Originally Posted By dagobert Part 3: >>>Europe, not the U.S." Despite a record attendance, the park continues to lose money ... What are the mistakes that you would commit more? "In 1992, it was the first time the concept of the Disney parks are exported to Europe. It was soon discovered that, unlike the U.S., Europe is not a country but a collection of cultures, mentalities. And it's not because people knew the name of Disneyland they understood the concept. The French, in their minds, there was the Foire du Trone and nothing else. It probably did well enough on what was communicated. " The success in visitor numbers has yet been forthcoming from the start you ... "Yes, it was 7 million visitors in the first six months. Then we had a stagnation due to the fact that no one knew how to enable the European market. We had to learn that the Belgian customer is not the same as the French or Italian customer. We had to adapt to each country. It has segmented the market better. " There were also errors of judgment ... "It's true. I think the fact that at first they did not offer wine at the table, which was unimaginable in France. We made some adjustments. We must remain Disney, but by integrating with the local culture. " In 20 years, the park has hosted more than 250 million visitors and broke its attendance record in 2011, but it still loses money ... "In 2008, it had become profitable. Then it was taken the economic crisis. Crisis that has resurged best in 2011. What we had to recreate the application, including promotions. People go to the best deal. " How then can increase your sales with promos permanent? "Fortunately, people respond more to the perception of the real bargain at the price. Despite the specials, the average visitor spending in hotels has never been higher. People spend more. " There is also the burden of debt (1.8 billion euros) that weighs very heavily in your accounts ... "If you look closely, in terms of operational results, it has been profitable since 2007. After, there are the financial costs, including debt. It reimburses the since 2008. Mechanically, our pricing will drop. We remain indebted, but in the standard and we will reach sustainable profitability. But it takes a little time. Until then, what is important is that we have a healthy cash flow. End of 2011, there were 360 million available in cash. Thereby paying salaries, debt, investments ... " There are also royalties payable to the parent company, Disney, who put you in the red ... "Here, let me put the record straight. This complaint is a little conspiracy theory. Disney is a shareholder and manager of Disneyland Paris. But it is also an importer of intellectual property. Without Disney, there is no Mickey and the Castle of the Sleeping Beauty. And the park would not exist! The fact that pays royalties to Disney did so for me nothing shocking. Especially when you know they have invested one billion euros in the project and they have given up 500 million in royalties. "<<< Part 4 has been posted in my first post.
Originally Posted By u k fan Thanks for that. There's some interesting info there. I'm not sure how I feel about Jack coming to DLP, but hopefully we'll get the Star Tours upgrade. It's a bit of a shame they see Dreams as temporary though as DLP really needs a good night-time show all the time!!!
Originally Posted By dagobert I don't think Dreams will only be temporary. It rates very high with guest satisfaction and it wasn't cheao either. I'm pretty sure it will stay longer than expected. As for Jack Sparrow, I'm also not sure about him. I have to admit I enjoyed seeing him at WDW, but I prefer the original version. I guess we knew for years that he will be added to the ride. At least I'm not surprised. The upgrade of Star Tours should happen sooner than later, but hopefully it will really happen. It would be a perfect time to relocate ST to WDSP and trasform Discoveryland into a Jules Verne land with Journey to the Center of the Earth. Of course that would mean to replace Buzz and retheme SM to De La Terre a La Lune as well. I know it's just wishull thinking.
Originally Posted By u k fan Yeah, without Buzz it could be a possibility to put a SW mini-land in WDSP that includes STII and go for a full Verne/Wells feel in Discoveryland, but I can't see it happening. If we were to get a Star Wars miniland though I would prefer it in WDSP as it would really help that park and free up a huge amount of space for DL as well!!!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm sure that something gets lost in translation, but I'm surprised to read how openly he speaks about the out-of-date-ness of Captain EO and the built-it-cheap strategy for the Studios park. And I also don't think that adding Jack Sparrow to POTC is a good idea. It seems like that franchise is nearing the end of its life (for the forseeable future), so it seems like an odd investment. The ride could use some attention, but I would prefer to see it remain at the current maintenance level, than to get refreshed with Jack Sparrow. Star Tours 2 is fun, but it's not the greatest thing in the world. Using this timeline, by the time it would get into the park, I think the technology behind it would be very dated (much like the current version). By that point, the park will need a couple actual new attractions, not just an upgrade to one existing one.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>I'm sure that something gets lost in translation, but I'm surprised to read how openly he speaks about the out-of-date-ness of Captain EO and the built-it-cheap strategy for the Studios park.<<< I have never understood why they brought back Captain EO. For me Disney just wanted to cash in on the death of MJ. As for WDSP, TWDC had no choice. They had to build the park, otherwise they would have lost the land rights. However that cheap park was even too expensive for ED SCA, because it added another 600 mio Euros to the nearly 2 billion debt. They could only lose with that project. They either increased the debt or lost the land rights. At least he admits that the park is cheap and hopefully the rumoured five year plan adds some theming. Of course the park needs more attractions, but it also needs placemaking to look like a Disney park and not like a parking lot. >>>And I also don't think that adding Jack Sparrow to POTC is a good idea. It seems like that franchise is nearing the end of its life (for the forseeable future), so it seems like an odd investment. The ride could use some attention, but I would prefer to see it remain at the current maintenance level, than to get refreshed with Jack Sparrow.<<< I thought the same. Although the last POTC movie was a success and I liked it better than part 2 and 3, I also think that the franchise reaches its end. I guess one more movie is coming, maybe two, but they will not be as successful as the first four films. They should keep the ride as it is, just a big refurb. >>>Star Tours 2 is fun, but it's not the greatest thing in the world. Using this timeline, by the time it would get into the park, I think the technology behind it would be very dated (much like the current version). By that point, the park will need a couple actual new attractions, not just an upgrade to one existing one.<<< It's Jack Sparrow all over again. DLP should have invested in ST II last year, like all other resorts. DLP is getting a dated version again. However I like ST and I don't want DLP to be without that attraction. So I hope we will get ST II.
Originally Posted By dagobert In Juned ED SCA held two roundtable discussion with its shareholders and the French Disney Gazette site posted a summary about those events. Thanks to Google translation, here it is: >>>We have given a formalization of the attraction and its restaurant Ratatouille (almost 6 months after starting work, and more than a year and a half after the filing of building permits). Discussions also focused more on the restaurant than the attraction itself. For now, the option chosen is that of a brasserie-style table service with a basic map of Paris, their model is "over the steak" in Paris. After Ratatouille, the Department has planned a multi-year development plan, mainly focusing on the Walt Disney Studios, which would include both the addition of attractions and shops / restaurants. Everything would run until 2017/2018. In this regard, the President held back the rumored name change for Walt Disney Studios. This would be an avenue, but if it occurs, it would at the end of the development program of this park, and after a complete overhaul of the existing. The Disney Village should continue its metamorphosis, with the imminent closure of the Disney Store and the opening of the World of Disney. The Directorate has also been unofficially leaked the name of a potential replacement for this space, talking openly of a possible Lego store. The rest of the Disney Village shops will also be redesigned, with an emphasis on higher-end products and fashion. To meet the demand of stay, new hotel projects are under discussion, including the expansion of the Disneyland Hotel, but that looks more difficult than expected given the constraints of the site. In this regard, little aside to indicate the map change and head of the California Grill restaurant, which, according to the Directorate, inventive cuisine and quality. He also returned to the hotel project of Studios, which would be located at the rear thereof, and does not exclude the idea of making a hotel-type "value", ie cheap, like Santa Fe or the Cheyenne. Villages on Nature, the project is still in progress, the last building permit applications were lodged in the last week of May 2012. In this regard, we will return very soon on this subject with an article devoted solely to this topic. During this roundtable, the President also talked a lot of employees and its relationship with them. It is a long back on the causes of strikes in March this year, triggered by "a handful of minority unionists among the cast members, and who decided to strike before the start of wage negotiations of 2012." He took the opportunity to remember that since 2007, wage increases for employees present in the park were 12%, whereas at hand, there was a pay freeze for managers and executives. We are finally back at length on the great novelty of the season, the nighttime show Disney Dreams!, Which, in view of the first digit, appears to be a genuine popular success, with a satisfaction rate exceeding 94% and even 98% in people without children ... the most since Tarzan in 1999. One shareholder took the opportunity to discuss the problem of restoring the park later on. Indeed, very few restaurants or snack bars opened their doors as late until then. This is obviously a problem about to be solved, which was facing both an administrative authorization for some restaurants, and a lack of staff at night on these stations. But anyway, the show is already profitable by itself, the turnover of the shops of Main Street has visibly increased since the arrival of the show and the late opening of the park. These you should be made for that meeting with Philippe Gas, the second pass to second table held Wednesday, June 6, 2012, at the Pullman Bercy in Paris in the presence of the Supervisory Board. The meetings with the supervisory board, excluding general meeting, are so rare that participants should have been many. Unfortunately an epidemic of last-minute defections meant that only 12 shareholders were present. This has not prevented the holding of debates, far from it. Very quickly the president's fall back on the defensive as its action, or inaction, rather, was criticized. Very brave and clever, though sometimes very rough, he responded to the assaults and did well. Many issues were discussed such as the management company's business (is it too promotions?), Board independence from the Walt Disney Company (how to be independent with two employee members of the WDC in it? ) management fees (based on turnover and not the results), comparison with Michelin, Reference Companies Limited by Shares in France, etc.. The presence of Lydia BOUSSARD, Legal Service, and Olivier LAMBERT, investor relations manager, allowed participants to have accurate information about the company, the supervisory board is not an operational entity. All this has resulted in often conflicting visions and sometimes heated exchanges but at the end of the round table the two sides parted by shaking hands, each having the delicacy to have a kind word for camp opposé.Pour the uninitiated, little usable information on the present and the future of the Resort. Nevertheless, we learned that the investment plan of 5 years was established. It will unfortunately not be made public, Americans do not want. But at least there, which means that the company thinks about it to add items in the parks. The Supervisory Board has sought and received assurances from the Walt Disney Company and the Deposit and Consignment Office, the two largest lenders of the company, they "would drop" no society in the event of difficulties in repaying the debts. A cash flow crisis thus seems a priori ruled out in the near future. He said he was opposed to any capital increase in the current state of affairs, the course was not enough and the conditions too bad. Finally, A. Jeancourt Galignani concluded that he believed the project since the beginning, he had not changed his mind and that's the long term we will judge the success of Euro Disneyland. For more information on the exact place of these meetings, you can find the full reports in the shareholders of our forum.<<< <a href="http://www.disneygazette.fr/table-ronde-actionnaires-juin-2012-philippe-gas-eurodisney-news-1001.html" target="_blank">http://www.disneygazette.fr/ta...001.html</a>
Originally Posted By u k fan While that's not a great translation there are a few interesting things in the above post. For example, Nevertheless, we learned that the investment plan of 5 years was established. It will unfortunately not be made public, Americans do not want. Hmmmm!!!
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>While that's not a great translation there are a few interesting things in the above post. For example, Nevertheless, we learned that the investment plan of 5 years was established. It will unfortunately not be made public, Americans do not want. Hmmmm!!!<<< That's indeed interesting, because I always thought ED SCA didn't want to make future plans public due to the fear that people would postpone their trips.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<In 2013. If plans work out as expected, the controller of Johnny Depp aka Jack Sparrow, will take place in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which will be renovated.>> BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! DLP's Pirates is perfect, don't ruin it!
Originally Posted By u k fan Another interesting item in the article is that the hotel that's associated with WDSP might be a value hotel. That will probably be the first time that's happened won't it? Usually a hotel attached to a park would be deluxe. I've always liked the look of the Hollywood Hotel in HK - that would be a great fit or I suppose they could clone All-Star Movies or the new Animation Resort at WDW!!!
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Another interesting item in the article is that the hotel that's associated with WDSP might be a value hotel. That will probably be the first time that's happened won't it? Usually a hotel attached to a park would be deluxe. I've always liked the look of the Hollywood Hotel in HK - that would be a great fit or I suppose they could clone All-Star Movies or the new Animation Resort at WDW!!!<<< That value hotel would be at the far end of Walt Disney Studios Park. A year ago I've posted a map that shows the hotel at another Disney board. <a href="http://www.magicforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10747" target="_blank">http://www.magicforum.eu/viewt...&t=10747</a> The hotel is in the right upper corner of the map. A Deluxe Hotel would be located near the entrances of the parks. There have been plans online that showed a new hotel and an expamsion of DV between NPBC and the current DV. I also like the Hollywood Hotel in Hong Kong and I wouldn't mind if WDI copies the hotel in Paris. It would fit perfectly into the American themes of the hotels
Originally Posted By dagobert According to Fultimate on MiceChat.com, ED SCA finally purchased the resort hub around the train station from the French government. That allows Disney to gain more control over that area and to prevent vendors from selling their cheap stuff there. Currently they are repositioning the security checks. Now people even have to go through these checks when entering DV from the hotels. I guess the other checkpoints will be located at the exit of the train station, at the walkway from the car park and at the entrance near the Vinci Parking Garage opposite the IMAX.
Originally Posted By u k fan Maybe it was the translation, but I read it as one or the other regarding WDSP hotels rather than both. It's fun to think what the park could be like one day!!!
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Maybe it was the translation, but I read it as one or the other regarding WDSP hotels rather than both.<<< I'm sure ED SCA will only build one hoteil, either a deluxe or a value. However I can't imagine a value hotel next to DV, it has to be further away, while a deluxe hotel needs to be near the parks and DV. Although I like the fact that Disney wants to build a new hotel, I wonder if it's really needed. I mean there are seven Disney hotels and five good neighbourhood hotels. That makes a total of 12 hotels for only one and a half park. WDW has four parks and around 20 Disney hotels. In my opinion ED SCA made a big mistake in the early 2000 years, because they allowed third parties to build hotels on property, although they are further away. I know Disney didn't have the money back then, but now they are losing a lot of money to these hotels, especially since many of them offer a better quality than Disney does.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I wonder if this is a chance for DVC to start an international location. I know they've been looking internationally for a while (a big part of the reasoning for Aulani in Hawaii was the Japanese visitors), so this might allow them to see how it works, but still have it at a Disney resort. I'm sure there would be legal/contract issues to work out for people 'buying property' in another country, but it seems like the type of thing they'd be interested in trying out.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros FYI: I guess DVC probably isn't an acronym that's used much in Europe, but it's Disney Vacation Club the timeshare/partial ownership resorts that they've built all over WDW, and are starting to do more in other locations. It's not technically ownership, since it's based on points, rather than owning a certain amount of time, and your membership only lasts a certain number of years (60, I think), but it's the same general concept.
Originally Posted By dagobert There is already a time share hotel at DLRP. It's located near DLP's Golf Course and it's operated by Marriott. Davewasbaloo owns a unit there. If I'm not mistaken US DVC guests can use their points to stay in one of the Disneyland Paris hotels. I think I've read that when I took a look at one of the DVC brochures located throughout the WDW parks in 2008. Maybe that changed in the meantime. I think some Disney fans from Europe know DVC, at least I do, and there are even some who are part of the programm.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I've read about the Marriott place, which is what made me think that Disney might want to get into the business on their own. They seem to think it's a pretty reliable income source for WDW (which I question, since it uses valuable property but doesn't generate much long-term income), so I'd think they might want to expand their market. At the US resorts, DVCers can trade their points for hotel stays, so it makes sense that they could also do it at DLP. They can even trade their points for vacations at non-Disney hotels and timeshares, so there's a lot of flexibility. I'm surprised Disney hasn't tried to tap into the European market sooner, but I don't know how popular it would be (though the Marriott place seems to do fine)
Originally Posted By u k fan I think a value could work in the WDSP/DV area. Perhaps an all-suite hotel. I've had to stay offsite a few times because a room for 4 isn't big enough and Disney have very few options. I like the idea of extending the DLH to provide a deluxe option at WDSP. They would need to add more amenities, but I think it could work. I can't see a DVC only resort/hotel, but maybe a hybrid could work?!!!
