GoofGoof
Premium Member
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Disney and Universal: Two very different paths
- Thread starter mgf
- Start date
Lexxweb
Active Member
If you can't understand what Disney is doing with My Disney Experience and MyMagic+ then that is truly unfortunate. Give it 5/10 years and other parks will see how this is beneficial to Disney's overall operation and how it earns them more $$$ and others will follow. That's being an innovator. Yes, I'm sure the thought process behind it was to make $$, but Disney is still a business. Sorry if that ruins the magic a bit.
Voice of Disney sanity
Well-Known Member
The popcorn story is true irregardless if the statue was there or not. I used the statue because it was easier to make everyone understand where I was talking about.
As far as that picture of Pirates being built, I wasn't there back then and can't speak to it but i can tell you before sometime around 2000 I Never saw attractions being built. They were always well hidden behind walls
As far as that picture of Pirates being built, I wasn't there back then and can't speak to it but i can tell you before sometime around 2000 I Never saw attractions being built. They were always well hidden behind walls
Voice of Disney sanity
Well-Known Member
Well I'm not a Uni fanboy at all. I'm a disney fanboy as I have said repeatedly, but I swear you guys can't stay on topic in a thread if it killed you. This thread has nothing to do with which property is better. It also doesn't have a darn thing to do with what MIGHT happen sometime in the future. It's about the direction each company is headed and I have heard VERY LITTLE rebuttal of what I've said about that. Uni is headed up and wdw down. That's what I came to this thread to discuss.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I used to agree with this analysis...until I experienced MM+.
I think they may be onto something with the whole system. Of course, they could go completely wrong with it (overly regimented vacations, etc)...but it could also turn into something very good, and a point of differentiation between the two experiences.
Of course, Universal is going to (intelligently) sit back and see how and what Disney does with this technology before deciding if they care to mimick it (just like they do with everything else), but I don't have the same view of it as a boondoggle that I did before experiencing it (I should have reserved judgement).
That being said, Disney has a ton of core operational issues that it needs to address. Quality of the resorts is lacking (I was very disappointed with POFQ compared to my previous "moderate" stays at CBR in 2010 and 2011, which drove me to want to do a Moderate again...I couldn't tell much difference, really...). Mousekeeping is something I've noted that has gotten worse each year. Food service is not where it was even 2 years ago, overall...things are declining in those areas.
I hope (not think...just hope) that after this major investment in technology, which I now consider a good investment, they use the metrics they can now collect to solidly get back to basics and focus on the whole experience...not just announcing bathrooms or minor attractions as "major expansions"...
<shurg> We shall see.
Universal is bringing the big guns. Disney, however, may just be the sleeping Giant.
Voice of Disney sanity
Well-Known Member
I pretty much agree with what you said. I have stayed away from criticizing MM+ too much simply because I AM withholding judgement until I experience it.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
Some of the ideas I've heard from Scraggs (same thing everyone else has heard) are just stupid. No one cares if Snow White knows your kid's name as they walk up or if at Small World they have a cheap LED banner that says "goodbye <insert name>". People will see through that in an instant.
But, what the system CAN provide, if Disney is smart, is very accurate metrics of how Guests flow through parks. Walt did the Hub and Spoke model, but he didn't invent it (not by a long shot). But, is that best? Or maybe is the flow at IoA the best? (a great circle)...
Not to mention being able to see...with real metrics not limited perspectives such as you get from Guest Surveys or CM observations, where the choke points are, etc.
Then there's how people plan out their vacations. There's a lot of useful metrics to be gleaned from the system.
The only issue I have with it...the ONLY issue so far...is that it is one step closer to removing the "wonder" of discovering the parks for yourself. But, I think years of culture of "trying to plan the best Disney vacation ever" has already ruined that for many guests, I suspect...
We did 3.5 days at Universal staying at Royal Pacific last year, and while the hotel didn't impress me, the parks and Universal as a whole did (and I went in a Disney Snob, quite literally LOOKING for everything bad I could say about the parks.)...
Uni is onto something, continuing their improvement and expansion of their properties, but...so is Disney with MM+ I think. The mere fact I didn't have to wrestle with their Wifi this year (as I did on previous trips) was a major improvement (since I go for long trips, work in IT, and Wifi is integral to WHY I can go for so many days, as I do work while I'm there)....
BiffyClyro
Well-Known Member
Feel like Disney failed with the new Fantasyland. I know it's not finished yet and it is pretty to look at, but it's nothing in comparison to HP at universal. Also i think Disney need to look at their park prices, because it was a no brainer to get unlimited universal over a day ticket to Disney. Our unlimited universal ticket was the same price as a day ticket to disney.
..However this year i was also kind of annoyed at Universal studios, just because so many rides were closed at that park that it may as well not have been open. Islands of adventure was great, but they have so much construction and refurbs going on at Universal that it was hard to even spend a few hours at the park. And the new springfield was 90% giftshops/fast food places!
Personally feel like they both kind of failed trying to compete with each other this year, but the future plans for both Disney and Universal look great.
..However this year i was also kind of annoyed at Universal studios, just because so many rides were closed at that park that it may as well not have been open. Islands of adventure was great, but they have so much construction and refurbs going on at Universal that it was hard to even spend a few hours at the park. And the new springfield was 90% giftshops/fast food places!
Personally feel like they both kind of failed trying to compete with each other this year, but the future plans for both Disney and Universal look great.
jensenrick
Well-Known Member
Others like who, do you suppose? I can't see anyone but Disney seeing this as a good idea.
Jane Doe
Well-Known Member
Universal has become reactionary and desperate. The mouse has not. This thread has now concluded as nothing more can be added.
~how bout another movie with dinosaurs?~
Or Pirates?
Jane Doe
Well-Known Member
[quote="jt04, post: 5710661, member: 13037]
~how bout another movie with dinosaurs?~
~and ROBOTS!~
[/quote]Or invent another "Princess"?
englanddg
One Little Spark...
Or Pirates pretending to be Indians...
I know, we'll put a crow on his head and spend 350 million on it.
BRILLIANT!
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Talk about being blinded by Pixie Dust. Those walls were there sorry you missed it. Also one might consider that they were building new parks during that time and those were not visible. Due to the fact that they were building new parks they were not adding a lot to the park(s) already there. But there were some and they were very visible.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Well, think about all the other theme and/or amusement parks that can buy into the system after Disney has spent all that money to develop it. Everyone should try and take off the myopic lenses that they are looking through. Disney has more then one iron in the fire. No one that can count can possibly see how Disney will make money off this just as a Disney parks thing. I think that many are seeing it as just a WDW thing as well. If they can get it to work, and they will eventually, in time you will see this system everywhere. I will not be just in Disney anymore then Microsoft developed Windows for in-house use only.
WDWDad13
Well-Known Member
ok so let's be open minded and realistic for a minute... we know:
- they are doing more refurbs here lately than they use to so that's a good sign
- investing a ton in NexGen and MyMagic+ "stuff" for the future of the theme parks
- the Disney Springs project looks encouraging (at least to me anyways) and could be a really nice addition if done the way the concept art shows (and they get some good stores, etc.)
- stars wars land is a pretty realistic rumor
- avatarland (or something in AK) is likely coming
- Imagination pavilion rumored to be redone?
- new parade coming to MK
- possible new night show coming to DAK
- extremely popular villains event recently
knowing that Uni continues to grow and build new attractions....what do you think is or should be WDW's next big plan (or plans)?
- they are doing more refurbs here lately than they use to so that's a good sign
- investing a ton in NexGen and MyMagic+ "stuff" for the future of the theme parks
- the Disney Springs project looks encouraging (at least to me anyways) and could be a really nice addition if done the way the concept art shows (and they get some good stores, etc.)
- stars wars land is a pretty realistic rumor
- avatarland (or something in AK) is likely coming
- Imagination pavilion rumored to be redone?
- new parade coming to MK
- possible new night show coming to DAK
- extremely popular villains event recently
knowing that Uni continues to grow and build new attractions....what do you think is or should be WDW's next big plan (or plans)?
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
More DVC, obviously.
I don't look at MM+ as a plus. Actually as a local it will definitely have a negative effect on my visits.
Lexxweb
Active Member
Well no wonder why you don't understand who else will follow. Everyone.
...everyone. Give it 5 years, Universal, Busch/SeaWorld and the like will all be cooking up their responses to what Disney has done.
Am I the only one remembers Fastpass? When that came around people hated it..just like this. Look who followed suit? Universal Express..SeaWorld Quick Queue..hmm.
Just wait.
WDWDad13
Well-Known Member
how do you know it will have a "negative" effect on your visits?
lebeau
Well-Known Member
And then everyone abandoned it for a monetized version while Disney continues to struggle to find some way to make FP work the way it was intended.
FP+ had better be a lot more successful than FP was.
WDWDad13
Well-Known Member
count me in on thinking NexGen is a good idea