Do you think Shanghai will go for another expansion next or go for a second gate?

[iluvTDS]

That’s true though magic kingdom I think is a little bit different due to its world status compared to the other 5

Yeah Chinese customs confuse me on this, I’ve heard sources from books and reports that both Chinese parks are following Chinese customs with their park design….but the parks couldn’t be more different if they tried while still being magic kingdoms, Hong Kong is often reported as “many small lands” being integral to Chinese custom but Shanghai went for few large lands with a lot of space

I wouldn’t know what they would support

Hong Kong is often reported as “many small lands” being integral to Chinese custom

That is simply not true. The reason the TGM expansion was selected over Pirates land and other contenders was because it sounded better on paper with 3 "lands" compared to one full scale land with 2 E ticket attractions to convince the LegCo to pass the funding bill.

 

[BrianLo]

Interesting the CEO doesn’t usually visit every resort on every birthday and 7 really isn’t a special year (even in Chinese numerology 7 has both negative and positive connetations and is only really an absolute positive in relationships)

I feel like there had to be a reason for this, strange though that he also tacked on a trip to HK

Bob actually (legitimately) seems to like Shanghai Disneyland. We can be cynical and equate it to his legacy and ego, which I'm sure it is in part. But you can tell he has attachment to it.

It is most certainly is his tenured resort. From negotiation, to concept involvement, to launch and to expansion. So I'm not terribly surprised now that China is opened that he needed to do his victory lap. Bob has also spent quite a lot of his return time with Josh, I'm noticing.

 

[NotCalledBob]

Bob has also spent quite a lot of his return time with Josh, I'm noticing.

Interesting you said this today. I have been thinking the same thing. I was going to go back and see how often Bob took these trips with Chapek, when Chapek was Head of DPEP. I'll try and get round to it.

 

[BrianLo]

Interesting you said this today. I have been thinking the same thing. I was going to go back and see how often Bob took these trips with Chapek, when Chapek was Head of DPEP. I'll try and get round to it.

They had quite a few product launches together (i.e. SDL, Pandora, Galaxie's Edge) - but it was only the latter that I really even recall them being pictured together. I don't really remember Chapek and Iger visiting parks 'just because'. I mean maybe they were previewing Frozen and Zootopia for them?

It certainly does point to a few things that D'amaro is perhaps a rising star and the large scale spending plan is not all lip service. The return of Bob seems to keep reiterating there is more money in the parks and streaming is not the be all end all of the company.

 

[Supersnow84]

That is simply not true. The reason the TGM expansion was selected over Pirates land and other contenders was because it sounded better on paper with 3 "lands" compared to one full scale land with 2 E ticket attractions to convince the LegCo to pass the funding bill.

It was actually in a book, I think it was something like “the haunted mansion, the story of an imagineering classic” or something like that

It explained that culturally HK (and or wider China it wasn’t clear) was designed that way, not just so they could get 3 lands considering LegCo rejected the other 2 for different reasons

 

[Supersnow84]

They had quite a few product launches together (i.e. SDL, Pandora, Galaxie's Edge) - but it was only the latter that I really even recall them being pictured together. I don't really remember Chapek and Iger visiting parks 'just because'. I mean maybe they were previewing Frozen and Zootopia for them?

It certainly does point to a few things that D'amaro is perhaps a rising star and the large scale spending plan is not all lip service. The return of Bob seems to keep reiterating there is more money in the parks and streaming is not the be all end all of the company.

They have also kinda had to pivot away from streaming because all the companies kinda realised at the same time streaming just doesn’t make them a lot of money

If they are pivoting back to major expansion of the resorts Shanghai seems like the one best poised to get it first

 

[iluvTDS]

It was actually in a book, I think it was something like “the haunted mansion, the story of an imagineering classic” or something like that

It explained that culturally HK (and or wider China it wasn’t clear) was designed that way, not just so they could get 3 lands considering LegCo rejected the other 2 for different reasons

That's the official "reason" versus the actual reason for ya. Saying this as a HK local, there is no such designing ideas in HK customs. HKGov didn't like Pirates land because it's more costly than TGM but only expanding the park by one themed area, while Glacier Bay was vetoed due to clashing with another Arctic themed area in Ocean Park's expansion plan (even though they are nothing alike).

 

[Supersnow84]

That's the official "reason" versus the actual reason for ya. Saying this as a HK local, there is no such designing ideas in HK customs. HKGov didn't like Pirates land because it's more costly than TGM but only expanding the park by one themed area, while Glacier Bay was vetoed due to clashing with another Arctic themed area in Ocean Park's expansion plan (even though they are nothing alike).

Thank you I actually didn’t know that, I always assumed the official reason was true

I do wish that pirates land could come one day but I’m certainly not unhappy with what we did end up getting 5 rides and 2 unique e tickets is certainly a strong expansion

 

[Rush]

I'm almost certain that a second gate will happen sometime in the next decade. For this decade, i see them focusing on expanding the number of guest rooms.

 

[Supersnow84]

I'm almost certain that a second gate will happen sometime in the next decade. For this decade, i see them focusing on expanding the number of guest rooms.

Yeah the resort definitely needs more hotels

Even with the third hotel it’s a little bit short for its guest numbers, guess they wanted to avoid a Paris situation

 

[Supersnow84]

That actually presents an interesting question, if Hong Kong had been built like Shanghai at launch would it have copied Shanghai’s instant success or was Hong Kong always going to struggle, like is it still recovering from its poor reputation or do people still think Shanghai is vastly better

 

[socaljoeyb]

That was a lie. They just didn’t want you to question paying more

Tomorrow we’ll go over the second page of the Psych 001 textbook

They don’t. Never did. Never will.

Mass model…need masses to profit. Here Endeth it.

That actually presents an interesting question, if Hong Kong had been built like Shanghai at launch would it have copied Shanghai’s instant success or was Hong Kong always going to struggle, like is it still recovering from its poor reputation or do people still think Shanghai is vastly better

Lots of Shanghai success is due to the volume of the market.

 

[Supersnow84]

Lots of Shanghai success is due to the volume of the market.

True but though there is the border it’s not like HK has few people in the GBA, that’s like 45 million there

 

[jpinkc]

UGH not more HK!!! , MK and DL need love more, didnt they just overhaul the castle and a bunch of other stuff?

 

[Supersnow84]

UGH not more HK!!! , MK and DL need love more, didnt they just overhaul the castle and a bunch of other stuff?

I mean we are in the Hong Kong Shanghai and Tokyo section

Unless you mean an announcement I didn’t see HK has long been the black sheep, it needs more investment, not so much the stateside parks

 

[wdrive]

UGH not more HK!!! , MK and DL need love more, didnt they just overhaul the castle and a bunch of other stuff?

What happens in Hong Kong has very little impact on what happens in the US parks

 

[jpinkc]

What happens in Hong Kong has very little impact on what happens in the US parks

Tokyo yes its not a Disney owned park (probably the best park currently). But HK and Shanghai, mostly are. Yes I do agree they kinda fumbled the HK park in the beginning.

 

[Supersnow84]

It still doesn’t really affect much, Disney does half funding for upgrades of HK, the last investment Disney put into HK (the castle, Moana stage, ant man, iron man, arendelle and the unspent 5 billion HKD) was about 600 million (plus 600 million from the HK government)

galaxy’s edge alone cost each park almost a billion dollars

HK really isn’t getting spoiled here

 

[Haymarket]

I think a second gate will be announced sometime in the next two years. Beijing is trying to encourage domestic travel and consumption, and the existing park is a hit.

It's also very helpful for Disney to develop new attractions for Shanghai, as it pays only 43% of the costs of R&D but can build the attractions elsewhere after five years.

Both the government and Disney have strong incentives to build a second gate.

 

[Mark_E]

I think a second gate will be announced sometime in the next two years. Beijing is trying to encourage domestic travel and consumption, and the existing park is a hit.

It's also very helpful for Disney to develop new attractions for Shanghai, as it pays only 43% of the costs of R&D but can build the attractions elsewhere after five years.

Both the government and Disney have strong incentives to build a second gate.

It’s the most logical place for gate 13, with all the infrastructure already in place, and a very captive market who will flood to it and hopefully take some pressure off the first park.

Curious what the theme/name might be. I’d imagine it would be quite a mix match. Avatar would seem almost certain along with Frozen/Avengers too if it’s decided proximity to HKG isn’t an issue (it should be, very little crossover of guests I’d imagine). A Mulan attraction I’m sure would go down well.

Universal Beijing have already announced construction moving ahead for park 2. That first park is well laid out with its themed lands and I could see SDL is going for a similar vibe.