Universal to get $500 million

[Dog Ate Mouse]

I love both WDW and love what Uni is doing. Please allow me to shed a little light on this on how Comcast is doing all this. First off I am a Comcast Employee and have been for six years working towards 7 maybe. Maybe what does this mean. It means I might not be around next year due to Comcast is off shoring all it's work to TATA in India along with Infosys in India. Comcast is letting a vast majority of it's employees across the board to off shore teams that can replace one USA employee with three people in India. That is how Comcast is making the extra money that not every one knows about and is getting leaner so it can spend the money it needs for the theme parks, Movies and NBC.

 

[tirian]

Some of you really should get off of the "Disney" forum and find one for universal and get out of the house more and just enjoy life and what all the Orlando theme parks have to offer

Big things are coming to WDW...just not overnight

....and last I checked, they have no reason to worry about the final nail in the coffin from UNI lol

If you enjoy the "big things...coming to WDW," you can thank Universal. TDO shot down every WDW expansion plan between 2001 and 2009, and skimped on so much maintenance that Main Street still hasn't finished coming out from under tarps as it plays catch-up.

 

[ADP2]

Just adding some light to this discussion. I haven't read through every post so if this was mentioned I apologize, but it was last October 2012 that Comcast approved 1.5 billion dollars to be invested into Universal Orlando. The 1.5 billion does not include the construction of their new resort hotel. All of the projects we've seen over the past year or so have been a result of the 1.5 billion approved by Comcast; Simpsons, Diagon Alley, Transformers, Despicable Me, etc. Rumors are out there that Jurassic Park will get an overhaul, and Woody's Kids Zone will get a makeover as well. It's apparent Comcast is sweeping through the parks and trying to lure in new visitors. Competition is a good thing for fans like us.

 

[flynnibus]

It means I might not be around next year due to Comcast is off shoring all it's work to TATA in India along with Infosys in India

So much for that push to improve customer service they built that whole campaign on.

 

[CDavid]

And while it's a cute term, until Disney returns to the days of ticket booths (which has about zero chance of happening), it's entirely subjective.

I've wondered if a return to ticket books (or maybe just extra-cost attractions) could be a good thing, on the theory that the added income from selling additional ride tickets would give Disney an incentive to build more attractions. No, I don't expect it ever, but it's an intriguing thought.

 

[RSoxNo1]

People who keep saying "Oh, Disney is dead now".

You seem to forget that
- Star Wars Land
- Pixar Place expansion
- Avatar Land
- Soarin' Over The World
- an EO Replacement
- Seven Dwarves Mine Train
- Disney Springs

Is on it's way to the resort.

The problem is, Disney will have already lost more guests to Universal by the time any of that stuff opens. They're going to pay for sitting on their hands while Universal has been building aggressively. It's so much harder to win people back once you've lost them, and now Dianey is going to have to face the music.

 

[AndyMagic]

I love both WDW and love what Uni is doing. Please allow me to shed a little light on this on how Comcast is doing all this. First off I am a Comcast Employee and have been for six years working towards 7 maybe. Maybe what does this mean. It means I might not be around next year due to Comcast is off shoring all it's work to TATA in India along with Infosys in India. Comcast is letting a vast majority of it's employees across the board to off shore teams that can replace one USA employee with three people in India. That is how Comcast is making the extra money that not every one knows about and is getting leaner so it can spend the money it needs for the theme parks, Movies and NBC.

Not to be rude but this is your first post here and a lot of what you wrote doesn't sound accurate or for that matter, coherent. Outsourcing customer service to India is something that nearly every communication and media company has already done including Comcast. The huge additional investment in Parks and Resorts is happening because Steve Burke loves the parks and because recent investments have delivered great results. It has nothing to do with shipping customer service jobs to India.

 

[flynnibus]

Outsourcing customer service to India is something that nearly every communication and media company has already done including Comcast

Did you not see.. or have you already forgotten this huge media campaign of Comcast?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2uK94GILn2s&t=10

They put on a huge marketing campaign to try to turn some of their past customer service reputation around.. the comments above would fly directly counter to the image they were trying to portray in this campaign.

 

[AndyMagic]

Did you not see.. or have you already forgotten this huge media campaign of Comcast?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2uK94GILn2s&t=10

They put on a huge marketing campaign to try to turn some of their past customer service reputation around.. the comments above would fly directly counter to the image they were trying to portray in this campaign.

That campaign is more than 3 years old and it wouldn't be the first time a major company had a misleading tv-spot filled with friendly American faces only to secretly rely on some form of outsourcing. That being said, my main point was that the individual who posted this "inside" information sounded misinformed. There is nothing in the news to suggest that Comcast is laying off employees now or in the near future.

 

[flynnibus]

That campaign is more than 3 years old and it wouldn't be the first time a major company had a misleading tv-spot filled with friendly American faces only to secretly rely on some form of outsourcing

It's not just about an ad spot... it was a whole company initiative.. which included launching the Xfinity brand to try to reshape public perception of cable companies. To turn around and outsource customer support after putting such emphasis on customer service and image repair.. would be.. quite counter productive.. and not just an issue of passing ad campaigns. This was a top down initiative that included lots of rescoping of how comcast operated. It's clear you missed that train.

There is nothing in the news to suggest that Comcast is laying off employees now or in the near future.

I'm not taking the guys word for it.. but I'm also not trying to shut him down because I haven't read it in the news yet either...

 

[Thrill]

Good news is that I'm sure we'll see some new bathrooms at WDW to counteract Universal's investment.

Everyone always hates on Next gen...I urge people to take a wait and see approach...I'm sure a lot of people didn't like Fastpass either...

Let's not knock it till we try it! All of us are resistant to change...it's human nature...

I'd despise FastPass if it cost even a tenth of what NextGen is going to.

My opinions on NextGen should therefore go without saying.

 

[Voice of Disney sanity]

People who say that are indeed silly.

But don't expect everything on that list to happen anytime soon.

Nor D tickets to have much of an impact.

And is Maelstrom missing a troll?

Well I really haven't heard anyone say disney is dead. What I have heard is that right now disney is losing the current battle and for us wdw fans that's a little scary considering They have been completely dominating the "WAR" fo so long. NOBODY has EVER seen another park get the upper hand on disney like we are seeing right now with Uni and its really upsetting to some of us. At the same time it's awesome that we're seeing some great things outside "the world"

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

Not to be rude but this is your first post here and a lot of what you wrote doesn't sound accurate or for that matter, coherent. Outsourcing customer service to India is something that nearly every communication and media company has already done including Comcast. The huge additional investment in Parks and Resorts is happening because Steve Burke loves the parks and because recent investments have delivered great results. It has nothing to do with shipping customer service jobs to India.

Well I understand what you are trying to say, but it is not customer service jobs being shipped to India. There is a Major cuts across the board in Engineering where I am at as well as product engineering and parts of operations and just not customer service. Comcast will be mostly an offshore company far as Cable, Voice and Business Class Services. Comcast is freeing up a ton of money this way and putting it to use for the parks. Now Steve Burke is in charge of the Theme parks and Universal Studios, but where do you think all the money is coming from. It's easy to say anything like coherent when you are not in the inside and are just merely trying to speculate in an articulate manor to show some kind intelligence be it yours or purely artificial.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

but its not a magical 500 mill

 

[flavious27]

According to an article on MiceAge, Eric Davis mentions how Comcast is investing $500 million into the resort including land acquisitions. Will Disney respond and actually use some money for new additions beside Fastpass Plus?

There isn't any land near uni for them to buy for the parks that they don't have already. Any land purchases now would be for hotel sites. The amount sounds about right because they have to build the second phase of potterland.

As for what Disney is doing, avaland is going to cost about the same amount.

 

[alissafalco]

As for what Disney is doing, avaland is going to cost about the same amount.

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[unkadug]

I'll believe it when I see it.

It won't happen.


Igor will be gone and the whole fiasco will be forgotten just like so many other ill conceived concepts that never came to fruition.

 

[tare]

Disney just needs to step it up. The new fantasyland is nothing great. A new fresh exciting expansion or park would be great. They just can't take so long in doing so!!!!

 

[AndyMagic]

There isn't any land near uni for them to buy for the parks that they don't have already. Any land purchases now would be for hotel sites. The amount sounds about right because they have to build the second phase of potterland.

As for what Disney is doing, avaland is going to cost about the same amount.

The land acquisition that they spoke of was most likely for the land where Wet n' Wild currently sits which Comcast purchased this year.

 

[JimboJones123]

Disney just needs to step it up. The new fantasyland is nothing great. A new fresh exciting expansion or park would be great. They just can't take so long in doing so!!!!

What are you talking about, you traded Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Chip and Dale themed areas plus a 10+ year late subs plot for fastpass machines and a dark ride. Sure beats a stinkin Nemo Subs and a Villian Land.