Good News From Jim Hill

[TheKeeler7]

" The news coming out of Lake Buena Vista these days is still lots better than anyone ever anticipated back in late October / early November.
Which is why -- very quietly -- Walt Disney World has begun thawing out some previously frozen projects."

" I'm talking about WDW's family suites project. Which will involve taking those half-completed buildings on the Legendary Years side of Disney's Pop Century Resort and then turning them into two, three and four-bedroom units where entire families can stay together during their Disney World vacations. Just this past week, contracts were signed to begin the clean-up / preparatory phase on this construction project. Which will involve sending survey teams into this long-empty structures to identify where repairs need to be made. More importantly, what walls need to come down."

For Full Article Click below:

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_h...d-s-recession-worries-starting-to-recede.aspx

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

More lodging.... That will get the guests into the PARKS.

 

[brent2124]

If it is true its goo to hear something is finally being done with those buildings.

 

[TheKeeler7]

More lodging.... That will get the guests into the PARKS.

First step in getting people in the parks is getting them to the resort. This address's their biggest deficiency, affordable accomodations for large familes and/or groups of smaller families traveling together who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

 

[MousDad]

I thought the article was hilarious in that we are expected to feel better because of the (supposed) family suites decision.

So, let me see . . .

1. Disney gets panicky about the economy

2. Disney cuts entertainment and parks offering right and left

3. Turns out, attendance and bookings (supposedly) are not as bad as feared

4. Disney responds joyously by building more rooms!!!!!

DUH - why not undo number 2 ?????

 

[CaptainMichael]

Well, I for one like this news, but I don't necessarily believe it. It would be very nice to see the buildings completed and the "Generation Gap" Bridge given a purpose.

At least it's not DVC.

They could also rebuild the Adventurers Club for the 1930's section

 

[unkadug]

I thought the article was hilarious in that we are expected to feel better because of the (supposed) family suites decision.

So, let me see . . .

1. Disney gets panicky about the economy

2. Disney cuts entertainment and parks offering right and left

3. Turns out, attendance and bookings (supposedly) are not as bad as feared

4. Disney responds joyously by building more rooms!!!!!

DUH - why not undo number 2 ?????

That would be admitting they were wrong.

 

[unkadug]

Well, I for one like this news, but I don't necessarily believe it. It would be very nice to see the buildings completed and the "Generation Gap" Bridge given a purpose.

At least it's not DVC.

Yet....

 

[CaptainMichael]

Yet....

It'd be a cheaper one to get into at least.

 

[TURKEY]

First step in getting people in the parks is getting them to the resort. This address's their biggest deficiency, affordable accomodations for large familes and/or groups of smaller families traveling together who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

I don't see how the family suites are any more affordable than regular rooms are.

It's still cheaper to get 2 rooms that accommodate 2 more people in standard rooms than a family suite.

What type of price are you expecting for a 3 or 4 bedroom suite (if built)? I don't think that they would have a higher occupancy than the same number of regular rooms, but I bet the price would be higher.

 

[MousDad]

I don't see how the family suites are any more affordable than regular rooms are.

Especially when you can stay in a 2 or 3 bedroom condo less than a mile away for cheaper than a regular Value.

 

[TURKEY]

I just read Jim's full article.

"Which seems to have done just what the Company had hoped it would. Given that -- during the first 10 days of January -- the Magic Kingdom saw weekday attendance levels in the 30,000s".


So he's talking about basically 5 days. You can't count Jan 1 or 2. So you are looking at January 5th - 9th.

The 8th to a degree and especially the 9th are skewed based on the marathon weekend.

You also have to account that Orlando has a college bowl game on New Year's Day. Tampa and Jacksonville also have one. Miami had one and then the championship game on the 8th.


Talk about really spinning the numbers in your favor.

 

[RSoxNo1]

It's been hard not to notice the number of hotel rooms that are being built. I know that things like the DVC provide instant rewards, but will they able to even remotely approach full capacity of all of these new buildings? With the Bay Lake Towers, the Animal Kingdom DVC, The Four Seasons and the Pop Century family suites, that's a lot of additional lodging. I think the hope is that this is leading up to massive expansion, but I think the more likely situation is empty hotel rooms.

 

[SirGoofy]

Step 1-Build More rooms.

Step 2-.....

Step 3-PROFIT!!!

OH I GET IT!

 

[HMF]

Do you really trust Jim Hill on info like this.

 

[imamouse]

It's been hard not to notice the number of hotel rooms that are being built. I know that things like the DVC provide instant rewards, but will they able to even remotely approach full capacity of all of these new buildings? With the Bay Lake Towers, the Animal Kingdom DVC, The Four Seasons and the Pop Century family suites, that's a lot of additional lodging. I think the hope is that this is leading up to massive expansion, but I think the more likely situation is empty hotel rooms.

True, it would be adding a lot of new lodging, but with the exception of PC family suites, all others listed above are deluxe. Hopefully, PC family suites would be more affordable to families without unlimited means.

 

[WDW1974]

It must get cold and lonely for Jim up in those New Hampshire mountains. So, in order to get traffic to his site and keep the heat on he needs to toss stories like this to be
'relevant' ... and he's great at adding 2+2 and getting 1,654.

We all know Disney has put out permits for some work at POP ... and there's a 'plan' to add character-themed family suites to that resort. Whether Disney believes now is the time to add capacity on the hotel end, while giving people no reasons to return on the parks end shows an arrogance and audacity that is frankly just mind-blowing ... I was just told Disney (which has five DVC resorts, three at WDW under construction now) has had so few people taking sales tours that some of the DVC booths in the parks will soon be closed (anyone hear about this? any CMs?) ... absolutely nothing is happening with Flamningo Crossings (a good thing in my mind) yet Hill thinks these new suites are debutting in 2010 ... sorry, that's not happening.

To take attendance from the first 12-13 days of January at the MK only and extrapolate that to meaning things are fine and the recession/depression isn't affecting WDW is absurd.

You had the tail end of the holidays, the fans in town for bowl games, including a national championship game that was played on the 8th, and the marathon crowd. I don't doubt that the MK has pulled in 30,000-plus people when averaged out.

But anyone want to guess what attendance is like today ... how about at DAK or The Park Formerly Known as The Disney-MGM Studios?

Hell, I know Sea World is on pace for its best ever January (but there are other factors at play there as well and their numbers are not close to Disney's).

The continuing discounts tell plenty ... but since we have a holiday weekend coming up (so plenty of locals and APers will be out) someone will likely wait 80 minutes to get on TT or Soarin and therefore extrapolate some conclusion that is based on conjecture, bad hypothesizing and pixie dust.

 

[tirian]

It must get cold and lonely for Jim up in those New Hampshire mountains. So, in order to get traffic to his site and keep the heat on he needs to toss stories like this to be
'relevant' ... and he's great at adding 2+2 and getting 1,654.

We all know Disney has put out permits for some work at POP ... and there's a 'plan' to add character-themed family suites to that resort. Whether Disney believes now is the time to add capacity on the hotel end, while giving people no reasons to return on the parks end shows an arrogance and audacity that is frankly just mind-blowing ... I was just told Disney (which has five DVC resorts, three at WDW under construction now) has had so few people taking sales tours that some of the DVC booths in the parks will soon be closed (anyone hear about this? any CMs?) ... absolutely nothing is happening with Flamningo Crossings (a good thing in my mind) yet Hill thinks these new suites are debutting in 2010 ... sorry, that's not happening.

To take attendance from the first 12-13 days of January at the MK only and extrapolate that to meaning things are fine and the recession/depression isn't affecting WDW is absurd.

You had the tail end of the holidays, the fans in town for bowl games, including a national championship game that was played on the 8th, and the marathon crowd. I don't doubt that the MK has pulled in 30,000-plus people when averaged out.

But anyone want to guess what attendance is like today ... how about at DAK or The Park Formerly Known as The Disney-MGM Studios?

Hell, I know Sea World is on pace for its best ever January (but there are other factors at play there as well and their numbers are not close to Disney's).

The continuing discounts tell plenty ... but since we have a holiday weekend coming up (so plenty of locals and APers will be out) someone will likely wait 80 minutes to get on TT or Soarin and therefore extrapolate some conclusion that is based on conjecture, bad hypothesizing and pixie dust.

I've heard the same thing about DVC, but people seem to be looking at it realistically—it's no longer Disney's "best kept secret," and all the booths are overkill anyway.

 

[WDW1974]

I've heard the same thing about DVC, but people seem to be looking at it realistically—it's no longer Disney's "best kept secret," and all the booths are overkill anyway.

DVC at WDW is overkill, period. And has been for a decade now.

But I certainly don't mean seeing these carts disappear or CMs get transferred (hopefully).

It's one cut that makes sense.

 

[CaptainMichael]

DVC at WDW is overkill, period. And has been for a decade now.

But I certainly don't mean seeing these carts disappear or CMs get transferred (hopefully).

It's one cut that makes sense.

Definitely one of the best cuts ever made.