Disneyland's Plummeting Numbers

[xfkirsten]

Well, having gone on WDW's Pooh many times, I was sorely disappointed in DL's version. DL's just feels so stripped-down. All the great effects used in WDW are absent from DL. It's just boring here. The only points it gets from me are for the fart in the Heffalumps and Woozles room.

-Kirsten

 

[cherrynegra]

Oh yeah, and for some reason we kept running into Gary Sinese and his family on three separate rides. On the third occaision as I passed I casually asked him who was manning mission control. It took him a second, but then he said, "It's a holiday, man. Disney let me have the day off!"

That's funny!! And I agree with your posted comments. Why does it seem the guests come up with solutions more than the current suits in power at Disney??

 

[Disneyland1970]

Now wait a second. I just did the Pooh Bear ride for a second time--first time was last December. As much as I seriously miss the Country Bears (particularly at Christmas...I mean I just can't hear "Winter Wonderland" w/o singing it like Big Al), the Pooh Bear ride I consider a lateral--a C-ticket for a C-ticket attraction. And I actually liked the ride a lot better the second time around.

But...here's my digression...the other thing my friends and I agree to rag on DL of late is that they have removed all the mass guest swallower attractions. In the last decade, there is no more CBJ, Golden Horseshoe Review, CircleVision, Mission to Mars (very dated), nothing much of value in the old CoP building, no People Mover, and nothing in an empty theater that once housed the Hunchback show.

On crowded days, this leaves long lines and a choice of the Tiki Room, GMWML, and HISTA (and maybe now the Snow White show) as crowd swallowers. I hate that the park is becoming all 3-10 minute attactions with longish to very long lines.

Pooh Bear, and in fact a lot of park expansion, could've gone into the Big Thunder Ranch area with maybe some kind of update of CBJ (God forbid in conjuction with the dreaded movie).

And hasn't Pooh Bear been considered a mild flop? As I've learned in Real Estate classes, location, location, location. It's nice to have a kid-friendly attraction in this corner of the park, but it's a shlep to get there. Having it ajacent to Fantasyland would've made more sense in my opinion.

I can't agree with you more!! It is the same at the MK in WDW. They have taken out all the fillers! Don't forget the 20k ride, boat ride in Fantasyland,keel boats, skyway, and not sure about DL, but the MK dosent run the Omni busses,fire engine and cab anymore. All things taken out with no replacement! Plus the hours are cut shorter than before!

 

[Disneynutcase]

I think you nailed it on the head by calling these attractions "fillers." They aren't sexy in any way to Disney brass, just bland attractions to Disney Brass that can eventually be replaced. Problem is, a lot of them just go dark and sit dormant.

So for the CBJ to Pooh Bear transformation, my feeling is that at least they replaced it with something newish. And yes, I've been on the WDW one and think it's way better. The one thing I noticed the last time I rode the DL Pooh is that the vehicle starts floating in the flood scene and continued floating throughout the remainder of the ride. Maybe I rode in a faulty vehicle, but it's details like that (or lack thereof) that bugs me.

Oh yeah, and then there's the whole you gotta be Lou Ferigno to turn the friggin tea cups fiasco. On July 4th, the Teacups had no longer than a 5 minute wait all day. And one glance told you why. The Tea Cups barely spin.
Talk about a ride that should now just be replaced! Or how about some kind of seat restraints for this one so dummies can't fall out as easily?

 

[xfkirsten]

Oh yeah, and then there's the whole you gotta be Lou Ferigno to turn the friggin tea cups fiasco. On July 4th, the Teacups had no longer than a 5 minute wait all day. And one glance told you why. The Tea Cups barely spin.
Talk about a ride that should now just be replaced! Or how about some kind of seat restraints for this one so dummies can't fall out as easily?

Yup, that was deliberately made that way after an accident in January when a disabled guest fell out of a teacup. According to online reports, the guest was not seriously injured and was even in good spirits about the whole incident. However, Disneyland management's knee-jerk reaction was to tighten down the teacups.

Rumor has surfaced, though, that due to many guest complaints, they may be back to normal in the near future. Let's hope this is true!

-Kirsten

 

[Disneyland1970]

Yup, that was deliberately made that way after an accident in January when a disabled guest fell out of a teacup. According to online reports, the guest was not seriously injured and was even in good spirits about the whole incident. However, Disneyland management's knee-jerk reaction was to tighten down the teacups.

Rumor has surfaced, though, that due to many guest complaints, they may be back to normal in the near future. Let's hope this is true!

-Kirsten

I hope so! I understand that with all the press that BTMRR had, they were on the defensive very fast with this issue. But the ride has history and is fun when not so tight! I'm glad the gentleman who fell was not hurt. With the volume of people in the parks, some things are going to happen. As long as the rides are kept up MECHANICALLY & INSPECTED, the other issues should be minor, unless the guest is not following the rules or common sense! ( I know! Not all people left the factory with the common sense option) :hammer:

 

[LadyDarling]

I do agree on many cases, but there may be many other reasons why July 4th isn't as big as it has been in the past. Many people are now afraid of public places on large holidays. I agree with you about the 1 day ticket prices though. They are a bit steep! I know many people who simply can't afford to go.

Yes, the recent accident's haven't helped one bit.

There are many other factors as well - for example, other parks running near "smear" campagians against Disney (like, for example, you've all seen the commercial on Tv that says "When you're done with fairy tales and pixy dust...").

All of these add up!
~Jay

 

[cherrynegra]

May I make one observation that I think is due to the cheap local passes? On my last visit to DL, I couldn't help but notice that the park was overrun with teens and preteens running around unsupervised. Something I hadn't encountered before at The World. And I remember thinking at the time, "What the heck did the parents do? Dump them at the gates to be picked up later?" Then I read posts here and at other sites by people complaining about people dumping their kids at the parks for the day with their annual passes. :lol:

I think the local passes should go. They've flooded the market with them and I think it's coming back to bite them in the .

 

[DDuckFan130]

May I make one observation that I think is due to the cheap local passes? On my last visit to DL, I couldn't help but notice that the park was overrun with teens and preteens running around unsupervised. Something I hadn't encountered before at The World. And I remember thinking at the time, "What the heck did the parents do? Dump them at the gates to be picked up later?" Then I read posts here and at other sites by people complaining about people dumping their kids at the parks for the day with their annual passes. :lol:

I think the local passes should go. They've flooded the market with them and I think it's coming back to bite them in the .

Did you run into my sister and 5 cousins, all under 16? :lol: My 14 year old sister, 14 year old cousin, aunt, and uncle went to Los Angeles last Thanksgiving and I have family there. So yes, I can relate to this one because the 6 girls were dropped off at DL and were picked up at night. From what my sister told me, my cousins are well-behaved. As far as strangers go, sorry can't help ya there :lol:.

 

[ToTBellHop]

The only problem w/ depleting the number of APs they sell is that, as discussed, Disneyland greatly relies on them, so a decrease in APs would greatly decrease park attendance and spending (APs still have to eat...), which I'm not sure is the best idea. The only way I would do something like that would be if reservations were up for the 50th...if they would start offering packages for the 50th! (other than the 3 night only package...which is kinda annoying for those of us who want to go longer)

 

[Disneyland1970]

I think the AP's are fine, just do away with the SoCal specials.. How much is an AP if you are a SoCal resident?? I have Florida resident PAP's and they were somewhere in the $400 range for adults.. I know different parks but trying to see the cost in CA. From the other posts I think the park is being used as day care or summer camp!

 

[xfkirsten]

I think the AP's are fine, just do away with the SoCal specials.. How much is an AP if you are a SoCal resident?? I have Florida resident PAP's and they were somewhere in the $400 range for adults.. I know different parks but trying to see the cost in CA. From the other posts I think the park is being used as day care or summer camp!

My DL Premium AP was $225. They're up to $279 now, but still, that is not a ton of money for a DL AP with no blackout dates, free parking, discounts everywhere! Very affordable!

-Kirsten

 

[DarkMeasures]

My DL Premium AP was $225. They're up to $279 now, but still, that is not a ton of money for a DL AP with no blackout dates, free parking, discounts everywhere! Very affordable!

-Kirsten

Yeah. That definitly is cheap. The WDW Annual Passes are over $500.

 

[LadyDarling]

May I make one observation that I think is due to the cheap local passes? On my last visit to DL, I couldn't help but notice that the park was overrun with teens and preteens running around unsupervised. Something I hadn't encountered before at The World. And I remember thinking at the time, "What the heck did the parents do? Dump them at the gates to be picked up later?" Then I read posts here and at other sites by people complaining about people dumping their kids at the parks for the day with their annual passes. :lol:
I think the local passes should go. They've flooded the market with them and I think it's coming back to bite them in the .

I do think the passes have gotten a little out of control. For example, why should there be 2 different levels of Southeren AP passes? I think if they could lower the day pass price and have more "southeren CA" promotional events, they'd be far better off. I'm a Premium Annual pass holder, even though I live in Southeren CA. I like the 365 day availablity and the extra discounts are great.

But part of the trouble with teens is location as well. Disneyworld is an entity set off by itself. Disneyland is right smack in LA!

 

[LadyDarling]

Yeah. That definitly is cheap. The WDW Annual Passes are over $500.

WDW passes that are $500 also encompass 4 parks, pleasure island, water parks, etc. If you break down premium annual pass at WDW, you'll end up paying (currently) $62.38 per park (plus tax) ($499.00/8 admissions - 4 parks, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest, and Disney's Wide World of Sports ). So in that - they are a bargain. Disneyland's are expensive if you look at only getting admission to 2 parks.

 

[cherrynegra]

The BLOG FLUME - The 50th Can't Come Quickly Enough

The Disneyland Resort has been having a horrible summer and the newest accident at Big Thunder Mountain certainly won't help matters.

By Kevin Baxter
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/columns/blog/40.cfm

MiceAge - Jul 6
Orlando Sentinel - Jul 9

I mentioned previously that California Adventure has gotten very little help from their new Tower of Terror. Well, things are getting worse and worse. DCA managed only 16,500 guests on July 4. Considering that was not only a Sunday but a huge holiday also, those numbers are pathetic.

And it just isn't DCA that's suffering. Disneyland, which has consistently managed to attract large crowds, got its first sub-40,000-guests Saturday in more than 20 years a few weeks ago. Then came the disastrous Independence Day weekend. Instead of the 70K average the park usually pulls in on the Fourth, DL barely dragged in 50K.

It's obvious that Southern Californians now expect Disney to offer discounts, and if they don't then people just stay away. In fact, it seems the only locals bothering with the parks are AP owners who cannot be discouraged from renewing their APs. Disney has recently raised AP prices and increased the number of blackout days so the number of APs would lower before the 50th Anniversary. Numbers have actually increased to more than 600K, which is a record for DLR.

One thing that may decrease numbers to DL is yet ANOTHER accident on Big Thunder Mountain. Disney mouthpieces are seriously downplaying the accident, but three people were injured, which makes this more serious than the previous two-train accident, which happened without riders.

Still, this makes three accidents in less than a year, with the first causing one death. People have not forgotten that one, and this accident will make it much harder for people to forget it. Many visitors already steer clear of the ride, and this accident will undoubtedly add more to the better-safe-than-sorry set. Even if most visitors haven't heard of either of the death-free accidents, they are still going to be suspicious of the ride being down yet again. Not to mention how suspicious people will be of Disney, which seems completely uncapable of running this ride without mishaps. Even though early reports have this as yet another operator error, people are starting to wonder why Disney puts so much responsibility in the hands of minimum-wage workers.

The entire Disneyland Resort is suffering, even as the new TDI regime is starting to fix it up. While the discounts and the excessive APs aren't helping, neither is Disney's slow attraction-building schedule. Disney should take this chance to immediately demolish BTMR and build a major new E-Ticket in the area. Buzz Lightyear and a not-so-new Space Mountain aren't going to keep the crowds coming back after the 50th, if they even show up for that.

 

[ToTBellHop]

WDW passes that are $500 also encompass 4 parks, pleasure island, water parks, etc. If you break down premium annual pass at WDW, you'll end up paying (currently) $62.38 per park (plus tax) ($499.00/8 admissions - 4 parks, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest, and Disney's Wide World of Sports ). So in that - they are a bargain. Disneyland's are expensive if you look at only getting admission to 2 parks.

That is a completely unreasonable comparison. All of Disney World's Theme Parks have far fewer attractions than Disneyland's theme parks. I added the number of attractions at WDW's theme parks together and added the number of attractions and the Disneyland Resort and found WDW has 8 more attractions (you can contest this all you want and say I'm not counting the correct attractions as attractions, but that doesn't matter--I counted everything but parades and character greeting areas). Disneyland has far more attractions than the Magic Kingdom, and DCA has more than MGM and AK combined. Furthermore, the water parks, Disney Quest, and the Wide World of Sports are in no way equal for 4 extra parks. Those four parks are at most a quarter of my Disney World experience, and with WDW and DL having nearly the same number of rides, I would say DL, in its present state, is about 70% of WDW (again, you can argue this but that is what I feel), so $279 is a vast bargain over wdw's $500 APs.

 

[LadyDarling]

And you made by point exactly. It's a ridiculous comparison.