News Walt Disney Company plans to spend $17 billion at Walt Disney World over the next ten years

[SoFloMagic]

Y'all are wild. They're not gonna lie to shareholders about investments. This isn't D23...

Just think about what's already on the table:

-new splash mountain
-countless ride and hotel refurbs
-new hotel wing at poly
-probably Moana splash mountain at AK
-whatever they're doing in morocco at epcot
-new epcot fireworks
-Moana splash pad and innovations hall at epcot
-new busses, minnie vans, transportation refurbs.

If they're basing this on capital expenses, that includes any long term investments. Thats a lot. Should be easy to spend this

 

[crispy]

So basically one new ride...impressive.

 

[erasure fan1]

Absolutely. It’s incredible how much they added to DHS without really expanding. Let’s hope we see true additions. I don’t need Big Maui Mountain Railroad and Pirates of the Lilo and Stitch.

You might not need it, but don't think for a second that this kind of thinking isn't happening at Disney.

This is ridiculous. It would still be an elite ride even with several effects off. Yes, it’s disappointing when you’re in B-mode if you know better, but it’s still a genuinely unique experience regardless with tons of moving parts and a real sense that you’re getting to witness multiple shows and rides all wrapped up in one.

Just like Everest is still a great ride even with the yeti broken. Personally I can't give Disney a pass on these things. Rise has elite elements and systems and in general is an elite concept. Is a ride that is down as much as rise has been, with these elements not working elite? That's debatable. Is it still a great ride? Of course. Should Disney be better and not settle for, yea that's fine, it's good enough? Absolutely. Disney is counting on the, well it's still a good ride, attitude. That way they can cheap out on fixing it. The yeti is an absolute embarrassment to Disney imagineering. Not because it doesn't work like it did on day one. But because their answer was a strobe light. If rise is their flagship elite ride, fix it, make it right. Treat it like the elite ride it should be.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Though it's never been corroborated, I was under the impression the Yeti was meant for greater things but the plans changed. Some of the original concept art hint as much. re: Rise... shame about the cannons, they were impressive as heck when working. My bigger hang up for that attraction was Imagineering's efforts in recreating laser blasts.

My impression is it was an overreach by the King of overboard coupled with a outsourced company who had little idea what they were doing…

 

[JusticeDisney]

My impression is it was an overreach by the King of overboard coupled with a outsourced company who had little idea what they were doing…

You should just give them all the answers. Seriously, bless them with your vast knowledge and unparalleled expertise on all things.

 

[KeithVH]

Everyone is counting that $17B likes it cream right off the top. Couldn't find the specific figure quickly but let's yank away X% to cover increasing personnel costs (not just new employees). Considering OpEx has doubled in the last 10 years (with big jumps in '19 and '22), how much of that 10 year money will disappear just to keep things running into 2030?

 

[Tha Realest]

Everyone is counting that $17B likes it cream right off the top. Couldn't find the specific figure quickly but let's yank away X% to cover increasing personnel costs (not just new employees). Considering OpEx has doubled in the last 10 years (with big jumps in '19 and '22), how much of that 10 year money will disappear just to keep things running into 2030?

Sorry, I’ve been reliably informed that unless you think this means a 5th gate and/or four new E-tickets are guaranteed you must believe Disney is lying and committed corporate fraud

 

[Tom P.]

Sounds like a lot of money, doesn’t it???

…are you convinced it is?

Yes.

I'm also convinced that Bob Iger could give that money to you personally and you would still not be happy.

And I'm further convinced that many of your messages attempt to be too clever by half and that you should just directly state your point more often.

 

[Vinnie Mac]

I think someone said whatever they did to them in WDW essentially ensured they wouldn’t.

When was the last time they did move? Never even knew they weren't moving anymore

 

[MisterPenguin]

I see when I click through, but when I look at the first post in this thread, which I double checked. The summary says "state of Florida".

This is @wdwmagic 's fault

It's all being spent in Florida.

Into the campaigns of whoever's running against those responsible for the RCID bill.

 

[Tom P.]

It's all being spent in Florida.

Into the campaigns of whoever's running against those responsible for the RCID bill.

Well, let's be honest. Even if the RCID bill hadn't happened, Disney was never going to be aligned with the side that supported it anyway.

 

[SplashJacket]

In my mind, both are cases of things that should have been caught and dialed back during development. The yeti is too complex for how quickly you glimpse him and should have been a much simpler animatronic. The cannons are obviously way too difficult to coordinate with the vehicles, so they should’ve just turned them into blasts of “plasma-hot” air or something, just wooshing over your head to make you recoil.

Because they were unrealistic about the operational expense, we now have no effects at all.

I disagree. Those cannons are one of the best moments in any piece of media, full stop. They single-handedly do more for immersion than anything else on that ride, barring perhaps the storm-trooper reveal through the door you walked through.

Such an incredible effect that’s severely missed when not working.

The additions of rides like Rise and FoP through past-decade spending, and supposedly the next decade should mirror the same spending is perfect.

Based on the jobs added, we should see true capacity expansions like they’re preaching, instead of replacements. Housing developments don’t add new jobs, lands do.

This announcement is utterly monumental.

To continue the pace of expansion over the last decade coupled shouldn’t be scoffed at. The past decade pace should be the normal pace, and that’s what it seems to be becoming. Additionally, if we didn’t have the post-Tron lull, this past decade would’ve been even more insane. Imagine if an Indiana Jones land was already on the horizon for 24’, there would be substantially fewer complaints.

Unless the parks suddenly begin failing, we shouldn’t expect another lull like this. This bullishness is exactly what theme park fans should want to hear, and we heard it. Music to our ears.

To all the “I’ll believe it when I see it comments,” this is a shareholder meeting. Iger could’ve just as easily gone out there and announced massive parks and reduced spending to better balance the company’s overall budget. He didn’t.

Instead, he said the only thing he needs to tell investors, “we’re gonna spend.”

 

[marni1971]

What do you think?

What’s the word… rhetorical?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What’s the word… rhetorical?

I’ll make it “non-rhetorical”…for a moment.

That level of investment isn’t good enough. Based on the overall property rot from 2000-2010 and their inability to reverse to a proper level from 2010-2020

“You’re just negative!!”

Yeah…I know…that’s why people will be ticked when they can’t buy the $35 genie today cause it’s sold out and there’s a 110 minute wait for Peter Pan.

It’s 100% due to my attitude

sorry, magic seekers. It’s on me.

 

[GhostHost1000]

I’ll make it “non-rhetorical”…for a moment.

That level of investment isn’t good enough. Based on the overall property rot from 2000-2010 and their inability to reverse to a proper level from 2010-2020

“You’re just negative!!”

Yeah…I know…that’s why people will be ticked when they can’t buy the $35 genie today cause it’s sold out and there’s a 110 minute wait for Peter Pan.

It’s 100% due to my attitude

sorry, magic seekers. It’s on me.

if family’s overpriced magicbands don’t annoyingly blink and vibrate when walking through the park because they forgot to charge it, it’s on you too lol

 

[Disone]

This is ridiculous. It would still be an elite ride even with several effects off. Yes, it’s disappointing when you’re in B-mode if you know better, but it’s still a genuinely unique experience regardless with tons of moving parts and a real sense that you’re getting to witness multiple shows and rides all wrapped up in one. It would obviously be better if all the components were more reliable, but I never hear anyone coming away from it groaning about the cannons.

Idk..... I kind of have. I rode once with no cannons, Kylo in b mode, the light saber did not penetrate with ceiling, and a few other effects and I heard a comment while getting off the ride at the end.... "Eh, that was okay".

Collectively yes those things add up. To that person the ride didn't blow the socks off. I'm sure they have no idea what they missed. Even worse, they probably don't think they missed anything. They just think the ride was just "okay".

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

if family’s overpriced magicbands don’t annoyingly blink and vibrate when walking through the park because they forgot to charge it, it’s on you too lol

That was all my idea…especially the $65.00 limited edition ones

It was all just to ruin the memories from past trips and the excitement for the next of 50 trips…where children masquerading as adults need CONSTANT tire pumping to fill the void.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Idk..... I kind of have. I road once with no cannons, Kylo in b mode, the light saber did not penetrate with ceiling, and a few other effects and I heard a comment while getting off the ride at the end.... "Eh, that was okay".

To collectively yes those things add up. To that person the ride didn't blow the socks off. I'm sure they have no idea what they missed. Even worse, they probably don't think they missed anything. They just think the ride was just "okay".

It comes up a good bit…

I was on with everything working…and though I loved the technical merits (I’m a wonk for that)…it just was less than the sum of its parts. That’s pretty emblematic of all Disney Star Wars efforts with few exceptions. It lacks “soul”. The great rides have some.

Now…I did love yeti in A mode. It was pretty cool - if brief. A rollercoaster covers mechanical warts better due to Isaac Newton being in control.

My main criticism of the SW rides - other than they need to retheme for longevity- is it’s “lightly used” at this point and already is mechanically ineffective.
I’ve got that “uh oh” test track feeling.

 

[LSLS]

Call me negative all you want, but I'm not overly excited for this til I hear plans with it. It needs significant additions, not just replacements. Yeah, Disney has put out some very good rides. BUT, they also are a net negative in number of rides at I believe 2 or maybe 3 of the parks last time I checked. It's not enough to make great rides, they need to make MORE rides.

As for the 13,000 cast members. How far off their needed cast member numbers are they currently? I thought I had read at one time as a company they were down like 30,000 employees since their height. 13,000 would mean a lot of expansion if they were full already. But if 10,000 are needed just to get the resort fully operational again, that's a lot less for expansion. Sorry, I'm just very pessimistic at this point.

 

[Riviera Rita]

Could fix Disco Yeti with some of that