Originally Posted By Christi22222 what would they look like? I know a couple of things for sure: (1) Indy would reign supreme in Adventureland in the MK. (2) Epcot's budget would get a bit larger. But what else would happen? Would Nemo get to stay in the Seas? Would Star Wars land open in the Studios? Would AK get a night time show? Would Fantasmic run 7 nights? Would light bulbs get changed? Would the parks division go bankrupt, or actually see the end of discounting?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I think they would soon discover the economic realities and things would not be terribly different than they are now. People forget that when Walt was around he was spending HIS money and he was willing to spend plenty of it in pursuit of his vision. Now Disney is just one more Fortune 500 Company that puts current shareholder return above all else. Now if they had a nest egg of a billion dollars or so that they were personally willing to put into the parks, then we would probably see a difference!!
Originally Posted By Christi22222 Okay, not exactly what I had in mind. And doesn't address the possibility that fewer guests and higher quality product could possibly induce folks to spend more on their Disney vacation. What if Disney didn't have to discount so much? What if unique and varied merchandise actually raised profits?
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb IF they offered unique and varied merchandise, I probably would spend more on merch. But not if I had to pay significantly more on park tickets and lodging. My tourist dollar is what it is and Disney already gets a higher percentage of my disposable income than they deserve.
Originally Posted By joe80x86 Aside from buying a few more unique items I really don't think most Disney goers would spend significantly more. Actually I would see higher gate/food/merch/hotel prices causing a downward spiral. Part of the reason the discounting exists is that the full posted price is in the clouds and has no basis of reality.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper I would go mad with power succeed from the United States, and rule as Dictator of Disney, using the Animatronic Army to legitimize and protect my rule. But seriously, I would probably build a whole lot less than people would expect. A thrill E-ticket in MK, a few additions to DAK, and a few small additions to DHS over the course of say 15 years? Other than that, my focus would be infrastructure improvements, focusing on the transportation(a huge need right now). Outside the parks, I would try my damnedest to kill Magic Your Way and the Dining Plan, but I'd doubt that'd happen.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip What would you think of using the DVC model for the parks? Disney could sell a twenty-year pass for the parks. The upfront cost would be discounted and would protect the buyer from future price increases. Disney would get a HUGE infusion of cash that they could then use to improve the parks. They would also be assuring that you would continue to visit the parks in the future because who would pay for something like that and not use it? And since I'm sure Disney makes far more profit on food, lodging and merchandise sales than it does on passes anyway, any revenue lost on future pass sales would be made up for by increased spending in the other areas. OK... so it's just an idea...
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I would go mad with power succeed from the United States, and rule as Dictator of Disney, using the Animatronic Army to legitimize and protect my rule. ------- I canm see it now -- the country of Reedy Creek ( I am not so sure they are part of Florida anyway - ;-) )
Originally Posted By vbdad55 as to the original post- they would have to hire leemac as CFO or else it might be a short run financially. ..but yeah I think quality would be job 1
Originally Posted By barboy2 ///Disney could sell a twenty-year pass for the parks. The upfront cost would be discounted and would protect the buyer from future price increases./// I would be a bit nervous prepaying 20 years worth of fun in this economic climate--- 15 years back hey, no problem but not today. I know it's a pretty unlikely scenario but what if unemployment hit 35% and the US economy were in complete disarray and Disney went all BK(full liquidation mode)on us and ultimately closed up shop.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 if unemployment hit 35% and Disney was forced to close up shop- the least of your worries would likely be lost investment money- you wouldn't be able to step outside your house because crime would be off the charts in the country ( far moreso than even today) -
Originally Posted By Christi22222 Ooooh, I definitely like the leemac as CFO idea. And seriously, if you're the boss, ditching MYW and DP are exactly what I'm talking about! yes!! I mean, I agree that you have to watch your balance sheet, but I really think there are legitimate arguments that those two are money losers.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I guess I'm the eternal optimist. I figure if we could survive the real estate meltdown and the liquidity crisis of the investment banks we can survive anything. I know people rip on Obama about it, but I really believe in 5-10 years alternative energy and green products could do for the economy what the Internet did during the 90's... IF we are willing to make the investment.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<but I really think there are legitimate arguments that those two are money losers.>> I really doubt that. If they were money losers Disney would have scrapped them after the first year.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 For the record, the topic line of this thread was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek, obviously! But the idea is, what would we change at the parks if we could? And what do all our other LP friends think of our ideas? Some of the ideas will certainly be the same ones we re-hash on a near daily basis, beyond the point of productivity! But I'm also curious about other ideas that are more creative and interesting. I truly hadn't ever thought so much about Indy's presence in DL and the effect it has on Adventureland, but Hokie suggested it in another thread. Also a Star Wars Land was mentioned for the studios which I loved. I'm not looking to be negative and argue economics. But who has some really good ideas? Or even not so good? I would never do it, but the idea of a DVC style AP is very intriguing! That's the kind of stuff I'm curious about. I know the LP Disney fans are incredibly knowledgeable. So bring it on!
Originally Posted By barboy2 Ya, I see what you're saying. But what I'm getting at is if things **start** to get very, very bad I would take the money that would have gone towards a prepaid park hopper and buy canned and jar food and other basics. Now, if the hopper were super attractive then I would do the 20 year pass---- but if it were priced just to moderately entice, then no way.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>I really doubt that. If they were money losers Disney would have scrapped them after the first year<< I haven't heard anyone make the case that MYW is a slam dunk. DDP is purely my opinion that it's not sustainable as is, and wishful thinking!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I haven't heard anyone make the case that MYW is a slam dunk.>> I don't know that it is, but I just can't imagine Disney keeping it if it were a money loser. Obviously they were trying to extend the length of the average visit. I have no idea whether or not it was successful, but my guess is that it was or it would have been scrapped. Also, under the old system if I were going for a seven-day visit I often just bought a 4-day hopper and figured I would hang out at the hotel the other days. With MYW pricing I would be more likely to buy a pass for the length of my stay. Even if the MYW pricing doesn't give Disney any extra revenue from the pass, I am far more likely to drop $$ in the parks than I am hanging out at the hotel pool.
