Attendance drop in the parks... I wonder why

[Chef Mickey]

This implies they see overcrowding as a problem. You see it as an inconvenience but they most likely see it as maximizing profits.

No one advertises in hopes that people don't come and they sure aren't advertising packages to reduce costs through offsite partner hotels if they also aren't aware that reduced visitors is in part due to increased costs.

I believe they do see overcrowding as a concern and will (and have) manage it partly with price increases. If Disney were $20/day, you'd see more visitors. As the price increases, it will have some effect on attendance.

As I said, Disney has good management and they understand guest satisfaction. If Disney determines guests aren't happy, they will try to understand why. I believe Disney uses pricing to manage crowd levels not only for guest satisfaction, but for other costs like labor.

That said, I do believe Disney wants a crowded park in general. It's good for business. I'm just saying they are definitely aware of guest satisfaction and want you to come back. You can't have a terrible time because you're fighting insane crowds (unless it's Christmas, because everyone wants to be there during that time). If it were like that all the time, Disney wouldn't want that and would manage it (I think that's partly what you're seeing).

 

[Otterhead]

how often did you hear people say they loved it for the story? It drew because of the imagery

Very true, its story was nothing remotely new, it was a bunch of classic stories retold with new visuals, really. But wow, those visuals; that's what people talked about. Focusing on creating an environment to let people step into that world is smart. Hope it pays off.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I think getting people to pay $20 to see Avatar 2 in IMAX 3D will be a pretty tough sell. Getting them to pay $100+ to ride 2 Avatar rides will be even tougher.

And @Chef Mickey They may see the problem of overcrowding, but they don't care enough to actually do what EVERYONE knows in necessary. Add capacity. Even with what they are doing at DHS, the park will have less capacity when they are done with it.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I think getting people to pay $20 to see Avatar 2 in IMAX 3D will be a pretty tough sell. Getting them to pay $100+ to ride 2 Avatar rides will be even tougher.

And @Chef Mickey They may see the problem of overcrowding, but they don't care enough to actually do what EVERYONE knows in necessary. Add capacity. Even with what they are doing at DHS, the park will have less capacity when they are done with it.

Who pays $100+ to ride 2 Avatar rides? That is totally misleading and has never been Disney's value proposition. Pretty much no one goes to Disney for 1 day so no park really costs $100/day. Plus, there is more than just Avatar at AK.

 

[Grimley1968]

Who pays $100+ to ride 2 Avatar rides? That is totally misleading and has never been Disney's value proposition. Pretty much no one goes to Disney for 1 day so no park really costs $100/day. Plus, there is more than just Avatar at AK.

With the FP+ system, combined with staffing cutbacks at the parks to bare minimums, many people only have time to get FP+'s or standby for a small number of rides, so it can realistically be argued that yes, indeed there will be a large number of people who pay the park entry to ride that headliner ride, plus a small number of things they don't care about (looking at you, Triceratops Spin). With FP+ tiering that could be implemented in AK, this is only magnified.

I know of a lot of people who go to Disney for 1 day, including yours truly in December.

 

[Chef Mickey]

With the FP+ system, combined with staffing cutbacks at the parks to bare minimums, many people only have time to get FP+'s or standby for a small number of rides, so it can realistically be argued that yes, indeed there will be a large number of people who pay the park entry to ride that headliner ride. With FP+ tiering, this is only magnified.

I know of a lot of people who go to Disney for 1 day, including yours truly in December.

Totally disagree with you. If you're going to a 1 park for 1 day (or a few hours?) to ride the "headliner" ride, you're doing it wrong.

FP+ makes it quite easy to do many rides in 1 day and there is plenty to do without FP+ at all. Not sure why you went for 1 day in December, unless you're just a local. The average stay is much longer than 1 day. Why even go if you're going to stay a day? And if you do, you deserve to pay $100.

 

[Grimley1968]

Totally disagree with you. If you're going to a 1 park for 1 day (or a few hours?) to ride the "headliner" ride, you're doing it wrong.

FP+ makes it quite easy to do many rides in 1 day and there is plenty to do without FP+ at all. Not sure why you went for 1 day in December, unless you're just a local. The average stay is much longer than 1 day. Why even go if you're going to stay a day? And if you do, you deserve to pay $100.

To the bolded: wow. That's a breathtaking attitude.

 

[Otterhead]

I think getting people to pay $20 to see Avatar 2 in IMAX 3D will be a pretty tough sell. Getting them to pay $100+ to ride 2 Avatar rides will be even tougher.

Nobody pays $100 to go to Universal just to run in, ride the Harry Potter ride, and run out. Like Avatar, it's about the entire experience of the area -- walking around, shopping, trying the food, then going to other areas of the park. Even if you're only going for the day (let's say you're at a convention and only have one day to spare, or you're doing other stuff in the area), AK will easily be a full-day park once Avatar's open, with $100 worth of entertainment.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Nobody pays $100 to go to Universal just to run in, ride the Harry Potter ride, and run out. Like Avatar, it's about the entire experience of the area -- walking around, shopping, trying the food, then going to other areas of the park. Even if you're only going for the day (let's say you're at a convention and only have one day to spare, or you're doing other stuff in the area), AK will easily be a full-day park once Avatar's open, with $100 worth of entertainment.

I know people that spent $7000 and flew from England to ride the Potter rides. And people will do the same when SWE opens. They love Potter and Star Wars that much.

Avatar, not so much.

And a lot of folks buy 1 Day, 1 Park admission media.

 

[Otterhead]

I know people that spent $7000 and flew from England to ride the Potter rides.

Absolutely! If I had a few thousand dollars and the time, I'd fly to DisneySEA or Singapore Disneyland to check out its rides. But I'm willing to bet that your British friends didn't fly over to ride the Potter ride and then leave. They visited Diagon Alley, had a Butterbeer, shopped for a wand, took photos, and spent time exploring. And though Avatar went over like a brick in the UK, based on its massive popularity in Asia, I'll bet a lot of Japanese and Chinese tourists will come over when it opens specifically to see it.

 

[Laketravis]

[

You are mistaken if you think Disney just doesn't worry about overcrowding and will just drive attendance higher to no end. Guest satisfaction very important and they do want you to come back. I understand they want big crowds but there is a point where guest satisfaction takes a hit and that is a concern they take seriously.

Of course they are concerned about it. It's been the biggest complaint about the parks since making the evening news back in the mid-2000's. But addressing it by raising prices to throttle crowds after spending billions to "enhance" the experience without adding any substantial capacity is simply a mistake to correct a mistake.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Absolutely! If I had a few thousand dollars and the time, I'd fly to DisneySEA or Singapore Disneyland to check out its rides. But I'm willing to bet that your British friends didn't fly over to ride the Potter ride and then leave. They visited Diagon Alley, had a Butterbeer, shopped for a wand, took photos, and spent time exploring. And though Avatar went over like a brick in the UK, based on its massive popularity in Asia, I'll bet a lot of Japanese and Chinese tourists will come over when it opens specifically to see it.

No, but if not for Potter, they would have vacationed in Majorca. The rest is just icing on the cake. Potter is why they spent the money. Avatar won't have that kind of drawing power. At this point Avatar is basically a dead IP. More people will go to Pandora because they are WDW fans than because they are Avatar fans. As in WDW is a much more popular IP than Avatar.

 

[pax_65]

At this point Avatar is basically a dead IP. More people will go to Pandora because they are WDW than because it's Avatar. As in WDW is a much more popular IP than Avatar.

I actually agree with your basic point (that Potter is a stronger IP than Avatar) but I think you're underestimating the draw Pandora will have when it opens. It looks spectacular and the attractions sound interesting. Plus you're forgetting that millions of dollars will go into promoting the films when they come out. There will be significant buzz.

Plus Disney fanatics like us get excited when there's something new in the parks, especially these days when new attractions are relatively slow to come out. It's a good excuse to go - and most of us don't need an excuse!

That said, if the movies are bad and the land is lame it can all be a gigantic flop but I don't think that's going to happen.

 

[Otterhead]

At this point Avatar is basically a dead IP.

Except for its four sequels coming out, its massive billion-dollar expansion in the world's most popular park, its very popular currently-touring Cirque du Soleil show... I think they'll be OK

 

[Laketravis]

.....Harry Potter is going to become a children's classic. I've heard a lot of parents say that they can't wait until their kids are old enough to read the Harry Potter Series......

DS loves Harry Potter. He's read them all and still re-reads them. People compliment him all the time because he's reading a book while standing in queue and when they find out it's HP a conversation always starts. He even reads them while at WDW.

 

[21stamps]

Except for its four sequels coming out, its massive billion-dollar expansion in the world's most popular park, its very popular currently-touring Cirque du Soleil show... I think they'll be OK

I think that's a major point. The sequels.
Disney is quite good at bringing things relevant again. Star Wars? They brought in an entire new generation of fans. And picked up a few (or more) from us older generations.
I've never seen Avatar, but we will watch it before the next one comes out, and will definitely watch it before our next Disney trip. I'm thinking a lot of people who either have not seen the movie, or have kids who haven't seen the movie, will do the same. Especially before the next installment.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Except for its four sequels coming out, its massive billion-dollar expansion in the world's most popular park, its very popular currently-touring Cirque du Soleil show... I think they'll be OK

You mean the Avatar 2 that was scheduled to come out in 2012? WDW and Cirque du Soleil are both more popular IPs than Avatar.

 

[contrariwise]

WDW and Cirque du Soleil are both more popular IPs than Avatar.

Ding ding ding ding ding. We have a winner.

 

[Otterhead]

You mean the Avatar 2 that was scheduled to come out in 2012? WDW and Cirque du Soleil are both more popular IPs than Avatar.

Yes, the one scheduled to come out around the same time its park opens. As you say, WDW and Cirque are both very popular, so I don't think they'll have any trouble with Pandora. Looking forward to it -- everything I've seen so far looks terrific.

 

[xdan0920]

Except for its four sequels coming out, its massive billion-dollar expansion in the world's most popular park, its very popular currently-touring Cirque du Soleil show... I think they'll be OK

Are there seriously 4 sequels with release dates?