China's Big $$$ Problems Coming Soon To Anaheim

[Westsider]

I got a buddy in Facilities who told me yesterday about all the problems going on in Hong Kong even before the Corona Virus arrived. Basically all Hong Kong park expansion except for the Castle remake has been indefinitely delayed or outright cancelled. Frozen Land is delayed to later in the decade, Avengers E Ticket in Tomorrowland is cancelled for now, etc. There were DLR Facilities managers working on these projects for the Hong Kong team - and a month ago those managers were recalled back to Anaheim because all of their Hong Kong projects were being iced for at least the next few years.

This all happened for Hong Kong before Christmas - long before the Corona Virus broke out last week. But my buddy said the Facilities managers were told to keep ultra quiet on it and that Disney has already delayed a fiscal report on the Hong Kong property that was supposed to come out next month. Except for the Castle remake - almost all future Hong Kong Disneyland projects were iced by Colglazier and Cheapek back in December once the park attendance in Hong Kong collapsed because of the anti-Communist protests by the people there. Business in Hong Kong Disneyland is really bad and that was even before the Corona Virus showed up.

While Hong Kong still flounders - now it's about the Virus. Shanghai Disneyland is closed "indefinitely" and my buddy said there's a few Americans still working on the Shanghai Facilities team and they've been told to plan to be away from work for at least the next three weeks. It's gonna be a while before they can reopen that park and hotel and resort.

Remember back in 2015 when we had to cut budgets and slash labor at DLR in the months leading up to Shanghai's opening cause Cheapek wanted to keep the numbers looking good even if it screwed over the huge crowds showing up at DLR for the 60th??? Yah, it's gonna get even worse in Anaheim this time because basically both Chinese resorts have shut down entirely and there is no known end date.

M. Colglazier is in charge of both Hong Kong and Shanghai now and according to some DLR management since he's not very good at what he does he's in total clueless panic mode over the park closures now. And Cheapek is already trying to figure out how much he's gonna need Anaheim and Orlando to cut back in 2020 because the numbers out of China are a total disaster with no known end date and the numbers in Paris have been weak because most of the European economy has been in recession for a year.

Only the American economy is booming and park attendance is strong - but that means we're gonna have to carry the weight for the Chinese implosion and the weak Paris situation - all in a much more severe fashion that we did in 2015 and 2016. #ThanksShanghai all over again - but worse! Too bad SW:GE kinda sucks and isn't creating bigger attendance.

[Eagleman]

Not looking good........
Yes Westsider is right , it looks like more Budget Cut is coming
to Disneyland and Walt Disney World.....
in fact with the whole company !
What ,I been reading on the money news
Because the Issue's they having in

Hong Kong and Shanghai .

[Jerryp49]

Wonder how this will affect the planned Disneyland Hotel DVC Tower..

[Jerryp49]

Its not only the money problems... Shanghai Disney shuts down tomorrow over Corona Virus Fears... If this spreads to the US and Southern CA then they may have to shut down DL.

[Spongeocto4]

Poor Hong Kong Disneyland. It can never catch a break.

Chapek and Colglazier better make wise choices. Not only do their jobs depend upon on these decisions, but they don't want to tick off the Chinese government in the process. Forget about making the City of Anaheim mad, when you can make one of the largest profitable countries in the world mad at Disney. And this not going to be an 'Iger free pass' scenario if this happens.

Wonder how this will affect the planned Disneyland Hotel DVC Tower..

I don't think it's currently in jeopardy, as the OC register was allowed to publish detailed article about it. I think the Avengers ride, however may be in jeopardy....again.

[Mr Wiggins]

...Remember back in 2015 when we had to cut budgets and slash labor at DLR in the months leading up to Shanghai's opening cause Cheapek wanted to keep the numbers looking good even if it screwed over the huge crowds showing up at DLR for the 60th??? Yah, it's gonna get even worse in Anaheim this time because basically both Chinese resorts have shut down entirely and there is no known end date.

And this new round of DLR cutbacks will be on top of the cuts Chapek made after the under-performance of Star Wars Land last summer. What's next, besides more CM firings? Even lower numbers of in-service ride vehicles? Customer self-checkout lines at stores? In-park music video apps instead of live entertainment?

[Mr Wiggins]

Chapek and Colglazier better make wise choices....

That's an oxymoron if there ever was one!

As was posted last year:

...Colglazier just didn't care about the parks. Managers say that when Colglazier would appear in TDA meetings he talked down to everyone, was constantly reminding everyone how smart he was, and used ultra dorky corporate buzzwords and weird phrasing. Disneyland was just a stop on the ladder for him and he thought theme parks were beneath him. He also is said to have some really dumb ideas about theme parks Ops and was dumb enough to say them out loud in front of Ops - which is funny when you realize he thinks he's really smart.

You think Anaheim city hall politicians were the only ones in Anaheim who didn't like Colglazier - and you think the 60 year old warm relationship with Anaheim is the only relationship Colglazier didn't poison and destroy with his snobbery and Harvard book smarts? Nah, he did that all over town and all over property, not just at Anaheim city hall....

[Eagleman]

Its not only the money problems... Shanghai Disney shuts down tomorrow over Corona Virus Fears... If this spreads to the US and Southern CA then they may have to shut down DL.

Good Point is made........There already Fears in our own stock market........
as well Chinese Market ........
as for the Virus ,it's already in the U.S. and CDC is very concern!

There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs that are approved for prevention or treatment.

[Mr Wiggins]

LA Times: Should you panic about the coronavirus from China? Here’s what the experts say

If this were a Hollywood movie, now would be time to panic. In real life, however, all that most Americans need to do is wash their hands and proceed with their usual weekend plans.

“Don’t panic unless you’re paid to panic,” said Brandon Brown, an epidemiologist at UC Riverside who has studied many deadly outbreaks. “Public health workers should be on the lookout. The government should be ready to provide resources. Transmitting timely facts to the public is key,” Brown said. “But for everyone else: Breathe.”

...Another reason to avoid alarm: The rapidly rising case counts may be deceiving you. Before these new tools were developed, doctors had no surefire way to confirm a case of 2019-nCoV. That means that, as testing becomes available, infections appear to skyrocket.

“You’ll see a spike of 300 cases, but maybe those 300 were there all along,” Mina said. “This might not reflect a growing epidemic as much as it reflects better detection.”

[C. Andrew Nelson]

Here's what doesn't make sense to me. Everything is on hold with the Chinese parks. I get that. If nobody is coming to those parks or they are shut down due to an epidemic then it makes perfect sense to push the pause button on any development there until all that is sorted out. But it seems to me that this would be the perfect opportunity to funnel that money into the US parks to beef them up, increasing their capacity and making them more attractive to vacationers. Spend the money where money is being made. Don't penalize Disneyland & WDW because of financial woes overseas.

[Westsider]

Here's what doesn't make sense to me. Everything is on hold with the Chinese parks. I get that. If nobody is coming to those parks or they are shut down due to an epidemic then it makes perfect sense to push the pause button on any development there until all that is sorted out. But it seems to me that this would be the perfect opportunity to funnel that money into the US parks to beef them up, increasing their capacity and making them more attractive to vacationers. Spend the money where money is being made. Don't penalize Disneyland & WDW because of financial woes overseas.

Were you around in 2015-2016 during #ThanksShanghai? Cheapek will do anything to make his quarterly numbers for his division look good - so if one or two parks are under performing but one or two parks are doing well, the parks doing well will need to cut their expenses to make the entire division look better.

Hong Kong attendance collapsed last fall and the decision was made in December to stop nearly all current construction and expansion plans for Hong Kong Disneyland except for the Castle plussing and rehab. This was all long before anyone knew of the Corona Virus.

The Shanghai news is literally only a few days old and morphing by the hour - they don't know what's going on over there yet and people are still figuring out what a plan may look like for a week, a month, or longer. My buddy said the American Facilities CM's still in Shanghai were told to wait until Monday for official information from the Company, but the airports might all be closed by Monday.

It's the one-two punch to Colglazier's China parks that are going to cause the real stress for the entire division and it doesn't help the two guys in charge - Colglazier and Cheapek - are both bean counters instead of showmen. Don't expect any brilliant long term strategy from those two, only expect easy short term cuts in spite of long term growth.

This won't break the entire Walt Disney Company - but it's gonna get real lean around Anaheim real quick. Especially if bigger crowds don't show up for Rise and SW:GE soon.

[Mr Wiggins]

Were you around in 2015-2016 during #ThanksShanghai? Cheapek will do anything to make his quarterly numbers for his division look good - so if one or two parks are under performing but one or two parks are doing well, the parks doing well will need to cut their expenses to make the entire division look better.

Hong Kong attendance collapsed last fall and the decision was made in December to stop nearly all current construction and expansion plans for Hong Kong Disneyland except for the Castle plussing and rehab. This was all long before anyone knew of the Corona Virus...

And yet it will be no surprise when Disney's PR blames DLR cutbacks on the Corona Virus -- and fan forums and social media back them up. Deja vu to DCA 1.0, when Eisner blamed its flop on fears of terrorism.

[Tomorrowland_1967]

Cheapek will do anything to make his quarterly numbers for his division look good - so if one or two parks are under performing but one or two parks are doing well, the parks doing well will need to cut their expenses to make the entire division look better.

In other words Cheapek is perfectly capable and willing to manipulate and deceive!

Fits so nicely into his character 🤨!

Since there’s been rumours of WDI working on a TL remodel .... and now the prospect of cuts, I’m perfectly fine that’s pushed more into the future... I don’t want this regime to get near it with a 100 foot pole. There’s no way they will ever do that land justice. Cuts or not. Not with this lot, along with their toxic corporate culture!

[Eagleman]

In other words Cheapek is perfectly capable and willing to manipulate and deceive!

Fits so nicely into his character 🤨!

Since there’s been rumours of WDI working on a TL remodel .... and now the prospect of cuts, I’m perfectly fine that’s pushed more into the future... I don’t want this regime to get near it with a 100 foot pole. There’s no way they will ever do that land justice. Cuts or not. Not with this lot, along with their toxic corporate culture!

I DON'T Ether...... the leadership today running the parks are to ""TOXIC""🤨
and

Showmen is not part of there character's ,but Wall Street is !

[Steven Fonzi Brown]

Here's my worry: If Hong Kong and Shanghai Disney are both shut down temporarily, won't that mean that everyone in Asia who wants to go to a Disney park will come here instead? From a financial standpoint that's good for Disney, though from a crowding standpoint it could get ugly (especially if people in China can't go to work or school because of the virus concerns, so they come here for a Disney vacation instead).

But if all those crowds from Asia come to US Disney parks, isn't there a significant risk of them bringing the virus with them!? That could get out of hand really fast, since those people could infect hundreds of others in their time at our parks.

I'd be curious to know what, if anything, Disney is doing to help prevent an outbreak of Disneyland attendees coming down with the Corona Virus. I would hope they're at least constantly disinfecting every single hand rail, lap restraint, table, chair, etc. Maybe also install temporary hand sanitizer dispensers at every ride and restaurant?

[Eagleman]

I was listening on the radio news ,this morning .
Already the concern with the Virus
is with the many business people from Hong Kong and China

Go all over the LA area's .

[Jerryp49]

Hong Kong Disney is now closed

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-c...-idUSKBN1ZP02F

https:///2020/01/breaking-h...reak-in-china/

[Eagleman]

Hong Kong Disney is now closed

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-c...-idUSKBN1ZP02F

https:///2020/01/breaking-h...reak-in-china/

Any way ,one looks at the reports .........NOT GOOD

and now hearing Virus now in spreading in Canada , as well the U.S.

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

I'll extend my sympathies to the TWDC with regards to their China properties. Part of the issue with expanding to the world's biggest market is having to face the consequences of a country that has not fully adopted a more liberalized version of freedom in the modern era. Outbreaks are unique (and Disneyland had their own with measles not too long ago), but again, making profits in a nation that has yet to fully industrialized has these risks at the outset. Companies would be naive to think they could make money hand over fist without facing unique risks.

It's unfortunate that both parks are closed, but this is a clean opportunity for Disney to move towards siloing funding for parks based on geographic location. If the China parks are having issues, don't let them siphon money from the U.S. or France. The flip side of this, however, is that Disney needs to consistently invest in parks to make sure they don't suffer from slipping attendance due to poor investments and decisions. And frankly, that is never going to happen.

Keep your ears peeled for the knell signaling the end of Chapek's career (I hope)...

[Disneyidol]

Here's my worry: If Hong Kong and Shanghai Disney are both shut down temporarily, won't that mean that everyone in Asia who wants to go to a Disney park will come here instead? From a financial standpoint that's good for Disney, though from a crowding standpoint it could get ugly (especially if people in China can't go to work or school because of the virus concerns, so they come here for a Disney vacation instead).

But if all those crowds from Asia come to US Disney parks, isn't there a significant risk of them bringing the virus with them!? That could get out of hand really fast, since those people could infect hundreds of others in their time at our parks.

I'd be curious to know what, if anything, Disney is doing to help prevent an outbreak of Disneyland attendees coming down with the Corona Virus. I would hope they're at least constantly disinfecting every single hand rail, lap restraint, table, chair, etc. Maybe also install temporary hand sanitizer dispensers at every ride and restaurant?

Exactly ! Less not forget the recent “Legionnaires and Measles” scares at the DLR. Disneyland IS an international Petrie Dish already. If this fear about outbreaks reaches DLR it could absolutely have a material impact in no time. Nobody can say otherwise with any certainty.