Saudi Prince drops $20 million at Disneyland
Higher entrance fees may make some guests hesitate, but Saudi Prince Fahd al-Saud is clearly unfazed. The BBC reports that the prince and his friends dropped $20 million in three days at Disneyland Paris.
The prince reserved parts of the park for his group of 60, and hosted a number of unique special events.
Disney set a record on Monday by raising its ticket prices to over $95 plus tax, the highest of any theme park, just 10 days after Universal Studios Florida raised its price to $92.
Meanwhile, Disney chairman and CEO Robert Iger revealed details about the Shanghai Disney Resort at the Fortune Global Forum in Chengdu, China.
He said the Shanghai development "can’t be the Disneyland that Walt built in 1955 for all kinds of reasons….It has to look, feel, resemble China’s Disneyland. And that has taken a lot of thought, a lot of work."
Iger said the theme park will include the iconic castle, but also elements "that don’t exist in any of the parks that we have."
Every culture has its own customs. Hong Kong customers, for example, spend twice as much time eating as park-goers in Florida or Paris, Iger said.
Shanghai Disney Resort, scheduled to open in 2015, will include two hotels, 495,000 square feet of retail space, a dining and entertainment venue, and a lake.
And if you are thinking that Disney may no longer be hip, forget it. Teen heartthrob and pop music star Justin Bieber brought his own party of friends and crew to Disneyland California after spending some time with Miley Cyrus last weekend, local papers report.
His group rode on the rides and apparently had fun, though the tab was considerably lower than the Prince’s.
By Cheryl Rosen
Cheryl
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026