AVATAR-Land Moves Forward as More Rumors Fly

Tom Staggs - Chairman - Disney Parks and Resorts
A Disney Photo

Tom Staggs has been a busy guy this week announcing things. Making official announcements is easy after Disney official fiscal dollars are actually committed to build projects. As noted in a previous post - a big time Iron Man attraction is slated to go into Hong Kong Disneyland. This morning Tom posted in Disney Parks Blog (link) that plans to build the much discussed and debated AVATAR based land are going forward in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park (much to the chagrin of many Disney Parks fans).

Disney has posted some artwork for the AVATAR project where the planet of Pandora is recreated. (Please note that the Disneyland Traveler did not care for the movie AVATAR - good to look at but thought it to be long boring and silly).

Disney artwork for what appears to be an AVATAR boat ride

Disney concept art for AVATAR Land

 Disney concept art for AVATAR Land

AVATAR director James Cameron - Tom Staggs - and project Imagineer Joe Rhode
at work bringing to life AVATAR - Land

So AVATAR in a Disineyland is going to become a reality. Thank god it's going to be in Florida. You can have it (though that boat ride looks cool). So you want another Florida rumor? Tom Corless of WDW News Today website (link) is reporting that Disney and Warner Bros. are in negotiations to bring Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) based attractions to Disney Parks. Hopefully this is another Florida based idea - while attendance at Disney's Magic Kingdom and EPCOT parks remain strong - Disney Hollywood Studios and Disney Animal Kingdom continue to lose ground to that snot nosed Harry Potter kid over at Universal and Disney has some ground to make up. It should be noted that Mrs. DisneylandTraveler IS a big fan of LOTR and plays the online game at an expert level).

Whatever happened to those cute little Disney characters?

Anyway - as a California person - I'll take Marvel and Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Disney can put these lands of mysticism somewhere else.

Disney Strikes Back - Star Wars Land Coming to WDW

According to Theme Park Insider (link) and now being propogated in various print, web, and TV outlets, Disney plans on adding a "Star Wars Land" to Walt Disney World's Disney Hollywood Studios with opening set for 2018, maybe sooner if they want to throw more money at the project. In addition to Star Wars Land, the plan is for Disney to replicate a version of the massively successful Cars Land in DHS as well. I'll leave the Cars Land rumor alone for now because I'm still in my one month moratorium on writing anything about Cars Land and this news isn't going to make me alter my commitment to that. Star Wars Land? Now that's a different story altogether.

Much like Disney California Adventure a few years ago, Disney Hollywood Studios has been an underachieving theme park for quite some time. Confused themes, a bit of neglect, and constant questioning of what do we do with the place has been on the minds of WDW fans for quite some time. But once a year, DHS hosts the massively successful Star Wars Weekends to prop up the sagging park. I have always thought that if Disney was going to do anything major with park related theming with their recent George Lucas acquisitions, WDW would be the place. Certainly they have the property and space to do things right as opposed to the Disneyland Resorts approach of let's see what we can squeeze in. So a Star Wars Land in DHS just makes too much sense to pass up.

Of course that doesn't make a Disneylander like myself feel any better. Who wouldn't love a Star Wars Land in your own backyard rather than across the country? And what about D23 coming up in August in Anaheim. Walt Disney World has stolen the thunder with the opening of the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train (coaster), now Star Wars Land, and a Cars Land. And whatever happened to Avatarland in Disney Animal Kingdom? Somebody at Disney better get off the schneid and announce something new (and big) for Disneyland. A Monsters Inc roller coaster? Please. You can do better than that. No wonder that, as of today, D23 has a new level of membership, one that costs the applicant nothing at all because they're giving it away just to prop up sagging membership numbers. A convention in Anaheim that features big changes to a park that is 3000 miles away probably isn't the best way to bring in the crowds that Disney wants.

Around Disneyland - News (and Rumors)

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler's hand wrapped around an Annual Pass
BEFORE today's price increase!

Ticket Price Increases

So as of today, it just got more expensive to march through the gates of Disneyland (and Walt Disney World). The fallout continues to trickle into the various Disneyland forums and discussion boards and as usual, people fall into one of four categories. 1) Raising prices annually is to be expected as part of normal business operations - Disney is not run as a non-profit. 2) The continual price increase is pricing many working families and individuals out of the park - you sadly hear this more and more. 3) A visit to a Disney Park is a luxury - either you can afford it or you can't. 4) Disney needs to raise prices more as a means of controlling the huge crowds that still enter the parks.

Here's the deal - The price increase announced yesterday that went into effect today is more in line with a typical Disney park increase regular park guests are accustomed to as opposed to last years staggering price increase. Disney has a right to raise ticket prices as a means of maintaining the operating costs of their high quality parks and turn a profit for stockholders. But on the other hand, the Disney fans who are affected by the continual price increases and are slowly being priced out have every right to be frustrated and disillusioned and free to express their displeasure against a company that seems to, more and more, aim their targeting at the high end consumer rather than the masses. It works both ways.

The End of World of Color Picnic Meals

When World of Color was new and a deluge of people just had to see it, Disney set up a nice little revenue stream by selling pre-packaged meals (4 meal choices I believe) for $15 that included a WOC show pass. This was set up for people who didn't want to spend money on the high priced WOC dining packages offered at the various DCA table service restaurants nor wished to stand in long lines trying to get a show pass from the machines (which often, ran out of passes before you got to the machine). Well, that was then. While still quite popular, World Of Color isn't the draw it once was. For some (Mrs. DLT for one) the constant standing in this line and that line for show you have to stand up and watch got to be a little too much. And as impressive as it is, WOC just isn't a show you have to see over and over again. It's actually gotten to be more fun watching the expression on faces of the people who haven't seen it.

So with the demand dwindling, Disney, as of today if I'm reading things correctly, has ended the WOC pre-packaged meal option. Some people liked the meals (which were on the small side). But I also saw a person take one bite and dump the remainder of the meal in a garbage can. On my last visit, I was able to pick up a WOC show pass from the dispensing machine late in the afternoon and I arrived to the viewing area far too early than I needed to.

Christmas at Disneyland Just May Get More Expensive

And if you believe the Disneyland insider rumors that come out of MiceAge/MiceChat there are several stories that center around Christmas at the Disneyland Resort this year.

First up... From the days of Walt Disney, Disneyland's Candlelight Processional took place over one weekend in December. Last year, Disney expanded it to 20 nights and primarily pointed it at Annual Passholders. Well this year it looks like its going back to the traditional one weekend in December. Reason? The throng of people gathered at the foot of Main St. to watch the Processional set up on the steps of the Railroad Station absolutely killed shopping in the adjacent stores (Emporium, Disney Clothiers, etc.) during some of their prime shopping hours. 

Second... You know all those wonderful Disneyland traditions that have gone on for decades - the Christmas Fantasy Parade, holiday fireworks, the snow falling on Main St. Well, this may be the year that seeing those things are going to cost you if they go the route of separate admission night time event similar to what is now being done for Halloween trick or treating nights and over at Walt Disney World with the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. On nights when there isn't a separate admission event you will get the regular parade and fireworks display without the snow. Remember what I said about Disney having the right to slap a price tag on everything. Same applies here - people will have the right to complain (loudly).

Third... A new World of Color Christmas Show. Everyone always knew WOC is capable of giving different shows, well this Christmas, it may be finally allowed to really change things up. This won't be a separate admission event like over at Disneyland. But with a new show, expect the return of long lines to get passes and being herded up like cattle prior to being let into the viewing area - unless you go the high priced dining packages. Disney always wins.

The Christmas stuff is all rumor and speculation at this point. More to come.

Death, Taxes, and Disneyland Ticket Price Increases

This man is not amused at the price it cost to get in

The phrase has come through many sources but the most common utterance comes from Ben Franklin in The Works of Benjamin Franklin (1817):

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

Well, starting tomorrow, June 2, we can now update the phrase with...

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes and the annual Disneyland ticket price increase.

Here you go...

Disneyland Resort Ticket Options

Ticket	Ages 10+	Ages 3-9
5-Day Park Hopper	$300	$279
5-Day 1-Park Per Day	$265	$244
4-Day Park Hopper	$285	$265
4-Day 1-Park Per Day	$250	$230
3-Day Park Hopper	$260	$244
3-Day 1-Park Per Day	$225	$209
2-Day Park Hopper	$210	$197
2-Day 1-Park Per Day	$175	$162
1-Day Park Hopper	$137	$131
1-Day 1-Park	$92	$86

All multi-day tickets expire 13 days after first use.

Disneyland Resort Annual Passports

Premium	$669
Deluxe	$499
Southern California*	$359
Southern California Select*	$279
Annual Passport Block-Out Day Ticket	$84

Disneyland's 24 Hours Of (Fill In The Blank)

We are now six hours into Disneyland's 24 hour summer kickoff  (Monstrous Summer). So far, so good, with no reports of ill tempers, gridlock, fist fights, or other forms of mass chaos. The morning began quietly but reports now have the crowds levels starting to increase and the real action should commense shortly. Should be real fun when those showing up for the 24 hr. event get closed off to some of DCA's best attractions which will be put off limits because some bright person thought having a Grad Night at the same time wouldn't be too much of a problem. A crowd of 100,00 - 125,000 thousand people is expected by tonight and doesn't that sound like fun.

 

Really, I could live around the corner from Disneyland and you couldn't force me in there with a cattle prod today. The older I get the more I've come to recognize the value of a good night's sleep.

 

Take it easy out there and get home safely.

Bob Iger Gets A Raise

The Two Guys Who Run The Walt Disney Company
A Disney Photo

I was fortunate last year - got promoted to a new position and also got a cost of living raise along with a little bit of a company performance bonus. Maybe the whole thing totaled out to 8 or 9 percent. Not bad considering the economy continues to spurt and stumble along. 

Bob Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company got a raise last year too. He got a little more than I did. Bob's annual compensation package moved up from a little over $33 million a year to a bit over $40 million last year. Bob's raise was about 20%. Nice. It's also nice that Disney had one of its most successful years in recent memory with both profits and stock prices well up. The massive success of Cars Land and DCA, the huge box office receipts from the Avengers, and the purchase of LucasFilm Ltd were all feathers in Iger's cap which led to large deposits in the bank accounts.

Bob is set to gracefully exit Disney in 2015. Chances are he will not have to pick up a part time job as a greeter at Wal-Mart to make ends meet when he retires.

Disneyland Says Good-Bye and Good Luck To Kodak

The Eastman Kodak Company has been a partner to Disneyland from the get-go. Kodak was one the big name corporate sponsors of the park that Walt Disney personally courted to invest in his grand plan so Kodak has been sponsoring something or other in Disneyland for years and years. Currently the Kodak logo is most commonly seen on the park brouchere that you can pick up when you enter the park. You can also see the name Kodak on various "Picture Spots" around the park and it still sponsors a retail kiosk over by it's a small world (even though I doubt if anyone has bought a roll of film in years).

When film went to Yesterland, Kodak, as a complany, was in trouble. The corporation has been in bankruptcy for quite awhile now mostly trying to figure out what parts of the company may be still capable of making money from the parts that don't. And finally, after the first of the year, Disneyland bids good-bye to Kodak as an official park sponsor after close to 60 years. Times change, things change, will anyone miss a Kodak presence in Disneyland? Probably not unless you really stop and think about it. And then it's a little sad.

Trivia: Linda McCartney, the wife of Beatle Paul McCartney, who set him on the straight and narrow and died at a very early age from cancer was an heir to the Kodak financial fortune in its heyday. Her maiden name was Linda Eastman.

Star Wars Meets the Mouse

Still a lot to digest with the Walt Disney Company buying Lucafilm and its Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. That only fueled internet creative artists and Photoshop mavens to get to work and bringing some much needed humor to the landmark purchase.

Disney Profits - Just Whistling A Happy Tune

To no ones surprise, when Bob Iger announced Disney's 3rd quarter profits last week he was forced to deliver the typically boring numbers data with a smile that would rival the best day of any of his cast of Disney characters. Yes, Bob is a happy man these days as Disney profits set records and looks off into a very bright future.

Of course Bob, in the last quarter had The Avengers, a Disney released movie that pulled in somewhere around 1.4 billion dollars in box office receipts at last look. He also had a moderate success with Pixar's Brave - not the usual Pixar box office powerhouse but still a film that will turn over a profit. And both of these movies shape up well for their second lives when home video versions are released in various packages over the next few months. Home video sales is sagging badly as a national trend. Not when it comes these two movies. 

And all the investment into Disney Parks and Resorts is paying off. Attendance at the Disneyland Resort has been record setting this summer with the opening of Cars Land. A new cruise ship recently launched increasing Disney's fleet to four and the ships are booked to 94% capacity through the rest of this year. And with an improving economy, people are flocking to Disney parks and hotels without having to go the route of discounting which has been prevalent the last few years as Disney tried to keep the parks and hotels buzzing in a floundering economy.

For Disney fans there was a note of fear delivered by Iger as he made his rounds in the financial news media circles. Things are going so good that he made the remark (paraphrasing) "we believe there is room for some additional price elasticity". Basically, Disney believes there is room to implement additional price increases across the board without affecting the demand for the Disney products he delivers. He's probably right.

Bob can point to a bright future. Now that DCA is pulling in people, you can expect Disney to turn its attention to Disneyland itself with new attractions and minor improvements. Walt Disney World is finally starting to get some much needed buzz and attention as it prepares to open its new and improved Fantasyland with Animal Kingdom's Pandora (Avatarland) standing next in line. Iger's decision to purchase Marvel has turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving with a full slate of powerhouse movies in production scheduled to be released ahead of the return of Joss Whedon and his direction of Avengers 2 in 2015. Whedon will also develop a Marvel TV series for ABC in his spare time.

So its a great time to be Bob Iger as he closes out his tenure as Chairman and CEO at The Walt Disney Company. One can only hope that the next guy is taking good notes. 

The Razor's Edge Of Disneyland's Admission Pricing

Tilly at the Main St. Cinema Ticket Booth

Two feature articles came out this week on the two Disneyland websites I most often follow that seem to be such complete opposites of one another that it is hard to reconcile the two.

Author, Disneyland insider, and MousePlanet contributor David Koenig writes that Disney, delighted with the crowds this summer at the resort, are quickly formulating plans to increase admission prices to capitalize on the great reception of their recent park enhancements. They are possibly pointing to another increase by Christmas this year and another one before next summer's prime vacation season. You can read David's article here.

Yesterday's weekly In The Parks feature on MiceChat spent some time discussing that while Cars Land in Disney California Adventure continues to pull in huge amounts of guests, the crowd levels throughout the rest of DCA and especially over at Disneyland are quite manageable and seem to be a little flat. The comments seem to be based mostly on observation but since they are in Disneyland on a weekly basis, who am I to argue? MiceChat went further by putting up a poll as to the reason why the attendance would appear to be lackluster. The overwhelming majority point to high prices.

So which is it? "We're doing fine, let's raise prices" or "Uh-oh, maybe that last hefty price jump has bitten us in the rear". The one thing that is for certain is that Disney has a pretty good idea. All the data collected from survey takers, online surveys, and even in depth surveys taken of guests in the park in special rooms is not done just for the heck of it. Disney also has their hotel capacity and bookings well mapped as well as keeping tabs on the area hotels and motels (they are called "Good Neighbor" hotels for a reason). Disney also tracks the buying habits of various pass holders - those food and merchandise discounts are not given out to be nice. Disney wants to know how much you are spending along with where and what.

If I were a betting person (and I'm usually not) I would tend to go on the side of David Koenig. He is not someone prone to wild speculation or rumor in his Disneyland writings. On the MiceChat side pointing to flat attendance and manageable crowds, I think back to the trip my family made in July 2005 during Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration. You would have thought the place would have been packed during that time but it really wasn't. The blocking out of Southern California pass holders during several weeks of the summer just makes the crowd levels more bearable. We were certainly surprised.

One thing is for sure - the prices on annual passes will not go down. If there are additional price increases coming, I suspect the jump on AP's will be in smaller increments going forward. Same with daily admission price (does anyone take their family to Disneyland for one day anymore?) and the popular multi-day tickets. And I would guess that if things do slow down because of over-pricing, Disney is really good at various discounts on admission tickets as well as accommodations in their hotels.

I also know that if there is another increase before Christmas, the screams will be long and loud. Go out and read the Disney website message boards if you don't think so.

Hidden Mickeys In Outer Space

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler dropped this video on me. As all fans know, Disney will stop at nothing to insert "hidden Mickeys" everywhere they can possibly think of. Books have been written about the world of hidden Mickeys. So now it turns out that NASA photographs of the planet Mercury have found the latest hidden Mickey. A product of the creative minds at Disney? Well, I'm sure they would like to take credit for the interplanetary anomaly but the reality is three asteroids crashed into Mercury once upon a time and created Mickey Mouse in outer space. Enjoy the video from Jeanne Moos and CNN.

Bob Iger Names A New Number One For Studios Chief

For about the third time in 3 years, Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Co., has named a new Chairman for the beleaguered Disney Studios. Alan Horn moves over from a similar position as head of Warner Bros. Pictures where he oversaw production of some noteworthy franchises such as Harry Potter, The Matrix, and The Dark Knight. He gave the go-ahead from everything from Happy Feet to The Hangover. An impressive resume to be sure and also a pretty sure bet for Iger coming on the heels of the dreadful performance of former Chief Rich Ross that culminated in the John Carter disaster for Disney. Ross was a TV guy (like Iger) and never adapted as a Hollywood mover and shaker in the film industry. Horn is the complete opposite with connections everywhere.

Prior to his 12 years at Warner Bros., Alan Horn was a co-founder (along with Rob Reiner) of Castle Rock Entertainment which produced movies like The Shawshank Redemption, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally. Castle Rock also produced a TV series which I still continue to watch several times a week though its production ended years ago, a show about nothing called Seinfeld.

So Horn gets to control about everything on the movie side of the Disney company. He will oversee the activities and productions of the fairly autonomous and extremely profitable Marvel and Pixar Studios while trying to put Disney branded live action pictures and as well as the animated pictures back on a consistent even keel. He will also continue to oversee Disney's distribution of Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks live action pictures. Seems to be a lot on his plate and he seems to be the person to do it. Time will tell. Horn starts his new position on June 11.

DCA 'Letters' Find A New California Home

DCA Original Entrance - A Disney Photo

Well, Disney didn't have a use for them anymore. The semi iconic letters that stood in front of the Disney California Adventure entrance for 10 years have found a new home. News up here in Sacramento has Disney donating the letters that spelled out CALIFORNIA in the esplinade to a non-profit organization called Friends of the California State Fair, which in turn will install the letters on the California State Farirgrounds (Cal-Expo) sometime later this year. This years state fair has its run in July, so the installation will be done sometime after this years state fair.

The non-profit organization will have to pay for the shipping and installation of the letters donated by Disney so there will be some fund raising efforts surrounding this project. Although Disney park fans complained for years about the tacky entrance to the DCA park, people had no problem crawling all over the letters and having their pictures taken with the various pieces of the alphabet. In that respect, having the letters come to life in a new location should insprie some degree of nostalgia for northern California residents who attend the fair in future summers. A nice touch.

Sticker Shock - Disneyland's Jaw-Dropping Price Increase

I'm still trying to digest the news. I'm still in shock. I'm still running numbers trying to make sense of the math. As expected, Disney today announced a price increase ahead of their big summer season and the relaunch of the new and improved Disney California Adventure. I knew it would be big but somehow the actual news trumped the anticipation. Consumers of Disneyland just took one in the shorts, especially if you are an annual passholder.

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I bought our first annual passes in November 2008. The price then was $269. Since we exchanged our parkhopper tickets, the annual pass price was pro-rated. Now here we are less than four years later and effective Sunday, May 20, the price of a deluxe annual pass is $469.00. Staggering. Even more staggering is the single day admission for a park hopper ticket - $125.00. For kids up to 10, it's $119.00. Kids! A three year old paying $119.00. This is madness. People will pay it.

What's really sad is Disneyland is no longer a park for Disney fans. Disneyland is a park for the upper middle class that still have a disposable income. Many of us don't. Every year, more and more children will never know what a visit to Disneyland is all about simply because mom and dad can no longer afford it.

MousePlanet posted this chart comparing last years price with the new price increase.

Ages 10 and older			Ages 3 - 9
Ticket	Old Price	New Price	% increase	Old Price	New Price	% increase
5-Day Park Hopper	$266	$290	9%	$246	$270	10%
5-Day 1-Park Per Day	$251	$260	4%	$231	$240	4%
4-Day Park Hopper	$249	$275	10%	$231	$255	10%
4-Day 1-Park Per Day	$234	$245	5%	$216	$225	4%
3-Day Park Hopper	$224	$250	12%	$208	$235	13%
3-Day 1-Park Per Day	$209	$220	5%	$193	$205	6%
2-Day Park Hopper	$173	$200	16%	$161	$188	17%
2-Day 1-Park Per Day	$158	$170	8%	$146	$158	8%
1-Day Park Hopper	$105	$125	19%	$99	$119	20%
1-Day 1-Park	$80	$87	9%	$74	$81	9%

Annual Pass	Old Price	New Price	% increase
Premier (DLR/WDW)	$749	$849	13%
Premium	$499	$649	30%
Deluxe	$379	$469	24%
Southern California*	$269	$329	22%
Southern California Select*	$199	$269	35%
Annual Parking Pass	$99	$129	30%