Comcast is going to cream Disney

[mvk]

They went with overestimation intentionally.

I'm a local, and from talking to people that work at both places (and I've seen this mentioned elsewhere too, but those in the know say it is pretty accurate):

It seems Universal's attendance has been up significantly since the expansion opened, to the point where they are surpassing park numbers in all but the MK on Disney side. Guest spending is well up, and Universal's hotel occupancy is over 90%. (Higher than Disney's) All the 5 year expansion plans are still on, and actually have been plussed based on Diagon's results.

One thing that really worked out well for Universal was building Transformers and Dispicable Me, which has evened out the crowds a great deal. It wasn't just the Potter area doing well. As well as handling the crowds much better than when the original land opened up.

If this was the truth, it would be widely reported upon, not just people that work there talking.

As for hotel occupancy, everything I see of Cabana Bay, the resort is nearly empty.

 

[atricks]

If this was the truth, it would be widely reported upon, not just people that work there talking.

As for hotel occupancy, everything I see of Cabana Bay, the resort is nearly empty.

It's what I've heard and been confirmed by a few other sources. Take it for what it's worth, no more or less. In short, what I've heard has gone way against the assertion mentioned here, which is why I mentioned it. It will probably come out in the next quarterly report. Cabana Bay's parking lot has been full since the expansion opened (I drive by it twice each day, and that walkway construction is a pain.).

They went for more than expected intentionally and scaled it back as needed, primarily to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2010 when Hogsmeade opened up. It's still performing extremely well.

The land hasn't even been opened up a month yet, reports will come out.

 

[atricks]

If attendance is up so much why are they eliminating blackout dates?

Actually I checked, they haven't changed anything about blackout dates. Where do you see that?

 

[tjkraz]

Cabana Bay's parking lot has been full since the expansion opened (I drive by it twice each day, and that walkway construction is a pain.).

Hotel occupancy is a poor measure of theme park attendance. Building new hotels doesn't draw additional guests to a park...it simply gives them another lodging option after they've decided to visit that park.

As for overall attendance, bear in mind the initial rush to visit a new attraction inevitably dies down. Disney has seen this many times with waits of 3-4 hours for things like Toy Story Mania, Radiator Springs Racers, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, etc.

From 2012 to 2013 USF added about a million guests thanks to Transformers, Despicable Me and others. They'd have to add another 3 million to catch DAK and Hollywood Studios, and 5 million to catch Epcot.

While I won't rule it out entirely, that sort of growth is unprecedented in the theme park industry.

 

[Disneychick75]

If attendance is up so much why are they eliminating blackout dates?

The only article I can find on Universal eliminating some blackout dates is from 2009.
People were in line for 30 days before Gringott opened. There have been 5 hour waits since it opened.
Like it or not, Universal is movin' on up.

 

[tjkraz]

The only article I can find on Universal eliminating some blackout dates is from 2009.
People were in line for 30 days before Gringott opened. There have been 5 hour waits since it opened.
Like it or not, Universal is movin' on up.

Well...5 hour wait times are the exception, not the rule. 1.5 - 2.5 hours is more typical. And there is always high demand for new attractions.

Forbidden Journey had 2-3 hour wait times for months after its debut. Now it's usually under an hour...less than Test Track, Soarin, Toy Story Mania, etc.

 

[mvk]

Universal Studios attendance last year was estimated 7,062,000, or an average of about 19,348 per day.

Epcot was at 11,229,000.

For Universal Studios to surpass Epcot as the #2 park in Orlando, it would have to add about 4,200,000 guests, and that's if Epcot does not see an increase in attendance (it has only dropped once, in 2010, and there is no global recession now like there was then).

To do that, Universal Studios would have to add an additional 11,500 guests per day on average. Do you really think Universal is seeing 60% more guests this year than last year? Keep in mind the first HP expansion led to an increase of less than half of that.

There is no way Universal has 11,500 more guests on average per day now. The lines for every single one of their attractions would be at 90+ minutes. That isn't happening. On the "busy" days, Despicable Me is the only one to get to that level (other than Gringotts). Hogwarts Express, Mummy, Rip Ride Rockit, Transformers, Shrek, Simpsons, Men in Black all are at 60 minutes or less.

 

[robpa]

Well...5 hour wait times are the exception, not the rule. 1.5 - 2.5 hours is more typical. And there is always high demand for new attractions.

Forbidden Journey had 2-3 hour wait times for months after its debut. Now it's usually under an hour...less than Test Track, Soarin, Toy Story Mania, etc.

TT and Soarin are the only headliners in Epcot so I would expect lines to be longer. Toy Story Mania is the only family friendly(younger kids) ride in the Studios so I expect that line to be longer as well. There are many other rides to do at Universal if thrill rides are your thing so crowds are a little more dispersed.

 

[Disneychick75]

Well...5 hour wait times are the exception, not the rule. 1.5 - 2.5 hours is more typical. And there is always high demand for new attractions.

Forbidden Journey had 2-3 hour wait times for months after its debut. Now it's usually under an hour...less than Test Track, Soarin, Toy Story Mania, etc.

Exactly and with FOTL, lines are shorter. A poster asked why if Uni was so busy did they change the blackout dates. They haven't and I was showing that attendance at Universal is strong.

 

[tjkraz]

TT and Soarin are the only headliners in Epcot so I would expect lines to be longer. Toy Story Mania is the only family friendly(younger kids) ride in the Studios so I expect that line to be longer as well. There are many other rides to do at Universal if thrill rides are your thing so crowds are a little more dispersed.

Exactly and with FOTL, lines are shorter. A poster asked why if Uni was so busy did they change the blackout dates. They haven't and I was showing that attendance at Universal is strong.

I'm not even sure what relevance wait time holds. USF and Disney both have their own FastPass variants. Wait times are highly dependent upon how many riders skip the standby lines via that manner. Attractions also vary in popularity, in-park competition, rider capacity and many other factors.

Is Universal's attendance on the upswing? Absolutely.

Will USF attendance surpass any of the WDW parks in the next year or two? Probably not.

Is a 5 hour wait time (or 4 hours....or 3 hours) a typical daily average for Gringott's? Uhh...no. And wait times will decrease over time as that initial surge to try out the "latest and greatest" subsides.

 

[robpa]

I'm not even sure what relevance wait time holds. USF and Disney both have their own FastPass variants. Wait times are highly dependent upon how many riders skip the standby lines via that manner. Attractions also vary in popularity, in-park competition, rider capacity and many other factors.

Is Universal's attendance on the upswing? Absolutely.

Will USF attendance surpass any of the WDW parks in the next year or two? Probably not.

Is a 5 hour wait time (or 4 hours....or 3 hours) a typical daily average for Gringott's? Uhh...no. And wait times will decrease over time as that initial surge to try out the "latest and greatest" subsides.

If you mean in regards to park attendance it probably doesn't tell the whole story. Like you said there are many variables that affect lines.

 

[Disneychick75]

I'm not even sure what relevance wait time holds. USF and Disney both have their own FastPass variants. Wait times are highly dependent upon how many riders skip the standby lines via that manner. Attractions also vary in popularity, in-park competition, rider capacity and many other factors.

Is Universal's attendance on the upswing? Absolutely.

Will USF attendance surpass any of the WDW parks in the next year or two? Probably not.

Is a 5 hour wait time (or 4 hours....or 3 hours) a typical daily average for Gringott's? Uhh...no. And wait times will decrease over time as that initial surge to try out the "latest and greatest" subsides.

No one said that a 5 hour wait time will remain.
Who cares if Universal's attendance surpasses WDW? Not me, I think the fact that Uni's 2 parks have less attendance is attractive. Touring the parks is more relaxing. We don't have to run like headless chickens to make it for FPs nor do we have to worry that a dining reservation will interfere with a return time. Staying at Universal with FOTL makes it a true vacation.

 

[tjkraz]

If you mean in regards to park attendance it probably doesn't tell the whole story. Like you said there are many variables that affect lines.

Wait time doesn't even tell us much about the popularity of a single ride either. Attraction capacities vary. Numbers of guests bypassing standby with FastPass or Universal Express vary. In-park competition varies. Park audience varies. Mechanical problems can impact wait times. The list goes on and on...

We don't have to run like headless chickens to make it for FPs nor do we have to worry that a dining reservation will interfere with a return time.

You don't HAVE to do that anywhere.

 

[Disneychick75]

Wait time doesn't even tell us much about the popularity of a single ride either. Attraction capacities vary. Numbers of guests bypassing standby with FastPass or Universal Express vary. In-park competition varies. Park audience varies. Mechanical problems can impact wait times. The list goes on and on...



You don't HAVE to do that anywhere.

Ok, I'll pay for WDW tickets and sit in the parks and twiddle my thumbs. It's only money.

 

[Networth]

I believe the poster was referring to that fact that one of the pro’s to FP+ is no running around to pull a paper ticket or hoping the return time you get fits your needs. You choose the slot.

 

[tjkraz]

Ok, I'll pay for WDW tickets and sit in the parks and twiddle my thumbs. It's only money.

Point was, you don't have to "run like headless chickens" to enjoy the Disney parks. If you prefer Universal...that's certainly your prerogative. But conjuring images of families madly dashing between Disney attractions and restaurants to keep on some rigid schedule is ludicrous.

 

[Toadlover]

Rides have glitches, they take time to smooth out.

I got stuck on Pirates for 45 minutes in the auction scene. Can't tell you how many times I heard.."We wants the redhead"...before they finally shut down everything and turned the lights on.....

45 minutes! I wouldve had to pee! :rofl2: lights on sounds cool

 

[jon18uk]

Wait time doesn't even tell us much about the popularity of a single ride either. Attraction capacities vary. Numbers of guests bypassing standby with FastPass or Universal Express vary. In-park competition varies. Park audience varies. Mechanical problems can impact wait times. The list goes on and on...

And Universal Express Pass actually makes the standby more unpredictable than Disney Fastpass. Disney only allow a certain number each hour through on FP. At Unviersal you aren't given a time so you can end up with everyone using Express Pass at 11am causing the standby queue to stop, then 30min later no one using express and the standby time being reduced to almost nothing.

 

[Disneychick75]

And Universal Express Pass actually makes the standby more unpredictable than Disney Fastpass. Disney only allow a certain number each hour through on FP. At Unviersal you aren't given a time so you can end up with everyone using Express Pass at 11am causing the standby queue to stop, then 30min later no one using express and the standby time being reduced to almost nothing.

We've been to Uni 18 times and have never seen this. Not to say it has never happened but we've been there on holidays and have still never experienced anything longer than a FP wait and that was on a very crowded day. Most of the time, we have 5 minute waits. It's great when the standby lines are long and we walk right on the rides.

Point was, you don't have to "run like headless chickens" to enjoy the Disney parks. If you prefer Universal...that's certainly your prerogative. But conjuring images of families madly dashing between Disney attractions and restaurants to keep on some rigid schedule is ludicrous.

Guess, I've been hallucinating. A lot of the people I've seen must have been sauntering in quick mode.

 

[atricks]

Actually I checked, they haven't changed anything about blackout dates. Where do you see that?

They did update the page later in the day, so this is true. The blackout dates were shortened for the studios, so tomorrow is valid. They did hold out longer to gauge it, it's still very packed over there.