Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt

[Cardinals314]

There is already 100 pages in this thread and my question is any real updates on really whats coming?

Nothing has been confirmed by Disney, but its most likely going to be an expansion of the current Star Wars area of DHS. Part of this expansion area will be a Mos Eisley Cantina Bar location as well as another Star Wars themed ride.

 

[pheneix]

OK, whatever you say. Thanks and have a magical day.

What did you expect. That USA Today article was a fluff piece filled with quotes from financial analysts who don't understand how the theme park business works. "Record spring attendance! That must mean summer will be REALLY STRONG!"

You can train parrots to say that.

Global amusement park visitation is a mess in 2013. Yesterday I had a discussion with a soon to be released CEO of a major European theme park and business in Europe is still very soft. Europe is in the middle of an economic depression that is about a year away from crashing the party here in America.

No surprise that Orlando is reflecting this. It is going to get a lot worse after free dining bonanza in September. A LOT worse.

 

[pheneix]

@pheneix, if you had to put a number to it, how much money does a park like DCA make per day? With ticket sales, average food sales, merchandise? How many years would it take to justify the amount spent on DCA? How long does it take to "pay for itself" or has it already, with its new found overwhelming popularity?

I'm glad Virtual Insider threw in his analysis on this topic as that is a legit research project right there.

Hmm maybe I'll look into it.

 

[asianway]

What did you expect. That USA Today article was a fluff piece filled with quotes from financial analysts who don't understand how the theme park business works. "Record spring attendance! That must mean summer will be REALLY STRONG!"

You can train parrots to say that.

Global amusement park visitation is a mess in 2013. Yesterday I had a discussion with a soon to be released CEO of a major European theme park and business in Europe is still very soft. Europe is in the middle of an economic depression that is about a year away from crashing the party here in America.

No surprise that Orlando is reflecting this. It is going to get a lot worse after free dining bonanza in September. A LOT worse.

so are the WDPR layoffs back on the front burner?

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Global amusement park visitation is a mess in 2013. Yesterday I had a discussion with a soon to be released CEO of a major European theme park and business in Europe is still very soft. Europe is in the middle of an economic depression that is about a year away from crashing the party here in America.

In that vein, to add more anecdotal evidence - I was very surprised by the low crowd levels in DLP last month. End of June, a sunny day, and crowds were perfectly manageable.

 

[pheneix]

so are the WDPR layoffs back on the front burner?

They've quietly been reducing the hourly workload in creative ways throughout the year. The more eagle eyed posters here can spot the cutbacks instantly. I still see insane amounts of overstaffing such as crowd control cast members acting effectively as human signs when I visit, so the labor savings are not being accumulated everywhere equally.

I think WDPR is doing the best it can to avoid having to plow through the publicity of laying of thousands of cast members at once. It is actually a higher priority for the firm right now than any kind of big time capital investment project in Orlando.

But all bets are off in Fiscal Year 2014. @WDW1974, has ID'd the Imagination pavilion, Beauty and the Beast show at DHS, and American Idol as facilities that are not long for this world. If all the CMs required to run those venues are transferred somewhere else, it will be because job cuts were found elsewhere in the resort.

I don't see them maintaining this kind of head count in Orlando through the end of 2014. Not by a long shot.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

I don't see them maintaining this kind of head count in Orlando through the end of 2014. Not by a long shot.

It must be nice to talk so flippantly about one's livelihood when it is not your own.

 

[ToTBellHop]

It must be nice to talk so flippantly about one's livelihood when it is not your own.

I hear Universal will be hiring in 2014.

Expelliarmus!

 

[pheneix]

Figures... The one afternoon I have off to go run around at WDW and MK and DAK are finally posting day counts that are more becoming of a peak season summer day.

If cast member main gates have made this substantial of a difference in WDW day counts, all I have to say is "?!?"

 

[El Grupo]

They've quietly been reducing the hourly workload in creative ways throughout the year. The more eagle eyed posters here can spot the cutbacks instantly. I still see insane amounts of overstaffing such as crowd control cast members acting effectively as human signs when I visit, so the labor savings are not being accumulated everywhere equally.

I think WDPR is doing the best it can to avoid having to plow through the publicity of laying of thousands of cast members at once. It is actually a higher priority for the firm right now than any kind of big time capital investment project in Orlando.

But all bets are off in Fiscal Year 2014. @WDW1974, has ID'd the Imagination pavilion, Beauty and the Beast show at DHS, and American Idol as facilities that are not long for this world. If all the CMs required to run those venues are transferred somewhere else, it will be because job cuts were found elsewhere in the resort.

I don't see them maintaining this kind of head count in Orlando through the end of 2014. Not by a long shot.

Sounds like it is time to build another DVC property in Orlando. That solves everything, right?

 

[ToTBellHop]

Sounds like it is time to build another DVC property in Orlando. That solves everything, right?

There are at least two in the works...

 

[pheneix]

It must be nice to talk so flippantly about one's livelihood when it is not your own.

I've always been more of a "tell people what they need to know" type than "tell people what they want to hear."

It's a harsh perspective on the world and it tends to not go well at times. My apologies.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I've always been more of a "tell people what they need to know" type than "tell people what they want to hear."

It's a harsh perspective on the world and it tends to not go well at times. My apologies.

I'm the same. My friend actually called me "blunt and harshly honest"...whatever that means.

 

[WDW1974]

That's interesting! When I was there last October mid week, the shops were packed, and there was a line for the Cones and for Flos.

That was generally my experience last fall as well. Flo's, especially, always had lines and always was tough grabbing a table. The Cars Land shops were also quite busy.

I will say that just in my experience Elias and Co didn't appear as busy as Greetings From CA used to. But that could have been anything from time of day to superior lay out.

They may not be hitting targets, but they shouldn't be hurting either and I find it hard to believe that they are.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Epcot still sells enough booze to justify its existence.

This is all I needed to read. My day is now complete. Peace guys. c:

 

[WDW1974]

They've quietly been reducing the hourly workload in creative ways throughout the year. The more eagle eyed posters here can spot the cutbacks instantly. I still see insane amounts of overstaffing such as crowd control cast members acting effectively as human signs when I visit, so the labor savings are not being accumulated everywhere equally.

I think WDPR is doing the best it can to avoid having to plow through the publicity of laying of thousands of cast members at once. It is actually a higher priority for the firm right now than any kind of big time capital investment project in Orlando.

But all bets are off in Fiscal Year 2014. @WDW1974, has ID'd the Imagination pavilion, Beauty and the Beast show at DHS, and American Idol as facilities that are not long for this world. If all the CMs required to run those venues are transferred somewhere else, it will be because job cuts were found elsewhere in the resort.

I don't see them maintaining this kind of head count in Orlando through the end of 2014. Not by a long shot.

I would also wonder what has been, and is, going on in entertainment. Disney killed the only parade it had at the Studios as well as a Disney Channel based live show. Two more shows in that park will go dark by early next year with no replacements announced yet. DAK's parade will end its run after the Christmas holidays. Again, no replacement.

Let's also not forget that one reason NGE was supported by the BoD were the 'savings' in labor that were sold on tech replacing bodies. At some point, the system is going to go live beyond simply selected test groups/resorts.

Oh, and then there's the cutback in hours. MK already has gone to a 9-11 schedule for the summer vs. The traditional midnight closings. Add in four hours of EMH gone and you have 11 hours in labor savings in just one park.

I'm not sure jobs are going to be cut in any major numbers, but people will see reductions in hours and likely be moved around.

 

[WDW1974]

It must be nice to talk so flippantly about one's livelihood when it is not your own.

I don't think he was being flippant, just factual. Sometimes, the facts suck ...Hell imagine if the USA devoted the trillions of dollars it is using on spying on as many people on the planet as possible and put them into healthcare, job creation, education, infrastructure. We really might be the No.1 nation on Earth.

Reality does suck ...but it beats moving to O-Town and starting a blog and living in theme parks six days a week. Now, what were we talking about?

 

[ParkMan73]

Well...then you get into the problem with people not going as often because they can't afford it. So, they are giving you ZERO money.

I know, from personal experience, we have decided to go to WDW less often as we normally would. When we do go, we opt to stay off property because the rates are so high. It's not that we can't afford it...it's that we don't think it's "WORTH" that money and the rates they are charging could be better spent other places and on other things.

First time visitors will pay anything...it's the repeat business where the high prices are going to affect.

We're just the kinda family hit by this. We're a family of 6 and spent seven nights/eight days at WDW. Since we're a family of 6, we got two rooms at a value. We were not really living it up and the costs were something like: airfare - $1,500, hotel - $1,800, tickets - $1,750, food - $2,200. So, for a week it was about $7,250.

That's a lot of money for a week a year in WDW. We considered taking a day at Universal, but that's another $500 just for tickets & $100 to get there.

We could easily do a couple of weeks of a more traditional vacation for the same cost.

 

[pheneix]

I don't think he was being flippant, just factual. Sometimes, the facts suck ...Hell imagine if the USA devoted the trillions of dollars it is using on spying on as many people on the planet as possible and put them into healthcare, job creation, education, infrastructure. We really might be the No.1 nation on Earth.

Reality does suck ...but it beats moving to O-Town and starting a blog and living in theme parks six days a week. Now, what were we talking about?

You know what's worse? Living in Orlando and NOT living in the parks six days a week.

 

[flynnibus]

OK, whatever you say. Thanks and have a magical day.

Who is coaching all these people to use 'magical day' in their attempts at passive aggression? Not only do you look foolish you look like a copycat fool