Theme parks for sale

imamouse

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It looks like SeaWorld, etc are to be sold off as part of the A-B InBev deal. Article mentions possible (but unlikely) bid by Disney.
 

DisneyPrincess5

Well-Known Member
Wow...very interesting. Haha imagine if Disney owned SeaWorld or any of those other parks? We would have to spend 3 weeks on vacation to cover all grounds (YAY)

Find the Hidden Mickey on Shamu!!!
 

fosse76

Well-Known Member
It looks like SeaWorld, etc are to be sold off as part of the A-B InBev deal. Article mentions possible (but unlikely) bid by Disney.

They also mention Six Flags...who at $.20 a share shouldn't be buying anything! I think they only mentioned Disney and Six Flags as possible bidders because they are the two biggest theme park companies.
 

MissM

Well-Known Member
Not just Sea World - apparently ALL of their parks.

"Talks are under way to auction off Busch Entertainment Corp., the parent company of SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and eight other theme parks around the country."
Ouch.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
Yeah, this was known when the deal was done.

Universal's parks are still 'for sale' too, I'm pretty sure. They were when NBC/Uni happened, and I don't think they ever came off the block.
 

timeman

Active Member
This is kinda old news even though the Orlando Sentinel made it seem like it was recent news. Inbev is looking at auctioning the parks off and the according to the article a couple of months ago the starting bid is around 4.2 billion dollars. Most of the major parks asked for information about the parks at that time and this includes Disney, Universal and Six Flags. They have to sell the parks by November and if they don't get the amount they want for the parks they may decide to split it off as a seperate entity possibly run by the Busch family,
 

wdwmomof3

Well-Known Member
I don't see Disney buying them right now while they are laying off people and while the economy is in the shape that it is in, but who knows.
 

GothMickey

Active Member
Laying people off does not stop companies from buying other companies. Government baailouts don't stop those receiving the funds from buying other companies. I am sure Disney did its due diligence. If it was something that would make sense financially, I am sure they would put themselves in the running. However, I don't think they will be the purchaser. Cedar Fair maybe?
 

hokielutz

Well-Known Member
They also mention Six Flags...who at $.20 a share shouldn't be buying anything! I think they only mentioned Disney and Six Flags as possible bidders because they are the two biggest theme park companies.


Here is Dan Snyder's chance to own a majority of major theme parks across the country. Heck, he just spent $160 million on two football players.... why not buy up another theme park franchise. Then he can run around and claim he is the 21st century's Walt Disney.... except he never built any of his crumbling empire from the ground up. All through acquisitions.
 

SeanC

Member
Likely Disney looked at the deal because as a bidder they would have almost unfettered access to the books of those parks. Thats a gold mine of usually proprietary industry data.
 

hauntdmansion79

Active Member
Likely Disney looked at the deal because as a bidder they would have almost unfettered access to the books of those parks. Thats a gold mine of usually proprietary industry data.

That is a slam dunk point you just made! I never thought of that, but it would be very smart, even if you weren't planning on buying the parks.

I don't see Disney purchasing outside their property line for some reason. I would like to think they would want to keep WDW contained WITHIN WDW. But greed and expansion is the name of the game.
 

Mr.EPCOT

Active Member
I think I would be very much in support of Disney purchasing the Busch parks. I think Busch Gardens Tampa (Africa? :hammer:) would surely benefit. And imagine the attractions that might be built at SeaWorld. We know that Disney has had some marginal success building a theme park around a "Sea" theme.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
I think I would be very much in support of Disney purchasing the Busch parks. I think Busch Gardens Tampa (Africa? :hammer:) would surely benefit. And imagine the attractions that might be built at SeaWorld. We know that Disney has had some marginal success building a theme park around a "Sea" theme.

I was thinking the same thing. Can entities bid on individual parks or is this an all or nothing deal.
 

Figment632

New Member
That is just too many parks and I don't think they all could be brought up to Disney standards, it's just too much. The only way I'd like it to happen us if they canabalized most of the parks shutting them down and spreading the good attractions like some if the BG coasters throughout the exhisting Disney Parks. I'd keep Sea World renaming it Walt Disneys Sea World and plus it to make it ad good ad TD Seas.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
That is just too many parks and I don't think they all could be brought up to Disney standards, it's just too much. The only way I'd like it to happen us if they canabalized most of the parks shutting them down and spreading the good attractions like some if the BG coasters throughout the exhisting Disney Parks. I'd keep Sea World renaming it Walt Disneys Sea World and plus it to make it ad good ad TD Seas.

If they were to buy it, I don't think it would carry the Disney name.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
That is just too many parks and I don't think they all could be brought up to Disney standards, it's just too much. The only way I'd like it to happen us if they canabalized most of the parks shutting them down and spreading the good attractions like some if the BG coasters throughout the exhisting Disney Parks. I'd keep Sea World renaming it Walt Disneys Sea World and plus it to make it ad good ad TD Seas.

Exactly. I'd like to see them buy BGT and get the animals and some attractions for AK. Then shut it down and develop the real estate or sell it off.

Turn Sea World into Disney's Seas Orlando. This would give them the boutique park they desire and another water park. Close the "Living Seas" at Epcot and send those animals to Sea World and convert the pavilion to a "oceanography" pavilion rather than a marine biology pavilion which is a subject better showcased at the potential Disney's Seas Orlando.

And if Disney got hold of BGW........oh man, would that be something else or what? That is already an amazing property but with some Disney magic it'd be unbelieveable!

Just my two shillings.
 

fosse76

Well-Known Member
That is just too many parks and I don't think they all could be brought up to Disney standards, it's just too much. The only way I'd like it to happen us if they canabalized most of the parks shutting them down and spreading the good attractions like some if the BG coasters throughout the exhisting Disney Parks. I'd keep Sea World renaming it Walt Disneys Sea World and plus it to make it ad good ad TD Seas.

I agree. That's what happened to Six Flags. While not quite Disney, it was a pretty good company until the new owners expanded to over 26 parks and standardized everything...from cookie-cutter rides to generic uniforms. Disneys relies on individuals to keep its standards high, and the more properties they have the less likely they will be able to keep up with those standards.
 

Figment632

New Member
Exactly. I'd like to see them buy BGT and get the animals and some attractions for AK. Then shut it down and develop the real estate or sell it off.

Turn Sea World into Disney's Seas Orlando. This would give them the boutique park they desire and another water park. Close the "Living Seas" at Epcot and send those animals to Sea World and convert the pavilion to a "oceanography" pavilion rather than a marine biology pavilion which is a subject better showcased at the potential Disney's Seas Orlando.

And if Disney got hold of BGW........oh man, would that be something else or what? That is already an amazing property but with some Disney magic it'd be unbelieveable!

Just my two shillings.

Yup thats what they should do.
 

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