I can only speak for myself and a few other friends of mine in the same boat, but when Epic Universe opens, I will be making a trip to Florida that I otherwise would not have made. I will also be staying on Universal property and I might go to WDW for a day or two. It used to be the other way around where I would squeeze in a day or two at Universal, but the Disney experience isn't what it used to be. That could change, but for the foreseeable future, Universal gets most of my theme park dollars. I love it when Tom gives his opinions, and he certainly knows more about the industry than me, but at least for me -- Epic Universe is a gamechanger.
Getting the free fast pass when staying at one of the Universal hotels is brilliant! Makes it a no-brainer and a money saver, plus you can walk right to the park in a few minutes.
Agree, 2024 my plan was Galactic StarCruiser & WDW, then 2025 was going to be my 1st trip staying at Universal….so disappointed that I may just wait til 2025
I mean, that's not exclusive to Josh. That's basically Disney's entire strategy in the last few years. Did you see the list of Star Wars movies and shows that KK announced a few years ago? 90% of those have been shelved.
@@arubial1229 I’m sure if people actually liked disneys version of star wars they would have made them. You’re tired of getting dunked on and losing money.
Agree. This is what they keep doing the last couple years. In the meantime universal talks and then builds. Something that Disney was doing right about when the mining train was built. Back then they actually cared.
How about updates and basic maintenance at WDW BEFORE expanding the parks?! And if you want to add an attraction, gets LOTS of fan approval and not spend $100 million?! Bring back an UPDATED Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, either at the Magic Kingdom or the UK pavilion at EPCOT.
Having a kids park in Texas I think is different enough that it doesn't dilute Universal parks. This is just based on how it's being presented so far, but I think a kids park will attract a customer base that either wouldn't be going to the other Universal parks or would be hesitant. It being in Texas obviously keeps it away from the Disney parks so they aren't splitting tourists dollars. In LA or Orlando Universal is a more adult aimed park compared to Disney's children aimed parks. I don't know at all if it works but there is an idea behind it that is logical at least.
I agree. Also, I think it’s just a tester. A soft way to test out a park in Texas. Because if it’s successful I think they’d be willing to (with the breakneck speed they’re going) to extend it into a full new Universe park in Texas. Think about it. They would control 100% of the revenue instead of always having to split it with Disney like they do on both coasts. And being middle of the country has its advantages for catching guests and families who would normally be traveling all the way to the coasts. I call “testing ground.” 😊
I think they should run the shuttle spaceships (box trucks) from Batu to the Star Cruiser for dinner and a show. Only people with dinner reservations would be allowed on the shuttles.. They could be served drinks, shop, mingle with a character or two and experience "Light Speed" in the main Atrium and then continue on into the dining room for the dinner show with Guya. They already have a full menu and a full show. Take out the storyline and let Guya and company sing. Then they shuttle you back to Batu. Have a few showings a day like the "Hoop-de- Doo". Cycle people through at a more reasonable price. The dinner show could also be available from outside the park by using the "shuttle craft " that currently takes you from the Starcruiser parking to the ship. They could even make the last show of the night an "overnight excursion" so they could ger some use out of the rooms. They could very easily salvage this thing. It's already built. They just need to use it differently.
Could not agree more & if Disney instead decides to let it sit & rot, they’ll be losing me as a loyal customer. Because it was bad enough that they created this experience with a huge pay wall in front of it…. If they continue to deny access to Star Wars fans by valuing tax deductions over fan interest/profitable offerings.
Tom has brought to light a pet peeve of mine. Walt Disney World has many areas that are in now dire need of maintenance and/or refurbishment. The problem is, they don’t want attractions shut down to do it. It used to be that there was daily maintenance and refurbishment at all of the parks which occurred during the off hours at the parks. With all the employment changes that have been made over the years, it appears that this staff has been reduced the most. There’s that and the practice of outsourcing. While it may appear to be a cost benefit to have external contractors do the work, it ends up costing more when it is not done correctly. If Disney does not believe me, then they’re in for a rude awakening. My family used to take yearly, if not two or three times a year, trips to the resort. This stopped in 2006. The condition of the parks and resorts was not to our liking, so we vacationed elsewhere for a few years. We returned to the resorts/parks in 2009 and were still seeing things that were not up to par, let alone Disney standards. The next few trips were resort only stays. Again, during this time period it was noticed that things were not being repaired/replaced/refurbished they way they used to be and we started to notice that areas undergoing refurbishment were still being utilized for guest occupancy, just not on the same floor as the refurbishment. This lead to many noisy mornings and afternoons at the resort (construction activities began daily at 8am). After that experience, we decided to never book at a resort with any ongoing construction. On our next visit, we started to notice construction walls around attractions that were more obvious. In the past, these were never there for more than a week and were hardly noticeable. At this point, the noise from the other side of the wall was distracting and often rude. By 2012, we were back to doing park/resort vacations, but were still noticing the little things, especially in the parks. Areas with construction walls were more common, sections of parks were completely inaccessible due to construction and again, noisy. Even things that most would dismiss were really starting to irritate us. Not matching concrete colors was a huge pet peeve. I mean, I get if they weren’t going to match the weathering…but a complete color mismatch! It wasn’t even like there was any concrete that color anywhere nearby. They tried to fix it by painting the surface, but, as external contractors often do, they used substandard paint and it wore in a matter of hours. If Disney wants to get back to that flagship status, they are going to have to make major investments in infrastructure, theming, and, most importantly, cast members. It seems like every refurbishment is a Hilton/Marriott re-theme rather than an original idea. They have taken too much Disney out of the Disney resorts. The color schemes are bland and all the artwork is no longer “Disney inspired”. If they really want to make money, they will need to lose some in the short term. It’s not a dig, it’s a fact. When you stop investing in what makes you different, you end up being just another theme park. Basic maintenance and refurbishment should be the last thing a Disney guest notices, not the first. It’s time to go back to doing all in park operations (including at the resorts) with Disney employees only. The investment in bring better will show and people will return. This is the entire reason why my park visits are staggered and infrequent now. It’s not about the money, we’ll spend it. It’s about what I get for that money. I have no problem spending more, but you need to give me something I can’t get elsewhere. That’s what has been lacking lately, no Disney experience at Walt Disney World.
@@LARKXHIN haven’t been to the theme parks since 2017 other than two days at the studios back in January. I would like for the appearance of construction web as it used to be…hidden from sight and not during park hours. Most resorts don’t seem to care if they use space two or three floors from other that are undergoing renovations, but Disney used to be different. Up until 2002, we never knew any construction was ongoing even when we would see the results the next day. Again, times were different and so was their workforce. Nighttime projects were the norm at Walt Disney World and/or they were strategic in their placement as to not disturb guests. I can remember one visit that they were refurbishing Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. They would do work all day long and nothing at night. The mini water park was closed during this time (both resorts have quiet pools at either end and the pool at the villas was also available to all Yacht and Beach Club guests at that time, not just DVC members). They were cutting stone a lot during the refurbishment and the dust would often blow onto walkways used by guests. No attempt to stop it or clean it up was made during our stay, so we completely avoided the area including the Yacht Club restaurants and Beaches & Cream. Had the resort managers thought this through, they would have devised a better way to accomplish the task and have guests as well. It’s thinking like this that makes the experience not worth the cost at times. Like I said, prior to 2002, not a single complaint. We love the parks and resorts, but my money is better spent elsewhere.
My dad was the kind of guy who had a tough time finding anything positive to say about anything. And I'll never forget our first trip to WDW in the 1980s, the way he just couldn't stop raving about how clean and well-maintained everything was. Nothing in the outside world was quite like it. And now there are whole generations of younger people who will just take the mess and dysfunction for granted, because they never got to experience anything else.
Adding more rides doesn't increase capacity if you just keep giving them virtual queues, Disney. Also, here is a thought experiment based on a purely hypothetical situation: Lets say, you owned a theme park company that was making a lot money. People were flooding into your parks dispite charging them an exorbitant amount of money. Too many people. They start complaining about wait times, and overcrowding. Stress is high, fights are breaking out. Many are vowing never to return. Building a new park only brings in a small amount of new guests; however, it draws people from other parks, spreading them out. Thus, decreasing the crowding and increasing guest satisfaction. Now, people actually want to come back and spend their money again, but it will only pay off in the long term. Do you take the risk of a loss/breakeven in the short-term? Or continue down your current path hoping that a decade or two down the line you haven't earned a poor reputation and put-off potential customers?
Right. They seem reluctant to build another gate _because_ it will dilute attendance at other parks, but that’s exactly what they need if they’re going to continue to raise prices and artificially manage crowd levels via Genie+ and virtual queuing, etc Plus as it is the parks that could be drawing people away from say MK aren’t able to do so in an effective manner because, idk, Epcot for instance is a hot mess right now…
Raising staff levels would help. Having all attractions running in good repair (reducing breakdowns) and running at full capacity, all shows up and running, and all restaurants and shops fully staffed, would go a long way toward absorbing the crowds.
@@ttintagel hopefully this starts to change now that the state is now in charge of that stuff. Considering Disney treated their firefighters and emts like garbage. I’m sure they only care about the bare minimum on their rides also.
The problem is make the park as attractive as the most popular one and not take away from the least popular that is why i think a magic kingdom/disneyland regional theme park would work well to make magic kingdom more Chill.
Many of the virtual items are far from beneficial, they have only created different types of choke points. It is almost as if they (Disney) did not bother using anyone with operations research or queueing theory backgrounds to assist with flow management. It doesn't need to be a full blown six sigma enterprise with all of the takt times for various employee and customer actions mapped, but it should at least understand that shutting down the largest capacity ride and not increasing the boats on the next two and having the quick service meals be ordered by phone instead of in line, will not ameliorate any wait times. All of those people that otherwise would have been elsewhere will now be at the next choke point. And no Genie will fix that.
Universal's idea to spread out the Wizarding World lands will likely keep attendance balanced. Prob one of the best business moves in theme park history.
I can’t imagine what else of a theme of Harry Potter like ministry of magic , maybe like Harry’s home town from the movie , or like the Malfoy manor !! To
What about an entire Resort and Theme park that looked to be on the surface a section of London. When in reality and only through Wizarding means, guest travel to what was once the Ministry of Magic. But, since Voldemort and Dumbledore's battle the space has been destroyed. So in cooperation between the Ministry of Magic's Department of Muggle Studies and Universal Studios, they together created a space wherein muggles and wizards may commingle. Amusements, hotels, eateries, the works! Sending this out to JKR and US.
@@masonchapman2007 slight spoilers, but from what I’ve seen in status videos, it seems to be Wizarding France (from the second fantastic beasts movie) with the ride being in the British Ministry of Magic (you arrive there via floo powder).
I wish they'd take The Magic Carpets of Aladdin right out and make that area into an open plaza again. The way it is now, it creates awful traffic jams, and there's no need for it with the double Dumbo.
The MK doesn’t need more capacity. They need to increase rides and attractions at their other parks. AK might have opened in 1998 and not only stole from the other parks, but there was basically Expedition Everest and a few other rides there. They put in Pandora which took I think 7 years to be built. Now it has decent numbers, but increase rides and attractions at Epcot, you have a pavilion that has 2 attractions in that has been in mothballs for years and years. You tore down one of the few rides at AK and put up a wall. If you want people to go, build more rides at the other parks. Increase their capacity.
Epic Universe (and Hagrids + Diagon) is my main reason to go back a second time to Orlando. I'm no longer interested in Disney Parks (visited in 2006), Galaxy's Edge and Cosmic Rewind + Tron can be amazing but I choose to spend less in tickets and enjoy the Universal's modern and fresh ride systems and details.
Tron would be worth a day when you come to Orlando. It's also in the best of the Disney parks IMHO. But yeah we switched out APs to Universal some time ago and haven't regretted it.
@@frontierlandfrank5314 Well, I mean if Epic Universe follows the good work done in HP and Nintendo Land. We need to wait until is finished. But Pandora and Galaxy's Edge are nice but far away from the Universal attention to detail and interactivity (buying the wand or the nintendo bracelet).
@@JordiLA oh yeah the new stuff could certainly be good, and I’m expecting Mario to be super cool. But overall Disney is still king. Like I said outside of Harry Potter, everything else looks drab, too many large buildings, not enough theming. The interactive stuff seems gimmicky to me and doesn’t hold much value imo. But I can see where that can be cool.
I agree with you on the 5th park. If 3 of your 4 parks have less than 12 rides you need to add more to existing parks not make new parks. Tom, have you heard the rumor about Frontierland being turned into New Orleans Square? Do you think Disney would really get rid of Frontierland in MK all together? I think losing Frontierland would be losing a little bit of Walt’s influence on the park.
@@RipplyAnemone67 Well the rumor is that Big Thunder would become part of the desert land with Coco so they wouldn’t get rid of Big Thunder just change the land it’s in.
@@outatime8560 well hopefully they won’t retheme big thunder just say it’s and old abandoned mining town that’s in the distance of the town but honestly it fits better for a villian area like after a new mining attempt or something the villians come out of a portal that was sealed under the mountain
They don’t have the money to add to the parks. Witness the pile of dirt disaster in Epcot. That ship sailed with the iger buying sprees (Fox). As long as parks and merch arm is profit center, they will be status quo.
Agreed on giving older titles some love in the parks. I was born in '86 and my parents shared a lot of shows and movies they grew up seeing with myself and my siblings. There are definitely movies that get passed from generation to generation and Disney has always been that. We owned quite a lot of the Disney VHS tapes for things that came out in real time as well as the classics -- we would also rent a lot of them too. I imagine Disney+ might be a bit like that now (I don't subscribe, yet) so I'd expect kids today might know them as well if they have a whole library of Disney films to watch as we all did.
Yeah, there's really no need for the spinner ride since they built the double Dumbo, and it's a menace to foot traffic where it is. That area was designed as an open plaza for a good reason. I'd rather see a dark ride somewhere in Fantasyland. A suspended Onnimocer would be cool
I rode Dumbo and the one at animal kingdom..Dumbo wasn't relaxing...aladdin carpets is the best the views you get over Adventureland in the evenings...tbh it's the only spinner ride I'd go back on.
The tax deduction is for one year... Not a permanent deduction. They can still reuse the property they just have to reclaim the income when it becomes a prophet making area. And I am pretty sure the NBA Experience and The Galactic Star Cruiser were both gross misinterpretation of what people wanted and could afford. Plain and simple.
I gotta disagree with WDW on this one. It was a gross misunderstanding of what people wanted. Between the three trilogies which is often considered by most as the best? Probably the original trilogy. Which one is often seen as the least favorite? The Rey trilogy. This can be seen when they opened the galaxies edge, a ton of fans said they would have preferred it being themed after something other than the Rey films. So the theming was a miscalculation. Second is the design of the hotel, unlike the well worn and lived in look of the falcon and all the other ships in the series to one degree or another the hotel looked a bit antiseptic. Also doesn’t help when people are saying stating in a hotel with no natural light makes them feel like they are in a bunker or submarine. Lastly is the price. Going for the privileged (even more so than the park itself) well it really limits the customer base. Now I get it, the price is high because of the group activities limit the amount of people who can stay at any given time but no doubt it hurt the hotel. What they could have done is to cut down on the cost of operation like having so many cast members in makeup etc they could have said to guests wanting to attend that full on cosplay is allowed and encouraged. The hardcore Star Wars fans go full on with their cos play to the point many have movie quality costumes. Tell them any who do get a percentage off on their room. This would allow for a more immersive experience without needing to have group activities for the guests would be doing the role playing.
That’s the problem. Regardless of how the sequel trilogy performed in theaters, aside from a niche community, the general public liked it ‘just fine’. ‘Just fine’ won’t compel me to spend 6k+, and I imagine the same was true of the casual vacationers, and it CERTAINLY wasn’t true of anybody who preferred Lucas Star Wars to Kennedy Star Wars.
@@ttintagel No. The sequel trilogy is fake Star Wars. People don't want "open-ended storytelling". They want to play Sabacc with Han, interact with R2 on the Falcon, practice lightsabers with Luke, go on a bounty hunt with Boba Fett, etc. This hotel should have been a slam dunk for Disney, and they completely botched it because of their hubris.
If you make Han Solo walk around a ship, he’s just going to be mobbed for photos and it won’t be what the experience is supposed to be. Maybe you guys don’t have all the answers you think you do?
@@WDWNT you would have to make it a scheduled thing. There would definitely be logistics that have to get worked out. The whole point is the sequel trilogy was NEVER going to work with fans. The original trilogy would.
15:49 According to some cast members it’s mating season for some of the native birds in the area and they think the carpets are other birds and they have been swooping down on guests. Apparently it was such a problem they just don’t open it
I would love to see the older original characters get more love in the park, what I absolutely do not want it’s a bastardized “modern” take on them like what’s in Runaway Railroad
Right. Older properties have proven their staying power. We don't know how popular Encanto and Coco will be in ten years. Remember that when Disney-MGM Studios opened, they based a lot around Roger Rabbit, anticipating that it would be an evergreen property. Now the only Roger Rabbit left at Hollywood Studios is an Easter Egg on the second floor near the '50s Prime Time Cafe.
While I agree with the spirit of the mindset of not wanting to commit to something too soon, this isn't anything new, or if anything is actually them waiting longer than they have most other times. This November Coco will be 6 years old and Encanto will be 2 years old. Just doing some quick googling of a few attractions from 10-15 years ago from then new properties, The Seas with Nemo & Friends opened about 4 years after Finding Nemo, Stitch's Great Escape opened about 2 years after Lilo & Stitch, and It's Tough to he a Bug opened... 7 months before A Bug's Life? Huh, that's weird, I never knew it opened before the movie haha. And we aren't even talking about this land beginning construction yet. By the time it's done Coco will likely be around 10 years old with Encanto being over 5. So yeah, I get wanting to be cautious overall. I think we can agree It's Tough to be a Bug is a great example of that concern since A Bug's Life isn't exactly widely beloved or iconic, but I'm pretty sure after 5 years for Coco at the very least is plenty of time and Encanto will probably stay popular enough for it after over a year of this level of popularity.
I have been saying this about building attractions centered in IP that may or may not have staying power as of yet. But, @@TheNamekianClown raises a great point that I’d been thinking about the opposite - Ariel and Aladdin were theee movies of my heyday, and when you look at the attractions for those IPs, they fail to draw the types of crowds one would think thy might, given popularity. Or might have, if they had been build when those movies were IT. Given the timeline of rolling out new attractions, let alone immersive lands as they’re discussing with Encanto/Coco, however longevity and staying power they might have thematically, they still gotta think that the kids that are agog for that content right NOW will be older and possibly less engaged then (at which point the cycle starts over with appeasing the entertainment appetites of kids not yet born😅)
Texas is huge with a lot of potential customers who would buy seasonal passes to universal. I am 3 hours away from the park and I would buy a season pass for my family. There are 3 of the biggest cities in the US within 3 hours of the new park. I can't imagine that the loss of revenue in people not traveling to California or Florida for the main parks would be greater than the amount of potential people who would buy into seasonal tickets. It will all depend on the way they make the park and how its received but there is huge potential here. Also, as someone in Texas. I can't afford to fly my family of 5 out to Florida every year. It takes a couple of years to save up and go. It would be nice to have a place we could go on off years. There is nothing like that in Texas. A park here would be a goldmine.
I cried when they changed the great movie ride , and also splash mountain. I know Walt built his parks to always change and grow , but they’ve got rid of so much nostalgia….Maybe it’s because I’m getting older …I was 42 when I made my first trip and I’ve only gone 4 times , but I couldn’t believe the magic I felt in my heart , and have been a fan since. Plus I am truly a Walt Disney history geek …. So it’s heart breaking when I see that even though Walt Disney never got to see his FL dream come true , His presence was felt . I have a trip planned for later this year , hopefully there’s still some magic ❤ from TX
Yes to acknowledging the classic Disney films that everyone loves and creating more attractions around those! We need a Pocahontas attraction! I had a feeling the Starcruiser was not going to do well. I thought they would try lowering the prices before totally closing it down though. It’s probably not worth it for them, better to close it down.
There are great older properties that could make great attractions: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Fantasia, 101 Dalmatians. Wouldn’t it be great if Disney rethemed Kali River to Jungle Book. They recently built Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with great success.
Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella both have castles. Anaheim has a Sleeping Beauty walkthrough attraction inside, and at Japan, Cinderella has a walkthrough attraction as well. Both IPs are everywhere from Maleficent dragon in various shows and parades, to character meet and greets. Fantasia not only has Sorcerer Mickey present anywhere they can fit him, and the former sorcerer hat at MGM and wand/sleeve at EPCOT, and the Spectromagic parade, but currently they have an entire section of the All Star Movie resort. 101 Dalmatians also has a section, but they use to have a HUGE presence in the late 90s during the first live action remake. Where the Toy Story Mania is today used to be where they showed you how they made the movie, and even the EARful tower was painted up with Dalmatian spots. Jungle Book was a popular enough franchise. It did have half the Kite Tails time slots. Theming it with Kali makes sense due to the geography. There’s enough animal IP that AK can benefit heavily from.
One of the primary ways to increase capacity is to guarntee their services, as they used to do. Every guest riding or about to board every ride that breaks down should be handed paper lightning lanes! This includes the new tech ones that break down all the time.
I don’t think having multiple parks in different areas dilutes anything. As long as you incentivize the need to go to them. IE: new/different rides, different worlds etc.
I could almost believe this but the difficulty is Disney doesn't have the bucks. They have about enough money maybe to buy Hulu which they are going to have to buy. They closed the Starcruiser to use it as a tax write-off. One of their big problems is when they combine their streaming services there is going to be more drop-off of subscribers. That's not even touching the problems coming up with Reedy Creek bonds etc. They have long forgotten the parks are where their money really comes from.
What do people think about Universal pulling people away from the time they would book for a Disney trip? We never considered visiting Universal and now it is part of our vacation. That means there is a day we are not at Disney. With this new park, we might be doing 2 days away from Disney.
I and my family sooooo miss DisneyQuest. We always had such a great time there; we always were Master of the High Seas; raced on magic carpets(I'm not a monkey!); daughter would always break high-score on the light-saber VR(how I don't know!) We always Saved the humans, made a personal song onto a CD, Drew a character, finished the Jungle Trek and I played all the 1980s video games, ahhhh, good times. We had annual passes and visited WDW 3-5x a year and DisneyQuest was always an extra we would look forward to. Last line of "The Road Warrior"; lives now only in my memory.
I love that Tom expresses his opinion so directly. I however disagree with his assessment of what Universals new parks will do. I think it will pull tourists away from W0DW, and will be packed from opening on. It's less expensive than WDW, and will offer more content that young families can relate to, as WDW becomes more and more a rich people's park
@@WDWNT agreed I do believe though for the multi day ticket packages it could be slightly less expensive, it’s the on property hotels that make it way less expensive at universal
@@WDWNT I was thinking more about hotel prices and the things they charge for now that used to be free or much cheaper. You live there. A " few extra dollars" really adds up fast for a family on vacation. Seems that even souvenirs are more affordable at Universal. Just my opinion.
@@hleewoodcock How did you come to the conclusion that Universal’s IP is 100x more relevant than Disney’s when over the past 5 years at the box office, Disney has a studio ranking average of 1.8 whereas Universal only has 2.4? Disney also owns 15 of the top 50 highest-earning media franchises whereas Universal owns only 4 and has affiliations with 5 others.
I’m so sad I will never be able to experience the Galactic Starcruiser 😢 I thought it looked amazing and was hoping that someday it would be affordable enough for my family of 4 to attend. It truly seemed like a magical experience it is truly too bad it didn’t get a fair shot
I heard a castmember telling a streamer that magic carpets is shut down because there is a bird nest somewhere very near to the ride and the bird would try and attack the ride when the carpets were in the up position lol.
ShopDisney is currently running a promotion to win a "voyage" at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser that says "Vacation must be taken between June 15, 2023 and December 15, 2023". The closing feels very unplanned. Makes me feel like there's something more going on than just low attendance.
I am really sad about the Star cruiser, I always wanted to be in the Star wars universe since I was a kid. I've been saving to take a voyage, barely have enough to cover a third of the cost, but now it's doomed. Life happens and money needs to be spent. I guess I'll always have your videos of the experience, as well as Ordinary Adventures and Adam the Woo. Management really dropped the ball with the greed.
I personally think the Frisco kids park is a great idea, though I wish they would include Mario. It's different from their other offerings and works great for local families who may still want to go to Florida or California additionally. Frisco is a well-to-do area with a lot of people, so it's a prime location.
It’s also great because all of Denton Dallas and Ft Worth areas and suburbs, many that are also “well to do”, can benefit it. Other Texas residents including OK, AR, and LA, may plan a weekend there. And some super fans may even travel to Texas just to add this day to their trip, as DFW airport is only a 40 minute drive.
Phastasialand is the theme park industry leader in utilizing every square inch of available space. Multiple attractions are stacked on top of each other, overlapping with guest walkways and diving underground. As a result, Phantasialand has a kineticism and energy not present in many Disney parks, which more and more consist of big, bland showbuildings located thousands of feet from one another.
14:00 So depreciation is always done on every item. There are actually entire tables of generally accepted depreciation timelines. Those timelines represent the point at which the item is likely to either need replacement or substantial repairs/updates. So for example let’s say buildings are 30 years but mattresses might be 2 in a hotel situation. They would “expense” 1/30th of the cost of the building’s structure each year for 30 years or 1/2 of the mattress’ cost each year for 2 years normally. But if the item is no longer relevant they can potentially expense any remaining value immediately. So they could foreseeably depreciate/expense large portions of the current sets and hotel fittings and then leave the building and any sets they plan to keep on their current depreciation/expense schedule. So I doubt they will demolish the entire building, but they may gut most or all of it.
I think the Galactic cruiser could be a deluxe hotel room- like booking cabins- limited capacity but very unique in origin. They could keep the dining as a restaurant- because the two quick services aren't as nice as a restaurant would be. They could have a massive store and a VR experience similar to the one that was at Springs- that books just like building a saberr and a droid do.
As far as I know Disney could write-off Starcrusier as a loss and depreciation (all their properties have depreciation over time, every resort, every project, etc.) and yet still re-open it in some way down the road. In a way what is happening is that the Starcruiser has been put into “bankruptcy” as a single entity on the property, and like many companies that go through this, they are allowed to re-organize and re-open if they choose.
There's a great deal of research and wisdom here today (IRS, attendance trends for the future for Epic Universe, etc.) I really enjoy watching this channel!
Glad the Star cruiser failed because it represents the hubris of Disney management. Like it or not, management had grown overconfident and they need multiple failures at this point to get better. Have grown to understand the company is like snow whites poison apple, shiny and looks delicious but rotten at the core.
I don;t get the appeal of a separate land for villains. Would they be taken out of existing attractions? The heroes and villains are only interesting when they have each other to interact with.
@@ttintagel it could be a land where the villains rule and let things be more scare and themed to them qirhout confuse people like they could bring back snow white scary adventures just changing the name to evil queen scary adventure or something and people wouldnt be scared that it is dark
it'll sit empty for 3-5 years until all the tax-breaks can be squeezed out then it'll be torn down and the land re-developed... I can only imagine how depressing this is for all the cast members and Imagineers.
Since the Star Cruiser is near Galaxy’s edge they should expand galaxy’s Edge add some new attractions around the star cruiser and have the hotel be an attached hotel where you can stay there and go out a rear exit into the park. Kinda like Epic Universe has a hotel in the park. Have the hotel staff dress up and do an occasional show but cut back on the “show” of the hotel where you can book a week or two and take a bus to the other parks. A Star Wars themed hotel with an entrance into the park? Yes please!
Personally, I feel like Universal adding a 3rd gate will boost overall attendance in all of their parks simply because it puts them more on the same level as Disney as far as amount to do at the resort. I think having a 3rd park makes the resort more enticing. If I am going to Disney, I am getting to experience 4 parks where as currently Universal only has two. So if I am a park lover that has to choose, I am going to choose the resort with more to offer. However, I understand that money is a big factor, so of course Universal might be a better option due to there being less park days to pay for. But even if Epic Universe lowers attendance at the other parks, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Like mentioned earlier, that could be helpful from a park capacity standpoint which could improve quality of life for guests. Either way, I think the 3rd gate is going to pay off very well for Universal, and HOPEFULLY it can spark even more competition so both companies improve their parks to get guest attention.
I guess part of the challenge of adding a new park outside of (for example) WDW is that that new location will need all of the infrastructure (transport,utilities) which is already present in an existing location such as WDW. So it's easier to add to WDW than build a completely new setup
@Native RU-vidr Historian I don't think that is what was being suggested - it was more about leaving WDW as is and setting a new park up in another state
As for the magic carpets ride, iirc it's from Zamperla and they've been having massive supply chain issues. My local park ordered a small ride from them and it stiiiilll isn't here. Similarly another ride of their from Zamperla has been sbno for maintenance for all of 2023.
I rode magic carpets a few weeks ago and it sounded like it was in desperate need of some wd40. It was groaning and creaking the whole time. Wouldn’t be surprised if it shut down for a while or forever
They should have made the hotel more generic while still Star Wars themed so they could switch out the story with others like they have with Star Tours. Open the dining and other experiences up to other guests too. Stay there it is included. Pay extra if you stay elsewhere.
Depreciation and writing it off as a loss are separate options. They're just accelerating depreciation they would normally get over multiple years. They can easily sell the property to another business unit like DVC (at a loss too) and covert it into a hotel or corporate/event space.
I love how Josh talked how about how tron is adding park space/eating up some crowds. Does this guy not realize he closed down splash mountain at the same time 😂
I should point out the FIRST attempt for a second Disneyland and the FIRST attempt for a Japan Disneyland opened in 1961 as Nara Dreamland. What happened is that Walt Disney and the owners of Dreamland could not come to terms over licensing of the Disney IPS and Disneyland name.
Yeah but there were always Disneyland rip offs. The vision to license a real Disneyland in Japan and place it in the harbor in Tokyo was the right move. No one talks about Freedomland either, because it was just a poor imitation.
@@WDWNT Nara Dreamland WAS more than an imitation. It was approved by Walt Disney himself and WED (now Imagineering) helped with designing and building Dreamland. If Walt and the owners of Dreamland could have come to terms over royalties for the Disney IPs and Disneyland name, Nara Dreamland would have opened as Nara Disneyland with the full backing of Walt Disney himself. Also, it should be noted that reps for Oriental Land Company tried to see Walt Disney shortly after Dreamland opened, but Walt was so bitter over his falling out with the oweners of Dreamland that he refused to see the OLC reps. So this push the development of Tokyo DL back by about 2 decades.
Original and Classic sources allow parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other adults who have and control the money to share the experience, and hence the enjoyment, with the children. Walt Disney has forgotten the adults in the themes of the attractions and the resorts. This reminds me of the story Walt Disney told regarding his influence on designing and building DisneyLand. He spoke of sitting on a bench while watching the children enjoy the rides, and how he wanted to create something that all could enjoy regardless of age. I personally wish they, the Board of Directors, would bring back Michael Eisner as a Quality and Creative Overseer to guide Disney's future, and possibly act as an Ambassador to interact with the public, government officials and even competitors.
The high price is just the symptom, but not the root cause of the failure. If they made an immersive experience that took place in the Original Trilogy timeline, with OT characters, and didn't make it a concrete prison with no windows, they wouldn't be able to keep people out of the thing. It would have been so popular, but they totally blew it when they decided to use the stupid sequels.
That's the way it's always been for my family, if I'm going to the parks more than 3 days we are going to be at the resort for 8 days or more. I'm here on vacation so I want to relax and my family needs to have time down too otherwise they're just burnt out on back to back to back days in the parks. For example on our spring break trip this year, which we usually do not go more than one time in a year, we cut out animal Kingdom. We only went to magic Kingdom because we were pixie dusted. We had just gone on a Disney cruise last fall and ended that 7-day cruise with a four-day stay at Old key West and one day at the park in magic Kingdom.
I remember a while back that they were going to expand the Muppets area and build a ride called the great Muppet movie ride and they were going to have a restaurant themed after the Swedish Chef etc Which would’ve been really cool
Oh I'm sure there is a loophole in that tax situation where they just have to prove that they have remodeled or added on to the structure in order to qualify or rather... avoid penalties. I personally would love to see them get rid of the hotel concept. Gut the rooms and make more ship experience and turn the whole thing into an indoor theme park experience. Charge admission... make all food and beverage and added charge. Keep the storyline and make it all play out throughout one day. It's the same concept as a Renaissance fair with a storyline from gates open till close.
I fully respectfully disagree with with Epic pulling from the other Universal parks. I know a ton of people and I mean a lot of family and friends that rarely if ever went to Universal in Orlando. It was always Disney or the beach. That’s changed. Everyone is excited for epic universe. And not just Nintendo land but many of them are more stoked for the monsters land. I think Epic will pull more tourists from Disney than from their own parks. Just my theory. And sadly it’s a theory I hate.
I have had a few atypical, stressful moments in the Florida parks this week. Thank you so much for your content. You all, and many other fans like yourselves, remind me of why I am also a fan of Disney.
I think attaching a properly proportioned red or gold cord to the pencil, like the kind that used to be found on the wax tablet and stylus kid's toys that were common until the 2000's, would have prevented theft and would have stayed on theme.
Anyone else hear D’Amaro say “Please don’t look at that ‘Epic’ place; keep your eyes on us even though it took us literally five years to build a COPY of our original Tron ride in Florida.”
I sure wish they would get going. Universal is creating several different properties, rides and restaurants all at the same time! It’s called walk and chew gum! Encato is excellent! Black Panther would be another interesting movie to create rides, and restaurants from. Maybe a hotel? Not so sure about that. At any rate, Disney needs to get going or Universal will eclipse anything that Disney does.
Another thing to consider is the skyrocketing costs of ----points in multiple directions---- everything. It is not like the 1990s or even early 2000s when it was affordable to visit Disney and almost all the Orlando parks; nowadays families are cutting more and more off their trips, and making more and more sacrifices. This is why Magic Kingdom's attendance has risen so much this century but all the other major Central Florida parks have seen peaks and valleys (Animal Kingdom being the exception) and have had to rely on the locals and nearby families from Southern states to hopefully fill the spaces. Florida in this decade has seen DOUBLE the number of visitors from the year 2000, but a 100% increase in tourists in the last 20 years isn't reflected on the theme park industry. The idea of another park is tempting and it would be interesting to see the 21st century team of Imagineers figure out what a 5th park should be, but nowadays its not economically viable, especially as the lower and middle class Americans are seriously struggling to survive the post-pandemic era. Disney can't even profit off of Disney+, which should have been a layup. I'd love to see Disney Springs and ESPN Wide World of Sports to get expanded before we consider a 5th park or any additional expansions post-Epcot.
"Disney not interested in regional expansion" LOL @ the political fools who entertained the idea of Disney moving out of FL just to spite Desantis. In reality the opposite is going to happen... Disney is going to have to invest big in Disney World to counter the opening of Epic Universe down the road.
Yep. I can't believe people honestly thought Disney was going to leave Florida. They're already losing so much money these days due to horrendous box office results. They're not going to waste more money and time to relocate out of Florida, especially when DeSantis has other national aspirations and won't be in Florida forever.
For me, Epic Universe will add a second day to Universal. Right now, I only enjoy the Harry Potter stuff and the train going back and forth. The rest of Universal is so junky to me. I do like City Walk and the bars and restaurants. So Universal is a one-day thing for me and not even a full day. But I would do a second day at Nintendo and the Universal Monsters and the Potter addition.
The Magic carpets add great kinetics to adventureland in my opinion. Also I'd like to see more Bambi and Pinnochio in the parks!! Is there even any Bambi?
We didn't have any plans to go back to Florida. That's changed with the building of Epic Universe. We're now planning another trip just for Universal parks. We'll probably include one day at Disney World for Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy, however.
The accelerated depreciation doesnt mean they can’t repurpose the property. They are impairing the asset but they can still use it. This tax effect is only one way to look at it. Accelerating depreciation has a direct effect on the net income and earnings per share. They’ll get a tax benefit but they get destroyed in terms of earnings per share which means way more for executives as they are they are compensated based on share performance not taxable income.
I’m excited about this, about new areas in the Magic Kingdom. They need to keep up with new things that they are being placed in the other parks around the world. In note I was at Hollywood Studios yesterday and I just can’t believe how dirty, and run down of the older areas. They put so much in to Star Wars and Toy Story lands, but seem to have forgotten the other parts and attractions of their upkeep and bring it back to life. I really didn’t enjoy my day as I use to. I miss the backlot tour, and other things they have taken away. It’s a shame.
They should just open the star cruiser as another themed deluxe hotel that anyone can stay at for any length of time. And let their restaurants be booked as dining reservations like any other resort, they could at least continue to make a profit and it would be more affordable for more ppl so more ppl could actually enjoy it.
Being in Texas I am looking forward to Universal studios opening the park here. It will not stop me from coming to their other parks. I will be making a trip once Epic Universe opens, and I will also go to their other parks for the things I love about them.
I really think that Galactic Starcruiser rans it's course price point wise. Stars Wars fans who could afford it went, people who were curious and had the money went, and everyone else was priced out.
I too am surprised that Disney will just close the star cruiser. It's nice to get a write off of 300 million, but that only gets you a benefit of 300 million times your tax rate. It's not a dollar for dollar "bennefit". So, if Disney's tax rate is 30%. Disney would realize only 90 million. Saying the company is happy about this is looking at the bright side of a very grave event.
They talk about expanding the parks as building sit empty and just recently canceled the Mary Poppins and Play Pavilion at Epcot. Stitch attraction building gathers dust. Area by the old Little Mermaid live show is under used. The low capacity and smelly Indy cars take up loads of real estate in MK. Dino land in AK has space for a couple new attractions or a complete redo. They are building huge lands with 2-3 attractions. Lots of wasted space. Star Wars area at studios is ridiculous. The amount of wasted space with a bad Falcon ride and another attraction that’s hit or miss that most guests can even get a chance to ride. It’s also time for Tom Sawyer’s Island to utilized better. A lot of talk from Disney about expansion but what we actually see is scaled down additions and canceled expansion while building sit empty. And to be honest, their recent history hasn’t been very good. Avengers area in DCA. Ugly and empty. Where are the attractions? Disney is suffering financially and I don’t see them spending money for quality expansion that will have a noticeable affect on park crowding. Talk is cheap. We need a builder in charge. Eisner was a builder.
Disney NEEDS a new park. Like at least one other comment pointed out, building a new park only brings in a small amount of new guests; however, it draws people from other parks, spreading them out. Thus, decreasing the crowding and increasing guest satisfaction.
