The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[marni1971]

Read two interesting things about Potter on another site:

-The Hogwarts Express is a virtual walk on most days with waits rarely exceeding 20 minutes. It seems that people haven't been as keen to ride the upcharge attraction as Universal hoped.

-Diagon Alley cast members have been reassigned or been having their hours cut altogether. It seems that while Universal is getting an attendance bump from the new land, it is under the lofty expectations that Universal initially envisioned upon opening.

Attendence is up, profits in the past month are up.

Hogwarts is running flawlessly hence the average 15 minute wait.

Gringotts is becoming more reliable as it approaches its original completion date. Consistently running 8 trains with duel load. Team member amounts are being scaled back to normal ops levels now the mad rush is over.

So yes, it's all good.

And to think their next E will be going vertical in the next month or so. Almost unbelievable I know.

 

[marni1971]

Alright let's clear a few things up here,

First off I never started the one ride per day rumor, I merely took a picture and tweeted the reride wait time sign in front of Hogwarts Express at the south station confirming it's been thrown around by operations. I said many other things about the HE months before anyone else but this "rumor" wasn't mine.

Second of all to say this land has been anything but a success shows a lack of looking deeper into the situation. We all know that Diagon holds a lot more people than Hogsmeade but what most people are not paying attention to is the difference between IOA in 2010 and USF in 2014. When Hogsmeade opened in 2010 people came for Potter and stayed for Potter. While wait times were outrageous in Hogsmeade other parts of IOA were practically empty and the Studios was a ghost town. In addition IOA was never built to handle the crowds people saw during the Summer of 2010. It was very unorganized and led to wait times that were much longer than were really calked for.

Fast forward to July 8th 2014 and it's a much different story. Again let's mention Diagons capacity which is more than double that of Hogsmeade. Then let's focus on what no one can argue. Wait times for other attractions in the Studios are longer. Simpsons, Transformers, DM, and the lot are doing exactly what there supposed to do by spreading crowds out. In addition the Studios is able to handle crowds much larger than that of IOA with ease. With the opening of Diagon many things were learned from 2010 and very much improved upon. No celebrities, parking garages opened at 5am, queues set up park wide for overflow of any attraction possible. Every manager, team lead, janitor, and every other type of team member was working crowd control and operations. Hell even park and resort executives, people from creative, and so on were there with name tags on making it as smooth as possible. They did such a good job that many people have this feeling it's been an unsuccessful addition to the park. Which couldn't be further from the truth in fact it's been so good that new doors have opened up. Finally what if I told you that on opening day of Diagon Alley double the number of guests entered USF then what did on June 18 2010 for phase 1...

So let's recap shall we, Diagon is a success plain and simple. If any trolls try to say otherwise just refer back to this post. Thanks!

PS: Fun Fact, Ollivanders in Diagon has 10 times more hourly capacity than Hogsmeade Ollivanders did when it opened in 2010.

Quoted just because.

 

[marni1971]

And I have to disagree that Uni is better than WDW. It's certainly improved a lot, but the parks still have a long way to go before they match the atmosphere of WDW's parks.

That in itself goes to show how many daft people there are around here. And a few village idiots.

What if Uni DOESN'T want to be a WDW?

It wants to be amazing, world class, but not a Disney park.

Food for thought.

(Edit : not calling you daft for that @DonaldDoleWhip )

 

[Darth Sidious]

That 'tude is also prevalent at Trader Joe's, which I like and the fanbois seem to love, which is expanding to Florida now.

In NY the parking lots are like going to the mall on Christmas and trying to find a spot to park. The lot also causes traffic on the roads nearby. (That's at the Long Island locations) In Manhattan there is typically a long line to wait on before going in. I like the store but it's not that good!

 

[71jason]

Alright let's clear a few things up here,
First off I never started the one ride per day rumor, I merely took a picture and tweeted the reride wait time sign in front of Hogwarts Express at the south station confirming it's been thrown around by operations. I said many other things about the HE months before anyone else but this "rumor" wasn't mine.

Apologies, I have a tendency to attribute accurate Universal rumors to you. In any case, it clearly panned out--you can see the queues. I suspect they still might be put into use Christmas week, which will be the first true test of Diagon Alley and capacity. (By the time of the NBC blitz, Summer vacations were already planned ... but you can bet kids are begging for a Christmas trip.)

Finally what if I told you that on opening day of Diagon Alley double the number of guests entered USF then what did on June 18 2010 for phase 1...

USF or both USF and UOR? Because I was surprised IoA held a crowd that day, and continually into the Summer like it has.

 

[SJN1279]

Attendence is up, profits in the past month are up.

Hogwarts is running flawlessly hence the average 15 minute wait.

Gringotts is becoming more reliable as it approaches its original completion date. Consistently running 8 trains with duel load. Team member amounts are being scaled back to normal ops levels now the mad rush is over.

So yes, it's all good.

And to think their next E will be going vertical in the next month or so. Almost unbelievable I know.

-Team members getting their hours cut show that Universal overestimated crowds Potter 2.0 would bring in. It is the law of diminishing returns in full effect.

-A new land opened on Universal's top rented IP, attendance and profits is expected to go up a bit.

-Hogwarts is a mock train where you watch a movie, it should run flawlessly. Universal is set up so you can walk in a complete circle and finish the park. Putting transportation to the other park dead set in the middle of Universal Studios makes traveling to the other park very inconvenient for guests. That is probably a very large reason for the Hogwarts Express lack of crowds. Also park hopping at Universal is really not needed, especially if you only have a 1 or 2 day pass. Certain members were declaring the train would make all guests park hop, and Universal would no longer sell one day one park tickets, and that is clearly not the case.

-Gringotts may be more reliable, but it is still a mess. Lighter crowds than 2 weeks ago may be helping with wait time.

-I'm actually excited for Kong, but Kong is no Potter when it comes to drawing crowds.

 

[71jason]

People like you would rather wait 6 hours in line to take a picture with an actor cause it's magical ...

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Disney gets in a ton of trouble with Equity if you call those co-eds who dress in costume, play roles and improve lines "actors." Those are "face characters."

 

[71jason]

But how many fans of those Transformers would really describe themselves as "fans" of the version the ride is based on?

Have a box of the toys sitting in my garage. Hate the Bay version as 3-hour movies, but as a 5-minute theme park ride? Perfect.

 

[twebber55]

Have a box of the toys sitting in my garage. Hate the Bay version as 3-hour movies, but as a 5-minute theme park ride? Perfect.

Transformers is another great example of how a movie/ip that fits perfectly in a theme park ride/concept
which gets way underplayed on these boards

 

[flynnibus]

The 43 square miles certainly help, since they provide WDW with significant 'intangibles' that enhance the overall experience: large bodies of water and white sand beaches (a beautiful sight to behold, even if swimming is off limits), greenery separating all the parks and resorts, etc. It's those features that successfully block out much of the outside world, even as new construction projects constantly threaten that balance (such as the new Four Seasons, which is visible from the MK monorail line).

It looked even better when that greenery separating the parks had neat additions.. like the toporaries along the monorail route. Too bad they've abandoned that too.. The beaches were a lot more fun when they had a purpose. Now Disney is using them as construction footing :/

The Frozen DVDs and homogenized Disney merchandise do nothing for me, so that's not what I mean.

Well I certainly find those 'intangibles' that build up the overall experience trampled upon when make main street into normal mall.. or shops in the lands.

No, but it seems pretty clear to me that Disney is still a huge dog in Orlando. Pretending otherwise doesn't make sense to me, since WDW's positive reputation and 'top dog' position in the market have contributed to its current complacency.

Your homework for tonight... two words... "Trajectory" and "Business Model"

 

[flynnibus]

This elitism is sorta what I see now with airline lounges. They used to be places you earned or paid your way into. Now, any brat with a credit card can seemingly get in for 'free' ... naturally, they aren't what they used to be (how I miss hanging in the Presidents Club in Houston while Dr. Phil was having a breakdown on his phone!) because with all these extra people looking for free food, free booze, free magazines, free wifi ... much less is actually free.

The lounges are a great paralell. Man... talk about change in atmosphere and service when you scale them up!

 

[flynnibus]

I bet you can count on your pinkies how many Lifestylers haven't weaseled their way in. And I am seeing repeaters. Maybe only once or twice a year, but annually. But, yes, maybe it is smaller. I can concede that if you can concede that most have no business being there and are there to add 'street cred' to their flocks that ''I must be important because I can dine at Walt's club!''

Yeah, but members can be online too.. and they too can live through someone's photo updates, etc when they aren't at the parks. I'd wager most of those visits are through member invites (or friends of friends) and not through social/PR management.

Members don't always hold their perks to the highest standards... there are plenty who whored their perks out and what lead to changes in the last 5 years or so.

 

[culturenthrills]

Have a box of the toys sitting in my garage. Hate the Bay version as 3-hour movies, but as a 5-minute theme park ride? Perfect.

I hate the movies too. I have only seen the first one. But the ride is freaking amazing and the sense of movement and 3d is greater than Spiderman. But I still like Spiderman better.

 

[danlb_2000]

-Team members getting their hours cut show that Universal overestimated crowds Potter 2.0 would bring in. It is the law of diminishing returns in full effect.

How exactly does this show that they overestimated? They clearly had high staffing levels for the initial days it was open and would need to scale those back as the crowds dropped to normal levels. There is nothing to indicate that these reductions were unexpected.

 

[Jeffxz]

-Team members getting their hours cut show that Universal overestimated crowds Potter 2.0 would bring in. It is the law of diminishing returns in full effect.

Can you provide a source for this information? You keep repeating it in many different posts to try to drive this point home and I see no other evidence for it from any other sources.

In any case it would seem to make sense that management would intentionally over schedule employees. It is a lot easier to over schedule and cut than it is to be understaffed and try to call in workers on their day off. This just seems like good planning (and good customer service) to me.

If you can provide info that they are actually laying people off or dramatically cutting TM hours, I would be willing to change my opinion.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Can you provide a source for this information? You keep repeating it in many different posts to try to drive this point home and I see no other evidence for it from any other sources.

In any case it would seem to make sense that management would intentionally over schedule employees. It is a lot easier to over schedule and cut than it is to be understaffed and try to call in workers on their day off. This just seems like good planning (and good customer service) to me.

If you can provide info that they are actually laying people off or dramatically cutting TM hours, I would be willing to change my opinion.

This is the same guy who has repeatedly lied about the content of reviews regarding Diagon Alley.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Have we gotten to what's probably the biggest middle finger to the original Club in the new Club 33?

They turned the French Lift into a novelty single diner booth.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

That in itself goes to show how many daft people there are around here. And a few village idiots.

What if Uni DOESN'T want to be a WDW?

It wants to be amazing, world class, but not a Disney park.

Food for thought.

Speaking for myself, I enjoy theme parks for a combination of rides and atmosphere/theming. If I wanted great thrill rides, I could drive 90 minutes to Six Flags Great Adventure and hit up El Toro or Nitro (I've been there before), but that doesn't cut it for me.

UOR isn't trying to be an amusement park destination. At least in Orlando, they market their core product as theme parks. So when a lot of the headliner rides are simulators with barely themed exteriors (they get a bit repetitive) or unthemed coasters that don't beat Six Flags anyway, the repeat value drops for me. The first thing that started to change my mind (and the minds of millions of others) was Potter, and I would say the Wizarding World borrows immensely from Disney's history of immersive, detailed storytelling. To Uni's credit, WWoHP also improves on Disney's model in some ways, but that tells me Uni have learned a thing or two from watching how Disney does things.

So Uni doesn't need to be Disney, but they also can't be Six Flags (which many people have at their back doors). Because there are tens of millions of people who'll travel for immersive, themed experiences they can't find anywhere else. Potter is among those experiences.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Speaking for myself, I enjoy theme parks for a combination of rides and atmosphere/theming. If I wanted great thrill rides, I could drive 90 minutes to Six Flags Great Adventure and hit up El Toro or Nitro (I've been there before), but that doesn't cut it for me.

UOR isn't trying to be an amusement park destination. At least in Orlando, they market their core product as theme parks. So when a lot of the headliner rides are simulators with barely themed exteriors (they get a bit repetitive) or unthemed coasters that don't beat Six Flags anyway, the repeat value drops for me. The first thing that started to change my mind (and the minds of millions of others) was Potter, and I would say the Wizarding World borrows immensely from Disney's history of immersive, detailed storytelling. To Uni's credit, WWoHP also improves on Disney's model in some ways, but that tells me Uni have learned a thing or two from watching how Disney does things.

So Uni doesn't need to be Disney, but they also can't be Six Flags (which many people have at their back doors). Because I (and tens of millions of other people) will travel for immersive, themed experiences that can't be replicated easily. Potter is among those experiences.

Disney's omnimovers aren't repetitive?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Disney's omnimovers aren't repetitive?

Honestly, I'm not a fan of most omnimover attractions at WDW. Haunted Mansion is a favorite of mine (even though the interactive queue was a mistake), but Spaceship Earth has gotten weaker since the refurbishment, Buzz Lightyear has never appealed to me, and Little Mermaid...lol. But still, that's only four attractions. There's also:

-Tower of Terror (one of the best rides anywhere, IMO)
-Expedition Everest (even without a moving yeti, it's still well-themed)
-The Safari
-Soarin' (unique until Avatar opens)
-Rock n' Roller Coaster (a launching coaster with decent speed and a fun story from beginning to end)
-Test Track
-The mountains of MK (which are admittedly inferior to their counterparts in other Disney parks, except perhaps Splash Mountain)

And those are just my favorite headliners. You could throw many other headliners into the mix (TSMM, Star Tours, Pirates, Mission Space, Mine Train, etc.) as well as some lesser ones (PhilharMagic, Impressions de France, etc.) and that would add even more variety. At Uni, if you don't like simulators (Shrek, Despicable Me, Simpsons, Spider-Man, Transformers, even elements of Forbidden Journey) or coasters, you're largely out of luck.