DISNEY if you don't want the average Joe to stay at the parks just say so...

[DrewJB]

This concept is not lost on anyone in the hospitality in general. You make hay while the sun is shining. The problem is that corporate investor cows eat all the hay and expect you to make just as much when it's not.

True!

 

[prestoncaldwell]

Really? They were running a national TV show with enormous ratings called "Disneyland" for a year prior to opening that was basically an advertisement for the park. I think they had a sense there was pretty big interest.

Even yet, I still don't think anyone in that day envisioned how big it would become, popularity-wise.

Edit: Just read up on Disneyland the TV series. It was later renamed to Wonderful World of Disney, and form the beginning featured Walt presenting Disney cartoons and edited-down feature films. The only reference I can find to promoting Disneyland nationally was the live televised Dateline Disney on opening day. I don't know whether to look at it more as an infomercial or Disney's desire to share the experience with Disney fans across the country that he wouldn't have expected to make it to the park. Unfortunately, I was not even a twinkle in my 14 year old daddy's eye in 1955. I do believe that the vast majority of Americans vacationed by automobile in those days, making a cross country drive just to see Disneyland as a destination unlikely except for the most diehard Disney fans.

Another fun fact I learned looking this up......tWWoD left ABC in part because they were unhappy that ABC wouldn't sell back its share of DisneyLand (the other part being that in 1961, NBC could televise in color, and Disney had the foresight to film much of his TV product in color). Disney now owns ABC.

 

[larryz]

Really? They were running a national TV show with enormous ratings called "Disneyland" for a year prior to opening that was basically an advertisement for the park. I think they had a sense there was pretty big interest.

I think it was the other way 'round -- WD suckered the networks into the show, then used the show as an ad to drum up huge interest.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Most of this I'm not bothering to respond to, but Disney used to be the Jones's. They aren't anymore.

Then I guess my family wasn't the Jones's. Because while I was growing up, we could never afford to go. Not once. It was way too expensive.

Yet my own son has been 4 times.

 

[cabanafrau]

I think it was the other way 'round -- WD suckered the networks into the show, then used the show as an ad to drum up huge interest.

As I understand it the networks had been trying to lure Walt into TV for a while, but he hadn't cared to do so. When he started dreaming about creating DL he needed to find a way to come up with the finances and decided to take advantage of the TV $ -- and used it to generate interest in the DL project. Perhaps the Disney Company's first steps into the magical world of market synergy.

 

[larryz]

As I understand it the networks had been trying to lure Walt into TV for a while, but he hadn't cared to do so. When he started dreaming about creating DL he needed to find a way to come up with the finances and decided to take advantage of the TV $ -- and used it to generate interest in the DL project. Perhaps the Disney Company's first steps into the magical world of market synergy.

I guess the story you hear all depends on the perspective of the storyteller. End of the day, it worked, certainly on me -- I was brainwashed from an early age!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The history is cool - I watched WWOD and I really really wanted to go to Disneyland. From the east coast that wasn't happening. But I did get to WDW a few times as a kid. 3x, until I was in college in the 80s and my brother got a College Program job there, so we got to go again. Didn't make it regular until I got myself a job and a condo.

 

[Livvie]

Then I guess my family wasn't the Jones's. Because while I was growing up, we could never afford to go. Not once. It was way too expensive.

Yet my own son has been 4 times.

You're misinterpreting my post and reading something into it that isn't there.

Not that it matters, but I didn't visit Disney for the first time until I was middle-aged. My children have been many times. I was not as fortunate as a child as my children.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

Then I guess my family wasn't the Jones's. Because while I was growing up, we could never afford to go. Not once. It was way too expensive.

Yet my own son has been 4 times.

She's not saying Disney guests were the Joneses. She's saying Disney was the Joneses, meaning that they were the standard that other parks tried to catch up with. US has hit a homerun with the Potter franchise. It remains to be seen whether it has the legs Disney's icons do.

 

[Livvie]

She's not saying Disney guests were the Joneses. She's saying Disney was the Joneses, meaning that they were the standard that other parks tried to catch up with. US has hit a homerun with the Potter franchise. It remains to be seen whether it has the legs Disney's icons do.

Thank you! Finally someone understood what I meant!

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think a trip to WDW was ever for the Average Joe. All of us who can afford trips are very fortunate indeed.

 

[DrewJB]

Even yet, I still don't think anyone in that day envisioned how big it would become, popularity-wise.

Edit: Just read up on Disneyland the TV series. It was later renamed to Wonderful World of Disney, and form the beginning featured Walt presenting Disney cartoons and edited-down feature films. The only reference I can find to promoting Disneyland nationally was the live televised Dateline Disney on opening day. I don't know whether to look at it more as an infomercial or Disney's desire to share the experience with Disney fans across the country that he wouldn't have expected to make it to the park. Unfortunately, I was not even a twinkle in my 14 year old daddy's eye in 1955. I do believe that the vast majority of Americans vacationed by automobile in those days, making a cross country drive just to see Disneyland as a destination unlikely except for the most diehard Disney fans.

Another fun fact I learned looking this up......tWWoD left ABC in part because they were unhappy that ABC wouldn't sell back its share of DisneyLand (the other part being that in 1961, NBC could televise in color, and Disney had the foresight to film much of his TV product in color). Disney now owns ABC.

I'm only 37, but I've seen dozens of episodes of Disneyland. Especially in that first year (but throughout the run of the show) there were lots of park updates and the shows themselves revolved around a specific area of the park (Davy Crockett's movies were 'Frontierland' episodes). It was a regular weekly soap box for Walt Disney to talk about his parks (EDIT *park ) and tie-in Disney programming to the park.

 

[larryz]

Thank you! Finally someone understood what I meant!

See, I thought you meant a "Jones," as in an addiction...
Like a basketball Jones...

 

[MammaMoe48]

Tier pricing is a money grab..that it...they know there's a lot of people who can only go on weekends and holidays. Tier pricing is not going to affect people choices when to visit the parks because they don't have choice but to pay the extra charge, attendance in the parks will not change and Disney knows that. It's just a way to put more money to the bottom line and all the things they say is just smoke screen (bs). All I'm trying to do is to start a conversation about Disney turning into a nickel and dime operation, Walt's dream was for Disney to be a place where the average American Joe can take is family and enjoy the day, as corny as it might sound that was his dream! I'm glad to have started this conversation because in 12 hours there's 4 pages off dialogue already so lets keep talking. In case you didn't know I'm a proud Canadian!!!

Are you Canadian living in the US or are you in Canada? Maybe the issue is the exchange rate. $3,000 USD is equal to a little over $4,000 CAD. Could that be why it seems so much more expensive? And, yes I know I may be way off here.

 

[minnie mum]

I don't think a trip to WDW was ever for the Average Joe. All of us who can afford trips are very fortunate indeed.

I agree. DL opened when I was a little girl, and I remember watching the DL TV show ( and then TWWOD) every week. That show, while undeniably entertaining for families, was a running commercial for the park. Walt was no dummy. Almost every show referenced something about it. And it worked. Sort of. I remember asking my parents on a regular basis to take me to Disneyland. But the answer was always the same. They couldn't afford it. And we were by no means poor.

I didn't get to see a Disney park until I was in my 20s, and had a job of my own. Since then we've visited many of the parks; some quite frequently. But Circle of Life : I think we've reached the same point as my parents back in the 50s. Disney Parks have become too expensive for what we get out of it.

 

[EricInPA]

I guess the story you hear all depends on the perspective of the storyteller. End of the day, it worked, certainly on me -- I was brainwashed from an early age!

As a comparison, Nickelodeon had ads for Universal Studios Orlando on nearly every one of their shows (filmed in front of a live studio audience!) and they gave out trips as prizes on the various game shows. On a trip to visit the grandparents, when it came time to decide between a day (one day, driving there and back) at Disney or Universal, my brother and I chose Universal.

My mother still won't let me forget that now that I visit WDW every year

 

[Magpie]

The average American (who may or may not actually be named "Joe")...

Made 32,000 dollars last year, working a white collar job.

Did not earn a college degree.

Is married and will be divorced at some point in his/her life.

Owns a home in the suburbs.

Has a spouse who works (doubling that average salary, for the household).

And has one or two children.

Can this hypothetical "average" person afford a Disney vacation? It depends on their priorities. But, in 1971, 32,000 dollars translated to an annual salary of just 5,500 a year. And that dollar had to be stretched to support a larger family on just one paycheck. And this had to be accomplished without easy access to credit (many folks in the early 70s still didn't have credit cards). The average Joe in 1971 was most likely not hopping a plane to fly his family to Disney World.

We couldn't afford a Disney vacation when I was a kid in the 80's. The only friends I had who could afford it had wealthy parents. Disney's NEVER been for the "Average Joe"... but I'll bet it's never been easier for the Average Joe to find a way to swing it (second mortgage notwithstanding).

Disney is my favourite evil mega-corporation, but they are not - and never have been - a charity. No one is owed a Disney vacation. If they price themselves out of the market, then they will either correct course or go under, like any other corporation. Destroying wetlands in pursuit of profit is immoral. Raising prices in pursuit of profit is not.

And calling for everyone to boycott Disney because you feel personally attacked by a price hike is... well, ludicrous. Buy the product, or not, as you choose. The free market will do as the free market does. Not only is Walt not rolling in his grave, but Roy may very well be nodding approvingly.

 

[Gary M]

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It's not going "third world". The exchange rate of US dollars to Euros right now is such that it costs less for Euopeans to travel here. So they come. In the 90s and early 2000s the Euro was worth less so Americans went there and they couldn't afford to come here. The French never shut up about the "rude Americans". It goes in cycles.

I'm not an expert on currency values, but I thought the US dollar is strong now. If so, it would be more expensive for Europeans and other foreigners to visit the USA because of the exchange rates. Could someone from outside the USA let us know if the currency exchange rate is favorable to them. Thank you.

You're opinion and mine are different on us going 3rd world. I'm much older and see the world from a different perspective than you.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The euro is almost in parity with the dollar. 1 euro equals about $1.10 US. Used to be a good bit higher. An American vacationing in Europe (at least in countries using the euro) will get more for their money than they would have 5-10 years ago.

The British pound is at $1.42 USD. For awhile, the pound was almost 2x the dollar. That meant lots of British visitors. There will still be plenty.

Canadian dollar is at $.75 USD and apparently falling. Not as good a value for Canadians.

 

[PSUGuy]

I agree. DL opened when I was a little girl, and I remember watching the DL TV show ( and then TWWOD) every week. That show, while undeniably entertaining for families, was a running commercial for the park. Walt was no dummy. Almost every show referenced something about it. And it worked. Sort of. I remember asking my parents on a regular basis to take me to Disneyland. But the answer was always the same. They couldn't afford it. And we were by no means poor.

I was 6 when DL opened and the Wonderful World of Disney was a Sunday staple. We were solidly middle class, Dad was a banker, Mom was June Clever until I was about 11 when she went back to work, I have 1 brother. I vividly remember seeing a film of the creation of DL, the animatronic elephant in the Jungle Cruise being installed etc. Without even thinking about it, about the age of 8, I knew a visit there was off the table. Flying in the 50s was not a common thing, if you did you were a 'Jet Setter'. Things have changed for the better but a WDW vacation is by no means cheap and one is probably drifting away from many. Our kids are grown and gone, I have a decent job in IT so we visit yearly but we couldn't have done it when we had 3 kids at home.

Bill From PA