bhg469
Well-Known Member
I would like to get a breakdown of square footage used by meet and greets that once occupied actual attractions or space that was once an attraction but that is now empty.
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Comcast CEO: "Universal will compete aggressively with Disney"
- Thread starter AndyMagic
- Start date
JWG
Well-Known Member
I hope Universal does compete aggressively. I'm happy to go back there if they give me reason. Haven't been since 2007 and I was underwhelmed. But, we do plan to go back in 2014 given how much is new. If Disney starts seeing a decline, that'd be best for all of us. It may force them to review pricing and offerings. Could be painful in the short-term as they just shutter things, but ultimately I think would be ok.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Over the last decade, Disney has seen theme park attendance gains in every year except 2010.
Corporate Disney's primary focus for the last few years has been getting guests to spend more during each visit, and they have been largely successful at this. All you have to do is compare the price of tickets and food from 3 years ago to see this.
Moving forward, their focus has shifted to getting their onsite rooms filled. In 2013, there was an uptick in the number of occupied rooms but, before that, the number had declined.
Bluntly, if you are not staying at one of their hotels, the folks sitting behind their desks at Disney don't care much if you come back or not.
Unless there is a mass exodus of theme park visitors like there was post-9/11, corporate Disney's attitude is not going to change until at least after Iger leaves in 2016.
SirLink
Well-Known Member
UNI will never truly compete for top spot in Orlando for attendance but they will make their parks better and will get their numbers up. I just think it's funny how people think Disney will just roll over and do nothing, they made a big mistake putting so much money into MM+ and New Fantasyland's biggest attraction isn't even complete yet and people already are complaining. Yeah it's taking a long time to complete but look at the detail in New Fantasyland compared to Transformers and you will see exactly why it takes so long. People choose WDW for timeless attractions that will be there pretty much forever and UNI in general takes advantage of what is currently popular but in 10 years what is going to still be bringing in guests New Fantasyland or Transformers? I get it we as consumers and guests want more more more but UNI and WDW have a healthy completion where one is clearly the lead dog and the other one has build attractions as fast as possible to capture things that will be popular for a short time. If you think Disney slacks off now imagine what they would be like without UNI if UNI steals enough money than WDW will be forced to answer but until then keep up the good work UNI it makes a better product for everybody!
1)Uni wants a bigger part of the pie, more spending per guest which they are doing so by a mixture of variety of food options, merchandise, and building true to God E-ticket experiences.
2)Transformers is perfectly themed to what it is N.E.S.T HQ just like the Mine Train. Transformers is an E-ticket dark ride, SDMT is a C/D-ticket experience ... they could of built it as fast as Uni - if they had people working around the day with floodlighting which they could of done.
3)Er ... Transformers has been a megahit since the 80s, it'll be as long as the contract lasts ... though you may see them change the form of Autobots sicne they have been doing since the 80s.
4)Er ... are you saying the best selling children books ... are a flash in the pan success? Really?But saying flash in the pan ... Disney are committing money towards Avatar as being a hit franchise ... even though it has sold next to no merchandise.
5)TWDC has had to respond to Spiderman? They didn't. Forbidden Journey? They didn't. Transformers? They didn't. Gringotts? They won't. Let me rephrase this unless Disney has talked with Vekoma to fund the Pandora Box ride system for Avatar ... then they still haven't learned. Which they most likely won't have and we'll have another 2 D-ticket rides in Soarin 2.0 and the Living with Pandora boat ride.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
My only dispute with this is the vekoma comment. They will make a ride that disney wants to pay for. Disney pays more, it will be better.
SirLink
Well-Known Member
The Vekoma Pandora Box is to my knowledge is a prototype in terms of CGI model and plans no testing has gone in it at all - they have been and keep looking for someone to partner to fund the R+D.
Nubs70
Well-Known Member
WWF was run by someone who was brought up in and understood the business. WCW was run by a bunch of suits. WDW and UNI are both run by suits. Who will win????
TubaGeek
God bless the "Ignore" button.
Better than what?
bhg469
Well-Known Member
In general, if disney pays less then the ride system will be less awesome.
Skibum1970
Well-Known Member
Plus, just a year later, the expansion to Harry Potter opens with what looks to be an E+ ticket (I made that ride class up because F didn't sound right) and a second E-ticket, assuming that both rides are as awesome as advertised. Throw in the rumored Kong ride area plus the potential for one or two more rides that will probably open by or before Avatar. UNI is being very aggressive. They'll get the market share by poaching former Disney goers.
Disney is a mature business but it seems like they are going into "harvest mode" rather than fighting to stay on top. They are trying to maximize profits on the existing rides with MyMagic+ but it doesn't seem like they are really trying to keep the parks fresh. This is just my opinion and I certainly am not an insider or deep into the industry.
TubaGeek
God bless the "Ignore" button.
What? Why would paying less yield a better ride?
TubaGeek
God bless the "Ignore" button.
Just a quick thought: which individuals are most frequently at Orlando theme parks? South America tour guides. What do they want? Impressed customers. Where will they start pushing more heavily to their clients (who make up a HEALTHY chunk of customers)? Universal.
Uni will never beat Disney in sheer numbers, but, with all this momentum, I think it's safe to say that Uni will see a MUCH greater increase in numbers than Disney.
Uni will never beat Disney in sheer numbers, but, with all this momentum, I think it's safe to say that Uni will see a MUCH greater increase in numbers than Disney.
71jason
Well-Known Member
Titanic is the #2 movie of all time, and has been a household word for a century. "Titanic: The Exhibit" sits in a strip mall along I-Drive, and while it makes money, it's not a major player in the Orlando theme park scene.
Similarly, the theme park over on Conroy based on THE BEST-SELLING BOOK IN HUMAN HISTORY draws a crowd once a year--the day they have free admission.
Meanwhile, an Ariel meet & greet draws hour plus lines routinely--but The Little Mermaid isn't even in the top 10 grossing hand-drawn Disney animated films. Box office has very little to do with the success or failure of a theme park attraction.
71jason
Well-Known Member
Bluntly, if you are not staying at one of their hotels, the folks sitting behind their desks at Disney don't care much if you come back or not.
Unless there is a mass exodus of theme park visitors like there was post-9/11, corporate Disney's attitude is not going to change until at least after Iger leaves in 2016.
Not surprisingly, completely agree. However, two days at a "must-see" off property attraction are the biggest threat to this market. It renders Magic Express fairly useless--need a car anyway, easier at the airport--and lessens the appeal of the dining plan. If guests have to leave the WDW bubble anyway, it won't take long for some of them to realize you can get a nice hotel for a fraction of the cost--even something heavily themed, like Nick Hotel. Two days away from DHS and AK is nothing relatively, the real fear is 5 or 6 nights away from Pop Century or Caribbean Beach.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
You're confused, I said they pay less the ride would be "less awesome" meaning not as awesome as it cold be.
TubaGeek
God bless the "Ignore" button.
PolynesianPrincess
Well-Known Member
Disney knows that guests will come, no matter how many E-ticket rides they do or don't add. Children grow up hearing about Disney. They hear their friends talk about going to Disney. They get excited when they finally get to go to Disney. If a family has to choose for their trip that they have to save 5 years for, who are they going to choose? Disney or Uni? The answer is simple... Disney. And THIS is the type of guests that Disney wants. The family that is going to go all out on the hotel and spending on souvenirs, etc. They've never been to Disney before, they don't see PPF or IASW as old, outdated rides. To them, it's all new. To us, devoted Disney fans and repeat visitors, we want something more, something new with the newest technology. Unfotunately, if Disney can keep filling their hotel rooms and drawing crowds and making a profit while not adding much of anything, they're going to keep doing it. I think Universal will draw some of the crowds away from Disney, especially if they keep adding attractions as good as Transformers and FJ but I don't think it will ever top Disney.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Right, what Disney fears the most is losing hotel stays, not gate clicks.
After 4 days, Disney essentially gives away theme park admission ($10/day). That just kills Disney’s Per Capita Guest Spending (PCGS). The theme parks are expensive to operate. More theme park visitors equates to more expense.
With the twisted thinking that sometimes happens within executive hallways, guests spending one or two days at Universal actually might help. It's certainly nothing to worry about.
Hotel stays are another matter.
Above a certain occupancy rate, additional occupied rooms represent almost pure profit. At WDW’s rack rates, the numbers are huge.
When WWOHP opened in 2010, what concerned Disney was a 400K drop in occupied room nights, which translated into $100M in annual lost revenue, nearly all of that representing lost profit. That decline continued in 2011. That's a huge chunk of WDW's net income.
Disney’s biggest fear is that with Universal targeting the value-conscious market beginning with Cabana Bay, WDW’s occupancy rates will erode.
Today, many vacationers use WDW hotels as bases of operation for their Universal visits. With Universal continuing to expand in its theme parks and opening a hotel for value-conscious vacationers, will guests flip? Will guests start to use Universal hotels as bases of operation for their WDW visits?
During WDW stays in 2010 and 2011, I commented to my DW that I had never seen so many Universal bags at WDW hotels.
In Disney’s nightmare scenario, these bags disappear as guests shift their hotels from WDW to Universal.
Most days, WDW has over 5000 empty rooms. Even with the addition of the 1800-room Cabana Bay, WDW has more empty rooms than Universal has total rooms.
MyMagic+ is corporate's play to fill those rooms. However, with Uni moving forward on both the theme park and hotel fronts, MyMagic+ no longer looks like the "can't miss" strategy it once was considered to be.
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bhg469
Well-Known Member
I will be looking at cabana bay my next trip. We are getting CBR for our next trip ONLY because my wife's friend got us a discount rate. If cabana bay is priced as well as they say, its going to be booked solid.