The Orlando Sentinel has a look at how far Disney might go to support High Speed Rail in Central Florida. They question if Disney would be willing to give up it’s free Disney’s Magical Express service, the first step in WDW’s attempt to make each vacation an all-inclusive experience, for HSR. I think they’re talking apples and oranges.

Part of the value of Magical Express is that it gets guests to their destination relatively quickly and without the hassle of toting their luggage. Even if Disney could arrange a “free to WDW” option for HSR, when guests arrive at the airport, they don’t want to have to wait an hour or two for the next train to go 20 miles. They want to get to the magic right away. That’s why the bus system works so well.

You will more likely see Disney offer some sort of traveler support at the WDW rail station. Guests can travel to the station from where ever (likely the Tampa area first, later Miami when that line is added), drop off their luggage, and head right to the parks via Disney’s newly built out peoplemover system. When they get back to their hotel at night their luggage is already waiting for them in their room.

Frankly, what Disney World and the Orlando attractions area really needs is a cheap, affordable transportation system connecting it all together. This could be peoplemover, light rail, monorails, or fixed route buses. Doesn’t matter. But moving visitors from the hotels and from their homes to the parks without the car is the future of Central Florida.

After months of rumors and behind the scenes negotiations the Blackstone Private Equity group has completed a deal to purchase Busch Entertainment Corporation from AB-InBev. This move places the second largest Orlando attraction, Universal Orlando, which is 50% owned by Blackstone, under the same ownership as the regions third largest attraction, SeaWorld, and creates a new powerhouse for themeparks at the same time.

Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel broke the story late this morning. It looks like Blackstone will keep Busch Entertainment Corp., which is headquartered in Orlando, together as an operating group, at least for now. Also it looks like all 10 parks were purchased from AB-InBev. InBev acquired the parks when it bought Anheuser-Busch.

So what’s the breakdown? First, I expect we’ll start to see all the last reminders of Anheuser-Busch’s ownership of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens properties disappear, eventually maybe even the Busch name. If Blackstone likes the ‘Worlds of Discovery’ brand, expect that to become more front and center in the branding. You might see a few shifts in management, but in reality BEC has been doing a great job, which is one reason AB-InBev was able to get 2.7 billion for them. Finally, I think this purchase brings Legoland Orlando closer to being, since Blackstone owns that brand via it’s Merlin division.

What I hope we don’t see is the typical private equity profit squeeze. Where ever last penny is optimized and every last labor hour marginalized to the point where the fun is left from the equation. Parks like SeaWorld and Busch Gardens need the fun, and they need constant refreshing to bring in the repeat business. Looking at Legoland, we see that Blackstone’s Merlin division gets it. Let’s hope they pass that message around.

What do you think? Was this a good deal for BEC and Blackstone? Will Shamu survive in the private equity world?

When the Obama administration announced there was $8 billion in the stimulus package for funding High Speed Rail projects, there was good reason to hope that Central Florida would be receive part of that funding. Now that hope has been given a shot in the arm by the addition of support from the regions 800 lb Gorilla – Walt Disney World.

Disney World was against the previous effort to bring high speed rail to the region because it included a stop near Universal Studios at the Orange County Convention Center; although the reason they gave today for their previous opposition was that they didn’t want a project that would detract, rather than complement, a commuter rail project. Now that there is a good chance the commuter rail project will be approved, Disney no longer opposes the convention center stop. That stop should also put Universal Studios and SeaWorld in the ‘yes’ column for High Speed Rail as well.

The second big sign that Disney World is on board is their willingness to give up to 50 acres of the Walt Disney World property to host a station for the resort area stop. There was no announcement as to where the station would be, but since the train will run down the middle of I-4 for most of the route, it’s likely Disney would want to donate a part of the property they own on the other side of Hwy-192 next to Celebration.

Now I have to wonder if WDW will light a fire under its committee that has been studying the concept of adding a PRT system to the resort. This would be similar to what Disney has called a ‘Peoplemover’ system in the past. I also think that a light rail system running from Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Downtown Disney would be a great addition.

More on the High Speed Rail project and what it means for Central Florida in the Orlando Sentinel.

Two breaking news items from Walt Disney World in the news this morning.

Early this morning there was a report of smoke on a monorail. Operation was stopped and the fire department called in. No fire or damage could be found. It looks like that monorail was sent back to the shop and the rest of the fleet returned to normal operations.

Smoke from a possible electrical short is not all that unusual on WDW’s aging monorail fleet. But neither is it common. Still, I don’t see this as a sign of concern.

The other story coming out of WDW this morning is quite a bit sadder. A 16 year old guest staying at the Port Orleans Riverside resort was found dead in his room this morning by a member of his family. Sheriff investigators are on the scene of this tragedy.

The thoughts of everyone at The Disney Blog go out to their family. No one wants this to happen, especially on vacation.

This morning in the Orlando Sentinel Jason Garcia compiled an informative look at the most recent trend to hit the Orlando area theme parks – interactivity. Let’s leave the debate as to whether guests actually desire this over passive entertainment while on their vacation aside for now. The idea is already here and the parks are building a lot more of it in the next few years.

For years theme park design has meant to immerse the customer in the show, but the main focus has been to view them as guests who just happens to drop by. So the focus was on presenting a high quality experience they would remember forever and, even better, share with their friends and family when they got home. The new focus is to view the guest as more of a participant in the experience.

“Kids whose concept of entertainment is defined by video games are looking for something very different in a theme park than previous generations whose concept of entertainment was defined by television or movies or radio,” said Robert Niles, publisher of the Web site themeparkinsider.com.

Walt Disney often spoke of how Disneyland was the culmination of all the skills and talent learned at his television, movie, and animation divisions. There is also a direct line from the Cast Member training program invented in the early days of Disneyland by Van Arsdale France and Dick Nunis to the modern definition of Guest Service Excellence that is taught at the Disney Institute and practiced at nearly every customer oriented company. The idea that the customer is your guest and not just X percentage of profit margin really changes how a company interacts and works to earn the future business of each consumer.

If theme parks take seriously the idea that the guest is part of the show, this will lead to a wholesale shift in the way cast members are trained and how customers are treated at theme parks.  It already has shifted somewhat at attractions like American Idol Experience and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Coaster. Eventually those lessons will make their way to the rest of the business world as well. I’m definitely excited to track how that happens.

This week my position at Give Kids The World (GKTW) was eliminated after a series of tough budget decisions. This move was indicative of the difficult situation nonprofits find themselves in these days. GKTW is singularly focused on making dreams come true for children battling life-threatening illnesses whose one wish is to visit Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, or Universal Orlando. That was something I identified with very much and it was a privilege to work there.

You may have read The Disney Blog for years and not known I worked at GKTW because I kept a wall between the two at the request of work. That said, my network of Disney fans and webmasters have been nothing but supportive of GKTW and I know they will continue to be.

How you can help

I’ve been very busy polishing my resume, updating my online social networking sites, and looking at job listings. I have already identified a handful of jobs that I am well qualified for and have sent in resumes. However, that is just part of the strategy.

According to Department of Labor statistics nearly 50% of new positions are found through friends, business contacts, and relatives. Less than 10% are found via online job advertisements. So I am counting on you to help me reach that half of open positions I just can’t target via online searches.

I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Emurse. This allows me to reach out if I need a referral or reference. If you have a few minutes to review my resume (see Emurse link), offer suggestions, or help me refine my job search, please contact me via email.

There is a very high rate of unemployment right now, however I am confident I have the ability to make an immediate positive impact to a company’s bottom line and will quickly find a new full time position. In the meantime I am open to writing, freelance, or consulting gigs. Of course, I’m continuing to work on my personal website network too.

I would be very appreciative if you could recommend me for any open positions you are aware of in the Orlando area. As my resume summary states, I am a knowledge worker, writer, marketer, and technology expert able to clearly communicate ideas and goals while working under deadlines. I have experience as a CRM Database Manager, Online Sales & Marketing Manager, Online Community Manager, and Social Media Professional. I would add that I am a flexible fast learner able to pick up new software or job knowledge swiftly.

I am maintaining a realistic, but positive outlook. Perhaps this is an opportunity to move into a new industry or tap back into some long held skills. Job searching is a full time job in itself and I intend to keep very busy until I find one.

Thank you so much for your support,

John Frost
Email: JohnFrost@Gmail.com
Twitter: @JohnFrost

Reports are growing that The Blackstone Group has put the final touches on its acquisition of Busch Entertainment Company (BEC), the division of AB-Bev that owns SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks. The Blackstone Group already owns about half of the Universal Orlando resort and theme parks. And the joining of the two would create a destination that could compete much stronger against their chief competition for tourist dollars in Central Florida – Walt Disney World.

Of course, not all BEC properties are in Orlando where easy synergy can be found. Plus The Blackstone Group owns parts of Six Flags, Legoland, and Madame Tussauds. Which makes some some interesting tie-in possibilities to central Florida. Remember that Legoland rumor that went around last year? And wouldn’t a Madame Tussauds fit in wonderfully at Citywalk?

The complete list of BEC properties is:

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa, Florida)
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)
SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, Florida)
SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)
SeaWorld San Diego (San Diego, California)
Discovery Cove (Orlando, Florida)
Aquatica (Orlando, Florida)
Adventure Island (Tampa, Florida)
Water Country USA (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Sesame Place (Langhorne, Pennsylvania)

And there is a project in Dubai to build three more parks, but it is currently on hold due to the economic crisis.

In California Legoland and SeaWorld can now work closer together to attract visitors and save on supply orders and management costs. That seems like a potential plus too.

Apparently high ranking officials from Blackstone have been seen walking around SeaWorld and rumors really started flying after word went out earlier to BEC employees to expect an announcement later today. I certainly wish my friends at Seaworld and Busch Gardens well and hope that everyone lands on their feet.

So with Harry Potter, Shamu, and Shrek all soon to share one corporate master, what do you see happening first?

So totally unrelated to the previous post we hear that Walt Disney World is restructuring their Transportation management. This actually harkens back to the corporate restructuring Disney implemented early in the year, the one that resulted in all the management layoffs. Since then, Disney has been shuffling their executives as part of a cost saving exercise. Whether it’s a good time to do that to the Transportation Department given the year’s events, remains to be seen.

When Kevin Lansberry was appointed vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom it was also noted with some confusion among fans that he was also put in charge of the WDW resort’s transportation. Seemed like a fairly odd pairing for someone whose previous job was executive over Disney’s shopping and entertainment district. Now Kevin can concentrate on giving DAK the attention it deserves.

Disney announced they have appointed Jim Vendur, who had been in charge of transportation maintenance, to oversee both operations and maintenance of WDW’s whole transportation system. Said system includes the monorail, ferryboats, and about 300 buses. Disney will also add more supervision of the Transportation fleets, but that position remains to be filled.

More at The Orlando Sentinel.