Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[WDW1974]

I am looking forward to hear what you have to say about Portofino Bay! Those Universal hotels look so great - have been wanting to stay there for a few years, but haven't yet. However, I have to say, the theme of the other two appeals more to me (I guess being European an Italian theme is less exotic to me ).

Did you spend time at the pool there? From the pictures I have seen, I think it must be one of the best pools in Orlando.

Pool and hotel were both amazing. My Disney exec friend put it quite simply ''We have nothing that can compete with that product, just as we can't compete with the new Bonnet Creek resorts or the Ritz.''

I am very late for an appointment, but will discuss more tonight or tomorrow.

 

[WDWDad13]

What rock have you been hiding under and is it air conditioned?

why would ANYONE believe that just because of NextGen... Disney thinks they don't have to "add new rides or attractions or anything" lol sometimes we all get our panties in a bunch for believing things that aren't true just because someone on a message board made them think that way

go grab a dole whip or a butterbeer and enjoy Orlando... hell enjoy something YOLO lol

 

[Admiral01]

It won't do us any good at this point if costs have already exceeded $3B. The money's been spent! I would hate to have to write off that failed capital expenditure!

I would love to see them have to write that off, and see the heads role. That way, when someone 5 years from now gets the bright idea to do something similar, there will be a history of failure for this sort of thing.

 

[GLaDOS]

I really hope they call the Universal Monorail the Unirail.

 

[bubbles1812]

I bet less people will complain about NextGen when they are near a Aloha Isle and get an alert notification of a coupon to use to get one lol

Yippy skippy. Ill eat that waiting in line for that new attraction Disney just built... Oh wait those were all delayed

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

This would be the ultimate symbolic FU to WDW...short of buildings attractions based on mountains or castles(oh wait.) They should totally do it!

I'd love to see Universal build a monorail lol! That would be something indeed. And mountains and castles aside, I hope they go for the demographic that loves classic Epcot style dark rides. Less thrills, more elaborate sets with huge animatronic populations. That would probably get them a new diehard fanboy in myself.

In most companies when you spend Billions and a project never makes back its investment all involved in the planning/design/approval/execution are usually thrown out a company ... it could still happen. SS is our only hope

They've likely set it up where the heads behind these projects have scapegoats to blame for these failures to take the fall for them, ensuring they won't get booted off the company even in the case of a massive failed experiment like next gen. Unfortunate that there's so little justice.

 

[marni1971]

why would ANYONE believe that just because of NextGen... Disney thinks they don't have to "add new rides or attractions or anything" lol sometimes we all get our panties in a bunch for believing things that aren't true just because someone on a message board made them think that way

go grab a dole whip or a butterbeer and enjoy Orlando... hell enjoy something YOLO lol

Think of it as a way to make more money out of an existing customer base as opposed to creating something new customers want to see.

Certain things that are coming will be very welcome and possibly well executed but they are what's absolutely essential, not whats needed to help plus the resort.

And what's coming isn't going totally smoothly either. Not in WDW anyway.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

I am already looking at Uni's Royal Pacific for our next trip to Orlando and making their resort our home base...

 

[SirLink]

Think of it as a way to make more money out of an existing customer base as opposed to creating something new customers want to see.

Certain things that are coming will be very welcome and possibly well executed but they are what's absolutely essential, not whats needed to help plus the resort.

And what's coming isn't going totally smoothly either. Not in WDW anyway.

In a TDO office where a thousand cuts make bonus' shine ...

 

[flynnibus]

While WDW has Wal-Marted its product, UNI is now the Nordstrom of the business. I don't care how many resort rooms that WDW has or how many gates or social media whores. It isn't the best in anything but separating people from money at an alarming pace and living off the greats who created it. I can't in good conscious tell folks to take trips to WDW, to give their money to the Mouse, to help George and Andy build that dream mansion in Isleworth , to help Wall Street pimp Disney shares

The part for me still lacking is the idea of escapism. The idea that I go there, and want to stay longer and longer. Now.. most of that feeling as left me when it comes to WDW too.. but I think WDW still holds some of that. There is something to be said for being 'inside the bubble' on WDW property - I just think they have abandoned leveraging that for your leisurely entertainment and replaced it all with fleecing opportunities.

In our most recent UNI trip.. we very much ran to the parks, and then crashed in the hotel. I yearn for the days when visiting Orlando for me and the family was more than that.

WDW used to feel like a DIFFERENT place than anything else.. it felt like it was on its own level. Since the 00s.. it hasn't felt like that. Only the water parks make me feel like I've escaped to a better place.. and DCL. I have yet to find that 'more than a theme park' feel at UNI - but I will say UNI was a great experience. I just haven't found an escape vacation with theme parks at my fingertips in a long time.

I yearn for a slower time I suppose...

 

[fractal]

Think of it as a way to make more money out of an existing customer base as opposed to creating something new customers want to see.

Certain things that are coming will be very welcome and possibly well executed but they are what's absolutely essential, not whats needed to help plus the resort.

And what's coming isn't going totally smoothly either. Not in WDW anyway.

How did we go from "building a stunning new land (Carsland) is the key to huge revenue boost" to this?

 

[marni1971]

In a TDO office where a thousand cuts make bonus' shine ...

Indeed. Three of the TDO parks need help. Futureworld is getting just one of three options. The bare minimum. The studios has been a recognised mess for nearly 5 years now. DAK has always been a less than a day park for guests and management alike. The latter twos proposals are still in a mess.

Meanwhile I'll stick by my forum signature that's been there for a while now. And I'll love WDW for what made me fall in love with it to start with. Not what it's become. Sadly.

 

[bubbles1812]

On the orlando sentinel website today, Jason Garcia wrote an article talking about how Comcast announced today that they plan on speeding up spending on its uni parks (mainly at orlando and Hollywood). Comcast plans on boosting capital spending in parks division by 50% this year to $1.1 billion. Comcast made this announcement when they reported on Q2 earnings.
http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76858402/

I like a lot.

I think the most telling statements include:

"Comcast says its Orlando attendance soared more than 40 percent after the $265 million collection of rides and shops opened in the Islands of Adventure theme park. Guest-spending has increased by even larger margins"

And "The investments we’ve made in our theme parks over the last few years have reset the level of our parks’ profitability"

Who would have thought investing in actual attractions would increase profitability? Well, besides Disney...

 

[Pentacat]

where do you all come up with this logic? They don't think they need to add new rides or attractions or anything because of NextGen?

Well they certainly have $2+ billion less to spend on attractions don't they?

And this is my biggest issue with NextGen. They have tried to spin it publicly as being the next big thing in attraction personalization and "immersive experience" but all it really is, thus far, is an extremely complicated reservation and contactless payment system. And if it really is the future of attractions where is the compelling content?

TWDC hasn't sold me on ANY of the NextGen benefits they are claiming. Why not just develop an NFC based payment system that I could use with the Smart Phone I already have in my pocket? Cynical answer is; think of all the potential revenue from selling magic bands and accessories, guest convenience wasn't a consideration. Same thing goes for why not just have a nice App for said Smart Phone that could manage all of the same benefits for FP+ and dining reservations? There are plenty of existing check-in services that pull this off using location based services via a Smart Phone without the need for a hugely expensive RFID infrastructure. Cynical answer; the backend benefits of data mining all those RFID scans and using them to cut operations budgets to the bone (based on autonomous guest demand) makes that magic band money look like the coins we scrape out of the fountains!

This is a OPERATIONS system that any penny pincher would die to have, it's born straight out of the just in time production/warehousing world, the difference is that YOUR FAMILY is now the inventory. We are to be sorted, stored (only as long as absolutely necessary) and then shipped out.

I hope everyone is ready to get their Gant chart vacations plans in the mail from TWDC, If you choose not to participate you'll be eliminated during an 8 D Process.

 

[Pentacat]

I really hope they call the Universal Monorail the Unirail.

It should be called the Springfield Monorail and the stops should be named North Haverbrooke, Ogdenville and Brockway!

It's the perfect Simpon's Tie In!

 

[TarzanRocked99-]

I believe a Uni bubble exist as well, just that most of us have not experienced it. For the first time ever I stayed at Universal last fall instead of at WDW and it was an amazing experience. I have been a Universal passholder for almost 10 years now but never treated the resort the way I did when we stayed on site for two nights. Complete and total escapism something I haven't felt at WDW for years, but still feel when at DL. Sure the resort is smaller, but that's kind of the charm of it you don't have to bus anywhere you can walk or take a boat there's plenty of shopping, nightlife, miniature golf everything Disney World has put in a nice neat little package.

 

[SirLink]

Indeed. Three of the TDO parks need help. Futureworld is getting just one of three options. The bare minimum. The studios has been a recognised mess for nearly 5 years now. DAK has always been a less than a day park for guests and management alike. The latter twos proposals are still in a mess.

Meanwhile I'll stick by my forum signature that's been there for a while now. And I'll love WDW for what made me fall in love with it to start with. Not what it's become. Sadly.

Maybe if shareholders made decisions based on their hearts rather than their heads ... we wouldn't be based in the situation. My question to @WDW1974 is their anyone in a position to do a real injection of true capital investment in the parks. Or is it all a dance - no one caring about the product in any position of true power, with everyone who does care having no power.

Maybe it is time to do what I've been thinking for a while: So long and thanks for all the fish.

 

[Pentacat]

I yearn for a slower time I suppose...

Or the return of the "Disney Difference"?

 

[GLaDOS]

I believe a Uni bubble exist as well, just that most of us have not experienced it. For the first time ever I stayed at Universal last fall instead of at WDW and it was an amazing experience. I have been a Universal passholder for almost 10 years now but never treated the resort the way I did when we stayed on site for two nights. Complete and total escapism something I haven't felt at WDW for years, but still feel when at DL.

I completely agree. Staying on Universal property feels like a bubble as well. It may not be as big of one (for now), but it's a bubble none the less.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Disney is not interested in spending money unless they have to.