The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[PhotoDave219]

I believe Universal is going to drop a press release tomorrow on the very subject of the Hogwarts Express' numbers.

That seems very factual and straightforward. I'd like to see how that stands up against other attractions both the Universal and Disney resorts. Or the monorail, another transport attraction designed to take you from point a to point B.

 

[StageFrenzy]

If you mean our good friend RSox, no, I quite enjoy his stuff - which is why I appreciate when folks link to it here so I can go check it out, enjoy it, and then run covering my eyes from the site right after.

@RSoxNo1 post is a nice read, a good common sense summary of what theme park fans think about Disney right now.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

What puzzles me about the 9 movies is who are they going to be about? This is the studio that for years has struggled to get Wonder Woman on the screen so I have a hard time believing each JL character is getting his or her own movie. And how are Green Arrow and The Flash going to fit in with all of this? Are they going to be like Coulson and have the same actors appear on TV and the big screen?

 

[StageFrenzy]

@WDW1974 don't leave us hanging and speculating! Could you clue us in on where Star Wars could possibly wind up at DLR?

Obviously frontierland since Star Wars is really a western with space ships and nobody has mentioned it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It is indeed - what a difference from the 80's to today, In the Eisner days there was something new and amazing everytime you went there even if it was just a new atmospheric show, Merchandise was UNIQUE and spanned the scope from cheap plastic baubles to 1 of a kind works of art.


Food was everything from hot dogs to gourmet and prices were on par with the 'real world' and people 'dressed up' I'm tired of being mistaken for a manager when I visit because I wear chino's and a collared shirt.

I'm just sad at how far WDW has fallen.

I don't believe that WDW has fallen any further then society has. They have just adjusted for the audience. All those wonderful things that were once on sale are probably still collecting dust. Did you ever buy and or know anyone that did? They didn't put them there just so people could go in an look at them. They weren't supposed to be museum pieces. They were meant to be sold and if they had been, they would still be available in the shops. Who do we blame for that? Disney, of course, because they can completely control what people will purchase. The idea that they would sell in a theme park totally escapes my ability to reason why, to begin with. Yes, a nice thing to look at, but, they weren't moving so they were dropped. Something that any retail establishment would do.

 

[culturenthrills]

Something IOA suffers from is lack of shelter. I remember I was in the park one time and it was raining and there was about 30 people huddled underneath the shelter of the cat in hat. With desperate TMs trying to move people out of the way so other people could come into the ride. On a rainy day I believe I would take the Hogwarts express to Diagon alley and hang out until the rain left.

One of the best things about Diagon Alley was how well it was designed to deal with Florida's rain and heat. With about half of the area covered, one section air conditioned. Just genius design.

 

[StageFrenzy]

One of the best things about Diagon Alley was how well it was designed to deal with Florida's rain and heat. With about half of the area covered, one section air conditioned. Just genius design.

The only park that seemed to really be planned for Florida weather was classic Epcot. Sure the pavilions were far apart but once inside pencil off 1-2 hrs of dry time.

 

[culturenthrills]

The only park that seemed to really be planned for Florida weather was classic Epcot. Sure the pavilions were far apart but once inside pencil off 1-2 hrs of dry time.

I think Epcot still is the best park to deal with during summertime. Just way more opportunities to stay inside.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don't believe that WDW has fallen any further then society has. They have just adjusted for the audience. All those wonderful things that were once on sale are probably still collecting dust. Did you ever buy and or know anyone that did? They didn't put them there just so people could go in an look at them. They weren't supposed to be museum pieces. They were meant to be sold and if they had been, they would still be available in the shops. Who do we blame for that? Disney, of course, because they can completely control what people will purchase. The idea that they would sell in a theme park totally escapes my ability to reason why, to begin with. Yes, a nice thing to look at, but, they weren't moving so they were dropped. Something that any retail establishment would do.

Disney was well aware some pieces would not sell well if at all and that was considered acceptable as part of the show. So yes, there very much were pieces that it was known would be more of a museum display than merchandise. Do you really think they expected to sell many cars at Main Street Motors?

 

[danv3]

@WDW1974 don't leave us hanging and speculating! Could you clue us in on where Star Wars could possibly wind up at DLR?

Pretty sure it's Main Street USA.

 

[Skyway]

Pretty sure it's Main Street USA.

Pixie Hollow and Buzz Lightyear?

 

[AEfx]

What puzzles me about the 9 movies is who are they going to be about? This is the studio that for years has struggled to get Wonder Woman on the screen so I have a hard time believing each JL character is getting his or her own movie. And how are Green Arrow and The Flash going to fit in with all of this? Are they going to be like Coulson and have the same actors appear on TV and the big screen?

WW is her own beast, so to speak - the struggles with her are well documented. But since she is in BvS and the introduction will be out of the way, I presume one of those movies will be a solo film for her.

They are not doing a Marvel by combining the TV and movie universes, they are keeping them intentionally separate (which is how we are getting Gotham this fall, and GA and Flash can co-exist), but the movie Universe indeed will be one shared universe. Besides the big trinity, there are at least two other major DC heroes that will be in BvS, supposedly - if not more. The subtitle of the film is kind of a clue - "Dawn of Justice" - as in, we will see the formation of the Justice League.

Basically, Man of Steel was the start - characters will be worked in and will likely have both solo films and full Justice League films. The films will be like Marvel, but the TV universes will exist independently. When you look at the stable of Justice League members, it's incredibly easy to fill in those 9 slots - you've got at least one full Justice League film in there, probably two, Man of Steel II, very likely a Wonder Woman - that's three or four right there. Aquaman, Green Lantern, Flash...presumably at some point Batman will get a solo film. DC is finally taking this all very seriously - and I'm sure Marvel paving the way has helped quite a bit.

The biggest issue with DC films is the origin stories, and thankfully - they seem to be hitting the ground running - everyone pretty much knows their origins, which is what has held a lot of them back from getting films. Not everyone needs a Batman Begins (I'd even argue he didn't, LOL, but that's just personal taste).

 

[skubersky]

I normally only lurk here, and just got home from a week away, but I wanted to stop in and thank everyone (especially WDW1974 -- I'm a big fan!) for all your feedback. As I admitted upfront, my column was "entertainment purposes only" and intended for a general audience that isn't as plugged into the theme park world as the people here.

Specifically regarding Hogwarts Express/Animal Kingdom, all I said is that on many days (not all) of the 4 weeks Diagon Alley has been open, total HE ridership has exceeded DAK gate clicks. I have a couple trusted sources on this (who must remain confidential for obvious reasons). I've also personally spent hours on the train platforms timing dispatches platform and monitoring crowd flow (yes, I've traveled from London to Scotland and back more times than a Hogwarts post-grad student) and I have access to reliable crowd data through TouringPlans. Of course, until official numbers are released I respect anyone's right to disagree, but before you dismiss me consider these publicly confirmable facts:

* Universal was running HE from 7am to to 10pm from the day after Diagon opened until August 1. (Now it's starting around 7:30.)
* The 2 trains each carry 168 passengers, and even when there is only a 10 minute wait nearly every train is dispatched full (or close to it).
*Dispatch times have been far quicker than originally anticipated. Uni initially hoped for 8 minute cycles, but the TMs have been averaging 7:30 or better. I've personally seen >7, and they keep getting more consistent with experience.

Doing the math, 8 dispatches an hour gets them a total THRC of 2688; I'd wager they've been hitting 2,500 on a regular basis, which translates to a daily ridership of well over 30k. TEA/AECOM estimated DAK's 2013 attendance at 10.198 mil, which is a daily average of just under 27k.

As for what those facts mean, I agree that it's comparing apples to oranges, but I think it makes an interesting metaphor for the current state of the local market, and serves to dispel the speculation that guests were balking at paying the increased park-to-park premium (which IMHO was as much intended to dampen HE demand as boost revenue).

Finally, as to me being a Universal "homer," I'm a past Uni TM (they fired me more than once) and admit that their recent expansions appeal more to my tastes than anything Disney has added recently. But if your read the body of my writing, you'll see I'm constructively critical and appreciative of both company's products in a fairly evenhanded way. I write a mostly positive (though Unofficial) guidebook to Disneyland, I visit WDW weekly, and I even have a 1st edition Abram's Epcot book on my coffee table. I certainly am not biased against Disney, and I don't want Disney to become Universal. I just want WDW to be the best resort it can be, and know it is capable of more than we've seen for the last decade.

Thanks again for reading, and feel free to leave a comment on the Weekly's website too!

 

[PhotoDave219]

Basically, Man of Steel was the start - characters will be worked in and will likely have both solo films and full Justice League films. The films will be like Marvel, but the TV universes will exist independently. When you look at the stable of Justice League members, it's incredibly easy to fill in those 9 slots - you've got at least one full Justice League film in there, probably two, Man of Steel II, very likely a Wonder Woman - that's three or four right there. Aquaman, Green Lantern, Flash...presumably at some point Batman will get a solo film. DC is finally taking this all very seriously - and I'm sure Marvel paving the way has helped quite a bit.

DC's attempt at a cinematic universe just doesn't feel organic the way Marvel's feels. I did not care for Man of Steel as it just didnt feel like Superman. The script felt very forced, as has everything DC has done outside of the Christopher Nolan films.

I want a justice league film but I fear it will be awful.

 

[PhotoDave219]

As for what those facts mean, I agree that it's comparing apples to oranges, but I think it makes an interesting metaphor for the current state of the local market, and serves to dispel the speculation that guests were balking at paying the increased park-to-park premium (which IMHO was as much intended to dampen HE demand as boost revenue).

You're comparing apples and oranges. You're comparing an attraction of as many riders per day versus unique clicks at a theme park gate. I don't think it advances anything or is a metaphor for anything because its not an accurate comparison by any stretch of the imagination because of the lack of unique guests. If you come out and say (for example) 'HE draws 20K unique guests but DAK draws 18k unique per day' then I would say thats a fair comparison.

Its not a metaphor. It says nothing more than crappy journalism and a ridiculous comparison. You're better than that.... of at least I thought you were.

Comparing 30k daily ridership of HE seems normal, 15k each way I would assume. I'm not doubting that, especially when rides like Haunted Mansion pulls 40k/day. I sincerely doubt that all 30K are unique whereas DAK's 27k would be a "first park of the day" guest.

What I want to know is how HE stacks up against other rides in a per day context? Is it out drawing Hogwarts, the Hulk, Dueling Dragons, etc? Whats the context? We could sit here and stack these numbers against the average daily ridership of the monorail (157k/day per Wikipedia) but that wouldn't be a fair comparison either.

Are DAK's numbers down? From what I hear, yes. Does that have to do with DHS or UOR? Probably a little of both. Is UOR kicking ? They better be.

 

[BrianLo]

As long as we are tossing out random guesses/bets for Star Wars... I'll take Bugsland/remaining Timon lot please.

Also to pile onto some support for @skubersky, he was basically the only one coming out of the media preview who gave Gringott's a mediocre review. Whatever it deserves is not relevant to the point that he isn't foaming at the mouth for Universal just for the sake of it. It's a strange metaphor for sure - probably not one worth spending pages dissecting since it's basically meaningless...

 

[Longhairbear]

Spirited Wednesday Musings:

Sorry about the lack of postings, the real world takes precedence and it is far more enjoyable to watch powerbrokers squirm than it is to make fanbois cry.

I see there's an insane eight-page thread about Star Wars that wasn't here when I last checked in. I don't know what that was based on. Bob Iger saying the same thing he has been doing for the past few years? Sorry, but nothing is imminent on that front. And saying an announcement on adding to the parks more IP will come next year leaves him with a timeframe that will stretch, literally, until Episode VII opens before anyone will start calling him out.

But here's something for y'all to chew on. The current DLR plans for Star Wars call for a substantial reworking of an existing area for the new stuff. And it isn't where you think it is ... and it hasn't been said by one person online yet. And, yes, it will have some people thrilled and others fuming beyond belief.

Are folks really going to stick to that 'major reworking of the Studios entrance' load of BS as related to Star Wars? 'Cause it isn't accurate and all.

And Disney's quarterly earnings are just about where I would have pegged them. And P&R got a lift by Easter in the quarter and a May price increase in ticket media in Anaheim as well as great springs in HKDL (yes!) and TDR! But we are supposed to divine some greater truth in those numbers, right? Ah ... nope.

Watching Bob Iger talk to CNBC, even with questions that have already been run thru Zenia (yes, and all you fanbois think Disney and Comcast hate each other blather, blather, drivel, drivel, pop), is a lesson in pain ... like getting a really bad papercut.

Someone made me waste five minutes reading the O-Town Weekly piece. It isn't that most of that story isn't accurate, just that it was written by a UNI fan pushing a largely positive UNI agenda. That comparison he used of HE and DAK was true, but means absolutely nothing. Yet, you can bet it has flown around the Twitverse like the gospel from the mountain.

Yeah, so what did happen with @KevinYee and Micechat? Seems like something went down there.

So, saw Guardians of the Galaxy and just loved it. Dumb fun, but made well enough that you get over the dumb parts. Like the guy in front of me said, ''I paid to see a talking raccoon and a tree branch that speaks three words.'' It worked. I enjoyed it more than ANY other Marvel offering. The soundtrack (you kids know what that is from downloading Frozen, right?) couldn't have been any better if I made the film and I actually intend to buy it as I like/love every song they used. Chris Pratt showed the start power than anyone who has watched Parks and Rec on NBC (yes, I know you all are too kewl for stodgy old networks and prefer crappy Netflix content!) knew he had. ... Hell, I even loved the scene at the end of the credits (although someone here blew it for me and should have their knees broken). I realized that no one under 35 got it, but I don't care ... much better than some scene that basically teases a future film!

You know what's wrong with today's fanbois (or any group you feel like dumping on right now)? They are like WDC management, they view everything short term and don't understand the long game at all. That often results in petulant and ill-thought out behavior that will get them nothing other than the point in the end (just not the way they'd prefer!)

So, is UNI truly breaking records this summer? Depends on who you talk to and what records you are discussing.

So, any Lifestyler spend $600 a night for a room at the Four Seasons yet? And add another $300-400 worth of food? And another $500-800 at the spa? ... I am dying to read those reviews.

ABC's fall comedies look dreadful ... from a network that couldn't give Happy Endings, The B in Apt 23 and Trophy Wife more time.

I've just been informed that special Shellie May's have arrived at Aulani. Get your orders in now while they last. I still think this is a good reason for @WDWFigment to plan another visit.

Oh, and just a note to my fans here (and, especially those who claim to not be!), but I'm going to be here very sporadically over the next month or so as I have gotten much busier. So, I may drop a post in here or there and not be around to discuss or debate it. Feel free to ask my official hillbilly spokesman @Lee for his thoughts.

What is a Shellie May?

 

[Longhairbear]

What is a Shellie May?

Opps, never mind, I looked it up. Never saw, or heard of it before. I thought it was related to the 15 points being added to new purchases of points at Aulani...I thought it was real estate thing I didn't know about...Freddie Mac, Mae...Shellie May...

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

And how are Green Arrow and The Flash going to fit in with all of this? Are they going to be like Coulson and have the same actors appear on TV and the big screen?

I read an article that [thank god] stated DC wasn't interested in intertwining the TV and movie franchises together. That's the only area I feel Marvel has stumbled and it has hurt AoS in quality and pacing as a result.

 

[Bolna]

What is a Shellie May?

Opps, never mind, I looked it up. Never saw, or heard of it before. I thought it was related to the 15 points being added to new purchases of points at Aulani...I thought it was real estate thing I didn't know about...Freddie Mac, Mae...Shellie May...

This was quite funny!!!

Duff's girlfriend (or sister??) a real estate thing...