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sunshine

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jrs2
jrs2

^^ Spenser1058, you really need to do a podcast or something like that; YouTube perhaps where you're getting paid to blog.  your analysis and commentary is truly a great thing.  No BS, I mean it.

KJHburg
KJHburg

Yes I am tourist but I usually avoid the theme parks but did go to Disney Springs.  I knew they were restricting crowd size but did not know they had temperature checks in order to get in and masks we

shardoon
shardoon

We have to embrace the tourism. It allows a city our size punch up  way higher than it should. We have a huge airport, tons of nice restaurants, world class hotels......heck we just got 4 Michelin sta

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prahaboheme City

prahaboheme

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The Daily City has a fantastic write-up on the rumored "Disney Springs" replacement for Downtown Disney, including historic tidbits and more renderings.

 

http://www.thedailycity.com/2013/03/downtown-disney-to-transform-into.html#more

 

The high points (rumors):

  • Retail will be a major component of the redevelopment
  • Few "themed" restaurants, opting instead for quality.  Slides leaked include the logos for Food Network, the Shake Shack (of New York), Argo Tea, Iron Chef Morimoto
  • Upscale nightclub concepts - the Edison (LA club)
  • The central feature will be a "natural spring" like those found around Central Florida; local vernacular is the inspiration and branding (it is nice to see Disney pay homage to their Florida location, at last)
  • Planet Hollywood is out, to be replaced by a more upscale venue; rumor has it they are moving to the I-Drive Live / I-Shops complex into a Planet Hollywood Hotel
  • Elkus Manfredi may be involved; they designed the Grove and the Americana in LA, CityPlace in West Palm Beach.
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popsiclebrandon Burg

popsiclebrandon

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This might be the wrong place for this but just saw this and this is likely some huge news.

 

www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2013/03/ucf-blackstone-to-announce-major.html

 

Guessing a big donation/partnership with Rosen and hopefully much more beyond that. Looks like Miami has weaseled its way in on some of this unfortunately.

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prahaboheme City

prahaboheme

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The Daily City has a fantastic write-up on the rumored "Disney Springs" replacement for Downtown Disney, including historic tidbits and more renderings.

 

http://www.thedailycity.com/2013/03/downtown-disney-to-transform-into.html#more

 

The high points (rumors):

  • Retail will be a major component of the redevelopment
  • Few "themed" restaurants, opting instead for quality.  Slides leaked include the logos for Food Network, the Shake Shack (of New York), Argo Tea, Iron Chef Morimoto
  • Upscale nightclub concepts - the Edison (LA club)
  • The central feature will be a "natural spring" like those found around Central Florida; local vernacular is the inspiration and branding (it is nice to see Disney pay homage to their Florida location, at last)
  • Planet Hollywood is out, to be replaced by a more upscale venue; rumor has it they are moving to the I-Drive Live / I-Shops complex into a Planet Hollywood Hotel
  • Elkus Manfredi may be involved; they designed the Grove and the Americana in LA, CityPlace in West Palm Beach.

 

It's happening:  Disney made an "unofficial" announcement to cast members yesterday about the renovation and remodeling of Downtown Disney.  The "official announcement is expected this week.  It will be renamed "Disney Springs" and the leaked conceptuals and rumors seem to hold up.

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prahaboheme City

prahaboheme

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Disney unveils plans for Disney Springs

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/disney-unveils-plans-disney-springs/nWrpB/

 

I'd be surprised if anyone does not see this as clear indication that the Orlando tourism and convention demographic is changing.  This is a decidedly upscale shift.  Gone are the recognizable big brands of the 90s (Planet Hollywood, Virgin, Wild Horse Saloon, BET), the boilerplate "must have" venues, opting instead for an immersion in a uniquely Florida setting and theme.  This is about as boutique as Disney has ever been and it's their first real attempt to draw connections between their brand and their location.  Not just Florida, CENTRAL Florida (Springs, anyone?).

 

If this is the start of a new and improved Team Disney Orlando, bring it on.  They've been riding the coattails of TDA for 20 years and it hasn't done them a heap of good.  

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Alleri459 Whistle-Stop

Alleri459

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Disney unveils plans for Disney Springs

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/disney-unveils-plans-disney-springs/nWrpB/

 

I'd be surprised if anyone does not see this as clear indication that the Orlando tourism and convention demographic is changing.  This is a decidedly upscale shift.  Gone are the recognizable big brands of the 90s (Planet Hollywood, Virgin, Wild Horse Saloon, BET), the boilerplate "must have" venues, opting instead for an immersion in a uniquely Florida setting and theme.  This is about as boutique as Disney has ever been and it's their first real attempt to draw connections between their brand and their location.  Not just Florida, CENTRAL Florida (Springs, anyone?).

 

If this is the start of a new and improved Team Disney Orlando, bring it on.  They've been riding the coattails of TDA for 20 years and it hasn't done them a heap of good.  

 

THIS!! Most, if not all, of the major shopping centers (at least ventured by tourists) have gone upscale or are on the route to becoming more upscale. Even parts of International Drive will move towards this end of the spectrum. (I-Drive Live, and the rumored Planet Hollywood Hotel). This is exciting stuff!! I mean, the parking garages alone have me excited, and seeing Disney going through this route officially shows the shift, Even though they are one of the last to get in the movement.

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bic Burg

bic

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Not to mention that the name change away from "Downtown Disney" is actually a pretty big deal. I'm sure there were many internal reasons for the change but it ends an era of the former Disney Village competing with Downtown Orlando's Church Street Station. I'm sure the name "Downtown Disney" confused at least a few tourists into believing that there was no need for them to visit Downtown Orlando (if they even knew that there was one) but now, especially with the term "Downtown Orange County" being thrown to the wayside, there is undeniably just one "downtown" in Orlando.

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CalvinEggnog Unincorporated Area

CalvinEggnog

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Disney Springs parking garages may cost taxpayers millions.

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-springs-parking-garages-20130318,0,1536106.story

 

"Disney doesn't plan to pay for the garages itself. The giant resort will instead have its personal government, Reedy Creek Improvement District, pick up the estimated $85 million tab."

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klstorey Whistle-Stop

klstorey

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I had dinner with some vacation rental people tonight.  In the course of conversation they mentioned that talks with Mayor Jacobs office were currently on-going about allowing vacation rental subdivisions or sections of subdivisions to be allowed in Orange County which currently bans them.  From what they said she seems to be interested in the tax revenue that these vacation rental homes are generating in Osceola and Polk counties.  

 

Has anyone else heard about these 'conversations' 

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sunshine City

sunshine

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Developer to start Phase 2 revamp of Orlando Crossings retail center on I-Drive

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2013/07/developer-to-start-phase-2-revamp-of.html

WWE exec shares update on Orlando hall of fame attraction

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2013/07/wwe-exec-shares-update-on-orlando-hall.html

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klstorey Whistle-Stop

klstorey

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So no one on here has seem to commented on the huge news of Universal Studios buying Wet N Wild. 

 

What do you guys make of that?  

 

Do you think this is a signal that they are ready to expand and possibly buy back some of that OCCC property that Vivendi sold off?  The Georgia company that owns most of it is going under from what I understand.  The key to the old plan though was for Lockheed Martin to give up some of their land and possibly move operations, think that is back in the works?  

 

There's also the rumor of Universal buying the twin towers across the street, actually buying all of that all the way to the turnpike.  It would allow for a direct exit from the turnpike to Universal.  

 

The maps I'm seeing of what Universal owns seems a bit odd, especially a parcel on the opposite side of the Turnpike from Festival Bay.

 

Festival Bay's major plans seem to be on hold and instead some crappy farmers market style plans are coming out.  I've got to wonder if this is because a larger buy-out is happening behind the scenes.  Why invest money into a mall you know you're going to sell in a few years?

 

Then there's the Douglas Grand property that also seems dead.  Could Universal be buying almost all of north I-Drive?  

 

All of these rumors seem to circle around a central huge rumor of a third theme park being in the works.  Wet-N-Wild moving to a new location, with all the themeing.  A third theme park, expanded parking, a new mass transit system across the property, and about 6,000 more hotel rooms (which could be fixed by buying out some of those hotels across the street and just remodeling them).

 

Thoughts?

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