WDW Awakens ...

[Donaldfan1934]

I lived the Disney Decade. (And quite a bit before.) Did you?

Have you every actually read Disney's 10K filings? Do you even know what a 10K is?

Disney's P&R capex spending was through the roof up till 2001. Disney was spending gobs of money.

Certain well-known (and still in business) Disney "commentators" were complaining that Disney wasn't spending enough even as total P&R capex budgets reached an unsustainable 30% of revenue! Having been a fan of WDW since the 1970s and in the private sector for nearly as long, I well remember their baseless fanboi comments. Do you?

These are the facts, not some false narrative by fanbois:

View attachment 138879



Eisner was spending all over the place, trying to do too much too quickly, resulting in him doing a lot of things poorly.

Eisner's problem was not that he was not spending. His problem was that in trying to do too much, he was spending badly.

Actually, that chart works for my perspective as well. Notice how the amount spent on additions additions drop after 1994/5 when the last additions greenlit before DLP opened. After that they continued to drop until all time lows in the mid to late 2000's and then raise again in the 2010's. And while the 2010's numbers are roughly that of the early 2000's, this also in line with my point about the Iger additions being less but more expensive and the latter half of the Eisner additions being more but less expensive. While I may not have been alive for the entire Disney decade, I do know my Disney history. You do have some good points on the Disney company as a whole, but you could also say that Eisner was an early adopter of the strategies most corporations would use post 9/11. Obviously, that didn't work out for him in the end, but his attempt is still valid. The amount of Disney company revenue is also a lot bigger than it was 10-15 years ago so that plays a part in this as well.

 

[ParentsOf4]

They may as well have written, "Typhoon Lagoon - we got nothing."

Hey, as long as they keep it clean, maintenance up-to-date, and the Surf Pool at 85°, Typhoon Lagoon doesn't need a single thing.

 

[GoofGoof]

Hey, as long as they keep it clean, maintenance up-to-date, and the Surf Pool at 85°, Typhoon Lagoon doesn't need a single thing.

Except maybe a place to store your magic band. We found out the hard way that the big wave will take a magic band off of your wrist...amazingly they actually had it at the lost and found in the front of the park.

 

[Filby61]

...Eisner's problem was not that he was not spending. His problem was that in trying to do too much, he was spending badly.

Actually, Eisner's problems were a lot more complex and ran a lot deeper -- within the company and in himself -- than that.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hey, as long as they keep it clean, maintenance up-to-date, and the Surf Pool at 85°, Typhoon Lagoon doesn't need a single thing.

I love the lazy river.

Love the wave pool but thats for reasons that I shouldnt go into.

 

[Disone]

In

I lived the Disney Decade. (And quite a bit before.) Did you?

Have you ever actually read Disney's 10K filings? Do you even know what a 10K is?

Disney's P&R capex spending was through the roof up till 2001. Disney was spending gobs of money.

Certain well-known (and still in business) Disney "commentators" were complaining that Disney wasn't spending enough even as total P&R capex budgets reached an unsustainable 30% of revenue! Having been a fan of WDW since the 1970s and in the private sector for nearly as long, I well remember their baseless fanboi comments. Do you?

These are the facts, not some false narrative by fanbois:

View attachment 138879



Eisner was spending all over the place, trying to do too much too quickly, resulting in him doing a lot of things poorly.

Eisner's problem was not that he was not spending. His problem was that in trying to do too much, he was spending badly.

Interesting chart but its also percents. Note how Epcot blows past 80%? Part of this is because it was very expensive but part of it is because Disney was a lot smaller in 1983 both in terms of size and revenue. Its easier for Walker to have that kind of percentage then it was for Eisner because now Eisner's Disney Decade was growing a much larger WDW. This is why DHS is a 30% growth because its a 3rd theme park, and DAK is 25% growth because its a 4th theme park. (But that too is sku, because we know that even combined, DHS and DAK to do not have as much to offer at MK and Epcot.) Likewise Iger / Staggs are growing and even larger WDW then Eisner had. You can see how Dream and Fantasy look like the same kind of investment then Magic and Wonder, when really even in 1998 dollars Dream and Fantasy were far more expensive investments.

You can say Tom was cheap but really its unrealistic to expected the same level of theme park and resorts expansion we saw in the 1990's. To match that you would have to build 3-4 new theme parks and we know that is not going to happen. Tom did spend more on new fantasyland, as under his direction two character meet and greet experiences were cut in favor of the more expensive option of 7 dwarfs mine train. After years of nothing in the post Pleasure Island, Disney finally announce and project that Tom would also put the ax to. He felt Hyperion Wharf feel short of what he knew Disney could do and from the ashes came the much more expensive massive Disney Springs. If you have not seen it, seriously, it is huge and top notch. So it all a matter of perspective. I know you will like tell me how my interpretation of the chart is very wrong, but I will share with you this Bloombert.com article the supports my prespective that Tom was NOT the cheap ruthless parks leader. Unfortunately, we may be just about to find out who is......

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...cost-cutters-gaining-clout-in-post-staggs-era

 

[PREMiERdrum]

Love the wave pool but thats for reasons that I shouldnt go into.

Roa's Rapids at Aquatica is similarly endearing... If I'm smelling what you're stepping in.

 

[Horizons1]

What kind of second grade drivel is this??

Someone was paid to write that and then someone was paid to approve that writing. Just think about that.

And the bloggers got more free stuff!? Goodie! Ricky needs all the free things he can get!

 

[Donald Razorduck]

Hey, as long as they keep it clean, maintenance up-to-date, and the Surf Pool at 85°, Typhoon Lagoon doesn't need a single thing.

Volcano Bay's Cinder Cone is rising.with all the latest ride wizardry.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I lived the Disney Decade. (And quite a bit before.) Did you?

Have you ever actually read Disney's 10K filings? Do you even know what a 10K is?

Disney's P&R capex spending was through the roof up till 2001. Disney was spending gobs of money.

.

I love when you drop it, Po4.

 

[Kman101]

I keep forgetting about Volcano Bay ...

I was slightly embarassed over the presentations. It was so thrown together, IMO. I know the casuals and the news outlets were salivating, a few dates may have not been knowledge before, but there really wasn't all that much substance.

We got to see Toy Story Land was cut even more, we got to learn the name of the attractions that sound kinda terrible (IMO), we've been hearing about the third track for TSMM for a long time now, we've heard about ROL for along time now. Pandora for a long time now. They keep showing the same stuff for Star Wars Land (and are opening it first in a park that doesn't need it or should have it shoehorned in there ... Discovery Bay would have been amazing and a better transition, but that's not an IP Iger can shoehorn in to leave his mark) ... I really don't see why they bothered. Most of all of that was announced in August of last year. Oh, and a ten year old stage show is FINALLY being replaced. We should be talking about Friendship Faire's REPLACEMENT by this point, not the other way around. Zzzzzz ....

How do the bloggers and so called reporters not call Disney out for this? Oooh, a sneak peak behind the walls of Town Center. I mean ... really?

The Tree of Life awakening was probably the best thing to come out of it all.

For a company slashing costs because they're greedy and cheap and run badly, they should have axed that very poor media preview. That could have saved a ton.

This company is just run so backwards IMO. (Well, not for the suits and shareholders...)

I do love how they can't even seem to give away the Magic Kingdom After Dark tickets. How soon before we hear it's scrapped or it just fades away like the Epcot thing, which was probably a better idea. Epcot should be open much later than it is. World Showcase closing promptly at 9 is really dumb. AK can be open to 11 but EPCOT can't? Where guests can spend the night drinking and eating around the world? I don't get it.

 

[twebber55]

I keep forgetting about Volcano Bay ...

I was slightly embarassed over the presentations. It was so thrown together, IMO. I know the casuals and the news outlets were salivating, a few dates may have not been knowledge before, but there really wasn't all that much substance.

We got to see Toy Story Land was cut even more, we got to learn the name of the attractions that sound kinda terrible (IMO), we've been hearing about the third track for TSMM for a long time now, we've heard about ROL for along time now. Pandora for a long time now. They keep showing the same stuff for Star Wars Land (and are opening it first in a park that doesn't need it or should have it shoehorned in there ... Discovery Bay would have been amazing and a better transition, but that's not an IP Iger can shoehorn in to leave his mark) ... I really don't see why they bothered. Most of all of that was announced in August of last year. Oh, and a ten year old stage show is FINALLY being replaced. We should be talking about Friendship Faire's REPLACEMENT by this point, not the other way around. Zzzzzz ....

How do the bloggers and so called reporters not call Disney out for this? Oooh, a sneak peak behind the walls of Town Center. I mean ... really?

The Tree of Life awakening was probably the best thing to come out of it all.

For a company slashing costs because they're greedy and cheap and run badly, they should have axed that very poor media preview. That could have saved a ton.

This company is just run so backwards IMO. (Well, not for the suits and shareholders...)

I do love how they can't even seem to give away the Magic Kingdom After Dark tickets. How soon before we hear it's scrapped or it just fades away like the Epcot thing, which was probably a better idea. Epcot should be open much later than it is. World Showcase closing promptly at 9 is really dumb. AK can be open to 11 but EPCOT can't? Where guests can spend the night drinking and eating around the world? I don't get it.

underlined and bolded
i ve never understood why the press hasnt called them out on any of this

 

[ford91exploder]

I lived the Disney Decade. (And quite a bit before.) Did you?

Have you ever actually read Disney's 10K filings? Do you even know what a 10K is?

Disney's P&R capex spending was through the roof up till 2001. Disney was spending gobs of money.

Certain well-known (and still in business) Disney "commentators" were complaining that Disney wasn't spending enough even as total P&R capex budgets reached an unsustainable 30% of revenue! Having been a fan of WDW since the 1970s and in the private sector for nearly as long, I well remember their baseless fanboi comments. Do you?

These are the facts, not some false narrative by fanbois:

View attachment 138879



Eisner was spending all over the place, trying to do too much too quickly, resulting in him doing a lot of things poorly.

Eisner's problem was not that he was not spending. His problem was that in trying to do too much, he was spending badly.

I too lived the Disney Decade, Disney NOW is a pale shadow of what it was then and it was nowhere near as expensive as it is now, Heck a bunch of us (4) after college rented a treehouse (we were all government employees GS-11/12's) in the early 90's and we could easily afford a week at Disney and do just about everything

 

[ford91exploder]

underlined and bolded
i ve never understood why the press hasnt called them out on any of this

The First rule of 'Media Club' is you don't talk about 'Media Club' remember Disney == ABC a founding member of 'Media Club'.

 

[ford91exploder]

In


Interesting chart but its also percents. Note how Epcot blows past 80%? Part of this is because it was very expensive but part of it is because Disney was a lot smaller in 1983 both in terms of size and revenue. Its easier for Walker to have that kind of percentage then it was for Eisner because now Eisner's Disney Decade was growing a much larger WDW. This is why DHS is a 30% growth because its a 3rd theme park, and DAK is 25% growth because its a 4th theme park. (But that too is sku, because we know that even combined, DHS and DAK to do not have as much to offer at MK and Epcot.) Likewise Iger / Staggs are growing and even larger WDW then Eisner had. You can see how Dream and Fantasy look like the same kind of investment then Magic and Wonder, when really even in 1998 dollars Dream and Fantasy were far more expensive investments.

You can say Tom was cheap but really its unrealistic to expected the same level of theme park and resorts expansion we saw in the 1990's. To match that you would have to build 3-4 new theme parks and we know that is not going to happen. Tom did spend more on new fantasyland, as under his direction two character meet and greet experiences were cut in favor of the more expensive option of 7 dwarfs mine train. After years of nothing in the post Pleasure Island, Disney finally announce and project that Tom would also put the ax to. He felt Hyperion Wharf feel short of what he knew Disney could do and from the ashes came the much more expensive massive Disney Springs. If you have not seen it, seriously, it is huge and top notch. So it all a matter of perspective. I know you will like tell me how my interpretation of the chart is very wrong, but I will share with you this Bloombert.com article the supports my prespective that Tom was NOT the cheap ruthless parks leader. Unfortunately, we may be just about to find out who is......

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...cost-cutters-gaining-clout-in-post-staggs-era

Those of us who LIVED the Disney Decade also were there for the advent of Paul Pressler who ran P&R into the ground and cut maintenance back so far people got killed at DL, Many of us immediately thought that Chapek was going to be Pressler on 'Roids with Iger sitting in the CEO seat and well our worst fears are being realized in spades.

 

[Mike S]

I keep forgetting about Volcano Bay ...

I was slightly embarassed over the presentations. It was so thrown together, IMO. I know the casuals and the news outlets were salivating, a few dates may have not been knowledge before, but there really wasn't all that much substance.

We got to see Toy Story Land was cut even more, we got to learn the name of the attractions that sound kinda terrible (IMO), we've been hearing about the third track for TSMM for a long time now, we've heard about ROL for along time now. Pandora for a long time now. They keep showing the same stuff for Star Wars Land (and are opening it first in a park that doesn't need it or should have it shoehorned in there ... Discovery Bay would have been amazing and a better transition, but that's not an IP Iger can shoehorn in to leave his mark) ... I really don't see why they bothered. Most of all of that was announced in August of last year. Oh, and a ten year old stage show is FINALLY being replaced. We should be talking about Friendship Faire's REPLACEMENT by this point, not the other way around. Zzzzzz ....

How do the bloggers and so called reporters not call Disney out for this? Oooh, a sneak peak behind the walls of Town Center. I mean ... really?

The Tree of Life awakening was probably the best thing to come out of it all.

For a company slashing costs because they're greedy and cheap and run badly, they should have axed that very poor media preview. That could have saved a ton.

This company is just run so backwards IMO. (Well, not for the suits and shareholders...)

I do love how they can't even seem to give away the Magic Kingdom After Dark tickets. How soon before we hear it's scrapped or it just fades away like the Epcot thing, which was probably a better idea. Epcot should be open much later than it is. World Showcase closing promptly at 9 is really dumb. AK can be open to 11 but EPCOT can't? Where guests can spend the night drinking and eating around the world? I don't get it.

Some new stuff for Pandora was shown too like an amazing looking animatronic. Other than that I agree with you.

 

[Kman101]

Anyone wanting to relive the Harriss/Pressler era should go read Al Lutz's archived reports. I hope it's still available. I have a link somewhere but it shows you the decay Disneyland was falling into, and around the time of the death of the castmember on the riverboat dock, etc. A lot of it will remind you of what's been going on for a while.

 

[Kman101]

Some new stuff for Pandora was shown too like an amazing looking animatronic. Other than that I agree with you.

Oh it was? I've been pretty sick the last week so I'm sure I haven't paid as close attention as I normally do. I guess I'll go brave the Pandora threads ... lol. I avoid those as much as the Frozenstrom ones.

 

[Kman101]

Honestly, as a writer myself, its painful to even think that description comes from one of the world's largest entertainment companies. Before, I'd say "Take me Disney!! I'll give you great slogans etc", but now I'm afraid they'd just brainwash the creativity out of me

It's just laughable. It shows they have nothing. They've been touting the 2005 Crush 'n' Gusher as 'new' for a decade now. It's pretty sad. I have to wonder if either water park will ever see another addition. They don't seem to need to draw anyone in so again it's a 'why bother' instead of a 'let's show you what we can do'. It's just discouraging overall. When was the last addition to Blizzard Beach? The park itself I guess, lol. I've never been a waterpark fan (mostly because I'm not a big fan of heights) but it's pretty sad how long they've coasted.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

It's just laughable. It shows they have nothing. They've been touting the 2005 Crush 'n' Gusher as 'new' for a decade now. It's pretty sad. I have to wonder if either water park will ever see another addition. They don't seem to need to draw anyone in so again it's a 'why bother' instead of a 'let's show you what we can do'. It's just discouraging overall. When was the last addition to Blizzard Beach? The park itself I guess, lol. I've never been a waterpark fan (mostly because I'm not a big fan of heights) but it's pretty sad how long they've coasted.

Been thinking about this more in recent weeks. Maybe the 50th will introduce a new slide at both waterparks?

Although given recent history, maybe we should all just hope for a consistently working Summit Plummet...