Come on, Disney! Step it up already.

[starstruck93]

I am anxious to see what Disney does in the next 5 years.

Going to Islands of Adventure for the first time last year, it made me almost sad that the Forbidden Journey was hands down the best attraction I have ever experienced from queue to ride, but it wasn't in Disney. I kept thinking to myself, why can't Disney just build something like this?! I know they have the minds/funds/ability!! I just feel like technologically/creatively speaking, they are a bit behind the 8 ball these days. Come on Disney! Blow our minds!

I have to totally agree with this part.... I find myself wondering what is going on sometimes with Disney. Their slow response to their website issues is also baffling to me.... I KNOW they have the funds to hire the best IT people out there but it always seems like between their DVC site and the Disney site they just keep missing the mark.... very strange for a company as large as Disney. April

 

[dsanner106]

I am very curious about those attendance numbers at MK. For example, my family spent 12 days at wdw last summer. Our party of 12 entered MK 6 times. Based on what I see on here, most people spend 4-5 days and go to MK at least twice per trip. Some people leave and re-enter. I wonder what the number of unique guests would be per year? Do you think that 17 million should be cut in half or 1/3? 2/3? 8.5 mil unique visitors? 5.5 unique visitors? 11 mil?

I bet universal doesn't have the same percentage of repeat visits from the same customers as MK.

It is counted as a paid day by a guest, same at both parks. I suppose if you add all the paid days at all 4 parks and the 2 water parks and do the same at Uni and IOA you will get a better picture comparing the two as a whole. We spent a week at Uni and IOA a couple years ago, so I suppose that is 7 visits, same at Disney.

 

[Planogirl]

From the NY Times article:

"More advance planning will also help lock visitors into Disney once they arrive in Orlando, discouraging people, for instance, from making impromptu visits to Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter."

That's been their strategy for a while hasn't it? I thought about that when we rode Magical Express last year. However, one rental car later and we were on the way to Universal. They'll have to put up gates I guess.

 

[d-r]

I haven't been to Universal for 4 years, despite several visits to Orlando. Why? The studios are tired and have had next to no new attractions in years.

well, that's kind of the point about it being time for Disney to step it up - USF is taking all that cash that Harry Potter brought in and adding to the studios - the Harry Potter-London, transformers, simpsons land. All that will be new stuff to go along with rip ride rocket and dispicable me, and there are rumors that the children's area will be ravamped also, and then if you throw in LOTR...

 

[angelmichelle]

I read this on another Disney forum...

Someone brought up the point that competing against Potter/theme parks everywhere with attractions is nice but only so long as the 'newness' lasts. By implementing a unique theme park experience unlike any others (MyMagic+), Disney goes beyond new attractions - innovation. New attractions and improvements will come, but I hope MyMagic+ becomes a harrowing success for Disney. We'll see.

 

[Robbi]

I think if Disney would go back to doing what Disney has always done best, and keep the quality and maintenance and cleanliness up, they would continue to be the top pick over Universal. The problem is they are sliding in all three areas. When they build new attractions, they don't bother to "plus it" anymore. Maintenance staff has been cut back so far, and the time allowed for overnight maintenance cut back so far, that the rides and parks overall suffer (remember back when they would touch up paint and change burnt out bulbs every day?). Cleanliness problems are as much the fault of the guests as the park - people are just pigs these days and Disney has a hard time keeping up. But they need to keep up, as one of the hallmarks of the parks has always been cleanliness.

Not everyone is a thrill ride junkie. When I go to MK, I don't make a beeline for the mountains, and you can have ToT and RnR. I don't think WDW needs to become a thrill park. But they do need to have something for everyone so the family can vacation together regardless of the generations, and they need to keep on top of their game. They are really dropping the ball at WDW and it's going to take a few painful years for them to bring everything up to where it needs to be - if they decide it's worth it to do so.

I am not a big Universal fan. I've been there a few times, but I'm not familiar with most of the movies their attractions are based on, and as I said, I'm not a thrill ride person. I'm also not interested in Harry Potter (haven't read the books, and only made it about a third of the way through the first movie before I was bored). I have had the opportunity to go to Universal with complimentary tickets, and I don't go. I think the last time I went was when they opened MIB. It just doesn't interest me. I do think they have a quality product - it's just not one I'm interested in.

Besides the ones you listed, maintenance, cleanliness, and quality, I'd like to add customer service. The last one was the Disney hallmark for years. Sadly, this has been slipping for the past 8 years or so.

I haven't read all of the pages on this thread, so some of my points may have been mentioned be PP's. However, I want to throw my 2 cents in on what the OP raised.

Disney got a swift kick in the unmentionables when they missed the Harry Potter boat. It's a proven franchise (personally, I have seen about 7 minutes of the first film only because a friend of mine was in it) but there is no doubt it's a popular franchise. However, Universal have used HP as a stick to beat the guests with in my opinion.
People complain about FP and FP+ but in contrast with the Express Pass offering from Universal that in some instances almost doubles the cost of your ticket, we see how Disney is at least trying to balance guest experience/cost with their profits while Universal are just raking into their own coffers. Express Passes do not (or at least didn't the last time I looked into it) include the HP attractions!

I haven't been to Universal for 4 years, despite several visits to Orlando. Why? The studios are tired and have had next to no new attractions in years. IOA has undoubtedly had investment and new attractions but unless you're a thrill ride person or a HP fan, it has little to offer. I refuse to pay the price of express passes after folking out the ticket price and so, for me, it isn't worth my time or my money.

Disney's business model is different and if I'm honest they haven't got it completely right in recent years. Avatar seemed to be a knee jerk reaction to the HP error and as such it hasn't summoned much excitement. That said the improvements in infrastructure, the Fantasyland Expansion and the acquisition of Lucas Film is genius. It's grass roots investment on which to build later. The possibilities are endless for the Star Wars Franchise, which is arguably the biggest, most successful film franchise there is. In time, we'll see how significant that will prove to be.

What I think a lot of people are missing here is the potential going forward of the Disney buy outs. Right now, a lot of money is going into things that don't have an immediate gratification effect, but going forward, the benefits will be enormous for Disney because they have acquired options. A new Pixar park? Massive expansion of DHS (God Knows it needs it!) with Star Wars land?

I think Disney has missed a few boats and hasn't made all the right choices at the right times, but I do think that behind the scenes, they know what they're doing. Perhaps they could have invested less in some areas and more in others to provide those gratifying new attractions that the guests want to see. Perhaps the investment in DVC at GF could have waited while a new knockout attraction was put in. But looking further down the road, I think Disney have secured the biggest film franchise there is and judging by the Carsland attraction in DL, it is clear they have endless options there too.

My money is on Disney going forward!

Many of us feel that Disney is moving towards a pay to use Fast Pass.

Not massive holes, but examples of my point. Back to the future was huge and a big draw and is now dead and gone, simpsons is great, but again, tied to one show that will end, Doesnt really matter whether marvel was built in the 80s or 90s, my point was that it is an area that may have to dramatically change as they cannot update with new marvel, as Disney owns it going forward.
As for LOTR, hobbit, they are really going to stretch one book to a trilogy?? didnt know that, my point though was that 2 years from now then, the last movie is done. Even the best movie series really dont carry well over generations. Freddy Krueger dominated the screen for a decade, kids now may have heard of him but most not. In fact if I had not insisted my kids would never have seen the first star wars trilogy. You can live off the book audience to a certain point, but as I said LOTR has not been required reading in schools for quite a while and as a bookseller can tell you the current sales are a drop in the bucket compared to what they used to be. They are classics yes but kids aren't seeking them out. The greater part of the audience for the series are in their 40's and up. Universal builds good coasters etc, and the younger crowd will enjoy that aspect, I am sure. I wish them luck, my point is merely that they continue to build major park areas themed tightly to one brand and that leads to expensive overhauls eventually.
D

Yes, Universal can do whatever it wants with Marvel east of the Mississippi. They own the rights to the characters in their contract in perpetuity. As long as they are using the characters and not changing them, they're golden. Here's a link to the contract if you interested in reading it:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1262449/000119312510008732/dex1057.htm

Basically it seems to me that Disney has business people running things who do not have the love for the Disney product that existed in the past. If you don't enjoy what you do, the product suffers. I understand that of course the bottom line has always been important. The unfortunate thing here is they've given us as an example, free dining which attracts masses of people but then the food quality is in the toilet. They're expanding DVC but don't maintain the existing resorts. They talked about Avatar, big whoop. These people are not forward thinking and it appears they're stuck in the here and now rather than having a business plan for the future.

 

[Robbi]

I read this on another Disney forum...

Someone brought up the point that competing against Potter/theme parks everywhere with attractions is nice but only so long as the 'newness' lasts. By implementing a unique theme park experience unlike any others (MyMagic+), Disney goes beyond new attractions - innovation. New attractions and improvements will come, but I hope MyMagic+ becomes a harrowing success for Disney. We'll see.

MyMagic+ is what a lot of us don't want. It means more planning.
Also, I don't think I understood this part of your post "I hope MyMagic+ becomes a harrowing success for Disney." You hope it's distressing or agonizing?

 

[angelmichelle]

MyMagic+ is what a lot of us don't want. It means more planning.
Also, I don't think I understood this part of your post "I hope MyMagic+ becomes a harrowing success for Disney." You hope it's distressing or agonizing?

I apologize. I hope it benefits Disney.

 

[Cyrano]

Moving this to community as there are other threads on TPAS where questions relating to planning are better posted.

 

[Robbi]

I apologize. I hope it benefits Disney.

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[phamton]

I have always been a Dsney fan. I went with my family to Disneyland in 1957 as a child and every year thereafter to either Disneyland or Disney World (when it opened.) I continued this tradition with my own kids. They were raised on Disney.

Now I am a grandmother and planning on carrying on the tradition. My grand-daughters made their first visit the first of November this year. They are all about the Princesses and are age 5 and 4 years old. I planned 5 days at Disneyworld and 1 day at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. The only tv they watch at home is the Disney channel and don't watch Nick at all so I figured they would appreciate the Disney parks more than meeting SpongeBob etc. We also did Bibbiddy-Bobbidy Boutique also which they had begged to do.

We spent 3 days at Disney first. Every night they wanted to leave by 7 PM as they were tired. They only got to meet one character, Mickey, because the lines were too long. They both got to dance in the Festival of the Lion King, which they loved. But only one ride did they ever want to repeat and ride again: It's a Small World. (figures!)

Then we went over to Universal for the 4th day of their visit. They were able to meet and dance with lots of characters with no wait-time. They loved the Despicable Me characters (although they never saw the movie) and interacting with Thing 1 and 2, Cat in the Hat, and even enjoyed talking to the Egyptian prince (on stilts) that kept calling them his new Princesses, as they were still dressed up from BBB makeover. They loved the Harry Potter land and the oldest was tall enough to ride Forbidden Journey and claimed it was her favorite ride ever. We re-rode several rides like High in the Sky Trolley and Cat in the Hat. They begged to come back for another day. I explained that we were going to Magic Kingdom again for our second day tomorrow but we would return to Universal and Islands.

The whole time the next day, they just seemed overwhelmed at Magic Kingdom but I insisted that we stay for Wishes and the Electrical parade that they had missed when we left early the last time. After it was over, they wanted to go right back to Universal. This really baffled me because their mother (my oldest daughter) and I were sure they would love Disney much more than Universal.

After the vacation was over, I spent some time trying to figure out why they preferred Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure since they are both at the prime age for the Princess stage. The conclusion that I came to was that it was much more relaxed at Universal and Islands. We didn't rush anywhere, we didn't wait in long lines for characters or to sitdown at the restraurants like Hard Rock Cafe, etc. Plus there were a ton of places for downtime at Universal. They spent lots of time playing in the "If I ran the Zoo" Seuss play area and also in the KidZone play area. They also spent some time in the Jurassic Park play area. It just gave them some time to relax. Since they had some playtime, they didn't get so tired and want to leave. They also had much more interaction with characters that were roaming the park and not surrounded by a line of people.

All in all, they had a great time and they said their favorites were in this order: Forbidden Journey (and drinking Butter Beer), High in the Sky Trolley, One Fish Two Fish, Despicable Me, Its a Small World, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cat in the Hat, Splash Mountain. Their favorite parks: Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Magic Kingdom.

 

[MelissathePooh]

People talk about USF only being for thrill ride fans, but there really aren't that many coasters compared to other attractions. I think USF actually does a better job for the younger kids set with all of the play areas. Disney is starting realize that and the Pooh queue/Dumbo are well done. Epcot would be so much better off if they would leave the festival playgrounds up year round. My kids love those.

I'm not paying thousands of dollars to take my kids to an over themed playground so much as it really helps them decompress when they need to just run around and play. When you aren't actually on an attraction its pretty much a vacation filled with hurry up and wait!

 

[disneycrazi]

My family must be in the minority, we go to Disney more than once a year and never venture off sight. For us it is the whole immersive experience. The themed resorts, the food at Epcot, the rich history of MK, the lands of AK, the fireworks and parades and all those characters that remind me of my childhood and of every Sunday night watching The Wonderful World of Disney. My husband and I are around 40. 2 daughters 19 & 20, son in law 26 & son 8. We are planning another trip and only daughter 20 & son in law 26 have expressed in going off site and only for one day. I agree what US is doing is exciting but for us it will still be Disney.....on another note its good in another way as it may pull some traffic out of Disney which is fine for us as the last few trips.have seemed way more crowded.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

~I didn't read this whole thread. But, I have never been to Universal/IOA. I used to think Universal was a joke, but now I am constantly checking to see what new and exciting thing(s) the other side is doing, and that's not good. Because, once phase two is open, I will take a few days from Disney and spend it at Universal and add a day for Sea World. I'm sorry, but Universal is blowing away Disney when it comes to the hottest new attractions. So, even though I *love* Magical Express, I think it's worth the effort and added expense to venture off the WDW resort.

~I think the rumor is credible, I hope it's true. Disney is trying to get by with less for more. I can already envision a little "Hobbit Village" & so much more!

~My recommendations for Disney is:

~AK: Avatarland & Excalibur -- is there any wizard greater than Merlin? Disney can create some kind of "great dragon" feature to fit the AK theme!

~DHS: Star Wars Land & Pixar Land, a little of both will create a nice balance with something for everyone!

~Epcot: The Land of OZ! People would come from every corner of the globe to walk on the yellow brick road and see the Emerald City, the wicked witch, good witch, munchkins & ruby slippers! Also, add Alice's Wonderland! It would be a huge hit!

 

[awoogala]

I apologize. I hope it benefits Disney.

It will benefit Disney. It's going to be the most profitable data mining experiment in history. If you opt in to the My disney experience website (which you have to do to use fp+ online or with your smartphone), you have given them permission to data mine you and your children.
They now have the right to use and sell your info to any third party they wish.- including information about children.
Targeted ads to you and your kids anyway they can get them to you- phone, internet, websites.
Disney can make billions on our info.
I am livid about this, and am seriously considering a break with WDW in the future. At the very least, I guess I won't be using any fp+. Which makes me wonder if it is worth it to return at all.
3 fp a day in one park aren't all that much, either. With park hoppers, we could have hit that many in 2 parks a day.
Iger thinks it's swell to market directly to kids. http://www.reuters.com/article/2009...ZY20090723?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

 

[disneyworld1977]

I cant read all these posts...but what it boils down to for the most part from what I read, or maybe its just what I believe....

We LOVE Disney, Some are coming to LOVE Universal more. That's fine!

Both places are moving forward, creating new things. GREAT! Maybe in different directions, maybe a little better than the other. (not going to debate it)

SUMMARY for me:

I LIKE Universal alot. I would go there in a heartbeat if I could right now!
But I have always LOVED Disney Parks. I go there a little more though!

....and I'm done!

 

[disneyworld1977]

My family must be in the minority, we go to Disney more than once a year and never venture off sight. For us it is the whole immersive experience. The themed resorts, the food at Epcot, the rich history of MK, the lands of AK, the fireworks and parades and all those characters that remind me of my childhood and of every Sunday night watching The Wonderful World of Disney. My husband and I are around 40. 2 daughters 19 & 20, son in law 26 & son 8. We are planning another trip and only daughter 20 & son in law 26 have expressed in going off site and only for one day. I agree what US is doing is exciting but for us it will still be Disney.....on another note its good in another way as it may pull some traffic out of Disney which is fine for us as the last few trips.have seemed way more crowded.

I am with you. We drive to WDW mostly, but I park the car at the resort and don't touch it until we leave!

 

[kimmar067]

Code words for "smoke and mirrors"....