President Bush: "... go down to Disney World in Florida..."

[Tannerman]

During his address at O'hare Airport in Chicago today, the President actually asked Americans to go to Walt Disney World. Wow, quite the plug there! :)

[YoHo]

Is there a text for his speech anywhere online? I can't find it.

[pjd02176]

That's great. Disney (and the stock) can use a shot in the arm!

[Tannerman]

I haven't seen the full transcript published online yet...

Bush was talking in the context of encouraging everyone to visit our nation's great tourist destinations, but Disney World was the only one he mentioned by name.

[Baileymouse]

Maybe his brother told him to say it. So much Florida revenue is from Tourism.

[Belle1962]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/bushtext_092701.html

[MickeyMoose15]

I thought I heard him say something about Disney World on the radio on the bus ride home today but it was too noisey to get a clear listen.

[Planogirl]

I would agree that Jeb Bush might have something to with it. I always did like him. :)

[WorknFires]

just as I clicked on this thread, I heard Pres. Bush say go to WDW in Florida behind me on the TV.... How cool!

Cheryl :bounce:

[YoHo]

This morning on the Today show on NBC, Jeb Bush was on. He would not say Disney World specifically, but did comment on the president's remark saying it was not in the speech text and that he was pleased GWB said it. Frankly its just as likely he said it, because he had been talking to Eisner, or because Disney is such a cultural Icon of America.

[Pixie24]

I must say I never thought I would say this but, GO BUSH!!!!:pinkbounc

[King Triton]

Way to go President Bush!:bounce: :bounce: We must do what our president says and go to Walt Disney World!!!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: Earlier this week I bought some Disney Stock and it's way up today. :)

Bush is doing a great job! I am so proud of him.

King Triton

[ees]

Hey if Mr. Bush says go... We gotta do it.. me and mine are set to go Nov 2001
yipeee this am go ps for cindy yayayayaya

[porkchop]

O.k. MR. BUSH,WERE GOING YOU DONT HAVE TO ASK ME TWICE111

[King Triton]

Just bought my tickets - we must do our duty and do what our president says. This is a great time for a big dose of pixie dust. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

King Triton

[F.C. Fan]

Looks like Jeb Bush doesn't share George W.'s view, seen as how today he shot a commercial for tourism at Universal's Islands of Adventure and Hard Rock Hotel.

Just goes to show that Jeb has alot better taste than G.W. :D

[ContempoSMT]

i want to go so bad...!

[YoHo]

Having just been scanning the reports on the Universal board, it sounds like Universal might be in a lot worse shape right now then Disney. What with Portofino bay only at 7% occupancy. Jeb however did thank his brother for the comments mentioning Disney World.

[F.C. Fan]

Both the Vivendi and Anhueser-Busch companies as a whole, are in much better shape than Disney is financially, because they have other means of making money. Disney on the other hand is losing their **** on just about everything they are associated with.

[YoHo]

I figure A-B is doing better, everybody still needs beer. :D

[HBK]

Here you go scoop....

Click here for Orlando Sentinel Article about Vivendi - Universal's profits soaring (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/orl-bizviv26092601sep26.story?coll=orl%2Dbusiness%2Dhe adlines%2Dtourism)

Click here for an Orlando Sentinel article detailing the financial problems Disney is experincing... (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/orl-asecdisney22092201sep22.story?coll=orl%2Dbusiness% 2Dheadlines%2Dtourism)


Need more?

Universal had a TREMENDOUS box office showing this summer. Disney had their own version of Titanic, but unlike the movie version, the movie sank with the boat.

[YoHo]

I suspect that Vivendi's Universal Holdings are doing better based on the Movie Studio performance not the Themepark performance. My comment was based on what I read on the Universal Boards. Those comments include the revelation that Occupation at Portofino Bay was 7% in fairness, our good friend johare claimed that he could not book a room for an october date, so that number may be off. Still if it correct, then it is by far the worst I've heard.

[F.C. Fan]

Thanks HBK

The cruise line is down as a result of of Sept 11.
1 bomb after another in the theaters notable exception The Princess Diary.
Their parks and hotels are fairing no better than anyone else.
Having to buy tons of stock to protect themselves.
The Disney stores.
That great cable deal they're in, considering that Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network will still wipe the floor with them.
DCA.
AK.
Wide World of Sports espscially when you consider the amount of money they gonna have to pay the guys they stole the idea from.

BTW Universal is getting ready to make tons of money with Halloween Horror Nights. Add to that that they're gonna make even more money from the home releases of those summer blockbusters.

Anheuser-Busch Has all those thousands of of Fun Cards and their new payment plan for park admissions plus beer beer and more beer. Plus Discovery Cove didn't cost them an thing since they sold Sea World of Ohio so it's been a money maker from the get go.

[YoHo]

Again, based on the thread I read, Universal orlando's cuts in attractions and such seem slightly more drastic then Disney's. Granted Disney told a whole bunch of employee's not to show up as well, I can't think of too many rides besides time keeper that were completely shut down. As of right now, the dragons aren't dueling at IOA. That's bad.

Also, F.C. Fan, you are neglecting the Others which is doing quite well. Certainly doesn't excuse the bad movies, and Certainly Universal did better, but Princess Diaries is not the only exception.

[F.C. Fan]

Universal and Dreamworks SLAUGHTERED Disney in the box office not just did better.
You are right though I did forget that The Others was Disney.

My whole point about the Disney company as a whole, is that it has it's hands are in too many cookie jars that are failing, and they need to get rid of alot of the crap and concentrate on what made them great to begin with, and that's the animation and the parks and resorts.

Universal's cuts I'll admit are a little drastic, but as for the Kong closing, the ground area of of the attraction is gonna be used certain nights for Halloween Horror Nights so you can't have the attraction open during the day and then set up forHHN in just 1 1/2 hrs on those nights.
Also USF, IoA , and SW all close early and close certain eateries and shops this time of year, and always have due to the dead season.

[F.C. Fan]

Couldn't tell you honestly about Deuling Dragons.
Tell me this how can the Time Keeper be shut down if he's the keeper of time???????????????:earseek:

[F.C. Fan]

Oops it was meant to say Dreamworks and Universal slaughtered Disney in the theaters.

Since Dreamworks has partnered up with Universal on occassion due to Spielberg ( Shrek)

[JeffJewell]

Universal orlando's cuts in attractions and such seem slightly more drastic then Disney's ...was that Universal's cuts included "Reduced attraction operating hours" and "Temporary closure of select attractions," both of which have been SOP at WDW since before the current tough times.

Jeff

[F.C. Fan]

To add to Jeff Jewel's post, Disney's closings and firings earlier this year were at a time when they weren't needed, not out of necessity but convience.

[YoHo]

Perhaps so, But it may have allowed them avoid actual layoffs now.
As far as I know, in WDW, aside from reduced operating hours, and Timekeeper which WAS closed before and thus was an easy decision to close again, Plus a few food stands. Most attractions remain open. Considering we're talkinag abotu 4 parks as opposed to 2, that's quite impressive.

Shrek is the only Dworks movie I can think of that really performed well this summer. Yes that movie slaughtered Atlantis and rearranged the Animation landscape, but it hardly indicates that the company as a whole did better with movie releases.


Oh, I just remembered, JIYI is SUPPOSED to Close for a remodel soon. That's another closure, but I'd be hard pressed to see it in the same light.

[F.C. Fan]

I didn't mean just Dreamworks as I said earlier, I meant the 2 together since they have a working relationship with one another.

You don't consider telling almost all part-timers don't come back to work until further notice, more lay-offs, what do you think that means, you are on vaction without pay????.

You need to get to the Optometrist so he can give you the proper glasses you need rather than those rose-colored ones that you are currently wearing. :D

[larworth]

Universal did seem to be a little more draconian in their reactions from a guest point of view. They claim they were doing everything they could not to have to lay anyone off and still give a reasonable guest experience. I don't know if this is totally attendance driven or just a differnce in business practive? I sure hope things return to a little more normal state of operation before my upcoming visit or I will be less than thrilled.

I don't take any glee that either is being hard hit. Universal has been sitting on their hands for awhile now as well, and these events sure aren't going to free up any bucks for their next capital budgeting cycle.

YoHo

I thought the 7% occupancy comment was pretty much isolated to the days following the 11th. Portofino and HRH have been doing some discounting recently. but it doesn't seem to be any more severe than Disney. Don't you wish they just published the stats so we wouldn't have to speculate so much.

Scoop

I guess I should read the link, but unclear about the reference about 40% coming from the parks. The park division is a pretty tiny part of Vivendi. I'm sure they aren't happy, but it probably is a small worry at the top of the pyramid.

[YoHo]

Oh, I didn't say it was a good thing, but I saw my group at work go from 300 to 30 in REAL Layoffs. Temporarily being told not to come and getting to keep your Badge IS NOT in any conceivable way the same thing

[F.C. Fan]

D Scoop

I see that it was convienant to leave out that USF and IoA are open from 9-6.
All the parks close 95% of their eateries 1 hr before closing, plus this time of the year they close most food carts and certain eateries as well as some attractions for maintenance, better when it's dead than a fully packed park in the middle of summer and having to listen all those angry visitors. Also that HHN is open some, if not all nights from 7p.M. - 2 A.M., so you can ride almost every attraction except Kong also do some of the shows, and partake in the halloween only festivities.

[F.C. Fan]

YoHo
6-8 weeks with no paycheck and no guarantee that you'll have a job more than a couple of weeks til you're off for a few months again, plus you can't claim un-employment. At least when you're really laid off you can get some form of finacial support. It's as crappy of a thing as can happen to anyone.

[F.C. Fan]

DScoop how about Shrek, if there was not some sort of working relationship between the 2 companies then why is there a Shrek character at USF??????????

Just to let you knowI live in Orlando, I live very close to Sea World and Universal, and frequent them all quite often. So trust me I know the hours of the parks, and a good amount of what goes on through friends, a relative who works at 1, and from different employees I've met and worked with over the years. I'm not up in Tennessee using a search engine to find out everything and post it, believe or not, not all of what we see and hear down here in Orlando shows up on info fan sites.

I get some of my info from the local news channels feeds and the fore mentioned people.

[F.C. Fan]

And as I've asked other posters before you if your so proud of your state then why do you spend so much time worrying and dreaming about what goes on down here in Orlando????:D :jester:
I have not left this state since I was a little kid and have no desire to, there's too much to do here to need to go anywhere else.
:p

[F.C. Fan]

I'm not affraid of the state line, as I've said it before there's no reason for me to leave this state there's plenty to do here.

[Laurajean1014]

Hey, maybe GWB will visit WDW to encourage us to go! Like we needed encouragement!!!

I knew I liked our president. And he just gave me another reason why! ;)

[HBK]

Thanks HBK, but not precise enough...
...oh, granted HBK, these here are tough times...however, I requested supporting evidence on two specific points

1.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vivendi and Anhueser-Busch companies as a whole, are in much better shape than Disney is financially
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



2.
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disney on the other hand is losing their **** [money] on just about everything they are associated with
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Now I'm getting a giggle from you scoop....You asked for evidence of Disney's suffering & Universal / Vivendi's stregnth (I really didn't feel like looking for AB). I provide it, and you say it's not good enough.

How about this challenge....find some reports backing your side up?

Good luck.

[lrodk]

I don't like the direction that this thread has taken, especially with regard to comparisons of one state being better than another. I will close this thread should this line of discussion continue. Lets keep things a little less personal.

[HBK]

HBK, ever since you clued me in on the CAVE technology...I've been grateful...maybe you're not such a bad guy after all

Shhhh.....that's supposed to be a secret.

I think that the articles showed that Vivendi (again nothing about AB) showed that Vivendi had a better than expected quarter and Disney did not...I don't think it showed anyone was in "better shape". Now again, this is probably me looking at it from an overall institutional perspective...so

No, you're looking at it from an Ei$ner prespective. Short term. This quarter. The fact remains...Universal / Vivendi are posting postive numbers when all of their competition are showing losses. What does Disney have in the offerings which may change the current downward trend? Any blockbuster scripts (Nope...just dopey animation sequels), any new ride developments (The jury's out.....I'll give them time to recover their press event), any changes in broadcast TV (instead of having one channel struggling to sell advertising on, now they have two. Whoopee).

So the mere fact that Vivendi / Universal are posting positive numbers in this type of economy shows they're doing something right, where as the competitiors aren't.

so, really the only proof I would offer would be to compare Disney's latest and upcoming report and SEC filings with Vivendi's (although I'm not sure if that stuff is available on Vivendi)...but, you know, talk about drowning in minutae...comparing annual reports and Securities filings probably sounds like a pretty dull thread to everyone but the most fanatical and addicted around here...

You asked. You asked for proof that showed Universal / Vivendi are doing well where as Disney isn't. I provided it, and now you say it's boring. Oh well.

I do agree. I'm not a big fan of who's doing better than whom financially. But sometimes these reports are needed when someone (not trying to single you out) refuses to see the truth of the matter.

...either way though HBK, I appreciate the fact that you took the time to dig up the articles...

No problem. I'm trying to find info on the crowds for this upcoming week and saw em. Just in the right place at the right time.

I'll be away next week (honeymoon's finally here) so I'll probably be dropping from this thread. Sorry I won't be able to follow up any more.

[F.C. Fan]

Here you go DScoop

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=c&c=bud&k=c1&t=1y&s=dis&a=v&p=s&l=on&z=m&q=l


http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=c&c=v&k=c1&t=1y&s=dis&a=v&p=s&l=on&z=m&q=l


Hopefully this works:D :bounce:

I know Vivendi is not that much better then Disney but they are BOTH doing better than Disney. :p

[YoHo]

Well, Vivendi is clearly not doing a whole lot better then Disney, they are doing a little bit better.

Bud is doing much better, but again they are primarily a beer company, not an entertainment company.

On the other hand, Check this out,
Phillip Morris vs. Bud

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=c&c=Bud&k=c1&t=1y&s=mo&a=v&p=s&l=on&z=m&q=l

you learn that in fact Anhueser Busch is doing not so good compared to its chief competitor. So guess what, I would be hard pressed to say that A-B is doing well at all.

[F.C. Fan]

No one said anything about PM, do they own any theme parks???? AB. IS a competitor with Disney since they are in the theme park industry. Are you saying that theme parks are not a form of entertainment. The fact is they are both doing better which is exactly what I said.

[YoHo]

No, Phillip Morris does not have any themeparks or other entertainments (unless you include brewery tours :))

BUT, my point is that Both Vivendi and A-B only get a small fraction of their revenue from theme parks. in Vivendi's case it is a Telcom Giant and an Environmental serivces company(maybe I should look up Waste Managment Corp?)

It is useless to say that they are doing better then Disney in Entertainment when all you have is the agragate corporate numbers. The FACTS are that MOST of Vivendi is still a Telcom and I would guess it still gets most of its profits from that. Similarly A-B gets probably 90% or more of its profits from selling BEER.


How can you possibly compare raw numbers between these companies and Disney when Disney is a one Trick pony?

find Me the entertainment numbers for Universal and A-B and then we'll talk.

[CapHook]

Since President Bush said to go to Disneyworld, does that mean the principal at our kids school will let them go. I am just following the orders of the Comander and Chief.

[F.C. Fan]

YoHo

Like I've said before , you can't win, so you always nit pick and break things down until you find and angle so far fetched, and then you try to spin that to your favor. The facts were mostly provided by HBK and yet you still argue with them. It doesn't matter that Vivendi and AB. do other things besides the theme parks. (If you had read my post, you would know that I said they had other stuff to fall back on to help them get through the rough economic storm). Those things are all thrown together in a pot and are called 1 company. Disney also does alot of other things, once again the point is, that all of their other combined ventures are looked at as 1 company, not seperate entities. If you think that Disney makes all of it's money form the parks, then your totally in dreamland. Fact is both Vivendi and AB both are doing finacially better than Disney no matter how small, or how YOU look at it. And that is what I said, not pick any company out of the blue to do a comparison with, that has nothing to do with the theme park industry. I'll admit that Vivendi is not doing as well as I thought it was, but AB. is.

[YoHo]

I don't think my comments are far fetched at all. I'm not trying to spin anything. I KNOW that Universal had a steller summer movie season and wouldn't be the least surprised if that translates into higher divisional profits then Disney. You are right, What other Ventures Universal and A-B run isn't Relevent to this board. BUT, it is relevent to the discussion at hand. I admit I started it with my comment that it sounded like Universal may need more help druming up buisness in the parks then Disney and that was why Jeb did the comercial.

You then said
Both the Vivendi and Anhueser-Busch companies as a whole, are in much better shape than Disney is financially, because they have other means of making money. Disney on the other hand is losing their **** on just about everything they are associated with.

You have not illustrated that Disney is Losing their "****". Furthermore, you tried to use only Universal's numbers to explain away Vivendi. I guess I just don't understand your point.


So I'm getting out of this, It all started with this rather charged statement by you
Looks like Jeb Bush doesn't share George W.'s view, seen as how today he shot a commercial for tourism at Universal's Islands of Adventure and Hard Rock Hotel.
Just goes to show that Jeb has alot better taste than G.W.

Not in good taste and pretty rude. I really don't have the time an energy to get into this kind of discussion again, plus I promised Sarangel I'd be good and lrodk has already been here once.

[F.C. Fan]

I don't really need to prove anything but here goes, the cruise line bookings are way down and the cancellations are way up, the bookings for the hotels are down, plus they have very low rates because they are desperate for business, the parks attendance are down, Disney stores are closing left and right and eventually will all be closed because of their loss of money and over saturation of product, Disney Quest up in your area closed cause it was loosing money, DCA is a total money loser, their great sports complex at WDW is loosing money and as I said before, when they lose their appeal or settle out of court they'll be loosing millions more. All of this info was obtained from watching the LOCAL news and other business related programs on tv over the last couple of months, not constanly looking on the internet for anything Disney related like you seem to always have the time for.

[JeffJewell]

...is that Disney's parks do, in fact, supply probably the most significant chunk of the Company's profits. Although Disney is quite the media octopus, the parks still often have to make up for many of the "sins" of other divisions.

Because the travel industry was hit so hard by 9-11, Disney's balance sheet is ending up, well, quite off-balance without a steady deluge of cash from the parks.

With the attendance and public perception issues plaguing Disney's two most recent stateside parks since well before 9-11, and with a growing minority of even long-time guests being vocal about budget cuts directly affecting their vacations (again, since before 9-11), has Disney put itself in a good position for its parks to resume their position as financial flagships, once the travellers return?

We all know what kinds of spin, damage control, 'Street pandering, obsfucation, and just plain fibbing can be perpetrated by teams of accountants and lawyers: the graphs can pretty much be read to say whatever a talented bs artist wishes them to say at that moment.

I would say, when contemplating the question "in what comparative 'shape' are these two companies," we'd be better served to consider current cash positions and how well those positions will carry the companies through the indeterminant length of dead time (difficult to determine, yes, but I'll go out on a limb and say $5 billion came close to shooting whatever wad was lying around at the beginning of this year [argument might be made that that deal shot _more_ than Disney's wad, because of the $2 billion in assumed debt]), and how soon the businesses are likely to rebound and become profitable again.

With Disney's heavy reliance on the travel industry, the single industry that is most likely to take the longest to rebound, it's hard to imagine them being in "better" shape than the other companies mentioned in this thread (particularly the ones selling smokes and suds. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that those businesses have _increased_ in the wake of 9-11).

Jeff

PS: try as I might, I find no way to relate this back to the actual topic. Sorry about that. I take some solace in the knowledge that the "normals" on the R&N board know what wallows at the tail of a five-page thread around here...

[JeffJewell]

...looky there, while I was posting, we started skidding headlong into Locked-Up-Ville.

Shucks, I thought I made a good point, too.

Jeff

[All Aboard]

You're such a PUTZ, no more like a PANTY WASTE, you don't have a clue about what’s going on down here in the parks, yet you choose to run your mouth about them, in fact you haven't even been to half of them. Rude?? your damn right I'm rude to people like you, in fact I walk all over SMART-ASSED people like you in the real world, not just cyberspace where you choose to live. I'm just getting started on getting rude with you, you little BIOTCH-ASSED PUNK.

FYI Jeb filmed the commercial because of the overall dip in tourism. Let me let you in on something, you are not the one who makes the call on what goes on here or how one acts, on this or any board for that matter, that person is called a MODERATOR not some GEEK who spends more time on this board, than doing the job that he's GETTING PAID FOR.

So as usual you've been SCHOOLED on all of the stuff you know nothing about. Promise whoever you want that you'll be good, cause the fact of the matter is there is NOTHING you can do about anything, besides (running like the little OFFICE-DWELLING PANZY that you are), to a mod crying.

FC Fan, do us all a big favor and get off these boards. To quote the header, Pete Werner set these boards up for: "a live, free forum, by, about and for Disney Fans." (which you are clearly not.) You seem to have an agenda against the folks here that are Disney Fans.

And by the way, if your business acumen is resigned to "watching the local news" then I find it humorous that you would engage yourself in a financial conversation.

[All Aboard]

That should just about assure that you no longer post here. Mission accomplished.

[JeffJewell]

...there's not a chance in aitch-ee-double-hockey-sticks anyone's actually gonna pay any attention to my last big post up there at this point, is there?

Crap. I worked hard on that.

Jeff

[F.C. Fan]

He11 ???????

I sincerely apoligize to you JJ you've never done anything to me, sorry to ruin your masterpiece :D

[All Aboard]

Jeff,

I read it and agree. As bad a decision as dropping 5 big bills on Fox Family was, the timing now couldn't be any worse.

I honestly believe that Disney was tightening expenditures not only in order to strengthen short term results, but also to prepare for success when the economy turned. We've seen some evidence of that lately. It's hard to hang your hat on it, but it's ok to be optimistic. I do believe that park investment was on the horizon. (Remember, one of the keys to car number 2 is holding on to that optimisim. :) )

Now, that's all been kicked to the curb. If ever there was a time that nobody out there had any idea what the fate of our economy is -- it's right now.

I do believe that there is some concern over a less than $40 billion market cap. I'm not convinced that a play won't be made by someone. No matter how "politically incorrect" it may appear.

I apologize for contributing to the most assured locking of this thread. But, in my defense, it seems the damage was done before I hopped in. I appreciate your well-written, well thought out analysis.