News Disney plans to accelerate Parks investment to $60 billion over 10 years

[BrianLo]

You are using some interesting math right there. A new Triton-class cruise ship is around $2.5 billion. They currently have 5 (or 6, depending on how you want to count the Treasure, or 7 if you want to include the Adventure) ships. Doubling even on the low end puts us at $12-14 billion accounting for inflation.

There were significant cost overruns, covid issues, and construction problems with the Wish which caused construction to well exceed the estimated $1.6B cost. The number is closer to $2B.

For perspective the Dream and Fantasy adjusting for inflation would have cost around $1.5B in 2024 dollars.

Do we have a good source on this? NCL's Leonardo class costs a little over 1 billion from their debt tables. The tonnage is also higher than Triton. Icon is pegged at 2 billion, but that's nearly double the tonnage.

It just seems a bit high to me when a lot of the cost is set by the ship builder and there is some industry standardization going on here.


PS they are spending 12 billion on DCL, so I guess we'll see exactly what that yields soon enough. If Monothingie is right, then that means just another three vessel class. If costs are a bit lower then 4-6. I really expect the next class to be announced soon-ish.

 

[DonniePeverley]

It is an awesome canopy...for sure...

If you think Tron is short, wait till you the Frozen coaster in Hong Kong - there is not even to describe how short that attraction is. Brutal.

 

[bwr827]

If you think Tron is short, wait till you the Frozen coaster in Hong Kong - there is not even to describe how short that attraction is. Brutal.

Just looked up a POV. Wow, you weren’t kidding! So short. Looks like a great attraction if only it were maybe 30 seconds longer.

 

[monothingie]

Do we have a good source on this? NCL's Leonardo class costs a little over 1 billion from their debt tables. The tonnage is also higher than Triton. Icon is pegged at 2 billion, but that's nearly double the tonnage.

It just seems a bit high to me when a lot of the cost is set by the ship builder and there is some industry standardization going on here.


PS they are spending 12 billion on DCL, so I guess we'll see exactly what that yields soon enough. If Monothingie is right, then that means just another three vessel class. If costs are a bit lower then 4-6. I really expect the next class to be announced soon-ish.

Forbes reported that financial statements at the time of construction valued the ship alone at $1.6B. The costs for Dream and Fantasy are extrapolated also from reported costs from the 2010s when built adjusted for inflation in 2024 dollars.

It was reported that there were significant construction hurdles and expenses caused by primarily by COVID and supply chain issues. I was erring on the side of caution assuming that these were 10-20% of the total cost. But it is possible that it could be higher.

There is a questionable source out there that claims the Wish cost Disney $2.4B but that would mean almost 65% cost overruns, which seems really crazy.

 

[DisDude33]

Do we have a good source on this? NCL's Leonardo class costs a little over 1 billion from their debt tables. The tonnage is also higher than Triton. Icon is pegged at 2 billion, but that's nearly double the tonnage.

It just seems a bit high to me when a lot of the cost is set by the ship builder and there is some industry standardization going on here.


PS they are spending 12 billion on DCL, so I guess we'll see exactly what that yields soon enough. If Monothingie is right, then that means just another three vessel class. If costs are a bit lower then 4-6. I really expect the next class to be announced soon-ish.

From what I’ve heard the plan is to launch 4 more ships in the next decade so your math checks out.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Isn’t Velocicoaster 90 seconds, a full 50% longer than Tron?

Agree about the most memorable part of Tron. Might have been better to end with the canopy section.

Tron is over 1 minute

 

[MisterPenguin]

If you think Tron is short, wait till you the Frozen coaster in Hong Kong - there is not even to describe how short that attraction is. Brutal.

Just looked up a POV. Wow, you weren’t kidding! So short. Looks like a great attraction if only it were maybe 30 seconds longer.

That coaster is a child's coaster. Like the Goofy Barnstormer in MK.

It is one of the most elaborately themed children's coaster, tho, making people think it's a 'family coaster' like 7DMT or SDD.

 

[bwr827]

That coaster is a child's coaster. Like the Goofy Barnstormer in MK.

It is one of the most elaborately themed children's coaster, tho, making people think it's a 'family coaster' like 7DMT or SDD.

You described my thoughts - by the great theming I assumed family coaster.

 

[DonniePeverley]

That coaster is a child's coaster. Like the Goofy Barnstormer in MK.

It is one of the most elaborately themed children's coaster, tho, making people think it's a 'family coaster' like 7DMT or SDD.

I don't remember seeing 'child coaster' on the adverts they are plastering all around Asia.

Even if it is a child coaster there is no excuse for it being 30 seconds, after queuing for a few hours.

Child coaster in disney terms is just an excuse for it being 'cheap'. But you know what - that coaster had real potential. You do get some brilliant 30 seconds, and it's absolutely shocking it being that short. You literally come to the end of the ride and universally the whole reaction is 'is that it?'

All they had to do was invest in the coaster, and you could have had a worldcass attraction there, but nah always scaling back and cutting back.

 

[bwr827]

All they had to do was invest in the coaster, and you could have had a worldcass attraction there, but nah always scaling back and cutting back.

Did they cut back, or did they add expense to apply great theming? Maybe the project started as “let’s add a barnstormer” and thanks to the majority owners the imagineers were tasked with making it something more.

I agree it’s too bad about what might have been. I’ve always loved family coasters — and this could have been an amazing one.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I don't remember seeing 'child coaster' on the adverts they are plastering all around Asia.

Even if it is a child coaster there is no excuse for it being 30 seconds, after queuing for a few hours.

Child coaster in disney terms is just an excuse for it being 'cheap'. But you know what - that coaster had real potential. You do get some brilliant 30 seconds, and it's absolutely shocking it being that short. You literally come to the end of the ride and universally the whole reaction is 'is that it?'

All they had to do was invest in the coaster, and you could have had a worldcass attraction there, but nah always scaling back and cutting back.

Oh well.

Anyway. Your disappointment at a presumed lack of advertisement that this coaster was a kiddie coaster is off topic for this thread.

Good day.

 

[BrianLo]

All they had to do was invest in the coaster, and you could have had a worldcass attraction there, but nah always scaling back and cutting back.

That would be all well and good if this coaster was cut back… but it wasn’t. The original plans did not call for a second attraction. It was added late in the game and ‘we’ (or at least me), have known it was a Jr coaster for the better part of 5 years.

If you want to gripe about something, maybe Universal cloning their bare bones Flying Unicorn over and over and over.

People constantly complain that Disney doesn’t build B/C tickets anymore… but when they do (and actually apply effort to them), complain they aren’t a D or E ticket.

 

[Gusey]

All they had to do was invest in the coaster, and you could have had a worldcass attraction there, but nah always scaling back and cutting back.

It was originally going to be a sled version of Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, but they upgraded it to a themed junior coaster, like the Barnstormer, something the park needed. Frozen in Paris won't get either the coaster or the trackless dark ride, just Frozen Ever After

 

[Stripes]

WDI has been posting a lot of applications for people to submit expressions of interest for roles that suggest major projects are coming to WDW. All of the EOI listings are either for both Glendale and Orlando or just Orlando. Also, LinkedIn is reporting that WDI has grown headcount by 10% in the past 6 months.

Here’s the listings currently open, although there’s been more that have since closed.

 

[DonniePeverley]

Even juniors demand more than a 30 second coaster - especially when the hype is so high, and you queue for 2 hours.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

I don't remember seeing 'child coaster' on the adverts they are plastering all around Asia.

Even if it is a child coaster there is no excuse for it being 30 seconds, after queuing for a few hours.

Child coaster in disney terms is just an excuse for it being 'cheap'. But you know what - that coaster had real potential. You do get some brilliant 30 seconds, and it's absolutely shocking it being that short. You literally come to the end of the ride and universally the whole reaction is 'is that it?'

All they had to do was invest in the coaster, and you could have had a worldcass attraction there, but nah always scaling back and cutting back.

Every advert for it I have seen/read calls it a "family friendly" coaster, or in official HK website a family friendly carnival coaster. I don't know many carnival rides, or family friendly coasters that are all that long or full of large drops/thrills.

The ride itself seems to be a perfect delivery on 1) great frozen themeing; 2) accessible to almost all ages with a very low height requirement; 3) gets up to some speed/trill, but nothing to extreme. To give a subjective example I was forced/blackmailed/guiltripped into riding 7DMT my last trip at MK. I don't like roller coasters/thrill rides, but had to do it, and found it to be basically at my limit of comfort. I did it, made it through and was ok, but i wouldn't want to ride anything "bigger" HK Frozen gives you some of the speed similar to 7DMT, but i thought the drops on 7D were a bit bigger (full admission I haven't checked actual drops on ride, just subjective veiewpoint/feel.) This is the perfect ride for young kids to get into coaster. Great theming, good speed but not going to shake anyone up too badly, and even if your not enjoying it, its not going on so long as to really effect you. Flight of Pandora it is not, but for young kids, to me it beats the hell out of barnstormer or flight of the hippogriff.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Are there any really creative WDI people left? Artists. Or did Chapy run them all off? I know Rohde is apparently back in an advisory capacity.

…it’s cute that you think “chappie” had that much pull….

 

[DonniePeverley]

Every advert for it I have seen/read calls it a "family friendly" coaster, or in official HK website a family friendly carnival coaster. I don't know many carnival rides, or family friendly coasters that are all that long or full of large drops/thrills.

The ride itself seems to be a perfect delivery on 1) great frozen themeing; 2) accessible to almost all ages with a very low height requirement; 3) gets up to some speed/trill, but nothing to extreme. To give a subjective example I was forced/blackmailed/guiltripped into riding 7DMT my last trip at MK. I don't like roller coasters/thrill rides, but had to do it, and found it to be basically at my limit of comfort. I did it, made it through and was ok, but i wouldn't want to ride anything "bigger" HK Frozen gives you some of the speed similar to 7DMT, but i thought the drops on 7D were a bit bigger (full admission I haven't checked actual drops on ride, just subjective veiewpoint/feel.) This is the perfect ride for young kids to get into coaster. Great theming, good speed but not going to shake anyone up too badly, and even if your not enjoying it, its not going on so long as to really effect you. Flight of Pandora it is not, but for young kids, to me it beats the hell out of barnstormer or flight of the hippogriff.

Wow. I never thought i'd see someone defend a 20 second brand new roller coaster.

You haven't been in Asia. Frozen land, including this coaster is printed all over the place.

There was simply no excuse to build this attraction the way they did. You build an attraction as a legacy for 20-30 years. Something went very amiss with it, and we all know the reason.

 

[DonniePeverley]

Every advert for it I have seen/read calls it a "family friendly" coaster, or in official HK website a family friendly carnival coaster. I don't know many carnival rides, or family friendly coasters that are all that long or full of large drops/thrills.

Show me on one advert where you saw the quote 'family friendly coaster'. You won't because, there is none that use those headlines.

Is family friend, or child friendly just another term/excuse for an attraction being rubbish? You know, build a rubbish attraction (mainly due to cut backs) but spin it by calling it a family attraction. Don't families have a rite to be entertained?

 

[eddie104]

Wow. I never thought i'd see someone defend a 20 second brand new roller coaster.

You haven't been in Asia. Frozen land, including this coaster is printed all over the place.

There was simply no excuse to build this attraction the way they did. You build an attraction as a legacy for 20-30 years. Something went very amiss with it, and we all know the reason.

All in your head.