I'm 37 years old and had a great time at US and IOA when we went last year. I loved the Harry Potter books and can't wait to see what they do with Diagon Alley. When you add that to the Transformers ride, Despicable Me, and the Simpsons land, that park is going to be completely different and a must-see. I already love The Mummy and Men in Black there.
Now looking at Disney, what am I excited about that's coming? I'd love to go to California to see Cars Land, but the cost of plane tickets for our family is too high. We can drive to Florida in a little over a day for a reasonable price, so that's the focus.
I'm a huge Disney World fan and love going to the parks. There's nothing like visiting the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. However, I bring up the attractions from Universal because I also love great new attractions. Disney has decided that their parks don't need to grow and they can focus on other revenue streams.
For me, this isn't just about FP+ and those changes. Disney has spent money and time focusing on Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and other games, themed parties, and upcharge experiences like the Pirates and Princesses experiences. They aren't bringing out new attractions. I still plan to go to Disney World with my family, but I can't say that I'll go as often or for as long if these changes are really in place. These parks are a lot of fun, but they need to actually make some new experiences to make it as exciting.
I also feel the attractions are amazing enough and don't need jarring personal experiences thrown into them. Disney is miscalculating on the importance of forced "magic" and not on delivering that fun in the entire attractions. My daughter loved meeting Mickey and Belle. She doesn't need them to call her by name. That shouldn't be the focus when there are plenty of areas that need work.
I know the $1B is a sunk cost, and Disney should treat it that way if the system doesn't work. They'd get a much greater bang for their buck by going into EPCOT and redoing Wonders of Life, Energy, and Imagination. Then they can put Pixar and Star Wars attractions in the Hollywood Studios. Those would be huge draws, and they could even raise
ticket prices to cover them! I don't get it.