There is one thing that i have noticed about Disney fan, they allways want more. But for there to be more you need more money. So my question is how would you fund the parks? if you had it your way how would you fund the parks?

i know a lot of people wont like this idea butt... I would have the folks a WDI make a new, a park in an area that does not have parks(like SF) and build a amusment park with out useing disney characters. It would just be like a six flags. Then some of that money would be sent to parks like Disenyland and DCA.

As DCA has demonstrated, your idea would have the opposite effect. The cheap parks would be sucking all the money away from the good parks....thus making them all cheap parks :crying:

A better idea(imho) would be to dump all money losers(like ABC) and focus on putting out a quality product( and charge extra for it, if need be ) rather than a cheap product going simply for volume at the expesnse of quality.

Have a big promotion that shows people 3 different amazing new rides, show all the art, give detailed descriptions what the rides would be like to really hook people into wanting these rides. Then let people know the only way these rides can be built is if they can raise enough money, and ask for contributions, people will vote for what ride they want to be built with their contributions. For contributing you would get some special piece of art, and a golden "ticket" to be one of the first to ride the new ride on a special preview night (if you contributed enough on the contributions ladder/scale you contribute a small amount you only get one piece of art themed to the new ride). Make this preview night something really special, like the opening of TOT was. In addittion, if they contribute enough, there would be a plaque somewhere in the que with the top contributors names on. To raise even more money, and really advertise the ride and make people be dying to ride it, also sell exclusive merchandise to the new ride that is limited edition and would no longer be available when the ride opens. Imagine a bunch of people walking around with a cool t-shirt to a ride before its even open... you realize how many people would ask about it, and then in turn really anxiously want to see it to satisfy their curiousity?

Have video of the progress of the ride that you have to pay to see each new installment on the internet. Each new "episode" would show the Imagineers in action making the ride step by step, with a new episode every week, and each episode costing a decently cheap amount: $1.50 for a 10 minute episode or something like that. Once the episodes are complete, if you bought all of them you will be able to get a online coupon for a dvd/video of the episodes that has extra new material not available on the net. At the end of the final dvd/video have every person's name that contributed in a credits format.

Heck you could have a full official website devoted to the ride and have an online store... imagine buying a full ride poster signed by various imagineers that worked on the attraction, BEFORE the attraction opened. With all of these you could potentially make something like half the amount it would cost for the attraction, especially if they did some synergy tie ins like advertising the site on ABC tv.

"Help make Disney history, vote for the ride YOU want to see!"

My (admittedly naive) theory of theme park finance is as follows:
-Build it
-They will come

-Build it really really well and make it really really cool
-Lots and lots of people will come

According to my theory, if done right, the revenues generated at the gate, the restaurants and the shops (maybe even the parking and the hotel) would be higher than the cost of building and operating the park, paying for all the cool things in the park and leaving extra money to do even more cool stuff.

DIS also tried this with DisneyQuest and to a different degree The Disney Stores. These could have been used as synergistic ties to the moneymaking operations -- parks and films. My guess is that they were instead made to stand on their own.

Let's assume I'm DIS.
1. I have a boatload of cash. I give boatloads of cash as a dividend to shareholders.
2. I can sell more shares of stock. Won't make current shareholders very happy, unless I invest it wisely enough to provide a greater than current average return. If I can be sure of this, then I should be able to borrow this amount, tax-deduct the interest, and provide an even better return to shareholders.
3. I can sell broadcast and cable networks (all of them without the Disney name), not just ABC as sleepy-j states. That'll be over $20 billion.
4. For parks, I'd want them to be self-sufficient, but also I'd want them to work with the other divisions, and get transfer payments for cross-promoting each other.
5. In order to increase investment in parks, they should have a revenue stream (as opposed to an admission stream) that actually increases when new attractions are added. If this requires changing the current admission media choices, then so be it.

How would I fund the parks

1. Fire Eisner so the repair of long held relationships with sponsors could begin. At one time being a sponsor in DL actually meant something.

2. Make better movies, have you seen Katzenberg's work since leaving Disney, he took all that knowledge and talent with him, now Disney has nothing. A few good animated( hand drawn) features would funnel in money which would trickle down.

3. Build a ride a year or every other year. Yes this cost money but current management does not understand that you MUST spend money to make money and take a risk. People will come to the park and not just us AP/Locals either.

4. Better food at cheaper prices (see 1-3) As all of these translate into more money coming in long term

Bottom line: Customer service! kinda like: build it , they will come,
serve them well, they will return.

The parks have been making money *almost* the whole time during the 911 problems, etc. They are carrying the company right now and money is being sucked from the parks to support the rest of the company.

The parks need the movies and so Disney will always need to be a movie company to give the parks the new themes (they are theme parks after all). But all the rest of the stuff is just leeching off this. The parks should help pay for the Disney movie industry because they reap direct benefits from them.

Invest in the parks!!!!!!!! Not just building more hotels. You have to add value to the parks. You need to maintain what you have and add new things. That does not mean that you need to increase the size year after year. Some things should be closed. If not, then you will need to ensure that you are increasing attendance each time you add more stuff.

BTW, if Disney does build more hotels, they need to replicate what they did at the time that they built Dixie Landings and Port Orleans. Mid level resorts after these have been less then great. Themeing!!!! That is what made the parks so great. That is why DCA stinks!

BTW, they can charge whatever they want for food in the parks. That factor does not seem to deter people from going to the parks.