Voter Control of Gambling in Florida

In Florida, Disney has teamed up to support an anti-casino initiative. The bill is referred to as Amendment 3 or “Voter Control of Gambling in Florida.” The bill only permits new casinos to open on the provision that 60% of the entire state of Florida votes in agreement. The idea is to give residents greater control over new gambling entertainment venues and facilities being open in the state. However, some critics argue that actually this does not give more power to voters. Instead, it is purely a protectionist move by big business to prevent new competition entering the market. This would allow the Seminole group of casinos to remain dominant in the state. Of course the amendment can not prevent the spread of online casino gaming. Casinos Jungle and other online information sites guide gamblers to where they can play on their mobile phones.

What are the stakes?

Nearly $37million US dollars have been spent on the bill with over 90% coming from Disney and the Seminole Tribes. Perhaps it is obvious what the Seminole Tribe casino owners have to gain from the bill. What does Disney stand to gain? Consider this.  DisneyWorld Florida is made up of 4 huge theme parks. Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneys’ Animal Kingdom. They also have water parks Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Perhaps more key to this protectionist policy is they own 24 hotels, 5 golf courses plus spas, shopping and restaurants.  Any new Vegas style casino resorts would directly threaten Disney revenues.  Whilst you may think the Disney studios, movies and TV shows generate a lot of revenue; the real money is in the theme parks. On admission revenue alone Disney globally generated more that 7 billion USD in 2018. 

Incidentally, it is estimated that due to covid, Disney is losing over 16million per day being closed. This is due not only to admission ticket sales, but all the extras – hotel bookings, concession stands, merchandise.

Who are the opponents?

MGM Resorts International is in opposition to the bill. MGM Resorts is a massive enterprise with casino resorts all over the USA. Notably in Las Vegas they own The Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mirage, Aria, New York New York and Luxor. It’s easy to understand why another major player in the casino hotel business would oppose restrictions on increasing its share of the market.

The Seminole Tribe who are backing the bill have the controlling share of casinos in the state. You can play casino at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa and Hollywood, plus Coconut Creek Casino, Immokalee and Brighton host gambling venues. Reportedly they make $2.5billion every year in gaming revenue. So again, extremely strong incentive to prevent new casinos muscling in on the action! By the way, this article represents merely our opinions of the situation!

The post How is Disney preventing casinos near Disney World Florida? appeared first on explorethemagic.com.

Disney is a large company and the section that runs the parks is called “Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc”. But before the parks were even conceived Walt and his brother Roy came up with the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio located in Hollywood, California. That was 1923 and the parks would be opened quite a few years after.

In the 1950s Walt Disney made a series of deals with regards to a project called Disneylandia. Of course, that name wouldn’t stick through the life of the project and Walt Disney announced in April 1954 that Disneyland would open its gates in July of 1955. Walt wanted the park to be educational and entertaining for both children and their parents. Disney bought land in Anaheim California, which at the time was farmland, so could be purchased for a reasonable cost.

Disneyland opens it’s doors

Disneyland officially opened its doors on July 17, 1955, although the opening wasn’t as smooth as expected. Originally passes were mailed out to a smaller group of people as an invitation to come to enjoy the park. However, the passes were quickly counterfeited and the crowds that showed up were overwhelming to the newly opened park. Disneyland started to run out of food and drinks as the crowd swelled and the Mark Twain Steamboat ride almost tipped over from too many people.

Even though Disneyland had a rocky start, it recovered quickly. Rides like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White’s Adventures, and the Jungle Cruise, caught on with parents and children immediately and remain popular to this day. And in 1963 Disney opened the Enchanted Tiki Room, which left audiences amazed at the advanced mixture of audio and animatronics. With these measures, Disneyland quickly became one of the most popular family attractions in the country.

Expansion across America and beyond

While Disneyland continued to innovate and have successes, Walt Disney was hatching plans for a second park, this time in Florida. He actually purchased 43 acres of land in a desolate part of Florida in 1965. Unfortunately, before Walt Disney could see Disneyworld come to fruition, he passed the following year. Roy Disney picked up the project and Disneyworld would open in 1971. After the initial opening, the park continued to expand and eventually became a sprawling resort covering over 47 square miles. And what started out as a single amusement park turned into four, the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In addition, two water parks and dozens of hotels and restaurants would populate the area.

The two Disney theme parks would soon be joined by Disney parks around the world. There are several parks around the globe; California Adventure, Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. From the humble beginnings and somewhat rocky start of Disneyland, the Disney parks have grown into a worldwide phenomenon, that welcomes millions of visitors each year.

The post The Story Behind Disney’s Theme Parks appeared first on explorethemagic.com.

Where to Stay

For Disneyland park, there are plenty of options, especially off property. In fact, the city of Anaheim seems uniquely set up to support the park. Just outside the gates, you’ll find a plethora of hotels and dining options, with many offering special rates and discounts for families going to Disney. Also, be sure to check for hotels that offer free nights for extended stays as this is a common practice. Check all the travel sites and compare prices, then call the hotels directly and see if they can offer anything better.

For Disneyworld, off-site options include hotels and also Airbnb stays. Because of the high volume of travelers to Florida and the 2nd homes down there, you can find many rentals that are relatively close to the theme park.

Keep in mind that you can also stay on property, although during peak season rooms fill up fast and are generally more expensive than staying elsewhere. You have to balance the convenience of being on the property and the perks that Disney gives their hotel guests versus the lower-cost options outside the park.

Finding Affordable Flights

Obviously avoiding peak season travel is the best way to score cheaper flights to the Disney Destination. So think about travel during January, February, and September. The more expensive flights are going to be during the summer season and peak season where the Disney parks have events. You can search for flights on any of the travel sites or apps to see when the best prices are. Another trick is to pair your travel dates up with the calendars on the Disney sites and see what events are happening. Avoiding big park festivals will reduce your travel costs unless of course, you want to attend one of the park’s offerings.

Park Ticket Options

Ticket prices are set by Disney, but that doesn’t mean you can find some affordable options. If you choose 2-day tickets, cost-savings are built-in as are adding extra days to whatever ticket type you choose. Buying a 1-day ticket probably doesn’t make much sense unless you live in the area. The Park Hopper ticket offers the most value, but not necessarily the most savings. But these tickets are immensely popular as they offer the ability to go from one park to the other anytime you choose. But the one park per day tickets offer a much more affordable option, so if you don’t want the flexibility of the Park Hopper tickets, these tickets offer the greatest savings.

Vacation Packages

If planning a Disney vacation seems daunting you can always go with a vacation package. You can find them on many of the larger travel sites where they combine flights, tickets, rental cars, etc. Or you might choose to work with an independent travel agent (Disney has agents too). They can often research and uncover great deals for travel almost any time of the year, and a travel agent with Disney experience can be beneficial to getting the most out of your Disney trip.

The post Traveling to Disney Without Going Broke appeared first on explorethemagic.com.

Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong Disneyland, which is best? It would help if you weighed the advantages and disadvantages Of each to determine where you are going to head. These countries are distinct, and each has different costs. Besides, you may not have enough time to visit each country. So we figured we’d help you along and give you some answers to your questions.

What about Tokyo Disney Resort?

Tokyo Disney may be the reason you’re going to Asia in the first place. This Disney park is certainly worth the visit. Still, it might make sense to do a stopover at the Shanghai Disneyland or the Hong Kong Disneyland, but again that depends on your time and budget.

Okay, so assuming you’re not going to Asia just to see Disney, you still want to factor in other non-Disney attractions and points of interest. In this case, Japan is a gorgeous country, and there’s also a lot to do and see in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

With respect to the Tokyo Disney Resort, it is modern, innovative, and quite interesting for its similarities to Anaheim and its originality in Asian Culture. It is a well-designed park that stands out among all other Asian Disney parks. So, it’s way ahead of Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are out of this world gorgeous and look like a park straight out of Science Fiction.

That’s not to say that Hong Kong and Shanghai don’t have beautiful Disney parks. Both options are spectacular. But Tokyo far outweighs them, especially if you’re into science fiction and Star Wars. Even so, Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneylands are also worth seeing.

Shanghai Has Originality

The Shanghai Disneyland is very original and has a unique take on the original castle park. Almost everything in the Shanghai park is unique and distinct from the features and attractions of other Disney parks. Is it worth flying halfway across the globe? Yes. This is a park you will want to see at least once in your life.

In contrast, Hong Kong Disneyland is more traditional and built when Disney did not want to try anything really new. As a result, much of the style is that of Anaheim California, which is not that original but does give you a sort of deja vu feeling. Even though the additions made in the first ten years of operation are original, but not as unique as Shanghai.

Has that helped you decide?!

If you are visiting Asia and want to go to one of the Disney parks, you just can’t miss Tokyo Disney, but if you love Disney and want to see other options, cultures and features then Shanghai and Hong Kong are certainly parks you can’t miss either. As with everything Disney, each park has its distinct theme and look. If possible, we recommend visiting Tokyo and Shanghai and then Hong Kong

The post Disneyland Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai – Which Park Should You Visit? appeared first on explorethemagic.com.