5 things that WDW can do...

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

The only short term method of increasing park attendance is to lower prices - admission, food and accomodation.
While the building of a fifth park, might increase attendance this is surely a major long term project and will have no benefit to park attendance for years.
As for giving people something worth seeing - what do you think Disney have filled four parks with ? There is plenty to see and do, it is just unfortunate that its costs so much to get to WDW (for UK tourists at least), then there is the ticket prices, and the food costs and finally car rental prices.

If WDW want bigger attendances thay should lower their prices - if prices were cut more people would visit and so there would still be an increase in revenue. The only downside is that the parks would be busier, the line lengths longer etc, etc, etc.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Keep faith, executives by their very nature are insular and self obbsessed. They will worship at the altar of the accountant and follow his cost cutting and pruning mantra. Up to a point. Eventually they will see that this is not a regular company and it attained its position through hard work and innovation. These people go through phases of what s in and whats out, theyve tried all the cost cutting cheapo rides atc and that hasnt worked. Things will come full circle and they will start to spend to re vitalise the parks. Also if the economy is having a down turn labour and materials should be cheeper lowering the costs.

I could be talking out of my jaxie but I continue to live in hope.

 

[JasonCajun]

Originally posted by garyhoov

3. Build a few Disney hotels at key points to encourage families to drive. For example, a nice Disney hotel along route 95 in Virginia would make it more enticing for me (and people in New York, Boston, Baltimore etc.) to hop in their car for a quick trip to Disney World. My son is afraid to fly, and many older people are also reluctant to fly after what happened last year. I have stayed at roadside motels in the past, but the atmosphere has been negative rather than a positive addition to my trip. A nice Disney hotel (with activities such as disney film screening theaters etc.) would actually extend the experience by two days. It would help get people in a Disney mood on their way, and it would give people a chance to "decompress" on their way home. The beauty of this particular idea is the room fees would pay for the hotel. As long as they can determine they will have enough interest to fill the rooms, they won't have to worry about losing money on this.

Wow, this is an incredible idea. They could place Disney hotels a days drive away on the interstates leading to Disney or perhaps 6 or 7 hour drives since checkin at the resorts are at 3pm. They could even make this part of the package if they wish. I know as long as the rooms were competitively priced, I would stay there as opposed to another major chain.

Of course attendance is going to be down after school goes back into session. Theres nothing that can be done about that. However, there are a few things that can be done to lessen the fall in attendance.

1. Increase the park hours during the off season. You feel like you are getting cheated when the parks close early and the weather is still nice.

2. Bring back early entry for resort guests. I loved this feature because it allowed me to get to the major attractions without a huge wait. It made the resort guest feel special.

3. Maybe this has already been done, but work out a deal with the airlines for overseas visitors to and from Disneyworld. The airlines industry is hurting, Disney attendance is down, this seems like a logical move. Not to mention, school children in Europe have little vacations instead of one huge vacation in the summer. You have to encourage the European family, the South American family to visit the parks during the off season.

4. New rides. Thrill rides. The atmosphere at Disney is great. Its why people keep coming back. But with Six Flags parks all over the country, and Universal Studios Orlando with some impressive rides, they are taking lots of potential customers away from WDW. Rock n' Roller Coaster was a step in the right direction.

5. Dump the dead weight that is ABC and all affiliation with it in the parks. Theres nothing magical about ABC or its programming. When I go to WDW, I want Mickey Mouse and Disney magic, not a commercial for ABC television. When you go to WDW, you want to be taken to another world, a world of fantasy. ABC just is not part of that world, its part of the real world and does not belong.

6. Lastly, the decision makers at Disney need to get out of their ivory tower and listen to their customer again. What made Disney so great was that the attitude Walt left behind was that they cared about their customers. Even though you were one of millions who visited the park, you felt like a kid and special when you went there. Now, Disney is so corporate, so far away that it is out of touch and the people are revolting with their spending income.

 

[jandcprince]

1. Open a shop in MGM that sells nothing but Disney DVD/VHS. Have the shop sell ALL the movies all the time.

2. Put "new" rides at Disneyworld that are big hits at other parks. For example, update Canada pavillion with "Soarin' over Canada." Of course, but big hits at Disneyworld elsewhere.

3. Since Disney is unlikely to sell ABC, and as above it is a chain around Mickey's neck, stop selling hits (ex. SCRUBS) to other networks. You really need them on ABC. Use ABC Family to boost shows on ABC, as USA boosted "Wings" on NBC.

4. Increase number of charactors walking around the parks/resorts (Ex. Donald Duck in Three Amigos garb at Mexico.)
Make the kids fall in love for a new generation of Disney fanatics. Especially use the new charactors, such as Bug's Life, Toy Story, Lilo etc.

5. Have Admission on 9/11 be $9.11 and donate money to a 9/11 linked charity. Remember, Mickey sold a lot of War Bonds in WWII.

6. Update Tomorrowland next, it really needs it.

7. Finally, get of Eisner's back. He isn't the one that made the economy turn down.



"Of course that's just my opinion......"
:king:

 

[Scooter]

Here's some things I would do to increase attendance in the slow season...and for any other seasons for that matter.

Give frequent Disney miles for repeat Disney Vacationers...the more often you go to Disney, the less Expensive it would be. These could only be used during slow seasons. I bet the people would FIND a way to go if it was cheap enough.

They used to show the Walt Disney World Park videos in the Disney stores at the malls. That always caught my eye and made me want to go back to Florida. Now they have the Kids sing-along videos. Put back the Park Videos and I'll go more often...it sends a subliminal message that says.."Go to the Parks..Go to the Parks!"

Have free ice machines availabe in all the parks. One big building full of ice machies so the guests would always have cold beverages to sip on during the hot Florida days.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Originally posted by JasonCajun


3. Maybe this has already been done, but work out a deal with the airlines for overseas visitors to and from Disneyworld. The airlines industry is hurting, Disney attendance is down, this seems like a logical move. Not to mention, school children in Europe have little vacations instead of one huge vacation in the summer. You have to encourage the European family, the South American family to visit the parks during the off season.

Infact there doing the opposite here in the UK. From this Autumn Disney Travel will only offer accomodation leaving you to find your own flights. This for me is a bonus but many people will dip out. As for Holidays out of season again our schools have limited breaks throught the year. these breaks just happen to coincide with price increases by travel companies. As for taking kids out of school Ive no problem, but if President Blair and his morons in power get their way it will be illeagal. As it stands now you can take 10 days in anyschool year but the school can still report you to the local government for not educating your child.

Just let them (Disney) stick to running well organised well concieved and thought filled resorts and parks

 

[Dwarful]

OK here is my two cents...bring back early entry and drop that CHARACTER CARAVAN~ ugghh..the only thing CC seems to do is cause chaos and confusion to certain areas of the resorts on certain days! We for one skipped that thing like the plague...our kids saw far more characters in far less time with less chaos inside the parks and at our character meals. Also go ahead and offer the Eride nights that the offer..then cancel!

oh yeah..did I say bring back EE??

 

[cymbaldiva]

Re: Here's an option!

Originally posted by Talsonic


Perhaps you could eat soup and salad at the Plaza instead of the hamburger. It would save you some money and you would be in better health as a result. Just a thought.

Part of the Plaza Menu;

Create Your Own Hamburger
Our Grilled 6-ounce hamburgers (weight before cooking) are prepared medium well, unless otherwise requested and served with lettuce, tomato, onion and French fries $8.99

Cheddar, Swiss, Provolone, American Cheese, Bacon, Ham, Grilled Mushrooms, Sauerkraut and Grilled Onions - Additional toppings each $.49



Tossed Salad - $3.49
Soup of the Day - $3.49

Well, that's a little rude What in the world is wrong with wanting a burger on vacation?

And if you ponder upon it, that is a bit pricey - for all menu options.

Just my .02

 

[Big Pooh]

Cymbaldiva, I've been in the restaurant industry for 20 yrs, and I can tell you that $9 for a burger and $3.50 for a tossed salad is not only a bit pricey....It's HIGHWAY ROBBERY. :brick: A tossed salad cost about 20 cents to make, dressing and all. A burger with everything but the kitchen sink on it does'nt cost $2 to make. A 400-800% mark up is ridiculous. The mark up at sit down restaurants at Disney is probably more than that. It's scary to think what it cost a family of 4 to eat per day.

As Fantasia Boi says, attendence always goes down in the fall, but even though they lower resort prices some, its still a VERY expensive place to stay. The all star resorts are reasonable during value season, but still not as cheap as staying off site. For Those on a tight budget, after paying to get there, paying admission, and eating, staying on-site is not an option. For most families with school age kids, going during the off-season is not an option, so having resorts cheaper then does'nt mean anything to them.

My point is, Walt created DL and started WDW so families could enjoy it together, but for some families it's a once in a lifetime experience...and a lot of the little things that went into making it magical have been lost to budget concerns. Some of the magic has been lost to stupid decisions, like building half a park (AK), closing Maelstrom in the middle of summer, allowing The Living Seas to be a nothing pavilion...etc. If disney would get rid of the 10,000 ton albatross around Mickey's neck (ABC), that would be a step in the right direction, instead they insist on trying to turn it around, and one of the ways they try to do it is to spend $$$ on Get Happy With ABC, which is nothing more than an informercial that they try to pass off as an attraction. :hammer:

Well, that's my 2 cents.

Cheers:wave:

 

[Jedi Osborn]

I don't claim to know a lot about running a theme park or tv network, all I can comment on it the parks.
We don't need a huge multi-million dollar attraction to keep us coming back. Look at Buzz Lightyear. I'm sure it cost a lot less than Test Track and they lines are always huge. For me, its the 'little' things that count. Sure you need the big things, I can't wait for M:S to open, but after I ride that a few times, I'll be heading right back to MK and going for a high score on the Space Ranger Spin.

 

[Al]

in my opinion the need to advertise more in the UK and other countries

 

[dreamer]

To increase attendance Disney first needs to get people to want to see Mickey Mouse (and friends). They need people to believe that (regardless of how thrilling the rides are) Disney is a one-of-a-kind place with a "magic" that can be found nowhere else. That comes from partially from movies and cartoons and the creation of characters likely Mickey Mouse -- not Lilo and Stitch or even the Lion King. (My kids love the Silly Symphonies. I wish Disney would do more of those.)

Ski resorts found that they greatly increased their profits by offering cheap season tickets. I think Disney should look at lowering the cost of their annual passes for OUT OF STATE customers. That would increase customers who wouldn't be as likely to spend every weekend at the parks and visit frequently.

Disney needs a visionary and not a bunch of business and accounting gooks to lead the company.

 

[Wilson]

Originally posted by garyhoov
3. Build a few Disney hotels at key points to encourage families to drive. For example, a nice Disney hotel along route 95 in Virginia would make it more enticing for me (and people in New York, Boston, Baltimore etc.) to hop in their car for a quick trip to Disney World. My son is afraid to fly, and many older people are also reluctant to fly after what happened last year. I have stayed at roadside motels in the past, but the atmosphere has been negative rather than a positive addition to my trip. A nice Disney hotel (with activities such as disney film screening theaters etc.) would actually extend the experience by two days. It would help get people in a Disney mood on their way, and it would give people a chance to "decompress" on their way home. The beauty of this particular idea is the room fees would pay for the hotel. As long as they can determine they will have enough interest to fill the rooms, they won't have to worry about losing money on this.

They have something similar to this already: Disney's Hilton Head Resort It's a long drive from NY/NJ/MD, and it's maybe 1/2 hour off I-95 (at the beach), but it's a nice Disney resort. My family will stay there when we come home after our trip next week. It's a good halfway point for us (between FL and NC). It would be nice if they could build some more hotels, closer to 95, that give you some of the Disney perks.

 

[disneydudette]

Disney is a privledge...not a right


something we almost must remember....

I'm an only child...so weekley trips down to WDW were no biggy....

But for larger families one trip is enough....and with the economy so poor...people can barely afford there bills and so-wat...must can't even think about a trip to Disney...

 

[cymbaldiva]

Originally posted by Big Pooh
Cymbaldiva, I've been in the restaurant industry for 20 yrs, and I can tell you that $9 for a burger and $3.50 for a tossed salad is not only a bit pricey....It's HIGHWAY ROBBERY. :brick: A tossed salad cost about 20 cents to make, dressing and all. A burger with everything but the kitchen sink on it does'nt cost $2 to make. A 400-800% mark up is ridiculous. The mark up at sit down restaurants at Disney is probably more than that.

I so totally know man! I was just going with the sarcastic thing on the "bit pricey" remark - I know it's totally outrageous! Have I ever mentioned that DH owns a restuarant?

BTW, I still do find Talsonic's remark to be very offensive...who is he to pass judgement on what anyone eats on their vacation?