By 2017: 20 New Rides, Shops, Restaurants

[DPCummerbund]

Very, VERY well said TwoMisfits!

I don't understand Disney's strategy. They own all of this property that includes FOUR THEME PARKS...and yet...they are content with having only ONE of them being *truly* popular. Three aging, half-empty parks that are still very expensive to maintain but are losing whatever limited appeal they originally had in the face of the Universal/IOA juggernaut.

It's like they are content with everyone just cramming into the MK(which makes for a nasty guest experience) instead of providing incentives for people to venture into their other three parks. If that's their long-range strategy that truly spells disaster.

Less and less people will make WDW a "destination" with no desire to visit anything other than the MK. Making it a pit stop in a larger vacation filled with competitors(Universal/Sea World) and Florida's many sandy beaches. The resorts will become even more vacant.

That sounds true, and may FEEL true. A lot of people - myself included - have been postponing trips or splitting more time with Universal.

But overall, theme park attendance at WDW isn't dropping. It's going UP.

All three of the "other" parks have been increasing their attendance by an average of 100,000 guests or so every year for the past 5 years. MK has been the same.

All three of those "other" parks also draw higher crowds every year than either of the Universal parks - by about 3 million guests each.

Sure, Harry Potter drew in a lot of guests for Islands of Adventure. In 2009 (the last full year before WWOHP), IoA drew 4.6 million guests. In 2011, IoA drew 7.6 million - a full 2 million below Disney's lowest-attendance park, DHS.

Think about that for a second - DHS, a park that hasn't had anything new or interesting for years, still draws MILLIONS more than the park with what is considered the best attraction out there. And it's not like WWOHP "stole" guests from WDW, since attendance at all 4 parks went UP during that span.

I can see why Disney invested in NextGen - there's probably a school of thought out there that WDW has enough guests. Rather than bringing in more guests, they're trying to maximize the revenue from the guests that they already have.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Not very exciting news to me. Our next trip we decided to stay at Universal. We get front of the line access for the whole week included with the room price. No fast pass times to make or plan which is awesome.

We're still going to MNSSHP twice and we have 1 day park hoppers to use, but the rest if the time we'll be at Universal and we have AP's there.

The resort we reserved is on the same scale as a Disney deluxe and it's literally 1/2 the price.

I love Disney and all but we've been priced out so we adjusted our plans. I'm still really excited cause I love Universal too.

Is the resort you reserved a Universal resort?

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

That sounds true, and may FEEL true. A lot of people - myself included - have been postponing trips or splitting more time with Universal.

But overall, theme park attendance at WDW isn't dropping. It's going UP.

All three of the "other" parks have been increasing their attendance by an average of 100,000 guests or so every year for the past 5 years. MK has been the same.

All three of those "other" parks also draw higher crowds every year than either of the Universal parks - by about 3 million guests each.

Sure, Harry Potter drew in a lot of guests for Islands of Adventure. In 2009 (the last full year before WWOHP), IoA drew 4.6 million guests. In 2011, IoA drew 7.6 million - a full 2 million below Disney's lowest-attendance park, DHS.

Think about that for a second - DHS, a park that hasn't had anything new or interesting for years, still draws MILLIONS more than the park with what is considered the best attraction out there. And it's not like WWOHP "stole" guests from WDW, since attendance at all 4 parks went UP during that span.

I can see why Disney invested in NextGen - there's probably a school of thought out there that WDW has enough guests. Rather than bringing in more guests, they're trying to maximize the revenue from the guests that they already have.

In the span of just 2 years IOA gained 3 million more annual guests! Think about that. With the new expansion this year it's coming very close to striking distance to DHS/AK numbers(and then passing them). Epcot could also be overtaken in the next few years, especially if it is allowed to further decay.

I want to make it clear that I am a WDW FANATIC and couldn't give two flips about Universal but there is no perpetual guarantee that Disney's three non-MK parks will continue to beat Universal simply because of spillover from the MK.

 

[sonofanarchy]

That sounds true, and may FEEL true. A lot of people - myself included - have been postponing trips or splitting more time with Universal.

But overall, theme park attendance at WDW isn't dropping. It's going UP.

All three of the "other" parks have been increasing their attendance by an average of 100,000 guests or so every year for the past 5 years. MK has been the same.

All three of those "other" parks also draw higher crowds every year than either of the Universal parks - by about 3 million guests each.

Sure, Harry Potter drew in a lot of guests for Islands of Adventure. In 2009 (the last full year before WWOHP), IoA drew 4.6 million guests. In 2011, IoA drew 7.6 million - a full 2 million below Disney's lowest-attendance park, DHS.

Think about that for a second - DHS, a park that hasn't had anything new or interesting for years, still draws MILLIONS more than the park with what is considered the best attraction out there. And it's not like WWOHP "stole" guests from WDW, since attendance at all 4 parks went UP during that span.

I can see why Disney invested in NextGen - there's probably a school of thought out there that WDW has enough guests. Rather than bringing in more guests, they're trying to maximize the revenue from the guests that they already have.

It's about percentages. Universal's attendance is rising by far larger percentages than Disney's. Sure, DHS has a higher attendance than Universal. But the fact that the MK draws about 90% more people than it's next biggest park is a problem for Disney. Universal saw attendance rise by huge numbers at IOA, so what did they do - Expanded Harry Potter to it's sister park.

The Magic Kingdom will always be the biggest draw in Orlando. I can't see anything changing that. However, the race for 2-4 is getting closer and closer every year. If Universal takes any of those spots above Disney, which I believe they will, Disney will have officially failed in many people's eyes. We all know Universal has done much more with its' parks, but if they manage to surpass any Disney park in Orlando, it will be nothing short of an epic embarrassment to the Disney company.

 

[sonofanarchy]

In the span of just 2 years IOA gained 3 million more annual guests! Think about that. With the new expansion this year it's coming very close to striking distance to DHS/AK numbers(and then passing them). Epcot could also be overtaken in the next few years, especially if it is allowed to further decay.

I want to make it clear that I am a WDW FANATIC and couldn't give two flips about Universal but there is no perpetual guarantee that Disney's three non-MK parks will continue to beat Universal simply because of spillover from the MK.

Perfectly stated. I'm a fan of both, but you hit the nail right on the head - "Spillover from the MK." That's the only thing keeping the Disney parks above Universal's right now. And Disney's answer to all the cutting edge attractions that Universal has been whipping out: Technology that takes away from the overall guest experience.

 

[Shaden]

I love that the word "rides" comes first in the title, because they know that will catch everyone's attention. Like they can't count.

Yea I basically made the same comment in the comments section of this blog, and he came on and said "no where did I say there were 20 new rides" ... BS. As if he didn't realize what the implication of his order, and the structure of the sentence implied, or COULD imply.

 

[sethschroeder]

Is the resort you reserved a Universal resort?

And I don't agree with the room cost being 1/2 as Disney deluxe. For 11 nights with boardwalk view renting DVC were at 2K which basically the same exact price as a basic room at the Hard Rock at the same time.

People always try to act like rack rate at Disney is a price to go by. Look at FVC or the likely 30-35% off and it's about a wash. Paying rack at disney is like not having a coupon at Kohls.

 

[johde]

That sounds true, and may FEEL true. A lot of people - myself included - have been postponing trips or splitting more time with Universal.

But overall, theme park attendance at WDW isn't dropping. It's going UP.

All three of the "other" parks have been increasing their attendance by an average of 100,000 guests or so every year for the past 5 years. MK has been the same.

All three of those "other" parks also draw higher crowds every year than either of the Universal parks - by about 3 million guests each.

Sure, Harry Potter drew in a lot of guests for Islands of Adventure. In 2009 (the last full year before WWOHP), IoA drew 4.6 million guests. In 2011, IoA drew 7.6 million - a full 2 million below Disney's lowest-attendance park, DHS.

Think about that for a second - DHS, a park that hasn't had anything new or interesting for years, still draws MILLIONS more than the park with what is considered the best attraction out there. And it's not like WWOHP "stole" guests from WDW, since attendance at all 4 parks went UP during that span.

Consider this, Disney has 4 theme parks, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot are Considered by many to be 2 day parks and the marginal cost to add the 4th day is $20 and the 5th thru 10th days are $10 each. The people going to Universal are Spending another $100+ dollar per person to put Universal into their vacation instead of $20 or 30 for an extra couple of days at Disney.

People go to Orlando primarily for the Magic Kingdom. I wonder what DHS and AK attendance would be like if people hadn't already paid their dues to visit the MK.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

In the span of just 2 years IOA gained 3 million more annual guests! Think about that. With the new expansion this year it's coming very close to striking distance to DHS/AK numbers(and then passing them). Epcot could also be overtaken in the next few years, especially if it is allowed to further decay.

I want to make it clear that I am a WDW FANATIC and couldn't give two flips about Universal but there is no perpetual guarantee that Disney's three non-MK parks will continue to beat Universal simply because of spillover from the MK.

Disney will continue to have another advantage in the form of Magical Express. Being able to hold people exclusively on property is a powerful way to increase attendance at the three stagnant parks. If it were not for DME, IOA may have already overtaken one of those spots from AK, DHS, or Epcot.

 

[hallie]

And I don't agree with the room cost being 1/2 as Disney deluxe. For 11 nights with boardwalk view renting DVC were at 2K which basically the same exact price as a basic room at the Hard Rock at the same time. People always try to act like rack rate at Disney is a price to go by. Look at FVC or the likely 30-35% off and it's about a wash. Paying rack at disney is like not having a coupon at Kohls.

The resort I reserved is a Universal resort and yes the rate I got was 1/2 the cost of a deluxe reserved through Disney. When is the last time you could reserve a deluxe at Disney for 1297.00 with tax for 7 nights? That's our rate for Universal. We have no interest in renting points. Not sure why people always feel like they have to jump to Disneys defense. I really love Disney but I simply can't afford to stay at a deluxe resort so we made alternative plans. Plus we really love Universal too and I think it'll be great to stay on site and have the express passes!

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

The resort I reserved is a Universal resort and yes the rate I got was 1/2 the cost of a deluxe reserved through Disney. When is the last time you could reserve a deluxe at Disney for 1297.00 with tax for 7 nights? That's our rate for Universal. We have no interest in renting points. Not sure why people always feel like they have to jump to Disneys defense. I really love Disney but I simply can't afford to stay at a deluxe resort so we made alternative plans. Plus we really love Universal too and I think it'll be great to stay on site and have the express passes!

Hallie...if you don't mind my asking...which Universal resort?

 

[hallie]

Hallie...if you don't mind my asking...which Universal resort?

The Royal Pacific Resort. I booked on Priceline, the regular booking not the bidding. we wanted Hard Rock but that was a lot more expensive.

 

[karm12]

Fear not, Starbucks is already open in the Magic Kingdom....at the Main Street Bakery.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

The Royal Pacific Resort. I booked on Priceline, the regular booking not the bidding. we wanted Hard Rock but that was a lot more expensive.

Oh...that seems to be a very popular resort. It looks like a beautiful resort and many Disers have said they have preferred it to Disney's Polynesian Resort. It sounds like you all will have a blast!

 

[hallie]

Oh...that seems to be a very popular resort. It looks like a beautiful resort and many Disers have said they have preferred it to Disney's Polynesian Resort. It sounds like you all will have a blast!

Thanks! We're really excited!

 

[Planogirl]

The Royal Pacific Resort. I booked on Priceline, the regular booking not the bidding. we wanted Hard Rock but that was a lot more expensive.

We really enjoyed the Royal Pacific. I assume that you intend to check out the Hard Rock pool while you're there? The Royal Pacific's was nice but DH and DS really had a blast at the Hard Rock pool.

 

[Planogirl]

I've often wondered what the attendance at the other Disney parks would be like if they weren't lumped in with MK and to a lesser extent with Epcot. I like DHS and AK but the criticism I see here continually surprises me. At least this article makes it sound like AK is slated to improve a lot. Unfortunately still not much going on at DHS or Epcot.

 

[sonofanarchy]

Thanks! We're really excited!

Stayed at both. Much prefer Royal Pacific. It's absolutely gorgeous.

 

[sonofanarchy]

And I don't agree with the room cost being 1/2 as Disney deluxe. For 11 nights with boardwalk view renting DVC were at 2K which basically the same exact price as a basic room at the Hard Rock at the same time.

People always try to act like rack rate at Disney is a price to go by. Look at FVC or the likely 30-35% off and it's about a wash. Paying rack at disney is like not having a coupon at Kohls.

Renting points can not be factored into the discussion. I rent points as well, but that has nothing to do with Disney. I've never paid rack rate at Disney or Universal and there's no contest...Universal is FAR less expensive.

 

[hallie]

We really enjoyed the Royal Pacific. I assume that you intend to check out the Hard Rock pool while you're there? The Royal Pacific's was nice but DH and DS really had a blast at the Hard Rock pool.

Stayed at both. Much prefer Royal Pacific. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Now I'm even more excited!