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Magic bands probably cost Disney less than a dollar. It's a silicone band with an RFID chip. Maybe 60 cents.
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Feb 20, 2014 21:08
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DNova posted:Magic bands probably cost Disney less than a dollar. It's a silicone band with an RFID chip. Maybe 60 cents. I figured the cost of the packaging and shipping via UPS cost more than the band itself..
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Feb 20, 2014 21:59
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demonR6 posted:I figured the cost of the packaging and shipping via UPS cost more than the band itself.. That is pretty much a guarantee.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:12
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I notice they have a ton of accessories to buy for the bans, too. They probably would rather have you use a brand new band every time, as you're more likely to buy new accessories.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:17
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There's an offshoot of Amazon that pays $1.35 to mail me a paper saying I made $1.50 in royalties every month or so. Big companies dgif about incidental costs.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:24
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Is May a good time to go if you don't mind hot weather? I'm thinking it might be crowded because of Summer, though I think the dates I picked out are a bit before school gets out. They're offering pretty good rates on rooms though I don't know if they'd be lower another part of the year. They're saying like 84 a night excluding taxes for 05/10/2014 - 05/16/2014.
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Feb 21, 2014 14:16
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Cuatal posted:Is May a good time to go if you don't mind hot weather? I'm thinking it might be crowded because of Summer, though I think the dates I picked out are a bit before school gets out. They're offering pretty good rates on rooms though I don't know if they'd be lower another part of the year. They're saying like 84 a night excluding taxes for 05/10/2014 - 05/16/2014. As long as you don't mind the daily 4:00pm, 10 minute afternoon shower.
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Feb 21, 2014 15:03
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That should be a pretty slow time. You're just going to miss Star Wars Weekends.
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Feb 22, 2014 18:17
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To the surprise of no one, ticket prices have seen another increase this year. a One Day Ticket to MK will run you 99$, while EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom will run you 94$ Disney bloggers/WDWMagic posters are, of course, up in arms, but will continue to pay the prices.
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Feb 23, 2014 14:48
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:To the surprise of no one, ticket prices have seen another increase this year. Why do they have this disparity in park pricing? I find it a little odd. Why not make them all $96, for example?
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Feb 23, 2014 15:07
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DNova posted:Why do they have this disparity in park pricing? I find it a little odd. Why not make them all $96, for example? More people visit Magic Kingdom. Make that ticket price higher for a single day ticket, boom, you are making more money.
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Feb 23, 2014 15:11
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:To the surprise of no one, ticket prices have seen another increase this year. I was always under the impression that if you cared enough to blog about Disney you're probably an AP holder to one of the parks. And it may not be to anyone's surprise, but I'm curious why MK is $7 more than a basic Disneyland ticket. MK and Disneyland are relatively close in size-ish. I wonder if overhead is that much more at MK comparatively?
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Feb 23, 2014 19:28
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:I was always under the impression that if you cared enough to blog about Disney you're probably an AP holder to one of the parks. And it may not be to anyone's surprise, but I'm curious why MK is $7 more than a basic Disneyland ticket. MK and Disneyland are relatively close in size-ish. I wonder if overhead is that much more at MK comparatively? I imagine the prices are pretty much arbitrary. IIRC, the parks are more profitable than literally anything else that Disney does/sells, in both gross revenue and ROI. That's why I'm curious: now that a 1-day ticket has bumped up against the $100 ceiling, how quickly will they raise the price and top three figures? That's a very psychologically significant price point for the average consumer.
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Feb 23, 2014 19:51
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Lincoln posted:I imagine the prices are pretty much arbitrary. IIRC, the parks are more profitable than literally anything else that Disney does/sells, in both gross revenue and ROI. That's why I'm curious: now that a 1-day ticket has bumped up against the $100 ceiling, how quickly will they raise the price and top three figures? That's a very psychologically significant price point for the average consumer. Think I read that ESPN generates the most profit in the company, possibly more profits than the rest of Walt Disney combined, but couldn't find a source when I tried to look it up just now.
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Feb 23, 2014 20:37
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Lincoln posted:I imagine the prices are pretty much arbitrary. IIRC, the parks are more profitable than literally anything else that Disney does/sells, in both gross revenue and ROI. That's why I'm curious: now that a 1-day ticket has bumped up against the $100 ceiling, how quickly will they raise the price and top three figures? That's a very psychologically significant price point for the average consumer. From the ads I've seen they have been side stepping the one day price by showing the discounted price of a multidays ticket. I fear how much the price of food(including the beloved churro/dole whip) will cost soon since they hit the $99 price point and probably don't want to go above that.
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Feb 23, 2014 22:59
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I totally forgot to get a dole whip.
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Feb 23, 2014 23:19
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Protip: they also serve dole whip at the Polynesian at Capt cook's! I was very excited to find that out. It's open 24 hours.
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Feb 23, 2014 23:29
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Self-serve Dole Whips. I recently went there and saw what could only be described as the leaning tower of Dole. No idea how they price that.
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Feb 24, 2014 02:25
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They don't even track it. They hand you a bowl and charge 4 bucks and change. Apparently it's the honor system. Or something.
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Feb 24, 2014 02:55
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You can also get Tonga Toast at Capt Cook's but it's not as good as what they serve at Kona. No strawberry compote.
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Feb 24, 2014 04:40
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Cryosleep posted:They don't even track it. They hand you a bowl and charge 4 bucks and change. Apparently it's the honor system. Or something. Coming Soon: Disney's Rapid Fill: Dole Whip cups.
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Feb 24, 2014 05:10
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Before you get too excited if you're going after the end of March: http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/capt...-late-march.htm
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Feb 24, 2014 05:52
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Ugh. Thanks for the heads up.
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Feb 24, 2014 06:35
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That article says the menu offering will be similar, sans Dole Whip of course, so hopefully they really do stay pretty similar. Their pork sandwich is very tasty after a long day at Magic Kingdom.
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Feb 24, 2014 08:47
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And - AND...I read recently that the entire Polynesian lobby is going under the knife soon as part of what has essentially become a Poly Resort-wide refurb. The rainforest-waterfall may be going away forever. Whether they replace it with a new, improved rainforest-waterfall is unknown, but the word on the street is that it's coming down. I've never really gotten too upset over any of the major changes WDW has undergone since we first started going in the late '90s. I happily accept that the park needs to change to keep things fresh and maintain my interest. But for whatever reason, the changes to the Poly have really gotten under my skin, especially if this one is true. My wife and I were married at Sunset Point at the Poly, and now it's gone, maybe forever. That probably has a lot to do with it.
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Feb 24, 2014 13:27
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There's some kind of big petition for saving the Poly waterfall making the rounds online. I hope they don't do away with it because it was my favorite feature of the Great Ceremonial House. They are doing a total Poly overhaul. The Volcano Pool is closed later this year too. They're also adding DVC rooms and those might even be villas. I'm not sure.
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Feb 24, 2014 17:12
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I'm personally okay with most of the refurb info about the Poly. I've always found it pretty dated and kind of musty every time I go there, especially when considering some of the newer resorts. It's a classic, yeah, but even classics need reimagining every forty years or so.
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Feb 25, 2014 02:50
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tomapot posted:Think I read that ESPN generates the most profit in the company, possibly more profits than the rest of Walt Disney combined, but couldn't find a source when I tried to look it up just now. It's not broken down any further than this publicly, but cable networks accounted for $1.277 billion in operating income during the last quarter. The company as a whole had $3.02 billion in operating income. That's about 42%. The cable network number doesn't include broadcast stations like ABC, but does include the ESPN networks, ABC Family and all the Disney channels along with a couple other things. No doubt that the bulk of the profit is from ESPN though.
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Feb 25, 2014 03:39
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Roar posted:I'm personally okay with most of the refurb info about the Poly. I've always found it pretty dated and kind of musty every time I go there, especially when considering some of the newer resorts. It's a classic, yeah, but even classics need reimagining every forty years or so. There are people out there that adore the smell of the Poly. They try to find ways to recreate it, even.
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Feb 25, 2014 05:12
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Braksgirl posted:There are people out there that adore the smell of the Poly. They try to find ways to recreate it, even. How hard is to emulate chlorinated water and dust?
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Feb 25, 2014 07:15
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I'm staying with my lady at WDW in late April/early May and I happen to be planning to go to Disney Hollywood Studios on its 25th Anniversary (May 1st). I know it may be an exception to many rules, but do any of you think we should shift DHW day to somewhere else in the week? Originally I was going to take my chances, but now I'm getting worried...
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Feb 25, 2014 07:27
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We spent the weekend at the parks, I wish I had checked in and I would have gotten pics of the Poly construction.. suffice to say it is a gut job outside. the entire beachfront has been obliterated. There is a new boardwalk built that appears to run the perimeter and the side nearest the ferry boat dock has been extended out into Bay Lake so that there is a significant sized peninsula now which would make sense of the villas addition that was discussed in the thread. We have not stopped in Poly but I will make it a point to do so if we go next week since we are on the Magic Bands test for the AP holders and they asked us to please get as much use as we can because they need the input. Every day we went over the weekend we received surveys via email asking a barrage of questions. The 7 Dwarfs rollercoaster is nearing completion, I have a pic taken from the Be Our Guest side of it.. the other I took from the Teacup side was blurry crap because some tourist walked right in front of me as I took it and we were on a clip to get to our FP time at Buzz. Overall the Magic Bands worked flawlessly with the only complaint being you cannot remove one of your selections through the My Disney Magic app without it deleting all your selections. You can however change them at the kiosk or at the app you can switch, just not remove. We took pics at the parks and used the Magic Band instead of the Photopass and they were available that evening. We are going to give in and buy the unlimited pass that allows you full digital rights to all your photos because the overall cost savings makes sense. We usually buy a few each year plus the family pics we take over the holidays when they are all in town. Lunch at the Commissary @ Studios a cast member hands me our lunch then out of the blue she rounds up the staff and even gets the guests to sing happy birthday thoroughly embarrassing me but it was probably the best experience of the weekend for me. She even gave me a cupcake which was an added bonus since we both wanted one but thought it was better not to overfill with dinner later. Dinner last night at Artist's Point was amazing. We scored a really nice table and it was not really busy. Not ever having dined there but hearing nothing but good reviews from friends and family we were coming in with high expectations and they delivered. The menu selection was good and fairly priced, we were expecting the worst but the low end of the scale for entrees was set at $32 with the high end coming in at $49. The waiter made really good choices for both wine and beer hitting us both spot-on and he also hit the mark on dinner. My wife went with a filet where I went with a trio plate that featured a buffalo filet, venison steak and a veal chorizo that was really tasty. We skipped appetizers at the advice of the waiter wanting to leave room for dessert which was another memorable experience. The waiter even managed to score a 10% discount under the DVC discount which was more than we expected. The property itself is really pretty at night with the lobby being very cozy, I would rather hang out there over the room any day. The grounds were immaculate with a stream that originates in the lobby from a small bubbling geyser running down and feeding into the pool eventually. We ended the night watching the water parade that parked itself behind the resort and we watched from the beach.. bonus. We are going to book a couple of nights there and I will get a trip report on the rooms but the proximity to the MK via the water taxi and bus service which runs to all the parks is good. Also lots to do with biking, hiking, fishing excursions along with para-sailing and pretty much everything else you can think of since it is on the main lake. Pics incoming.
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Feb 25, 2014 15:48
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Well, snagging a reservation for Le Cellier has pretty much made it set in stone. I'm going to Orlando in May and hitting up the Magic Kingdom and Epcot before transferring over to Universal for two days. How long does it take to get Magic Bands, typically? The two guys I'm going with haven't ordered their tickets yet, and I don't want this to be a last minute occasion. Also, are there any good Peruvian places in the area near Universal property? A friend wants us to try some the day of the switchover. Paul Allen posted:I'm staying with my lady at WDW in late April/early May and I happen to be planning to go to Disney Hollywood Studios on its 25th Anniversary (May 1st). As a rule, arrive early and get things done fast at DHS, and you'll be fine. It's got a lot of high-capacity things, so you won't be stuck in too many lines as long as you play it safe and get the marquee attractions out of the way.
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Feb 27, 2014 15:28
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Once you order they process and ship next day. Example we got our notification that we were part of the annual passholder Magic Bands trial and went to the website to create them which is much like what you would have done. Once we did all the personalization and submitted, the next day we got the notice it had shipped.. this was a Friday and Monday we had the bands.
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Feb 27, 2014 15:43
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demonR6 posted:Once you order they process and ship next day. Example we got our notification that we were part of the annual passholder Magic Bands trial and went to the website to create them which is much like what you would have done. Once we did all the personalization and submitted, the next day we got the notice it had shipped.. this was a Friday and Monday we had the bands. This might be the case for AP holders, and it was the case when I had mine shipped back in November, but I do know Disney stopped rushing in the case of people just booking a trip rather than AP. About two weeks after I got mine, they began taking a week or so to ship.
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Feb 27, 2014 17:04
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heh, so they really wanted us to get them and start testing right away.. makes sense they chose us since we frequent the parks?
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Feb 27, 2014 17:16
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demonR6 posted:heh, so they really wanted us to get them and start testing right away.. makes sense they chose us since we frequent the parks? I assume thats part of it. I know with the resort testing like I was doing, they wanted people to get them ASAP so they wouldn't have to worry about missing the arrival of the bands while flying to Disney (although Disney does allow you to just have them sent to your resort if you so desire)
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Feb 27, 2014 17:29
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tomapot posted:Think I read that ESPN generates the most profit in the company, possibly more profits than the rest of Walt Disney combined, but couldn't find a source when I tried to look it up just now. Just because I'm a giant nerd and like looking at SEC filings, here is a brief summary from their last quarter's earnings located here. I've taken the liberty to round off a fair bit for simplicities sake. Their operating units are broken down as such: Media Networks = TV stations Disney owns like ESPN, ABC, A&E Networks, ABC Entertainment, ABC Family, etc. Parks & Resorts = Pretty much all their theme parks, Disney Cruise Line, Dis Vacation Club, land holding companies, etc. Studio Entertainment = Almost anything to do with Movies and Music. Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Touchstone pictures etc. Consumer Products = Almost anything you can buy with a Disney logo on it. Disney Licensing, Disney Retail stores, publishing arms, toys, etc. Interactive = Disney Online, various websites, Games, Apps. Remember these figures are for one quarter (3 months), not all of last year. Revenue (total money taken in) Media Networks : 5.3 Billion Parks and Resorts: 3.6 Billion Studio Entertainment: 1.9 Billion Consumer Products: 1.1 Billion Interactive: 403 Million Operating Income (profit) and calculated profit margin. Media Networks : 1.5 Billion (28.3%) Parks and Resorts: 671 Million (18.6%) Studio Entertainment: 409 Million (21.5%) Consumer Products: 430 Million (39.9%) Interactive: 55 Million (13.6%) So it is fair to say that media networks group brings in about as much profit as the rest of Disney combined when looking at a pure dollar amount figure. Sure it is. If you look at percentages though, the Consumer Products division has an insane return at almost 40%. Personally the big surprise for me was how successful the interactive division is. 55 Million in profit is a whole lot of copies of Where's My Water. Unfortunately they don't seem to break out ESPN specifically any farther than lumping all the Cable Networks together. Interesting figures from the report quote:Parks and Resorts revenues for the quarter increased 6% to $3.6 billion and segment operating quote:Operating income at Cable Networks increased $325 million to $1.3 billion for the quarter due to growth at ESPN, higher equity income from A&E Television Networks (AETN) and, to a lesser extent, an improvement at the domestic Disney Channels. Another interesting tid-bit of information, having 2 young children who enjoy the Disney Jr. Channel I recall seeing something about how since the launch of the Disney Jr. Channel in 2011, it has been directly responsible for over 1.8 Billion dollars in merchandise sales. My kids eat that poo poo up, they can't get enough of Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sofia the First, or Doc McStuffins. They could give the Disney Jr. Channel away for free to cable operators and make a handsome profit just on toy and t-shirt sales. I can't find the news article to quote it though.
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Feb 27, 2014 19:34
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Update: Got the job. Moving down in late may/early june. Goodbye arctic New England, hello lava hot Florida.
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Feb 28, 2014 20:22
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Congrats!
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Feb 28, 2014 20:44
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