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People Waiting at WDW for Harry Potter?!
- Thread starter NOLADisneyFan
- Start date
Captain Chaos
Well-Known Member
Wouldn't say this was a reaction.. This was announced and known for some time now...
Captain Chaos
Well-Known Member
Eh, it is something they should have done a long time ago... My opinion, Disney, welcome to 2010 LOL...
Actually, ya know... this caters to the locals... The same people who visit Uni and IOA... So, yea, maybe somewhat of a reactive move...
But let's face it.. Disney's reaction and counter: THE GALACTIC WORLD OF LILO AND STITCH!!! Where Hawaii meets the farther reaches of the universe and Stitch screws it all up... Maybe toss in a princess and a fairy or two and Disney is golden for 20 more years....
LoriMistress
Well-Known Member
Dang, I didn't know.
And what a reaction! Why go to Universal and its new themed section when we can can buy an AP for WDW and pay monthly!! There aren't any new rides, but who cares! We can spread out the cost of the pass throughout the year! That's better than any new ride!:brick:
AEfx
Well-Known Member
I know you were being sarcastic, but I bet Disney is going to see a nice influx of $$ over this announcement.
I have spoken to many current and former Orlando and central FL residents who simply don't go to Disney because of the cost. The per-day rate is simply too high, and now with expiring passes and the large cost of making them no-expiry (and miseducation about it's availability) keep many from doing it.
For a family of four, dumping $2K on theme park admission every year is a huge cut of the budget. However, making it into monthly payments can make it much more attractive and affordable.
I don't think it's going to be as popular as Disneyland's program, for obvious reasons, but I do think it's going to definitely increase the local's usage of the AP program.
ChrisFL
Premium Member
Universal has to do a "Fastpass" JUST to get IN to the Wizarding World and people don't get the notion that it's extremely popular :shrug:
The only time I recall Disney having this kind of opening was Star Tours at DL, where I heard they left the park open for over 24 hours for everyone to get on...and that was a single ride without a "land" to call it's own.
Here's something that I don't think was mentioned though. Since Universal hadn't been doing as well with attendance, they weren't doing as well with upkeep and maintenance...if they start making lots more money for a couple of years, suddenly that should help the rest of their parks and they can start to expand/add more attractions. There's already rumors of some more "plussing" going on soon for Hulk.
Unique merchandising, food and beverage, etc. are all going to be things that people will take away from WWOHP, and like mentioned could put a dent in the limited merchandising budget that people on vacation have vs. what they'll spend at Disney (which has gone downhill for a while)
As for the monthly payments for AP holders, it's about friggin' time! Universal has done that for years, but Disney didn't care about locals...I guess until Universal decides to make a huge land to take attendance...possibly lots of local attendance away.
Anyway, here are my general thoughts about the land's possible impact on Disney.
Someone mentioned how IOA was supposed to be a game-changer when it opened. In my opinion it should have been and for a long time I thought it had all of the right ingredients, and it was bad marketing that had costed them, but it's been more than that.
To me, IOA was a BRILLIANT park from concept to execution, but I was also right in the range of their target audience, local thrill-seeker who couldn't find decent thrills at Disney.
LOCAL being the key word. IOA had a conundrum, how do you attract "thrill-seeking" families of older kids (as Uni called it, ages 8 and up), but still appeal to the Disney-going crowd. It wasn't easy I think...yes they had put in a lot of good franchises that are recognizable, however there was something missing. People who wanted thrills from up north would rather go to one of the big coaster parks in the north. People who wanted more family style rides would go to Disney.
What IOA was missing is good, Disney-style Dark rides. The only ones they really had were Spiderman and the Cat in the Hat. They also lacked that one franchise which everyone would immediately flock to see when it opened.
NOW they have that. They have another incredible dark ride, just across the park from another most incredible dark ride, they have something that appeals to a WIDE range of fans, male, female, young, old....ALL of it.
That is what IOA has now that it didn't have when it first opened, and that is why Disney is possibly going to need to re-evaluate it's goals if it wants to have the "media hype" down at least. I'm not sure if the expanded fantasyland is going to do it.
The only time I recall Disney having this kind of opening was Star Tours at DL, where I heard they left the park open for over 24 hours for everyone to get on...and that was a single ride without a "land" to call it's own.
Here's something that I don't think was mentioned though. Since Universal hadn't been doing as well with attendance, they weren't doing as well with upkeep and maintenance...if they start making lots more money for a couple of years, suddenly that should help the rest of their parks and they can start to expand/add more attractions. There's already rumors of some more "plussing" going on soon for Hulk.
Unique merchandising, food and beverage, etc. are all going to be things that people will take away from WWOHP, and like mentioned could put a dent in the limited merchandising budget that people on vacation have vs. what they'll spend at Disney (which has gone downhill for a while)
As for the monthly payments for AP holders, it's about friggin' time! Universal has done that for years, but Disney didn't care about locals...I guess until Universal decides to make a huge land to take attendance...possibly lots of local attendance away.
Anyway, here are my general thoughts about the land's possible impact on Disney.
Someone mentioned how IOA was supposed to be a game-changer when it opened. In my opinion it should have been and for a long time I thought it had all of the right ingredients, and it was bad marketing that had costed them, but it's been more than that.
To me, IOA was a BRILLIANT park from concept to execution, but I was also right in the range of their target audience, local thrill-seeker who couldn't find decent thrills at Disney.
LOCAL being the key word. IOA had a conundrum, how do you attract "thrill-seeking" families of older kids (as Uni called it, ages 8 and up), but still appeal to the Disney-going crowd. It wasn't easy I think...yes they had put in a lot of good franchises that are recognizable, however there was something missing. People who wanted thrills from up north would rather go to one of the big coaster parks in the north. People who wanted more family style rides would go to Disney.
What IOA was missing is good, Disney-style Dark rides. The only ones they really had were Spiderman and the Cat in the Hat. They also lacked that one franchise which everyone would immediately flock to see when it opened.
NOW they have that. They have another incredible dark ride, just across the park from another most incredible dark ride, they have something that appeals to a WIDE range of fans, male, female, young, old....ALL of it.
That is what IOA has now that it didn't have when it first opened, and that is why Disney is possibly going to need to re-evaluate it's goals if it wants to have the "media hype" down at least. I'm not sure if the expanded fantasyland is going to do it.
OFTeric
Well-Known Member
I couldn't agree more!
OFTeric
Well-Known Member
I would agree. IOA needs some restriction free rides. They have a few more expansion pads. The Jurassic Park Jeep ride I believe was supposed to be restriction-less... so who knows what the future may hold at this point.
Gregoryp73
Active Member
I'm going to get alot of flack for this, but you know what...I was somewhat dissappointed with WWOHP.
I went last week, rode the rides, went in the shops, tried the liquid icing drink they call "butterbeer" and really didn't feel the magic. I got in the park somewhat early (a half an hour after opening), and it seemed as if the whole park was navigating to this area, but the lines weren't all that bad. Granted this was the first time waiting in line to get into a shop, but I only waited 60 minutes to get on FJ, and the wait time maxed out at 90 minutes during the day. The shops are TINY...and while I know J.K. wanted to keep the realism close to what those in hogwarts would experience, it's cramped and inaccessible to those of us in the real world. The villiage itself is beautiful, I'll give Universal that, but there are things they could've done to help (re-paint the tracks on Dueling Dragons for Pete's sake!!).
Which brings me to FJ. While I liked some elements of it, others I really didn't care for. It was like Spiderman on Steroids, with a poorer quality video section. Is it the best ride ever made? It's pretty cool, but I can't say it's my favorite or the best ever made. I think I actually was more impressed with the Mummy ride at Universal the first time I rode it. The queue line was something I was looking forward to, yet because it was so overhyped I found myself let down. It was pretty cool, but they didn't even paint the back section of the ride above the green house. It looks like the back of Hogwarts is a warehouse!! (seeing the cowboy walk through TL) The queue itself just really seemed to be a walkthrough rather than a story...There is no management of queue traffic to tell a story, you just pick up snippets as you roll by.
Two words universal....Haunted Mansion.
That's a queue line that tells a story.
Anyway...I did have a pretty descent time at IOA and Universal. (The simpsons ride is one of my new fav's). And WWOHP is worth a look see, but the only one that will hurt disney, is disney...which is a whole other post.
I went last week, rode the rides, went in the shops, tried the liquid icing drink they call "butterbeer" and really didn't feel the magic. I got in the park somewhat early (a half an hour after opening), and it seemed as if the whole park was navigating to this area, but the lines weren't all that bad. Granted this was the first time waiting in line to get into a shop, but I only waited 60 minutes to get on FJ, and the wait time maxed out at 90 minutes during the day. The shops are TINY...and while I know J.K. wanted to keep the realism close to what those in hogwarts would experience, it's cramped and inaccessible to those of us in the real world. The villiage itself is beautiful, I'll give Universal that, but there are things they could've done to help (re-paint the tracks on Dueling Dragons for Pete's sake!!).
Which brings me to FJ. While I liked some elements of it, others I really didn't care for. It was like Spiderman on Steroids, with a poorer quality video section. Is it the best ride ever made? It's pretty cool, but I can't say it's my favorite or the best ever made. I think I actually was more impressed with the Mummy ride at Universal the first time I rode it. The queue line was something I was looking forward to, yet because it was so overhyped I found myself let down. It was pretty cool, but they didn't even paint the back section of the ride above the green house. It looks like the back of Hogwarts is a warehouse!! (seeing the cowboy walk through TL) The queue itself just really seemed to be a walkthrough rather than a story...There is no management of queue traffic to tell a story, you just pick up snippets as you roll by.
Two words universal....Haunted Mansion.
That's a queue line that tells a story.
Anyway...I did have a pretty descent time at IOA and Universal. (The simpsons ride is one of my new fav's). And WWOHP is worth a look see, but the only one that will hurt disney, is disney...which is a whole other post.
orlando210
Member
5% of the troops never get the message.:brick:
I'd agree with most of that and I think you'll find a lot of others will take the same view once they have seen it themselves.
Duckberg
Active Member
*shakes head* Wow! I never say anything negative about other peoples' posts but I'm astonished by your comment. The Harry Potter series is now and will remain as iconic and classical as C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Moreover, the world created by Rowling is deep and expansive, its theming and richness allow for endless creativity and discovery within a theme park setting.
Sure, the hype of this summer will fade as with anything but rest assured the classic themes of magic and fantasy that are prevelant in the Harry Potter books will remain powerful. If Universal plays their cards right this investment and future investments in this franchise will pay off for decades to come.
I can't think of another franchise that would have been a better marriage with Disney. The magic of Disney meeting the magic of Harry Potter could have been mind blowing. The only real threat could have been the degradation of their own core brand and icons. In the end, perhaps Disney didn't have room in the stable to allow for the enormity of the Potter franchise without sacrificing some of what makes Disney magical. Who knows why they didn't land the golden goose, but rest assured it IS NOT because Potter won't be a classic or because its a flash in the pan. 20 years from now Potter will still be expanding.
Frank Stallone
New Member
A few things to keep in mind
1) JK Rowling, an author with no concept of how to design a theme park attraction/land, wanted complete control.
2) Rowling and Imagineers did not agree on the concept of guest flow. Rowling wanted tight quarters, very similar to what we saw in the films when we saw Hogwarts. Theming would be accurate, but not conducive to crowds.
3) The capacity of WWoHP is approximately 4500. Not far off the capacity of toontown, the Magic Kingdom's least visited land.
4)The capacity of IoA is approximately 30,000. A slow day at the MK still brings in 25,000 to 40,000 guests. So just because people were having to wait 9 hours to get into a land the size of Toontown doesn't mean the crowds were higher.
5) Now imagine a busy day at MK where there are nearly 60,000 people. Imagineers would certainly not like the idea of such a narrow walkway with so many more guests than Rowling could comprehend. This isn't some silly train station in a book/movie, this is the busiest theme park in the world.
1) JK Rowling, an author with no concept of how to design a theme park attraction/land, wanted complete control.
2) Rowling and Imagineers did not agree on the concept of guest flow. Rowling wanted tight quarters, very similar to what we saw in the films when we saw Hogwarts. Theming would be accurate, but not conducive to crowds.
3) The capacity of WWoHP is approximately 4500. Not far off the capacity of toontown, the Magic Kingdom's least visited land.
4)The capacity of IoA is approximately 30,000. A slow day at the MK still brings in 25,000 to 40,000 guests. So just because people were having to wait 9 hours to get into a land the size of Toontown doesn't mean the crowds were higher.
5) Now imagine a busy day at MK where there are nearly 60,000 people. Imagineers would certainly not like the idea of such a narrow walkway with so many more guests than Rowling could comprehend. This isn't some silly train station in a book/movie, this is the busiest theme park in the world.