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I thought this article was interesting
- Thread starter George
- Start date
I think the author hit the nail on the head about Universal and Potter being the predominant reason why SeaWorld's Attendance has been declining.
For the majority of the tourists visiting central Florida, you have WDW and everything else. Most will spend the lion share of their time with the mouse leaving a very limited window for the everything else crowd. When US/IOA opened Potter, they gobbled up a very large portion of the everything else pie.
It would be interesting to see if Busch Gardens experienced a similar slump around 2010.
For the majority of the tourists visiting central Florida, you have WDW and everything else. Most will spend the lion share of their time with the mouse leaving a very limited window for the everything else crowd. When US/IOA opened Potter, they gobbled up a very large portion of the everything else pie.
It would be interesting to see if Busch Gardens experienced a similar slump around 2010.
Clamman73
Well-Known Member
I don't know if this has been discussed or is an answer to what is discussed in the above article.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/09/seaworld-san-diego-phase-out-killer-whale-show/
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/09/seaworld-san-diego-phase-out-killer-whale-show/
Lucky
Well-Known Member
It makes some interesting points, especially about Sea World attendance decline beginning 3 years before Blackfish. But it's hard to say how much of it is due to HP or anything else going on in the Orlando area, without more detailed attendance numbers on SW-Orlando v. SW-San Diego and SW-San Antonio. Another article actually said SW-San Diego was doing the worst of the three.
I'm not convinced about the author's theory that SW's problem is the absence of elaborate fictional stories (because a "dispirited public looks to superheroes, wizards, and rebels to show us the way from our too-often depressing existence toward a more promising future"). Are people really more "dispirited" than they used to be? Is attendance at zoos and museums dropping? Are there trends toward fiction and away from non-fiction in TV ratings, books purchased, etc.? It's possible, but without any more evidence it's just one person's opinion - like when Jimmy Carter back in 1979 thought we were all dispirited.
I'm not convinced about the author's theory that SW's problem is the absence of elaborate fictional stories (because a "dispirited public looks to superheroes, wizards, and rebels to show us the way from our too-often depressing existence toward a more promising future"). Are people really more "dispirited" than they used to be? Is attendance at zoos and museums dropping? Are there trends toward fiction and away from non-fiction in TV ratings, books purchased, etc.? It's possible, but without any more evidence it's just one person's opinion - like when Jimmy Carter back in 1979 thought we were all dispirited.
rob0519
Well-Known Member
My family still likes Sea World. We used to like it more when the major shows were more humorous and entertaining. A few years ago the park moved to a whole Cirque de Solei type of presentation for the Dolphins and Whales. In our opinion it made the shows less entertaining. The performers are truly skilled, but it just isn't for us. So, on our last trip we went to Universal instead. I'm guessing we will probably give Sea World another try next year, possibly combined with a day at Discovery Cove. We want to go back, but the $259 person price at DC is a bit steep.
ULPO46
Well-Known Member
This is what I said over the summer in my Here's a Brilliant Idea thread. What the morons at PETA don't realize is that these animals have lived a grand if not all of the majority of their lives in captivity. They wont accustom well to the wild, I mean indeed they are wild animals but they wont be able to survive healthy lives out there. I think this is a good movement but lets face it no one is visiting Sand Diego, San Antonio, or Orlando parks anymore. indeed these parks had their hey days but it's long over. For a place as crowded as Orlando, you can build as many rides as you want but Disney and Universal eat up 99% of the market if not look at the mess that has become of the I-Drive projects. The State of Florida allowed these two companies too much power in the monopoly that is Florida's largest sector of it's economy, the tourist industry. It's a shame because I grew up visiting SeaWorld all of the time, my mother worked as a Resort Manager there until she retired. It's just as special as Disney for me. It's a shame people have gone mad over beautiful animals, that lets face it a majority of the world wont be able to see in the wild. For them as well as me SeaWorld was the only place I could ever see a Killer Whale in action.
ULPO46
Well-Known Member
I am well aware of that it was my Thesis to graduate from Hospitality. But Disney has way too much power in the state. It's nice that the Florida of then, gave them the ability to build a nuclear power plant if they wanted, but let's face it today it would be illegal for any company to be granted such a luxury. But I am not complaining I know that Sea's opened 2 years after WDW opened, but it was their before Universal. It's a shame management at Anheuser-Busch didn't realize this years ago. But yet again no one knew what would happen after the post 9/11 drop in attendance. We probably will never see numbers like that in Orlando ever again. But this isn't a story about Disney or the state of Florida, this is about a company who is ran by morons even dumber than the ones at Disney and as a Shareholder it makes me angry to see a park I loved so much growing up as a kid go down as a place tourist skip outright. I hope that something can be done to save the company before it's too late and another park has to close. Some of my closest friends that work in corporate have told me that within 6 months we will here news about San Antonio and Orlando's whale shows. In theory I believe all will be phased out and the "Blue Seas" exhibit will replace them all eventually, probably around mid 2017.
rob0519
Well-Known Member
I agree. It's a great deal. Unfortunately, we're only in Orlando 5 days, maybe on a good trip 6 at most and frankly a lot of that time is spent at Disney. I've tried to talk the family into a Disney-less trip for a few years now with no luck. If we could swing 7 or more days, I would like to get to all four of those parks.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Exactly. Tourists only have so much time and money to tour Orlando area attractions and Sea World hasn't added anything on par with the likes of Potter to encourage visitors to spend time with them.
flynnibus
Premium Member
The Discovery Cove deal is a winner... the main problem is you have to dedicate multiple days of your limited vacation time to it. In the 'Mouse rules Orlando' landscape we are in... its very difficult to get the Disney-first crowd to do so. Same reasons UNI is fighting so hard to break the old model too.
Orlando used to be about going down and visiting all the different attractions... including Disney.. for most people. Disney successfully made Orlando about visiting Disney... (MYW, DME, etc) and everyone else suffered because of that.
Jon81uk
Well-Known Member
and that is why SeaWorld give "free" tickets to SeaWorld with the Discovery Cove tickets. As Dscovery Cove is the hot ticket people want to visit, but by giving the other parks too it hopefully encourages people to spend less time at Disney and dedicate more of their vacation time to SeaWorld parks, so they get more cash on parking fees, souvenirs and food.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Honestly I think it's more about softening the blow of DC's price. Nearly $300 for a single day PER HEAD would run many people off. But if you position it as DC PLUS all this other stuff you would want to do... it brings the relative price down. That's why DC is included in the inclusive parks ticket bundle (which pre-dates DC..).
The model of 'Come once, stay as long as you like' is not uncommon in a lot of attractions that want to encourage longer stays but can't get people to justify paying full price again. Hence why most 'season passes' are usually priced about 2.5x the single day admission.
DC is a special cases in that it's nearly 3x the cost of other single day attractions and that's a tough sell based on dollar amount alone. But the value is excellent with the product offered and the bundled tickets (if you can use them).
Jon81uk
Well-Known Member
For me, DC was a bargain. From a UK ticket reseller(FloridaTix.com) SeaWorld/Busch/Aquatica is £99. Discovery Cove without the Dolphin swim is £135. So for £36 ($50) I get a day at Discovery Cove including all food and drink!
I guess if you don't plan to go to SW/Busch then the value is harder to work. But we would have done those parks no matter what
JPatton
Active Member
In 2016, people everywhere are rethinking their attitude toward the use of animals in entertainment. The era of displaying dolphins, orcas, and belugas in concrete enclosures is passing.
Four people have been killed by captive orcas in the marine mammal park industry. Two of the four at SeaWorld Orlando.
The Shamu show has got to go.
If Ringling Bros. can retire their elephants, SeaWorld can retire their killer whales.
Support the ORCA Act. Don't buy a ticket to a whale or dolphin show. Don't buy a ticket to SeaWorld.
Four people have been killed by captive orcas in the marine mammal park industry. Two of the four at SeaWorld Orlando.
The Shamu show has got to go.
If Ringling Bros. can retire their elephants, SeaWorld can retire their killer whales.
Support the ORCA Act. Don't buy a ticket to a whale or dolphin show. Don't buy a ticket to SeaWorld.
Donald Razorduck
Well-Known Member
Not this again. But glad you brought up Belugas. Ask CNN why they have such a close relationship with the aquarium in Atlanta.
Anywho, ya would've thunk SeaWorld would have been taking a beating with the stock market tumble. Nope, pretty much holding steady and up two bucks from the Blackfish Bottom a year ago.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=SEAS
watch whatt happens if they announce better overall numbers over the course of 2016 with Discovery Point in San Antonio, Mako in Orlando and the new coaster in Tampa.
Man, I should have built a large basket of theme park stocks 5 years ago.
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And in 2016 you're still schilling for others, using this site for your own ends. Continuity in action....
BrianV
Well-Known Member
So sad that the elephants are going away. If you are a kid growing up in Boston and don't have the funds to travel you will never see an elephant in your whole life. And might decide you don't give a darn.
That said, people aren't going to sea world, myself included, not largely over protest of the whales but bcause disney and universal have gained in market share with new and exciting attractions. I really want to see Antarctica exhibit, but that means an xtra day and an extra set of tickets.