess who's most happy at the moment with this year's P&R spending is Disney's not so silent partner in China. ;)

"Thank you sir, may I have another (billion)". :D

Returning to the point of this topic, in the past, I've estimated Disney has undercapitalized its U.S. P&R operations to the tune of over $2.5B. By the time Disney is done with its upcoming WDW and DLR makeovers, I won't be able to say that anymore. After it's all done, fans of WDW and DLR should be happy. :)

Thanks @ParentsOf4, I know that Disney has been spending billions of CAPEX in China (and I'll have an evil laugh or two when China 'nationalizes' Disney's share) but since the budget for DHS and other improvements is spread over a decade (2015-2025) with 3.5 billion that still only 350 Million annually. What did I miss here?
 

jakeman

Well-Known Member
Thanks @ParentsOf4, I know that Disney has been spending billions of CAPEX in China (and I'll have an evil laugh or two when China 'nationalizes' Disney's share) but since the budget for DHS and other improvements is spread over a decade (2015-2025) with 3.5 billion that still only 350 Million annually. What did I miss here?
Facts and a willingness to deviate from your apocalyptic narrative?
 

DVCOwner

A Long Time DVC Member
Thanks @ParentsOf4, I know that Disney has been spending billions of CAPEX in China (and I'll have an evil laugh or two when China 'nationalizes' Disney's share) but since the budget for DHS and other improvements is spread over a decade (2015-2025) with 3.5 billion that still only 350 Million annually. What did I miss here?

How do you know that China will nationalizes Disney's Share (has not happened in Hong Kong)? How do you spread the $3.5 billion over ten years that have not happen yet (no other money is going to be added in the next ten years)? You once again are changing the facts to fit your narrow view that you are right on everything. Some people look at the glass half full, some look at the glass half empty; you look at the glass and you do not see any thing at all that you do not want to.
 

Darth Sidious

Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
Thanks @ParentsOf4, I know that Disney has been spending billions of CAPEX in China (and I'll have an evil laugh or two when China 'nationalizes' Disney's share) but since the budget for DHS and other improvements is spread over a decade (2015-2025) with 3.5 billion that still only 350 Million annually. What did I miss here?

They won't do that. They'll just boss them around behind the scenes.
 

JediMasterMatt

Well-Known Member
....So when is Iger out?

*not picking on your P_Radden, just using this as an example of the "run Iger out" mantra.

Unfortunately, Iger is a symptom and not the problem to the malaise plaguing WDW.

We are the problem. Along with everyone else that keeps going to the resort.

Under Iger's watch, attendance climbs and profits go up; but, quality has been reduced by active cost cutting and lack of redevelopment in new capital.

9/11 did a lot of things to the resort; but, the drop in travel and subsequent rebound in attendance have proven to management that they can continue to invest pennies and get dollars in return.

Pandora, DHS 2.0, Frostrom are all things that NEEDED to be done whereas the Disney we fell in love with before did those types of projects because they COULD BE done. Pandora and Rivers of Light are a necessity to try to make AK a worthy full day park in the hope of keeping guests away from the bursting at the seams MK. DHS 2.0 is a more of the same. Frostrom... well, it being done because they couldn't strongarm Norway into fronting the bill for what should have been done and the needed to do something with the property and a Maelstrom overlay of the IP was the cheapest route to get there and still pull crowds away from the MK.

If anyone thinks that WDW will suddenly be sunshine and rainbows again simply by the above mentioned expansions opening, they are setting themselves up for disappointment. They will help; but, what really needs to happen is this momentum has be sustained. If any one of those projects occurred without being followed-up with the other, we would be in worse shape than when we started as they will all add more demand than what they will individually be able to satisfy. Ultimately, it's a game of supply and demand. Demand for WDW is at an all-time high where the supply of Disney quality is questionable at best.

If WDW was suffering from returning a profit, Iger would do what needed to be done to make it happen. He's just not going to do more than necessary while profits are high. I can't blame him.

You want WDW to change its heart... stop rewarding them with your hard earned dollars. Look in the mirror instead of booking a FastPass months in advance for an Omnimover attraction and then wonder why the resort is so busy.

I've greatly curtailed my spending at WDW. DLR has earned more of my time and money and when I do visit Florida, I make sure Universal gets its fair share of my time and money.
 
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matt9112

Well-Known Member
Atlanta could, and just like the last time do it without soaking the local or state tax payers. What the IoC didn't like is they didn't get their usual personal graft cuts.

Yeah I think Atlanta should build another Olympic village..... (caugh) projects.
The entire main Olympic area (by turner field) have just now begun to turn around.
 

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
Ok, the one thing I know so far today is that the line to get into DHS is about 10 fold larger than the line to get into Epcot. I am currently in a sea of people at the bag check line. Are the Star Wars additions here really making that big of a difference? I was thinking that the reports about lot closures here were exaggerated but now I am thinking differently.

image.jpeg
 
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Crazydisneyfanluke

Well-Known Member
Ok, the one thing I know so far today is that the line to get into DHS is about 10 fold larger than the line to get into Epcot. I am currently in a sea of people at the bag check line. Is the Stat Wars additions here really making that big of a difference. I was thinking that the reports about lot closures here were exaggerated but now I am thinking differently.

View attachment 122654
Osborne lights start at 6pm. Star wars is a small portion of that.
 

dstrawn9889

Well-Known Member
hmmm, construction not demo. interesting ... then again it looks to be a bit far from the 'established'<read: guesstimation> for where TSL is to be placed

::and i would LOVE to see how you find the addresses... since google maps refuses to place a marker when i put an address in
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
hmmm, construction not demo. interesting ... then again it looks to be a bit far from the 'established'<read: guesstimation> for where TSL is to be placed

::and i would LOVE to see how you find the addresses... since google maps refuses to place a marker when i put an address in

It's on the other side of the parking garage from TSL so I am thinking this may be used for something displaced by TSL. These addresses can be tricky but for this one I found this:

https://foursquare.com/v/studio-show-support/4c081d1a7e3fc92829ceef82

The address is also consistent with attraction addresses in that area so I have no reason to doubt that information in that link.
 

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