Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2023 Edition

[Jrb1979]

A hotel that I stayed at in Rehoboth Beach, DE a few years ago constantly sends me emails practically begging me to book a stay. I get similar offers from United and Amtrak. I agree that if companies like Disney and Universal were doing well with attendance they wouldn't be offering the deals that they are. I even saw that Typhoon Lagoon is offering a 2 day water ticket for $69 for Florida residents.

On the flip side I'm seeing a lot of articles and people talking about how demand for European travel is off the charts right now.

Agreed. Even Cedar Point is offering a double pass holder discount for their hotels. It looks like travel in general is on a downturn.

 

[Smugpugmug]

We were at Universal the first week of May and commented that British, Scottish, and Irish accents were the majority of what we heard. We had preferred seating at VB and all the seats around us were UK accents; it was kind of lovely. We wondered if it was holiday over there.

I was at Volcano Bay on saturday and noticed the same thing. The majority of accents I heard were British. Also a lot of people from Spanish speaking countries. I talked to a couple on line for Hagrid's on sunday that live in the UK and they said they love coming to Orlando around this time as flights aren't as crazy as August (their school break time). They also confided in me that they have zero clue who any of the characters in Toon Lagoon are. I told him it's okay, I barely know who Dudley Do Right is lol

 

[Moliphino]

On the flip side I'm seeing a lot of articles and people talking about how demand for European travel is off the charts right now.

I did notice quite a lot of Americans (or possibly Canadians) when I was in Spain recently. On previous trips most of the English speakers around were British. Lots of Germans around, too.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Tokyo Disneyland Officially Breaks Ground on $400+ Million Renovation of Space Mountain

Tokyo Disneyland held a groundbreaking ceremony today, officially launching the $400+ million renovation of Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. The project will completely transform not only the aging Space Mountain attraction but the entire plaza and surrounding area. The newly developed plaza and attraction refresh are expected to be completed in 2027.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, construction for this project was officially set in motion by the President and COO of Oriental Land Co., Ltd., Kenji Yoshida, and Chairman and CEO of Oriental Land Co., Ltd., Toshio Kagami.

This entirely new Space Mountain attraction will maintain its original concept as an indoor roller coaster, but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills on this exciting ride. Additionally, the new Tomorrowland plaza will express the connection between Earth and the universe, representing an image of a future where humans are in harmony with nature. After dark, the area will draw guests into a spectacular world of light and soundscapes.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

I would agree. I know the employment numbers are still good overall but there are pockets of people that are getting hit by layoffs (tech sector) and a general feeling of anxiety out there. Vacations to expensive locations are probably the easiest thing to cut amidst that uncertainty.

There are alot of companies that have big lay offs coming in the next 6 month for different industry so the job security isn't super high.

 

[BrianL]

Tokyo Disneyland Officially Breaks Ground on $400+ Million Renovation of Space Mountain

Tokyo Disneyland held a groundbreaking ceremony today, officially launching the $400+ million renovation of Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. The project will completely transform not only the aging Space Mountain attraction but the entire plaza and surrounding area. The newly developed plaza and attraction refresh are expected to be completed in 2027.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, construction for this project was officially set in motion by the President and COO of Oriental Land Co., Ltd., Kenji Yoshida, and Chairman and CEO of Oriental Land Co., Ltd., Toshio Kagami.

This entirely new Space Mountain attraction will maintain its original concept as an indoor roller coaster, but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills on this exciting ride. Additionally, the new Tomorrowland plaza will express the connection between Earth and the universe, representing an image of a future where humans are in harmony with nature. After dark, the area will draw guests into a spectacular world of light and soundscapes.

$400 Million - ya gotta love OLC! "Budget? What's a budget?"

 

[Haley R]

Tokyo Disneyland Officially Breaks Ground on $400+ Million Renovation of Space Mountain

Tokyo Disneyland held a groundbreaking ceremony today, officially launching the $400+ million renovation of Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. The project will completely transform not only the aging Space Mountain attraction but the entire plaza and surrounding area. The newly developed plaza and attraction refresh are expected to be completed in 2027.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, construction for this project was officially set in motion by the President and COO of Oriental Land Co., Ltd., Kenji Yoshida, and Chairman and CEO of Oriental Land Co., Ltd., Toshio Kagami.

This entirely new Space Mountain attraction will maintain its original concept as an indoor roller coaster, but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills on this exciting ride. Additionally, the new Tomorrowland plaza will express the connection between Earth and the universe, representing an image of a future where humans are in harmony with nature. After dark, the area will draw guests into a spectacular world of light and soundscapes.

I wish they would announce the opening date for fantasy springs. We’re planning to go next May

 

[Smugpugmug]

I wish they would announce the opening date for fantasy springs. We’re planning to go next May

Same. I'm ready to start planning my trip right now. This is the only thing holding me back. I'm thinking of doing October since late May was too hot for me.

 

[Gary Stocker]

A sincere question. At what price point do us die-hard DIS fanatics cut the cord on Disney +. The price increased, IIRC, abut thirty percent earlier this year. Will another 30 or 40 percent hike be too much?I

I will cut the cord once Mandalorian and Andor end...unless they keep pumping out more quality Star Wars shows...although having all the Simpsons at my fingertips is also a factor.

 

[RivShore]

Thanks. So, the company may have shifted costs from one category to another. In the end though, it didn't affect Disney net earnings. The costs still fell to the bottom line.

That is correct, I think - the costs were recorded, just in the wrong departments, so the bottom line reported earnings should have been correct. And that will probably be part of Disney's defense.

There is a more subtle Wall Streety problem though - once D+ was announced and had explosive growth the moment it was introduced, WS started valuing Disney's stock almost solely on the streaming prospects. They applied very high Netflix type multiples to it based on D+'s sub, revenue, and cost projections. It caused the stock to quickly double on those expectations (and quickly half when WS came to its senses).
So if Bob 2.0 purposely misstated the streaming prospects, it could be a problem.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

The changes are active now for 2023 dates if you check the website.

I just checked both of the places we're booked at in December (Poly Villas and CBR) and neither has had these changes yet. It still says "standard" rather than resort view. I look both at my existing reservation and ran a fresh search for our dates. (ETA: article only referenced deluxe, so CBR wouldn't apply)

I'm also curious how this will impact, say, BW Villas, which had standard, garden/water, and boardwalk views. Do some of the garden become theme park view because of the angle? While others revert down to resort view? Or, what about AK and savannah rooms?

I'm all about simplifying but these categories don't seem to easily line up with existing room categories.

 

[jlundeen]

I would be pretty upset if I wanted woods, courtyards, savannas and grassy areas and got rooftops and parking lots...

 

[HokieRaven5]

Buzz Lightyear Meet & Greet Returns to Magic Kingdom



Guests hoping to get a high five and a (stamped) autograph with Buzz Lightyear can now find him in his traditional Tomorrowland location. The Buzz Lightyear meet and greet is at the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin exit courtyard. Stitch remains at the Rocket Tower Plaza stage and is only visible from a distance.

 

[Leigh L]

I’m not basing my statements on anything besides my own observations going the same time of year going back to 2019 and the general patterns I’ve seen. Things are absolutely not just going back 2019 levels. In 2019 none of the services I regularly use were sending emails about cutting their prices and adding cheaper items and running sales because they understand people are going through hardships. I’ve gotten 2 just from Butcherbox in the last month. JetBlue has been advertising flash sales with app push notifications literally every month whereas in 2019 you had to be on Twitter for the most part to catch them and they weren’t nearly this frequent or steep. It’s not about things being “dire”, people are cutting back whether surveys are reflecting it or not. These companies wouldn’t be scrambling like this if they weren’t.

Last week I got a $43 flight each way from DC to MCO on Southwest in September...I'm not sure I've ever seen that for this route, maybe $69 every so often. (There are now only 2 flights a day post-pandemic when there used to be multiple.) It's a tentative trip, but I figured at that price plus the 35% resort discount, I might even take a solo trip if DD can't go...lol.

Like you, I'm also seeing more JetBlue sales too...never usually via email before the last couple of months - I used to always miss out on those Twitter notifications. A friend of mine was just able to get a very decent JB flight from Westchester Airport (usually higher prices for any airline at HPN from what I recall) in June after I FWD her the email I'd gotten.

 

[JoJoGirl]

I would be pretty upset if I wanted woods, courtyards, savannas and grassy areas and got rooftops and parking lots...

Yes, this! The poor front desk staff will be dealing with more people complaining and asking to be moved. I’m really hoping that when this all shakes out there will still be some way to avoid rooms facing parking lots or pools (and their loud afternoon pool parties. Just me in my old age I guess, lol.)

I totally understand why fewer categories are more efficient from an operational perspective, but to me they’re simply exchanging one problem for another. And shifting more of that problem onto their customers.

 

[Brian Noble]

demand for European travel is off the charts right now.

Our airfares to Hawaii this summer aren't really budging either.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Maleficent’s Fire-Breathing Flamethrower Effect Returns to Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy Parade



After temporarily suspending the fire-breathing effect for Maleficent in Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy Parade on April 23rd, the effect has returned! We stopped by Magic Kingdom earlier today to get photos of the flamethrower effect, which continues to impress guests.

 

[DisneyCayley]

Looking very tentatively at dates in late October/early November. Do you think there's any chance this $99/day deal gets extended? Looking at staying off-site for the first time but very interested in a park ticket deal! Thank you!

 

[Gary Stocker]

Looking very tentatively at dates in late October/early November. Do you think there's any chance this $99/day deal gets extended? Looking at staying off-site for the first time but very interested in a park ticket deal! Thank you!

If they are having a hard time filling rooms around the busiest time of the year (Christmas- which begins in early November) then yes. I would think that would be unprecedented but who knows?

 

[soniam]

I just checked both of the places we're booked at in December (Poly Villas and CBR) and neither has had these changes yet. It still says "standard" rather than resort view. I look both at my existing reservation and ran a fresh search for our dates. (ETA: article only referenced deluxe, so CBR wouldn't apply)

I'm also curious how this will impact, say, BW Villas, which had standard, garden/water, and boardwalk views. Do some of the garden become theme park view because of the angle? While others revert down to resort view? Or, what about AK and savannah rooms?

I'm all about simplifying but these categories don't seem to easily line up with existing room categories.

I don’t think DVC will change. That’s not handled by the hotel. It also affects point costs and distributions, which are contractual. Also, 2024 points charts are already out, so nothing can change until 2025 for DVC.