An earlier post suggested that Disney’s previous management let WDW fall into a state of disrepair while Disney's current management has recognized this and is responding accordingly.
Disney CEO for over 20 years was Michael Eisner, who held the post from 1984 to 2005. When Eisner took the helm, there were dire concerns that the Walt Disney Company was about to be taken over. The company was performing poorly, without a major film success since the Love Bug in the 1960s. With the exception of theme parks, the corporate divisions within Disney were loosing money. Eisner is generally credited with turning the company around to the point where it became a juggernaut by the 1990s.
Concerning theme parks, Eisner viewed the Imagineers as the real talent and considered theme park executives to be "monkeys". (Eisner's word, meaning that running the theme park business was so easy even a monkey could do it.) There were strong rumors that Disney was going to layoff all the Imagineers, believing they could get the work done cheaper elsewhere. (Probably true.) Eisner "saved" the Imagineers, believing them to be the real brains behind the success of the theme parks.
Concerning Walt Disney World, Eisner viewed the Orlando facility as an underutilized asset and supported its growth, giving us WDW as it largely exists today. Disney Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, DisneyQuest, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and numerous resorts were added during Eisner's "golden years" at the helm. Although Eisner greatly expanded WDW, he freely admitted that he did not know the theme park business and was notoriously budget conscious, "cheap" if you will. This cheapness shows in DHS and DAK, many people complaining even today that neither theme park feels like a "full day park". Eisner's alleged "cheapness" also appears to have affected park maintenance, which generally declined beginning in the late 1990s as Eisner searched for more ways to squeeze every dollar out of the theme parks.
Eisner was replaced by his hand-picked successor, Robert Iger, in 2005. Iger is more of an enigma that Eisner. Whereas Eisner enjoyed publicity to the point where he hosted the Wonderful World of Disney from 1986 to 1996, Iger is less inclined to appear before the general public, an interesting choice given Disney very public image. Iger certainly has been less controversial than Eisner, with the acquisitions Marvel and especially Pixar demonstrating Iger's ability to complete deals that his polarizing predecessor could not accomplish. Iger may be a more "steady hand" than Eisner, whose idiosyncrasies eventually led to his downfall. Iger was recently named Chairman of the Board and his contract has been extended until 2016, with Iger planning to step down as CEO in March 2015.
Frontrunners to replace Iger are either Jay Rasulo, who ran the theme parks from 2002 to 2009, or Tom Staggs, who has run theme parks since then. Given Eisner's apparent contempt for theme park executives, it is interesting that the 2 frontrunners both come from that division. It is likely that either will continue the current trend, avoiding major capital outlays in WDW while still investing in more moderate improvements similar to FLE and Avatarland. Hopefully, money recently spent to repair or upgrade existing WDW infrastructure indicate corporate Disney will begin to more earnestly invest in WDW maintenance than during the previous decade.
With both frontrunners having a background in theme parks, its seems doubtful that Disney will lose sight of what the competition is doing up the road at Universal, although it also seems improbable that they will try to make as big of a splash as Universal did when it opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It must be remembered that J.K. Rowling wanted to work with Disney but abandoned them when she insisted on maintaining creative control. Disney lost WWOHP because they were conservative in their approach to theme park development and unwilling to take the gamble. Universal was willing and the decision appears to have rescued their theme parks.
It would be nice to speculate that the 2015 transition in leadership will be accompanied by the announcement of a 5th Gate. However, given the recent investments in cruise ships, Disneyland, FLE, Avatarland, and park maintenance, it's possible that Disney might "take a breath" before committing to a major investment such as a 5th theme park at WDW.
Given Disney’s international reputation and its considerable footprint in central Florida, it does not seem that Universal is yet in a position to seriously challenge Disney as the “king” of Orlando. Universal's WWOHP opened to wide acclaim and Universal is following-up on that success with Phase 2. However, I suspect Disney executives are closely watching developments at Universal Orlando and are planning accordingly. Fundamentally, WDW's demographics are different that UO's. IMHO, UO would have to open something that "steals" away the eight-and-under crowd before WDW would be significantly impacted by Universal. I suspect the typical five-year-old still dreams of visiting "Disney" and parents respond to this. Personally, I'm looking forward to Phase 2 but don't believe more Harry Potter is the magic elixir to propel Universal to #1. I think Universal has to crack the "eight-and-under nut" to do this.
