Just back from BCV's, got info!!

[Kick it up a notch!]

Maybe it's me but-

Attendance - look at the economy, I don't think people are spending like before.

Value of stock - just about everything is down

Park Hours - cutting costs while attedance is down, seems responsible to me.


Parade, fireworks - I don't understand this one.

Closed Hotels - again, cutting costs while attedance is down, seems responsible to me.

Pop Century - Why would you open a new 5000+ room hotel while closing others?

 

[CarolA]

I will say that I agree Eisner is in trouble.

The stock is down MUCH more than the averages and they movie/TV choices made by Disney are not getting it so. That is actually more imporatant to the stock price than the park attendance.

 

[PKS44]

Originally posted by Kick it up a notch!
Maybe it's me but-

Attendance - look at the economy, I don't think people are spending like before.

Hmm?-economy is way down much worse in Japan and yet TDS is turning people away...

[Value of stock - just about everything is down

Not down as much as DIS and with little evidence of a bump up on the horizon...what are they doing to grow their business?

[Park Hours - cutting costs while attedance is down, seems responsible to me.

If it were just hours it would be defensible...it is in the pattern that they are behaving that one sees Ei$ner's genius at work...he appears to be trying to grow the business by cutting the costs of the money-making part of the company to help the money losing parts of the company...and in the process risking alienating his core business/market--the brand Disney has meant top quality for a long time---is his strategy helping or hurting that brand identity....?

[Parade, fireworks - I don't understand this one.

People expect to be wowed by a Disney vacation-now they get excuses and costs cuts...the parks were able to have more entertainment in the past when attendance was lower than it is now...remember attendance is down, but it is not at all time lows...it is not as if they are not making money with the parks, they just are not making as much and not making enough to prop up failed internet ventures and dumb lawsuits.

[Closed Hotels - again, cutting costs while attedance is down, seems responsible to me.

Maybe attendence is down because of the above mistakes as alluded to in the Japan comment....where, in the middle of a horrible, seemingly endless, recession, they have opened new expensive hotels with a two month waiting list to get in...

[Pop Century - Why would you open a new 5000+ room hotel while closing others?

Why would you have built it in the first place? bad interpretation of your market...they underbuilt the rest of the resort (half parks, stale parks, etc...and then expect more people to show up?

He is no genius and he seems ill equiped to figure out how to get Disney out of this funk...I don't want his head on a platter, I just want him to go away....of course I gave up my votes on the subject when I happily dumped my stock at $23 a share...
Paul

 

[Kick it up a notch!]

Paul,

I agree Disney is having a tough time lately, but it seems like the focus is on stopping the bleeding first. They still seem to be hurting, it is a prtty big company. I don't know if Eisner is to blame or not, but he is responsible I agree. He has done a good job in the past and it seems that he either needs to reinvent himself or move over for someone else to pick up the ball and run with it.

Disney is so big, things take time when they are in the works and when the economy hits the skids all of a sudden, I think it is much harder to reverse course and change the game plan than it is for smaller companies.

They need a plan and someone to execute it, that's all.

 

[DVCajun]

I don't believe that we're comparing apples to apples by comparing the Japanese tourism market with the American tourism market. The Japanese are enamoured with the theme park experience in general and with Disney specifically. And while the Japanese economy may not be strong right now, it certainly didn't take the devestating hit that the American economy did just one year ago. A hit which, incidentally, hurt the travel industry more than any other industry. It's no coincidence that Disney stock plumeted *after* September 11th. To blame Eisner for that seems short-sighted.

DisneySea is an entirely different ball of wax. Although I do wonder why he's not getting credit (by this group of DISers anyway) for that success since he seems to be taking the blame in other areas.

 

[RobDoc]

This has drifted far from a DVC discussion.

Further comments about Disney stock, Michael Eisner and Japan should be made on the News/Rumors Board here at DIS.

Thanks!

 

[MrErk]

Originally posted by PKS44
Prediction-the new blockbuster pool at Saratoga Springs will NOT be open to poolhopping.

I have to disagree as well. It would be an awful waste to build something like SAB for a 192 unit resort.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

Originally posted by Richyams
As you go down that road, OKW is on your right, the next right is Treehouse Vills, the next right is Disney Institute.

Treehouse Villas are actually, kind of, part of Disney Institute.

DH remembers staying at the treehouse villas in the 70s, long before anything else was built up. I even have some historic stationary that says it was part of "Lake Buena Vista Village."