Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

Disney released its Q2 2013 results (covering December 30, 2102 through March 30, 2013) yesterday, and discussed them with analysts.

(The earnings report and 10q are herehere.)

I haven’t made my way through the 10Q yet, but based on the earnings release and call, a couple of observations:

• The key component of MyMagic+, Fastpass+, may not even open this year
• MyMagic+ will indeed have special perks for guests staying at a Disney-owned and -operated resort
• I’m even more convinced we won’t see any 2013 free dining for US residents other than the September offer that will come out tomorrow

THE TIMING OF MYMAGIC+

An analyst specifically asked CEO Bob Iger when MyMagic+ would open.  Prior statements had implied it would open this spring—which has been unlikely for a while now. This time, Iger said that “the goal is to roll it out at some point this year.”  When later asked if it would have an impact on earnings “by” fiscal 14 (that is, October 2013) Iger said it would have in impact on earnings “in” fiscal 13.

I forecast more than a month ago that the earliest we’d see a general roll out of My Magic+ and Fastpass+ would be October 1.  I’m sticking by that as the earliest date, but can now easily see this date slipping to November 1 or January 5.

EXTRA MYMAGIC+ PERKS FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTEL GUESTS

It’s been long assumed by thoughtful observers that MyMagic+ will provide extra perks to those staying in a Disney-owned and operated resort, for obvious business reasons.

But yesterday’s call was (so far as I can remember) the first confirmation of that.

Iger (or CFO Jay Rasulo, I forget which) said in response to an analyst’s question that MyMagic+ will continue the tradition of providing perks to on-site guests not available to off-site guests and “encourage people to stay more on property than off property.”

There’s no credible scoop on how this might unfold.  Because of the high value to Disney of people pre-planning their park visits (and hence limiting those darned spur-of-the moment choices to see Harry Potter) the offer may be more complicated than people have been predicting.

For example, the simplest approach is to offer more Fastpass+s per day (OK, what’s the right plural of Fastpass+?) to on-site guests than to off-site guests.  But this doesn’t keep them in Disney World on their off days.  Adding extra Fastpass+ to the later days of a visit based on how many earlier days are scheduled (or more simply but less effective, on how many ticket days are bought…) would both drive ticket sales and keep people on property.

Just a thought…

MORE FREE DINING IN 2013?  MY FORECAST IS STILL “NO WAY”

Disney’s domestic parks and resorts really shot out the lights this quarter.

While a big part of the improvement (about $70 million of a $161 million operating income improvement compared to a year ago) came, as I’d noted it would in my comments on the Q1 call, from differences in the timing of Christmas and Easter school breaks vs. Disney’s fiscal quarter timing, another big part came simply from increased attendance and increased spending per attendee.

There’s no way to tease out how much of this came from Disney California Adventure and a full quarter of the Disney Fantasy cruise ship, vs. Walt Disney World itself.

But Disney did note that resort hotel bookings in the current (April-June) quarter were running 7% ahead of last year, at rates comparable to last year.*  These rooms are overwhelmingly at Disney World, so they are a cue to ongoing strong performance.

This performance, and these booking levels, means that Disney simply doesn’t need to discount to bring people in the way it had to in 2007-2012.  So it won’t.

I expect we will see continuing room-rate discounts for the slower periods, but, other than the September free dining deal that will come out tomorrow, I’m even more convinced we won’t see any more Free Dining in 2013.  Free dining is just too expensive to Disney to offer—and too complicated to administer—compared to the value it creates for the company.

MORE ON THIS CALL

Jason Garcia does a nice job with the Disney World-related facts of this call here.

*When asked why rates weren’t higher and if Disney was discounting too much, Rasulo noted that Art of Animation was added to the inventory in 2012, and, as a value resort, it necessarily drives overall average realized prices down.

Not quite true. Because so much of Art of Animation is pricey Family Suites, average rack rates at the resort are well over $200.  A much bigger driver of Q3 2012 vs. 2013 rate oddities is the different timing of the Easter price season—entirely in Q3 in 2012, and only half in Q3 in 2013.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook!

This is the fourth page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort. For the first page, see this.

MORE ON DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

There are currently 8 official Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.

However, I have come to count them as ten, because two of the resorts–Saratoga Springs and the Animal Kingdom Villas–have two very different areas.

In order of their appropriateness for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World, they are:

1. The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
2. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
3. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
4. Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
5. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
6. Disney’s Beach Club Villas
7. Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
8. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
9. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
10. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas area.

These resorts are available to anyone to reserve through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.

They also are available to the general public at great discounts through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member. (They are also of course available to these members themselves.)

All Disney Vacation Club resorts have studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.

Most have Grand Villas as well.

Old Key West floor plans of all four room types, which were all renovated in 2011-2012,  are below.

At Old Key West, Studios sleep 4 and have a microwave and a mini-fridge.

See the second page of this review for multiple photos of a Studio--disguised as the second bedroom of a Two-Bedroom Villa!

The One-Bedroom Villas sleep 5, including three on fold-out beds in a full kitchen/dining/living space.

See the second page for more images of the master bedroom, and the third page for images of the combined kitchen/living/dining space.

They also have large porch or balcony, and a separate master bedroom.

Two-Bedroom Villas add a second four-person bedroom (similar, or identical, to a Studio) to the amenities of a One-Bedroom, and sleep 9.

Functionally they combine the amenities of a Studio and a One-Bedroom Villa, so the images on pages 2 and 3 all apply to Two-Bedroom Villas as well.

Grand Villas sleep 12 in almost twice the space of a Two-Bedroom Villa, in three bedrooms plus sleeper sofas. At Old Key West, Grand Villas are two-story spaces.

Grand Villas hold three more people in space almost twice as big a the 9-person Two-Bedroom Villas.
The extra space downstairs comes from doubling the already commodious size of the kitchen/dining/living area, and moving the second bedroom the the upper level–where it is joined by a third bedroom, also sleeping four.

These spaces are also about twice as expensive as Two-Bedroom Villas…

You all haven’t found the sponsors of this site quite appealing enough yet for me to have been able to afford to stay in a Grand Villa, but I’m sure they are quite nice!!  And a fellow can dream…look for a review of one here within the decade…

(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)

THEMING, AMENITIES, AND CHOICES AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

This review continues here.

PAGES: Previous | 1 | 2  | 3  |  4  |  5 | Next

FREE DISNEY WORLD DINING

Update 5/9/13: This deal is now out! See this.

The Chase Disney Visa Walt Disney World Free Dining offer for the fall of 2013 came out this morning.

It notes (see the bottom of the image, in the red square; click it to enlarge) that this Disney World 2013 Free Dining offer will come out to the general public on May 9.

Arrival dates include September 2-25 2013; as usual in recent offers, value resorts get “Quick Service” Free Dining, and moderate and deluxe resorts get the regular Dining Plan for free.

Some resorts are excluded–particularly the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation.

A room rate deal for August 15-September 28 came out for Chase Disney Visa cardholders today as well, and this Disney World fall 2013 room rate deal also should open up to the general public on May 9.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook!

This is the second page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort. For the first page, see this.

A PHOTO TOUR OF A TWO BEDROOM VILLA AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

Disney’s Old Key West Resort has four room types–Studios, One-Bedroom Villas, Two-Bedroom Villas, and Grand Villas.

You can see the bones of each of the first three room types in a Two-Bedroom Villa, and that’s what this photo tour covers.

See the Two Bedroom floor plan.

At the lower right you’ll see a space with two beds.  That’s basically the same as a Studio, and the rest of the spaces are the same as a One-Bedroom Villa.

Some Two-Bedroom Villas are literally the combination of a Studio and a One-Bedroom, with locking doors between, and two entrances–one to the Studio and one to the One Bedroom.  These are called “lockoffs.”

Other Two-Bedroom Villas are designed as single units, and thus don’t have the second outside door.  Instead they have a second closet where the outside door is shown in the above floor plan.

My photos are from a Two-Bedroom Villa designed as a single unit. Our unit also was the mirror image of the floor plan, with the second bedroom/”Studio” on the left of the entry, rather than the right.  This almost certainly will confuse me, and perhaps you too…

THE SECOND BEDROOM/ “STUDIO” SIDE OF A TWO BEDROOM VILLA AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

The second bedroom/”Studio” side sleeps 4 in a spacious room with two queen beds.

Also in this space is a good-sized table with two chairs…

…a TV and dresser…

…and at least one, and depending on the room type, as many as two closets. One closet is in the space just outside the bath…

And the other closet, if present, is in the space where in a Studio, or lock-off Two Bedroom, you’d find the outside entry door to the Studio/bedroom.

In addition to the first closet, just outside the bath you’ll find a sink. In lockoffs/Studios you’ll also find here a microwave and mini-fridge. (My rule, in case you were wondering, is “No microwave, no focus!)

The bath in the second bedroom is fine.

True Studios have their own balcony–unless a Two-Bedroom Villa is a lockoff, the second bedroom won’t have this balcony.

While there’s nothing special about these second bedroom/Studios, they are large, spacious, and quite livable.

THE MASTER BEDROOM IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

The master bedroom, with a king bed, easy chair, and associated bath, is the same in both One and Two-Bedroom Villas.

On the floor plan above it’s on the left; in our room, it was at the right of the entry.  See the images above for shots of the king bed from both sides.

Also on the bed side of the room is an easy chair.

On the other side of the master bedroom you’ll find a door to the balcony…

…drawers with a TV behind doors above them…

…and further along a padded bench with a couple more large drawers.

This bedroom also has a spectacular divided bath, with a whirlpool tub and pedestal sink…

…a closet nearby…

…and a separate space with a toilet, large shower, and sink.

As noted on the first page of this review, in a major design error, many One and Two-Bedroom Villas, have no entry to this bath from the central living/dining/kitchen area.

This means access to this bath for those sleeping on the fold-out beds in the central space is directly through the master bedroom…which kinda defeats the purpose of having a private master bedroom…

THE CENTRAL LIVING SPACE OF ONE AND TWO-BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

This review continues here.

PAGES: Previous | 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  Next

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MAY 4, 2013 TO MAY 12, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(For more on May 2013 at Walt Disney World, see this.)

[Read more →]

Update 5/9/13: This deal is now out! See this.

The mysterious “B” (a different person than the mysterious “J”) just messaged me that travel agents are beginning to receive their informational packets for “September free dining” at Walt Disney World…

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook!