New Resort Announced!

[jwalk03]

I am very disappointed in Disney for this choice.

Why is that?

 

[Ember]

Why is that?

I don’t want to get political, but Human Rights Watch is a good source of information on why I’d have strong concerns with Disney operating in this part of the world.

 

[jwalk03]

I don’t want to get political, but Human Rights Watch is a good source of information on why I’d have strong concerns with Disney operating in this part of the world.

They have been in bed with China for years. Not really much difference here.

 

[Captain UP]

I don’t want to get political, but Human Rights Watch is a good source of information on why I’d have strong concerns with Disney operating in this part of the world.

Perhaps having a company like Disney there will help open their society.

 

[HopperFan]

Articles I see online make it sound like Disney basically has a licensing agreement working with a local developer and will mainly get royalties and isn't actually investing capital.

Disney already does this with Japan, and has minority ownership in the China parks. It will be interesting to see which way this park falls.

I would imagine it will mostly appeal to those who live in that part of the world. Don't see a lot of people from the US wanting to go there when Disneyland/Disneyworld is much closer and more developed.

US guests not their market.

This seemed to come out of no where, at least to me, and the rendering is literally a bunch of color splashed on a page with ZERO commitment. I would guess it is a perfect storm. UAB has likely been pushing Disney to come their way ... We are currently experiencing a drop in international tourism in this country and at the current rate we will have less and less coming here with tourism dollars. I think Disney is thinking long term, that the damage being done is not going to be reversed for a long time. This gives international guests a new location to visit, with a completely different experience than the Paris, Japan or China parks. Is Iger playing the long game ~ to not lose international guests? and perhaps tap a market that wasn't traveling to any of the other parks?

I am very disappointed in Disney for this choice

I understand, and I would never consider visiting this park.

I feel like Disney is looking for ways to pull in guaranteed profits going forward and they are going to where the money is. Whether we realize it or not we purchase goods from that country, this is a business move. We all try to make Disney above all others but reality is they are a massive business and have to run it for profits. US parks might see decline in revenue, movies are slipping away in theaters, merchandise will struggle under tariffs. You can sit and hope it gets better, but they are looking for other revenue and making moves.

 

[mousefan73]

I'm hot and sweaty just thinking about it.

My first thought too I mean, is this gonna be like an indoor park? Because how the heck is that gonna happen from May to September?

 

[mousefan73]

I don’t want to get political, but Human Rights Watch is a good source of information on why I’d have strong concerns with Disney operating in this part of the world.

I totally get you that was one of the main issues of the World Cup Qatar. I wonder how many people will die building this one

 

[White_Rabbit18]

I find the decision to be disappointing. Profits over everything I guess. Hopefully, Disney will want to be careful and avoid bad press by ensuring that foreign migrants workers have decent working conditions.

 

[Philsfan77]

1/3 of the entire world is a short flight to this location. They likely aren't worried about Americans visiting it.

Exactly! I swear sometimes we live in a bubble. That region is booming, tourism continues to grow at a high rate in that area, and this company has been funding theme parks and attraction based experiences in this area for a few years now. I imagine this park being next level, just based on the way they do everything else there. Wouldn't surprise me at all if it outshines even Disney Sea.

 

[jwalk03]

Exactly! I swear sometimes we live in a bubble. That region is booming, tourism continues to grow at a high rate in that area, and this company has been funding theme parks and attraction based experiences in this area for a few years now. I imagine this park being next level, just based on the way they do everything else there. Wouldn't surprise me at all if it outshines even Disney Sea.

Many Americans do live in a bubble and fail to realize its a big big world out there.

 

[CaptainCook]

UAE doesn't have a strong human rights record, but neither does China. And the US is headed in a direction that has many visitors reconsidering their travel plans, too. I'm Canadian; we have a sad history of residential school abuse, we have treated peaceful protestors terribly... none of our governments are perfect.

Everyone needs to do what is right for them. We have chosen to visit places like China despite their government policies, and focus more on the people we encounter on our trips. Our interactions with the locals have all been friendly learning experiences. Many of us would say we do not share our leaders' political opinions, and they are no different. We have come home from these trips happy to have been able to support their local economies by staying in small guest houses or mom-and-pop restaurants.

I'm sure that we will eventually plan a trip to see the new park.

 

[WinterSolider]

UAE doesn't have a strong human rights record, but neither does China. And the US is headed in a direction that has many visitors reconsidering their travel plans, too. I'm Canadian; we have a sad history of residential school abuse, we have treated peaceful protestors terribly... none of us are perfect.

Everyone needs to do what is right for them. We have chosen to visit places like China despite their government policies. Our interactions with the locals have all been friendly learning experiences. Many of us would say we do not share our leaders' political opinions, and they are no different. We have come home from these trips happy to have been able to support their local economies by staying in small guest houses or mom-and-pop restaurants.

I'm sure that we will eventually plan a trip to see the new park.

No matter what decision you make for your and your family, there will always be some social cause that you've offended. You think staying in small guest houses or mom-and-pop restaurants is a great way to support their local economy, then someone jumps in and claims that what you're actually doing is driving up local real estate prices and crowding out locals trying to enjoy those restaurants. You feel good about supporting accredited zoos with a strong record of animal welfare and conservation breeding programs, then someone jumps in and tells you you're a monster for putting animals in cages.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

I wonder whether the parks/hotels/restaurants will serve alcohol.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I wonder whether the parks/hotels/restaurants will serve alcohol.

Other resorts in the area that specifically target tourists serve alcohol but this seems to be targeting the local demographic so that's a TBD, I guess.

 

[Novatrix]

My first reaction is this makes a lot of sense.

There's a lot of money in the area and the market is a good distance away from their other parks, even when serviced by nonstop flights (Paris is almost 7 hours, Beijing is almost 9 hours, there are no direct US flights).

While I've enjoyed the creativity and inventiveness of the Disney brand, I am not so naive as to not realize that they are a business and will make their decisions based on servicing that business and the shareholders.

 

[FastPasser.]

Right now I have no desire to visit any Disney parks but if I did it would only be WDW.

 

[Nimbus]

I am restraining myself from commenting on the very complicated and complex politics and human rights aspect of this announcement, but I will say this: I think this park will almost certainly be Disney's best park and the one that most faithfully lives up to Walt's dream of a place of both traditional and futuristic fantasy with cutting edge technology that continuously evolves and innovates to become something new and relevant for each new generation.

Other than the Tokyo park, most the parks seem unable to decide if they want to be museums or amusement parks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two most cutting-edge, future-facing parks will be non-Disney owned. I think Imagineers are probably salivating to get selected to work on this project; they're going to be allowed to do things budgets and executive-pragmatism would never allow them to otherwise dream of.

 

[Nainolaf]

Apparently lots of Americans don’t want a new park there but Abu Dhabi Do…..

 

[rs1228]

Set me up for a dream vacation. Disney and Formula 1 on the same trip to Abu Dhabi would be amazing.

 

[FastPasser.]

Apparently lots of Americans don’t want a new park there but Abu Dhabi Do…..

Good one Fred.