Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Sue_Vongello]

We need to just have a "Wrong" button installed next to "Like" that we can just click on for all of @Pixiedustmaker posts.

 

[alphac2005]

Absolutely. You can park your car at UNI and never move it. The resort is contained and buffered from the real world and you don't have to take smog-belching busses to get from place to place. Water launches traverse the beautifully landscaped waterways at regular intervals. And since hotels have 24 hour room service (no, you shouldn't have that at a $700 a night WDW deluxe and City Walk is open late, you Always have something to do after the parks close.

It absolutely reminds me of a DLP or even DLR setup. Much better laid out than The Timeshare Kingdom of the World.

This June, we spend six days at Universal and didn't put step back into our car until we left. Whether it was taking the outstanding boats on the waterway or what we primarily did, walked along the waterway, you're fully self contained in an alternate reality.... Again, how WDW once felt, even with the smoggy buses and all.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Crowds are being distributed a bit better at the Magic Kingdom than they were 6-8 years ago, in my opinion. Animal Kingdom crowds are also fairly well spread out. Epcot and DHS crowds are not spread out well at all and the only thing that will change that is new attractions.

How? What have they done? (Genuinely curious as to how they're doing this, because it really was an "easy" day at the MK when a few years ago would've been very busy).

Is it just New Fantasyland?

 

[Longhairbear]

I understand, but I can't have a fool like him derailing things here. It would be nice if the mods simply suggested he play elsewhere. Having folks like him here does nothing for the street cred of the site, or more importantly to me, this thread. 'Course, that's why his is here and playing in the wee hours of the night.

I understand why you don't block him, that is a luxury that I have on here that you can't afford, for obvious reasons. Loving your well intoned replies.

 

[Longhairbear]

Jay Rasulo and Nick Franklin's baby, conceived in 2007 and sold to the Board 18 months later.

Thanks, I was about to ask who started this, and on which coast, east or west.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Anybody else get the feeling that he may be a manager at Disney in some capacity? Not anybody high up, but a middle manager who has a lot of pride in his workplace and wants to defend it?

That's just the vibe I'm getting.

I had plenty of negative things (maybe too many) to say about the Mermaid ride, don't know why you'd think I work for Disney given that.

So if you say that you don't think there will be a major DHS announcement at D23 then you're middle management at Disney?

So if you say you don't think Disney blew even close $3 billion on IT at WDW, then you're Mouse House middle management?

And if you doubt rumors—which sometimes are wrong, then somehow you're defending Disney?

Never worked for Disney, never will.

 

[Sue_Vongello]

What info do you need?

I may have it, I may not ...I may not be able to spill.

what's on your mind?

You know? Shockingly enough I'm with you on the epiphany ... I thought I wanted to hear about the bands, what may or may not be announced at D23, and/or news on SW/Avatar ... but honestly I just don't care.

What is really like to know is all about Universal?

-Are they really considering a monorail?

-Is this the current line up for the next few years ... HP/2014, JP/2015, KK/2016 ... and internally do they expect to keep the pace up for ... how long?

-Has the third gate at Uni gone an inch further since you last brought it up?

-What are their plans for Wet n Wild?

-Kidzone refurb? LotR?

-And finally do you have any info from inside the upper echelon at Uni ... I'd love to know (and love to have it publicly out there) if the Uni execs are laughing at Disney right now? What's their current state?

 

[Bolna]

it is not $3 billion ..yet anyway.

Thanks - I have been wondering why people suddenly started talking about three. Last I heard on here that it was over two. Only a difference of one, but when you start talking about billions, that is a huge difference!

 

[Computer Magic]

what about it?

Do you like what Disney is planning? Wondering what the club members think about the expansion and allowing more people to join. Seems like a big renovation.

 

[PorterRedkey]

First off I want to say I really enjoy your posts WDW1974. I appreciate you taking time to post here, and sharing the information you have about the parks with us. This is not something you have to do, so I think everyone should thank you for your efforts, not push for sources.
If someone is not a fan or for some reason doesn't believe you know what you're taking about then that's fine, just don't read this thread. Simple really.

Whatever this new news is, do what you need to do, take the time you need, and when you're ready to spill the beans I will be exited to read it and grateful you shared it.

 

[Captain Neo]

I grew tired of Disney's antics years ago. I actually came to the identical realization Spirit did just 3 years earlier and I am sure there is a silent majority that are slowly starting to feel the same way.

I have been very patient with the Walt Disney Company. I thought after Eisner/Pressler/Harris left that things would be different. I thought when Iger brought it Jobs and Lasseter and gave WDI that Shake up that things would look up and they did improve in CA but not in FL. Parks are falling apart from neglect, no effort to maintain attractions, the overlays and redos leave MUCH to be desired (Three Cabellero boat ride, stitch great escape, etc), No attempt has been made to win back people by seriously upgrading and fixing Epcot Center with new showcase countries, grander attractions that are more in the spirit of old Epcot, etc.

Funny thing is my family lives within our means and can actually afford a Disney vacation but the value isn't their. We are part of that more intelligent clientele that Spirit was referring to earlier that Disney has lost. Even if you like Disney there are so many other options like Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or the international Parks no point in wasting money on a product that used to be/should be FAR superior to what it currently is.

 

[DougK]

I usually stay at Beach Club or BCV for the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS and for me that makes the price (exorbitant as it is) worth paying. I have a relative who traveled with us last year and stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We spent a good deal of time there and, as you said, it was nothing special but it was nice and a great value for the suites. It's not as nice or well maintained as any deluxe or vacation club location in Disney, but in the bang for your buck department it was hard to beat.

The ability to walk to Epcot or DHS holds great value to me, but for someone who didn't care about that or didn't value the premium paid for that, I'd recommend they stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Even if you don't have your own transportation,the money you save would pay for parking and a rental car to avoid the bus service and still have lots of extra money left over. For a largish family, three bedrooms and three baths right next door to CBR for around $200/night would be hard to pass up.

I once stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and had an EPOCOT view, we could even see the Contemporary Resort way off in the distance. It was just about like being on Disney property in that respect. Except I paid $800 for a week for a two bedroom suite with a full balcony as opposed to several thousand dollars if it was actually run by Disney.

 

[WDWDad13]

Source? People who know. As if I'm going to name names. Who know more than you'll read in the popular press.

WDWs budget alone has skyrocketed. Triple your original figure.

those "figures" are not all hard dollars and is basically calculating employee effort/time involved right? Some call this soft dollars or as I like to call it, funny or monopoly money lol so when the estimates come in high... everyone needs to understand this is not all money out the door

 

[Tim_4]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...stband-boosts-sales-in-disney-world-test.html

Common sense also says that MagicBands which make spending money easier, and shorter lines at shops, means more stuff sold. There is also increased efficiency and a new way for guests to experience the parks.

There seems to be two camps here so maybe I can help y'all find common ground. If NGE had been kept on budget and everything worked, everything you say would be true. It would be driving revenue growth, cost reduction, and guest satisfaction. The problem is, NGE is neither on budget nor functioning properly. Think of it like a movie. Spending an Avengers amount of money is fine, as long as you make Avengers level box office figures. NGE is the John Carter of the parks and resorts segment only on a much grander scale.

 

[Mike C]

You know? Shockingly enough I'm with you on the epiphany ... I thought I wanted to hear about the bands, what may or may not be announced at D23, and/or news on SW/Avatar ... but honestly I just don't care.

What is really like to know is all about Universal?

-Are they really considering a monorail?

Same here, the NGE stuff is somewhat of a derail hiding the real gems of info in here... Which is that there sure are signs of some smoke on the entire length of Universal Blvd more so than ever. With the wet n wild land purchase, and other signs of city of Orlando activity along the road.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more land grabs either, either directly or indirectly (Ie by buying out the owning company instead of the land itself, or with easement agreements with companies like Lockhed) along the road.

Something like that would be unprecedented, but so is Hogwart's express.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Disney should take all resorts and turn multiple rooms into much larger 1, 2, 3 bedrooms and current family suites into fancier rooms

Take the dvc studio rooms

family suites for the same price they are now and take all current family suites and fancy them up more



those "figures" are not all hard dollars and is basically calculating employee effort/time involved right? Some call this soft dollars or as I like to call it, funny or monopoly money lol

I also think certain aspects of the work were farmed out, such as to Precision Dynamics in San Francisco which has done RFID bracelets for other applications.

http://www.pdcorp.com/index.html

I read somewhere that the bands would cost $4.50 per each one, some of the choices here are closer to $2, with the higher $4-5 for embossed bands, the tech is relatively inexpensive. I don't think it will cost close to $1 billion for WDW . . .I don't see where fancy coding need be done:

1. Credit card linked to MagicBand.
2. MagicBand linked to virtual FastPass system, computer needs to keep track of FP reservations . . .big deal compared to what IT does in the financial world.
3. Magic Band linked to hotel room rock, again, no big deal.

The more expensive stuff would be attraction integrated NextGen.

 

[WDWDad13]

I also think certain aspects of the work were farmed out, such as to Precision Dynamics in San Francisco which has done RFID bracelets for other applications.

http://www.pdcorp.com/index.html

I read somewhere that the bands would cost $4.50 per each one, some of the choices here are closer to $2, with the higher $4-5 for embossed bands, the tech is relatively inexpensive. I don't think it will cost close to $1 billion for WDW . . .

I agree... lots of people are freaking out over the cost of this and thinking this is keeping them from building lots of new attractions when the truth is before the NextGen project... I didn't see them building a lot of new attractions either so in my opinion this is not holding WDW from building new attractions, Burbank/TDO is keeping them from building new attractions

 

[ParentsOf4]

and the poo-poo'ing continues lol

ya know... a lot of people thought Disneyland was a disaster initially too

Disneyland was a financial success from day one. In business, profits paint over a lot of problems.

Having never created a theme park before, Disneyland had lots of procedural and technical issues on opening day, several which took months to solve. Walt Disney had announced an opening day at the start of the summer season and was determined to stick to it, even though several areas of the park were not ready. Similarly, there were lots of problems at WDW prior to opening but they now had theme park experience. They also intentionally opened WDW in October, one of the slowest months, so they’d have time to make things right for the anticipated Christmas crowds. Disneyland was something completely new for the company. It happened and was a success because Walt Disney made it happen. When Disneyland and WDW were built, the company had leadership that believed in the theme park business.

NextGen has the hallmarks of a big corporate initiative that everyone was afraid to say “no” to. A team of highly paid executives spend man-years putting together a plan. It becomes their pet project. They are invested in it. They make a sales pitch to a CEO who buys into Blue Ocean Strategy but doesn’t have a clue what makes a theme park successful. To him, NextGen sounds like a miracle that will cure what he sees as a corporate cancer. He says, “Sounds great!” Now no one within the organization can question NextGen. To do so is career suicide. It quickly becomes a runaway freight train careening down the track. Today, the company has leadership that doesn’t believe in the theme park business.

NextGen is a corporate example of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”.

 

[WDWDad13]

NGE has already taken money away from attractions and physical infrastructure upgrades, so again what you are saying is again total BS. But that is your purpose here isn,t it?

Disney wasn't building attractions (except new fantasyland) or making physical infrastructure upgrades BEFORE NextGen... so you can't blame it on everything tho

 

[rudyjr13]

Isn't the ultimate bottom line our wallets? We can go back and forth all day. If you want to cause change, do so with your wallet. I've been to WDW 5 times since 2007 on paid vacations and 1 time for a work conference and I have ZERO plans for another trip. I don't see spending that money until I see some SPIRITED change.