The new Disney lands only get there with aesthetics and maybe attractions. The food and merchandise is not quite as directly derived from the greater experience. Would anybody notice if the content of one of the shops was totally switched out? Still too much of a decorated mall and not enough of the unique experiences that used to be found, like on Main Street, USA.
That is a problem for them, long term. I firmly believe WDW should be trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. You can't please everyone all the time but you should aim as high as possible not just rest on certain demographics.
Don't forget that the weatherman is from the world of television and once ran ABC. Television sales and promotion is all based upon target demographics. WDW targets affluent families as their primary demographic and they do a great job. Even with a major real estate slump during the past several years, DVC sales are still going strong. Yet who in their right mind would sign a contract to buy 50 years worth of expensive pre-paid vacations? Disney knows their customers!
If this has already been covered, I am sorry, but I'm old and do not have enough of my life left to go through all 39 pages, but, I would like to say that I don't know of anyone that has ever gone to WDW because of Downtown Disney. Even at it's prettiest, it is just a fancy shopping center. Always has been and probably always will be. It's a place to go to fill in a day that isn't connected with a park ticket and suck whatever extra money you have away from your possession. But as an enticement for a trip because of it, I have a hard time thinking that is possible. Any improvement that they make there will just be an extra and intended to draw you there once you have gotten to WDW, not to get you to WDW. Carry on with whatever the topic is at this point in the discussion.
That's my fear. The theming would be great but it'd be one "E-Ticket" (really a C), two carnival rides, a M&G building, and a rough version of the Cantina. Definitely a good merchandise store.
I'm sorry, I guess I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't talking about people who reside in the area or are there on other business, going just to DTD (PI). The argument was made that DTD was needed to draw people to WDW from other places. I said, I didn't think that was possible. I can only speak for myself but the many years that I made the trip to WDW from Vermont, never once did my mind wander into what exciting thing might be happening at DTD. DTD was always a filler AFTER we had arrived. That was the just of my post. Why would it be important to make it like a 5th gate when they are only returning based on what the retail 3rd parties are paying out of their receipts. In order to be a place someone wants to go they do need to make it Disney looking, but, when the day is done...it a shopping center.
They're building a mall while Universal is building the theme park land of the century.
I would disagree with that to the extent that Disney was meeting a demand for family suite style rooms w/ AoA. People are definitely leaning towards them. Now, if you want to argue the price point of those rooms, that's a different point altogether.
Disney already has "the theme park land of the century"?
