Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Bottom line at the end of the day, I know they are making a fifth gate.>> If you mean you "know" that they have concepts drawn up somewhere at Imagineering, I'm sure they do. Just like they have concepts for Long Beach, Westcot, and Disney's America. For WDW, they have ideas for Venetian, Asian, and Persian hotels, more monorails, and a city where people live. But just because they have them, doesn't mean they're gonna use them.
Originally Posted By jonnyrzone420 I just got this this funny feeling they are going to announce something comparable to the DCA expansion in the near future
Originally Posted By hopemax Who's going to staff this fifth gate? They can't find enough people to work in the operations they have now.
Originally Posted By jonnyrzone420 Disney hold job fairs once per moth mostly at their main casting office near DTD. Besides that, there is the college program (CP). Disney takes in about 1500 students every 6 months with an option to extend if the work is available. You can Identify CP'S because their university will be on their nametag, not their hometown. They are housed in three separate disney leased locations near the maingate.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I love your enthusiasm jonny, and I am sure there is an announcement soon, but it is likely to be: Contemporary DVC, Rivers of Light at DAK, and a few more things bundled together. I could be wrong, but I definately do not expect another gate, and it there is, I would be quite down beat. If the quality of the MK was on par with it's brethran, and the hotel experience was up to snuff, than maybe. But for now, no dice. Just like there are no theme park plans for Galvaston Texas - another rumour that will not die.
Originally Posted By jkayjs Hey dave we are still waiting for ours up here in the midwest. I hear that one at least every few months.
Originally Posted By jonnyrzone420 I didn't think they were going to have late hours at DAK due to the animals.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo jkayjs - did you know Walt was originally looking at St Louis for WDW before Fla? Aparently a drunk guy insulted Walt at the idea of not having drinking establishments on premises (this was over drinks) and Walt pulled out! jonny - most of the animals are way at the back of the park - so it is still possible to do things in the front. Also, AKL has animals out 24/7
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<LOL ROFL!!! Sorry Spirit, you know I LOVE you, but I couldn't resisit cutting this out to read as follows !!! LOLOLOL>> <<<we have some idea what we're talking about (sadly, I'm not one of them!) >>> You do know that was an attempt to inject a little bit of humor as I don't want to chase any new folks away. <<And as for WDW being packed all the time, it really isn't. Maybe the parks are, but the hotels and water parks aren't always packed to the gills but yet they have to still be manned and operated. >> Great point. If it were, you wouldn't have almost year round discounts on rooms, something that almost NEVER happened in the 80s and much more infrequently in the 90s. ... You certainly never saw $49 rooms like you do now.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Also, if you love disney enough to come here once a year, you are not the person who gets tired of HM, POTC, SSE, ITTBAB, TOT, or Star Tours.>> You had me until Star Tours. <<However, after a while of coming down here and planning your seven days around four theme parks and the best way to tackle them becomes stale. I think disney recognizes this.>> No. What become stale is the parks themselves, especially the MK and Studios. Why do you think folks were so excited this year by the Halloween/Fall decorartions on Main Street? Or the great new holiday lighting on the castle? It's because the parks and their offerings are becoming very stale to even the semi-regular guest. Look at it this way ... imagine you last were at the MK four years ago ... what would be new and exciting? Think about that ... what is NEW from 2003 to now? Monsters Laugh Floor ... a few Jack Sparrow AA's ... and more importantly to some of us oldetimers, great and decade needed rehabs to Mansion and Small World. Staleness means a whole different thing to a Floridian, APer or local. You'll notice that yourself after a few years if Disney doesn't keep plussing the product. <<They continue to open properties all over the world including parks and resorts and I even heard of a resort being planned in the middle east.>> You're not really right about this. Disney has been in Tokyo for 25 years. In Paris for 15. Only Hong Kong, which is struggling mightily is a 'new' resort. Disney realizes this isn't the smartest way to go, which is where the impetus behind the regional concept where you build a 'mini-park' with a hotel and DVC component has come from. ANd Disney won't build in the Middle East. Not now. Not ever. <<If they are up for the challenge of doing all of that, I don't see why they wouldn't make a fifth gate.>> I've already explained it as simply as I can. It's just bad business. People have a finite amount of vacation days and eventually (and it actually has been happenning since the Studios opened) people choose one Disney park (or worse a Universal one) over another Disney park. That isn't good for business. Disney is all about extending guests' stays and keeping them on property. As for the former, they've reached a point where they can't do so ... parks are multi-billion dollar investments in terms of design, development, building, staffing and operating. A new park in Central Florida would never return the investment unless the USA suddenly madates every worker gets 3-5 weeks vacation a year ... and in our PURE capitalist society that won't ever happen. <<Also, how deep was disney into the process of Animal Kingdom before we found out?>> Well, when they started clearing the land in 1992, we all knew it wasn't for a mall. ... And when they started surveying guests about animal parks about the same time, it was pretty easy to put two and two together. And, some of us who knew people working at WDI, well ... we just knew.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I hope you are wrong about this. The prices are indeed going from the sublime to the ridiculous but I don't see WDW getting enough traffic if they rely only on the top 20%.>> That's 100% true. WDW is seeking every demo, which I'm not sure is smart either, but they certainly aren't going after a top 20% deal. Many of those folks wouldn't be caught dead in a Disney park ... too pedestrian. And, again, WDW can be quite a bargain (yeah, you read that right) if you're a smart trip planner. If you have an AP ... if you go in a slower period ... $49 rooms soon folks ... or stay off-property ... don't spend $53 for burgers and fries in the park when you can drive to Wendy's for $12 etc ... <<Folks who can afford to go most anywhere will do just that they are not going to spend all their vacation time/dollars @ WDW.>> Absolutely. And some of us who can't afford to go anywhere, still travel beyond WDW ... and theme parks in general. <<Another park? Let me get in line with the no vote as well. Refurb, reinvent, create and just get out extra mops & brooms. That's money much better spent. Give us more, better and new animatronics brought to life in an engrossing and timeless story. Give us quality over quantity. I'm getting older I'm way past wanting more, more, more. I just want better, better, better.>> Disney built its reputation on being BETTER, BETTER, BETTER than everyone else ... that's why some of us get a wee bit ticked off when they let the standards slip or just pay lip service to them.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I want to expand on this a little. In the US, a one-week vacation is pretty much standard. A few people take longer trips, but not many. Seven nights, eight days. Consider that two of those days are travel days, and so are really only half days, or maybe no days at all. So, you've got Joe Sixpack and family, with about 6-7 days to spend. They really can't do much more, or then they are taking more than 5 vacation days---not common. Let's suppose you spent only one day in each park, plus one day in one waterpark. That's already 5 of those 6-7 days. Most people will want to visit MK more than once. Now you are at 6 of those 6-7 days. There's no reason to build another gate, because people are already "maxing out" their available trips. >> Well said, Brian. I read, and respond, in order so I kind of repeated most of this. But that's just because it's so ... dead on accurate.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<And due to the current security processes, international travel is even more unpleasant, especially with little ones these days. >> I've heard we actually finger-print and photograph everyone that comes into the country now ... doesn't sound like a very friendly approach. (of course feeling up my friend's grandmother who is in her 80s and wheelchair bound at the airport in Tampa a few days ago isn't exactly great either for us patriots!) I kind of like being in Europe and going from country to country like I'm driving from Fort Lauderdale to Boca Raton ... but that's just me ... I like real freedom as opposed to talk about FREEDOM!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Bottom line at the end of the day, I know they are making a fifth gate. My only question is, did they start it yet?>> No. They aren't. I understand you're a fan. But it doesn't change reality one bit.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I didn't think they were going to have late hours at DAK due to the animals. >> Internet/CM/Disney geek/urban rumor ... DAK will have night hours when Rivers of Light debuts.
Originally Posted By jonnyrzone420 <<kayjs - did you know Walt was originally looking at St Louis for WDW before Fla? Aparently a drunk guy insulted Walt at the idea of not having drinking establishments on premises (this was over drinks) and Walt pulled out!>> I thought that Walt originally wanted st. Louis because he was from Missouri and the reason he pulled out was lack of space and weather?
Originally Posted By jonvn What would you do there at night? The animals are inside, there are hardly any rides. Kind of pointless it seems.
Originally Posted By jonvn "Walt was originally looking at St Louis for WDW before Fla?" Why would he look there? The weather is bad, the land is expensive. Why would a bar argument with some random guy affect such a momentous decision?
