Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Goofyernmost]

There are obviously lots of posts to read but I have two comments
1. Why doesn't Disney build things quicker? Why not have three shifts to open this sooner? This will be a cash cow when it opens.

2. Why did they decide to build identical lands on each coast? Why didn't they opt to have Disneyland be one experience and at WDW a different one? If they were different, Star Wars fans would be more willing to travel a great distance to see the other one. If I lived in Florida, I wouldn't travel to CA specifically to see the exact same experience in Florida.

1. They build just as fast as any other place does. What they do is announce it earlier to build up anticipation. The actual construction time is due mostly to the detail that everyone expects from a Disney attraction. Do you all think that that rock work and hidden things just happen to be there? Have you never built a house and find that it took twice as long to do the detail finish work as it did to build the frame? They build it in real time, fantasy time is reserved for the attraction operation.

2. Although it is said that it is cheaper, that is true, but it is not relevant. What is relevant is that people have demanded that some things get to more then one location so that everyone can experience. Did you know that if it hadn't been for public demand, PoTC would only be in California? Most people are either not financially able to go to parks across the continent from each other or they aren't interested enough to spend extra money just to see a theme park attraction. You can build just one until you are blue and a vast number of people will not be able to attend it. SWL is to big to only show up on one coast. Money is part of the situation but it is income not expense that is driving it.

1. When you are using cash to build with, it looks better on the books to spread it across multiple quarters. Building fast also costs more as both second and third shifts are often paid more. Adding that second and third shift is also not always possible. Florida, along with a good bit of the rest of the country, has a serious construction labor shortage right now. I have a number of customers that have lots clear with houses sold for them and it is taking them weeks to months to get labor to put them together.

2. Only the mouse knows the real reasons, but the obvious one is building the same thing on both coasts allows them to spread design costs across 2 projects.

1. In reality when you are using cash to build, which I doubt they are, there is no expense involved. It is a transfer of cash to a capital investment, both assets. No change in status whether done in two weeks or thirty years. It doesn't increase the bottom line until it is completed and percentages of attendance can be figured out as income that is offset by depreciation. That doesn't happen until it is completed and open for business. It is not in there best financial interests to drag it out. It takes the time it takes coupled with planned opening. If everything were to open at the same time it would overwhelm the parks and cause more problems then it solves. If they borrow money to build it is a liability and until it is opened it doesn't have an offsetting income to help the bottom line.. an area that Disney is very concerned about. Small items are considered expense and will affect the bottom line, but, those percentages are very small.

2. That is correct, but, I'm not sure why that is a problem for anyone, especially the public that one way or the other pays for all of it.

Short answer to both: money. The length of the build time allows them to spread the cost over more years. It's much cheaper to build the same land twice than to build two separate lands.

First half is wrong (see above). Second half is correct. Again... I fail to see the problem with them doing that.

 

[Master Yoda]

1. In reality when you are using cash to build, which I doubt they are, there is no expense involved. It is a transfer of cash to a capital investment, both assets. No change in status whether done in two weeks or thirty years. It doesn't increase the bottom line until it is completed and percentages of attendance can be figured out as income that is offset by depreciation. That doesn't happen until it is completed and open for business. It is not in there best financial interests to drag it out. It takes the time it takes coupled with planned opening. If everything were to open at the same time it would overwhelm the parks and cause more problems then it solves. If they borrow money to build it is a liability and until it is opened it doesn't have an offsetting income to help the bottom line.. an area that Disney is very concerned about. Small items are considered expense and will affect the bottom line, but, those percentages are very small.

2. That is correct, but, I'm not sure why that is a problem for anyone, especially the public that one way or the other pays for all of it.

This is largely dependent on what those in charge want investors/shareholders to see. Generally, they want to keep capital expenditures somewhat on the low side. This does not mean that you stretch out a 4 year project to 30, but you also don't try to do a 4 year project in 2.

If Disney was financing this project, they would be paying interest starting on day one. This is a huge incentive to get a project done as fast as possible. Since we have not really seen Disney do that since the days of Epcot construction, it is fairly safe to assume they are essentially writing a check for this project.

Disney is doing the smart financial play by building at a normal speed. This will keep the capital expenditure numbers as low as they can and the will avoid paying overtime, labor premiums, etc.

 

[matt9112]

At the end of Grand Ave there will be a structure that appears to be a bridge over the road and is themed to the street. You will enter a tunnel and not have a direct view of SWL until you come around a curve and then you will get the reveal. The Slinky coast will not be see from Star Wars Land and probably not from anywhere else in the park for that matter.

sounds like a concept I have seen before dang it who did this before...

 

[matt9112]

our version only has one entry or???

won't that be a big bottleneck.

 

[MisterPenguin]

our version only has one entry or???

won't that be a big bottleneck.

Two entries. But, when it opens, they expect they'll have to limit the number of people in the land, so, they'll only let people in one entrance (Grand Ave.) where they have the space for a huge switchback, and then make people leave by the back entry into TSL. They won't let people in through TSL since they don't have the space for a huge queue.

 

[jack21]

Sorry if this has been talked about already, but has there been any mention of how they will handle the transition from Grand Ave ("modern-day DTLA") to SW:GE?

 

[Club34]

Am I correct that there will be 2 attractions in SWGE? And does anyone know what the attractions are? I mean are they simulators or will they be actual rides? Star Tours exists so I am hoping for 2 actual rides and not another simulator but the photo doesn't really seem to reveal much so far.

 

[danlb_2000]

Am I correct that there will be 2 attractions in SWGE? And does anyone know what the attractions are? I mean are they simulators or will they be actual rides? Star Tours exists so I am hoping for 2 actual rides and not another simulator but the photo doesn't really seem to reveal much so far.

Two rides, one simulator type ride where you fly the Falcon, and a trackless dark ride where you are caught in a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Dont count on Star Tours being around long term.

 

[Movielover]

Two rides, one simulator type ride where you fly the Falcon, and a trackless dark ride where you are caught in a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Dont count on Star Tours being around long term.

Insert standard "But why would they not include Star Tours/ Have multiple simulators/ only 2 attractions/ can they use Star Tours as a entrance thus winning the award for the most impractical way of getting people into a land/ dear god not the screenzzzzzzzzzzz!" arguments here.

 

[marni1971]

Sorry if this has been talked about already, but has there been any mention of how they will handle the transition from Grand Ave ("modern-day DTLA") to SW:GE?

Tunnel.

 

[bclane]

Tunnel.

Any hope that the tunnel will have special lighting/smoke/water/hologram/etc. effects to simulate being transported to another world or will it just be a tunnel you walk through?

 

[Movielover]

Any hope that the tunnel will have special lighting/smoke/water/hologram/etc. effects to simulate being transported to another world or will it just be a tunnel you walk through?

It will just be a Cast Member standing there in the dark waving his arms and going "woooooooooooooooooooooooo sparkle sparkle sparkle..."

 

[bclane]

It will just be a Cast Member standing there in the dark waving his arms and going "woooooooooooooooooooooooo sparkle sparkle sparkle..."

Oh well, I won't even able to see anything anyway due to the tears of joy spewing out of my eyes at the thought of visiting an actual real life Star Wars planet.

 

[Movielover]

Oh well, I won't even able to see anything anyway due to the tears of joy spewing out of my eyes at the thought of visiting an actual real life Star Wars planet.

I'm right there with you, They'll going to have to drag me out of there once I'm in!

 

[bclane]

I'm right there with you, They'll going to have to drag me out of there once I'm in!

Lol! Same here. I feel happy everytime I think about SW:GE coming to WDW. Honestly, I worry that they may have to figure out how to limit people's time in there as Star Wars fans are going to just want to linger from rope drop until close and just soak it all in.

 

[Movielover]

Honestly, I worry that they may have to figure out how to limit people's time in there as Star Wars fans are going to just want to linger from rope drop until close and just soak it all in.

Oh no doubt that they will have to, remember Potter's opening day?

And arguably Star Wars is much larger fan base than Potter. (and thats saying something...)

 

[bclane]

Oh no doubt that they will have to, remember Potter's opening day?

And arguably Star Wars is much larger fan base than Potter. (and thats saying something...)

Yup, that is what we are looking at. The only way Disney could have avoided lines like that (just to get into the land) was for them to plan to open multiple Star Wars lands across all four WDW parks simultaneously. It is going to be so crazy! Thank God they are opening Disneyland first as that will at least help a little when it opens in Florida.

 

[Movielover]

Yup, that is what we are looking at. The only way Disney could have avoided lines like that (just to get into the land) was for them to plan to open multiple Star Wars lands across all four WDW parks simultaneously. It is going to be so crazy! Thank God they are opening Disneyland first as that will at least help a little when it opens in Florida.

I'm holding out hope for the resort that allows special access to the land, my Bank account is going to be nonexistent...

 

[bclane]

I'm holding out hope for the resort that allows special access to the land, my Bank account is going to be nonexistent...

Same here lol! Bye bye retirement account. Hello happiness!

 

[Movielover]

Same here lol! Bye bye retirement account. Hello happiness!

Here's to our future hanging out in the cantina enjoying a glass of blue milk!