Should we still not worry?

Future Guy

Future Guy

Active Member
Worry? Why? I don't work for Disney. I don't even live in Orlando. Disney's earnings vs. Universal's have about as much to do with me as the price of celery on the island of Yap.

Now that being said, I think that nothing would be better for Disney than to have Universal kick their tail a little bit. (Not that it will ever happen) After all, the way to a TDO executive's heart is through their bonus.
 
AndyMagic

AndyMagic

Well-Known Member
pugmalion1 said:
I think that is probably the most likely outcome of the new addition. Harry Potter or no, it doesn't change the fact that Universal is a two-day park, at the most. Most people spend more than double that amount of time in Orlando, so it stands to reason that most people who are specifically going to Universal to see the new Harry Potter addition are also going to stay (probably longer) in the Disney resort area. Like you said, if anything, this only bolsters business.

I bet Disney, while maybe not too happy about being slightly upstaged, is thrilled about the boost in attendance the new attraction provides.
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I doubt Disney is "thrilled" at the boost in attendance seeing as how there was no boost in attendance. Attendance dipped at Disney World by 2% in the same quarter. I don't think anyone is saying Disney is going to suffer greatly here or that Universal is going to suddenly win the theme park wars. It's just sad that the titan of all themed entertainment has been resting on its laurels. No doubt, as you said, they are not too happy about being upstaged. Now we just have to wait and see what they do about it. My guess is nothing.
 
AndyMagic

AndyMagic

Well-Known Member
Future Guy said:
Now that being said, I think that nothing would be better for Disney than to have Universal kick their tail a little bit. (Not that it will ever happen) After all, the way to a TDO executive's heart is through their bonus.
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This is what I think we are all hoping happens. To me, the worst thing that could happen would be Disney attendance increasing or staying flat. Executives at the company would have no incentive to crack-open the piggy bank and begin the spending that is required to prevent WDW from stagnating.
 
devoy1701

devoy1701

Well-Known Member
AndyMagic said:
Even more illuminating information was reported HERE!

So it looks like the actual effect of Potter is more like a 30% - 40% increase in attendance for the months it was actually open. :eek::eek::lookaroun
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Yes, but the original question was should Disney be worried and the answer to that is still no. As someone pointed out, people don't development an attachment to Universal like they do WDW and plan vacations around it. Moreso they plan a repeat vacation to Disney and schedule a day or 2 to go to Universal.

Whether the impact of HP on Universal's attendance is 2.2% or 43%, It still doesn't matter much to WDW. This is because:

a) a 30% increase in visitors at Universal is equal to 400,000 people which is only a 2% increase in MK attendance or a 4% increase in AK attendance. While the numbers like 30-40% seem high, Uni's attendance figures are so low compared to the WDW parks that you can't just compare %s.

b) how many of those people who rushed out to see the new area of the park this year are going to be drawn for a repeat visit in subsequent years? Is one new attraction and themed stores enough for people to go back, or is it something people will experience once and wait for the next attraction to open? This means absolutely nothing besides a short surge in additional revenues if Uni can't build some momentum behind it....and other recent attractions like Simpsons and Rip, Ride, Rock-It failed to do that anyway...is every surge or attendance for Uni going to have to have such a steep price tag and licensing fee?



While I agree that WDW is getting stale, FLE is long overdue, and they need more than just Little Mermaid to catch my eye as a significant expansion. The answer to the question of "should Disney be worried" is still no. And there is no competition between the 2 theme park brands in the eyes of Disney. don't get me wrong, this is GREAT news for Universal...but it still means nothing to us and to WDW.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Future Guy said:
Worry? Why? I don't work for Disney. I don't even live in Orlando. Disney's earnings vs. Universal's have about as much to do with me as the price of celery on the island of Yap.

Now that being said, I think that nothing would be better for Disney than to have Universal kick their tail a little bit. (Not that it will ever happen) After all, the way to a TDO executive's heart is through their bonus.
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I hear it went up 2 Rai this year!:eek:


:lol:
 
Pumbas Nakasak

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
I do still find it odd that so many posters refer to Disney as anything other than an entertainment company. Im still waiting to see this supposed difference (well ignoring Disneys fondness for the under 8s of course)

It seems that business terms are reserved for purely excusing price increases and cost cutting. And lets be frank there must be some concerns or there wouldn't be the reactions expressed so often on this site buy the ubber mice.
 
devoy1701

devoy1701

Well-Known Member
Pumbas Nakasak said:
I do still find it odd that so many posters refer to Disney as anything other than an entertainment company. Im still waiting to see this supposed difference (well ignoring Disneys fondness for the under 8s of course)

It seems that business terms are reserved for purely excusing price increases and cost cutting. And lets be frank there must be some concerns or there wouldn't be the reactions expressed so often on this site buy the ubber mice.
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where are you going with this nonsense?
 
devoy1701

devoy1701

Well-Known Member
zurgandfriend said:
LOL master Yoda how do you know about the Rai? Most people think that Yap still uses cucumbers or copra as their basis of currency.
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Though I hesitate to question Yoda's knowledge, and it is possible that his side profession of being a travel agent might have helped here. I am going to lean more on the assumption that Google assisted with this.
 
Larry Mondello

Larry Mondello

Well-Known Member
I look forward to any news that says crowd levels are down. It's been years since I haven't encountered massive crowds.

And I wouldn't worry too much about Disney given this report from today

Box-office hits bolster Disney profits
By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles
Published: August 11 2010 01:31 | Last updated: August 11 2010 01:31
The box-office success of Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2 and Toy Story 3 boosted Walt Disney’s third-quarter profits while the popularity in the US of the football World Cup lifted advertising returns at ESPN, the media group’s sports network.
Disney’s performance across its theme parks, television businesses, consumer products division and film studio beat expectations but divisional results suggested that some parts of the global economy are improving more quickly than others.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
zurgandfriend said:
LOL master Yoda how do you know about the Rai? Most people think that Yap still uses cucumbers or copra as their basis of currency.
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Sounds like the south where we use chickens and pies as a form of currency.:lol:

devoy1701 said:
Though I hesitate to question Yoda's knowledge, and it is possible that his side profession of being a travel agent might have helped here. I am going to lean more on the assumption that Google assisted with this.
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Guilty as charged. I often tell my kids that you do not have to know all the right answers to be a smart person you simply need to know how to find the right answers.
 
AndyMagic

AndyMagic

Well-Known Member
cowanfamily said:
Free dining...............Harry Potter................Free dining............Harry Potter. Game Over!!!!!
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Do you honestly think Disney's dining is "free?" Disney just factors it into the costs of everything else. In fact, Disney's "free" dining is just subsidized by increasing prices elsewhere at the resort. It's like people thinking there is such a thing as "free" parking. That parking is costing you, you just don't pay the fee up front.
 

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