Comcast CEO: Universal will compete aggressively with Disney

[disneylovin24]

In response to at least Universal having new rides for DLR 60th anniversary, DLR has been expending and adding a lot over the past few years. It has expanded enough that I don't think it needs something to open exactly in 2015 and in regards to WDW, why do they even need a new ride to celebrate DLR 60th? Did DLR get a new ride for their 40th? DLR has done what it has to do before it turns 60, but that really should not matter to WDW or Universal.

As for the ADRs at WDW, my family are not big planners on vacation, we like to just relax and go with the flow. That being said, ADRs have never bothered us. If you really want to eat somewhere then I don't see the problem with being there at a certain time, but that's just me.

 

[quest4dl]

Disney is just trying to cut down on no shows they don't want people making reservations and not showing up they want to fill their restaurants which what they are doing I think is completely fine. The credit card is only on their as a sort of deposit if you show up you don't have to pay with it or use that credit card it's only if you don't show up. I don't know why 24 hours isn't enough time to cancel a reservation unless it is an emergency. If I have an ADR I've never missed it I'm going to that restaurant because I booked it I only ADR the restaurants I really want to go to anyways especially those that fill up fast. Disney is only doing tiring in two parks and whose to say that won't change again. Who's to also say disney won't give out more FP as in more than three maybe it will end up being a perk with staying on site. With this FP+ testing it changes all the time because disney is trying to get it right. Teens in disney have options there are rides there it's just they are long wait rides and with tiering you can't do all of them with a FP, but that's why they still have that line that existed prior to FP existing called the standby line. My family of five only used 3 FPs our entire vacation in July of 2012 longest wait was for TSMM because I we couldn't get a FP for it that wait was 60 minutes we also waited for soarin 55 minutes. Other than that our average wait was 20 minutes maybe which that time flys by these days especially with a lot of these new interactive queues. But I guess it all depends on your family.

I don't know about you but sometimes we don't feel like a big meal the day of, someone may not be feeling well (not deathly ill but just not up for a TS restaurant) or we decide to change parks. I would also cancel my ADRs if we didn't go but now there is a per person charge for cancellations within 24 hrs. I'm sure there is enough walk-in traffic to fill their tables. With Disney restaurants being inconsistent, I wouldn't hinge my entire vacation around my ADRs. We did before when the kids were younger and we wanted certain character meals but now that they are older we don't have them on our list anymore.

We are going in March when the system will still be in 'experimental' stages. A Disney vacation costs too much money to take that kind of risk. In fact, we wouldn't be going at all if my older son wasn't going there for his high school band trip.

 

[rteetz]

I don't know about you but sometimes we don't feel like a big meal the day of, someone may not be feeling well (not deathly ill but just not up for a TS restaurant) or we decide to change parks. I would also cancel my ADRs if we didn't go but now there is a per person charge for cancellations within 24 hrs. I'm sure there is enough walk-in traffic to fill their tables. With Disney restaurants being inconsistent, I wouldn't hinge my entire vacation around my ADRs. We did before when the kids were younger and we wanted certain character meals but now that they are older we don't have them on our list anymore. We are going in March when the system will still be in 'experimental' stages. A Disney vacation costs too much money to take that kind of risk. In fact, we wouldn't be going at all if my older son wasn't going there for his high school band trip.

I see where your coming from we don't do a lot of ADRs so that's why we don't cancel. On a typical vacation for us we have maybe 3-4 ADRS for our entire trip which is usually a week. My family still has younger kids so we do a character meal or two and then well do a restaurant like Ohana or something.

 

[artesian]

If you want thrill rides, I'm not sure why you're going to Disney or Universal in the first place.

I'll agree with you here but I want both. I want a good mix of thrill and story. Disney blows Universal away on story but can deny they have less thrill options than them. If Disney wants to keep servicing the demographic of families with young kids or people who don't want thrill they will keep winning. There is that middle market of people with teens or people who want more thrill rides that will get them to go to US/IoA at least some part of their trips. My situation for the forseeable future with my family is we will split visits. I will keep using my DVC but they are losing 3-4 days of admissions plus spending on property. I am totally ok with the course Disney is on. Nor am I am trying to be negative but if they had done expansions or or added e tickets types rides the last 20 years I have been coming here I honestly doubt Universal would be in the equation.

 

[rteetz]

I'll agree with you here but I want both. I want a good mix of thrill and story. Disney blows Universal away on story but can deny they have less thrill options than them. If Disney wants to keep servicing the demographic of families with young kids or people who don't want thrill they will keep winning. There is that middle market of people with teens or people who want more thrill rides that will get them to go to US/IoA at least some part of their trips. My situation for the forseeable future with my family is we will split visits. I will keep using my DVC but they are losing 3-4 days of admissions plus spending on property. I am totally ok with the course Disney is on. Nor am I am trying to be negative but if they had done expansions or or added e tickets types rides the last 20 years I have been coming here I honestly doubt Universal would be in the equation.

Good argument but other than rides similar to what they already have I don't see Disney building major thrills.

 

[disneylovin24]

I'll agree with you here but I want both. I want a good mix of thrill and story. Disney blows Universal away on story but can deny they have less thrill options than them. If Disney wants to keep servicing the demographic of families with young kids or people who don't want thrill they will keep winning. There is that middle market of people with teens or people who want more thrill rides that will get them to go to US/IoA at least some part of their trips. My situation for the forseeable future with my family is we will split visits. I will keep using my DVC but they are losing 3-4 days of admissions plus spending on property. I am totally ok with the course Disney is on. Nor am I am trying to be negative but if they had done expansions or or added e tickets types rides the last 20 years I have been coming here I honestly doubt Universal would be in the equation.

I am 19 and never once during my teen years was I more into thrill rides than story. Same with my older cousins who traveled with my family through their teens and always enjoyed Disney. I think Disney appeals to teens too. I like the story element and other details of Disney a lot more than thrill rides interest me.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

If you want thrill rides, I'm not sure why you're going to Disney or Universal in the first place.

Splash mountain and the tower of terror are the direct counter argument to your statement

It can be a good thrill ride without a world record for height, speed, and Gs...and Disney has done it before

 

[disneylovin24]

Splash mountain and the tower of terror are the direct counter argument to your statement

It can be a good thrill ride without a world record for height, speed, and Gs...and Disney has done it before

I think people would argue that Disney's thrill rides aren't intense. I am not a big fan of thrill rides and even I think Splash Mountain is not intense at all after you ride it a few times.

 

[mvk]

Nor am I am trying to be negative but if they had done expansions or or added e tickets types rides the last 20 years I have been coming here I honestly doubt Universal would be in the equation.

Depends on your definition of thrill rides or e-tickets. In the past 20 years, they've added -

Hollywood Tower of Terror
Dinosaur
Rock N Roller Coaster
Expedition Everest
Test Track
Sum of All Thrills
Mission: Space

All of those are thrill rides

As for other e-tickets

Toy Story Midway Mania
Kilimanjaro Safari's
Soarin
Kali River Rapids
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

As for expansions, does an entire Theme Park (Animal Kingdom) count? Does Blizzard Beach count? DisneyQuest? New Fantasyland?

 

[mvk]

Splash mountain and the tower of terror are the direct counter argument to your statement

It can be a good thrill ride without a world record for height, speed, and Gs...and Disney has done it before

I wasn't saying they don't have any, but the people who are solely seeking thrill rides shouldn't be looking at Disney. They should be going to Six Flags or Cedar Point or the like.

 

[rteetz]

I wasn't saying they don't have any, but the people who are solely seeking thrill rides shouldn't be looking at Disney. They should be going to Six Flags or Cedar Point or the like.

Exactly

 

[artesian]

I am 19 and never once during my teen years was I more into thrill rides than story. Same with my older cousins who traveled with my family through their teens and always enjoyed Disney. I think Disney appeals to teens too. I like the story element and other details of Disney a lot more than thrill rides interest me.

Agreed with you here. I am basing my ideas solely on what my kids ask for now when we go back. There will NEVER be a trip that we don't visit WDW. If the trip we take is 7 days they absolutely will ask to go to US/IoA. My upcoming trip I've actually shorted my DVC stay by 2 nights to try to whole front of the line pass thing as well as the hotels over there. Yes I am spending more $$ but there is a flip side of not borrowing DVC points the following year and cutting 2015's trip shorter. Different strokes for different folks. Enjoying this thread to get a sense from different perspectives from all the DISboard memebers

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Depends on your definition of thrill rides or e-tickets. In the past 20 years, they've added -

Hollywood Tower of Terror
Dinosaur
Rock N Roller Coaster
Expedition Everest
Test Track
Sum of All Thrills
Mission: Space

All of those are thrill rides

As for other e-tickets

Toy Story Midway Mania
Kilimanjaro Safari's
Soarin
Kali River Rapids
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

As for expansions, does an entire Theme Park (Animal Kingdom) count? Does Blizzard Beach count? DisneyQuest? New Fantasyland?

Woah there...thanks for the company opinion and listing.

Nobody said they haven't added anything...what I'm saying is that their rate of Investment has slowed considerably.
And I know they talk about how much they're spending (but that's smoke and mirrors... The fantasy had 0 to do with Orlando)...but frankly I don't care.

It's yielding less...if you can't put solid things in for more money: then either drive a better bargain or spend more...
I certainly am.

 

[disneylovin24]

Woah there...thanks for the company opinion and listing.

Nobody said they haven't added anything...what I'm saying is that their rate of Investment has slowed considerably.
And I know they talk about how much they're spending (but that's smoke and mirrors... The fantasy had 0 to do with Orlando)...but frankly I don't care.

It's yielding less...if you can't put solid things in for more money: then either drive a better bargain or spend more...
I certainly am.

Don't think OP gave the company opinion, think they just listed all that WDW has added in the past 20 years to contradict the statement that WDW has slowed down in the past 20 years.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I wasn't saying they don't have any, but the people who are solely seeking thrill rides shouldn't be looking at Disney. They should be going to Six Flags or Cedar Point or the like.

If it uses gravity and moves at some decent level of speed in an open air vehicle... It can be classified as a thrill ride.
It may not be an "extreme" ride...and that is important because Disney by their own flag/mission statement does not do that. The only thing loosely termed as an extreme to me would be the launch on rockin roller coaster (all 2.8 seconds of it)...and perhaps loosely the acceleration on test track...space mountain launch in Paris ( awesome.. If rough by the way) would be another off the top of my head.

Space mountain is a thrill ride and has baby humps at speeds in the 30 mph range. But it still quickens your beats.

This is nitpicky but an important distinction... Don't say Disney doesn't "do thrill rides". They certainly do...they tried in 2005 in animal kingdom to build one of their classic story/ thrill rides and failed spectacularly... So they haven't bothered since.

But letting them off the hook on this lowers the bar even further...which is something we consumers cannot do.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Don't think OP gave the company opinion, think they just listed all that WDW has added in the past 20 years to contradict the statement that WDW has slowed down in the past 20 years.

Divide the list into what was built prior to 2000 and what's been built since...

Then recompute.

 

[mvk]

Woah there...thanks for the company opinion and listing.

Nobody said they haven't added anything...what I'm saying is that their rate of Investment has slowed considerably.
And I know they talk about how much they're spending (but that's smoke and mirrors... The fantasy had 0 to do with Orlando)...but frankly I don't care.

It's yielding less...if you can't put solid things in for more money: then either drive a better bargain or spend more...
I certainly am.

Well somebody did say they haven't had an e-tickets or expansions in the past 20 years, whether it was you or not. I didn't quote you.

They've added 12 major attractions in the past 20 years, and numerous other smaller ones. I'm not sure how much more you want them to do, and where you expect them to put it. They're putting Pandora is a spot where they had allocated for a land 15 years ago. I would expect their next expansion/makeover would be the backside of DHS. Then after that a makeover of some of the Epcot stuff.

 

[mvk]

Divide the list into what was built prior to 2000 and what's been built since...

Then recompute.

Soarin
Expedition Everest
Sum of All Thrills
Mission: Space
Toy Story Midway Mania

Add in a update of Test Track and Star Tours.

Mine Train in 2014
Likely something in Pandora in 2016

Fact is, the country went into a pretty big recession for a few years, and that most likely had a big effect on building plans. Coming out of it, they added New Fantasyland, are about to start on the Avatar land, and will most likely move onto Star Wars after that.

 

[disneylovin24]

Divide the list into what was built prior to 2000 and what's been built since...

Then recompute.

Someone originally mentioned the past 20 years and that is what OP was responding to.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Someone originally mentioned the past 20 years and that is what OP was responding to.

ok...
I'm mentioning the rate of investment over the last 15 years since animal kingdom went on line....

changes tings, don't it.

that list is unimpressive...sorry.

a flat ride in toy story, a failed (it doesn't work...it is a fail) in everest, and a clone in soarin...along with the normal shenanigans with parades, shows, and low impact tweaks.

wait...i forgot about chester and hester...nevermind...my bad. I did forget mission space...that is a solid investment (even with mixed results)...however - then they shut down wonders of life and did Nothing!! a straight subtraction for the price. come on.

they don't have to build a cutting edge hurlatron each year...but they better be building something...and for their price - better be high quality.

too much to ask?