Aug. 4, 2024

Details Revealed: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic

Universal kicked off the modern theme park ‘immersive’ trend with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010 – and now, it plans to up the ante.

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Universal kicked off the modern theme park ‘immersive’ trend with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010 – and now, it plans to up the ante. In 2025, as part of EPIC Universe, Universal Orlando Resort will debut its third installment of Harry Potter-themed lands with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. The central ride ‘Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry’ is Universal’s most ambitious ride and promises to take guests across countries and time to 1990s London using the Métro-Floo for a thrilling adventure set inside the iconic British Ministry of Magic. Meanwhile, in a remarkably fast turnaround, Disneyland workers ratified a new contract, setting base wages at $24 an hour.

SOURCES

WEBVTT

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From our studios, this time in Tokyo and in Tampa.

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You're in Tampa. Yes, that's your background.

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I'm in Tampa. Okay, you can recognize the background. I'm

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in Tampa.

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Yes, this is Green Tach Theme Park and thirty.

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I am Philip and I'm joined always with my co host,

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Scott Swinson.

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Is Scott Swinson creat Development.

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We are a little disjointed this week because I'm in

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Asia again, but we're still here for you, for our listeners,

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bringing you the top theme park news from this week

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and talking about why it's important, and of course I

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think the probably the I'm going to go ahead and

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say the biggest news it was. It was both the

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biggest news and also I think the most important thing.

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So we're going to talk about it first, which is

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the Ministry of Magic details that were revealed by Universal.

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I am surprised, actually they were that they reveal them

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this early, but I guess they want to get it

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out before Halloween. Hornight's consumes all creations, so that probably

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is part of it. But I'm going to read excerpts

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of the press release. We're not going to read the

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entire press release.

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We're just going to.

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Read the ones about the main rides, but will link

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to the full release if you want to read it.

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It says.

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In twenty twenty five, Universe Orlando Resort will debut its

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third captivating installment of its wildly popular Harry Potter Seemed Lands,

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with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic

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Beyond the Worlds or Innate Portal. Guests will first journey

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from a muggle park in Paris into the breathtaking spectacle

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of the nineteen twenties. Here, wizards and non magics alike

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will be enamored with the majestic grandeur and enchanting Nambians

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of the city as they cast dazzling spells throughout the

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magical streets using interactive wands, encounter fantastic beasts at a

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traveling circus, and, for the first time ever, within the

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Wizarding World of Harry Potter, travel across countries and time

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to nineteen nineties London using the Metro flu for a

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thrilling adventure set inside the iconic British Ministry of Magic.

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So I think that that sets you up with all

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the elements that are happened in the land, the wands,

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the beasts, whatnot. But there's one ride in one show

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we need to talk about. The first is the ride

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which was just hinted at, but it's called Harry Potter

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and the Battle of the Ministry and the copy reads.

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With its unique combination of massive environments, powerful storytelling, and

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first of its kind of ride technology, Harry Potter and

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the Battle for the Ministry builds upon the historic theme

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park innovation Universal is known for and will be one

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of the most impressive attractions to date. The adventure begins

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when guests travel by metro Flew, a unique mode of

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wizarding transit inspired by the iconic flu network seen in

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the films, to journey from Wizarding in Paris to the

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British Ministry of Magic for a long awaited trial of

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the infamous the Laurence Umbridge. Upon arrival, guests will enter

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the ministries jaw dropping grand atrium and venture through other

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departments before boarding magical omni directional lifts to watch the

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trial take place until Umbridge attempts to escape. Guests then

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join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermine Granger, and a house

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elf named Hickley Higlidy in a thrilling that will propel

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them up, down Ford, backwards, sideways, and more throughout the

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Ministry of Magic as they try and capture Umbrage, all

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while dodging attacks from death theaters, rampaging creatures, and more.

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That's what's in the press release. There have been a

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few interviews and some statements that have been circulating around,

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and basically everything that the Universal team is saying about

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this is that it will be truly the most ambitious

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ride that they've ever attempted, and the scale really, I mean,

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they've kind of just underscored these elements.

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The scale is going to be big.

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I think one of the interviews mentioned that the smallest

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structure that, you know, the smallest structure there is about

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the size of the largest structure in all the other

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areas that they've currently built. So the scale is going

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to be massive, and they have talked about how it

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will be really kind of never before seen right technology

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x y z x y Z. I think a lot

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of people are liking it, are kind of linking this

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to Rides of their Resistance, where supposedly it will be

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something that will have a story to it, that will

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have different modes as in, you know, you would change

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vehicles or somehow go through different story elements that would

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that would progress through the ride. So this is a

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big deal. I mean, it sounds like they literally have

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saved the largest, biggest announcement for the end, which is

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just interesting because Scott, we have talked previously about how

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the whole concept of over promising and under delivering and

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you know, so it Yeah, I don't know, I mean,

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I'm definitely excited, And it's interesting that all this has

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been kept so under wraps, and it does seem like

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they're really the bet is really big where they're trying

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to connect the parts altogether with this one. So basically,

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you know, if you like this one, then it encourages

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you to visit the other areas and whatnot.

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So I don't know what jumps out to you, Scott.

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Well, this was so to me. This was the this

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the ace in the hole. They knew this was going

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to be popular, so they didn't have to leave with it.

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So in as far as releasing information, they knew this

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one was going to be the the one that the

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vast majority of their This was not going to bring

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anyone new to the universal properties. This was going to

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bring back the the the loyalists who have been enjoying

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the Wizarding World excuse me, who's been joying the Wizarding

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World of Harry Potter for quite some time.

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So I think this was there, This was their duh.

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And and I.

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Think they just kept sort of baiting us along with

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the others, so that we could bring in new people,

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bringing new people, bringing new people. And then this was

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They knew this was going to be a grand slam,

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So there was no risk in this in this reveal

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at all.

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Also, you know, if you've been to.

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Universal excuse me, uh, the Universal property here in in CityWalk,

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they do have a giant model of the entire epic

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part and built mostly by the incredible David Kaylor, who

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let's just give a shout out where a shout out belongs,

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but the.

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Or at least he worked on it. He did quite

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a bit of it.

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Anyway, in looking at it, you kind of knew already that, oh,

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there was a show like thing, and there was a

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ride like thing and it. So this was basically just

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giving the details for anybody who's actually visited the parks,

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I will say, and I think that this kind of

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reinforces it because, as you say, in the area other

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than the scenic, which I'm sure is going to be stellar.

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There is basically a ride in a show. And one

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of the discussions that is starting to come up here

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is is there going to be enough for people to do.

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To fill their day?

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And I've kind of countered that by saying, well, there's

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clearly enough, because it's not a bunch of small things.

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It's it's fewer large things. And this is true pretty

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much of all the areas that they've been out so far,

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is that they have a big anchor attraction and then

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a secondary attraction of some sort is kind of their

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their modus operandi. It's it's a lot more like a

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show park versus a rides park to me, because they

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are bringing back, as we've talked about on the show,

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they are bringing back a great deal more live entertainment.

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You know, there's there's an area in here the the

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le Cerca Canis, which is a live show. And interestingly enough,

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you know, they they they even mentioned in the in

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the press release that it's the really the first ever

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Wizarding World of Harry Potter live show. Not one hundred

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percent true, not one hundred percent true, but it's significantly

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better than the singing.

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Frogs, let's just put it that way.

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Yeah, So I think that, and it's I I have

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I have heard rumblings amongst friends and co workers, et cetera,

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that it is going to be a pretty grand show.

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And it's uh, it has already been compared to as

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far as grandeur and size how to train your Dragon

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show that they're bringing over. So it's it's going to

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be a big This is not going to be from

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what I've seen and from what I've read, this is

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not going to be one of those parks that you

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go and you do, you know, twenty three things in

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one day, because there aren't twenty three things to do,

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but your engagement with each one of these things will

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be significantly longer. So we'll see how that will see

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how that mindset, we'll see how that that park mentality

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plays out. Its It kind of goes back and you know,

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you've heard me talk about this, probably too much, but

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it kind of goes back to the first time I

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went to the Magic Kingdom just after it opened, and

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we would do maybe four or five things per day

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because we'd have a queue that was you know, tour

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is long, or we you know, it just it just

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there was so much prep time to be able to

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do the stuff that we did.

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So it kind of harkens back to that.

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It's not like I'm going to get everything in in

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one day, even though there aren't a ton of things

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to do. So I think that's going to be unique

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to see how guests play into that and how they

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and how they respond to We don't have a bunch

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of little things, but we've got less grand, glorious experiences.

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To be completely honest, it's sort of the way Disney

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went with h with all the Star Wars installations.

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Those are much larger, more.

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Episodic experiences, you know, even smugglers smaller.

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They're they're they're they're grander. They happen in multiple phases.

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They totally immerse you in the world, but in order

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to do that, it takes a little bit longer. It's

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not just you know, walk through speedlines and then boom,

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look you're magically in the world. No, they give you

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time throughout the entire queuing experience to live in the

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world for a while before you actually participate in it.

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So it sounds like that's the approach that's happening here

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as well.

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I agree there's a lot of really interesting parallels here

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between I think this specifically this land and the Star

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Wars area, but I think there's some.

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Well it is.

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It is interesting because I think people have already talked

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about how this is like Universal's answer to Rise of

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the Resistance basically, which is like, you know, I go

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to design often, right, and that's like basically the only

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thing that people do in that area.

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I think once you've done you.

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Know, the other ride or you know, and then you

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kind of walked around and I think it's very similar,

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because well, here's the thing.

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It's really similar.

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But it might be that Universal will pull it off

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better almost than Disney, because you know, this is kind

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of the Harry Potter area, I think is what put

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Universal on the map when it comes to themed entertainment stuff,

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and it feels like they're trying to do that again,

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but greater by increasing the scale and kind of in

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and and to your point about the show, so I

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didn't read that whole bit what we'll have in the press.

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We'll have it in the show notes. But essentially people

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are saying it's like a CERC show. It's it's supposed

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it's builled as a full theatrical production that is like

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on the level of a serf show. So we'll have

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the full theatrics and be a good time, and then

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you're going to have all of the interactives and the

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wand stuff, which again you think back to Star Wars.

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You know, a lot of the critiques about the Star

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Wars area is that it was almost too immersive in

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that if you are again and we've talked about this too,

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if you know, there's that school of thought where the

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immersions it should duplicate a reality. Well, but the problem

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with that is that reality is pretty boring for the

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most part. I mean, if you're just gonna go outside

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of your house and stand down the street, I mean,

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not much is happening to entertain you, right, And so

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it sounds like again the Universal is taking some elements

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of that, but they're making it more of, you know,

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a entertainment focus. So you're gonna be able to go

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to a show and sit in the show and watch

237
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the show, which you can't do at Star Wars Land

238
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by the way, you know, and and then go and

239
00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:38.399
do the wand entertainment, which will be immersive like with

240
00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:41.279
an asterisk in that you know, it's immersive, but also

241
00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.679
it's a it's a revenue generator.

242
00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.320
It's a revenue generator. I was gonna say it's revod generator.

243
00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.440
It's also like I want to say, like finite or

244
00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:52.759
I mean, like there's a way to do it right,

245
00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:55.759
Like you know, you know where the wand spelled things

246
00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:57.679
are and then there's a way to do them, and

247
00:12:57.759 --> 00:12:59.399
you go and do them and you've done it right.

248
00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:03.519
It's not like you're just sitting in a world and

249
00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:07.759
you have to like larp and know what stormtrooper to

250
00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:11.320
ask for whatever secret random thing. I mean it, it's

251
00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.679
like there are instructions you can follow to entertain yourself.

252
00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:15.759
Yeah, I think I think the takeaway from this, and

253
00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:17.279
I agree with you, Philip. I think that because I've

254
00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:20.720
I've worked on projects that were immersive and I've made

255
00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:22.279
the same mistake and had to tweak it.

256
00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:25.080
You're right to be totally immersive.

257
00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:27.240
You know, if you say, okay, I'm going to transport

258
00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.519
you to nineteen nineties London, Okay, well, nineteen nineties London.

259
00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:31.759
If you're just going to stand there, you're not going

260
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to see much, You're not going to do much, So

261
00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:36.000
you have to make it so that even those people

262
00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:40.120
who are not super fans know what they need to

263
00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:42.279
do in order to interact and engage. So you have

264
00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.159
to find it's really tricky to find that balance line

265
00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:48.440
because especially and this is especially true of Americans. I'm

266
00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:50.759
sure it's true of other people other cultures as well,

267
00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:54.600
but Americans want the checklist mentality. They want to be

268
00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:57.799
able to say I've accomplished ABC, D and E, and

269
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if there's an F and they miss it, they get angry.

270
00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.440
So you have to make it so that it's accessible

271
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enough and intuitive enough to allow them to play within

272
00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:11.759
the immersive environment, but not make it so obvious that

273
00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:17.480
it's not that it reduces that that illusion of freedom

274
00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:21.000
of choice. So it's it's it's an interesting balance.

275
00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:21.480
And you're right.

276
00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.799
I think that we'll see that universal will will build

277
00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:26.720
off of that. I mean they started that. I mean

278
00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:30.720
when Wizarding World first started it with with the the

279
00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:33.240
shops and the wand experience and the you know, all

280
00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:36.080
of that, not even talking about the rides.

281
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:39.120
They were pretty good at that.

282
00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:41.159
They they kind of dove into that and I and

283
00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:45.200
I'm guessing they've been studying Rise of the Resistance and

284
00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.000
and and that whole area to see you know, what

285
00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.080
what works, what doesn't if you think about it, you know,

286
00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:51.759
if you think about Rise of the Resistance, the one

287
00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:55.240
image that that stands out in everyone's mind is the

288
00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:58.960
selfie that everybody takes in front of the standing stormtroopers.

289
00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:02.759
You know, that is a gigantic, massive room filled with

290
00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:08.559
what appeared to be a ton of characters, and it's

291
00:15:08.679 --> 00:15:11.440
it's overwhelming. It's really and I mean that in a

292
00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.759
good way. It's a it's beautifully overwhelming. And so I

293
00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:15.679
think it's interesting that even in this press release they

294
00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:20.360
talk about the massive size of the rooms and the

295
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:23.679
buildings and the and and wish and Harry Potter is

296
00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.399
a brand an ip that is easy to do that

297
00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.720
with because that appears in the films all the time,

298
00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.559
It's described in the books all the time. And so

299
00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:37.080
it's yeah, I'm curious, Like I said, I think this

300
00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:39.200
is there. I think they were waiting because they knew

301
00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:40.879
this was their slam dunk. They knew this was going

302
00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:43.720
to be the one that everybody went, Oh, finally they're

303
00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:48.200
telling us what's going on here. I'm, like I said,

304
00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:50.960
being here and working with a bunch of people who

305
00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:54.240
are working on this project. I am not one of them,

306
00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:58.799
so I don't I have no insider information, but it's

307
00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:03.279
it's interest because there's a lot of there's a lot

308
00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:06.679
of excitement, there's a lot of concern because it is

309
00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:09.919
such a massive undertaking and they have to make sure

310
00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:12.080
that everything gets done on time and everything is up

311
00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.480
to a level that is being promised by the time

312
00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:19.039
they open, and like the even the show for example.

313
00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:20.720
You know, and I can I can say it now

314
00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:22.519
because it's actually mentioned in the press release. I know

315
00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:24.919
you didn't mention it specifically, but when people read the

316
00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:29.240
whole press release, it talks about amazing puppetry, and you know,

317
00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:34.279
puppetry as a as a puppeteer, puppetry requires a lot

318
00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:39.159
more rehearsal than animatronics do. So I'm curious to see

319
00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:40.799
how they're going to get that all worked in as well.

320
00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:42.039
So there's a bunch to do.

321
00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:43.919
But I think this is the right announcement at the

322
00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:47.759
right time, And you're right, I think that they It

323
00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:50.360
sounds as though they're finding a really nice they're trying

324
00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:53.320
to find that balance of immersive being we're just going

325
00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:54.799
to PLoP you in the world, or we're going to

326
00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:56.639
PLoP you in the world and you'll know exactly what

327
00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:58.080
to do to get the most out of it.

328
00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:01.639
Yep. Yeah, and we'll move on.

329
00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:03.720
But I just the last thing I'm going to mention

330
00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:08.279
about this is it's just it's so interestingly circular, and

331
00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:10.839
I'm not I'm never sure how much of this is

332
00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:14.599
by design, but you know, it's like the recap. You know,

333
00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:17.920
Universal started off the immersive theme park trend back with

334
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:20.799
Harry Potter, and now they're kind of coming back to

335
00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:24.319
that in a weirdly symmetrical way to round out this

336
00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:27.200
last announcement for their new theme park, where they have

337
00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:31.039
managed to basically stay in the news every week. I mean,

338
00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:33.039
it's been like the year of Universal where they have

339
00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:36.799
just stayed in the news. And then meanwhile it's like

340
00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:41.559
we're Disney and we're like Splash Mountain and they're like,

341
00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:46.599
guess what, guys, we reopen un Mansion Holiday early and

342
00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:50.720
and and uh and and now it's almost like a Universal.

343
00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:55.119
It's in a weird way, like, you know, we're the ones.

344
00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:57.799
To start off the immersion trend and now are coming

345
00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.640
back to it with a new land of their new parks.

346
00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:02.680
So it's just Yeah, it's.

347
00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:05.319
They ever left it. I'm not sure they ever left

348
00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:06.799
it really, to be completely honest.

349
00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:10.400
Anything they built has been pretty high scale. Yeah.

350
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:13.440
Yeah, and with Disney, yes, I agree that in the

351
00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.319
United States there has been They have not had a

352
00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:20.559
ton of exciting information, but you know, you've experienced it yourself.

353
00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.920
Outside the US, Disney has quite a bit of a

354
00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:26.759
bit of growth going on, and they're they're thinking more globally,

355
00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:29.799
I think than Universal is at the moment. Universal is

356
00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:31.839
trying to do what Disney did originally, which was bring

357
00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:36.119
everybody to the US and sorry, I'm going to specifically

358
00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:38.200
say it everyone to Florida because that is their largest

359
00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:43.039
installation and will be by far the largest installation once

360
00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:43.680
Epic opens.

361
00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:45.920
So to bring.

362
00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:49.319
Everybody to a hub and Disney, it feels like, is

363
00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:53.519
now putting that focus on reaching out globally.

364
00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.119
So we'll see where it goes.

365
00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:02.079
Yes, uh, well, speaking of dim Disney. Yeah, our next

366
00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:04.319
story here is something we talked about last just last time.

367
00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.440
It has already been resolved, which I think is in

368
00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.279
and of itself, is telling. But the Disneyland workers had

369
00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:12.240
ratified their contract last time we talked about how they

370
00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.920
had authorized a strike and then they basically immediately got

371
00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:16.960
a contract in place.

372
00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:18.680
So the Disney.

373
00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.799
Workers Rising Bargaining Team reported this week that the cast

374
00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:25.559
members it represents voted to day to ratify a new

375
00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:28.799
three year contract. The deal includes a minimum base wage

376
00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:31.799
rate of twenty four dollars an hour as part of

377
00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:34.319
what the team called the biggest wage increase ever, with

378
00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:37.160
most cast members receiving six dollars and ten cents over

379
00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:40.200
three years. The new contract also includes attendance policy and

380
00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:42.799
sickly of improvements that give cast members more opportunities to

381
00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:47.599
attend to personal issues without fearing discipline. So twenty four

382
00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.759
at the base, which is pretty close to I mean,

383
00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:52.640
you know, I had always said twenty five and twenty

384
00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.440
fourth pretty close, and it's getting much closer to that

385
00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.319
living wage for the area that this is in. Those

386
00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:01.359
of you that are like hyper ren lating at twenty five,

387
00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:04.200
just keep in mind that this is you know, southern California,

388
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.880
So it's a little bit, but it's skew. Everything is skewed.

389
00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:11.599
And the only thing I'm gonna say about this A

390
00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:14.480
few things that are interesting is that it is it

391
00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:16.759
came so quickly, and we did last time talk about

392
00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:19.000
how what a dangerous position Disney was in with it

393
00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:22.200
and it and I don't think they wanted the negative

394
00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.079
press to be circling around too much.

395
00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:24.480
You know.

396
00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:27.039
This wasn't like the movie studios when the studios could

397
00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:29.440
afford to sit around because they kind of wanted to

398
00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:31.559
strike because they had stuff in the can and everything.

399
00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:34.359
This is like they're coming into the quarter they need

400
00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:37.519
to make money, which is Halloween and Christmas, and they're

401
00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:40.359
about to lose cast members no thank you. So that

402
00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:45.400
was an interesting timing on that and then they and

403
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:48.359
this is just me and my like business hat. I

404
00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:50.279
don't want to say cynical, but it's just the reality

405
00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:53.640
of it, you know what, Like paying more to your

406
00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:57.400
cast members is never it's not real. I mean, they're

407
00:20:57.400 --> 00:20:59.559
gonna build it as a bad thing and they're probably

408
00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:03.079
gonna get rid of more cast members as they move

409
00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:05.000
people over to using the app and blah blah blah

410
00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.279
blah blah. But the reality is, I'm sorry this Who

411
00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:11.519
this is bad for is small businesses. That's who this

412
00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:13.559
is bad for. And that's speaking for myself, like as

413
00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.400
a small business person. And this is always the hard

414
00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:19.519
time I have with these with these situations is that

415
00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:23.160
this what this does is makes it makes it difficult

416
00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:28.200
for the independent attractions because they're the ones that are

417
00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:31.759
gonna have the hard time pain to match Disney. That's

418
00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:36.480
that's I mean, wages and benefits are motes that the

419
00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:39.400
biggest companies can afford to pay because they get better

420
00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:42.319
bargaining agreements and they have better margins, and and then

421
00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:45.400
it's the smaller companies like us that really you know,

422
00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.920
it makes a struggle for us. So as much as Dizzy,

423
00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:51.400
it's gonna like him and hall over this whole thing

424
00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.960
and lose their minds. I mean, the reality is it's

425
00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:56.720
it's it's more like it's hurting the zoo.

426
00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:59.240
It's been. It's hurting you know, your local place.

427
00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:00.880
That is maybe not even the zoo, it's probably too big,

428
00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:02.799
but you know it's hurting like your local haunted house.

429
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:05.559
That's basically those kind of things that are independent people

430
00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:09.519
where you know, then you're looking at someone and you're going, well,

431
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:12.319
twenty four an hour and the customers come in expect

432
00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:15.359
in twenty four and there's no way that those business

433
00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:16.119
models can do that.

434
00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:20.039
So yeah, that's that's it. That's my ran.

435
00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:24.240
Thank you well, so yes, I do agree that there

436
00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:28.079
is going to be a It is going to impact

437
00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:32.480
the other attractions. However, if, as you say, the Disney

438
00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:37.039
plan is to raise wage and decrease number of employees,

439
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:40.359
that is going to mean that staffing will become then

440
00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:44.400
available for the ancillary or smaller attractions that surround the

441
00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:48.279
larger ones. You know, we're we're all looking right now,

442
00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:53.279
going kind of hopping back to the universal story in Florida.

443
00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:55.920
Right now, we're all looking at is is Epic going

444
00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:59.240
to be a a.

445
00:22:58.359 --> 00:22:59.319
An employment suck?

446
00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:02.440
Are they to just take all of the available staff

447
00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:05.920
cast members and take them on there? So I think

448
00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:08.279
part of it is that that Disney has to compete

449
00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:10.440
with that. Now I have to ask you, Philip, this

450
00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:15.559
particular contract, is this just in California or does this

451
00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:16.599
impact Florida as well?

452
00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:19.960
It's just in California because it's the union that represents

453
00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:21.359
the Disney in California.

454
00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:25.400
Okay, So what I'm curious to see now is what

455
00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:27.559
the next steps are going to be in Florida, because

456
00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:31.279
I know that in Orlando again, because of the competition

457
00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:33.000
that's going to happen very shortly with Epic.

458
00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:36.000
It is happening now I'm not who are we kidding there?

459
00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:38.599
You've see in the if you look online, you've seen

460
00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:40.920
the want ads.

461
00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.359
I'm curious to see how that's going to impact Florida

462
00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:43.720
as well.

463
00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:47.680
I you know, I've always said we have to be

464
00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:51.960
very careful of the wage increase I'm putting on my

465
00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:56.119
business had again, just like you were, Philip, because the

466
00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:59.960
wage increase is great for those people who are still working.

467
00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:03.279
But you know, companies, when this kind of thing happens,

468
00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:06.359
companies have to find a way to normalize so that

469
00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:10.119
they can continue to make the profit margins that their

470
00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:14.240
stockholders expect them to make. So are they paying five

471
00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:19.559
people twenty five dollars an hour versus ten people or

472
00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:21.960
eight people eighteen.

473
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:22.240
Dollars an hour?

474
00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:26.720
Who knows? Who knows? We'll see, We'll see how that impacts.

475
00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:29.359
But if that's the case, the takeaway for that is

476
00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:33.119
smaller attractions be ready to scoop up what they're losing,

477
00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:36.319
because you can get some really well trained people who

478
00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:38.519
will need a job, and although it won't be at

479
00:24:38.519 --> 00:24:41.720
the same price it might be at, they might be

480
00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:45.559
happy to see that happen and be eager to come

481
00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:49.599
and work for you. So just it sounds like it

482
00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:51.640
sounds like a We also said, by the way, I

483
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.680
just want to point this out. We also said that

484
00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:56.160
a strike is something that neither side wants, and this

485
00:24:56.279 --> 00:24:58.519
just proves it beyond a shadow of doubt. The moment

486
00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:01.759
the strike became a real thing could actually happen, they

487
00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:05.440
found a way to ratify the contract significantly quicker. So

488
00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:08.559
I stand by what I said in our last episode,

489
00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:11.559
and that is it was something that nobody wanted. It

490
00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:13.960
was an act, a little dance they had to go

491
00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.160
through in order to get to the point where they

492
00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:20.720
could quickly ratify the contract. So again, I'm glad to

493
00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:22.880
see that that Disney folks are making more money. I

494
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.519
hope that doesn't mean that fewer people are employed in

495
00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:29.960
Disney California. But we will see where it goes. We'll

496
00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:31.839
continue to follow this yep.

497
00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:35.680
Okay, Well, one last story I try and squeeze in

498
00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:39.440
here at the end, and this related. But basically it's

499
00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:42.240
I'm sure everyone has heard the news from Southwest Airlines

500
00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:45.359
and how they're phasing out their open seating, so basically

501
00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:48.240
they are. It sounds like they're going to really move

502
00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:52.359
more towards the other main characters carriers where they're phasing

503
00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.880
out the open seating and they're putting in assigned seating

504
00:25:55.880 --> 00:25:58.920
and also tiered seating and also red eye flights and

505
00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.480
all that kind of stuff. In the press release they

506
00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:03.640
put out, it said, after listening carefully to customers and

507
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:08.160
conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and

508
00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:10.799
offer premium seating options in all flights. The airline has

509
00:26:10.839 --> 00:26:12.680
been known for its unique open seating model for more

510
00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.759
than fifty years, but preferences have evolved, have they with

511
00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:18.799
more customers taking longer flights where the assignment is preferred.

512
00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:22.359
The research is clear and indicates that eighty percent of

513
00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:26.319
Southwest customers and eighty six percent of potential customers prefer

514
00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:29.079
an assigned seat. When a customer elects to stop flying

515
00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:32.000
with Southwest and choose a competitor, open seating is cited

516
00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:35.440
as the number one reason for the change. By moving

517
00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:37.839
to it an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broadness

518
00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:41.200
appeal and tract more flying from its current and future customers. Okay, well,

519
00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:43.519
or you just become like all the other airlines. So

520
00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:47.079
I just thought this was interesting because of course it's

521
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:49.559
related directly to our industry because it's the travel and

522
00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:52.480
how Southwest is how some people get there, of course,

523
00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:55.640
but also the concept like we just talked about at

524
00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:57.319
the top of the show, which is the idea of

525
00:26:58.200 --> 00:27:00.640
I think you could akin assigned cding to like.

526
00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:02.839
The immersion.

527
00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:05.759
Basically to me, it's very similar where it's like, you know,

528
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:09.039
if it's true that this many people are saying they

529
00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:10.920
like a science and that's kind of like you know,

530
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:13.039
immersive entertainment. You know, sometimes people just like to be

531
00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:16.240
told or like the safety of knowing this is where

532
00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:17.680
I'm going to sit, this is how it's going to go,

533
00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:21.319
where they go into an immersive land right and they're like,

534
00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:23.359
this is where you activate your want stuff and this

535
00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:24.960
is the show that you can see at these times,

536
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:25.920
and here is the right.

537
00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:26.799
To do so.

538
00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:31.400
I don't know, I mean if that's too much of

539
00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:34.319
a leap, but you know, to me, it does seem

540
00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:38.440
very similar mindset where you're like, how much freedom do

541
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:42.799
people want when it comes to their entertainment and how

542
00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:44.640
much work do they need do they want to do

543
00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:47.880
basically to be entertained, which I think is also something

544
00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:50.319
a theme that Guy has talked about where you know,

545
00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:53.599
there's a tipping point where if you're having to schedule

546
00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:55.880
each thing on the app, which you do do now

547
00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:59.160
for Disney by the way, with a new fast past thing,

548
00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:02.480
how much is it entertainment then?

549
00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:04.759
So I don't know, Skoty, what do you think?

550
00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:11.079
So, as a as a regular Southwest flyer, as myself

551
00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:15.119
a lot as a Southwest a lister, because I do

552
00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:20.079
fly Southwest a lot, this is going to most likely

553
00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:21.200
lose my business.

554
00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:21.880
Yep.

555
00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:25.279
So I hope Southwest is listening because this will most

556
00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:26.160
likely lose my business.

557
00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:27.200
And let me explain why.

558
00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:31.079
As an a lister, I have worked very very hard

559
00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:34.240
to get that early and I've spent a ton of

560
00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:36.880
money with your company in order to get that early seating.

561
00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:40.839
Now apparently that's going to go away, and so therefore

562
00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:43.079
I have not been contacted, by the way to explain

563
00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:45.880
how their loyalty program is going to change and shift

564
00:28:45.880 --> 00:28:48.559
with this huge program. So I may be eating my

565
00:28:48.599 --> 00:28:51.279
words later, but as it stands right now, based on

566
00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:55.279
what I've seen, it is, it is a It's a

567
00:28:55.319 --> 00:28:58.240
horrible thing for me as far as comfort goes. It

568
00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:03.119
will mean that I will need and it's all I

569
00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:04.920
think you're right, Philip. I think people don't want to

570
00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:06.680
work as hard because the reason they have to work

571
00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:09.240
as hard. They have to work harder for Southwest is

572
00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:11.480
they either have to pay the extra fifteen to twenty

573
00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:14.839
dollars to get early check in or wake up exactly

574
00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:17.599
twenty four hours prior to their flight to get that

575
00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:21.400
early access. I get that, I understand that. But what

576
00:29:21.559 --> 00:29:24.920
Southwest is saying now without saying it, is we're just

577
00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:27.039
going to charge you more so you can you can

578
00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:29.480
pick your seat. And if you think about it, that's

579
00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:34.720
what every other, every other air carrier is doing now anyway,

580
00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:37.319
at least the discount carriers. They'll say, you can get

581
00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:38.759
a ticket for X amount, but if you want to

582
00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:41.440
pick your seat, it's this amount. And I'm terrified that

583
00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:44.160
that's the model they're going to go to. I want

584
00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:45.839
to point out something else for those of us who

585
00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:49.920
use Southwest on a regular basis, and that is quite

586
00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:53.559
often as an independent contractor, we will get a last

587
00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:55.799
minute gosh, you have to be in such and such

588
00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:57.480
a city on such and at such and such a

589
00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:03.480
time like tomorrow. So so instead of instead of having

590
00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:06.359
to get the last seat at the very back in

591
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:09.920
the middle. What you can do with Southwest is get

592
00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:13.559
your ticket and then do your immediate upgrade for you know,

593
00:30:13.880 --> 00:30:17.599
forty bucks, so that you can get the first fifteen

594
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:22.559
to get on in their seating. You can always upgrade,

595
00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:24.480
so it makes it so that those last minute flights

596
00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:27.880
will be significantly more comfortable for us, and they're now.

597
00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:32.359
Taking that away. So I am not the least bit

598
00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:33.160
happy about this.

599
00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:37.160
I do understand that if they talk about, you know,

600
00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:41.920
these percentages concern me because anybody who uses Southwest for business,

601
00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:45.119
I don't think they fall in this category. Anybody who

602
00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:48.799
uses Southwest once a year to fly their family to

603
00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:51.920
a vacation, yes, I think that it is frustrating for

604
00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:53.960
them because they don't understand it and they just tried

605
00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:56.720
to find the best price. So basically this means all

606
00:30:56.759 --> 00:31:00.880
Southwest is going to go up, and how this our industry?

607
00:31:01.319 --> 00:31:06.039
It I go back to find that balance between profitability

608
00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:11.279
and enjoyment, or profitability and guest experience, because this seems

609
00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:16.200
to me personally that this is ignoring that and taking

610
00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:20.240
them taking away what has made Southwest so unique for

611
00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:23.680
the last fifty years. So that's that's my soapbox. That's

612
00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:25.559
my rant, and it's a good thing that I'm done

613
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:27.880
because we're out of time. So on behalf of Philip

614
00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:30.119
Bernandez and myself Scott Swins and this is Green Tag

615
00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:32.319
Theme Park in thirty And both Philip and I over

616
00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:33.960
the last couple of days have talked to a bunch

617
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:36.519
of people who are listeners that we didn't know were listeners.

618
00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:39.640
So we're really really glad that people listen to this.

619
00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:42.839
We're really really glad that you get something out of

620
00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:45.119
it and that you come back week after week after week.

621
00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:47.960
If you ever see us out and about at shows

622
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:50.400
or as we're traveling, please come up and say hi.

623
00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:52.079
Please come up and tell us that you watch and

624
00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:54.279
let us know what we can do better, because we're

625
00:31:54.319 --> 00:31:56.880
always eager to make this better for our core listeners

626
00:31:57.480 --> 00:32:00.319
and for our new listeners. So thank you very much.

627
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:02.680
And on behalf of Philip and myself. This is Green

628
00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:04.839
Tag Theme Park in thirty and we'll see you next week.