unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
I agree, it would be an interesting tennis match! I clicked on his username and it appears that he has been here as recently as July.
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Disney ( World ) vs. Disney ( Land )? - Jim Hills Thoughts
- Thread starter djkidkaz
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nytimez
Well-Known Member
I don't know what I detest more. That someone decides to 'borrow' my thread name to get some attention for themselves when the topic can/is being discussed on the original (I am sure djkidkaz will get a thread to go 110-plus pages here! Just as sure as I am that Avatarland is coming!) thread or the subject at hand.
I clicked on this thinking it was your thread. Now I see it's a Chinese sweatshop knockoff thread!
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
I have been highly critical of him both here, elsewhere online and in private circles. I imagine he isn't thrilled with me. Let him get in line!
Rose Marie
Member
It came from the same factory that the BatB goblets came from.
WildcatDen
Well-Known Member
I for one would be very interested to get your take on both after your visits. Have a safe and enjoyable trip.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Thanks. And it goes without saying. ... I'll also be doing Halloween events at Knott's Berry Farm, UNI-Orlando and possibly BGT, so those will get attention too.
WildcatDen
Well-Known Member
Don't waste anytime coming to King's Island. Same old same old, but I do think the napkins may be themed. . .
We will b heading to UNI-Orlando next March for a Fame Show Choir event. Looking forward to it. My daughter wants to do Disneyland for a 'Senior" trip. Next year may be a good time to do it. Of course, if more announcements are on the way, would waiting another year or two be wiser?
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Knott's Scary Farm? Have fun. I don't have the courage.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
I'll preface this by saying that we have had Jim on our show on multiple occasions and he has been very good to us. He has also responded to questions that we've asked him when his credibility has been called into question. I have e-mailed him on this as well and I'm interested in what he'll say.
Jim Hill is not a fanboi, he is a reporter that reports on the Disney company. He said as much recently on our show when he was discussing a visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The running joke on fanbois is that they always ask when the next E-ticket is coming, and unfortunately now anything short of an E-ticket is blasted. Jim is right, money is being spent in Disney World. He's right in that infrastructure improvements aren't really a selling point. What he failed to mention is the lack of infrastructure improvements in Disneyland. Disneyland desperately needs more parking facilities, and it could also use park wide wifi, but that's not really highlighted.
I don't agree with everything he says, and this article is no exception. The decisions being made at Disney World in the last 3-5 years are puzzling, but his greater point is valid. They're spending in Disney World, we (as fanbois) just don't feel it's being spent correctly.
Jim Hill is not a fanboi, he is a reporter that reports on the Disney company. He said as much recently on our show when he was discussing a visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The running joke on fanbois is that they always ask when the next E-ticket is coming, and unfortunately now anything short of an E-ticket is blasted. Jim is right, money is being spent in Disney World. He's right in that infrastructure improvements aren't really a selling point. What he failed to mention is the lack of infrastructure improvements in Disneyland. Disneyland desperately needs more parking facilities, and it could also use park wide wifi, but that's not really highlighted.
I don't agree with everything he says, and this article is no exception. The decisions being made at Disney World in the last 3-5 years are puzzling, but his greater point is valid. They're spending in Disney World, we (as fanbois) just don't feel it's being spent correctly.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
But c'mon... there's spending money and then there's spending money. Golden Oak... they cleared some land and built a road. Selling one $3M lot probably recoups that investment. Grand Flo DVC... they are just fronting the money for the future owners who will pay Disney back the cost of construction two- or three-fold. Art of Animation is a HOTEL. People give Disney large sums of money in order to live there for a short period of time. Especially at those AoA rates, we're assuming that Disney turns a profit on each hotel? They're not offering lodging out of the kindness of their hearts? All of these things are self-supporting, so why is it that these are preventing investment inside the parks? The Buena Vista widening was pure infrastructure with no immediate return, I'll give you that. But Disneyland opened the Toy Story lot recently, and it hasn't ground progress in the parks to a halt.
I, for one, am delighted to be the definition of Jim Hill's "fanboi". Ya' know what, though? I'm a fanboi because I truly care about WDW and TWDCo. If it weren't for the loudmouthed fanbois, we'd probably still be dealing with Eisner.
Jim Hill completely misses the point. He can see us as malcontents as much as he likes. The truth is, we see the phenomenal strides USO and DCA are making because of the investments in the parks. As "fanbois" we see the true potential in the parks and the money Disney is leaving on the table by not taking them to their full potential.
And how exactly does DVC construction, new hotel construction and residential areas benefit me as an Annual Passholder or the general WDW guest again? Oh, that's right. They don't. They're simply ways for TDO to make quick cash (more power to them btw. This is a business after all). But TDO is missing what their core product is and what drives the business to those money-makers. I wouldn't lump those things in with the expenditures TDO is making to make their core customers happy.
Jim Hill completely misses the point. He can see us as malcontents as much as he likes. The truth is, we see the phenomenal strides USO and DCA are making because of the investments in the parks. As "fanbois" we see the true potential in the parks and the money Disney is leaving on the table by not taking them to their full potential.
And how exactly does DVC construction, new hotel construction and residential areas benefit me as an Annual Passholder or the general WDW guest again? Oh, that's right. They don't. They're simply ways for TDO to make quick cash (more power to them btw. This is a business after all). But TDO is missing what their core product is and what drives the business to those money-makers. I wouldn't lump those things in with the expenditures TDO is making to make their core customers happy.
MickeyPeace
Well-Known Member
I had never been to Jim's blog before. Maybe this post is getting a lot of traffic for him. I left a response but he has not had anything to say to it yet.
Isn't money for roads and infrastructure separate from Parks and Resorts? Isn't it paid for by the city Reedy Creek? Yes Disney owns it but that is not money that was ever intended for attractions.
Isn't money for roads and infrastructure separate from Parks and Resorts? Isn't it paid for by the city Reedy Creek? Yes Disney owns it but that is not money that was ever intended for attractions.
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
I guess I'm somewhere in the middle between Jim's "realist" comments and the irrational fanbois. I see what he's saying and it makes sense to me, but I really would like to see some major capital investments in the form of new attractions being built or at least planned in the next few years. However, I also see what I think is the Corporate Disney mentality that seems to indicate in spite of the minimal re-investments in WDW over the last few years, they have maintained a small, but constant average growth rate, hotel occupancy rates and profit margins, all in a down economy. And still, they have the top 4 attended theme parks in the world with nobody even coming close. So, from a business perspective, everything seems to be going great, why would they change the formula?
TP2000
Well-Known Member
What about road widening? Mr. Hill mentioned the road widening a few times in the article, and it's a legit expense. Does road widening get you heading to Expedia to check on flights to Orlando?
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Seems to me Disney was able to afford huge infrastructure investments when MK, EPCOT, Disney-MGM, and DAK were built. Oh, by the way, and build entirely new theme parks at the same time. Now we are supposed to give TDO credit for widening a road?
The idea that we should somehow be grateful to TDO for 3 real estate money grabs and a widened road is simply insulting.
The idea that we should somehow be grateful to TDO for 3 real estate money grabs and a widened road is simply insulting.
jt04
Well-Known Member
At that time they were not building massive and expensive cruise ships, billion dollar DVC resorts (Hawaii) and theme parks in far off locations (China) while spending literally billions on their domestic parks (DCA 2.0, AoA, FLE, Pandora, GFR and all the other stuff JHM mentioned). And now we are hearing of new rumors and WDI people moving to Orlando and visits from JL etc.
They had to do all of what I mentioned before turning to WDW. But obviously the generation raised on McDonalds drive thru McNuggets demands everything now, now, now. That attitude is a recipe for a happy life.
Pessimists sound miserable because they are.~
~
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Not sure how old you think I am. Let me simply say I remember when everybody was excited at the mere thought of Disney coming to Florida. Let me add that I've been going to WDW since the 1970s and been a big fan of all the wonderful things they did for the first 30 years. The last decade has been a sorry ghost of the first 3 decades.At that time they were not building massive and expensive cruise ships, billion dollar DVC resorts (Hawaii) and theme parks in far off locations (China) while spending literally billions on their domestic parks (DCA 2.0, AoA, FLE, Pandora, GFR and all the other stuff JHM mentioned). And now we are hearing of new rumors and WDI people moving to Orlando and visits from JL etc.
They had to do all of what I mentioned before turning to WDW. But obviously the generation raised on McDonalds drive thru McNuggets demands everything now, now, now. That attitude is a recipe for a happy life.
~
Where were you in 1970s?
SirLink
Well-Known Member
First thing first lets define what a fanboi is:
So reading that article, he came across as the biggest fanboi - since Capt. Smurf - and even then he doesn't appear as a fan of theme parks, so why cover it?. Otherwise his assertions on that the general public doesn't want rich immersive experience based attractions like POTC or the Mansion, is plain wrong, as these are the same rides they are built/building in Shanghai/Tokyo/HK. You know these seem types of tourist who visit WDW/DL - so I wonder who is feeding those lines to him?
They are spending money on the 'New new but not really new' Fantasyland expansion - which in terms of gains what have we gained really? A new French but not French restaurant whilst the other stuff is replacing counter service/rides that have been closed as well as the moving around of M+G. Well at least they got all the Parks Potter Swatters opened before HP2.0 arrives ... well at least they got one opened. Oh and in case Hill is reading this - ya know these were foisted upon TDO, and yes they did slash the budget on the Space Mtn Refurb - something Hill claims never happens at TDO. :barf: So where are all the Spideman Slappers, Potter Swatters and now Transformer Thrashers for which TDO should be competing with UNI?
Hill is also correct money is being spent on building DVC/Hotels/Millionaire McManshions but what do they add for the day guest coming to the parks - move DVC doesn't improve their experience neither do new hotels. However when the rest of infrastructure like transportation is in need of TLC, and no draw for the parks - then you end up with low occupancy numbers and a stale product to boot. So then what was the point of dropping paint on the other side of POP - when a wrecking ball would of been more appropriate?
But they are adding Next Gen,the most nebulous statement and most divisive statement since a similar term crept up in by line of work in programming, and FP+ will it really help the day guest? Of course it won't help anyone - when I travel "from across the pond" do I want to plan each mealtime with military precision? Nope. Do I want to plan which park I'm in years/months/days in advance? Nope.
That is Mr.Hill's agenda to simply promote more and more of the wonders of Next Gen and FP+ :barf: to gain more access for his articles, like nature's symbiotic relationship between birds and hippopotami. Hill is a great storyteller - you maybe should stop using kid gloves and move on to boxing gloves.
But if ya want to reply can we take it to PM -cause I think its going to get heated up, and don't want to let things go down Hill.
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