Attendance at Universal declines becasue of WDW's recent marketing

[ChrisFL]

People like to say this but they never provide any proof. The truth is as Ben Franklin says in the AA "The golden age never was the present age."

no proof? Are you kidding? Have you read these boards at all?

 

[peter11435]

no proof? Are you kidding? Have you read these boards at all?

Yeah. I have been reading these boards for 6 years. I have heard many on these boards talk about how they feel the magic is less. But that doesn't constitute proof. I can say with 100% that I don't see any less magic in 2006 then I did in 1971. As I said "The golden age never was the present age."

Most of the time we remember things being far better than they actually were. A quick check of your profile shows you are under 30. Thus you would have only been a child in the supposed "golden age" of WDW. As a child things always seem better than they really are. WDW is no less magical today than it was in 1978. The only difference is you have grown up.

 

[2Xited4Disney]

Yeah. I have been reading these boards for 6 years. I have heard many on these boards talk about how they feel the magic is less. But that doesn't constitute proof. I can say with 100% that I don't see any less magic in 2006 then I did in 1971. As I said "The golden age never was the present age."

Most of the time we remember things being far better than they actually were. A quick check of your profile shows you are under 30. Thus you would have only been a child in the supposed "golden age" of WDW. As a child things always seem better than they really are. WDW is no less magical today than it was in 1978. The only difference is you have grown up.

I just learned about this in psychology. There is actually a specific term for this. It is sort of like "Kids had respect in my day"... well actually no they didn't you just precieved that they did.. If i can find the term i'll put the actual deffinition in here

 

[Spectro is #1]

The golden age is right!
Does anyone remember WDW in fiscal trouble because they were running on a shoestring budget?

ME took Disney public to raise capital. And the Disney Decade saw huge growth (some say too much).

I have to agree, I think people tend to remember things much better then they actually were.

 

[peter11435]

ME took Disney public to raise capital.

Just to correct you Eisner did not take Disney public. Disney went public long before Eisner came around. In fact it was Walt who took Disney public.

 

[Spectro is #1]

Yes I miss spoke 1957 was the year that Disney sold stock.

I was making a point that before ME and Wells, the stock was so under valued that the company was almost taken over. The point is things are not always as magical as we remember.

 

[peter11435]

I was making a point that before ME and Wells, the stock was so under valued that the company was almost taken over. The point is things are not always as magical as we remember.

Excellent point.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yeah. I have been reading these boards for 6 years. I have heard many on these boards talk about how they feel the magic is less. But that doesn't constitute proof. I can say with 100% that I don't see any less magic in 2006 then I did in 1971. As I said "The golden age never was the present age."

Most of the time we remember things being far better than they actually were. A quick check of your profile shows you are under 30. Thus you would have only been a child in the supposed "golden age" of WDW. As a child things always seem better than they really are. WDW is no less magical today than it was in 1978. The only difference is you have grown up.

So you're saying things like the off the shelf amusement rides like the DinoRama area, the new Stitch Encounter, the new Imagination ride, Mission:Space, could have been made in the past and people would love it?

Not to mention the entire blog from Imagineers about how things really were better. This is not a psychological situation.

Yes, I've been going to Disney all my life, my father helped to open EPCOT in '82 and worked there for many years, I've seen the changes, I've seen the employees themselves tell me how cheap things have become.

 

[peter11435]

So you're saying things like the off the shelf amusement rides like the DinoRama area, the new Stitch Encounter, the new Imagination ride, Mission:Space, could have been made in the past and people would love it?.

You mean off the shelf rides like Walts Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, and Carousel. These things are nothing new. I'll give you stitch and Imagination but to be honest Disney struck out in the past too. I can't even believe you lumped M:S into this.

And how can you mention those "failures" without mentioning Soarin', Expedition: Everest, and Mickey's Philharmagic.

Not to mention the entire blog from Imagineers about how things really were better. This is not a psychological situation. .

How do you know it was not a psychological situation. How do you know they were even Imagineers.

Yes, I've been going to Disney all my life, my father helped to open EPCOT in '82 and worked there for many years, I've seen the changes, I've seen the employees themselves tell me how cheap things have become.

You have also grown up a lot while going to WDW. You went from child to teen to adult in that time frame. Perception changes.

As for talking to employees. I never said that they have not cut costs in certain areas. I said that the magic is just as strong as ever. Money has nothing to do with magic.

 

[ChrisFL]

You mean off the shelf rides like Walts Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, and Carousel. These things are nothing new. I'll give you stitch and Imagination but to be honest Disney struck out in the past too. I can't even believe you lumped M:S into this.

And how can you mention those "failures" without mentioning Soarin', Expedition: Everest, and Mickey's Philharmagic.

M:S is not a Disney family friendly attraction in the classic sense. Many, many people get sick, feel queasy, have headaches and also say they'll never go on it again. I can think of no other previous Disney attraction that elicits that response from people.

The failures happened at the point when Universal was coming out with incredible new attractions, a whole new theme park and high end resorts. Disney has begun to improve recently, but there's a lot of work to do. Meanwhile when people were upset about the changes at Disney, they tried Universal and found out there's more than just one place in town for a great family vacation.

You could say that Soarin' is one bright spot in the rest of California Adventure which by all accounts was not created in the Disney spirit, once again evidence of Disney's decline in quality and passion at that time.

Then there's all of the imagineers that Disney's let go over the years. By the way, many ended up working at Universal Creative.

How do you know it was not a psychological situation. How do you know they were even Imagineers.

If I have to explain the difference between classic Disney quality and storytelling and what they've been giving us the past few years, then you may not understand what Disney used to represent.

Here is the blog Im referring to, see for yourself:

http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/

You have also grown up a lot while going to WDW. You went from child to teen to adult in that time frame. Perception changes.

As for talking to employees. I never said that they have not cut costs in certain areas. I said that the magic is just as strong as ever. Money has nothing to do with magic.

Again, I refer to the blog posted above since those articles written can go into much greater detail about the decline of Disney than I ever could.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I don't want anyone to think I was slamming USO. We have Premium APs there too and enjoy Universal and IoA. The Team members are very good. It is not unusual to see a Team Member approach a guest and sincerely ask if they are having a good time.
I am not sure I have ever seen that at WDW. Although I sure I have sometime. But I witness this almost every visit to USO.
We were balloon handlers at a Macy's Day parade this year at USO and LOVED it! It was a very magical moment. And something Disney does not have, and would not allow guests to do if they did.
IoA is great for tweens.
USO offers great times. But how many times can someone see Jaws or Twister, etc. (Although I have heard people say this about HM. But I would take HM any day over Jaws.) MIB and Mummy are about the only rides I can think of at USO worth going to on a regular basis.
I can see where USO would not get the return guests on a regular daily basis like Disney does.
USO needs Mardi Gras, bands, and HHN to really pull in guests. And yes, just my opinion.

 

[peter11435]

Meanwhile when people were upset about the changes at Disney, they tried Universal and found out there's more than just one place in town for a great family vacation.

Funny thing is there attendance does not and has never supported that claim.

 

[Another Voice]

Funny thing is there attendance does not and has never supported that claim.

Do you honestly believe half the stuff you type, or do just like to disagree with people?

Have you ever honestly read up on the history of Disney? Having an annual pass and the neighborhood's largerst trading pin collection doesn't really make you the expert. Opinions don't gain more relevance simply because they're repeated; they need to be presented rationally and with support.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

They had a positive performance because they made more per guest and cut back spending by among other things cutting back by 700 workers. If you look at this http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/graphic/2006-04/22727543.jpg you will see that revenue decreased in theme park passes, merchandise, and food. The only reason they were able to come out ahead was because they cut costs. That is not performing well. For a company to be successful revenue needs to increase. You’re not doing well if the only way to increase profit is to decrease costs. They are a theme park. Attendance is key to a theme park and you can't spin an 11% dip in attendance around and try to say that’s performing well.

attendance numbers are only a partial factor in the equation. squeezing the most pennies out of each guest and operating efficiently is the winning combo. the more people WDW can keep on property and buying the $2.50 bottles of soda that they purchased for a nickel is key. UO's just doing the same thing.

 

[peter11435]

Do you honestly believe half the stuff you type, or do just like to disagree with people?

Have you ever honestly read up on the history of Disney? Having an annual pass and the neighborhood's largerst trading pin collection doesn't really make you the expert. Opinions don't gain more relevance simply because they're repeated; they need to be presented rationally and with support.

I have read dozens of books on Disney History including your beloved Disney War. I never claimed that costs were not cut. I never claimed that some standards have not been lowered. I simply stated, and I stand by my claim, that the "magic" at WDW is just as strong as ever. WDW today is not perfect, but contrary to what you and many others seem to think, it never was.

My post that you quoted is not my opinion it is fact. The numbers do not show that people have moved from Disney to Universal in large numbers. UO attendance this year went down. Disney's went up. The attendance at MK is larger than both Universal parks combined. And WDW's least attended park had attendance that is still millions ahead of either UO park.

And lastly I do not have a pin collection.

 

[peter11435]

attendance numbers are only a partial factor in the equation. squeezing the most pennies out of each guest and operating efficiently is the winning combo. the more people WDW can keep on property and buying the $2.50 bottles of soda that they purchased for a nickel is key. UO's just doing the same thing.

I agree 100%. There are far more factors than simply attendance. However a decrease in attendance is never a positive think.

 

[ChrisFL]

Funny thing is there attendance does not and has never supported that claim.

Oh of course, we should always go by the numbers and not opinions whenever we go to purchase something, right?

I mean, millions of people bought AOL memberships but that doesn't mean it's actually better than anything else.

Now please, before I get hate mail, Im not comparing AOL to Disney, far from it, Im just posting an example of flawed logic. I do enjoy Disney and Im actually going there to try out Everest (despite my better spring break crowd judgement).

These constant attacks against Universal tells me that things aren't always perfect in Disney, if they were no one would ever posting negative things about the competition.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

I'm a firm believer that some of the changes, additions, and programs at WDW lately have been prompted by UO and their successes. I love WDW, but I'm a happier consumer at UO. guest satisfaction doesn't seem to be a driving goal at WDW anymore in an overall sense. my wife is a flippin' WDW freak, and she's the first to critique WDW to me. the whole property has become a giant, cloned gift shop with attractions interspersed between them.

 

[Foladar]

Repeat after me.
Disney IS NOT Universal Orlando.
You are allowed to like them both.

Personally, I prefer USO because it seems less pricey, AP was $189 or $15 a month, compared to $400+ .. I don't mind hotel rooms, as I rarely stay onsite. But really, they're two different things - apples and oranges. Your allowed to like both of them, really. And I think peter11435 is just here for arguements

 

[susan1]

probably something to do with doing away the free fastpasses. the cost of buying them mounts up!