Dissecting Al ...

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

Well, you knew it had to happen with all the talk going on in the Disney world that it was inevitable that Al 'USA Today Kicker Quote' Lutz would finally decide to wade in. Still, waiting on Kevin 'Fair and Balanced' Yee to have a column up ... that likely will have some substance to it unlike what Al put up.

I did want to comment on some of what Al mentioned (can't say brought up being that the fan community has been talking about these things for days and, in some cases, weeks/months).

Clearly, Al's been fed some bad information of late, and I don't think (unlike similar times in the past) it was on purpose. I think his sources, especially his top sources simply were blindsided by some of what has happened, is happening and could happen. And he got caught up in that wave.

Al opened with a pretty accurate Meg Crofton history/bio to play to his mostly west-coast loving audience.

<<For the Disney fan base, other than a few photos of her in the Mommy blogs Disney is so fond of cultivating these days, Meg has a rather lackluster resume; starting her career out of college as a manager in the marketing department of Disney’s internal phone company back in 1977, a time when most big companies ran their own telecommunications networks to get around the monopoly of the Bell System. Meg left Disney for a time in the early 1980’s, and then hired back in to the phone company before rising quickly through the management ranks of Orlando’s Human Resources department in the 1990’s. >>

Nice reference to the Mommy Bloggers who have gained so much stature in O-Town by simply saying everything is MAGICal. A good column idea might be why they are saying that and how they fit in with Disney's Social Media strategy.

<<This is not a Disney leader who has pictures of themselves bussing tables at Tomorrowland Terrace in a polyester jumpsuit, or can tell funny stories at cocktail parties about the time they were working the Hall of Presidents in college when the animatronics went on the fritz and George Washington slapped Richard Nixon and the audience applauded. Meg is a product of a solely white-collar, administrative, paper-pushing career with none of the glamour and street-cred associated with spending time working onstage in the theme parks. On top of that staid history, she’s been in charge of WDW for over five years as it went through a noticeable decline.>>

You can't argue facts. But Erin Wallace had control of WDW as Meg began her tenure and Al Weiss was looming overhead. WDW declined, but how much it was Meg's fault is still debatable. Everyone I've ever talked to about her has described her as little more than a figurehead.

<<To be blunt, despite the many excuses offered by online apologists, the comparison to the Disneyland of a decade ago is rather apt for the Walt Disney World of today. The core WDW properties around the Magic Kingdom complex are hitting the same mid-life crisis that Disneyland hit around its 40th birthday in the mid to late 1990’s, with attractions and facilities looking worn and tired, and the basic infrastructure around the Magic Kingdom park in particular seemingly falling apart at the seams with weekly problems with transportation or rapidly aging hotels.

As Crofton (shown above) has been in charge of the entire Walt Disney World property for the last five years, the buck has to stop with her, and people lay most of the blame at her feet for the stale and neglected state of too much of the WDW property. At the very least you would have thought the lessons learned at Disneyland from 1996 to 2003 would have been used by the Florida team to stave off the same types of problems, but apparently WDW is doomed to repeat Disneyland’s mstakes, even if they’ve been more liberal with the new paint lately than Pressler ever was. We won't even mention how they were caught so flat-footed by the Harry Potter jauggernaut that has fueled the Universal complex down the road.>>

Online apologists? Has Al been reading another MAGICal site again? Don't tell me he is one of Lou's 'box people'?

<<In the meantime, back in California, several well placed executives in Anaheim, Glendale and Burbank had been able to convince Tom Staggs that the setup of the “One Disney” structure Jay Rasulo dreamed up was too stifling to the Anaheim operation. (Not to mention the Parisians who had been weighing in with similar thoughts) While there is still great merit in streamlining some of the administrative and back-of-house tasks shared by the various properties, the thought that Disneyland could ever operate just like Walt Disney World, or vice versa, was the fatal flaw to the One Disney structure cooked up by Jay Rasulo. >>

OK. Here's where we start back-pedaling quickly. Fatal flaw? That seems to indicate One Disney is dead. Nothing could be further from the truth. And this exec restructuring only makes that stronger. Jay may have cooked the stew, but Tom bought the ingredients. As the CFO, Tom loved hearing about all the savings that could be made by Walmarting/homogenizing the product. This is something that Lee 'Danny's Daddy' Cockerell began in the 1990s when he came over to the company from Hilton. It's been spreading since.

<<Tom Staggs had repeatedly acknowledged those concerns about a bloated bureaucracy in Florida over the past six months, and he was agreeable to creating a different hierarchy that would give Anaheim leaders further autonomy while allowing them to tap into the streamlined One Disney structure when and where it suited the local culture and operation. TDA executives were then quite pleased to hear of the rumored changes coming after Al’s retirement.>>

The bureaucracy in Florida remains so. Moving people around, shifting who they report to and what they are responsible for doesn't remove it, it rearranges it.

The quote above is basically nonsensical. Al wants people to believe that George K's team in Anaheim will have more autonomy with another level of management in between. George now has to go through Meg in order to have his resort's needs dealt with by Tom, hence her role on the Exec Committee.

So much spin.

<<To his credit, Al Weiss (shown above) was technically in charge of the Anaheim property for the past five years, but he knew well enough to stay out of the operation except for some long-term strategizing. As a lifelong Floridian, Weiss would visit Southern California regularly if a bit grudgingly, but he primarily stayed in Burbank and Glendale, with a rare drive down to Anaheim only once or twice a year. He had absolutely no facial recognition at the Anaheim property, and very little name recognition amongst anyone below the executive ranks. Weiss could walk around Disneyland completely anonymous, and his rare visits out in the park over the last few years usually consisted of polite conversation with middle management about how pleasant the SoCal climate was and how well-maintained the attractions were in Anaheim. >>

I must have just been lucky then because I saw Al on two of my last three visits to Anaheim, including having a nice conversation with him in the fall of 2009. I don't doubt that Al wasn't widely known at DLR. I wonder how many CMs would know who Bob Iger or Tom Staggs is.

<<Weiss allowed the local leaders to run their property as they see fit, and he stayed out of the way. In that executive environment, Anaheim has had what many consider a new Golden Age for the past six years of countless new and updated attractions, new parades and night spectaculars, and well maintained facilities young and old, with the 1.2 Billion extreme makeover of DCA the big prize waiting for 2012. The reality out in Florida during that same time frame, however, was almost a complete opposite experience; and again it should be noted that Crofton was in charge of the entire property during that whole time.>>

Yes, Al. The Extreme Makeover that was largely planned, approved and budgeted by Ed 'The Invisible Man' Grier, yet you give all the props to George 'I know how to play the fanboi game' Kalogridis. Stuff, that also was approved from the very top of the company with everyone from Bob Iger to John Lasseter giving marching orders. Yeah, Al mostly stayed on the sidelines.

And, yes, Meg was in charge of WDW at the same time ... as it continued a decline started in the last century ... that was hastened by the Destination Disney program (a brainchild of George K when he ran the DRC) and its stepchild NEXT GEN.

<<In this delicate environment of a visibly declining Florida property, Crofton doesn’t do much to put fans or Cast Members at ease with her carefully crafted corporate personality that never veers off-script and always includes the latest marketing buzzwords. For all their alleged marketing savvy and attempts to harness social media, Disney’s senior executive structure in Orlando still thinks it’s communicating with a mentally-challenged audience who has nowhere else to go for news or information. Crofton personifies this unfortunate executive trait, and she appears to shy away from actually appearing in the parks or engaging the fans and her Cast.>>

Ah, Social Media. Thanks again for the shout out, Al. Much appreciated. But beware ... it's reach is far from simply O-Town and its 'bumpkin' tourist audience. And to even use 'mentally-challenged audience' ... dude, you do love me, you really do!

Since you have a unique perspective on Social Media (and poor Kevin probably never gets asked to the Disney Prom because of you), I'd love to see your take on what Disney is doing. I know you won't post here, but I know you'll read this ... you may want to write a column ... feel free to use my thread here for some background and talking points. I won't even make you take me to Napa Rose when I'm in town soon.

<<A perfect example was the recent D23 Destination D event celebrating WDW’s 40th anniversary at the Contemporary Hotel, where Crofton and the rest of the Orlando execs chose not to show their face that weekend, even if just for a 30 or 45 minute window of working the crowd in the lobby at one of the pre or post-event mixers. (George Kalogridis, on the other hand, gladly appeared at Disneyland’s Destination D last summer for an onstage interview and then wandered through the lobby afterwards shaking hands and posing for photos.) Key insiders have acknowledged that Crofton and the Orlando team have embraced the trendy social media technology not so much for the desire to communicate, but because they think it absolves them of having to actually appear at fan events or walk through a crowded theme park on a steamy Orlando day. Yet there are very few people left who can’t see right through that.>>

While Al is dead on about Meg and most O-Town execs not wanting to be seen at fanboi events, he misses the fact that George is playing him (well, maybe he doesn't miss it so much as they have a mutually rewarding give and take). George is a very savvy Spirit, even if it took him many years and a few huge career missteps along the road. He knows the value that folks like YOU, Al, have placed on face time, on being seen in the parks, on posing for pics (do you think I can eBay my photos with him for anything?) Not saying George doesn't care because I believe he does ... to the point the bottom line allows him to. And after you helped made his life hell in 2000-02, he isn't about to make the same mistake. Common sense.

<<So, with that all said, it took lots of folks in TDA by unfortunate surprise when Crofton was elevated to a newly created role that technically oversees the Disneyland Resort. Interestingly, the announcement was not put on any of the usual internal communication devices, like Disney’s intranet site or other online resources that are normal venues for executive communication and that were all used to boldly announce Weiss’s retirement just a few weeks earlier. There was just the one memo, sent electronically only to top executives who were then expected to forward it on as they saw fit. The local media in SoCal didn’t cover the story at all, and if it weren’t for a single blog post by Orlando Sentinel reporter Jason Garcia that was endlessly circulated around TDA and theme park offices, it would have been nearly impossible to tell anything had happened. >>

A lot of that going around. Why would there be such a need to low key this if it actually were good news? For Anaheim? For Disney Parks?

<<The good news here is that after the announcement, the Burbank organization was dispatched for some damage control in Anaheim to help explain that it’s not as bleak as it looks. On the contrary, this change is going to offer the TDA team more of the reins on their own destiny while Crofton stays even busier in Orlando. Crofton still retains sole ownership of the WDW property, as she wasn’t outright promoted to a new position with someone else to fill her old role; rather she was just given a new slate of committee meetings to schedule in to her traditional workload. The shakeup Staggs rolled out also cut loose the DVC business, the struggling Adventures by Disney group, the successful Disney Cruise Line, and the three Asian properties from Weiss’s old role, sending those key facets of the Disney Parks empire to their own presidents and executive hierarchy that no longer intersects with the domestic theme parks.>>

Bleak? You said things were just fine. So, George K and his posse wants you to spin that Meg will have no affect upon DLR and her new promotion is just about 'committee meetings' ... um ...ah ... not buying that. Leemac has already explained how the structure works, but the bottom line is George now has to go through Meg and O-Town. And this somehow means TDA has more free reign? C'mon, Al, you need to try harder. Since George came in you've been putting out about 10 columns a year where you basically gush over him and TDA, complain over 1-2 'little things' and take passive aggressive shots at WDW and its management.

The same management that now runs DLR.

<<Crofton’s executive strengths, primarily in Disney’s famously out-of-touch Human Resources group, will come in handy if a proposal that has been kicking around for a few years gets the green light; the outsourcing of the HR department at all the American properties. The new executive structure also doesn’t help to stifle pesky rumors that Disney might be open to shopping their various Parks & Resorts division around to an outside buyer; either the newly-created Asian division to a Chinese government-backed concern flush with cash, or the Euro-American parks division and/or the Cruise Line/DVC group to an interested party on either side of the Atlantic. We honestly can’t get a better read on that rumor, other than we have heard about an internal list of negatives for the company that is currently longer than the positives.>>

Well, I'm glad you finally got to the biggest 'rumor' concerning Disney's theme parks. Even if you did bury it so far that most people have already put down their bagel and walked away. I like all the caveats, though. I'm sure there are plenty of lists of pros and cons. But I think when the BoD met and decided to put P&R in play, that really was all that mattered. I do hope when the time comes IF Disney does divest itself of any/all of P&R you'll give the credit where it is due and not try and take it for yourself due to that one 'wittle paragraph you wrote (I'll bet that took longer than anything else in the entire column). You are playing it safe and saying nothing beyond there being 'pesky rumors'. If you really looked into things or asked your sources the tough questions, then you might be more unsettled (depending on whether you believe Disney can manage ALL its parks and resorts in a manner befitting the name).

You then went into NEXT GEN. And said nothing that anyone close to WDW hasn't known for years now. Perhaps, it's newsworthy to the fanbois of Garden Grove, Artesia and Long Beach, who think Las Vegas is FAR away. But people close to Disney knew all about this. Can't help but think it was largely filler.

Then we move onto ... well we skip some nice talk about DCA's new WDW-inspired food court and the entrance construction and move on down to D23 where it seems you are pretty clueless.

<<Still, unlike 2009 when the rumors of big announcements about Star Tours 2 and WDW’s New Fantasyland were all over the web in the weeks before the Expo, this year doesn’t look to have a big exciting announcement in the pipeline. >>

Perhaps Disney doesn't want to commit to anything with the future of P&R up in the air? Or perhaps Disney shows all those grandiose plans that are largely not approved, but will get fanbois drooling like it's Michael and Frank at the Anaheim CC in 1990 all over again.

<<There are a few possibilities to be announced, or merely hinted at, in either Tom Staggs keynote presentation or at the WDI-operated Parks & Resorts Pavilion. Hints could be coming at the Expo about a planned overhaul and expansion of WDW’s struggling Downtown Disney retail/dining complex to include a small water show using the World of Color technology. >>

Small would be accurate. I'm guessing Al finally saw the widely circulated (does WDI-FLA leak things on purpose nowadays?) renderings. A Bellagio-type show where PI's parking lot is ... that still likely won't happen.

<<But what is for sure is that Staggs will offer a fleshed out description of the parts of New Fantasyland that have changed since Jay Rasulo stood on the same stage in ’09 and announced lavish meet n’ greets and Pixie playgrounds that have since been cut and replaced. (And maybe it should be remembered that Tony Baxter's 1983 Disneyland Fantasyland makeover did little to increase numbers upon its debut.)>>

I like that shot at WDW because it actually has substance. If Burbank/TDO thinks a small redo of Fantasyland is going to spark people to plan vacations to The Walmarted World of Disney, they all need their heads examined. And, to be fair, the version being built under Staggs isn't much more impressive than the Rasulo one. Swapping out one SW attraction for another. Moving meet and greets to a former attraction space? Boy, Tom came out swinging for the fences with those changes.

<<Info on the tightened up version of the original Tiki Room show for WDW will be offered up. Also up for grabs is the announcement of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory tour and soda fountain slated for DCA’s Pacific Wharf, and Staggs could also begin a campaign to get folks used to the NextGen concept by introducing some of the elements of the plan for WDW. >>

Yawn ... sorry, nodded off there.

<<What is off the table in Staggs’ keynote speech is any mention of Disneyland expansion in either the northern section of Frontierland out beyond the berm, or the east side of Tomorrowland and the Innoventions building. There have been a few rumors about something new for the Orlando Studios park, but nothing that can be locked down. (They would beneft from ether the Cars or Marvel franchises I would think.) While the new Planes project might be a natural for the Condor Flats area of DCA should it succeed, that too is just speculation, if even that, at this point.>>

So, for 2-3 years you've been saying that DL will finally get a major E-Ticket in one of those locales and nothing is happening in either. Are you surprised? ... and that little shout out to the O-Town fanbois who are convinced something is coming to TPFKaTD-MGMS. One day ... maybe ... maybe ...

<<Since the budget on just Tow Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (shown above) has swelled past the 100 Million mark, for example, WDI will be eager to show where all the money is going on what many people wrongly assume is just a simple spinner. WDI wants to pull out all the stops, as many of the Imagineers really got a kick out of exhibiting their wares at the Expo in ’09, and their audience this time should hopefully be bigger.>>

$100 million for something others could likely do better for $30 million. You gotta love WDI ... seriously.

I just think WDI is akin to our government giving our tax dollars to corporations and banks and spending it on wars and war toys ... cost never enters into it.

UNI can build the entire WWoHP for well under $300 million. But a gussied up spinner costs $100 million? I am a WDI fan, I have friends who work there, but I don't see how you possibly defend that. It's a Lasseter-vanity project all the way.

<<It’s still a bit murky if the D23 Expo will be successful enough however, as rumors continue that Burbank is taking another look at the entire D23 concept and the lack of money and interest it’s generating beyond Southern California. It’s been hinted at repeatedly that this may be the last D23 Expo, at least in the mega-convention format in the giant Anaheim Convention Center. >>

Again, no shock. it was supposed to be annually four days starting in 2009. I am guessing this is either the last time it happens or perhaps once more in yet more downsized style.

Entertaining as always ... what would the fans do without Al?

 

Originally Posted By sjhym333

I read Al like most of us do I expect. I think. There have been times when his info is spot on and other times when it is just wrong. I expect that his sources either feed him the incorrect stuff on purpose or more likely, things are moving so fast that they arent in the loop til the end. I also have lots of sources at Disney including several in upper mgmt and WDI and there are times when I get fairly accurate info and other times when the info is incorrect. When I go back and ask about the incorrect info I usually get told that things change so fast that they are just catching up themselves. On more than one occasion I have called a friend to confirm some info I have received and have them tell me they have heard nothing like that, only to have them call me a day later wanting to know how I found out before they did.

I am not sure I agree that Meg is a figure head. I think a more accurate description is that she is a business woman who looks at WDW in business terms. I have met her and I dont think she has a creative bone in her body...neither did Al Weiss. Because of that reality I think WDW has been held hostage by a host of decisions (or lack thereof)that are purely business based. They can learn the lingo such as "we hear our guests saying" and "we know our guests will enjoy", but the reality all decisions are money based with no real thought on if a guest will enjoy it.

The other thing is that the days when Walt or even his original team at the MK and EPCOT were in the park everyday and watching and monitoring guest movement or reaction are long over. At EPCOT I had one encounter with Dan Cochrell and it was when he almost ran me over in his car backstage. After he parked he came up and apologized and we had a brief conversation about the park, etc. Beyond that I dont think I ever saw him in the park. On the other hand I would run in Jim McPhee on a regular basis. The point being is that Al and Meg were/are not seen in the park very often and when they are it is surrounded by a bunch of folks who give her a very controlled view of the park. When they do come to the park they park backstage, are met by park mgmt and are directed to whatever thing they are coming to see. How can you possibly know your product it that way? Let me jump on the Jim McPhee bandwagon again. I saw Jim out in the park with his family on more that one occasion and once I saw him stand on the Standby line for Soarin with a 60 min wait.

I dont think Meg is evil or bad. I think she (and Al) both love and care about the Disney product. They have just been around too long and too entwined into upper mgmt to be able to have a clear vision on what WDW needs. I also think, as we have discussed here at length, that the mgmt structure of WDW is so bloated that the info they are getting has been distilled ten times over.

 

Originally Posted By MousDad

Whew, is it getting hot in here?

Epic post #1.

 

Originally Posted By Lee hisownself

Good one, Spirit. Keep it coming.

 

Originally Posted By skinnerbox

<<I dont think Meg is evil or bad. I think she (and Al) both love and care about the Disney product. They have just been around too long and too entwined into upper mgmt to be able to have a clear vision on what WDW needs.>>

I think Meg is the typically evil corporate suit, in that the evil flows from overwhelming personal self-interest that interferes with the ability to think and act for the company's long-term success. She is no different than most corporate suits these days, who only care about what's in it for them.

As for loving and caring about the Disney product... bullpucky. Meg and Al love and care about Meg and Al. The only genuine love they have for Disney is how fat it's making their bank accounts. It doesn't matter which company they're working for, they would both be cheerleaders for that company's product. To do otherwise would be executive suicide. The loving and caring is disingenuous.

As for being around too long and too entwined to know what's best for WDW moving forward... absolutely correct. The same can be said for most of the suits with decades of experience at the Mouse.

Yes, management is bloated and a diet has been way overdue. But the skeptic in me feels the damage has already been done and it's too late to reverse it. Better to sell off the business unit than to continue dealing with a diseased and aging product.

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

Wow, interesting to compare the different takes on the whole management rearrangement.

And it would indeed be very interesting to read Al's perspective on Social Media.

 

Originally Posted By Malin

In regards to nothing new being announced at the D23 Expo. Thats fairly obvious and Iger has already stated publicly once the new investment is finished that Disney will not be investing any further money on the same scale until atleast the next decade. The only exception will be the Shanghai Park, although I'm sure smaller projects could move forward in this time. When you think on the whole how much money Disney is currently investing into DCA, MK Fantasyland, HKDL and the upcoming SDL park. Plus not forgetting the Cruise Ships its a massive amount of money. So to expect Disney to announce anything of inportance at the Expo with so many other projects underway is an outrageous expectation in my view. The only new stuff we can hope Tom will announce might be for Shanghai. Although thats sits fine with me since I'm much more interested in finding out more details on Cars Land/Buena Vista Street, Fantasyland Expansion and Mystic Point/Grizzly Gulch.

And in regards to the D23 concept. That shouldn't be a suprised to anyone. The reason the main interest is in California is mostly because thats where all the special D23 Events are staged. Personally now that Marvel has been added to the line up I see that could increase the chances of selling tickets for the Expo. Next year or two years time I would like to see them take another chance on the Expo concept. But move it down to Orlando.

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

>>.I think Meg is the typically evil corporate suit, in that the evil flows from overwhelming personal self-interest that interferes with the ability to think and act for the company's long-term success. She is no different than most corporate suits these days, who only care about what's in it for them.<<<

I agree. The corporate culture is really the enemy, here.

 

Originally Posted By magic0214

Amen to the Orlando thing! They make the expensive events here and "cheaper" events in CA which I find a tad un-fair...but hey, what are you gonna do!

 

Originally Posted By ChiMike

>>Since George came in you've been putting out about 10 columns a year where you basically gush over him and TDA, complain over 1-2 'little things' and take passive aggressive shots at WDW and its management.<<

...take passive aggressive shots at the people George left for his new better gig.

 

Originally Posted By ChiMike

>>Let me jump on the Jim McPhee bandwagon again. I saw Jim out in the park with his family on more that one occasion and once I saw him stand on the Standby line for Soarin with a 60 min wait.

<<

Not going to get into the fanboy stuff, but when CMs see that, it really matters a lot.

 

Originally Posted By sjhym333

It is kind of funny that he calls the past several years of Disneyland the second golden years considering that he took pot shots at Ed Grier every chance he had. Just goes to show that just because someone isnt a good shmoozer of CM's they can still be effective.

 

Originally Posted By ChiMike

>>overwhelming personal self-interest that interferes with the ability to think and act for the company's long-term success.<<

Skinner you just coined the best phrase ever on why WDP&R has experienced its fall from grace over the last 15 years. I could go on and on for paragraphs, and it would not be as effective or potent as that phrase right there.

And, Skinner, I know you're still mad at me, but that phrase nicely sums up what I have been hammering on about with WDI. Exactly.

P.S. Tell your little birdie I said hi.

 

Originally Posted By sjhym333

First off I disagree about Al and Meg. Have met and talked to Al on several occaions and find him to be a true Disney fan. Just didnt have the talent or creativity that would have made him an outstanding leader. He sat in Judsons shadow too long. I think Meg is also a fan. That doesnt mean she is a great administrator according to fans but she must be making Tom happy.

I do need to add a disclaimer. I have worked with Jim McPhee as an hourly CM as well as a manager. He is a friend and a real Disney guy. He hasnt changed much in all the years I have known him and he gets the theme parks. One of the few leaders I would work for again.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

Just a minor quibble...

>>But a gussied up spinner costs $100 million?<<

Again, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree is NOT a spinner, gussied up or otherwise. It's a fairly complicated "crack the whip" type attraction, running off an underground track. It will be fully themed with what appears to be interactive show elements. It also covers a pretty large footprint.

Overview:
<a href="http://www.disneylandnewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Picture-2-1024x531.png" target="_blank">http://www.disneylandnewstoday...x531.png</a>

Vehicle:
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-09/maters-junkyard-jamboree-disney-california-adventure_56287948.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/media/p...7948.jpg</a>

They've taken out patents on the new ride system for this attraction:
<a href="http://grumpyfan.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/07685944007.png" target="_blank">http://grumpyfan.files.wordpre...4007.png</a>

Whether one likes it or not is neither here nor there. It's not just a spinner.

 

Originally Posted By ChiMike

Great post Malin!

>>In regards to nothing new being announced at the D23 Expo. Thats fairly obvious and Iger has already stated publicly once the new investment is finished that Disney will not be investing any further money on the same scale until atleast the next decade. The only exception will be the Shanghai Park, although I'm sure smaller projects could move forward in this time. When you think on the whole how much money Disney is currently investing into DCA, MK Fantasyland, HKDL and the upcoming SDL park. Plus not forgetting the Cruise Ships its a massive amount of money. So to expect Disney to announce anything of inportance at the Expo with so many other projects underway is an outrageous expectation in my view.<<


Yes. I think you are very correct on the macro level, in the big picture. And this is one of my biggest complaints. The areas in which they have invested. I get the cruise line, although I question the longevity of demand for four ships. While Iger hasn't been around as long as Eisner, someone has to reinvest in the areas Eisner ignored. Continued growth rather than a reinvestment in core areas is a huge mistake. And as Skinner mentioned, could be irrevocable under a business reality.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

(Although I cannot imagine it should have cost $100 million. Holy cow!)

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

17 for 15...

 

Originally Posted By ChiMike

>>First off I disagree about Al and Meg. Have met and talked to Al on several occaions and find him to be a true Disney fan. Just didnt have the talent or creativity that would have made him an outstanding leader. He sat in Judsons shadow too long. I think Meg is also a fan. That doesnt mean she is a great administrator according to fans but she must be making Tom happy.

<<

I think many people would have a hard time arguing with your personal analysis. I do think that the negatives you raise are more than reason enough that those folks should have never achieved the org chart heights that they have

 

Originally Posted By Manfried

I think Al's constant posts about a new "big E ticket" attraction are his wishful thinking and the feeds he gets from certain key Disneyland related Imagineers. You know the same ones that spend $100 million on a spinner ride?
From a business perspective why would a company want to spend possibly $300 million on adding to a park that won't get a big enough attendance bump to cover the cost of adding it, much less make additional profit.