Blue NBA fence at GF looks horrible!

[Marthasor]

I see I was wrong. Still, initially 22 teams times 15 players per team plus rooms for management, coaches, staff, etc equals a not insignificant number of rooms.

Still, you need to include the number of rooms already being occupied by the players and team staffs. Probably Gran Destino will be full, or close.

Yes, I completely agree with you. Not to mention they need space for practice, training, food service, leisure areas and the teams want some privacy from other teams as well for planning purposes. Based on the resort schedule, it appears the NBA will clear out of YC prior to August 24 and GF prior to September 21. When you are spending approximately $1.5 million per day to rent out facilities, having the run of 3 resorts sounds about right.

 

[Dave006]

Bridge isn't done yet; NBA season ends by 10/13/20.

But the GF opens on Sept. 21 after the teams that are being housed at the GF win and move to GDT or go home.

So the fencing should disappear on or before Sept. 21 using Disney's current reopening schedule and Disney removes the extra large beds and reconfigures the rooms used by the teams.

The walkway to MK still has no "announced" completion date and there is no work currently happening on it.

Dave

 

[robinb]

Bridge isn't done yet; NBA season ends by 10/13/20.

The teams in the GF will be gone well before 10/13. The ones that are not expected to do well are based there and will lose and go home. I expect that as teams progress through the season/championship they will eventually be condensed into CS.

 

[chasgoose]

The teams in the GF will be gone well before 10/13. The ones that are not expected to do well are based there and will lose and go home. I expect that as teams progress through the season/championship they will eventually be condensed into CS.

That appears to be the plan based on the opening dates of YC/GF, but it doesn't seem as though the walkway will be completed by then (or even 10/13) anyways. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the NBA as they could easily restart work on it regardless of their presence, it just seems to be a lower priority item for Disney at the moment.

 

[Dave006]

it just seems to be a lower priority item for Disney at the moment.

I would agree with Disney at this moment. The continued construction on the walkway is an expense and they are very focused on work that generates revenue now and employs more CM that were furloughed.

Yes I would love for the walkway to MK be open when the GF reopens on Sept. 21 but I can wait a little longer...

Dave

 

[chasgoose]

Yes, I completely agree with you. Not to mention they need space for practice, training, food service, leisure areas and the teams want some privacy from other teams as well for planning purposes. Based on the resort schedule, it appears the NBA will clear out of YC prior to August 24 and GF prior to September 21. When you are spending approximately $1.5 million per day to rent out facilities, having the run of 3 resorts sounds about right.

Not to mention the money Disney will make by having content for ESPN and (to a lesser extent) ABC. The resort earnings are more of an added benefit compared to the money they will be able to make by airing games. I also wouldn't be surprised if Disney was able to negotiate some preferred behind-the-scenes access for ESPN and ABC reporters that will provide them with even more exclusive content.

Don't get me wrong, $1.5m per day is a lot of money, but the operational costs of running the NBA playoffs (plus a few play-in games) has to be somewhat close to that (especially in the first couple weeks when they have more teams on campus and are running more games) so I can't imagine they are making a ton of profit off that alone.

 

[chasgoose]

I would agree with Disney at this moment. The continued construction on the walkway is an expense and they are very focused on work that generates revenue now and employs more CM that were furloughed.

Yes I would love for the walkway to MK be open when the GF reopens on Sept. 21 but I can wait a little longer...

Dave

That said, it would help ease the COVID-related pressure on the transportation system to have an additional easily socially distanced and un-manned way of getting guests from GF and Poly to MK, so I can't imagine it stays on the back burner too much longer. On the other hand, Disney has a much clearer sense of how many people are going to be in the resorts and the parks for the next few months than we do and what infrastructure resources that will require, so its possible they have determined the benefits of continuing construction on the walkway outweigh the costs for now.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Yes, I completely agree with you. Not to mention they need space for practice, training, food service, leisure areas and the teams want some privacy from other teams as well for planning purposes. Based on the resort schedule, it appears the NBA will clear out of YC prior to August 24 and GF prior to September 21. When you are spending approximately $1.5 million per day to rent out facilities, having the run of 3 resorts sounds about right.

Are we making this assumption based on the fact that the resort opens on the 21st? Is it possible they just open main building rooms to guests and the fence is still up then?

 

[Craig Larson]

Are we making this assumption based on the fact that the resort opens on the 21st? Is it possible they just open main building rooms to guests and the fence is still up then?

Coronado Springs is the main resort. The top seeds in both conferences are staying there. The plan is once the "regular season ends" they will consolidate from 3 hotels to 2 since 6 teams will be going home. Since the top 4 teams from each conference are automatically in the playoffs, that is why they are in CS. Once they proceed further into the playoffs with only 8 remaining teams, they will further consolidate to the single hotel (Coronado Springs).

The "regular season" ends on 8/14, so it gives the NBA teams time to move resorts if necessary (current non-playoff teams who make their way into playoffs) and for Disney to clean and set up for regular guests

https://twitter.com/x/status/1276657149582737408

 

[kaytieeldr]

But if you only own access to a percentage of a room, even a situation that exists for 42 years, what tangible product do you really own?

 

[Marthasor]

Not to mention the money Disney will make by having content for ESPN and (to a lesser extent) ABC. The resort earnings are more of an added benefit compared to the money they will be able to make by airing games. I also wouldn't be surprised if Disney was able to negotiate some preferred behind-the-scenes access for ESPN and ABC reporters that will provide them with even more exclusive content.

Don't get me wrong, $1.5m per day is a lot of money, but the operational costs of running the NBA playoffs (plus a few play-in games) has to be somewhat close to that (especially in the first couple weeks when they have more teams on campus and are running more games) so I can't imagine they are making a ton of profit off that alone.

Yes, absolutely. And all of that footage also becomes one big commercial for WDW. All around, this was a good deal for WDW.

Are we making this assumption based on the fact that the resort opens on the 21st? Is it possible they just open main building rooms to guests and the fence is still up then?

That is the assumption I am making. The conference finals begin September 15, so I'm assuming they are consolidating the NBA over to CSR at that point and it gives them about a week to get GF back in shape for regular guests for September 21. I don't know if there would be a reason to keep the fencing up at that point? But, yes, total assumption on my part!

 

[RobDoc]

Final reminder. The discussion MUST be kept on topic as already stated in post #50 on page 3. A number of posts have already been removed but closing the thread will be a lot easier if this continues.

Those wanting to discuss Seattle, DVC ownership, or anything else except the temporary modifications at GF need to do that elsewhere.

 

[DurangoJim]

The guy from the site that must not be named posted a pretty humorous video on Twitter of what it’s like at the GF right now. Let’s just say it doesn’t look relaxing or pleasant due to construction, sounds, and odors.

 

[Sammie]

I don't think people on here realize how much money Disney is hemorrhaging due to the loss of revenue from NBA (or any sports) games on ESPN. ESPN has had pretty much no new content aside from the Michael Jordan and Bruce Lee documentaries (and honestly, due to how TV show filming works, ABC is going to be struggling come fall), and while ESPN garners a lot of fees from cable companies because subscribers want it, it still relies on ad revenue which has plummeted. COVID has put Disney in a position where it has to maximize revenue from all of its various platforms. The parks have been one of their most profitable divisions for awhile, but that's simply not possible right now. They know WDW will be a cash cow again, but I don't think it's going to be profitable in the near future. Disney is only opening the parks because it costs less to do so than keeping them closed. The NBA deal allows them to make money at the resorts while also giving ESPN (and ABC) much needed content, which will almost certainly bring them more revenue than what they are going to get by reopening the parks.

Exactly, a media analyst, recently estimated that ESPN would lose $481 million in ad revenue if the N.B.A. did not complete its season and playoffs. Maybe they will dress the fence up a bit before long.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm surprised Disney didn't just fence in VGF, including pool, from the rest of the GF. Let VGF guests use POLY for restaurants.

JMO, the impact on the stays of VGF guests for less then 3 months is a lot shorter then the impact on cash guests at POLY and GF eas when DVC units were built.

 

[Nabas]

To keep the unwanted out, I've heard that the blue fence will be guarded by these:

 

[mamaofsix]

I just think the fences are ugly by Disney standards. Even red or white tarp would at least fit in better with the GF theme. Disney is known for their attention to detail and overall appearance. I wonder how NBA feels about being stuck in the blue tarp? It’s really not a big deal overall, just unexpected by Disney standards.

100% agree. Their construction walls normally look pretty good and blend in with the surroundings. Some even with murals to look more attractive.

Nothing says "Major Budget Problems" and "Lowered Standards" like Blue Tarp and chain link! Yikes.

 

[tsme]

Yacht Club getting some fencing today, too. These don’t feel like “pardon our dust walls”, they stand out much more.Yacht isn’t as bad as GF.

I hope that’s not going to be there when the parks open in a couple of weeks and BC starts getting more people. It blocks the walk way to the boat ramp and it would make people have to walk all the way around to the Boardwalk just to get to the Swan & Dolphin and to walk to HS.

 

[Sandisw]

I hope that’s not going to be there when the parks open in a couple of weeks and BC starts getting more people. It blocks the walk way to the boat ramp and it would make people have to walk all the way around to the Boardwalk just to get to the Swan & Dolphin and to walk to HS.

I don’t believe the boats are scheduled to run at this time, but the fencing will remain until NBA is gone from YC.

 

[gharter]

I understand people being upset at the resorts being closed due to the NBA.
However, the amount of money that the NBA is paying Disney really helps make up for the time they were closed.
Is the "Big Blue Fence" ugly? Of course it is.
It just seems like it should be a "Finding Nemo" song. In the Big Blue Fence. . .