Star Wars themed land announced for Disneyland

[Kiwiduck]

No, you really don't understand just how many foreigners USH sees. They outnumber the number Disneyland sees, BY A MILE. I didn't say Disneyland doesn't get foreigners. However, I did say they are not the majority, and that is the truth. Sure, Disneyland sees a lot of Australian guests, but that in no way compares to the amount USH sees. People from almost any and every country you can think of visit Universal. That's just not the case at Disneyland. Most people will tell you Disneyland is a locals park, and that is absolutely true, for the most part. Go to USH and you'll barely hear any English spoken by the guests.

Do you have statistics to compare? Otherwise we will just go back and forth comparing our impressions. I cant believe that there would be more Kiwis at Universal than at Disneyland - Universal doesn't even advertise themselves here.

 

[Curious Constance]

No, you really don't understand just how many foreigners USH sees. They outnumber the number Disneyland sees, BY A MILE. I didn't say Disneyland doesn't get foreigners. However, I did say they are not the majority, and that is the truth. Sure, Disneyland sees a lot of Australian guests, but that in no way compares to the amount USH sees. People from almost any and every country you can think of visit Universal. That's just not the case at Disneyland. Most people will tell you Disneyland is a locals park, and that is absolutely true, for the most part. Go to USH and you'll barely hear any English spoken by the guests.

There is no way this is true. Disneyland attendance is three times USH. Even if there is a larger percentage of foreign travelers at USH compared to domestic, it would still be a smaller overall number compared to Disneyland's mammoth numbers.

 

[dweezil78]

The lands right now gel together fairly smoothly despite their different themes. That's doesn't seem to be the case here, abd we're afraid that the tone of the park will one day be lost.

Just curious... Based on all the concept art released so far, what makes you think SWL won't gel with the rest of the park in a similar manner -- other than being placed beyond the berm which would have been the case with anything that went back there? The artwork looks both simultaneously lush with plant life and full of interesting rock work which will blend perfectly with that area of the park.

It's certainly no more jolting than having a giant snow capped mountain serving as a transitional piece into a land dedicated to the future or having a Tiki hut on the other side of a victorian-esque Mary Poppins themed bakery.

 

[Longhairbear]

Yes, and I bet DLR bookings are surging this week following the 60th Anniversary Special on ABC. According to TVline the broadcast was the number one network show during the time slot with 6.8 million viewers.

http://tvline.com/2016/02/22/james-burrows-friends-reunion-ratings/

We just came back from a Monday-Wed stay, and neither park or DTD were crowded. Most everything at DL was a walk on when we got there at 7:00 P.M. Tuesday all day single rider at Radiator Racers was a walk on. Tuesday night a table for 5 at Jazz Kitchen was had in 5 minutes, without a reservation.

 

[RMichael21]

There is no way this is true. Disneyland attendance is three times USH. Even if there is a larger percentage of foreign travelers at USH compared to domestic, it would still be a smaller overall number compared to Disneyland's mammoth numbers.

Yes, but it was never said that Disneyland didn't see foreigners. But the percentage of overall attendance is largely made up of foreigners at USH whereas the percentage of foreigners at Disneyland is much lower. I believe that's what Raven is trying to say.

 

[Californian Elitist]

There is no way this is true. Disneyland attendance is three times USH. Even if there is a larger percentage of foreign travelers at USH compared to domestic, it would still be a smaller overall number compared to Disneyland's mammoth numbers.

Well, it is true. Have you visited USH multiple times? The amount of foreigners at USH is astounding. USH offers the Studio Tour in multiple languages. I remember the park had sent a letter to the team members asking those of us who spoke more than one language to fill out a form so they could be contacted in case they needed to translate, as there were a lack of translators in the park. The amount of self-employed tour guides walking around the park with their tour guide pointers is also astounding.

The amount of foreigners at the park really becomes evident when you as a team member are treated like a celebrity and looked at with wonder. I can't tell you how many times people stopped to take photos of me and touched my hair because they had never seen African American-type hair. I even learned a little bit of Mandarin while working at the park. The Donkey photo-op even speaks multiple languages.

There are more foreigners at USH.

Do you have statistics to compare? Otherwise we will just go back and forth comparing our impressions. I cant believe that there would be more Kiwis at Universal than at Disneyland - Universal doesn't even advertise themselves here.

I'm talking about foreigners in general (that was bad wording on my part), and no, I don't have stats. I'm speaking based on my experience working at both parks.

Universal doesn't really need to advertise itself. It's in Los Angeles, people will automatically think to go there. It's just like the Chinese Theatre, the Walk of Fame, the Santa Monica Pier, Beverly Hills, etc. They don't advertise themselves because they know the tourists, especially foreign ones, will automatically decide to go there.

Have either of you visited USH multiple times, as many times as you've visited Disneyland to notice the difference in guest demographics?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Yes, but it was never said that Disneyland didn't see foreigners. But the percentage of overall attendance is largely made up of foreigners at USH whereas the percentage of foreigners at Disneyland is much lower. I believe that's what Raven is trying to say.

Thank you. I never said foreigners don't visit Disneyland.

 

[Phroobar]

When I was a little kid, I saw all the Japanese tourists at Disneyland taking pictures of every detail of the park. A few years later, I learned that Tokyo Disneyland just opened so I naturally thought they had built their own Disneyland from all the pictures they had taken of the original. Silly little kid.

 

[dweezil78]

One sobering thought I had this morning on my drive into work that may both simultaneously comfort and depress those of you who are fearful of the long term implications SWL may have on the design on Disneyland park.

Aside from whatever they ultimately decide to do with Tomorrowland (which, let's face it, probably won't happen for another decade) and Toontown (which looks to be a Fantasyland expansion) -- Star Wars Land is probably IT as far as any kind of significant expansion any of us will see in our lifetimes.

They've been trying to get something going on that plot of land forever, and even for them to do it, they had to relocate backstage facilities and re-route the river and train to fit it in. Unless they are planning on leveling Adventureland, Frontierland, or NOS anytime soon (all highly unlikely), this is pretty much the Disneyland we are going to know until we see what Walt has been hard at work at upstairs.

Will attractions change, maybe even be replaced over time? Of course. But other significant IP-based lands (or any lands period) at Disneyland? I don't see how that's even possible.

 

[Curious Constance]

Thank you. I never said foreigners don't visit Disneyland.

What you said was,

"You will not see the same amount of foreigners at Disneyland as you will see at USH"

and

"No, you really don't understand just how many foreigners USH sees. They outnumber the number Disneyland sees, BY A MILE. I didn't say Disneyland doesn't get foreigners. However, I did say they are not the majority, and that is the truth. Sure, Disneyland sees a lot of Australian guests, but that in no way compares to the amount USH sees. People from almost any and every country you can think of visit Universal. That's just not the case at Disneyland."

And I'm saying that while foreigners may make up a higher percentage of USH total numbers, it's still a smaller actual physical number compared to the total number Disneyland sees even though Disneyland's percentage may be smaller. So it doesn't make sense to try and say that a lot of foreign travelers that go to USH don't also go to Disneyland.

 

[Californian Elitist]

What you said was,

"You will not see the same amount of foreigners at Disneyland as you will see at USH"

and

"No, you really don't understand just how many foreigners USH sees. They outnumber the number Disneyland sees, BY A MILE. I didn't say Disneyland doesn't get foreigners. However, I did say they are not the majority, and that is the truth. Sure, Disneyland sees a lot of Australian guests, but that in no way compares to the amount USH sees. People from almost any and every country you can think of visit Universal. That's just not the case at Disneyland."

And I'm saying that while foreigners may make up a higher percentage of USH total numbers, it's still a smaller actual physical number compared to the total number Disneyland sees even though Disneyland's percentage may be smaller. So it doesn't make sense to try and say that a lot of foreign travelers that go to USH don't also go to Disneyland.

Yes, it does. Why does the number of guests each park sees matter? The majority of Disneyland's guests are either local or come from Western states. The majority of USH's guests come from different countries. Total attendance doesn't matter, I'm talking about demographics.

 

[VJ]

When I was a little kid, I saw all the Japanese tourists at Disneyland taking pictures of every detail of the park. A few years later, I learned that Tokyo Disneyland just opened so I naturally thought they had built their own Disneyland from all the pictures they had taken of the original. Silly little kid.

Well, you're not too far off... Presenting Nara Dreamland.

It was built in the '60s, ended up becoming less popular after Tokyo Disneyland opened and finally was abandoned. Much of the park still stands today and is a common visit for urban explorers who like to break the rules.

 

[Kiwiduck]

No one is debating that Universal has a high percentage of foreign visitors. I believe you. But you did suggest that foreign visitors would come to the area and just visit Universal and not Disneyland.

"lot of them don't. It surprised me, too, at first, but when you hear about the vacation plans of these foreigners, it starts to make sense"

You suggested that foreigners are not interested in Disneyland and would just visit Universal, what evidence do you have for this? (edited to sound less agressive (-: )

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Well, you're not too far off... Presenting Nara Dreamland.

It was built in the '60s, ended up becoming less popular after Tokyo Disneyland opened and finally was abandoned. Much of the park still stands today and is a common visit for urban explorers who like to break the rules.

Pretty much on the level of 2001 DCA.

 

[Curious Constance]

No one is debating that Universal has a high percentage of foreign visitors. I believe you. But you did suggest that foreign visitors would come to the area and just visit Universal and not Disneyland.

"lot of them don't. It surprised me, too, at first, but when you hear about the vacation plans of these foreigners, it starts to make sense"

You suggested that foreigners are not interested in Disneyland and would just visit Universal, what evidence do you have for this? (edited to sound less agressive (-: )

This is what I'm saying. I can get on board with USH having a higher percentage of their total attendence being made up of foreign travelers compared to Disneyland. BUT, what I can't get on board with is making the jump to say that most foreign travelers come to California for USH and do not also visit Disneyland. Your logic is flawed if you're basing this assumption on your own personal experiences. You're one person. You can't just make up claims when you have nothing to support them but your own experience. And total attendance matters because Disneyland's total attendance is 3 TIMES that of USH. So even if 50% of the USH attendance is made up of foreign travelers, that would equal about 3 million people per year. 3 million people per year at Disneyland would only equal about 18% of their total visitors. So you can't assume that even though there is a higher percentage of the total at USH, that most of them or a large majority aren't going over to Disneyland too. YES they will be a smaller percentage of the total, but that's missing the entire point.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I can't believe this point is being belabored so.

USH has a higher percentage of its annual attendance come from international tourists than DLR. DLR's visitor base is overwhelmingly American. USH benefits from a strong interest in LA tourism from Mainland Chinese visitors, which is why USH offers the tram tour in Mandarin. Mandarin isn't even a consideration at DLR beyond the foreign language maps available for several nationalities. There is also a strong contingent of European tourists who come to LA and have no interest in the Happiest Place on Earth.

There are a huge swath of international tourists who visit LA each year and do not venture to OC for Disneyland. This is common knowledge in the LA tourism community. No one can prove this here without leaking confidential docs from either park and that's not gonna happen - but that doesn't mean it's not true.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Disneyland should never become a museum, but it should preserve its tone and character in every change made to the park.

My point is that the tone and character of the park has already changed. It's been steadily progressing and changing since opening day, sometimes with giants leaps like TL "67 or NOS or Indiana Jones, but it's always in a state of flux both in spirit and in content. I see SW Land as being as just another part of that evolution.

 

[VJ]

My point is that the tone and character of the park has already changed. It's been steadily progressing and changing since opening day, sometimes with giants leaps like TL "67 or NOS or Indiana Jones, but it's always in a state of flux both in spirit and in content. I see SW Land as being as just another part of that evolution.

Just as Walt intended from the very beginning.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

We just came back from a Monday-Wed stay, and neither park or DTD were crowded. Most everything at DL was a walk on when we got there at 7:00 P.M. Tuesday all day single rider at Radiator Racers was a walk on. Tuesday night a table for 5 at Jazz Kitchen was had in 5 minutes, without a reservation.

When I say bookings I mean future vacation travel, not people who live in the area suddenly jumping up the next day to visit the park on a whim because of a TV special they saw the night before.

 

[Curious Constance]

I'm trying to talk myself out of going this summer. It's too HOT in the summer.