News Round Up 2016

[Fantasia79]

I have some Jim Hill Rumors for y'all

DHS doesn't have a whole lot left to offer and taking away LMA doesn't help that.

Disney is moving this project faster because The Force Awakens was a huge success and they know the land will be just as successful now. (Really Jim, thats like Duh!)

Iger doesn't want to leave until Star Wars Land is open, he wants to see it through.

Muppets stays and Pizza Planet gets a Swedish Chef Cooking school themed quick service that still serves pizza.

Toy Story 4 is being fast tracked. They want the premiere to take place in Florida and then have a Toy Story land grabs opening for the after party of the premiere.

The Fantasia Gardens height test balloons are for a parking garage for CMs. (I am skeptical of this one, some of those balloons were 100 ft in the air)

Disney wants to have DHS be the number 2 park in terms of attendance behind MK after all the expansions are done.

Jim says phase three is still Cars.

Nothing too shocking.

Parking garage seems.......but, if they did that, how much space do they free up? You can see how that might be a thought process. Although, still doubtful.

 

[Budshark]

Thinking through Jims rumors (if true)

2016 - ROL, Springs, Frozen
2016 late - Muppets theme
2017 early - Avatar
2017 late/2018 early - TSL
2018 late/2019 early - SWL
Plus Phase 3 and whatever spend at Epcot and MK.

Wow!! Very exciting! Unfortunately very unlikely as well.

You are talking about, in terms of rides and expansions building the equivalent of a theme park in 3 years while working around existing infrastructure (slows you down more than a greenfield) in a major market rumored to have other projects coming.

Logistically they may WANT to do it, but when they see the bill it's going to kill it. Slow everything down a year + and we are back to the rumored original timeline which seems far more likely. But - other people have sources. I only have construction knowledge (project side). I'll poke around to some of the folks I know that work engineering in some of the parks. Doesn't look reasonable to me though.

 

[Budshark]

Just in case people start to ask why it's not reasonable ...

Number 1 logistically it's hard. You can improve it by staging areas and back entrances and moving as much as you can out of the way, which they ARE doing - but still water and sewer and power tie ins and digging all have to be done slower and more precisely with the existing park in place.

So how do you fix and speed up?
More bodies obviously. Which there is a limit. So how do you get more resources into town and make sure you get them, not Universal, not road projects, not some downtown office building? Money of course. And as you increase demand the money goes up.

So while it's important to note all that Disney is doing its also important to note Orlando as a whole. That gives you an idea of how scarce construction resources are for the next 5 years and that picture ain't pretty.

Honestly they may get to a point where they have to wait 6 months for a crane because there simply isn't one available and shipping one to Orlando isn't any where close to cost effective.

Want and pocket books are two different things. And it's not unheard of for a competitor to acquire equipment and sit on it to make it harder.

 

[Eoghann]

Just in case people start to ask why it's not reasonable ...

Number 1 logistically it's hard. You can improve it by staging areas and back entrances and moving as much as you can out of the way, which they ARE doing - but still water and sewer and power tie ins and digging all have to be done slower and more precisely with the existing park in place.

I've seen some people suggesting that this year won't see any "building" as such at all (well maybe parking garages) but rather site preparation. They're essentially shutting down the back half of the park so I guess they could prep all the lands simultaneously. Not sure if that helps speed the process or not.

It might at least give them a financial incentive since the park is going to be pretty miserable while this is going on.

 

[rteetz]

So, you think Toy Story Land will be open quicker than originally planned?

No but I think toy story 4 might come out quicker than originally planned to meet the opening of the land.

 

[rteetz]

Thinking through Jims rumors (if true)

2016 - ROL, Springs, Frozen
2016 late - Muppets theme
2017 early - Avatar
2017 late/2018 early - TSL
2018 late/2019 early - SWL
Plus Phase 3 and whatever spend at Epcot and MK.

Wow!! Very exciting! Unfortunately very unlikely as well.

You are talking about, in terms of rides and expansions building the equivalent of a theme park in 3 years while working around existing infrastructure (slows you down more than a greenfield) in a major market rumored to have other projects coming.

Logistically they may WANT to do it, but when they see the bill it's going to kill it. Slow everything down a year + and we are back to the rumored original timeline which seems far more likely. But - other people have sources. I only have construction knowledge (project side). I'll poke around to some of the folks I know that work engineering in some of the parks. Doesn't look reasonable to me though.

I think all except for the Epcot and MK spending those things are likely. I don't recall seeing him say late 2018 or early 2019 for Star Wars though.

 

[rteetz]

I've seen some people suggesting that this year won't see any "building" as such at all (well maybe parking garages) but rather site preparation. They're essentially shutting down the back half of the park so I guess they could prep all the lands simultaneously. Not sure if that helps speed the process or not.

It might at least give them a financial incentive since the park is going to be pretty miserable while this is going on.

Correct 2016 is supposed to be more of a site prep year for at least Star Wars. I think we might see toy story start construction at the end of the year but that's it. Parking garages are supposed to start in the spring based on rumors and they would need at least one of those open before toy story opens for crowds.

 

[LittleDreamer]

The Fantasia Gardens height test balloons are for a parking garage for CMs. (I am skeptical of this one, some of those balloons were 100 ft in the air)

Do they need another parking garage. I know it was said that the earful tower is being taken down but is the parking garage also up for demo? Since the props, costuming and other resort operations staff are all moved out of HS now that parking garage is prime for cast member parking now. Granted this means the cast member buildings behind Indy would need to be moved; but also opens up a big lot for guest parking. I also think at if they are going with this new garage across a street, which has been mentioned more then once, they need to build a footbridge which seems like extra money.

 

[WDWChloe]

We may have dodged another bullet on attraction refurbs. We are supposed to be at AK on March 19, the day after it's supposed to reopen. I am not holding my breath though. I really FOW. I like the open roof. I think it allows a better breeze. I don't think they can install ceiling fans, like in the Safari queue, due to the flying birds.

I agree. However, it sounds like it will be just over the guest seating area, similair to how it is now...just more stable than a cloth covering. It seems like the open front areas will remain the same.

 

[rteetz]

Do they need another parking garage. I know it was said that the earful tower is being taken down but is the parking garage also up for demo? Since the props, costuming and other resort operations staff are all moved out of HS now that parking garage is prime for cast member parking now. Granted this means the cast member buildings behind Indy would need to be moved; but also opens up a big lot for guest parking. I also think at if they are going with this new garage across a street, which has been mentioned more then once, they need to build a footbridge which seems like extra money.

The cast parking is supposed to move but Jim is the first one I've seen say that it is going there. A lot of the cast has already been parking at Epcot and being bused over.

 

[rteetz]

I saw this rumor before but it seems to be picking up a little traction now

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/01/rumor-is-the-disney-springs-water-tower-actually-the-earful-tower/

 

[101disneyfan]

No but I think toy story 4 might come out quicker than originally planned to meet the opening of the land.

Really? I'll go relisten but I got the impression that TS4 would be released later than currently expected to open with Toy Story Land.

 

[Madteaparty001]

I wouldn't be surprised if all the construction crews working on Disney springs, ROL, Frozen in Epcot, and Avatar land get shuffled one by one over to DHS as projects start wrapping up. It just means a slow start leading to a snowball effect when it comes to building Star Wars and Toy Story.

 

[rteetz]

Really? I'll go relisten but I got the impression that TS4 would be released later than currently expected to open with Toy Story Land.

Toy Story 4 is set for June 15th, 2018. A premiere event would probably happen a week before that so early June. But everything I've seen points to a late 2017 early 2018 opening for toy story land so either the land gets pushed back which is probably more likely or the movie gets pushed up.

 

[rteetz]

I wouldn't be surprised if all the construction crews working on Disney springs, ROL, Frozen in Epcot, and Avatar land get shuffled one by one over to DHS as projects start wrapping up. It just means a slow start leading to a snowball effect when it comes to building Star Wars and Toy Story.

Well you have three of those projects ending this year so that would make sense.

 

[luisov]

Apparently Joe Rhode was substantially involved in designing the actual city of Zootopia in Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming animated film. Wishful thinking, I know, but wouldn't it be interesting to bring some of that into AK if the film succeeds?

 

[rteetz]

Apparently Joe Rhode was substantially involved in designing the actual city of Zootopia in Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming animated film. Wishful thinking, I know, but wouldn't it be interesting to bring some of that into AK if the film succeeds?

While it would be nice I think that film fits better in other parks. The animals are acting like people not animals.

 

[skier_pete]

I saw this rumor before but it seems to be picking up a little traction now

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/01/rumor-is-the-disney-springs-water-tower-actually-the-earful-tower/

This one makes a lot of sense.

 

[tarheelblue8853]

I saw this rumor before but it seems to be picking up a little traction now

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/01/rumor-is-the-disney-springs-water-tower-actually-the-earful-tower/

That would make a lot of sense and I for one would be happy to see it happen. Would give it a lot more visibility that's for sure.

 

[tarheelblue8853]

I wouldn't be surprised if all the construction crews working on Disney springs, ROL, Frozen in Epcot, and Avatar land get shuffled one by one over to DHS as projects start wrapping up. It just means a slow start leading to a snowball effect when it comes to building Star Wars and Toy Story.

Thinking about that led me pondering an interesting question. I don't pay that much attention to these things, but based on what a number of people have been saying around here (and it makes sense) Disney would seemingly like to pay as few people as possible, for example hotel employees and specifically here, construction teams. I was wondering where the sweet spot is for Disney for the right number of construction teams to have at once where they are making progress on projects at a reasonable rate, but they are spending as little money as possible on construction. And in that line I'm wondering where they are in regards to that sweet spot with all of the projects that will be going on by mid-late 2016.