Is Disney World becoming a shell of its former self?

[disneyseniors]

Just had to chime in. We got back from 10 days at WDW with 1 day at Universal in November. We loved it. It was nice to go at a slower pace and actually pick what attraction we wanted to do. No adr's or fp's to keep checking on. We loved diagon alley and the Gringotts ride. It was amazing, as were all the other attractions we participated in. The horror makeup show was very entertaining. We ate when we wanted and a lot of the rides were walk on. The street parade with the minions was great and the characters actually got off the floats and interacted with the audience, dancing with them, etc. This happened at all the parades we saw. No long meet and greets. There was a small line for a transformer, but only on a small scale of 10 people or so. Not on Disney standards! The cast members were all in character and no problems with them. Loved MIB, the Minions, the Mummy, and of course Harry Potter. The ambience at diagon alley and knockturn alley was amazing.
So, different strokes for different folks. You just need to try both. We love Disney and will always do most of our time at WDW. However, I keep thinking of a minivacation to Universal without a stop at Disney might be in the future. Both are amazing destinations, or different reasons.

 

[Josh Hendy]

We just went to DW the first week of Dec. Spent one of our 10 days at Universal and it was a BIG WASTE of our time and money! Every ride we went on was the same only with different characters. Won't be going back anytime soon. Plus the hubby couldn't ride HP because his shoulders didn't fit. Bad planning on their part to exclude so many people! Size Does Matter at Universal! :-(

There's something in this.

I love Universal personally, but as a whole my family still prefers WDW. I think that the only thing that Universal is doing "wrong" lately is that the overall average of the attractions is still a bit too intense, loud and nausea inducing. Or just plain impossible to ride for bigger and smaller people, like Forbidden Journey and I assume the Jimmy Kimmel clone.

It doesn't make the parks lousy or anything, they're still great. But for people outside of the 15-35 age bracket and for tamer people in that category, they need to make things a bit warmer, tamer and happy feeling. Not all the attractions ... just the average.

Some lands at Universal could get an atmosphere change just with a subtle change of musical arrangements. Call it the science of Muzak if you like ... but right now the rock score in Marvel Land and the ricky-ticky cartoon music in Cartoon Land tend to make people want to hurry along. Whereas in WDW if you listen to arrangements of cartoon music playing in the background there is something warmer and more contemplative happening. It's something to do with acoustic strings ... not just orchestral strings but the bluegrass instruments in the the Splash Mountain queue as well.

It's really exciting thinking about the huge ... tracts of land ... Universal just bought and speculating about what kind of park they're going to build, what theme, IP, attractions, architecture, landscape, music, etc. they're going to introduce. Here's your 5th gate for you ...

And for someone who is contemplating a non-Disney vacation but thinks that the 2 Universal parks are insufficient, I say, go for the Orlando Flexticket and include Busch Gardens and SeaWorld. Those are both great parks. But of course, you should check out what they have to offer and decide if it appeals. They both are strong on animal displays and on fairly big, intense coasters.

 

[rteetz]

Sea World

This right here. They are most definitely screwed as they have lost a lot of market share and just can't seem to get anything right these days. Blackfish hit them big time and a roller coaster isn't going to help everything. I personally feel bad for seaworld as they do some great work for marine life but it is what it is I guess.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

We just went to DW the first week of Dec. Spent one of our 10 days at Universal and it was a BIG WASTE of our time and money! Every ride we went on was the same only with different characters. Won't be going back anytime soon. Plus the hubby couldn't ride HP because his shoulders didn't fit. Bad planning on their part to exclude so many people! Size Does Matter at Universal! :-(

Are you serious?

Wdw has 4 identical spinners and a fleet of similar AA attractions and boat rides that are remarkably similar...

If you don't like universal...or are impressed with Disney characters...fine.

But I'm not sure this particular criticism holds

 

[Planogirl]

Are you serious?

Wdw has 4 identical spinners and a fleet of similar AA attractions and boat rides that are remarkably similar...

If you don't like universal...or are impressed with Disney characters...fine.

But I'm not sure this particular criticism holds

The criticism that people of size have trouble with some of the rides is likely the bigger issue. Universal definitely builds more exciting rides so people have to be securely strapped in which doesn't lend itself well to "a one size fits all" approach.

Disney is big and likely will stay that way for a very long time. Again that has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with nostalgia and (for me at least) habit. I want Disney to ramp it up because then Universal will have to ramp it up even more which just seems exciting.

 

[Nancy F]

Are you serious?

Wdw has 4 identical spinners and a fleet of similar AA attractions and boat rides that are remarkably similar...

If you don't like universal...or are impressed with Disney characters...fine.

But I'm not sure this particular criticism holds

I said for ME. Not You. So it does hold. Because that is why I didn't like it as much as I do Disney. And why I won't be wasting My money going back anytime soon. I know plenty of people who love it there. Just not for us.

 

[Eoghann]

Are you serious?

Wdw has 4 identical spinners and a fleet of similar AA attractions and boat rides that are remarkably similar...

If you don't like universal...or are impressed with Disney characters...fine.

But I'm not sure this particular criticism holds

I find that an odd criticsm. Forbidden Journey is not the same as The Mummy is not the same as Minions is not the same as Transformers, is not the same as Rip, Ride Rockit.

Now there are definitely some similar rides: Transformers/Spider-man obviously and you could certainly argue that the Simpsons is very similar to Minions, but Disney World also re-uses ride systems (Small World and Pirates for example) "just the characters" is a large portion of what makes anything that isn't a full on adrenaline ride.

 

[Josh Hendy]

This right here. They are most definitely screwed as they have lost a lot of market share and just can't seem to get anything right these days. Blackfish hit them big time and a roller coaster isn't going to help everything. I personally feel bad for seaworld as they do some great work for marine life but it is what it is I guess.

I'm really pulling for SeaWorld. Keeping Orcas is just plain wrong and the sooner they get rid of them the better. Keeping dolphins is also somewhat wrong given the size of the enclosures but you might make a case that dolphins can be reasonably happy in captivity if they can socialize with other dolphins and people a lot, and get lots of exercise. The sharks, manatees, seals, penguins and stingrays seem perfectly happy to me and I have no more problem with keeping them than I have with elephants and rhinos. The polar bear looked a bit depressed though.

Even if they had no animals, SeaWorld could potentially be a great, water-based park. Look at Disney Sea in Tokyo. It's just a matter of adding sufficiently interesting, all-ages rides and keeping the overall ambiance warm and inviting. But personally I would say, keep the animals that are reasonable to keep and use the conservation angle as your emotional center, like an aquatic DAK.

 

[Nancy F]

Didn't get to do The Mummy. Just wasn't for us.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm really pulling for SeaWorld. Keeping Orcas is just plain wrong and the sooner they get rid of them the better. Keeping dolphins is also somewhat wrong given the size of the enclosures but you might make a case that dolphins can be reasonably happy in captivity if they can socialize with other dolphins and people a lot, and get lots of exercise. The sharks, manatees, seals, penguins and stingrays seem perfectly happy to me and I have no more problem with keeping them than I have with elephants and rhinos. The polar bear looked a bit depressed though.

Even if they had no animals, SeaWorld could potentially be a great, water-based park. Look at Disney Sea in Tokyo. It's just a matter of adding sufficiently interesting, all-ages rides and keeping the overall ambiance warm and inviting. But personally I would say, keep the animals that are reasonable to keep and use the conservation angle as your emotional center, like an aquatic DAK.

What would they do with the existing Orcas? It's already been shown that Orcas don't do well being reintroduced to the wild. I can't see forcing SeaWorld to build sea pens as some want either.

As for the polar bear, they always seem to look unhappy so who can tell.



I like your ideas. I think that SeaWorld can survive but so much of what they need to do will take time and money, lots of money.

 

[Josh Hendy]

What would they do with the existing Orcas? It's already been shown that Orcas don't do well being reintroduced to the wild. I can't see forcing SeaWorld to build sea pens as some want either.

I guess they'll have to grandfather the Orcas, show them to people, dedicate a certain amount of proceeds to building sea pens, and just acknowledge and live down the mistakes of the past.

 

[Planogirl]

I guess they'll have to grandfather the Orcas, show them to people, dedicate a certain amount of proceeds to building sea pens, and just acknowledge and live down the mistakes of the past.

I would like to see some of the groups pressuring SeaWorld pay for the sea pens while SeaWorld uses their money to change the focus of their parks. I also hope that SeaWorld will continue to do rescues.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I guess they'll have to grandfather the Orcas, show them to people, dedicate a certain amount of proceeds to building sea pens, and just acknowledge and live down the mistakes of the past.

That's exactly what they will do...no new captures, replacements, or captive breedings.

I don't believe in captive orcas...but blackfish didn't tell me anything I didn't already assume.

We've known they are marvelous, advanced intelligence animals for close to 100 years...it shows you how silly **** sapien is that we couldn't put two and two together prior.

I don't honestly think you should put bottlenose in pens either...especially not to ride for fish...

But that being said other man is far more uncaring or stupid than the animal teams at sea world.

We know that Dolphins and whales are hunted still far too heavily and consumed using loopholes in the International whaling laws by "good" countries like Japan.

Just as elephants and rhinos will be gone before 2100 due to too many people that aren't needed and fools in China grinding up elephant parts for "magic potions"...

So can we really judge sea world, zoos, Disney, etc?

 

[mvk]

No they are not screwed. Are they potentially heading for a multi-year slow and painful decline that allows others to gain share and profits and press? Yes, we are entering that now.

Once you reach a point of saturation, and are a public company driven by shareholders without a board willing to stand up and say this is our direction - you start to play it safe. Budgets drive everything, you slow capital investment both in scope and speed, and you go on defense. One could argue Disney is there now. What happens with Star Wars and Avatar and Toy Story? Are they lipstick on a pig (aka NFL) or are they amazing and innovative? We shall see...

Entering it now but will likely be over quick. I mean, they're opening three new lands (Avatar, Toy Story, Star Wars), a new night show (Rivers of Light), plus the Frozen ride over the next 3-5 years. That is gling to bring in people in waves, whether the people here like it or not.

 

[rteetz]

Entering it now but will likely be over quick. I mean, they're opening three new lands (Avatar, Toy Story, Star Wars), a new night show (Rivers of Light), plus the Frozen ride over the next 3-5 years. That is gling to bring in people in waves, whether the people here like it or not.

There might be more than three new lands and a frozen ride in the next five years...

 

[mvk]

There might be more than three new lands and a frozen ride in the next five years...

Right, but thats just whats announced and in progress (or soon to be). Though I guess there is the new Soarin coming as well.

 

[rteetz]

Right, but thats just whats announced and in progress (or soon to be). Though I guess there is the new Soarin coming as well.

That's not a new attraction tho just a new film.

 

[RedSox68]

Just had to chime in. We got back from 10 days at WDW with 1 day at Universal in November. We loved it. It was nice to go at a slower pace and actually pick what attraction we wanted to do. No adr's or fp's to keep checking on. We loved diagon alley and the Gringotts ride. It was amazing, as were all the other attractions we participated in. The horror makeup show was very entertaining. We ate when we wanted and a lot of the rides were walk on. The street parade with the minions was great and the characters actually got off the floats and interacted with the audience, dancing with them, etc. This happened at all the parades we saw. No long meet and greets. There was a small line for a transformer, but only on a small scale of 10 people or so. Not on Disney standards! The cast members were all in character and no problems with them. Loved MIB, the Minions, the Mummy, and of course Harry Potter. The ambience at diagon alley and knockturn alley was amazing.
So, different strokes for different folks. You just need to try both. We love Disney and will always do most of our time at WDW. However, I keep thinking of a minivacation to Universal without a stop at Disney might be in the future. Both are amazing destinations, or different reasons.

We were also amazed by Diagon Alley! Then we spent time at the Harry Potter Studios in London and truly realized how right on the mark they got it! They matched it brick by brick to the original set. IN addition, we love that our on-site room key becomes our "fast pass" there. No need to prebook online or go to machines. Everything is so much easier to accomplish at Universal, including eating! You can same day reservations at almost any place, including Character meals. None of this booking months in advance.

And yes, the crowd totals aren't the same, but Disney has more parks to visit. I think Universal is doing a nice job catching up. We also enjoy the landscaping at UNiversal so much more than at Disney -- just feel more atmosphere and ambiance. And they have some terrific restaurants. And while they don't have as many characters as Disney, they have some amazing Hollywood impersonators -- and they have Gru and the Minions. Their parade, as well as the SpongeBob Squarepants event are well worth a day ticket!

We'll still visit Disney on our trips down south, but plan on spending more time at Universal post WDW just to unwind LOL

 

[jade1]

Didn't get to do The Mummy. Just wasn't for us.

We like Mummy, just waited 60 minutes yesterday. After Gringotts (which took 60 also) it was our next choice since everything was packed. Some would have picked Rip Rocket but a couple in the group get sick on it, Transformers is to much like Spidy and we like Spidy a bit better, Minions and Simpsons are obnoxiously stupid, MIB is good but not for that long of line.

MK after Uni last night was a much better last minute decision.

Funny picking FP+ for MK last night while at Uni-awesome. I'm sure that gets annoying to Uni employees, maybe Uni guests over hearing as well if done in those long lines.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Entering it now but will likely be over quick. I mean, they're opening three new lands (Avatar, Toy Story, Star Wars), a new night show (Rivers of Light), plus the Frozen ride over the next 3-5 years. That is gling to bring in people in waves, whether the people here like it or not.

Attendance will continue to grow at a rate consistent with normal population percentages...

If a long term
Economic slide begins...attendance will flatten out or decline slightly.

That is the way of things