Discuss if you like. Not newsy but bears on the mouse.
Orlando Sentinel 5/3/10
Is Disney fully on board with plans for high-speed rail?
By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel
Every day, Walt Disney World draws an estimated 46,500 people to the Magic Kingdom, or nearly eight times the number of passengers expected daily on the planned high-speed train for Central Florida.
“That’s a hell of a lot of potential [riders],” mused Doc Dockery, the retired Lakeland insurance magnate and high-speed-rail pioneer in Florida.
Right now, the state has no agreement with Disney other than an understanding that it would be allowed to build a train station somewhere on the property that holds the Magic Kingdom and three other major theme parks.
The $2.6 billion train is supposed to link Orlando International Airport with Lakeland and Tampa by 2015, with side stops at Disney and the Orange County Convention Center.
Dockery is optimistic that Disney will support the train, though he concedes that he has no idea what kind of backing might eventually develop. Many of those involved in the largely federally funded project offer the same observation.
“It’s anybody’s guess, really,” said Dave Grovdahl, chief transportation planner for MetroPlan, which sets transportation policy in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.
Disney spokeswoman Zoyara Suarez said her employer’s offer of up to 50 acres of free land for the station shows a major commitment.
“That’s pretty exciting,” she said. “It’s worth $25 million.”
But, she said, no contracts have been signed. In fact, Disney officials have met only once with Florida Department of Transportation representatives and that session was brief.
Nazih Haddad, who manages FDOT’s high-speed efforts, characterized negotiations with Disney as a”give and take,” but not especially deep. Details about marketing the train to visitors or exact station locations have not been discussed, he said.
“They’re working with us,” he said. “That’s No. 1. We’re working with them and will continue to work with them.”
That lack of specificity has some interested parties, such as Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, uncertain about Disney’s intentions. He said he is worried the land Disney gives up might be so remote that it could discourage people from taking the train.
“Every stop needs to be an important stop,” Crotty said.
A preliminary state map shows the station near Celebration in Osceola County, by the Osceola Parkway and mostly south of Disney’s parks and hotels.
Some question the attraction’s resolve because of the Magical Express, a bus system that picks up tourists at OIA and deposits them directly at their Disney hotels. Their luggage, which is tagged in their hometown, typically follows within an hour or two.
The Magical Express carries 2.2 million people a year and, in practical terms, helps keep visitors on Disney property because they do not rent a car, forcing them to rely largely on mass transit provided by the attraction. Suarez has said Disney considers the high-speed train as a “complement” to the bus.
That leads theme-park consultant Steve Baker to theorize that Disney might be less than enthusiastic in pushing the train.
“It [the bus system] is a definite edge. They’ve really worked on it to get it right,” Baker said. “I don’t think they want to be in the position of hurting it.”
Added Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting Inc., “The bus seems more expedient, as Disney has more control of it. That’s a big deal for them.”
But, Aldrich said, Disney undoubtedly does not want to be seen as being a deterrent to the train’s success, especially since the system does offer the chance of delivering even more tourists to the massive attraction.
Aldrich contends visitors in Tampa — as well as residents of the region – might take the train for a day or two stay at Disney: “It will make that trip easier for a lot of people.”
But Dockery thinks the biggest payoff for Disney could be long term. Plans call for the train to be extended east from OIA, possibly close to a port, then down Interstate 95 to Miami. That would link Disney with its cruise lines, plus open up the South Florida market.
“If it [the OIA-Tampa leg] is successful, and I believe it will be,” Dockery said, “the Miami route, depending on how you build it, will be the most profitable route in the country.”
Grovdahl maintains the future may come sooner than Disney imagines because Central Florida roads will become more congested as time passes, leaving the Magical Express stuck in traffic on Interstate 4 as the train speeds by in the median.
As consultant Baker said, “You don’t do this [the train] for next week. You do it for 20 years from now.”
Suarez said she would not get into speculation.
“Right now, we don’t have anything more to share,” she said. “It’s just a little early to go into the details.”
Dan Tracy can be reached at dtracy@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5444.
Orlando Sentinel 5/3/10
Is Disney fully on board with plans for high-speed rail?
By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel
Every day, Walt Disney World draws an estimated 46,500 people to the Magic Kingdom, or nearly eight times the number of passengers expected daily on the planned high-speed train for Central Florida.
“That’s a hell of a lot of potential [riders],” mused Doc Dockery, the retired Lakeland insurance magnate and high-speed-rail pioneer in Florida.
Right now, the state has no agreement with Disney other than an understanding that it would be allowed to build a train station somewhere on the property that holds the Magic Kingdom and three other major theme parks.
The $2.6 billion train is supposed to link Orlando International Airport with Lakeland and Tampa by 2015, with side stops at Disney and the Orange County Convention Center.
Dockery is optimistic that Disney will support the train, though he concedes that he has no idea what kind of backing might eventually develop. Many of those involved in the largely federally funded project offer the same observation.
“It’s anybody’s guess, really,” said Dave Grovdahl, chief transportation planner for MetroPlan, which sets transportation policy in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.
Disney spokeswoman Zoyara Suarez said her employer’s offer of up to 50 acres of free land for the station shows a major commitment.
“That’s pretty exciting,” she said. “It’s worth $25 million.”
But, she said, no contracts have been signed. In fact, Disney officials have met only once with Florida Department of Transportation representatives and that session was brief.
Nazih Haddad, who manages FDOT’s high-speed efforts, characterized negotiations with Disney as a”give and take,” but not especially deep. Details about marketing the train to visitors or exact station locations have not been discussed, he said.
“They’re working with us,” he said. “That’s No. 1. We’re working with them and will continue to work with them.”
That lack of specificity has some interested parties, such as Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, uncertain about Disney’s intentions. He said he is worried the land Disney gives up might be so remote that it could discourage people from taking the train.
“Every stop needs to be an important stop,” Crotty said.
A preliminary state map shows the station near Celebration in Osceola County, by the Osceola Parkway and mostly south of Disney’s parks and hotels.
Some question the attraction’s resolve because of the Magical Express, a bus system that picks up tourists at OIA and deposits them directly at their Disney hotels. Their luggage, which is tagged in their hometown, typically follows within an hour or two.
The Magical Express carries 2.2 million people a year and, in practical terms, helps keep visitors on Disney property because they do not rent a car, forcing them to rely largely on mass transit provided by the attraction. Suarez has said Disney considers the high-speed train as a “complement” to the bus.
That leads theme-park consultant Steve Baker to theorize that Disney might be less than enthusiastic in pushing the train.
“It [the bus system] is a definite edge. They’ve really worked on it to get it right,” Baker said. “I don’t think they want to be in the position of hurting it.”
Added Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting Inc., “The bus seems more expedient, as Disney has more control of it. That’s a big deal for them.”
But, Aldrich said, Disney undoubtedly does not want to be seen as being a deterrent to the train’s success, especially since the system does offer the chance of delivering even more tourists to the massive attraction.
Aldrich contends visitors in Tampa — as well as residents of the region – might take the train for a day or two stay at Disney: “It will make that trip easier for a lot of people.”
But Dockery thinks the biggest payoff for Disney could be long term. Plans call for the train to be extended east from OIA, possibly close to a port, then down Interstate 95 to Miami. That would link Disney with its cruise lines, plus open up the South Florida market.
“If it [the OIA-Tampa leg] is successful, and I believe it will be,” Dockery said, “the Miami route, depending on how you build it, will be the most profitable route in the country.”
Grovdahl maintains the future may come sooner than Disney imagines because Central Florida roads will become more congested as time passes, leaving the Magical Express stuck in traffic on Interstate 4 as the train speeds by in the median.
As consultant Baker said, “You don’t do this [the train] for next week. You do it for 20 years from now.”
Suarez said she would not get into speculation.
“Right now, we don’t have anything more to share,” she said. “It’s just a little early to go into the details.”
Dan Tracy can be reached at dtracy@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5444.
