Universal are in almost $1billion in debt and are trying to deal with the Spielberg buyout - so like you say, not rosey at all. I think all of that vastly over-shadows any small profit at Orlando.
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Not everyone is hurting ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
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Universal are in almost $1billion in debt and are trying to deal with the Spielberg buyout - so like you say, not rosey at all. I think all of that vastly over-shadows any small profit at Orlando.
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
I wasn't reallly expecting denial. My only real thought was making less profit isn't necessarily bad. Which I kinda thought was your point.
I provided the time frame I've been going precisely to provide an understanding of my perspective. I also stated that I recognize that it is only me that feels the way I do, perhaps solely because I didn't experience all that many here have experienced.I've been going regularly since 1974. Been an APer since 1982. I think I hit 13 trips by age 12.
You started going in 2001 ... when arguably Disney was at its lowest point in Orlando ... or close ... in many ways 2004-2006 was a period when overall things actually improved (except for dining). But my perspective goes back a whole lot longer.
And while I respect your opinion, and understand it from your perspective, I think it's awful presumptuous to think your son or grandchildren will have the same quality or better experience from Disney.
Perspective and experience mean a lot.
Anyway, that's it. Have a great trip!
I have been known to butt heads with you on occasion, but in this thread and on this subject I haven't actually argued with you because I understand that your perspective and experience is different from mine. You also have the advantage of proximity, my trips all involved 3000-mile round trips, so perhaps my appreciation is different with that nuance thrown in. I've always recognized you as a Disney fan, albeit more prone to negativity than I.
I also look at life writ large from a significantly different viewpoint than most. I tend to look for the positives in the world around me, but it has nothing to do with pixie dust... I survived a truly horrific plane crash in 1991 followed immediately by two days in -60 degree white-out conditions. Every breath I've taken since is bonus. So for ten years before I ever got to Disney I was already this annoyingly positive and up-beat. :king:
I, in return, think it's awfully presumptuous to think that just because Disney isn't what you remember it to be or want it to be [whether that memory is fully accurate or not] means that future generations won't thoroughly enjoy Disney in whatever form it presents itself to them, whether it's changed for the better or worse. My opinion is that my son Morgan will enjoy going to Disney twenty or thirty years hence and enjoy introducing his own children to the wonder I introduced him to. Whether it's the same wonder, better wonder or worse wonder, I believe it'll still be worth the trip.
Life is too short to stress over the ups and downs of Disney. If it's still fun I'll still go and since I haven't yet experienced all that is currently there, there's lots more fun awaiting me!
That's what its all about and something that often gets forgotten these days.
You noticed that sentence was "missing" but failed to notice that I actually didn't even quote the majority of your post altogether?? :hammer:I was commenting on a couple of specific points you made in your post, namely, the point that you've been going for 8 years and claim to not have noticed any reduction in the Disney experience, and the claim that you are not blinded by a Disney bias. Leaving that line in wouldn't change anything, so if it makes you feel better, I'm happy to acknowledge that you stated it was your own opinion and not that of others. My point remains though... I think you are biased if you are claiming that you haven't noticed ANY drop in the experience.
maggiegrace1
Well-Known Member
He may be..apparently I am biased because after going every year since I was 2 ..We still love it just as much if not more because I and my husband are sharing it with our daughter who is in love with the place...
Watching her face and hearing her laugh and sing the songs on the rides and shows makes it that much better for me...so the experience in MY opinion has gotten better ..:shrug:
Nothing wrong with that..and say that I snort pixie dust or whatever but I do not know about the financial part of Disney or Universal..I have no idea if attendance has increased or decreased..I just know that when I am there..I am happy, I have fun, I smile and laugh and cry happy tears..I feel like a child again..so many memories of when I was a child come back to me as I ride the "race cars" as I call them with my daughter or Dumbo with her and she laughs and smiles..we are in our "happy" place..and in our eyes, and in our mind there is no drop in experience at all..it gets better and better...:shrug:
All I know is that we love it..we are happy and we have fun..
As long Disney make us feel the way we do when we are there..we will keep being biased, keep wearing rose colored glasses and keep snorting pixie dust if that is what people want to say we are doing..because we love it all..
I can understand that. However, it sounds like what has enhanced the experience for you is the fact that you are able to share it with your daughter, as opposed to Disney itself actually having improved.
As long Disney make us feel the way we do when we are there..we will keep being biased, keep wearing rose colored glasses and keep snorting pixie dust if that is what people want to say we are doing..because we love it all..
Hey at least you're honest about it. I may not look at it the way you do, but I can respect what you're saying, especially since you don't seem to be in denial about your bias.
Wow, these two posts don't even sound like they could have come from the same person. :lol:
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
Context is everything. Those aren't two "posts", those are two quotes from posts and thus are out of context.
Lucky
Well-Known Member
Exactly.
I've never heard a single family tell me that they're going on a vacation to Universal. They all say they're going to Disney World. Universal is still an afterthought, something to tack on if you're there long enough or have a short attention span and don't want to spend two days at any park.
Profits are a residual, the difference between revenues and costs. Anything that affects either revenues or costs affects profit, so profit is especially volatile. It's not unusual at all for a business to have profits fall by 54% or rise by 29%. That can result from even very small changes in revenues or costs.
Suppose a business has $110m in revenue and $100m in costs, so $10m in profit. Then the next year suppose revenue is stable but costs rise 10% to $110m. Profit has declined from $10m to $0, a decline of infinity percent, even with revenue unchanged.
I quoted what appeared to be the main points of your posts. In doing so, did I end up making it appear as though you had said something different from what you actually had said? I'm curious, if I had included the entire lengthy posts, how would that have changed the meaning of what you were saying? I agree that quoting someone out of context can sometimes skew the meaning of what the person was trying to say, but I don't see how that applies in this case. Please explain.
The bottom line, though, is that Universal appears to be managing their business better than Disney is nowadays. Over time, if this trend continues, they could easily surpass Disney. Disney may one day be the "afterthought" in people's minds.
Fade_to_Blah
Member
For the quarter, yes. But I think you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself here
Like Steve said, Universal has massive debt that they have to deal with. Im curious to see how thats going to affect them in the future
For the quarter, yes. But I think you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself here
Not really. Note that I didn't say Universal already HAD surpassed Disney. I'm said "over time" they "could" surpass Disney. For now it's one quarter. Down the road it could be the fiscal year. One day it could be for the decade, and so on. My point is that I think Universal is on the right track, where Disney seems a little lost in terms of their priorities. Books and articles used to be written about how well Disney was managed, and nowadays it seems that Universal pays more attention to the things that Disney used to pay attention to. Things like guest service, safety, cleanliness, innovation, quality entertainment and value were always generally noted as the reasons for Disney's phenomenal success. More and more, Universal seems to be outdoing Disney in these areas...especially in safety, innovation, quality of entertainment and value.
WildcatDen
Well-Known Member
Did no one read the earlier post about how the resorts / hotels are owned and operated? Maybe I mis read, but it seems to me that since Disney owns their resorts (less the Swan and Dolphin) and they have offered deep discounts on the rates, that would effectively reduce their profit margin. Since Uni does not own their hotels, discounts and rate changes there would not impact their profits. I would be curious to see a comparison of gate revenue, food, and mechandise between the two companies. That way you would be comparing apples to apples.
WildcatDen
Well-Known Member
Okay. My opinion here, but it is all I can offer at this point. Would I ever plan a trip to Florida to visit USF? Nope. Would I plan a trip to Florida to Visit WDW? Yep. Did that twice. Days at WDW = 14. Days spent going to USF = 0. If I want to go to another style park - I have King's Island (pass holder for over 20 years) and Cedar Point.
My point is, and I think others have made it, is that, for the most part, USF is not a destination vacation. My guess is that they have a Season Pass holder base and augment that with Disney Vacationers who are 'breaking away from the world" for a day or two.
Since my daughter and I are Harry Potter fans, we may plan a day for USF on our next visit to WDW.
If I'm understanding your post correctly, it sounds as though you've never been to USF, so forgive me but I'm not sure you're qualified to really evaluate what "style" of park it even is. It is definitely not in the same realm as Kings Island and Cedar Point. Those parks are Six Flags-style parks. Universal is more Disney caliber with immersive theming.
Having said all that, my point is that while USF may not currently be the resort around which most people plan their Florida vacation, that could one day change if they and Disney both remain on the current tracks they're on now. Disney is declining while USF seems to have figured out what to do right.
Lucky
Well-Known Member
Maybe you're right, but the numbers so far don't support you. The attendance trends favor Disney, and there is no trend in profits, just a single data point.
Attendance and profit numbers have no correlation to the quality of the product. People spend their vacations at Disney because it's the large, established brand, not because they do everything right. It could see a very severe drop in quality and people would still go. Universal does not have this luxury.
Exactly! Disney has a twenty year jump on Universal and is a VERY established brand (thanks to the philosophies and business practices they pioneered but no longer seem to be following nearly as much). They will be able to ride on that great reputation for a while, but that won't last forever if they continue on the path they've been on.