Future development at Disney Parks worldwide

[Studios Fan]

The part that really sucks is... You can't really blame the folks at TDO for what they're doing.

People in those decision making positions are almost universally bonused based on the bottom-line profitability of the division they're in. "Pay for profitablilty". And at first blush, that sounds GREAT. When the resort make bigger profits, the folks in charge at TDO make more money. It's a win-win situation all the way around.

The problem is that it doesn't account well for times like these. These people get used to those bonuses. And when the bottom line gets affected by a poor economy, and Burbank calls for the infusion of cash into the parks, it effects that bottom line that these people get bonused on.

So what's their reaction? Do what they can do to minimize the impact to the bottom-line, and therefore minimize the impact to bonuses. And what can they control? Refurb projects. Numbers of employees. Park hours. Numbers of busses that run. Things like that.

To a point, I'm quite sure that TWDC created a monster when it comes to TDO, because of the way their contracts are structured.

Think about it for a second. You're in charge... AND THIS IS IMPORTANT... You aren't a massive fan of the parks. It's just a business to you. You've been getting big bonuses each year, because let's be honest, you have a desired product. People have been flocking to the resort. Then the economy goes nuts. You're worried you might not get that $500k bonus this year, and you REALLY wanted a place in the mountains. "Let's get more people to come", you say. Discounts. The parks are crowded. But the people coming aren't spending as much money, so you're just treading water. It's not helping.

We can cut back operating hours and blame it on the economy and cut expenses.

We can cut some CM's, and have a perfect excuse with the economy.

We can take prime rib off the menus around property and no one will notice.

We can etc., etc., etc.... And at the end of the year, instead of losing $500k in bonus, you've cut enough to where you only lost $300k. It's a loss... But you've still saved a good portion of that bonus.

It's hard to blame them. I don't think many of them have a passion for the parks. Or for the Legacy of Disney. It's a business, and that's all. It's why we are where we are.

Well said.

 

[FutureCEO]

off topic a little bit but the World of Color watershow sounds amazing

as for people in power not caring about the little people...isnt that every organization?

and please...enough with the bloody abbreviations...do you realize how wierd it is to read like fifty thousand of them in one sentence. you have to stop and think at most of them, well..i do because im not a mastermind of every flipping abbrevation that gets made up

 

[Buried20KLeague]

off topic a little bit but the World of Color watershow sounds amazing

as for people in power not caring about the little people...isnt that every organization?

and please...enough with the bloody abbreviations...do you realize how wierd it is to read like fifty thousand of them in one sentence. you have to stop and think at most of them, well..i do because im not a mastermind of every flipping abbrevation that gets made up

And you're apparently not a mastermind of punctuation... Yet I don't complain.

I kid. :wave:

if you're talking about me, I only use the most common abbreviations... And in this case, it's much easier than typing it out completely on my iPhone.

Plus it's commonplace on these forums. Looks like you better start studying up, or you'll never figure out what TPFKA-DMGMS means. :lol:

 

[WDW1974]

Hi, i am the author of the Disney and more article. When i talk in the article about a $250 M estimate for the Fantasyland expansion, this is my own calculation.

Knowing that the Little Mermaid ride cost at DCA is around $150M i added $100M for the other buildings (Cinderella manor, Aurora's House, Belle's village, Be my guest restaurant, the second Dumbo ride, etc... )

I may be a bit under the real "price", but $100M to build mainly decor seems to me "reasonable". You can add $50M ot $75M more if you want which will make a total around 325 or 350 M$ as WDI prices are always high, but 500 or 600M$ looks really too much for what they're supposed to do.

I think it all depends on what it is that they do.

I know the original figure was $750 million and that was cut to $500-600 (not sure if that was post-Monsters coaster money or not, although I can't see how that was going to ever be more than $70-80 million tops).

But it depends on what is being built and what is being removed and what is being plussed and what is staying exactly as is.

I don't think simply adding Mermaid and Beauty and Beast restaurant (unless it somehow incorporates show elements from the attraction designed for DLP) and swapping out old meet and greets for new princess ones is gonna be enough to make anyone happy ... and that includes Eric Jacobson's team at WDI. But that could certainly be done for $250m.

 

[WDW1974]

I agree. Considering Anaheim is getting a $1 BILLION renovation and this isnt nearly half of that scale of a project. $400 million seems high, but reasonable.

You can't compare projects and Anaheim's true cost is very nebulous.

It's actually closer to two billion (not counting any Phase 2 projects) when you include things like TSMM and WoC, which were budgeted before the Extreme Makeover and therefore in screwy Burbank/Glendale economics don't 'count' in the figure.

If you were to start adding in Grand Californian expansion/DVC addition, DLH renovation and DD expansion (coming) the figure would go well north of $2 billion and then ...

It's so hard to know what's a fair price that will give guests more reasons to visit the stalest MK of them all when we have no idea what we'll be getting yet.

 

[WDW1974]

So Burbank says "we're doing this FL expansion whether you like it or not".

TDO doesn't want to effect the bottom line so greatly for the next few years, so they say "okay, well... We're going to can the MI coaster (because green-light for that attraction is under our control), and funnel those dollars to FL. If you're going to make us do FL, we'll just tighten the strings elsewhere and move money to lessen the impact."

Just wanna make sure I understand.

I am not sure I understand it myself ... and it's been 'splained a few times.

But I believe it's more a case of TDO saying 'we have this money approved for TPFKaTD-MGMS to increase capacity, but we don't feel that's needed, so we'll transfer those funds to the MK expansion/refurb project'.

There's a lot of parlor trickery when it comes to Disney budgets (much like any major American company these days) ... the funds get moved around and I am sure there are tax benefits and they can also string out the funds over many years (kinda like budgeting the cost of a giant wand or hat for a decade instead of taking a hit all in one fiscal year).

But now I'm moving into a department that I am not an expert on and would rather say less than say something that isn't quite right.

 

[WDW1974]

that's true, but there's an exclusivity contract in place when other countries are involved... So at the very least you'd have to wait that out. Five, ten years?

That exclusivity deal is blown out of proportion on fan forums.

It never was an issue before OLC opened TDS. Now, it's an issue in China, but not in a way that would affect USA parks ... yet (it could change with Shanghai).

But even then, it's always about the individual attraction.

You could take 100% of the ride system and technology and put them in any Disney park with an entirely different story and theme.

Imagine not being able to do Splash Mountain anywhere for a decade. Doesn't mean you couldn't do a Pooh themed log flume ride instead.

Imagine not being able to do a Space Mountain anywhere for a decade.
Doesn't mean you couldn't do an indoor coaster that had nothing to do with the cosmos.

 

[_Scar]

I have a question about HKDL. That park has a HUGE area in the lower left of the park (below FotLK) so why are they doing the 3 expansions beyond train tracks?

 

[puntagordabob]

There should be a law against posting a blog and not being able to write gramatically correct sentences.

So if someone gets their grammar incorrect, we should immediately discount anything they write/type, eh? Why do i find that rationale amazingly flawed??? Read this person's blog and bash the info they provide if you wish, but if you are only reading it "grade" their grammar skills then perhaps you should volunteer in a school's language arts section.

 

[puntagordabob]

A.
Plus it's commonplace on these forums. Looks like you better start studying up, or you'll never figure out what TPFKA-DMGMS means. :lol:

LOL I had to stare at that a moment before I saw it... Thats a good one!

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

That exclusivity deal is blown out of proportion on fan forums.

It never was an issue before OLC opened TDS. Now, it's an issue in China, but not in a way that would affect USA parks ... yet (it could change with Shanghai).

But even then, it's always about the individual attraction.

You could take 100% of the ride system and technology and put them in any Disney park with an entirely different story and theme.

Imagine not being able to do Splash Mountain anywhere for a decade. Doesn't mean you couldn't do a Pooh themed log flume ride instead.

Imagine not being able to do a Space Mountain anywhere for a decade.
Doesn't mean you couldn't do an indoor coaster that had nothing to do with the cosmos.

Ahh...Interesting. As much as I love TDS, it seems we shot ourselves in the foot with it.:lol:


Well...10 years is almost up, right?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

That exclusivity deal is blown out of proportion on fan forums.

It never was an issue before OLC opened TDS. Now, it's an issue in China, but not in a way that would affect USA parks ... yet (it could change with Shanghai).

But even then, it's always about the individual attraction.

You could take 100% of the ride system and technology and put them in any Disney park with an entirely different story and theme.

Imagine not being able to do Splash Mountain anywhere for a decade. Doesn't mean you couldn't do a Pooh themed log flume ride instead.

Imagine not being able to do a Space Mountain anywhere for a decade.
Doesn't mean you couldn't do an indoor coaster that had nothing to do with the cosmos.

Heh heh. You said Pooh Log Flume. Heh Heh.

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

How many people work as the big heads in TDO - and how many closely work under them?

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

How many people work as the big heads in TDO - and how many closely work under them?

Around 10 are the top, I think...:shrug:

 

[WDW1974]

I have a question about HKDL. That park has a HUGE area in the lower left of the park (below FotLK) so why are they doing the 3 expansions beyond train tracks?

From what I understand, that land isn't for expansion ... much of it is gardens and walkways ... A-Land is extremely lush and beautiful. Although I'm not looking at pics now so I can't tell you for sure. I do know that land was set aside for Pirates (which was gonna be almost a land of its own) and that may be what you're talking about ... although that expansion was largely outside the berm but south of where Mystic Point is going in now.

I will admit the expansion plan doesn't seem to make the most logical sense, but I don't care. I just really like HKDL and I'm happy it's getting some major love.

 

[WDW1974]

Ahh...Interesting. As much as I love TDS, it seems we shot ourselves in the foot with it.:lol:


Well...10 years is almost up, right?

We had nothing to do with it!

And I don't want to copy what's been done at TDS. It belongs in that beautiful park. Much like I was glad that Westcot wasn't built in Anaheim as it would have copied most of EC's FW.

There's nothing wrong with taking the technology/ride systems and doing something different with them.

When I first saw a model with JTTCOTE's volcano rising on the site of the character meet-greet-and-grope at DAK, I admit I was wowed.

But then I thought ... and felt it wasn't right. That volcano is TDS's signature. It would be like dropping SSE into another park. It just shoudln't be done. Period.

 

[_Scar]

From what I understand, that land isn't for expansion ... much of it is gardens and walkways ... A-Land is extremely lush and beautiful. Although I'm not looking at pics now so I can't tell you for sure. I do know that land was set aside for Pirates (which was gonna be almost a land of its own) and that may be what you're talking about ... although that expansion was largely outside the berm but south of where Mystic Point is going in now.

I will admit the expansion plan doesn't seem to make the most logical sense, but I don't care. I just really like HKDL and I'm happy it's getting some major love.

HKDL seems like a very small but cute park. Almost as cute as WDS . I like their Aland a lot! Their Jungle Cruise looks very unique, too.


You mentioned in another thread that you knew some Shanghai info... do you at least know and can tell what castle they're using for it?:kiss:

 

[WDW1974]

How many people work as the big heads in TDO - and how many closely work under them?

I don't know what you mean by big heads?

But Disney is still very top heavy at the exec level and when you add their top minions you're talking about lots of people ... many, many, many.

Yeah ... that helps! Not!

 

[WDW1974]

HKDL seems like a very small but cute park. Almost as cute as WDS . I like their Aland a lot! Their Jungle Cruise looks very unique, too.

It is small, but doesn't feel like it in some places (like Adventureland) ... but certainly does in other place like Tomorrowland.

And while I'll be enjoying DSP soon again, HKDL is worlds better because they got all the basics of what a terrific Disney MK-style park should be. DSP has some great attractions, but is the most cold, soulless park. They've been working to change that and hopefully it will have worked. I haven't been there since ToT opened. But HKDL has an amazing template to build from.

And, yeah, JC is unique and a great ride too!

You mentioned in another thread that you knew some Shanghai info... do you at least know and can tell what castle they're using for it?:kiss:

I can tell you what they are planning ... and that's a new design based on Rapunzel (look at some of the art in the last issue of D23 for an idea). Now ... could it change? Could Iger pull an Eisner after Main Street at DLP was supposed to be a 1920s version and say do another Cinderella's? Very, very doubtful since the Chinese want parks that aren't clones or cookie-cutters (just another reason to love those Godless pinko Commies!)

So, I'd bet you'll get Rapunzel.

 

[_Scar]

It is small, but doesn't feel like it in some places (like Adventureland) ... but certainly does in other place like Tomorrowland.

And while I'll be enjoying DSP soon again, HKDL is worlds better because they got all the basics of what a terrific Disney MK-style park should be. DSP has some great attractions, but is the most cold, soulless park. They've been working to change that and hopefully it will have worked. I haven't been there since ToT opened. But HKDL has an amazing template to build from.

And, yeah, JC is unique and a great ride too!



I can tell you what they are planning ... and that's a new design based on Rapunzel (look at some of the art in the last issue of D23 for an idea). Now ... could it change? Could Iger pull an Eisner after Main Street at DLP was supposed to be a 1920s version and say do another Cinderella's? Very, very doubtful since the Chinese want parks that aren't clones or cookie-cutters (just another reason to love those Godless pinko Commies!)

So, I'd bet you'll get Rapunzel.

WOW, that's risky. The movie could totally bomb! But DL opened with Sleeping Beauty castle a year or two before the movie.

If you have any influence on those Hello Kitty commies in Shanghai :lookaroun:lookaroun:lol::lookaroun, tell them to be risky and make their castle the Sultan's palace in Aladdin.



:shrug: :sohappy:


Are they planning on having the basics like BTMRR, Space, IASW, and JC?