Disney's tourism market share diluted by competitors

[sha_lyn]

Originally posted by Robinrs
Cindy, we must have the SAME KID!! My son, now 10, had marks on the wall counting the days that he would be tall enough for the Incredible Hulk and Dueling Dragons, which actually happened by our May 2001 trip. Now he can go on it over and over and over.

Brianna ( then 4 1/2) had me measure her daily for weeks before our last trip to IOA. She reached the 40 in to ride Spiderman just days before we left. I think her sheer will-power put on that last 1/4 inch. She rode it 2X and loved it.

 

[robvia]

From what I've read, that Hurl machine is costing 100 million dollars. If it makes people sick like a simulator, that will be a diaster. For that money, they could build 4 major coasters from B&M or Intamin. Even if Mission Space (MS) is great, it's only 1 ride. You still have to visit 3 other parks to do all the rides. That's why all Disney parks top the attendance figures, because everyone who goes has to visit 4 parks, but it's starting to backfire, because you can get all the rides at USF/IOA in two parks.

 

[BarryHom]

There's one thing I can predict about Mission: Space -- long lines, long wait time. It looks like it's a good candidate for a single riders line.

 

[USO2003]

Mission Space is the 1st ride to be created expressly for Fast Pass.

Mission Space will increase Epcot's Attendance, until 2005 when Spaceship Earth Closes.

 

[WillyJ]

All I can say is I wish you'd post more often Pete. .

What's next...the anniversary of Roy's Circumcision? Imagine the icon for that celebration.

ROTF!!!!

 

[Muushka]

I agree WillyJ, Pete should post more often

I learned a lot from that post. It reinforces what I have been thinking for a while now, but with facts to back it up.

 

[Disney Debbie]

I agree with almost everything Jon360 said except for the scrapping the old rides part. There is plenty of room to keep the oldies but goodies and still build new rides. I think Disney is heading down the proverbial garden path right now. I'm a HUGE Disney fan - I've been going since the first Thanksgiving after it opened. But we've changed our plans for this year to an all Universal/IOA/SeaWorld vacation. We are staying at a beautiful hotel with resort amenities for the price of an All Stars, we're going to have 5 day passes for approx. $90 bucks and a 2 day pass to Sea World for the price of one day at a WDW park. We're going to have front of the line privileges. What's not to like? When it comes down to dollars and cents you can't beat the other parks. We went 2 years ago to Universal and there's already (hopefully) going to be at least one new ride and maybe two when we go in May. There's not one single new thing at WDW since our last full-fledged visit in July 2001.


MGM will always be my favorite park simply because I love the ambiance of Hollywod Blvd and Sunset Blvd. But Disney is pricing people like me out.

And why they chose this time and economy to do away with the Disney Club - which was a VERY pale comparison to the Magic Kingdom Club - just shows how greedy but short-sighted they've become.

 

[Robinrs]

Another vote for more Pete Posts!! Come back Mr. Expertise!

I totally agree with my friend Disney Debbie. I also love MGM but I feel like Disney has not tried hard enough lately to appease me as a consumer.

My money is hard to come by, EXTREMELY hard, and I want and need my bang for the buck. I get that at Universal Orlando. I feel the perks they offer me are ones I could genuinely use! Disney offers the status and exclusivity of staying onsite, which has no appeal at all for this Brooklyn girl, but I have to stand on line forever just because I get the RIGHT to stay on property after paying out the nose for it? I don't think so....

Disney has no childhood memories or nostalgia for me, I visited it for the first time when I was 44 years old. I went, I truly liked it but that was enough. I like to be lured and convinced, not hooked on a feeling like some people have. I have not felt that there. I think the onsite image of Disney is to stay there and spend ALL of your money there, no where else in Orlando. I like the entire city and do not wish to be trapped in an area just because they offer "magic"... I will NEVER get that concept no matter how many times I hear it! I actually like seeing Kirkman Road right off of the USO parking lot, it was my first home in Orlando. I like going to the Walgreens, the Publix, the Pizza Hut, heck, I like Orlando and WDW doesn't even like to say they're in Orlando! I actually feel like a prisoner there.

Whatever the politics, the corporate mumbo jumbo, whatever, Disney has a responsibility to it's most important asset, it's customers. And as long as people keep allowing them to treat them any way they want, they will continue. I'm just glad that the new guy in town made them realize that they are NOT the only game in town.

I so totally agree with the IBM adage, AT&T and AOL have had their comeuppance when it came to competition of late also, haven't they?

 

[Praise2Him]

ksdave-
That's EXACTLY what I thought when I saw the door scene in Monsters, Inc. - it would make a great ride!

 

[ksdave]

Praise, if WDW does not do something with that scene, they are completely nuts.

By the way, look at my countdown clock. Guess where I'll be in less than one day.

 

[USO2003]

1994 was when I started to hate what Disney was doing to the parks, 1999 with the closing of Horizons pissed me off. 2000 Disney said we no plans to remove Horizons, then a month later the building is being demolished that was the last straw. At that point I stopped supporting Disney.

Now the only ride at Epcot I would ever go to the park to ride, is on its way out. That's right Spaceship Earth.

Disney will continue to screw up, but that doesn't matter because they have the name. People know Disney, people love Disney.

I use to post my views on how Disney never offers deals like Universal, I asked when it a ticket price would be too much. I said if it was $100 for a one day ticket would you pay it? They said yeah and explained it like well your paying $10 an hour to have fun. So if you have people like that going to the park Disney will always remain #1.

I love Universal, I more then anyone here wants to see Universal kick the crap out of Disney. I pray for that, I just once want to see it, just 1 time see the estimates say IOA beat Animal Kingdom. That will never happen.

Animal Kingdom is the worst accuse for a theme park, it's a Zoo. That's all it is a Zoo. Well that Zoo kicked the crap out of the "#1 Theme Park in the World" "The most technologically advanced theme park ever built" "The most expensive theme park ever built" Islands of Adventure is 1000x better then Animal Kingdom, and it cannot beat Animal Kingdom. Why? because Disney's name is on it. If it was John Doe's Animal Kingdom who would go to visit it? no one, it would be out of business.

Disney represents Family, and Family values. That is why it is so popular. Universal is not as well known as Disney.

Universal needs to get its name out, do you know that there are people out there who don't even know there is a Universal Theme Park in Florida? I was talking to a person who went to my site and e-mailed me, asked me "When did Universal build a theme park in Florida?" He went on to say he would have gone if he knew and asked some questions but the point is Universal needs to get it's name and image out there more.

Until they do, they will never beat Disney in the Theme Park business.

 

[robvia]

I didn't get POd with Disney, just wanted thrills.
The last time I went was 1998 with my daughter, who was 7 at the time. We went to AK, and back then, it was "Just a Zoo", done by noon. Went to MGM for ToT. RnR was not there yet, MK in the afternoon. So in one day, we did the thrill ride tour going to 3 parks. The next day was spent at Epcot and Test Track was still not working.
Test Track was delayed over and over and I never knew if it was running. I later went to MGM in 2000 and rode RnR, but that was by myself.
At the same time the Internet became popular, which made booking trips and getting info on other parks easy. Instead of booking a 4 day trip to Disney, I took my family to BGW and went to CP on my own. Coaster shows appeared on the Discovery Channel, and I wanted to ride them.
Since 1999, what has Disney done in the thrill department?
Not much, a bunch of birthday and anniversary celebrations. A river raft ride, and a kiddie whip coaster at AK. In the 4 years from 1999 to 2002, they should have built a coaster for adults at MK. Instead, they went the family route with the kiddie coaster at AK. It's ok to have family rides, but they completely ignored the thrill seakers.
I'm not ragging on Disney, it's just that the other parks offer much more in the thrill ride area, and that's where I'm going these days. My daughter went back to Epcot on a school field trip and said it was cool. Of coarse it was, she was with friends. But I'm not going back until Mission Space is working.

 

[TreeOfLife]

Disney is waking up to the fact that its most faithfully blind, loyal fans belong to an era that is vanishing.

Kids are growing up with other entertainment influences and are open to other attractions. So the ego trips that the managers at Disney relied on have been hurt. They had to redo packages and bring back ee mornings to patch up here and there. They are realizing that their fans aren't invulnerable. You take away perks and privileges, most will go where they are treated better.

We love both Disney and Universal, I take no sides because I am no VIP that gets treated to everything by either enterprise. So, since none pay me to remain loyal, I go where we have the most fun and special tratment for the buck. And we have to admit that Universal does it, hands down...

 

[KELLY]

I can't honestly say I disagree. I love Disney and Will continue to go back as often as I can. But this year we our doing 7 nights at All Star Resort will length of stay pass for 1,560.00 I'm also staying 5 nghts at Hard Rock with length of stay pass for 900.00 2 nights less is a 660.00 difference and we are staying at a top of the line hotel with Universal. Yes I booked the Disney portion land only with a travel agent and used the info on this sight for Universal but even if I did my disney portion seperate it still wouldn't even come close. I haven't been to Universal in 5 years but there was only one park no city walk no IOa and no hotels. I Love disney but Universal has a lot to offer. KELLY

p.s. Last year We did Disney and I recieved a post card for a moderate so that worked out to be a bargin for Disney standards.

 

[ksdave]

Kelly, I just stayed at PBH at Universal last weekend. The last few trips to WDW we stayed at All Stars. After a couple of days at the Universal hotels, you may wind up like we are: asking yourself why you ever paid so much and stayed at All Stars. I think the bathrooms in my room at PBH were as big as the entire room at All Stars. The resorts at Universal are gorgeous, the FOTL benefit is amazing and the employees are really friendly and accomodating.
Hope you are going to All Stars first, otherwise HRH will spoil you and then you'll feel like you're living in a shoe box at All Stars.

 

[anotherboardnposter]

20 years old, and I consider myself half Disney/half Universal.

I've been going to the Disney parks with my family since the late 80s and I've been going to Universal since the early 90s.

This year, I'm looking forward to Universal more than Disney. There will always be a place in my heart for WDW (that's where we're staying), but it's the two trips to Universal Orlando (one for USF and one for Islands Of Adventure) that have got my motor running.

I'm a Universal young man, I guess. I love the Universal films of the 80s (E.T was released the year I was born), and I've made it my mission to record all the reruns of Universal's biggest 80s TV hit "Miami Vice" from TNN. Unfortunately, I'll be missing about 10 episodes in April, since that's when I'm on the way to Florida.

Still, I'm half-and-half. There will always be mouse ears on the globe in my mind.

Sincerely,

John Kilduff

 

[TreeOfLife]

I like both Disney and Universal and plan on visiting both during our next vacation, staying onsite both times.

With the new generations growing up enjoying the movies they ride at US, I foresee US is here to stay. We like the park very much and am confident it will continue to offer a friendly, fun atmosphere that will captivate the heart and fancy of anyone with an open mind, at least open enough to remove fanatical blinds and enjoy something different for what it has to offer.