News Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot

[marni1971]

Call it educated speculation. Universal already has less social distancing than WDW. Florida has no mandatory social distancing requirements. It’s only March, and restricted states are already reducing/eliminating social distance requirements. For example, Connecticut (a blue state) is going to 100% restaurant capacity next week.
If you can have a packed indoor space without masks in March... what’s the point in continuing outdoor masked socially distant queues for another 7 months?
If every restaurant in America is at 100% capacity by May/June... Would Universal really continue voluntary restrictions for months longer?
Personally, I’d be more comfortable in a masked outdoor line (without social distancing) than I would be in a crowded restaurant without masks.

I Was just talking to a friend at UOR during lunch (about other things) but it came up in conversation as it would. They’re hopeful - as we all are - and are pushing the envelope slightly more than others but there’s a definite wait and see mentality now in Uni towers.

 

[havoc315]

Many restaurants, even in Florida, are choosing to stick to CDC capacity recommendations for restaurants rather than the 100% capacity that's technically allowed.

Yes.... but do you expect them to stick to that for another 7 months?
Not much is going to change overnight. But we are already seeing gradually increasing capacity...
Less mandated restrictions..
Gradual easing of voluntary restrictions..

There are still many unknowns. But if 70% of the population is indeed vaccinated by May/June... it's hard to imagine restaurants continuing to "voluntarily" sacrifice their profitability.
I'm not judging whether they *should* go to full capacity. That's a whole other question. Personally, I think we are "opening up" too fast. But I recognize that each time another state lifts restrictions, there is more and more expectation and pressure for other states and localities to do the same.
Case in point -- NYC lifted restaurant capacity to match NJ limits, because they feared customers would just go to New Jersey to dine otherwise.

Absent a big surge in cases (which is still possible), I suspect we will continue to see the trend of decreasing restrictions.

 

[CastAStone]

NYC lifted restaurant capacity to match NJ limits, because they feared customers would just go to New Jersey to dine otherwise.

LOL. No one from NYC would dare come here to New Jersey to eat a meal. It’s not that they’re afraid of catching Covid....they’re afraid they might catch New Jersey.

 

[Touchdown]

How so?

Socially distanced queues and Halloween Horror Nights don’t mix, and can’t happen, not with 10 houses. HHN starts the first Friday in September.

 

[marni1971]

Socially distanced queues and Halloween Horror Nights don’t mix, and can’t happen, not with 10 houses. HHN starts the first Friday in September.

Depends how long the physical queue is

 

[Touchdown]

Depends how long the physical queue is

I don’t know how they would accomplish that, they already squeeze those 4 soundstage queues into every spare bit of space back there and take over midways, not to mention the Shrek house closing down a cross street. I don’t see how they could expand those lines and use the entrance/exit to the park.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

lol... fair enough. Though it does depend how you prepare the swordfish...
And I'll drink cab with almost anything.

Getting back on track... my only point was that I don't believe scheduling Rat for October has much to do with Covid restrictions. Covid restrictions, whether in place or not, wouldn't really prevent an earlier open of the Rat.

It has nothing to do with “restrictions” at all. On this...we agree.

Many restaurants, even in Florida, are choosing to stick to CDC capacity recommendations for restaurants rather than the 100% capacity that's technically allowed.

As they should. First, the mask elimination was to hide from a political scandal in one state...let’s not be stupid here.

Second, the pre-holiday spike was invited and stupid. The post-holiday spike was Moreso...

If they are gonna invite one now...it’s the heights of stupidity. So that’s not a path any business or citizen should invite.

At that point...we should start talking about throwing states out of the Union. It would be time.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don’t know how they would accomplish that, they already squeeze those 4 soundstage queues into every spare bit of space back there and take over midways, not to mention the Shrek house closing down a cross street. I don’t see how they could expand those lines and use the entrance/exit to the park.

I think this would be a good time for Comcast to decrease its 3D portfolio by about 50% anyway

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Socially distanced queues and Halloween Horror Nights don’t mix, and can’t happen, not with 10 houses. HHN starts the first Friday in September.

Then they should delay it or cancel it.

That event is about the lowest on the list of a reasonable “get back to normal” wishlist

 

[Touchdown]

Then they should delay it or cancel it.

That event is about the lowest on the list of a reasonable “get back to normal” wishlist

I think that predicting September to be essentialy free of Covid, considering its 4 months after the US received enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population is a fairly safe bet. Like 80:20 good.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

LOL. No one from NYC would dare come here to New Jersey to eat a meal. It’s not that they’re afraid of catching Covid....they’re afraid they might catch New Jersey.

Generally speaking, no...but it’s not like the restaurants are terrible...it isn’t western pa/Ohio.

In order for me to give proper credit for the jersey self-deprecation...you gotta give me a town or county to frame it?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think that predicting September to be essentialy free of Covid, considering its 4 months after the US received enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population is a fairly safe bet. Like 80:20 good.

It’s more an issue of people taking it and holding the line on precautions till summer. I think the doctors are still expecting deaths into the summer and any uptick in cases will be a disaster to go with that.

“Stupid is as stupid watches on tv”

 

[MisterPenguin]

Don't forget y'all: Disney is indeed a business. Throughout the pandemic, the corporation as a whole has been just about breaking even each quarter with linear TV profits covering losses in parks, cruises, and theaters. The company doesn't want any quarter that shows they actually had a significant Net Loss. That hurts stockholder confidence which hurts lines of credit.

Disney is white knuckling each quarter to squeak by on net zero profit/loss. And that's why, I believe, construction on GotG and TRON has been halted, and a lack of desire to fire up Rat.

The moment they can go back to full capacity and the parks get back to billion dollar profits each quarter, the floodgates will open.

Oct 1 is the new fiscal year for Disney. Watch for projects to fire back up on that day.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I think that predicting September to be essentialy free of Covid, considering its 4 months after the US received enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population is a fairly safe bet. Like 80:20 good.

There are a number of assumptions in that statement which may or may not come true.

 

[GimpYancIent]

It’s more an issue of people taking it and holding the line on precautions till summer. I think the doctors are still expecting deaths into the summer and any uptick in cases will be a disaster to go with that.

“Stupid is as stupid watches on tv”

You are in rare form today, very entertaining. My personal suggestion is to enjoy well prepared adult alcoholic beverages while in a comfortable location while watching, absorbing and making reasonable sense out of the diverse often conflicting supposedly factual information being tossed out. Just my two cents, have a great day.

 

[CastAStone]

Don't forget y'all: Disney is indeed a business. Throughout the pandemic, the corporation as a whole has been just about breaking even each quarter with linear TV profits covering losses in parks, cruises, and theaters. The company doesn't want any quarter that shows they actually had a significant Net Loss. That hurts stockholder confidence which hurts lines of credit.

Disney is white knuckling each quarter to squeak by on net zero profit/loss. And that's why, I believe, construction on GotG and TRON has been halted, and a lack of desire to fire up Rat.

The moment they can go back to full capacity and the parks get back to billion dollar profits each quarter, the floodgates will open.

Oct 1 is the new fiscal year for Disney. Watch for projects to fire back up on that day.

(October 3rd)

 

[CastAStone]

Generally speaking, no...but it’s not like the restaurants are terrible...it isn’t western pa/Ohio.

In order for me to give proper credit for the jersey self-deprecation...you gotta give me a town or county to frame it?

Lol some of my favorite restaurants are in Ohio...I’m too new to NJ to have favorites here beyond Fuddruckers.

I live in the general vicinity of Morristown. That’s enough detail.

 

[aliceismad]

Don't forget y'all: Disney is indeed a business. Throughout the pandemic, the corporation as a whole has been just about breaking even each quarter with linear TV profits covering losses in parks, cruises, and theaters. The company doesn't want any quarter that shows they actually had a significant Net Loss. That hurts stockholder confidence which hurts lines of credit.

Disney is white knuckling each quarter to squeak by on net zero profit/loss. And that's why, I believe, construction on GotG and TRON has been halted, and a lack of desire to fire up Rat.

The moment they can go back to full capacity and the parks get back to billion dollar profits each quarter, the floodgates will open.

Oct 1 is the new fiscal year for Disney. Watch for projects to fire back up on that day.

That makes a lot of sense. What are the tax write-off implications? I mean, are there reasons they would also not want to show too much profit?

 

[marni1971]

I think that predicting September to be essentialy free of Covid, considering its 4 months after the US received enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population is a fairly safe bet. Like 80:20 good.

We will never be free of Covid. Apparently. Sadly. More controlled? That’s the hope. By September? That’s also a hope. Free of restrictions? That depends on how clever those calling the shots are.

 

[CastAStone]

That makes a lot of sense. What are the tax write-off implications? I mean, are there reasons they would also not want to show too much profit?

In the long term the tax implications are basically nil. However, delaying cash burn allows them to pay down their highest interest debt ahead of schedule which saves them money.

Disney amortizes the build costs new rides over 20 years. Whether they open it 9/30 or 10/4 is irrelevant in terms of ride cost - in the first scenario they deprecate 3 days of operation out of 7305 and in the latter they depreciate 0 days. That’s $137/day/million spent - not big bucks. But it does burn cash, and Disney has been trying very hard to show cash strength.