President Bush: "... go down to Disney World in Florida..."

[HBK]

Here you go scoop....

Click here for Orlando Sentinel Article about Vivendi - Universal's profits soaring

Click here for an Orlando Sentinel article detailing the financial problems Disney is experincing...


Need more?

Universal had a TREMENDOUS box office showing this summer. Disney had their own version of Titanic, but unlike the movie version, the movie sank with the boat.

 

[YoHo]

I suspect that Vivendi's Universal Holdings are doing better based on the Movie Studio performance not the Themepark performance. My comment was based on what I read on the Universal Boards. Those comments include the revelation that Occupation at Portofino Bay was 7% in fairness, our good friend johare claimed that he could not book a room for an october date, so that number may be off. Still if it correct, then it is by far the worst I've heard.

 

[F.C. Fan]

Thanks HBK

The cruise line is down as a result of of Sept 11.
1 bomb after another in the theaters notable exception The Princess Diary.
Their parks and hotels are fairing no better than anyone else.
Having to buy tons of stock to protect themselves.
The Disney stores.
That great cable deal they're in, considering that Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network will still wipe the floor with them.
DCA.
AK.
Wide World of Sports espscially when you consider the amount of money they gonna have to pay the guys they stole the idea from.

BTW Universal is getting ready to make tons of money with Halloween Horror Nights. Add to that that they're gonna make even more money from the home releases of those summer blockbusters.

Anheuser-Busch Has all those thousands of of Fun Cards and their new payment plan for park admissions plus beer beer and more beer. Plus Discovery Cove didn't cost them an thing since they sold Sea World of Ohio so it's been a money maker from the get go.

 

[YoHo]

Again, based on the thread I read, Universal orlando's cuts in attractions and such seem slightly more drastic then Disney's. Granted Disney told a whole bunch of employee's not to show up as well, I can't think of too many rides besides time keeper that were completely shut down. As of right now, the dragons aren't dueling at IOA. That's bad.

Also, F.C. Fan, you are neglecting the Others which is doing quite well. Certainly doesn't excuse the bad movies, and Certainly Universal did better, but Princess Diaries is not the only exception.

 

[F.C. Fan]

Universal and Dreamworks SLAUGHTERED Disney in the box office not just did better.
You are right though I did forget that The Others was Disney.

My whole point about the Disney company as a whole, is that it has it's hands are in too many cookie jars that are failing, and they need to get rid of alot of the crap and concentrate on what made them great to begin with, and that's the animation and the parks and resorts.

Universal's cuts I'll admit are a little drastic, but as for the Kong closing, the ground area of of the attraction is gonna be used certain nights for Halloween Horror Nights so you can't have the attraction open during the day and then set up forHHN in just 1 1/2 hrs on those nights.
Also USF, IoA , and SW all close early and close certain eateries and shops this time of year, and always have due to the dead season.

 

[F.C. Fan]

Couldn't tell you honestly about Deuling Dragons.
Tell me this how can the Time Keeper be shut down if he's the keeper of time???????????????

 

[F.C. Fan]

Oops it was meant to say Dreamworks and Universal slaughtered Disney in the theaters.

Since Dreamworks has partnered up with Universal on occassion due to Spielberg ( Shrek)

 

[JeffJewell]

Universal orlando's cuts in attractions and such seem slightly more drastic then Disney's

...was that Universal's cuts included "Reduced attraction operating hours" and "Temporary closure of select attractions," both of which have been SOP at WDW since before the current tough times.

Jeff

 

[F.C. Fan]

To add to Jeff Jewel's post, Disney's closings and firings earlier this year were at a time when they weren't needed, not out of necessity but convience.

 

[YoHo]

Perhaps so, But it may have allowed them avoid actual layoffs now.
As far as I know, in WDW, aside from reduced operating hours, and Timekeeper which WAS closed before and thus was an easy decision to close again, Plus a few food stands. Most attractions remain open. Considering we're talkinag abotu 4 parks as opposed to 2, that's quite impressive.

Shrek is the only Dworks movie I can think of that really performed well this summer. Yes that movie slaughtered Atlantis and rearranged the Animation landscape, but it hardly indicates that the company as a whole did better with movie releases.


Oh, I just remembered, JIYI is SUPPOSED to Close for a remodel soon. That's another closure, but I'd be hard pressed to see it in the same light.

 

[F.C. Fan]

I didn't mean just Dreamworks as I said earlier, I meant the 2 together since they have a working relationship with one another.

You don't consider telling almost all part-timers don't come back to work until further notice, more lay-offs, what do you think that means, you are on vaction without pay????.

You need to get to the Optometrist so he can give you the proper glasses you need rather than those rose-colored ones that you are currently wearing.

 

[larworth]

Universal did seem to be a little more draconian in their reactions from a guest point of view. They claim they were doing everything they could not to have to lay anyone off and still give a reasonable guest experience. I don't know if this is totally attendance driven or just a differnce in business practive? I sure hope things return to a little more normal state of operation before my upcoming visit or I will be less than thrilled.

I don't take any glee that either is being hard hit. Universal has been sitting on their hands for awhile now as well, and these events sure aren't going to free up any bucks for their next capital budgeting cycle.

YoHo

I thought the 7% occupancy comment was pretty much isolated to the days following the 11th. Portofino and HRH have been doing some discounting recently. but it doesn't seem to be any more severe than Disney. Don't you wish they just published the stats so we wouldn't have to speculate so much.

Scoop

I guess I should read the link, but unclear about the reference about 40% coming from the parks. The park division is a pretty tiny part of Vivendi. I'm sure they aren't happy, but it probably is a small worry at the top of the pyramid.

 

[YoHo]

Oh, I didn't say it was a good thing, but I saw my group at work go from 300 to 30 in REAL Layoffs. Temporarily being told not to come and getting to keep your Badge IS NOT in any conceivable way the same thing

 

[F.C. Fan]

D Scoop

I see that it was convienant to leave out that USF and IoA are open from 9-6.
All the parks close 95% of their eateries 1 hr before closing, plus this time of the year they close most food carts and certain eateries as well as some attractions for maintenance, better when it's dead than a fully packed park in the middle of summer and having to listen all those angry visitors. Also that HHN is open some, if not all nights from 7p.M. - 2 A.M., so you can ride almost every attraction except Kong also do some of the shows, and partake in the halloween only festivities.

 

[F.C. Fan]

YoHo
6-8 weeks with no paycheck and no guarantee that you'll have a job more than a couple of weeks til you're off for a few months again, plus you can't claim un-employment. At least when you're really laid off you can get some form of finacial support. It's as crappy of a thing as can happen to anyone.

 

[F.C. Fan]

DScoop how about Shrek, if there was not some sort of working relationship between the 2 companies then why is there a Shrek character at USF??????????

Just to let you knowI live in Orlando, I live very close to Sea World and Universal, and frequent them all quite often. So trust me I know the hours of the parks, and a good amount of what goes on through friends, a relative who works at 1, and from different employees I've met and worked with over the years. I'm not up in Tennessee using a search engine to find out everything and post it, believe or not, not all of what we see and hear down here in Orlando shows up on info fan sites.

I get some of my info from the local news channels feeds and the fore mentioned people.

 

[F.C. Fan]

And as I've asked other posters before you if your so proud of your state then why do you spend so much time worrying and dreaming about what goes on down here in Orlando????
I have not left this state since I was a little kid and have no desire to, there's too much to do here to need to go anywhere else.

 

[F.C. Fan]

I'm not affraid of the state line, as I've said it before there's no reason for me to leave this state there's plenty to do here.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Hey, maybe GWB will visit WDW to encourage us to go! Like we needed encouragement!!!

I knew I liked our president. And he just gave me another reason why!

 

[HBK]

Thanks HBK, but not precise enough...
...oh, granted HBK, these here are tough times...however, I requested supporting evidence on two specific points

1.

quote:
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Vivendi and Anhueser-Busch companies as a whole, are in much better shape than Disney is financially
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2.
quote:
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Disney on the other hand is losing their **** [money] on just about everything they are associated with
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Now I'm getting a giggle from you scoop....You asked for evidence of Disney's suffering & Universal / Vivendi's stregnth (I really didn't feel like looking for AB). I provide it, and you say it's not good enough.

How about this challenge....find some reports backing your side up?

Good luck.