Business columnist Beth Kassab reports that security guards at the Holy Land Experience are telling people they are about to close the gates because the park has hit capacity.
Huge crowds have turned up this morning, after Holy Land was forced to reveal in advance that it was offering free admission today (something it is required to do as part of a special tax break the Florida Legislature gives the religious theme park).
Read the column that brought attention to the issue here.
UPDATE: To accommodate the crowds, Holy Land workers were apparently giving out rain checks good for another free visit later this month -- and then ran out of those.
UPDATE #2: Reporter Hank Curtis has an update on the traffic jams spawned by Holy Land's free day:
“It’s gridlocked from what I understand,” Orlando police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones said shortly after 11 a.m. of traffic heading both ways on I-4.
Back-ups began on Florida’s Turnpike about a quarter-mile before the exit for Orlando. In the righthand-most northbound lane, cars moved bumper to bumper at 5 mph. toward I-4.
On eastbound I-4, the bumper-to-bumper crawl continued about a mile to the Mall at Millenia exit for Conroy Road and Holy Land.
Orlando motorcycle cops had stopped all westbound cars from exiting for Holy Land.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
AirTran to beef up balance sheet with notes, stock offering
AirTran Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it plans to enter the bond market and sell additional stock in an effort to beef up its balance sheet.
The parent company of Orlando-based AirTran Airways said it would offer $75 million in convertible senior notes. It also plans to offer 9 million shares of common stock in a public offering.
An AirTran analyst called the move a “step in the right direction.”
“From a company standpoint, more liquidity is better strategically,” said Daniel McKenzie, an analyst with Next Generation Equity Research in Chicago. “One way to reduce competition is to have a very strong cash position.”
In a report earlier this week, McKenzie said AirTran would benefit by increasing its cash from about $400 million to $750 million. He said the “extra balance sheet muscle” could improve the airline’s quality of life by reducing encroachment from competitors.
But deals that involve convertible notes can dilute shareholder value. Airtran made its announcement after the stock markets closed Tuesday, and in after-hours trading, its stock fell 80 cents, or 13 percent.
AirTran said it plans to use the net proceeds of each of the offerings for general corporate purposes, though it did not elaborate.
The parent company of Orlando-based AirTran Airways said it would offer $75 million in convertible senior notes. It also plans to offer 9 million shares of common stock in a public offering.
An AirTran analyst called the move a “step in the right direction.”
“From a company standpoint, more liquidity is better strategically,” said Daniel McKenzie, an analyst with Next Generation Equity Research in Chicago. “One way to reduce competition is to have a very strong cash position.”
In a report earlier this week, McKenzie said AirTran would benefit by increasing its cash from about $400 million to $750 million. He said the “extra balance sheet muscle” could improve the airline’s quality of life by reducing encroachment from competitors.
But deals that involve convertible notes can dilute shareholder value. Airtran made its announcement after the stock markets closed Tuesday, and in after-hours trading, its stock fell 80 cents, or 13 percent.
AirTran said it plans to use the net proceeds of each of the offerings for general corporate purposes, though it did not elaborate.
At least 3 firms want new registered traveler service; OIA talking
At least three companies are bidding to buy the customer lists and assets of Clear, the company that ran a "registered travelers" program at Orlando International and a network of other participating airports. The companies seek to re-establish the express service for security checkpoints, and assemble a new national network of participating airports.
FLO Corporation of Delaware, Henry Inc. of California, and at least one other bidder that has not been publicly-identified made formal pitches to Morgan Stanley, which gained control of the assets after Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, shut down June 22.
A FLO offiical said he expects the new service could emerge within a month or two and that larger airports such as Orlando could see it by next spring.
Offiicals of FLO and Henry each told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee last week that they would want to re-subscribe Clear client but did not expect to offer refunds to anyone. Most Clear clients paid $200 a year. Some signed multiple-year contracts.
Orlando debuted the Clear service in 2005 and became its biggest host airport, in terms of registered traveler clients. In the end, Clear operated in 18 airports, including those in New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Denver and San Francisco. It's estimated 200,000 clients included as many as 51,000 who registered in Orlando.
FLO ran a similar program in the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
GOAA spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell indicated the agency is interested, because so many customers liked Clear. But she said GOAA, burned by Clear, will be cautious of any new deal’s financial and operational viability. Also, Clear owed GOAA $85,000 and the airport would want that debt paid, she said.
FLO Corporation of Delaware, Henry Inc. of California, and at least one other bidder that has not been publicly-identified made formal pitches to Morgan Stanley, which gained control of the assets after Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, shut down June 22.
A FLO offiical said he expects the new service could emerge within a month or two and that larger airports such as Orlando could see it by next spring.
Offiicals of FLO and Henry each told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee last week that they would want to re-subscribe Clear client but did not expect to offer refunds to anyone. Most Clear clients paid $200 a year. Some signed multiple-year contracts.
Orlando debuted the Clear service in 2005 and became its biggest host airport, in terms of registered traveler clients. In the end, Clear operated in 18 airports, including those in New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Denver and San Francisco. It's estimated 200,000 clients included as many as 51,000 who registered in Orlando.
FLO ran a similar program in the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
GOAA spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell indicated the agency is interested, because so many customers liked Clear. But she said GOAA, burned by Clear, will be cautious of any new deal’s financial and operational viability. Also, Clear owed GOAA $85,000 and the airport would want that debt paid, she said.
Judge throws out Segway lawsuit against Disney, but permits future suits
A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a class-action lawsuit brought by three disabled people upset that Walt Disney World would not allow them to ride personal Segways in its theme parks. But the judge left an opening for a similar suit to be filed against the resort.
In dismissing the original case, U.S. District Court District Judge Gregory Presnell also rejected a proposed settlement Disney had negotiated with the three plaintiffs that had drawn protests from some disability-rights advocates. Under the terms of that settlement, Disney would have been permitted to continue banning the two-wheeled Segways at both Disney World and Disneyland in exchange for deploying its own upright -- but four-wheeled -- scooters for disabled guests to use, paying the three plaintiffs' legal fees and giving them $4,000 each for future Disney vacations.
Critics had argued that the proposed settlement would have unfairly bound other disabled people who did not believe Disney's four-wheeled scooters were an adequate substitute for their own scooters.
In dismissing the original case, U.S. District Court District Judge Gregory Presnell also rejected a proposed settlement Disney had negotiated with the three plaintiffs that had drawn protests from some disability-rights advocates. Under the terms of that settlement, Disney would have been permitted to continue banning the two-wheeled Segways at both Disney World and Disneyland in exchange for deploying its own upright -- but four-wheeled -- scooters for disabled guests to use, paying the three plaintiffs' legal fees and giving them $4,000 each for future Disney vacations.
Critics had argued that the proposed settlement would have unfairly bound other disabled people who did not believe Disney's four-wheeled scooters were an adequate substitute for their own scooters.
Monday, October 5, 2009
UPDATED Magic Kingdom: Here's to both Buzzes
You thought you'd seen everything, right? Disney threw a ticker-tape parade Friday afternoon for Buzz Lightyear, or at least a 12-inch action figure version of him -- the one who just returned from 15 months aboard the International Space Station on September 11. NASA and Disney are teaming to encourage students to pursue studies in science and engineering.
Also honored, of course, was Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Both Buzzes were joined by International Space Station veteran Michael Fincke in the homecoming parade. (Buzz & Buzz photo by Garth Vaughan/Walt Disney Co.)
good news Walt Disney World has resurrected its buy-four-get-three-free
Walt Disney World has resurrected its buy-four-get-three-free hotel-night promotion, in a move likely to cheer consumers but which also suggests the giant resort expects travel demand will remain sluggish well into 2010.
The new hotel discount isn't quite as deep as the previous version of the promotion, which ran from January to mid-August, when it was replaced by a free-dining deal. For example, only customers who book rooms in Disney's mid-priced and most-expensive resorts can get seven nights for the price of four; people booking the resort's cheapest hotels, such as Disney's Pop Century Resort, can only get seven nights for the price of five.
But the offer covers travel for nearly five months — from Nov. 1 until March 27 — with a three-week blackout period around Thanksgiving and a week-and-half blackout around Christmas. Once this booking period is complete, Disney World will have been heavily discounting for 15 months straight.
Earlier this week, when announcing Disney's 2010 "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" volunteer promotion, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo acknowledged that the company would have to continue discounting to get consumers to travel in the midst of a still-struggling economy.
"We made the decision to promote volume over price," Rasulo said. "Frankly, we know that conditions haven't changed that much in the economy."
The new hotel discount isn't quite as deep as the previous version of the promotion, which ran from January to mid-August, when it was replaced by a free-dining deal. For example, only customers who book rooms in Disney's mid-priced and most-expensive resorts can get seven nights for the price of four; people booking the resort's cheapest hotels, such as Disney's Pop Century Resort, can only get seven nights for the price of five.
But the offer covers travel for nearly five months — from Nov. 1 until March 27 — with a three-week blackout period around Thanksgiving and a week-and-half blackout around Christmas. Once this booking period is complete, Disney World will have been heavily discounting for 15 months straight.
Earlier this week, when announcing Disney's 2010 "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" volunteer promotion, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo acknowledged that the company would have to continue discounting to get consumers to travel in the midst of a still-struggling economy.
"We made the decision to promote volume over price," Rasulo said. "Frankly, we know that conditions haven't changed that much in the economy."
Sunday, October 4, 2009
"Ghost Hunters" stars at hhn 19 orlando
"Ghost Hunters" stars Steve Gonsalves (left) and Dave Tango will be holding autograph sessions during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios on Thursday, Oct. 8.
The two star in the SyFy reality show that follows paranormal researchers investigating hauntings across the U.S.
Gonsalves and Tango will be stationed in the Battery Park section of the New York area within the theme park from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and 10 to 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 8.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Cypress Gardens, Splash Island parks close
Cypress Gardens shut down once again Wednesday, its owner saying it has exhausted "every possible approach" to keep the storied-but-struggling tourist attraction open.
The abrupt closing came just seven months after the region's oldest theme park -- once famed for its botanical gardens and Southern belles -- had reopened on a bet that it could succeed with a combination of scaled-back operations and cheaper ticket prices.
Owner Land South Holdings LLC, the Polk County investment firm that bought Cypress Gardens for $17 million at a bankruptcy auction in 2007, said in a statement that it could find no way "to keep the park running in its traditional form."
The company said it has begun negotiations with several potential buyers and lessees interested in acquiring all or parts of the property.
"We do not feel it is fair to our employees, the guests or the public to continue operations heading into the fall with the future of the property in flux," Land South said in the statement.
Founded in 1936, Cypress Gardens was the first theme park built in Central Florida. But unable to compete with the bigger, more modern resorts that followed in Orlando, it shut down in 2003. It reopened the next year with new owners but then went bankrupt in 2006.
Despite the protracted struggles, Rick Dantzler, a lawyer who represents Land South, said the owners still hope to find a way to get Cypress Gardens up and running again.
"The world is not the same today as it was 30 or 40 years ago," Dantzler said. "Coming up with a model that works in today's marketplace is a challenge."
good bye cybress Gardens you will be misst
Universal Studios: No Rockit on Halloween Horror Nights evenings
Last Friday during Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights, the new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster was dark. A train was running -- but without lighting or people. Kinda eerie, actually.
But at the same time, maddening because I haven't ridden HRRR after dark, which is said to be an entirely different experience.
Universal confirmed today that Rockit will not run at all during Horror Night events. (And to clarify, it is still scheduled to run during the day on HNN dates.) A spokesperson says they'll only focus on a few non-Halloween attractions at night: Revenge of the Mummy coaster, Men In Black: Alien Attack, the Simpsons Ride and sometimes Jaws.
There had been Internet reports that Rockit would fire after the first two weeks, and that they were waiting to contruct a safety net over the queue that leads to the haunted houses over in the park's soundstages. I'm having trouble swallowing that because although the public isn't typically in that area of the park, team members are, and if there were danger, wouldn't there be a net already? (Meanwhile, there are no nets at all where the coaster curves above the New York street scene.)
And a suspicious type might look at the guide map posted online for Horror Nights, where Rockit is prominenty marked -- along with the four other open attractions -- along with a red starbursted NEW! device. (Of course, one could argue that they just want guests to know they have something NEW! ... something NEW! that you can't ride right now...)
Bottom line: Looks like we won't be visiting the dark side of Rockit until the time change. Daylight Savings Time ends Nov. 1. Sunset is 5:40 p.m. that day. The park closes at 6.
This would help all of you
But at the same time, maddening because I haven't ridden HRRR after dark, which is said to be an entirely different experience.
Universal confirmed today that Rockit will not run at all during Horror Night events. (And to clarify, it is still scheduled to run during the day on HNN dates.) A spokesperson says they'll only focus on a few non-Halloween attractions at night: Revenge of the Mummy coaster, Men In Black: Alien Attack, the Simpsons Ride and sometimes Jaws.
There had been Internet reports that Rockit would fire after the first two weeks, and that they were waiting to contruct a safety net over the queue that leads to the haunted houses over in the park's soundstages. I'm having trouble swallowing that because although the public isn't typically in that area of the park, team members are, and if there were danger, wouldn't there be a net already? (Meanwhile, there are no nets at all where the coaster curves above the New York street scene.)
And a suspicious type might look at the guide map posted online for Horror Nights, where Rockit is prominenty marked -- along with the four other open attractions -- along with a red starbursted NEW! device. (Of course, one could argue that they just want guests to know they have something NEW! ... something NEW! that you can't ride right now...)
Bottom line: Looks like we won't be visiting the dark side of Rockit until the time change. Daylight Savings Time ends Nov. 1. Sunset is 5:40 p.m. that day. The park closes at 6.
This would help all of you
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