Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:16:02 GMT

Don't forget the announcement that the Space Mountain refurb will include the track replacement that was originally gonna be cut. That's great news!

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:28:37 GMT

Attendance worries have also troubled the folks in TDA out in California as well...but, the current figures are showing a trend towards a positive year here as well. Of course, this is a happy moment for the mouse empire. Still, entertainment here on the left coast, as it has in Orlando, has been slashed to a bare minimum and many of the things once taken for granted are now very limited in their appearance or happening.

The other good news is for the prospective cast members who work the California Resort. The hiring numbers are looking to be generated upward and this means more jobs for the local Anaheim/Orange Country area as well...which is a good thing. There is no way of knowing what the Florida aspects for new hires and job market will be, but, it looks better on the West Coast than it has in quite a few months for the Disney Company.

We may not have the ability to grow and expand the way Florida does, or, redress property lodging projects in order to better facilitate families on vacation, but, the overall experience here will undoubtedly profit from the currently perceived upturn in Disney income dollars.....

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:27:49 GMT

Well, as someone planning a trip for September, I've got my sights set on LTT for dinner one night and I don't need characters running around getting in the way. =) I'd be happier if they left off the character dining, but that's just me. :P

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:50:11 GMT

I'm glad to hear that the mouse thinks things won't be as bad as they originally thought. I should note that the DVC has actually got five projects under construction right now (Bay Lake Towers, Villas at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Treehouse Villas, the Villas at the Grand Californian and the new Hawaiian resort) which will add substantially to Disney's resort inventory. I wonder how their sales have been doing since October...

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:50:48 GMT

Well, the "villas" at the Grand Cal are more a wing extension of the hotel itself...and, a large number of them butt up against the Mullholland Madness/Goofy's Flight School mad mouse coaster in DCA....which I do not think folks who are going to lodge in those rooms will find totally delightful.

That having been said, the sale of the Grand Cal DVC units has been rather good (asI have been told) and it looks as if there are a handful of them left to go....so, there may be a second wave of development of DVC units actross the street in the parking lot next to the Paradise Pier Hotel (currently cast and extended Dowtown Disney parking) - which would be, as far as sound pollution and other border line crowding situations go, a tad better than the wing at the Grand Cal....

One of the benefits the DVC has in Florida - the ability to have space away from the parks to build and develop in....

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:46:07 GMT

Skipperwest: that's interesting that the sales for Grand Californian DVC have gone so well....since they don't start until January 25th, and then only to current DVC members who purchased their DVC membership in California! Sales won't open to other current DVC members until March 25th. And I'm not sure when sales will open to the general public. Some speculate that may never happen, as they predict all the points will be sold to current DVC members before they can offer them to the general public.

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:36:35 GMT

Ooooooh. Skiperwest gets pwned!

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:51:40 GMT

The mouse also thought Bolt was going to do much better at he Box Office.

WDW hopeful for better-than-expected 2009

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:54:57 GMT

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:57:40 GMT

Well said Lifthill.

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:50:18 GMT

No, it just means that my source was dead worng with their information...it's no sweat off of me....I appreciate the update, though...and will relay it back to my friend in marketing over to TDA....

Thanks for letting me know...not everyone has the best information...and, sometimes all I know is what I have been told...much like Will Rogers only knew what he read in the papers....

best to all.

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:59:05 GMT

jbrowna - thanks again - and, I don't think then (if such is the case) that California DVD members would waste their time on getting memberships here and the trend will be the DVC members who are on the east coast or midwest who want something to help draw them to the west coast....

And Supergrover - hey, this is JIM HILL MEDIA site...I'm just holding up a site tradition and talking about faulty information.... ;)

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:59:13 GMT

whatever. As i sid a few days ago - i knew DISNEY wouldn't have to worry in the long haul.

re: Are Disney World's recession worries starting to recede ?

Jim Hill — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:11:04 GMT

Is it possible that Disney is, in expecting this recession to be ending soon, trying to take advantage of the lower prices for gas, supplies, and labor before we return to $4 gas again?

Looking for some concrete information on Disney's World of Color? Then check out this week's Why For

Jim Hill — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:13:29 GMT

Jim Hill returns with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, he talks about DCA's lack of advance planning, what Dick Nunis once called Walt and why it's important to take a two-tiered approach when discussing Disney World