Interesting article reveals alot about attendance at Disney and Universal

[flicx]

http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...-worse-before-it.aspx?source=eogyholnk0000001 I found this article very telling as to the direction Disney and Universal have been on lately. Disney has gone with the whole MME thing and Universal has gone with the build, build, build motto. Seems Universal has really closed the gap in attendance, especially with Disney's 3 less popular parks. If in the next 5 years universal repeats those numbers they will surpass all but the magic kingdom in attendance. Bob Iger/Tom Staggs are you paying attention? Seems guests want new attractions not cuts and steady price increases and lots more DVC! At least that's my take!

 

[BrianL]

Seems guests want new attractions not cuts and steady price increases and lots more DVC! At least that's my take!

Well, fortunately they have Avatar Land, Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, and a Frozen Ride all on the way!

I know Disney hasn't built much the last few years (though New Fantasyland counts pretty well), but Universal hasn't reached the critical mass that WDW, or at least Magic Kingdom has reached. I think the MDE system was pretty necessary, as was hub construction and other infrastructure issues they have been dealing with. However, I do wonder if they are really filling all those DVC builds. If they are, well, great, but there sure were a lot of them!

 

[flicx]

Disney has a lot of projects slated but they have a history of kicking back projects to later dates. We still don't have lock down dates on most of the new stuff!

 

[BrianL]

^True enough. They do tend to take their time.

 

[flicx]

^True enough. They do tend to take their time.

Rumor has it universal is looking at Nintendo land and possibly more potter. If universal gets out new stuff while Disney goes slow it will really get interesting!

 

[Canuck16]

This newly found competition between Universal and Disney is great to see as it great for us consumers...........Bring it on

 

[10-4 Good Buddy]

The thing Disney has that Universal doesn't is plenty of space. I hope they take advantage of that sometime in the near future. I was just reading this morning about the expansions at the Orlando airport and how they are going to drastically increase the number of people that can come into and out of Orlando. There's a ton of construction activity too, from homes to apartments to condos. Disney World is going to have to have a lot more for a lot more people to do pretty soon or it's going to be even more crowded.

 

[smiths02]

http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...-worse-before-it.aspx?source=eogyholnk0000001 I found this article very telling as to the direction Disney and Universal have been on lately. Disney has gone with the whole MME thing and Universal has gone with the build, build, build motto. Seems Universal has really closed the gap in attendance, especially with Disney's 3 less popular parks. If in the next 5 years universal repeats those numbers they will surpass all but the magic kingdom in attendance. Bob Iger/Tom Staggs are you paying attention? Seems guests want new attractions not cuts and steady price increases and lots more DVC! At least that's my take!

Yes, AK, DHS, Epcot need some major updates, additions, etc. but there is no way Universal will continue to increase their attendance the way they have the last 5 years.
I don't think Nintendo will bring the fans like say Star Wars will (or Harry Potter has).

 

[Spork24]

Universal's numbers had nowhere to go but up. They are still 5th and 6th in town, behind FOUR disney parks.

To me this says a lot less about Disney than it does universal. Disney is doing fine and has a lot coming down the pike.

As far as MDE, it's more about revenue and crowd control than about attendance.

 

[flicx]

Yes, AK, DHS, Epcot need some major updates, additions, etc. but there is no way Universal will continue to increase their attendance the way they have the last 5 years.
I don't think Nintendo will bring the fans like say Star Wars will (or Harry Potter has).

I don't think Nintendo land will be as big as star wars land but Nintendo has one huge following. So many ways they could go with that franchise as the Nintendo library is a huge one!

 

[Bluegrrl]

Please keep in mind that all the construction also hurts our environment down here. Disney has a limit on construction - acre in, acre put back. Orlando has a delicate water table, and we need to preserve our environment. Already there are calls and protests to stop the heavy construction - one condo development by airport can devastate a lake as far away as Oviedo. Be careful what you wish on us.

 

[flicx]

Universal's numbers had nowhere to go but up. They are still 5th and 6th in town, behind FOUR disney parks.

To me this says a lot less about Disney than it does universal. Disney is doing fine and has a lot coming down the pike.

As far as MDE, it's more about revenue and crowd control than about attendance.

It was about revenue, nothing to do with customer satisfaction in my opinion. Universal is now within striking distance of 3 out of 4 Disney parks and they shouldn't be concerned? This says a lot about what Disney has been doing lately, seems universal has found the right formula !

 

[Spork24]

It was about revenue, nothing to do with customer satisfaction in my opinion. Universal is now within striking distance of 3 out of 4 Disney parks and they shouldn't be concerned? This says a lot about what Disney has been doing lately, seems universal has found the right formula !

I won't argue that universal is doing well, but the fact that Disney's numbers aren't falling at these three parks means they are doing fine. They have significant improvements coming that should improve every park, so I'm not sure what your point is.

Yes universal has closed the gap, but it was very large to begin with. The parks and resorts division is doing fine. Sure disney watches what universal does, and wants to beat them, but disney isn't hurting, so universal hasn't hurt them.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The best thing for WDW fans is Universal adding more and more stuff

 

[PlutoPony]

Universal seems to have more attractions that appeal to boys. That's something Disney needs to improve on

 

[bryanb]

Universal seems to have more attractions that appeal to boys. That's something Disney needs to improve on

The princess strategy has really paid off in the past decade. I'd imagine that Star Wars will really help broaden to boys as well.

The best thing for WDW fans is Universal adding more and more stuff

Agree. A rising tide lift all boats. Universal is basically drawing in more tourists to Orlando, and I'll bet the majority of those tourists will spend at least some time on Disney property. Also, competition is good. They'll never admit it, but Disney needs a kick in the pants every once in a while to keep on their toes and innovating.

 

[2Gma]

The best thing for WDW fans is Universal adding more and more stuff

Agreed!
Universal adding more attractions=Disney upping the ante by adding more attractions=win for WDW fans
Newer attractions at Universal=more Orlando guests choosing to go to Universal than Disney=less people in Disney parks=win for WDW fans

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Agree. A rising tide lift all boats. Universal is basically drawing in more tourists to Orlando, and I'll bet the majority of those tourists will spend at least some time on Disney property. Also, competition is good. They'll never admit it, but Disney needs a kick in the pants every once in a while to keep on their toes and innovating.

ITA. I've never understood the avid Disney defenders. I want Universal to succeed--and greatly--because I want Disney to be forced to better than it has been doing, because I want more bang for my buck when I go there. And part of that "doing better" is building faster while still maintaining quality and giving us more than just lame dark rides that are replicas of technology that has been around for decades (Voyage of the Little Mermaid, I'm looking at you).

Competition is nothing but a good thing for guests.

 

[wareagle57]

It looks like Universal is likely to pass DHS and possibly DAK before Avatar opens up. If Universal can somehow keep building at this rate, and squeeze in a 3rd gate somewhere that allows onsite boat/walking transportation, that is when I think they will become a true competitor with Disney. Especially if they can get away from the simulator model and put in some rides that won't have to be replaced every 10 years with new IP.

 

[KeroKero]

Oh...a Nintendo land!! That would be wonderful! I just can't get over the fact that Universal builds so much faster than Disney. I, like others, want both places to succeed as I enjoy them both. I'm looking forward to Star Wars land and Toy Story land (even though it looks like it'll be similar to the one in Disneyland Paris, which is nice to look at but that's about it) and would love more Potter over at Universal.