Yeah, I was going to add that I just spent last week at a conference at the Conference Center and that area is already great for tourists and adding this Epic thing there would be gangbusters for Universal.

And yeah, fka, Disney is for 12 and under, while Universal should be grabbing all the 13 and up kids. That's just based on ride height requirements, ride excitement, etc. Universal focusing on the 13 and up crowd, including the parents and single adults, with this location in central Orlando (as opposed to Disney's isolation that requires people to rent cars and deal with I-4 traffic to do anything outside of Disney) is a big threat to completely steal Disney's thunder.

5/5

Disney bonus polling: its numbers are catastrophic among early state Republican primary votershttps://t.co/fVUUfQurjV pic.twitter.com/091gPyV5nH

— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) May 25, 2023

Not a statement for nor against DeSantis but he's completely correct on Disney the entire time.

Disney f****ed up big time.

Problems for Disney continue to rise.

WHAT.

Comcast valued Hulu at $70 BILLION 2 years ago, putting their share of Hulu at $23b.

Disney's market cap is currently $161b.

Disney has practically no cash. If Iger paid Comcast just in stock, they would have to hand over 14% of the Walt Disney Company. pic.twitter.com/TC6F5gAYJx

— Jonas J. Campbell (@JonasJCampbell) May 25, 2023

One hour, eleven minutes in,in depth discusion of what position the Hulu acquisition would put Disney in, if they go through with it, nor even an way to opt out. Few palatble options for them.

Forgot where the thread was where FL asked for the recusal, so putting this here.

Judge Mark Walker labeled his ruling on recusal from the Disney case as his own decision unprompted by @RonDeSantis' motion, rather than admit that DeSantis had a point. | @baseballcrank https://t.co/aNeMNc3xKj

— National Review (@NRO) June 2, 2023

That judge went off of the rails in that opinion. Quite a hysterical hissy fit he throws.

YOU CAN"T REMOVE ME BECAUSE I QUIT FIRST! type of fit.

aggiehawg said:

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That judge went off of the rails in that opinion. Quite a hysterical hissy fit he throws.

YOU CAN"T REMOVE ME BECAUSE I QUIT FIRST! type of fit.

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So the judge knows he'll be destroyed on appeal, refused to recuse himself untill the 11th hour - despite knowing he checks all the bias boxes, and threw a legal hissy-fit on his way out the door that was founded on the emotional rationale/logic of a teenager.

"I don't like them so I'm justified in doing what I want, so you can't fire me, I quit!"

Sounds like most leftists, and he definitely does not have the character to be a Judge.

Quote:

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So the judge knows he'll be destroyed on appeal, refused to recuse himself untill the 11th hour - despite knowing he checks all the bias boxes, and threw a legal hissy-fit on his way out the door that was founded on the emotional rationale/logic of a teenager.

"I don't like them so I'm justified in doing what I want, so you can't fire me, I quit!"

Sounds like most leftists, and he definitely does not have the character to be a Judge.

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Why Disney chose to file in his district.

The new Judge is named Windsor, a Trump appointee and member of the Federalist Society, U of Florida law grad.

Andrew's latest.

Comcast/Hulu/Disney situation is really heating up. Short video by Andrew. Disney is in trouble financially. Park attendance is way down and that drives a large part of their operating capital.

aggiehawg said:

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Comcast/Hulu/Disney situation is really heating up. Short video by Andrew. Disney is in trouble financially. Park attendance is way down and that drives a large part of their operating capital.

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He mentions weak attendance over Memorial Day weekend. Disney Twitter had multiple posts about how relatively sparse the crowds were, and the blogs that follow wait times, etc., reported the same, including the fact that Disney is actively discounting summer room rates at its resorts.

Interesting times. It's conventional wisdom that Disney is too big to be harmed by any type of customer fatigue over its direction, but maybe that's not true??

Quote:

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Interesting times. It's conventional wisdom that Disney is too big to be harmed by any type of customer fatigue over its direction, but maybe that's not true??

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They will need to tighten their belts to stop the bleeding. To me, that means divestment. They will spin out some properties, most likely from their media division.

aggiehawg said:

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Comcast/Hulu/Disney situation is really heating up. Short video by Andrew. Disney is in trouble financially. Park attendance is way down and that drives a large part of their operating capital.

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This is silly. Domestic park revenue is up 14% YoY. Domestic park operating income is up 10%.

Quote:

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This is silly. Domestic park revenue is up 14% YoY. Domestic park operating income is up 10%.

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Know how I know you did not watch the video?

Park revenue is not up, but even if they were, doesn't offset how many tens of millions Disney keeps losing on their movie releases and taking content off of Disney+ leading people to cancel, by the millions per month.

Disney is not too big to fail. They can fail very fast if they do not take cost cutting measures and sell off nonperforming assets. Their media arm, for instance.

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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This is silly. Domestic park revenue is up 14% YoY. Domestic park operating income is up 10%.

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Know how I know you did not watch the video?

Park revenue is not up, but even if they were, doesn't offset how many tens of millions Disney keeps losing on their movie releases and taking content off of Disney+ leading people to cancel, by the millions per month.

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I did. Disney's biggest issues right now is Hulu and ESPN. The park attendance is still super high YTD even with increased ticket prices (go read the 10Q instead of watching a random dude's podcast) and Disney has 4 of the top 5 box office spots YTD for 2023. Movie box office and the parks are not the problem.

The content they dropped off Disney + were show no one watched. They just added Indiana Jones this week.

Park attendance is so far down that Disney World is slashing ticket prices and offering multiple park tickets per day.

Sixteen minute video.

aggiehawg said:

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Disney is not too big to fail. They can fail very fast if they do not take cost cutting measures and sell off nonperforming assets. Their media arm, for instance.

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They can fail, but they're never going away. Once football season starts back up I'm sure things will look a lot better for them.

You are definitely right about their streaming service. They're nothing but a drain on them trying to, and failing, to keep up with Netflix.

But park attendance has always been their huge profit centers.

There are rumors that shuttering theme parks in other countries is being floated around the C-Suite. Probably just that rumors but at this point, who knows?

Park attendance is definitely down, despite travel in general being way up globally in 2023:

Quote:

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Ok, with that out of the way, let's try to put our finger on just how "slow" it was at Walt Disney World this Memorial Day. The average wait time at Disney World during Memorial Day Weekend going back to 2016 is just over 31 minutes. If we throw out 2021, it's 32.6 minutes, and if we throw out 2016, it's over 33 minutes. Last year, the average wait time during Memorial Day Weekend was 34.5 minutes. In 2023, the average wait time was 29.25 minutes. Here's how it stacks up:

• 2023 down 6.2% vs 6-year average
• 2023 down 10.8% vs 6-year average (minus 2021)
• 2023 down 14.5% vs 5-year average (minus 2021)
• 2023 down 16.5% vs 2022

Ultimately, Memorial Day Weekend 2023 was certainly slower than last year, and noticeably below pandemic-impacted years. The average wait time of under 30 minutes is the first time that it has been below 30 minutes since 2016, not counting the pandemic era. That's not to say that you didn't wait in a long line this past weekend, because some peak wait times were still unpleasant, but on the whole, average wait times were off of their averages.

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It's not 'shut the place down' by any means, but this on top of the above noted streaming revenue/subscriber ongoing disaster is a huge problem for them, demonstrating their management again is…not real good at their core jobs. Hey, removing content and raising prices is probably fixing all that, right?

Good thing they are so great at fighting woke political wars though!

supposedly Universal theme park is now beating Disney which is not a regular occurrence

Haven't had the chance to watch these videos and generally have been out of the loop on all this stuff….but we were just in Disney World took the whole family and haven't been there since 2017…..stayed 6 days in parks and went to all 4 with a majority of our time spent in Hollywood studios and magic kingdom…..

There was A LOT of people. Did a few firework shows at night and every seat was filled. The popular rides had their usual 2+ hour wait times (we rope dropped those and only waited 15 minutes worth getting up early) and several times in certain areas of the parks I got a little ancy with how manly people were around me.

Granted, just being there actually doesn't mean much because tracking the big numbers is going to tell a much more accurate story and those numbers could very well be down, I'm just saying I literally got back less than a week ago and it seemed real busy to me

Also in case anyone's curious about going in June….

The most gay pride stuff I saw was in Disney Springs which while affiliated with Disney is more of a public outlet mall with Disneys name on it and requires no tickets to get in….mostly signs on lamp posts and more gay pride stuff in the merchandise shops…..

In the actual parks though, with the exception of maybe one or two signs I can remember there wasn't much to see….yes again every merchandise store and a little section somewhere with rainbow Mickey or some sort of gay pride stuff on their merchandise but it wasn't getting overly thrown in my face as much as I had expected…..

My wife told me in years past they'd actually have flags out and a bunch of other stuff and we saw none of that thankfully…..

There was clearly more gay folks that were there (and yes that's an assumption on my part but when you fit the stereotype of a gay man or woman then there ya go) than what I would assume would be normal but again it wasn't like people were dressed like these crazy dildo parades we're seeing so at least that part wasn't terrible….

Also an interesting side note, when we were in Disney Springs I was wearing a shirt that said, "One Nation Under God" and everywhere I go I always have my cross necklace and a dog tag shaped metal piece that has the serenity prayer on it……had several people come up to me thanking me for wearing that shirt….both park attendants and someone handing out flyers for a show they were doing….

And the last thing I'll add, is I was curious if I'd get side eyed or looked at or treated differently due to the Christian jewelry I always display, and nope….never was bothered once by a park guest or felt I was treated differently by a Disney cast member…..

Not sure what all that means, but there ya go….

Did you plan the trip a while back or recently? Do you mind sharing what your avg price per theme park ticket was?

The small video I saw had the podcast hosts suggesting that Disney is lowering the avg cost in half or more in some cases to fill the parks. If becomes a revenue shortfall issue.

Stressboy said:

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Did you plan the trip a while back or recently? Do you mind sharing what your avg price per theme park ticket was?

The small video I saw had the podcast hosts suggesting that Disney is lowering the avg cost in half or more in some cases to fill the parks. If becomes a revenue shortfall issue.

---

planned it last year....wife did most of the planning (plus we had a disney travel agent helping) so not sure of the breakdown on pricing as we also stayed at a disney resort hotel which isnt required but lots of folks do it cause it's way easier and honestly better.....

but if they lowered prices recently then we did not benefit from that cause i know we started paying this trip off monthly back in july or august of last year.....

6 days in parks....5 people (me, wife, oldest son counts as adult, and our two younger kids).....staying at the carribbean beach resort....park hopper....memory maker picture stuff.....was roughly $6,000 but assuming more than $6,000 but under $7,000.....

how much of that was just park tickets with being able to jump to different parks each day.....no idea....

jokershady said:

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Stressboy said:

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Did you plan the trip a while back or recently? Do you mind sharing what your avg price per theme park ticket was?

The small video I saw had the podcast hosts suggesting that Disney is lowering the avg cost in half or more in some cases to fill the parks. If becomes a revenue shortfall issue.

---

planned it last year....wife did most of the planning (plus we had a disney travel agent helping) so not sure of the breakdown on pricing as we also stayed at a disney resort hotel which isnt required but lots of folks do it cause it's way easier and honestly better.....

but if they lowered prices recently then we did not benefit from that cause i know we started paying this trip off monthly back in july or august of last year.....

6 days in parks....5 people (me, wife, oldest son counts as adult, and our two younger kids).....staying at the carribbean beach resort....park hopper....memory maker picture stuff.....was roughly $6,000 but assuming more than $6,000 but under $7,000.....

how much of that was just park tickets with being able to jump to different parks each day.....no idea....

---

I watched it a few days ago, so my numbers might be a bit off, but the video says they were charging $170 for a single park ticket this time last year. This year, it's around $58 and they add a park hop.

They said parks still feel relatively full, but it's noticeable to those who come often.

BigBrother said:

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jokershady said:

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Stressboy said:

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Did you plan the trip a while back or recently? Do you mind sharing what your avg price per theme park ticket was?

The small video I saw had the podcast hosts suggesting that Disney is lowering the avg cost in half or more in some cases to fill the parks. If becomes a revenue shortfall issue.

---

planned it last year....wife did most of the planning (plus we had a disney travel agent helping) so not sure of the breakdown on pricing as we also stayed at a disney resort hotel which isnt required but lots of folks do it cause it's way easier and honestly better.....

but if they lowered prices recently then we did not benefit from that cause i know we started paying this trip off monthly back in july or august of last year.....

6 days in parks....5 people (me, wife, oldest son counts as adult, and our two younger kids).....staying at the carribbean beach resort....park hopper....memory maker picture stuff.....was roughly $6,000 but assuming more than $6,000 but under $7,000.....

how much of that was just park tickets with being able to jump to different parks each day.....no idea....

---

I watched it a few days ago, so my numbers might be a bit off, but the video says they were charging $170 for a single park ticket this time last year. This year, it's around $58 and they add a park hop.

They said parks still feel relatively full, but it's noticeable to those who come often.

---

then we picked the WRONG time to schedule this sucker......

hindsight 20/20 blah blah blah

jokershady said:

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BigBrother said:

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jokershady said:

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Stressboy said:

---

Did you plan the trip a while back or recently? Do you mind sharing what your avg price per theme park ticket was?

The small video I saw had the podcast hosts suggesting that Disney is lowering the avg cost in half or more in some cases to fill the parks. If becomes a revenue shortfall issue.

---

planned it last year....wife did most of the planning (plus we had a disney travel agent helping) so not sure of the breakdown on pricing as we also stayed at a disney resort hotel which isnt required but lots of folks do it cause it's way easier and honestly better.....

but if they lowered prices recently then we did not benefit from that cause i know we started paying this trip off monthly back in july or august of last year.....

6 days in parks....5 people (me, wife, oldest son counts as adult, and our two younger kids).....staying at the carribbean beach resort....park hopper....memory maker picture stuff.....was roughly $6,000 but assuming more than $6,000 but under $7,000.....

how much of that was just park tickets with being able to jump to different parks each day.....no idea....

---

I watched it a few days ago, so my numbers might be a bit off, but the video says they were charging $170 for a single park ticket this time last year. This year, it's around $58 and they add a park hop.

They said parks still feel relatively full, but it's noticeable to those who come often.

---

then we picked the WRONG time to schedule this sucker......

hindsight 20/20 blah blah blah

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Keep in mind, might be in-state price differences. I'm not sure. They're a comparison of the same thing, but not sure if it's exactly what YOU would've paid.

Attendance numbers for 2022 were released yesterday. Numbers were up across the board from 2021 but Disney's Magic Kingdom -- still No. 1 in visitors -- lost nearly 3 million visitors since the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Also, Universal's Islands of Adventure outdrew the other three Disney parks in Florida -- Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Universal Studios in Florida outdrew Epcot and Animal Kingdom.

That loss of 3 million people was no doubt offset by much higher prices at the Magic Kingdom and the removal of a number of what used to be free perks.

Islands of Adventure is proof tjat if you build great rides, more people will visit your theme park. They've increased attendance by 1m since pre-covid

I always use Magic Kingdom as my true measure of WDW visitors. They have lost 2.8million visitors since 2019... pic.twitter.com/hneL0bcUXe

— Tommy Hawkins (@tommyhawkins) June 14, 2023

aggiehawg said:

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But park attendance has always been their huge profit centers.

There are rumors that shuttering theme parks in other countries is being floated around the C-Suite. Probably just that rumors but at this point, who knows?

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I think they only own the parks in the US and Paris. I think everything else in Asia is basically licensed or a minority stake.

BigBrother said:

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jokershady said:

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Stressboy said:

---

Did you plan the trip a while back or recently? Do you mind sharing what your avg price per theme park ticket was?

The small video I saw had the podcast hosts suggesting that Disney is lowering the avg cost in half or more in some cases to fill the parks. If becomes a revenue shortfall issue.

---

planned it last year....wife did most of the planning (plus we had a disney travel agent helping) so not sure of the breakdown on pricing as we also stayed at a disney resort hotel which isnt required but lots of folks do it cause it's way easier and honestly better.....

but if they lowered prices recently then we did not benefit from that cause i know we started paying this trip off monthly back in july or august of last year.....

6 days in parks....5 people (me, wife, oldest son counts as adult, and our two younger kids).....staying at the carribbean beach resort....park hopper....memory maker picture stuff.....was roughly $6,000 but assuming more than $6,000 but under $7,000.....

how much of that was just park tickets with being able to jump to different parks each day.....no idea....

---

I watched it a few days ago, so my numbers might be a bit off, but the video says they were charging $170 for a single park ticket this time last year. This year, it's around $58 and they add a park hop.

They said parks still feel relatively full, but it's noticeable to those who come often.

---

We have annual passes and take our daughter relatively often, especially in the summer. This is just anecdotal with no actual data, but attendance does seem way down.

nortex97 said:

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Park attendance is definitely down, despite travel in general being way up globally in 2023:

Quote:

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Ok, with that out of the way, let's try to put our finger on just how "slow" it was at Walt Disney World this Memorial Day. The average wait time at Disney World during Memorial Day Weekend going back to 2016 is just over 31 minutes. If we throw out 2021, it's 32.6 minutes, and if we throw out 2016, it's over 33 minutes. Last year, the average wait time during Memorial Day Weekend was 34.5 minutes. In 2023, the average wait time was 29.25 minutes. Here's how it stacks up:

• 2023 down 6.2% vs 6-year average
• 2023 down 10.8% vs 6-year average (minus 2021)
• 2023 down 14.5% vs 5-year average (minus 2021)
• 2023 down 16.5% vs 2022

Ultimately, Memorial Day Weekend 2023 was certainly slower than last year, and noticeably below pandemic-impacted years. The average wait time of under 30 minutes is the first time that it has been below 30 minutes since 2016, not counting the pandemic era. That's not to say that you didn't wait in a long line this past weekend, because some peak wait times were still unpleasant, but on the whole, average wait times were off of their averages.

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It's not 'shut the place down' by any means, but this on top of the above noted streaming revenue/subscriber ongoing disaster is a huge problem for them, demonstrating their management again is…not real good at their core jobs. Hey, removing content and raising prices is probably fixing all that, right?

Good thing they are so great at fighting woke political wars though!

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They have been steadily raising their ticket prices throughout that period as a means of crowd control.

And the trend might get worse because Universal Epic looks AWESOME.