An absolutely fantastic read that should be mandatory for all of us

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
I only thing that I don't like about WDW now(besides the price of course) is that they let too many people in. If they cut it in 1/2, everyone would be loving their experience.
We're certainly seeing unprecedented crowd levels these days. A moderately busy day in the late 00's to early 10's is now a "light" day. There are basically no slow days anymore where everything is walk-on. This is further hindered by the fact that Disney has tirelessly ensured that slow seasons don't really exist anymore, as crowd levels are spread more evenly throughout the year. Your best bet for low crowds these days would be September after Labor Day and Late January through mid February, and even then, it's a few days here and there at best.

At this point I think another recession is the only thing that will stop it, as clearly raising prices and charging for more things has not been enough.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Are Resort occupancy levels really as far down as the author makes it appear??

There is no way. 2 weeks ago I looked into booking a last minute stay for some time in early/mid Feb. I was very limited on what rooms where available. It does not seem as if they are hurting for business. Most of the value resorts were booked( I was able to get a room at Music), all of the moderates where booked for any length of stay longer then a few nights. And most of the deluxe where sold out except for the really expensive suites. There were a few days here and there available, but trying to get anything around a week or more was difficult.
 

Stripes

Well-Known Member
I do feel that my biggest concern for the resort going forward is the IP-ification.
This is my biggest concern as well. I think if you poll the average guest, they'd be much more excited if you told them an Avengers ride was coming over "something original." However, if you take everything original out of Disney and replace it with IP, the experience would be much worse. It's a case of guests not truly understanding what they love.

FWIW, I found this interview informative with regard to how Iger looks at IP and original attractions in the parks. See page 18.
 
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Stripes

Well-Known Member
And yet most of Magic Kingdom's popular attractions were the ones that opened in the 70s and 80s.
In terms of major attractions added since the 80s, we have Splash Mountain, 7DMT, Under the Sea, Buzz, and Pooh. I'd say it's quite understandable why many of the most popular MK attractions are from the 70s and 80s.

Tron will add the first E-ticket to MK since Splash.
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
This is my biggest concern as well. I think if you poll the average guest, they'd be much more excited if you told them an Avengers ride was coming over "something original." However, if you take everything original out of Disney and replace it with IP, the experience would be much worse. It's a case of guests not truly understanding they love.
Yep. Taking Avatar as an example, although it is IP, it was IP no one was excited for and now Flight of Passage is still the second most sought-after attraction on property behind ROTR. In the end people will flock to quality attractions and what they’re based on has very little to do with this.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Yep. Taking Avatar as an example, although it is IP, it was IP no one was excited for and now Flight of Passage is still the second most sought-after attraction on property behind ROTR. In the end people will flock to quality attractions and what they’re based on has very little to do with this.

FOP is a great ride, that is why it is so popular. Avatar is still a stupid movie, but we are able to separate the ride from the IP. I think people like what they like and can make a decision on rides not only based on theme, but what they actually get out of the ride itself.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
FOP is a great ride, that is why it is so popular. Avatar is still a stupid movie, but we are able to separate the ride from the IP. I think people like what they like and can make a decision on rides not only based on theme, but what they actually get out of the ride itself.

It's also one of only 9 rides in the park total. The Wildlife Express train and Triceratops Spin aren't providing much competition.

Over 20 years after opening, the park's capacity is still not what it should/could be.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
In terms of major attractions added since the 80s, we have Splash Mountain, 7DMT, Under the Sea, Buzz, and Pooh. I'd say it's quite understandable why many of the most popular MK attractions are from the 70s and 80s.

Tron will add the first E-ticket to MK since Splash.

You forgot PhilharMagic, Alien Encounter/SGE, Timekeeper, some of which are gone already.

With the exception of SDMT, Disney has struggled to build an attraction as popular as MK's older E-tickets, but Tron may break that pattern.
 

CastAStone

5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
Premium Member
Most of the value resorts were booked( I was able to get a room at Music), all of the moderates where booked for any length of stay longer then a few nights.
This has been the pattern for as long as I’ve been watching Disney hotels. It’s almost impossible to find a room at the All Stars on a weekend day 2 months out, often longer. As the resorts go up in price, availability generally improves, with some glaring underperformers (e.g. CBR and CSR).

That makes sense to me, since adjusted for inflation, the prices at the All Stars are the same as they were in 1994. But the deluxes are out of control.
 

CastAStone

5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
Premium Member
I was totally lost by the My Magic+ piece; what was it supposed to be?

We just went to WDW with my parents, their first trip in 20 years, and while they were bummed by some of the Epcot and DHS losses, they were stunned by modern Disney - Happily Ever After, Frozen Ever After, MF:SR, and most of all Flight of Passage. After riding Peter Pan’s Flight - a favorite of theirs from trips past - my Dad commented that it was both impressive and positively quaint compared to the new things he’d seen that week.

2019 turned out to be their Disney too.

And 1998 WDW and 2019 WDW were both my Disneys as well.

Maybe I’m 5 years too young. I remember 1998 Epcot and being floored by it. But I think I’ll have a great time at 2023 Epcot too.

I don’t think we have to choose.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Wonderful article. Thanks for the heads up.

The noughties were the heyday of smart Disney parks blogs. Happy to see that perhaps the best of them all is still going strong. Yet another brilliant essay.

He, well he posts from the perspective of a she, reads here too (but posts far too little!), out of politeness I traditionally try to conjure her up when her blog is being discussed: #Djali999
 
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The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
their core premise that Disney's product being nostalgia is flawed. At some point nostalgia becomes increasingly trifle, archaic, and irrelevant to society.
[...]
I spent a week at Disneyland in December and was utterly floored at how much more we enjoyed ourselves and it felt like the Disney I remembered as a child.
I'm trying to get your points. But ultimately I can't help but find the above two statements contradictory.
 

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