tAll Encompassing Disney Thread

[mdmost 43920]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:43 AM, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Is Flights of Passage even 3 years old?

Flights of Passage is a 3D ride. RotR has no 3D or 4D elements. It's a true ride in the vein of a dark ride and not a video based ride. Same reason the Hogwarts ride at Harry Potter is better than the Gringotts 3D ride. All the illusions on RotR are there for your naked eye to see. That's pretty big because it shows Disney has further pushed the technology they've been working on for years. 

[pepper brooks 580]

The Star Wars sets and cantina are really cool. Honestly, everything else is pretty much another wasted opportunity for Disney with Star Wars. The MF ride is lame as shit.  This is at Disneyland.  They need to get the other ride completed and running. 

Edited December 14, 2019 by pepper brooks

[shnsajax 3607]

I liked the Millennium Falcon ride and it was perfect for my kids that are younger.

[Incredulity 11874]

I really liked the MF ride.  I thought the interactive elements were cool.

I rode as a pilot.

[pepper brooks 580]

Not Disney related, but California related. Spent the morning at Disney. Headed to the montage for a night. Went over to melrose because the kid wanted to visit all these sneaker shops. He’s into that stuff. My goodness, it’s brutal with the freaking pot smokers and general derelicts everywhere. I’m a “do whatever you want at your house, idgaf”, but geez the whole area was like walking around in cheech and Chongs car.  Just awful.  I’ve officially entered get off my lawn territory.  Again, do whatever you want at your house. I just don’t see the upside to toking up in public.  And to be fair, people doing the same in the middle of Beverly Hills as we were walking around.  

[SimonBolivar 11062]

Any old school EPCOT fans in here? This recently remastered Horizons footage is fantastic.

 

They said they're going to try to remaster other former attractions as well.

[mdmost 43920]

I’d love to see the original Journey Into Imagination with the Dreamfinder. 

[SimonBolivar 11062]

41 minutes ago, mdmost said:

I’d love to see the original Journey Into Imagination with the Dreamfinder. 

I'd like to see that and a better version of World of Motion. I never got to ride these versions but they all seem to be better than what replaced them.

[LonghornSean 4103]

Coronavirus is really gonna do a number on plans for WDW going forward.  Post from a usually credible insider over at WDWmagic

 

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/whats-still-on-and-whats-now-off.964041/

Quote

I know I said I wouldn't be posting anything during the pandemic, but I received some information about the severity of cuts coming for projects at WDW. I thought I'd make a brief post about that, although there are much more important issues in the world today. I likely won't be checking in often for conversation, but I may reply from time to time.

What's Likely to Be Completed:

• Tron Coaster
• Guardians of the Galaxy Coaster
• Cinderella Castle Retheme
• Ratatouille
• Space 220

What's Likely to Be Delayed:

 

• Innoventions Demo
• MFSR Update
• Harmonious

What's Currently Being Looked at for Abandonment:

 

• Mary Poppins Expansion
• Moana Expansion
• Unannounced Journey Into Imagination Upgrade
• Star Wars Hotel
• Galaxy's Edge Expansions / Upgrades
• Spaceship Earth Refurb
• Wonders of Life Pavilion Retheme
• Coco Attraction
• Reflections Lakeside Lodge
• Every other potential addition not listed here

Furthermore, Disney is currently working on a plan for what re-opening WDW looks like. Every week it is shut down, it becomes more difficult to reopen. In the best case scenario where WDW can be reopened in May, while still taking massive precautions during a global pandemic, this is the general outline:

Magic Kingdom reopens with 50% capacity. No parades, no fireworks, no indoor theaters, significant number of rides down.
Epcot not currently planned to reopen with the other parks.
DHS reopens with 40% capacity. No parades, no indoor theaters.
Animal Kingdom reopens with 50% capacity. No indoor theaters.
No plans to reopen Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon in the near term.
All ride vehicles would require mandatory wipe down once in station.
No character meets.
Distancing encouraged.

 

We have a trip booked for late July. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by LonghornSean

[A-Tex Devil 2496]

4 minutes ago, LonghornSean said:

Coronavirus is really gonna do a number on plans for WDW going forward.  Post from a usually credible insider over at WDWmagic

 

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/whats-still-on-and-whats-now-off.964041/

 

We have a trip booked for late July. 

I'd considered spring break 2021, and may still when hotels come online for 2021 -- June right?  I am curious if there will be some deep discounts to encourage people to fill things up next year.  

[mdmost 43920]

We had a San Diego trip and 4 days at Disneyland in the plans for early June. That's definitely gone. Tickets were already purchased to lock in the cheaper prices before Disney raised prices earlier in the year. Tickets are good through the end of this year and I believe into January 2021. Hotel can be cancelled. Flights were booked with points and can be moved. Even if DLR was to open up before then I'm not really sure I'd be comfortable with taking the family there. Especially when we could move it to later in the summer or sometime in the fall. 

Enough of the selfish part. I really feel for all those Disney employees. They're paid through April 15th but I wonder how long Disney does that. And the economy around Anaheim has to be taking a massive hit. They also will have to push back all the refurbishments that were happening like Haunted Mansion. There was also an expansion of the area where Bugs Land used to be that was going to be Marvel Avengers rides and buildings. 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

2 hours ago, LonghornSean said:

Coronavirus is really gonna do a number on plans for WDW going forward.  Post from a usually credible insider over at WDWmagic

 

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/whats-still-on-and-whats-now-off.964041/

 

We have a trip booked for late July. 

I'd be a terrible CEO. My thinking is everyone is going to have terrible financials this year it would be a good time to invest in the parks without getting slammed by Wall St for it.

[SimonBolivar 11062]

3 hours ago, LonghornSean said:

Coronavirus is really gonna do a number on plans for WDW going forward.  Post from a usually credible insider over at WDWmagic

 

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/whats-still-on-and-whats-now-off.964041/

 

We have a trip booked for late July. 

Looks like Epcot might be the winner in the coronavirus sweepstakes. I have no faith in current management to handle those upgrades/refurbs. 

[hornbri 1508]

We are planning late May WDW. Think we may be cancelling. 

[CooterBrown 18287]

I went ahead and booked the hotel for our annual first week of NOV trip to DLR.  Hotels around the park are really cheap right now.  Got a family suite at the Hyatt Regency for $180/night. Normally it runs $279-299 that week.  I'll sit on it and see if it goes lower. 

[Okie State 3889]

We are planning late May WDW. Think we may be cancelling. 

Cancelled ours for last week of May yesterday. My kids are going to be crushed.

[mdmost 43920]

I figured that our June Disneyland trip is gone. I just got an email from the Courtyard by Marriott that we had been booked at that they have cancelled all reservations until June 21st. So either they just did a straight cancel and you can rebook if the parks are open by then or they know that Disneyland isn't coming back online till around that date. Very interesting. 

[Baboontyme 2882]

mdmost, I know you will understand this. I hate to say it, I guess we're suckers for corporate happy/fun, but I was talking to the kids the other night, and if this thing was truly over and we didn't have to worry about a thing, we all said there was not a place that we would rather be than the MK/WDW. That is kind of weird and sad but it's what I grew up with and it has become a very happy place for them, as well. For some, (I suppose guilty) it truly is the happiest place on earth. Despite the crowds, the rascals, the rude South Americans, etc. I would give anything to be there with my kids next week. Running to Tower of Terror before closing with my son. Watching the Festival of Fantasy parade with my daughter (I know, now canceled). That damn stupid super expensive Chef Mickey's brunch and them waving their stupid napkins in the air. I would kill to be in the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion. I'm dying to meet someone there. 

[SimonBolivar 11062]

On 4/6/2020 at 11:20 PM, Baboontyme said:

mdmost, I know you will understand this. I hate to say it, I guess we're suckers for corporate happy/fun, but I was talking to the kids the other night, and if this thing was truly over and we didn't have to worry about a thing, we all said there was not a place that we would rather be than the MK/WDW. That is kind of weird and sad but it's what I grew up with and it has become a very happy place for them, as well. For some, (I suppose guilty) it truly is the happiest place on earth. Despite the crowds, the rascals, the rude South Americans, etc. I would give anything to be there with my kids next week. Running to Tower of Terror before closing with my son. Watching the Festival of Fantasy parade with my daughter (I know, now canceled). That damn stupid super expensive Chef Mickey's brunch and them waving their stupid napkins in the air. I would kill to be in the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion. I'm dying to meet someone there. 

I was looking up the menu at Pecos Bill's today for no reason and that place is one of the worst restaurants in Florida. That mouse has some mythical power to make me want to do that.

[mdmost 43920]

I saw that Bob Iger says they'll adopt some new protocols once the parks reopen such as taking temperatures of guests before they're allowed through the screening area. Once the parks reopen, Disney could make a killing selling Disney themed masks. Would outpace earhats. 

[thunderlounge 8407]

20 minutes ago, mdmost said:

I saw that Bob Iger says they'll adopt some new protocols once the parks reopen such as taking temperatures of guests before they're allowed through the screening area. Once the parks reopen, Disney could make a killing selling Disney themed masks. Would outpace earhats. 

 

And they’ll charge twice the price of ears too.

[CooterBrown 18287]

20 hours ago, mdmost said:

I saw that Bob Iger says they'll adopt some new protocols once the parks reopen such as taking temperatures of guests before they're allowed through the screening area. Once the parks reopen, Disney could make a killing selling Disney themed masks. Would outpace earhats. 

can you link to an article?  I've been thinking that this will be standard for any gathering...sports, movies, concerts, etc.  At least for a year or so until there's a vaccine.

[mdmost 43920]

Looking back at where I saw it, it was a suggested option that Disney might employ.

https://www.micechat.com/256040-disney-theme-parks-may-conduct-temperature-checks-on-guests/

Quote

“One of the things that we’re discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe,” Iger said. “Some of that could come in the form, ultimately, of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny, more restrictions. Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures, as a for-instance.” 

Temperature checks have become common in airports and widely used in China to identify individuals who might be sick.  

“Let’s prepare for a world where our customers demand that we scrutinize everybody. Even if it creates a little bit of hardship, like it takes a little bit longer for people to get in.” – Bob Iger

 

[SimonBolivar 11062]

I'm sure that will go smoothly when it's 95 with 100% humidity and everyone is sweating their asses off. 

[mdmost 43920]

Well, it's either that or no parks. People wait through security lines now when it's balls hot.

I'd imagine Disney will see how things go as the Asian parks come back online and take procedures from those parks when the US ones come back online. I know Tokyo is down till mid May. I'd imagine Shanghai will reopen soon as the country is opening back up. 

[SimonBolivar 11062]

26 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Well, it's either that or no parks. People wait through security lines now when it's balls hot.

I'd imagine Disney will see how things go as the Asian parks come back online and take procedures from those parks when the US ones come back online. I know Tokyo is down till mid May. I'd imagine Shanghai will reopen soon as the country is opening back up. 

I didn't mean at a comfort level but rather someone with a fever now has no fever because they're sweating and bringing down their temperature. I just think social distancing at Disney is going to be pretty much impossible, but it'll be interesting to see what they come up with. I wonder what the minimum number of guests in a park is to turn a profit? I'd imagine that number is quite high.

[mdmost 43920]

That article also has a Wells Fargo analyst that thinks Disney won't see a return to normal as far as park levels till 2022. Half capacity through Fiscal 2021. I'm curious what that does for staffing levels. 

[mdmost 43920]

This New York Times article about Bob Iger staying on to help Disney through the crisis is pretty eerie. Disney is being hit on 4 fronts: theme parks no one can go to, cruise ships no one can get on, movies that normally show in theaters that aren't open, and ESPN which can't show any sports right now. Worth a read. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/12/business/media/disney-ceo-coronavirus.html

[SimonBolivar 11062]

$30M lost a day seems bad. I'm going to assume that you better like the parks how they are now and with the projects already started, because I don't see the stomach to spend $$$ on a huge construction boom anytime soon.

[CooterBrown 18287]

On 4/9/2020 at 3:23 PM, SimonBolivar said:

I wonder what the minimum number of guests in a park is to turn a profit? I'd imagine that number is quite high.

Disney caps Disneyland's maximum occupancy at 80,000.  They could easily double ticket prices, cap it at 40,000 and have no problem selling out tickets.  Once people were comfortable going out again, they would clamor to get tickets for a park that was capped at half capacity. Hell, triple the ticket prices to make up for lost income on merch and food sales and they'd still sell out each day.

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by CooterBrown

[mdmost 43920]

I'm not sure Disneyland could make it if you doubled ticket prices. People were already angry at the soaring costs and now you've got a massive amount of unemployment that will cut into family budgets. Last summer was ridiculously light and that was with a new land added. The time we were slated to go in June, the average crowd calendar was about a 2 on touringplans.com based on last year's numbers. Previous years it was 6 to 8. So much of DLR attendance is California resident passholder purchases. The times Disneyland was most busy were either major holidays or times when the restrictions on passholders was low. Part of the reason we picked the time we were going to go was it had the most passholder restrictions. 

I'd imagine they'll reopen with no restrictions on passholders. They have to get people into the parks, buying merch and eating food. Future rides will be abandoned unless ground was already broken. The Avengers campus may only get the one ride that's slated to open this year. There will be less staffing overall. Less parades, maybe no fireworks. Rides will only run on one track. I doubt California reopens until mid-June. 

I think WDW will come out of this much better than DLR given it's more of a destination. People are going to want that get away from it all vacation again. 

[SimonBolivar 11062]

It's going to be really interesting to see how WDW specificially handles reopening with their employees. All of the CPs sent home will give those locals that come back more hours, but I wonder what % of FT and PT workers return after all of this?

Edited April 19, 2020 by SimonBolivar

[Grade of D as in David 13255]

Looks like Disney is planning on a prolonged shutdown of the parks and hotels.

100,000 furloughed starting this week.

https://www.ft.com/content/db574838-0f40-41ce-9bcd-75039f8cb288

 

[CooterBrown 18287]

7 hours ago, Grade of D as in David said:

Looks like Disney is planning on a prolonged shutdown of the parks and hotels.

100,000 furloughed starting this week.

https://www.ft.com/content/db574838-0f40-41ce-9bcd-75039f8cb288

 

Post the article. Most of us don't own a pair of gray slacks.

[SimonBolivar 11062]

On 4/12/2020 at 8:42 PM, mdmost said:

This New York Times article about Bob Iger staying on to help Disney through the crisis is pretty eerie. Disney is being hit on 4 fronts: theme parks no one can go to, cruise ships no one can get on, movies that normally show in theaters that aren't open, and ESPN which can't show any sports right now. Worth a read. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/12/business/media/disney-ceo-coronavirus.html

I'm pretty sure Chapek died sometime around when he was named CEO. That man is a magic killing ghost.

[SimonBolivar 11062]

Q2 Earnings reports coming out today. I don't imagine that It can be very pretty.

Edited May 5, 2020 by SimonBolivar

[mdmost 43920]

They're going to reopen Shanghai Disney next week but at a much smaller capacity. So if we're at least 2-3 months behind China in terms of what we're dealing with, our parks won't reopen till later this summer but I would bet Florida opens much faster than California. 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

I expect to see lots of 'free dining' deals over the next few years to fill the parks when the economy goes in the toilet. Wonder how many DVC defaults there will be?

Edited May 6, 2020 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[SimonBolivar 11062]

1 hour ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

I expect to see lots of 'free dining' deals over the next few years to fill the parks when the economy goes in the toilet. Wonder how many DVC defaults there will be?

Also I'd imagine there will be price reductions at the resorts. If there is a recession then paying $600/night for a basic hotel room at the deluxe resorts might not be all that appealing anymore.

2 hours ago, mdmost said:

They're going to reopen Shanghai Disney next week but at a much smaller capacity. So if we're at least 2-3 months behind China in terms of what we're dealing with, our parks won't reopen till later this summer but I would bet Florida opens much faster than California. 

I believe it was the first time Disney officially announced a normal park capacity with Shanghai normally being 80,000. There were some days when I worked at Epcot where I swore it was half the population of the earth.

Edited May 6, 2020 by SimonBolivar

[mdmost 43920]

Disney Springs is about to reopen. I'm not really sure who will be going there outside of residence that live around it. I'd imagine limited reopening happens in June. I saw Disneyland has cancelled all reservations till July. It will be fascinating to see photos and video once it's reopened. I can't imagine we're bound for either until late 2021 now. I'm going to get a refund on our 2020 tickets as we won't be heading there for a while. I could move the tickets to 2021 and pay a small fee but I think we won't be at a point of feeling comfortable going there till summer of next year at the earliest. 

[Chewbacca 7828]

I believe it was the first time Disney officially announced a normal park capacity with Shanghai normally being 80,000. There were some days when I worked at Epcot where I swore it was half the population of the earth.

If there is a recession? 20% of America is unemployed. We are in a recession, at best.

[mdmost 43920]

Saw on Twitter that CityWalk opened back up at Universal Orlando. And it just looks weird. Really sparse crowd, which is a good thing. Temperature checks from fully masked and gloved workers. There are spaces down in front of the restaurants for people to wait, spaced apart, to get in. I guess if you need to get out, it would be an appealing option but I really don't see how those restaurants are doing much of anything right now. Maybe that changes as more people get comfortable. It's really interesting to me as either we're going to have to inch back very very slowly to get some sort of opening to work or if people will just say F it and go out there in mass. 

Shanghai Disney reopened to really sparse crowds and it looked weird as well.  

[Both Tacos 1827]

So what's the word on Universal and Disney reopening, along with their resort hotels?

[Baboontyme 2882]

Some of the hotels are open already. One of the wdw blogger accounts I follow was posting videos from the pool and bar at the Polynesian today and pics from the Contemporary. Not many people and social distancing in effect, but open.

Parks at WDW are not going to be open for a few weeks at minimum. I'm guessing mid August with heavy distancing/mask stuff in place. 

Paris announced plans to reopen this week. But every other country is probably a little more sane, unselfish and responsible than we are here in 'Merica. 

[Bartles 769]

The Orlando parks are scheduled to re-open on July 11, but cast members are petitioning to delay that date due to the outbreak. Passholder reservations are supposed to begin this Friday, so they'll have to decide quickly if they want to push it back.

[Both Tacos 1827]

Did I see that Universal opened back up with very small crowds or was it another park?

[SimonBolivar 11062]

45 minutes ago, Both Tacos said:

Did I see that Universal opened back up with very small crowds or was it another park?

Universal opened up and there were many people saying that social distancing wasn't working at all there.

Edited June 23, 2020 by SimonBolivar

[Both Tacos 1827]

Universal opened up and there were many people saying that social distancing wasn't working at all there.

Social distancing and chance of Rona by taking the family on a cheap trip (airfare and hotel rates) or waiting for all this to blow over.
Hard decision.....

[Chewbacca 7828]

3 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

Universal opened up and there were many people saying that social distancing wasn't working at all there.

How can it?  Those places are designed to force people into close proximity all over the place.  Disney is no different.

[gyroprotagonist 2597]

42 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

How can it?  Those places are designed to force people into close proximity all over the place.  Disney is no different.

yeah, I saw the TV ad for Universal and thought, no way in hell can you social distance a line at those places.  The lines would longer that the 7am line to get into Costco.

Are those places requiring a c19 waiver?  or is something like that already baked into the fine print you agree to when purchasing a ticket?