Where does all the money go?

[chinitopoop]

You are forgetting the fabulous and expensive carnival area called DinoRama!!

I thought that opened up when the park opened up?.... regardless thats not the kind of investment disney should be making in their parks, i mean even tho it makes a little more sense to me once i heard the story behind "chester and hesters"but it still looks like something that belongs at 6 flags.... that whole cheap carni area makes me sad inside, it doesnt belong there, stupid eisner and his rushed decisions, i wouldve rather had nothing there at all then that ugly carnival, imo it cheapens up ak, the rest of ak is soo beautiful, and then they add that disgrace, its like someone giving you an amazing ice cream sundae and right before your about to eat it they spit on it lol

 

[chinitopoop]

Two possible reasons why WDW isn't getting capital-intensive projects:

1) DCA is, to the tune of $1 billion.

2) They're waiting to see what Universal does with Harry Potter, in order to have an adequate response.

I hope thats disney's gameplan, its strange to me that they havent announced anything huge yet to combat potterland, even tho they dont really need to, but still, they need something bigger than tsm and pixar place, not unless they're planning to add like 2 or 3 more pixar rides in pixar place

 

[jt04]

^ Everyone continues to miss the point (not that it matters). I am not talking about money for new attractions. I am talking about investing in upkeep of the INFASTRUCTURE. If you allow your house to have a leaky roof eventually it will lead to very expensive problems caused by water damage. Likewise, it appears to me they are not keeping up with the infastructure as they used to. This could lead to very expensive repairs being needed in the long term which will use any money needed for new attractions. This ain't rocket science.


By the way, I noticed that Kevin Yee of MiceAge has a new camera with telephoto lens. The problems I am talking about on property probably won't escape his discerning eyes! He has been documenting many neglected items for awhile now.

 

[JLW11Hi]

Two possible reasons why WDW isn't getting capital-intensive projects:

1) DCA is, to the tune of $1 billion.

2) They're waiting to see what Universal does with Harry Potter, in order to have an adequate response.

This is why it would be great if Universal started giving Disney a run for its money. I know i and I understand that it makes a lot of Disney fans feel good that Universal's product is less interesting than Disney's, but if they actually got more and more people to come to Universal than Disney, there might actually be some healthy competition between the 2, leading to better and better attractions at both resorts.

 

[mousermerf]

Also - it's suspiciously quiet.

Too quiet. They're up to something.

 

[ChrisFL]

Also - it's suspiciously quiet.

Too quiet. They're up to something.

Lets also not forget that they got Scott Trowbridge, possibly Universal's greatest attraction designer in the past 20 years....they're definitely up to something, the question is whether they're up to something in WDW.

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

the question is whether they're up to something in WDW.

They better be! At least they are starting to upgrade current attractions BUT... what ever happened to Jungle Cruise going down?

 

[Gorjus]

Money goes to places you don't see that are about helping the cast or assisting guests. Trash bags, merchandise bags, millions of Zephyrhills machines and supplies, rolls of colored paper for bulletin boards, hand warmers, microwave ovens, daily usage drugs, computers, office supplies, parties for cast, refrigerators, lockers, cups, furniture, printing, etc. You get the drift.

 

[Jessica618]

Maybe I'm just naive, but it seems kind of vulgar to me to trace my dollar down the Disney food chain.

Disney is something in me that's more than a park, more than a movie, more than a cartoon, more than a vacation. Disney is my heart, Disney is my soul, Disney is my happy place I hold sacred. Disney is my shining beacon of hope that someone somewhere is helping all of mankind by creating a place so perfect and so magical that it gives you back all innocence lost no matter what trespasses you've accrued.

For me, seeing the castle growing off the horizon when I'm on the ferry to MK is like a new parent seeing the face of their child for the first time. I cannot imagine life having that hole in my very being without Disney.

I don't care where my dollar goes, what it does, who it benefits...as long as they keep my eyes closed to the reality behind the mouse and keep my mind open to the magic they make.

All that being said, excellent question though. I suppose if I was a stock holder rather than a rabid Disney nut I'd think differently.

 

[jt04]

A bit of advice for Jessica

Maybe I'm just naive, but it seems kind of vulgar to me to trace my dollar down the Disney food chain.

Disney is something in me that's more than a park, more than a movie, more than a cartoon, more than a vacation. Disney is my heart, Disney is my soul, Disney is my happy place I hold sacred. Disney is my shining beacon of hope that someone somewhere is helping all of mankind by creating a place so perfect and so magical that it gives you back all innocence lost no matter what trespasses you've accrued.

For me, seeing the castle growing off the horizon when I'm on the ferry to MK is like a new parent seeing the face of their child for the first time. I cannot imagine life having that hole in my very being without Disney.

I don't care where my dollar goes, what it does, who it benefits...as long as they keep my eyes closed to the reality behind the mouse and keep my mind open to the magic they make.

All that being said, excellent question though. I suppose if I was a stock holder rather than a rabid Disney nut I'd think differently.

I am glad you mentioned this. One of my pet peeves is the WDW Railroad. When the park first opened it was nicely landscaped and you did not notice the "reality behind the mouse" as you put it. But over time the landscaping has deteriorated badly and you see all sorts of backstage stuff. If you don't want to see "reality" at the MK then stay off the railroad. I'm not joking.

Second, I have also noticed the railroad has developed a serious case of plaplunks. What is that you ask? Well ride the railroad, the TTA in Tomorrowland, Spaceship Earth or Space Mountain and you will have no doubt what I am talking about. The tracks are very rough. This ruins the magic in my opinion and makes me glad they are redoing SM and possibly the TTA. Here is hoping they fix the WDW RR tracks, landscaping (by planting new trees/shrubs) and adding berms and/or set pieces. Just my 2 cents.

 

[po1998]

I know Disney has little incentive to have an attraction explosion since the crowds are coming in droves, but it would be nice to see an official announcement for a new major attraction and also a lesser attraction. Toy Story Mania will be opening up in a few months and there is nothing else that is either under construction or announced and construction is pending.

At the current rate of building new attractions, how long will it take to get DHS or AK up to par?

PS I am not talking about new parades, new restaurants or attraction rehabs.

 

[po1998]

Second, I have also noticed the railroad has developed a serious case of plaplunks. What is that you ask? Well ride the railroad, the TTA in Tomorrowland, Spaceship Earth or Space Mountain and you will have no doubt what I am talking about. The tracks are very rough. This ruins the magic in my opinion and makes me glad they are redoing SM and possibly the TTA. Here is hoping they fix the WDW RR tracks, landscaping (by planting new trees/shrubs) and adding berms and/or set pieces. Just my 2 cents.

From what I have read, the SSE track was not smoothed out.

 

[jt04]

From what I have read, the SSE track was not smoothed out.

No it was not and from what Martin says it is too late to fix them in their current condition. I think I would have accepted the descent better if there was no bumps in the track. But fortunately they drowned out the noise of the bumps by blasting the audio

Sorry not trying to turn this into another SSE complaint thread....really

 

[maryszhi]

Wait im a stock hold member(well my parents are but its in my name)
when did u get the report...i always look forward to getting them b.c it makes me feel smart and sophisicated

and well will stock holders ever get any perks?????????? I mean i luv the certificate that i got when my parents bought it when i was baby....but seriously when will we get perks????

 

[jt04]

Also - it's suspiciously quiet.

Too quiet. They're up to something.

I agree completely. It is wayyyy too quiet.

 

[Gorjus]

Wait im a stock hold member(well my parents are but its in my name)
when did u get the report...i always look forward to getting them b.c it makes me feel smart and sophisicated

and well will stock holders ever get any perks?????????? I mean i luv the certificate that i got when my parents bought it when i was baby....but seriously when will we get perks????

You get perks all the time. You get a dividend. You get a return on your investment. You have increased the value of your investment. That is the purpose for stocks. You want perks, become a cast member.

 

[jt04]

You get perks all the time. You get a dividend. You get a return on your investment. You have increased the value of your investment. That is the purpose for stocks. You want perks, become a cast member.

Hmmmmm. Lately? Not so much.............

 

[Foolish1]

If only they were run as seperate companies to stand or fall on their own. Imagine what WDW would be if it did not have to subsidize other parts of the Walt Disney Company. So utterly wrong. This, to me, is Eisner's legacy. And if WDW does not start investing (upkeep, new capital, salaries) in itself, the "declining by degrees" will accelerate I am afraid. If I am wrong someone please correct me.

Please get rid of that which does not work in the WDC!

Please be careful what you wish for. This very scenario nearly happened in 1983. And this would NOT have been a good thing. If Disney did spin off the parks, eventually it would be renamed to something else, and probably eventually the new management would discontinue licensing Disney copyrights, and thus the end of WDW and DL.

In 1983, the parks, the studios, the film library, all had buyers lined up, waiting to buy. Each had their plans to cut costs at each division. Breaking things up would actually DECREASE the quality that Disney has stood for.

I completely agree that much of what Eisner did was bad. But keeping things together was partly his doing.

 

[maryszhi]

soory i didnt understand what stocks are sorry i still dont get it but o well i stink at math lol

oh and i luv the red sox go boston

 

[Gorjus]

soory i didnt understand what stocks are sorry i still dont get it but o well i stink at math lol

oh and i luv the red sox go boston

Yea Sox!!!

In simple english. I own a company. I decide that instead of my owning the company exclusively, I'm going to let everyone share the wealth. Usually this happens when a company needs an influx of cash to do something. So, I make the company public and everyone can own a piece of the company and thus a part in some decision making.

In very simple math, let us say that we decide the company is worth $100.00. And we decide to sell 100 shares for $1.00 each. You can now buy shares in the company. So you buy 1 share in the company and at the time you buy it, it is worth $1.00. That is called the initial public offering or IPO. Now that all or most of the shares have been sold, it becomes a matter of supply and demand. If the company starts doing well, people may decide to sell their shares and make a profit. So everyone wants my share that I bought for $1.00. The market says one share, instead of being worth $1, is now worth $2. I have now doubled my money. You might sell your share that you bought at $2.00, for $2.50. That is how you get a return on your investment. The price of a stock goes up according to how the company is doing, any news items, a fly flew through the window at the wrong time, supply and demand, etc.

Some companies also pay dividends to their stock holders. That is when they take some of the profit and divide it evenly to each share. So, as a stockholder, you get cash back.

This is a most basic explanation because I am not at all good at math or an investment genius. I belong to a stock club and own a few stocks, Disney included. Feel free to correct my info.

Whether or not the stocks go up or down a few cents in value each year is of little importance to me. I just need to know that in 20 years, I'll be able to sell my stocks at enough of a profit to retire on.