Although you hear very few people talking about it, Avatar is a massive international juggernaut. And Bob Iger wants it at Disneyland. But that’s assuming it hasn’t already been scaled back by his other big news… massive budget cuts! We’ll take a look at where you might find blue people in the not too distant future. But there’s lots more today. A golden gate is rising, another classic Downtown Disney restaurant about to depart, construction all over, and what refurbishments to watch out for. Plus, there are so many festivals and celebrations going on right now at the Disneyland Resort that we wrote a little guide for you.
(Be sure to vote in the Avatar attraction poll below)
Bob’s Big Bombshells
It was a good news/bad news presentation by Bob Iger on the quarterly investors call last week. On the one hand, Disney is doing better than the disastrous quarter in which Bob Chapek was fired. Disney made nearly one dollar per share in the quarter that ended December 31st, 2022. And while that was still down 7 cents per share from the same quarter in 2021, it was also about 30 cents per share better than Wall Street had predicted, so the stock went up. And, although Disney’s streaming business continues to be a drag on the company (losing 2.4 million subscribers in the quarter), the strong performance of the theme park division more than made up for Disney+ losses.
In fact, operating income for the domestic Disney Parks was up a massive 36% over the same quarter last year (and the entire DPEP unit including Consumer Products increased 25%):
Turning to Parks, Experiences, and Products. We’re thrilled with the results we achieved this quarter, with operating income increasing 25% versus the prior year to over $3 billion, reflecting increases at our Domestic and International Parks and Experiences businesses.
So, you might assume that Disney would double down on the success of the thing making them money (as Universal is doing) and spend even more to make more… but that’s not exactly what Bob Iger and Christine McCarthy (Disney’s CFO and expert in austerity) have planned. Instead, they are cutting $700 million from capital expenditures in the Parks division – and 5.5 BILLION in the company overall. 7,000 Disney employees (about 3%) will lose their jobs, though that is not likely to hit the already understaffed front-line parks cast. Yikes!
So, expect to see many delayed projects while the company sorts out its financial mess on Disney’s media side of the house. Once again, the parks are paying for the disaster created by Bob Chapek and Christine McCarthy.
We did learn a few more tidbits on the earnings call which are interesting in part because they have been so poorly explained by the company.
Disney Parks Capacity and Price Cuts…
Disney continues to stick to park reservations and insists that they are in fact limiting capacity. And, since they are legally bound not to share incorrect information with investors, we can assume that they have in fact cut park capacity by 20% during the busiest times of the year:
We had an outstanding quarter in Q1, while we continued our purposeful efforts to control capacity to preserve guest experience. Last month, we also announced some price adjustments in our parks. We’re listening to guest feedback, and we are continuously working to improve the quality and value of their experience.
Did it feel that way to you? It can be hard to tell. While the park walkways don’t feel nearly as busy as they did in 2019, new programs such as Lightning Lanes and Mobile Order have swelled standby lines making the parks feel much busier than ever before. The parks may be less crowded due to reservations and capacity limits, but other operational changes are still eroding the park experience.
significant revenue and operating income growth in the quarter was achieved despite purposefully reducing capacity during select peak holiday periods by approximately 20% versus pre-pandemic levels in order to prioritize the guest experience.
Bob’s ability to see past the profits is a saving grace. He did note that guests feel that prices are too high and that the company is reacting to that.
It’s clear that some of our pricing initiatives were alienating to consumers. I’ve always believed, by the way, that accessibility is a core value of the Disney brand. We were not perceived to be as accessible or as affordable to many segments as we probably should have been. So, after basically paying heed to what we were hearing, we started to address it.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like he actually believes what the guests are feeling when he claims that ticket prices really haven’t increased that much…
interestingly enough, if you look at the increase of the core ticket, let’s say, at Disneyland, it has not really increased that much, maybe slightly ahead of inflation over the last few years.
Sorry Bob, but that’s not really true. The cost of a Disneyland ticket has nearly doubled on the most popular days of the year. We’ve listed out the one-day ticket prices since 2009. But if we look at just the last 10 years, the highest cost ticket has nearly doubled. And if you want to park-hop, the cost of a one-day ticket has gone up by $119 (that’s $244 for a one-day park-hopping ticket for Tier 6). But, yes, the lowest cost ticket hasn’t gone up since 2019 because it was mostly there so Disney could say ticket prices aren’t going up all that much. Tricky. And this doesn’t even take into account the dramatic increase in the cost of food, merchandise, parking, hotel rates, and the addition of Genie+ which all combine to make Disneyland far more expensive. It’s time for Bob to take a closer look. There’s a reason guests are feeling alienated by prices, they are out of control!
And, in the never let a good deed go unpunished department… Bob explains that it’s not really about what guests want, it’s about the bottom line, which the unfavorables apparently don’t contribute enough to… here’s how he explains that those price decreases have been used to shift more guests away from annual passes and toward regular tickets…
…enabled us to essentially shift the mix — from annual pass holders to people who may come just once in a lifetime. They tend to be good customers of ours because of their per-cap spending when they’re there. That’s really helpful. Some of the things that we put in place to manage annual pass holders was done to help us manage capacity without having doing too much damage to the bottom line.
Avatar For Disneyland
But, the biggest surprise of the call for us was a Disneyland news item… in light of the over 2 BILLION dollars Avatar 2 has made worldwide, and with multiple sequels on the way, Bob says an Avatar “experience” is coming to Disneyland.
We will be bringing an exciting Avatar experience to Disneyland
And why might Avatar be coming? Well, it might be to increase capacity and play off the success of the film and popular land at Walt Disney World.
if you look at the results when we put Pandora in Animal Kingdom, from year to year, they were stunning in terms of how many more people visited Animal Kingdom. I mentioned on the call that we’re going to bring a version of Avatar to Disneyland. We have other opportunities as well.
So, even though the Parks division is suffering a temporary cut in capital expenditures, there is a desire to increase capacity overall at the resorts to raise revenue.
I’ve talked to Josh D’Amaro about this very recently, like this morning, again, to really look at all the great franchises of the company and see where we can invest in them in the parks to increase capacity
But those additions are VERY likely to be based upon Disney’s biggest franchises (like Avatar, Frozen, Zootopia, Star Wars, Marvel, Encanto, etc.). In fact, The big movies that Iger announced on the call were ALL sequels to existing franchises. And all of these either have lands already built in the Disney Parks or are on the way:
We have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises: Toy Story, Frozen, and Zootopia.
Drone Footage: Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen Construction
We hear you… What does that mean? “AVATAR EXPERIENCE”?! Well, it’s a way for Bob to not commit on something before a final decision is made. So, it could be something as minor as a character meet and greet or as major as a ride or new land. However, since this was seen as major enough to merit mentioning to shareholders, we are expecting something more substantial than a meet and greet.
We can imagine a number of different scenarios. Star Wars recently got a store in Downtown Disney where the Rainforest Cafe was previously located. Nearby is the mostly shuttered ESPN Zone building. It could make for an interesting space for Avatar-related retail and possibly even a virtual reality area like the previous VOID experience in Downtown Disney.
The Magic Eye Theater in Tomorrowland has been sitting empty for years. It was previously used to promote the Star Wars franchise (among many 3D shows before that). The theater would make an easy place to showcase the Avatar story and promote the upcoming sequels. But there are few attractions that would make for an easy remake as well.
Jungle Cruise would be extremely easy to give an Avatar overlay. There have even been talks over the years about that actually happening. But we’re not sure that would go over very well with the Disneyland locals. After all, Jungle Cruise is an opening day attraction, one of the few left outside of Fantasyland. So, what else might this project be?
The Carousel Building, where the Star Wars Launch Bay remains closed to park guests, could become an Avatar experience on the ground level (a DVC Lounge is in the works for the upstairs).
Another easy remake would be to give Soarin’ an Avatar storyline. Though, the Grizzly Airfield wouldn’t fit unless the immediate area was converted into an Avatar-themed military base. But the more you think about it, the better this idea actually fits. Both the ride and the restaurant currently have a military look which would be easy to adapt. And adding strange plants and some floating mountains wouldn’t be difficult. We’re not saying this will happen, but it sure could. And DCA would be the right park for it since Avatar is a much better fit there than at Disneyland.
But, to really do it right, Avatar could also be saved for Disneyland’s 3rd park, which is very much still in the works.
Personally, I think the Grizzly Airfield location makes a lot of sense. There’s room there to do something really interesting with an Avatar flying ride. There’s also a shop and a restaurant. And, since Disney has been rushing to replace non-IP areas of Disney California Adventure with movie tie-ins, this spot is one of the largest without any film tied to it.
Where would you like to see Avatar show up at the Disneyland Resort?
ToonTown Reopening Date Rescheduled
Due to the recent wet weather in Southern California, Mickey’s ToonTown will be opening at a slightly later date than initially planned. The new date for the rest of ToonTown is now scheduled for March 19, just eleven days later than originally planned.
As a reminder, although Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is now open, it is only accessible through an Individual Lightning Lane selection or by entering the virtual queue. Guests are only able to enter the small open portion of ToonTown by showing a valid Virtual Queue or Lightning Lane appointment.
While Runaway Railway guests can see the area around Roger Rabbit’s CarTOON Spin, it is not expected to reopen before the rest of the land on March 19.
For more details about ToonTown, be sure to look at the article below!
UPDATED! Disneyland’s ToonTown Opening Date Pushed to March 19th!
Park Hopping
As a reminder, there’s some good news in regards to park hopping. The recent change now allows guests with park hopper tickets or Magic Keys to switch parks starting at 11am instead of the previous 1pm. This is a great change in our opinion.
Fixing Errors
Disneyland has had a hard time with information on signage for the Disney100 celebration, with many erroneous dates, typos, and incorrect quotes. But Disney has been slowly fixing the errors.
This week, we noticed that the Mickey statue in Town Square has been removed. This is presumably to correct the quote prominently featured on the statue. The full Walt quote was “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse.”
Over at Indiana Jones, new signs have been posted which fix the typos on the previous versions:
Event & Festival Updates
There’s always something happening around the Disneyland Resort. Here’s a quick update on the various events and festivals that are taking place right now.
DCA is really at its best when there’s a festival going on. While we’re approaching the end of one, there’s another one just a few weeks away…
DCA Lunar New Year Celebration
The celebration of the start of the new Lunar Year is wrapping up this week. The multicultural festival is set to run through February 15.
Sip & Savor tabs are only good through the duration of the festival, so after the 15th, they’re effectively worthless. If you’ve got any remaining tabs, you should plan on visiting before time runs out.
For a recap of all things Lunar New Year Celebration, take a look at the article below!
Hop Into Disney California Adventure’s Lunar New Year Celebration!
DCA Food & Wine Festival Starts March 3rd
Although Lunar New Year is approaching its end, there’s already something else to get excited for. The fan-favorite Food & Wine Festival at DCA returns this year to run from March 3 through April 25.
There’s still no word on which items will be featured in the Food and Wine Festival this year. Are there any items you’re hoping will make an appearance? Here are a few selections from last year:
Looking to make a Disney day into a Disney night…
Sweethearts’ Nite Wraps Up
The first Disneyland after-hours event is approaching its end this year. Sweethearts’ Nite, a celebration of love in all forms, ran on select nights starting January 31 through February 16. The event promised photo ops, character meet & greets, party-exclusive food and merchandise, and a special fireworks show. This event appeared to be a major success since all tickets sold out.
Although merchandise for this event was supposed to be exclusive for partygoers, we spotted some shirts for sale to the general public at Disneyland’s Emporium in multiple locations.
Princess Nite Approaches
There’s an all-new After Dark event this year: Princess Nite! If you’re a fan of Disney Princesses (official or honorary), this event is for you. This event is running only on two nights, March 7 and 9. Tickets for Princess Nite are still available, though they are very likely to sell out as well.
Want to get the full scoop on what makes a Disney Princess? Take a look at this article below!
We’re still waiting to hear about future Disneyland After Dark events for the rest of this year. Is there a specific one that you’re hoping will return?
But those aren’t the only celebrations… here are the rest of the resort-wide celebrations currently taking place…
Celebrate Soulfully
Black History Month is almost halfway over, but there’s still new aspects coming to Celebrate Soulfully. Later this week, starting February 15, Moon Girl from the new Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur is headed into DCA. On the day of her debut, there will be a special cavalcade and stage show that will be offered for one-day only.
The next two Saturdays (February 18 and 25) will bring the Celebrate Gospel musical showcase to the Fantasyland Theater. If you like Gospel music, be sure to stop by the theater for a few songs or the whole day to hear a range of different artists.
A new film has made its debut in the Mr. Lincoln lobby. The short video details the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
Two new Black-owned food trucks have made their way to Downtown Disney as part of Celebrate Soulfully. The first option, Wings N’ Waffles offers exactly what its name states, plus a few extra items.
The other food truck, College Boy, has Philly cheese steaks. We tried a sandwich this week and thought it was absolutely outstanding. Give it a try.
There’s also some chalk art nearby by artist Marcella Swett as part of Celebrate Soulfully.
You might recognize her from last year’s celebration!
For a full rundown of Celebrate Soulfully at the Disneyland Resort, take a look below!
Disney100
Of course, there’s the Disney100 Celebration that extends this whole year that takes place across the whole resort. For all of the information about Disney100, refer to our guide below!
UPDATES! Disneyland’s 100 Years of Wonder Celebration Details
Construction
Let’s do a quick overview of the construction around the Disneyland Resort.
There is not much visible progress on the Adventureland Treehouse (although we know that the hard-working men and women on this project are making more progress than we can see on the outside).
There are still structural components of the tree that are needing to be skinned.
From the Indy Queue side, you can see one of the rooms of the treehouse, but we are unable to see anything inside.
There is some construction work happening on Tom Sawyer Island in the Pirate Lair section.
Over in DCA, Grizzly River Run is under a seasonal refurbishment.
The retheme of Pacific Wharf to Big Hero 6’s San Fransokyo, has been underway for just a few weeks. But the giant footings for the new bridge superstructure have already been framed.
As you can see from the concept art below, the old bridge will remain, they are just putting some new decorative towers up around it.
Downtown Disney
Construction continues in the Downtown Disney District. As of Friday, the windows of Disney Home and Wonderground were removed with scaffolding up around the construction site. This is quite the extensive project inside and out.
On Friday, we saw welders hard at work, fitting beams around the front of the store’s second story.
And the Jazz Kitchen has partially reopened. Guests can dine upstairs or buy a beignet from a table outside. These are temporary accommodations while the facility remains under construction to remove all the previous charm.
The whimsical statues out front have been replaced by a modern planter.
The inside of the beignet kitchen is still off limits to guests, but you can buy them in this little kiosk outside.
A new construction wall has been erected around a large chunk of walkway right in front of the flower fountain that marks the entrance to Downtown Disney. There’s no word on the project focus, but the fountain is still running, indicating that the work has nothing to do with the fountain.
If you love Catal and the Uva Bar, it’s time to make a last visit. They are planning on a mid-April closure. A new up-scale Mexican concept, Centrico and Paseo, will take over the two spots. Once they open, it is likely that Tortilla Jo’s will then close to change its concept as well (though there has been no announcement about that yet).
Refurbishments
Here is the current refurbishment calendar for the resort:
Currently Under Refurbishment:
- Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)
- Mickey’s Toontown (March 9th, 2022-March 19th, 2023)
- Indiana Jones Adventure: (January 9th-Spring 2023)
- Grizzly River Run: (January 9th-March 16th)
- Fairfax Market: (January 9th-February 25th)
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic: (February 13th-23rd) – Carpet replacement
Upcoming Refurbishments:
- French Market and Mint Julep Bar: (February 17th-TBA) – conversion to Tiana’s Palace
- Silly Symphony Swings: (February 27th-TBA)
- Mark Twain Riverboat: (March 6th-9th)
- Disneyland Monorail: (March 20th-23rd)
This & That
Let’s look at some of the other stories from this week.
DCA Turns 22
It’s hard to believe, but Disney California Adventure celebrated its 22nd anniversary this week. The park opened February 8, 2001, very little of DCA 1.0 still stands today.
While 22 isn’t a big anniversary number (sorry to all the Taylor Swift fans out there), the park is celebrating with a limited-time PhotoPass+ lens on the Disneyland app. From now through February 21, Magic Keyholders can turn into a Newsboy (from the still-missing show).
Strawberry Dole Whip Sundae
If you’re feeling like something cool and refreshing, there’s a (relatively) new option at Tropical Hideaway that might strike your fancy. The Strawberry Dole Whip Sundae features its namesake soft serve, fresh Diced Strawberries, Shortcake, and Strawberry Drizzle. One of our team members gave it a try this week and was thrilled that the Strawberry Dole Whip has made its way to Disneyland. It’s delicious!
Steakhouse 55 Lounge Likely to Return
We don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up prematurely… but it looks like the Steakhouse 55 lounge is getting ready to reopen. A few weeks ago we noticed that the location had a wall around it with a sign reading “Imagineering in Progress.” This week, the walls have come down revealing the bar and seating area as we previously knew it. The Steakhouse 55 logo is still in place from before the restaurant’s shutdown.
We hear that there are already cast training for the location. Unfortunately, we don’t have any details about the restaurant portion of Steakhouse 55. We certainly hope that full operations for Steakhouse 55 will return, especially since it was one of our favorite restaurants in the entire resort… particularly for breakfast.
Springtime Flowers at Snow White’s Wishing Well
Warmer days are ahead! We got a nice little preview of springtime weather this week, and we noticed that Snow White’s Wishing Well has gotten a little floral update. There are some new flowers and vines decorating the well, making the popular photo-op spot even more eye-catching. We’re wondering if they are temporary for Valentines Day or here to stay.
Snow White sure looks peaceful in her grotto.
Disney100 Finials Still Missing
When looking at the top of Sleeping Beauty Castle, there are still a number of finials that are obviously missing. We’re approaching a month into the Disney100 Celebration, and the decorations still aren’t complete. We wonder if there’s been some kind of issue or holdup on getting these last elements installed.
Those sticks you see on the rooftops below should all have decorative elements placed on top of them.
Paradise Pier Hotel Transformation
Painting continues on the exterior of the Paradise Pier Hotel, eventually to be Pixar Place Hotel. This project seems to be moving forward at a glacial pace. In theory, the hotel’s overhaul is supposed to be finished sometime in 2023.
Get more details about Pixar Place Hotel in the article below:
Disneyland Updates! New Downtown Disney Restaurants, Pixar Hotel & More
Congrats Kansas City Chiefs!
After yesterday’s Super Bowl, the iconic statement long uttered by winning football teams was said once again: Patrick Mahomes is “going to Disneyland!”
Star @PatrickMahomes and the @Chiefs just won the Super Bowl! What is he going to do next? You guessed it – he's going to @Disneyland! #SBLVII #Disney100 ✨ https://t.co/9moLG6GaVR pic.twitter.com/We0zBGZf7l
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 13, 2023
Today, January 13 at 1:30pm, you’ll find a small cavalcade featuring Mahone making its way down Main Street. If you’re headed to the park today, keep an eye out for the football star!
Around the Parks
Everyone loves a pretty picture— especially if it’s of Disneyland. Let’s share a few of Mike and Dusty’s favorite shots of the week.
Small World has some fancy new gardens.
It’s really starting to feel like springtime at Disneyland. Lots of colorful gardens everywhere.
Discount Disney Theme Park Tickets & Hotels!!!
MiceChat brings you the BEST theme park ticket, hotel & package deals! (You’ll find extra nights free, big discounts, and special offers as well).
Check out the latest offers for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Knott’s Berry Farm:
If you live in Southern California, there’s a very special ticket offer for you that runs from January 9th through May 25th:
(MiceChat works with Get Away Today to provide you with the best theme park travel deals and we may make a small commission on any sales made through our links)
Let’s Hear From You
We’ve reached the end for today! We had some other stories from this week, but chose to edit for readability’s sake. What do you think about the major cuts that are resulting in major profits? Do you think that the Avatar experience could be something in-depth like an attraction overlay? Are you looking forward to Princess Nite next month? Share your thoughts in the comments!
You must be logged in to post a comment.