New Resorts or Improve the Parks?

[SilentRascal]

It seems to me that it would be more in Disney's best interests to make improvements to its theme parks (i.e. renovate Fantasyland, renovate The Living Seas, add more rides to Animal Kingdom, etc, etc..) than to focus on adding more resorts to the property. Does anyone else think so?

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

By all means build new parks - BUT Disney needs to improve on what they've already got.

 

[disneydudette]

Originally posted by CAPTAIN HOOK
By all means build new parks - BUT Disney needs to improve on what they've already got.

I agree....I don't think there was a need for a new 6,000+ room resort to be built...when they can't even fill the resorts they have now.....that money could have went to renovations....

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Originally posted by disneydudette


I agree....I don't think there was a need for a new 6,000+ room resort to be built...when they can't even fill the resorts they have now.....that money could have went to renovations....

6,000+ room resort? Are you talking about Pop Century?
Well, I agree that the resort shouldn't have been built if they can't fill the rooms, but I believe they started construction on it before the large drop in tourism...

(but yes, renovations to the parks should be done before ANY more resorts go in...and hopefully, when Pop finally opens and they can't fill the rooms they have, they'll realize this)

 

[disneydudette]

Originally posted by WDWFREAK53


6,000+ room resort? Are you talking about Pop Century?
Well, I agree that the resort shouldn't have been built if they can't fill the rooms, but I believe they started construction on it before the large drop in tourism...

Yes I was talking about PC....but even before 9/11...resorts were still not reaching full capacity.....either way they did need anew value resort...the All-Stars were filling up....

 

[ToTBellHop]

...and the All-Stars are the first ones that have been getting more and more crowded post-9/11...they were crowded last week. I could see Pop Century doing well, but I don't think disney should build any more resorts for at least 5 years after this one opens--the parks do need some extensive work, and using profits from the Resorts could expedite the process. The park that needs the smallest amount of renovation is MGM, so I think they could get away with making its necessary changes while building a new land for Animal Kingdom and having that all complete after probably two years of construction...then they could work on Epcot...since it is getting Disney World's premier attraction next year, I would think it could wait two years...Animal Kingdom is in the most need of additions...

 

[kwt10]

I am in agreement with everybody that they need to improve the current parks and stop building hotels. I don't have a real problem with the new hotels but I feel that the money could have been used to do tons of improvements to the parks. I don't feel that they need to add a whole new park but fix up and add to all the other parks.

 

[MKCustodial]

I voted for improvement, by I mean fixing what they have, not adding even more stuff. There's a lot of rides that need some serious rehab, not to mention more attention to cleaning the parks and the old "taking more care about the CMs they're hiring".

 

[dreamer]

This is a no-brainer.

 

[thedisneyfan]

I'm in agreement about the improvements for the parks over new resorts. But I think that the Magic Kingdom needs the most right now even over AK b/c Epcot is getting mission space, MGM got RnR and AK got Asia like two years ago and the improvement of Dinorama. MK needs additions b/c it has lost two attractions---20,000 leagues and the skyway. Since it is the most visited additions would be best served at the MK right now!

 

[Big Pooh]

Disney needs another resort about as much as baseball needs another whiny millionaire. :hammer: :animwink: AK is still a half day park. Something need to be done to The Living Seas at Epcot. MGM need a large scale attraction on the opposite corner from RnRC, ToT, and Fantasmic! to draw some of the crowds in that direction, and MK.....where do I start? Let's see, they need to take out that awful speedway in Tomorrowland and retheme it as a kids ride in Mickey's Toontown and then use that land for an attraction that FITS IN WITH THE TOMORROWLAND THEME.(sorry for yelling:animwink: ) Fantasyland is a shell of it's California counterpart, and they need to do something with the 20k lagoon and also with the Skyway entrances. I'm going in Jan and I'm afraid Tomorrowland is gonna feel like a shell with CoP and Timekeeper not running. I STILL don't understand the point in having seasonal attractions. Either run them everyday or replace them. I'm a BIGTIME CoP fan, but what's the point in keeping it if it's only gonna be open part time.

Cheers:wave:

 

[mickeyfanatics]

I agree with many of you about the improvements needed. Look at Disney World's Additions since the Millenium Celebration began and you can see that they are only looking at the bottom line. If you go by their standard of what an attraction is, EPCOT has the most at 52. MK is second at 45. MGM has only 28, and AK has a whopping 19. Due to these numbers and the fact that MK is getting Philharmagic, and EPCOT is getting MS, I think that AK and MGM need the most work. MGM stays open til 9 during the summer (I remember the 10:30 days) but the park practically shuts down at 7, except for 5 rides. Most of AK has to close early, but if they added more "non animal" attractions they could keep it open later, however, I do remember the 7 AM-8 PM hours. We used to get in and out by 11 AM. I went recently at 4:30, and in 90 min I saw Primeval Whirl twice, Dinosaur, and the Safari. It was empty.

AK - needs new land and more attractions in Africa and Asia
MGM - needs new rides that do not close at 7 (put them on the other side of the park from the big 3)
MK - stop closing rides seasonally and also, add new rides, do not destroy old ones to make way for new
EPCOT - After Mission Space, they need something on the other side of FW and we need the Matterhorn (Mt. Fuji or Switzerland) in WS.

 

[gjpjtj]

Wow 100 percent so far in the voting! I too agree. some new attractions @ the parks, and some general fix up at the remaining is much more important than more rooms.

 

[3IAlienKid]

IMPROVE THE PARKS!! More stuff at AK (Dino-Rama doesn't count). Put something permanent in Odyssey and an e-ticket attraction in World Showcase. Do something w/ that lagoon at MK. Outside WDW, they're gonna have to do something huge with DCA.

When that's all done, people will start coming back, then they'll be more of a need for more hotel rooms.

 

[pheneix]

I think this is the first poll in this site's history where everybody actually agrees on the same issue.

 

[bearboysnc]

Originally posted by gjpjtj
Wow 100 percent so far in the voting! I too agree. some new attractions @ the parks, and some general fix up at the remaining is much more important than more rooms.

It's a pretty lame poll. Seeing as they can't fill the resorts they have now.

 

[RPMdfw]

I say spend the money on the parks!

The one thing that no one else has mentioned is that literally thousands of people a week, go to the parks that don't stay at the resorts. That's a lot of revenue from people who won't come back (and possibly stay at a resort next time) if the parks aren't well maintained or aren't worth the ticket price charged for a park that can be seen in half a day.

Also, there has been discussion about Disney's ability to get fill the resorts. Sure, the Value Resorts are busy, and the other resorts aren't. The solution here, isn't building more value resorts, it's reducing the rates at the moderates. The cost of renting for a luxury hotel room is usually between $10 and $20 (I was a cost analyst in a hotel, and have worked in the hospitality industry for the past 18 years, and granted that cost reflects the luxury hotel market in Dallas, I can't imagine that it's much different in Orlando, the hotel rack rates for luxury hotels here being fairly similar to the Moderate and Deluxe Resorts at Disney) and it's more cost effective to have some revenue coming in for each room than it is to fill only half at a high rate. At any rate, even with the "deep discounting" we're seeing at the resorts, there is still a great deal of mark up happening, which if correctly managed could spread the crowds across the the World instead of concentrating them at the All-Stars. Not to mention that for a lot of people, once they've experienced a nicer level of hospitality, they're hooked and will spend the extra money next time around . . .

Just a couple of points to ponder . . .

 

[Figment1986]

I say, Build A New land for AK, 1 Mega Ride for MGM on the other side of the park, like in New York's Section, Then A Few upgrades and new rides for MK, And Then A Major Overhull of epcot, including UpGrading the Older Rides, Fix the Bad Areas, Add Rides to The countrys, Add New countrys with rides too.

 

[roysta123]

AK and EPCOT need more rides!!!:hammer: :hammer: :drevil:

 

[steve2wdw]

I think Disney can stop the hotel building. Although I do believe that Pop Century is a smart idea. International travelers are used to staying in smaller hotel rooms. With the success of All Star Resorts, Disney needed more budget rooms then delux rooms. Well they've got them now, so STOP. Let's fill all Disney's rooms by giving us some E Ticket reasons to rent them. I'd start immediately with AK. Give us the "fantasy creature" area, put it at the front of the park, behind Rainforest Cafe, make sure there are lights installed, and you've got an all day park. This would allow the live animals to get their quiet time (close Africa and Asia early) and focus the attention on Discovery Island, Dinoland, and the new land. This would also increase revenue in the shops and restaurants that have to close early now. Then let the imagineers really use their imaginations, and come up with a night time show that DOESN'T use pyro. Astound us with something completely new. Then, imagine the atmosphere AK would provide at night. I've driven by the park at night and the Tree of Life looks incredible. AK has the potential to be everyones favorite park. Like I've heard in the Disney movie "Alladin", it's a "diamond in the rough". I wish the suits and stockholders would fill this way. I know the imagineers do.