Disney and Universal: Two very different paths

[jensenrick]

...no. I'm saying there's A LOT to do at WDW. You misread my post. There's A LOT for the wrist bands to do at WDW, but not at SeaWorld.

SeaWorld is a one-day park. Nobody is visiting their resort for multiple days and staying at an on-site hotel and traveling in large groups for multiple days, yadda yadda. Not to mention SeaWorld isn't the type of place where people go crazy for skipping lines. It doesn't have a hot Fastpass/Express demand like Disney/Universal.

It's a system that makes sense for something large and complex like Disney. SeaWorld operates very simply by just going in, seeing what you want to see and leaving. At most there's only two attractions you'd like to skip a line for. Granted, there's really only two attractions that get any type of a line.

It's not necessary for SeaWorld.

No, you misread MY post. But thank you for proving MY point- that Sea World (and other one day parks like it) would have NO interest in buying this "system" from WDW- in direct opposition to what you said in post #302 and many subsequent post "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."

No, they won't. A "system" this complicated is really only "suited" (and I use that word loosely) to huge place like WDW. I cannot think of a single place (just in the theme park industry, I'm saying) that would want to buy something like this (and would also be someone Disney would be willing to sell to.)

 

[Lexxweb]

No, you misread MY post. But thank you for proving MY point- that Sea World (and other one day parks like it) would have NO interest in buying this "system" from WDW- in direct opposition to what you said in post #302 and many subsequent post "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."

No, they won't. A "system" this complicated is really only "suited" (and I use that word loosely) to huge place like WDW. I cannot think of a single place (just in the theme park industry, I'm saying) that would want to buy something like this (and would also be someone Disney would be willing to sell to.)

Princess, there's multiple components to this system. I'm not saying everyone is going to get their version of a magic band. Think of it like a plastic RFID ticket that can interact with an app on your phone. It doesn't have to interact with hotel rooms, your debit card, interact with ride features (ala Test Track) and launch space shuttles.

There are components of this system others will copy, nobody is on the magnitude of WDW so nobody will fully realize the entire system for themselves. The only exception could be UO depending on how much they expand, I could see them using a "modified" version of MyMagic+ for sure.

YOU MISREAD MY POST, YOU MISREAD MY POST

PS- No other companies would buy this system because you can't "buy" it. They don't sell it at Target. They would develop it themselves, if they need to pull in anyone from the outside to help them out that's called contracting. Nothing is being purchased. It's also not a complicated system, WDW is having complications with it but only because of how large it is and how many people it needs to accommodate. SeaWorld, for example, wouldn't have that problem. We're talking an app (oh no, apps in 2013, how do we do this) and RFID. So complicated.

#12yearolds #cantwaitforhighschool #hashtags #yolo

Aaaand I'm out.

 

[jensenrick]

Princess, there's multiple components to this system. I'm not saying everyone is going to get their version of a magic band. Think of it like a plastic RFID ticket that can interact with an app on your phone. It doesn't have to interact with hotel rooms, your debit card, interact with ride features (ala Test Track) and launch space shuttles.

There are components of this system others will copy, nobody is on the magnitude of WDW so nobody will fully realize the entire system for themselves. The only exception could be UO depending on how much they expand, I could see them using a "modified" version of MyMagic+ for sure.

YOU MISREAD MY POST, YOU MISREAD MY POST

PS- No other companies would buy this system because you can't "buy" it. They don't sell it at Target. They would develop it themselves, if they need to pull in anyone from the outside to help them out that's called contracting. Nothing is being purchased. It's also not a complicated system, WDW is having complications with it but only because of how large it is and how many people it needs to accommodate. SeaWorld, for example, wouldn't have that problem. We're talking an app (oh no, apps in 2013, how do we do this) and RFID. So complicated.

#12yearolds #cantwaitforhighschool #hashtags #yolo

Aaaand I'm out.

Wow, good job circling around again on your circular logic, PRINCESS. As usual, no logical reasoning, just name calling. Welcome to my ignore list, dipstick.

 

[jensenrick]

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.

Hey Goofyernmost, have you seen Lexxweb's remarks about this idea? No? Hmmm.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Hey Goofyernmost, have you seen Lexxweb's remarks about this idea? No? Hmmm.

Who? No...do you have a link so I can figure out what "Hmmm" means in this case. Thanks.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Aaaand I'm out.

That is apparent.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Hey Goofyernmost, have you seen Lexxweb's remarks about this idea? No? Hmmm.

Never mind I just saw it above your post.

 

[flyerjab]

I've been watching this thread since it first started and figure I might as well add my two cents - the opinion of a regular Joe as opposed to someone who is an Insider or has waayyy more Disney experience/knowledge than I do.

It is clear that a path diverged in the woods and Disney is choosing the path less traveled, or less desired, by. My thoughts over the past few years have been that Disney is simply spending money on P&R infrastructure: more DVCs for additional guest capacity; more busses; new 'bendy' busses; a new bus parking facility at MK; FLE - truly a land expansion for capacity as there are few new real attractions/rides; a DDT expansion. Outside of WDW (mentioning just for kicks): 2 new cruise ships with expanded destinations and a fully refurbished Magic. Also let's not forget, there are a ton of people in Asia so why not build another theme park there (not that we care about that here). Furthermore, the acquisition of LucasFilm...that was what, only another 4 billion dollars to hopefully invest in future park additions/expansions, as well as movies. Not to mention Avatar for AK (which still baffles me). Regardless of what people say, those two IPs are huge and to me were in direct response to Harry Potter. To me, this all points to future park expansion and are things that have to be done sooner or later if WDW wants to continue growing because it has become an absolute goliath from a pure size perspective.

Aside from IP acquisitions, not very sexy moves for those devoted to Disney, and I get it. It's like getting luggage as a Christmas present from your parents. It can be expensive and might be all you get that year, but it is something you will need for the future.

Now, let's hop in our 91Ford Explorer with King Kong and cruise the interstate to Universal. Since Comcast started making it rain in Orlando, UO and IOA, through the purchase of Harry Potter, has received (and will continue to receive I might add) a huge adrenaline shot in its 'manhood'. Because Universal is behind the growth curve when compared to Disney, I think that Comcast is doing exactly what it needs to do to continue to compete. The addition of all of the new rides, as well as greatly expanding their on site resort options, is going to help them grow into a true rival (and I very much believe that)...something that I think Disney needs.

I am hoping that Disney then responds in kind. To say that Star Wars can't compete with Harry Potter I feel is unrealistic. That is, of course, if Disney doesn't drop the ball with this IP. This is one instance where I feel the Disney fans, and those that routinely tout Universal, are praying that Disney does this right. If so, Disney could hit the ball out of the park instead of dropping it. One can only hope.

 

[bhg469]

That is absolutely correct. Star wars has the potential to one up potter without a doubt. I fear the resources that have been wasted on FP+ are the reason this will be a lackluster endeavor. If the star wars land isn't double the cost of FP+ i cant see it coming close to the hype of potter.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That is absolutely correct. Star wars has the potential to one up potter without a doubt. I fear the resources that have been wasted on FP+ are the reason this will be a lackluster endeavor. If the star wars land isn't double the cost of FP+ i cant see it coming close to the hype of potter.

I doubt that Disney has spend a nickel that will affect the actual building up of the parks. That is a completely separate bucket of funds and although it may make the BOD a little hesitant about spending more, one budget really will not have much impact on the another unless it causes a catastrophic financial problem for The Disney Company overall. It's possible but I don't see that happening. Try and remember that Disney is a Multi Billion Dollar company. Theme parks are only one section of it's overall holdings and not even the biggest. We are getting what we would have been getting even if they had never heard of MM+.

 

[flyerjab]

That is absolutely correct. Star wars has the potential to one up potter without a doubt. I fear the resources that have been wasted on FP+ are the reason this will be a lackluster endeavor. If the star wars land isn't double the cost of FP+ i cant see it coming close to the hype of potter.

Wow. I can't believe I forgot to list that in my list of infrastructure spending. Add that to the list of money spent (notice I left out the word well). Whether this costly endeavor proves to be a positive investment will likely take some time. And numbers are so easily spun these days it will be difficult to tell.

My wife and I went to Disney over Labor Day (sans kids) and participated in the magic band test. We had zero problems with them. Also, my wife enjoys planning out trips and loves technology so she liked the pre-planning aspect. We found that knowing a little bit of what we were doing ahead of time was helpful. I am aware that others prefer spontenaety when vacationing but my wife and I enjoy a schedule to a degree. The one negative though is that if Disney wants to use this technology moving forward, that have to increase their bandwidth within The World. I do believe that they are doing that, however, so there is some more infrastructure spending u suppose.

One final thought. I definitely can see how you can end up spending more money using these bands. Curse you Iger!

 

[GoofGoof]

That is absolutely correct. Star wars has the potential to one up potter without a doubt. I fear the resources that have been wasted on FP+ are the reason this will be a lackluster endeavor. If the star wars land isn't double the cost of FP+ i cant see it coming close to the hype of potter.

Double the cost would be enough for a 5th gate. That's over $2.5B. Wasn't the whole DCA reboot less than half that? I don't see StarWars getting a budget north of $1B. Depending on how big they go it could be only about $500M. They aren't likely to spend more than FLE and Avatar on it so I could see a budget between $500M and $800M. The whole Wizarding World of Harry Potter cost around $200M to build so there is no reason they couldn't do something on par for 2.5 to 4 times the budget. This is Disney building it so you would expect the price tag to be at least double. If StarWars Land is visually on par with FLE with a true E-ticket and at least one other attraction besides Jedi Academy and Star Tours I think it will be very successful.

Nothing can or will be a Potter Swatter. No matter what Disney builds people won't suddenly forget that Potter exists. The goal of a StarWarsLand would be to keep people at DHS for a full day and combined with Avatarland keep people on property longer.

 

[ford91exploder]

That is absolutely correct. Star wars has the potential to one up potter without a doubt. I fear the resources that have been wasted on FP+ are the reason this will be a lackluster endeavor. If the star wars land isn't double the cost of FP+ i cant see it coming close to the hype of potter.

Not to mention the reality of HPL 2.0

 

[ford91exploder]

I've been watching this thread since it first started and figure I might as well add my two cents - the opinion of a regular Joe as opposed to someone who is an Insider or has waayyy more Disney experience/knowledge than I do.

It is clear that a path diverged in the woods and Disney is choosing the path less traveled, or less desired, by. My thoughts over the past few years have been that Disney is simply spending money on P&R infrastructure: more DVCs for additional guest capacity; more busses; new 'bendy' busses; a new bus parking facility at MK; FLE - truly a land expansion for capacity as there are few new real attractions/rides; a DDT expansion. Outside of WDW (mentioning just for kicks): 2 new cruise ships with expanded destinations and a fully refurbished Magic. Also let's not forget, there are a ton of people in Asia so why not build another theme park there (not that we care about that here). Furthermore, the acquisition of LucasFilm...that was what, only another 4 billion dollars to hopefully invest in future park additions/expansions, as well as movies. Not to mention Avatar for AK (which still baffles me). Regardless of what people say, those two IPs are huge and to me were in direct response to Harry Potter. To me, this all points to future park expansion and are things that have to be done sooner or later if WDW wants to continue growing because it has become an absolute goliath from a pure size perspective.

Aside from IP acquisitions, not very sexy moves for those devoted to Disney, and I get it. It's like getting luggage as a Christmas present from your parents. It can be expensive and might be all you get that year, but it is something you will need for the future.

Now, let's hop in our 91Ford Explorer with King Kong and cruise the interstate to Universal. Since Comcast started making it rain in Orlando, UO and IOA, through the purchase of Harry Potter, has received (and will continue to receive I might add) a huge adrenaline shot in its 'manhood'. Because Universal is behind the growth curve when compared to Disney, I think that Comcast is doing exactly what it needs to do to continue to compete. The addition of all of the new rides, as well as greatly expanding their on site resort options, is going to help them grow into a true rival (and I very much believe that)...something that I think Disney needs.

I am hoping that Disney then responds in kind. To say that Star Wars can't compete with Harry Potter I feel is unrealistic. That is, of course, if Disney doesn't drop the ball with this IP. This is one instance where I feel the Disney fans, and those that routinely tout Universal, are praying that Disney does this right. If so, Disney could hit the ball out of the park instead of dropping it. One can only hope.

Why do people assume I'm a Universal fan, Last time I was there was in 2003 at a corporate event, I'm an engineer and a analyst. My take is that UNI is doing what needs to be done to make it for the long haul, TWDC has had massive creative failures which stem from a lack of imagination and they just don't CARE about creating a good product in any of their lines of business.

The modern TWDC wants to be a IP holding company which is a low risk high reward business assuming you already have popular IP locked up StarWars/Disney/Marvel Comics but fundamentally they are not a creative company any longer as the massive failures 'John Carter' and 'The Lone Ranger' show they ran the numbers and put a bunch of factors in the movies which should have been popular, Big Star - Check, PC - Check, Lots of 'splosions - Check, Ultimately neither movie had a good story so they failed. FLE is failing for the same reason Uninspiring 'dark' (if only it were) ride - Check, lots of merch / dining - check, C-ticket kiddie coaster - Check, Themed bathrooms - Check. I've been there once there is nothing to draw me back. CREATIVE FAIL

Universal is STILL a creative company which is high risk, very high reward because if you get the concept right you can spawn a new IP franchise,

 

[flyerjab]

Why do people assume I'm a Universal fan, Last time I was there was in 2003 at a corporate event, I'm an engineer and a analyst. My take is that UNI is doing what needs to be done to make it for the long haul, TWDC has had massive creative failures which stem from a lack of imagination and they just don't CARE about creating a good product in any of their lines of business.

The modern TWDC wants to be a IP holding company which is a low risk high reward business assuming you already have popular IP locked up StarWars/Disney/Marvel Comics but fundamentally they are not a creative company any longer as the massive failures 'John Carter' and 'The Lone Ranger' show they ran the numbers and put a bunch of factors in the movies which should have been popular, Big Star - Check, PC - Check, Lots of 'splosions - Check, Ultimately neither movie had a good story so they failed. FLE is failing for the same reason Uninspiring 'dark' (if only it were) ride - Check, lots of merch / dining - check, C-ticket kiddie coaster - Check, Themed bathrooms - Check. I've been there once there is nothing to draw me back. CREATIVE FAIL

Universal is STILL a creative company which is high risk, very high reward because if you get the concept right you can spawn a new IP franchise,

Please take no offense. I very much look forward to you posts. I welcome all view points. I was just dying to use that line for some time.

 

[Lexxweb]

Wow, good job circling around again on your circular logic, PRINCESS. As usual, no logical reasoning, just name calling. Welcome to my ignore list, dipstick.

I didn't circle around anything. I explained everything you ask. Sorry you don't agree.

 

[ford91exploder]

Please take no offense. I very much look forward to you posts. I welcome all view points. I was just dying to use that line for some time.

None taken, It was my favorite truck EVER drove it for 675,000 miles.

 

[Goofyernmost]

None taken, It was my favorite truck EVER drove it for 675,000 miles.

If you got a Ford Explorer to go 675,000 miles one of two things happened. It was either towed behind a General Motors product for 600,000 of those miles or there is an engineer or two in Detroit looking for work and constantly being reminded that they don't sell cars that don't break down. I suppose that there is another way as well and that would be that the only thing left on it from the showroom was the left rear stoplight cover.

I was just messing with you, but, really that's a lot of miles.

 

[ford91exploder]

If you got a Ford Explorer to go 675,000 miles one of two things happened. It was either towed behind a General Motors product for 600,000 of those miles or there is an engineer or two in Detroit looking for work and constantly being reminded that they don't sell cars that don't break down. I suppose that there is another way as well and that would be that the only thing left on it from the showroom was the left rear stoplight cover.

I was just messing with you, but, really that's a lot of miles.

It's called maintenance, Fix the little things and the big ones will not break, Change fluids when recommended replace hoses and belts at recommended intervals that kind of stuff, I do much of my own maintenance but its always been surprising to me how people will get rid of a car because it needs a few hundred dollars for a repair but are willing to shell out thousands annually for a car payment, After it was paid off I spent about 1,500 per year on maintenance and repairs. It finally went to boneyard 2 years ago corrosion too extensive to economically repair but thats life in the frozen north

 

[Goofyernmost]

It's called maintenance, Fix the little things and the big ones will not break, Change fluids when recommended replace hoses and belts at recommended intervals that kind of stuff, I do much of my own maintenance but its always been surprising to me how people will get rid of a car because it needs a few hundred dollars for a repair but are willing to shell out thousands annually for a car payment, After it was paid off I spent about 1,500 per year on maintenance and repairs. It finally went to boneyard 2 years ago corrosion too extensive to economically repair but thats life in the frozen north

I know the feeling. Up until I got to old to want too, I did all my own maintanence, but my skills were limited. I think I got, out of any car that I had, but I don't remember going either under 100,000 miles or over 190,000. Currently I own a 2005 Cadillac DHS. Beautiful car and in spite of it's age is just about to turn over 90,000 miles. Currently, it costs me an average of $1500.00 per year for repairs and that's because buying a light bulb for a Cadillac can require a second mortgage. Even though it spent it's first 5 years in the cold and salt of Vermont, body wise it is in excellent shape, and as I would expect for a car that cost that much new, mechanically, meaning drive train, it is still in great shape. I will be repairing it for many more years to come, I think.