2 New Ships

[MJMcBride]

Also, the "Disney's building a park in Texas" rumor has been around for at least the same amount of time.

The difference of course being the new ship rumor makes sense. The cruise line I believe is doing fairly well and adding new ships could increase profits, add ports of call, etc. A Texas theme park is not nearly the "sure thing" as a new ship would be.

 

[tjkraz]

Probably longer. That was has been making me scratch my head for a long time. Why would they build a park there? It doesn't make any sense to me.

I can think of two reasons:

1. Accessibility. Putting a park in the mid-US would attract a lot of people who could drive to the park much cheaper (and more frequently) than flying.

2. Weather. With a southern US destination (as opposed to somewhere like St. Louis) you have a more appealing climate 365/yr.

 

[plutospup]

Designs for a new ship were on the drawing board as of early 2004, per DCL. Of course the "Euro exchange rate" was the excuse at that time for the ship not being built.

 

[ivanova]

She said there are no designs for a new ship and the investigation team was just recently formed. So she said they are excite that the investigation team has been formed but they are a long way off from a decision on adding to the fleet.

It cracks me up that she'd say there were no designs ... when last year Tom McAlpin said on the eastbound repo cruise (where Rachel was the CD) that there WERE designs finished, but the Euro was holding back DCL from committing to a build.

And higher-ups above Tom have since made the same comment (Jay Rasulo and Bob Iger specifically).

 

[dbm20th]

I can think of two reasons:

1. Accessibility. Putting a park in the mid-US would attract a lot of people who could drive to the park much cheaper (and more frequently) than flying.

2. Weather. With a southern US destination (as opposed to somewhere like St. Louis) you have a more appealing climate 365/yr.

1. That's not really an issue anymore. People don't need to drive to attend a Disney Park. Just look at how few people who attend WDW drive there. Also, spreading out the Disney fan base when you already have hotels to book and parks to fill makes no sense at all. I hate to burst your bubble here, but a park in Texas makes no sense right now. They don't want people to drive, they want people to fly and stay for a week.

2. Certainly the weather isn't anymore suited for a theme park then Central Florida or Southern California.

 

[dbm20th]

It cracks me up that she'd say there were no designs ... when last year Tom McAlpin said on the eastbound repo cruise (where Rachel was the CD) that there WERE designs finished, but the Euro was holding back DCL from committing to a build.

And higher-ups above Tom have since made the same comment (Jay Rasulo and Bob Iger specifically).

There were designs made before 2004. And as I said before, contractors were contacted about the project. I agree, that comment was pretty stupid

 

[raidermatt]

I just noticed something and its great!! Not one single post from the usual cynical/negative/pessimistic/glass-is-half-empty/disney-sucks posters that one typically finds on this board!! Here's to the future and I really do hope they build these ships!!

And with intelligent, thought-provoking comments like this, its hard to imagine why anyone would stay away.

 

[MJMcBride]

And with intelligent, thought-provoking comments like this, its hard to imagine why anyone would stay away.

You couldn't help yourself could you Mr. Glass-is-half-empty.

 

[tjkraz]

1. That's not really an issue anymore. People don't need to drive to attend a Disney Park. Just look at how few people who attend WDW drive there.

All I can do is speak from my own perspective. I live 1100 miles away from WDW and average 1-2 trips per year. If Disney were to build a park within 2-3 hours driving distance of my home, my visit frequency would double or triple.

Also, spreading out the Disney fan base when you already have hotels to book and parks to fill makes no sense at all. I hate to burst your bubble here, but a park in Texas makes no sense right now. They don't want people to drive, they want people to fly and stay for a week.

You're not bursting my bubble. I never claimed they were going to build the park. You said "why would they build a park there? It doesn't make any sense to me." I think the reasons I gave are valid justification for at least investigating the possibility. But no, it doesn't fit their current business model.

2. Certainly the weather isn't anymore suited for a theme park then Central Florida or Southern California.

Never said that. I was simply pointing out that it's a warm weather destination that would have more year-round appeal as site for a 3rd US development than a northern site like St. Louis.

 

[MJMcBride]

You're not bursting my bubble. I never claimed they were going to build the park. You said "why would they build a park there? It doesn't make any sense to me." I think the reasons I gave are valid justification for at least investigating the possibility. But no, it doesn't fit their current business model.



Never said that. I was simply pointing out that it's a warm weather destination that would have more year-round appeal as site for a 3rd US development than a northern site like St. Louis.

You're forgetting one thing: Who would willingly go to Texas?

 

[raidermatt]

You couldn't help yourself could you Mr. Glass-is-half-empty.

Eh. At this point I don't have a real strong opinion either way on the ships themselves.

When it comes to comments like those posted by Mr. Ghost, I do have stronger opinions. Hence my response. When one feels threatened by opinions that challenge one's beliefs, the unfortunate response by some is to slap a label on the messenger and willfully mis-categorize those opinions. That's unfortunate, and it certainly has more to do with the deterioration of some discussions than the different viewpoints "typically found on these boards".

 

[dbm20th]

You're forgetting one thing: Who would willingly go to Texas?

tjkraz, I just want to point out that he said it, not me

And, it seems we are pretty close here. It does not fit the business model. Yes you may come more often, but is that what they want? Can a single park in Texas bring the kind of out-of-state traffic that 4 parks in Orlando can? Consdiering how they've priced their tickets, it would seem the single-day visitors are not the goal.

 

[GrimGhost]

And with intelligent, thought-provoking comments like this, its hard to imagine why anyone would stay away.

Here it is - my point exactly!

 

[raidermatt]

Actually, no.

I argued nothing with regard to the ships, or even the speculation about another park.

You did prove a point, its just not yours.

 

[Sarangel]

This has passed the point of useful discussion. I'm closing the thread.

Sarangel