brb1006
Well-Known Member
Orlando
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Time for the war to begin.
- Thread starter seascape
- Start date
Orlando. That I know of.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Well, I hate to break it to you - but they go up every year, regardless. And there is no reason not to expect that to continue,
That said, you just aren't making any sense. You can only be in one park at once. Park tickets are time-based. A fifth gate is simply going to be an incentive for people to spend more days.
An overall transport strategy is an aspiration.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Diagon Alley is a nearly perfect example of 'themed entertainment' where everything contributes to the environment right on down to buying gift certificates at the 'muggle money exchange' the Goblin AA is pretty damn impressive.
As for those who complain about 'too many shops' well Diagon Alley was a wizarding shopping district so stores are the theme.
THE Monorail Lime
Well-Known Member
Yes but battle escape....
Nubs70
Well-Known Member
You really need to check out the Potterlands after you have built up a tolerance of pixie dust.I went about 5 years ago for the first time and was bored out of my mind. Though, to be fair, it was during my college program so the over dosage of pixie dust probably clouded my judgement. One of these days I'll pop over again for a more balanced look. Its nothing more than laziness at this point, as I only live 20 mins away currently
After my first visit as an adult to WDW, I was into the pixie dust like Tony Montana at his desk. Following subsequent visits to WDW, my tolerance to pixie dust increased and said " What the heck, let's check out UNI. While some areas of UNI where take it or leave it, Potterland was and remains truly amazing from a themed perspective.
DisneyDodo
Well-Known Member
You're clearly not understanding. I am referring to an increase in price as a direct result of the new gate, above and beyond the regular, inevitable price increases.
This is a direct contradiction to what you said previously ("How many people pay individually for entrance to the WDW parks?"). If you were implying that most people are entering parks via AP, then Disney makes no additional money in entrance fees on these people.
Of course, adding a fifth gate will result in some additional revenue for Disney, but that's trivial. The question is whether the fifth gate is worth the opportunity cost - not only would the new park have to generate more in new revenue than it would cost, but it has to be more profitable than the alternative, which is spending these resources on bolstering the parks they already have, for the move to be worth it. It's clear that the answer is no.
Universal's share of theme park attendance in Orlando has been growing, which implies that people are increasingly more likely to choose to visit Universal's parks over the three outdated and lacking non-MK WDW parks. Adding a fourth lacking park will not solve the problem. Instead, the new park would just eat at the attendance of the other Disney parks. They need to first build up DHS, Epcot, and AK the way that Universal has been building up USF and IOA in recent years. Disney is fortunate that they have the space to do so. Any ideas you can possibly conceive of for a new Disney park, Disney has the ability to add to one of its existing parks. That is the much cheaper option and the one that is more likely to help it increase demand for WDW relative to Universal (remember - Universal's recent major advances came from upgrading their existing parks. They haven't added a new gate in 18 years)
It's not that I'm against the concept of expanding a resort. I think it makes plenty of sense for Universal right now. It just makes no sense for WDW to do so in the near future.
sedati
Well-Known Member
So I got to experience Hogsmede, Diagon Alley, and Pandora all for the first time, all on the same trip. I loved them all and was surprised how different each was (even Hogsmede and Diagon.) Diagon didn't simply feel like it existed solely to have more Potter, and Pandora didn't feel like it was trying to be a "Potter-Swatter." Each is their own thing, and each feels more like a mini-park than a traditional land. Having the opportunity to visit any of these and skipping them is a true mistake.
I will say that I read the books and saw the movies for all three so I had the context. But most of those I was with did not, and there is something to be said for how that effects the enjoyment of these lands. If Pandora was actually a reaction to Potter (and not as I've always thought another attempt at something with Carsland type scope) I think it was more about a lesson-learned than trying to copy the success. They are all of great scope and detail, but the approach to their respective IPs is radically different. It's the Wizzarding World of Harry Potter, not just the Wizzarding World. You are tied very much to Harry's experience. But Disney made Pandora the World of Avatar, not Pandora the World of Jake Sulley. The Universal approach is better at pleasing the fans, the Disney approach is better for the larger audience. For me, both are great, but I now that I've visited, I can better see the thinking behind Galaxy's Edge.
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Well RIP to WDW. Based off of what they announced compared to what Uni has up its sleeve there is no comparison. Unless WDW has some serious expansions planned I think there is trouble.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Of course it would have prevented the HUGE need to inject money into the renewals of things, but, it is still a dream if anyone thinks that Disney execs are staying up nights worried about the competition. Uni's expansion has added to the tourist flow and not really affected the gate clicks at WDW. In fact, in spite of a decade of lethargic leadership the numbers have continued to rise dictated by the economic state of the world. However, it is only logical that they should have done steady additions, and or, improvements over the last decade. But, I don't buy that another poorly run gate is the answer to spanking Uni on the rump. Uni will spend until their board of directors says... "we don't see a significant uptick in revenue to justify the massive expenditure", just as Disney did a decade ago.
Both Disney and Universal are entities that are nothing more then extreme luxury items. Even an expensive luxury car has a function 365 days a year. Theme parks are just for short term gratification and as such are extremely at the mercy of how everyone is doing financially. I don't see the current alleged upturn in the economy is any less liable to head down that slope then it ever has.
I guess what I'm saying is that unless some of our posters are high level Disney, (we are in charge) Executives, WE. DO. NOT. KNOW. HOW. TO. RUN. A. THEME. PARK! We don't know how to set up for down times that enables to bring a non-life support entity through rough times that can happen any day. We just don't know, but, we always feel that if we just keep throwing money around everything will work. I didn't work for Shopping Malls, which are things that we tend to use regularly, year round and it won't work for a Theme Park which has absolutely no survival connection at all. Mental health maybe, but, if you cannot hold it together without a Theme Park... that would be your problem, no one else will care.
shernernum
Well-Known Member
Hyperbole much. Universal is closing the gap, but to say RIP WDW...I hope this was a case of sarcasm not coming across on the internet.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Not sure if a joke or not.
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Not if they're really good quality additions then Uni caught WDW with its pants down. GG
Edit: maybe it was a little hyperbole but there is a storm on WDW's horizon
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Theme parks sell happiness the good ones will never run out of business
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
I really gotta go over to Universal. Only time I was there was in 2008(?) for one day on a band trip and were only allowed in the Studios, not IoA for some dumb reason. From what I rode and saw, it looked very nice. Mummy was great, MiB and Jaws were fun, Disaster was a cheesy fun ride, Terminator was cool, and X-Factor live was eeehh. I'm not a fan of their "Nothing in your pockets at all rule" though, seems a bit much.
Everytime I'm in WDW I always think "oh Universal would be a nice day or 2 day trip" and then just don't follow through on it. But as WDW gets more stale, I get a little closer to Universal. It never really set in until WoL closed. For some reason that made me feel like they stopped caring. I understand it was sponsor related but still, a major company like Disney shouldn't be so reliant on a sponsor to keep a pavilion/attraction open unless there are near term plans for it (like 3 years to reopen if they are changing the direction/ride). I started paying attention to the details of rides as effects broke and weren't repaired...sending the point home that this won't change until the park takes a hit (attendance/money/etc). This bit of "renewed" competition starting (Uni moving along while WDW panics for new stuff) should make things very interesting for everyone in Orlando. I'm looking forward to what comes out of it.
Everytime I'm in WDW I always think "oh Universal would be a nice day or 2 day trip" and then just don't follow through on it. But as WDW gets more stale, I get a little closer to Universal. It never really set in until WoL closed. For some reason that made me feel like they stopped caring. I understand it was sponsor related but still, a major company like Disney shouldn't be so reliant on a sponsor to keep a pavilion/attraction open unless there are near term plans for it (like 3 years to reopen if they are changing the direction/ride). I started paying attention to the details of rides as effects broke and weren't repaired...sending the point home that this won't change until the park takes a hit (attendance/money/etc). This bit of "renewed" competition starting (Uni moving along while WDW panics for new stuff) should make things very interesting for everyone in Orlando. I'm looking forward to what comes out of it.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
They will if the target audience is flat broke and using all their available resources to survive. Many people cannot understand numbers. I once owned a residential care home taking care of mentally challenged, mentally ill and impoverished elderly. We had one small monthly charge for services which included food, shelter, laundry service, medical over-site and 24 hour a day staffing in case of need.
A group of educated, well meaning people decided that having the public pay twice as much to get them their own apartment was a better way to go. That left me with just the people that were to far beyond reality or health to care for themselves in any practical way. I had to close down because I could not afford to provide services for what my diminished census was able to pay for. Those people making that decision were shocked that I couldn't stay open, I mean I still had about half of my original census. They could not understand that you cannot pay $10K in operating expenses with $4K in revenue.
No matter what the company is, no matter what its purpose, no matter how many think that you are needed, without the money, there is not reality. Life does not continue on relying on rainbows and unicorn flatulence. Mistakes in investment in any company is all in direct correlation with it's overall size and it's control of cash flow. Insufficient Cash Flow due to everyday operating expense and/or even capital investment repayment will kill the biggest company.
hokielutz
Well-Known Member
So where is the capital going to come from for what you propose is essentially two additional gates in one location??
bclane
Well-Known Member
You're in for a treat when you do get back to Universal. Mummy and MiB are still there but the other things you mention are no more. Lots of fun things to do at Uni though.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Did you not read my earlier post?Disney could have purchased LucasFilm and MARVEL and paid for Half of SDL for what they are spending on stock buybacks this year alone!
There is PLENTY of money but its being misspent