Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt

flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
lazyboy97o said:
Disney's takeaway is that theme parks are about big name brands that move merchandise. Cars Land is not a success because of how it is a beautiful homage to Route 66 that barely utilizes the characters and could dump them in a heartbeat without issue. To Disney it is a success because it is based on a massive merchandise franchise and that is all people want. Why else do they think they can chop it up for Florida?
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Or overlooking that its not about isolated elements but a woven fabric that works together even if individual fabrics don't stand out
 
3WaltFans

3WaltFans

Well-Known Member
mickeysbrother said:
Let me start it off! I have stocks in this company and my stocks funny enough are still going up steadily. Yes I want Disney to get better fix things and not have universal trample all over them with big new rides! But I sorda see the other side of things. Everyone who goes to Orlando visits Disney first which Is a good thing for Disney because customer relations at uni... Need I say more.

Yes Disney has screwed up things in the past an will continue to screw things up in the future. Human error and running a multi billion dollar company. But as long as there stocks go up they must be doing something right in there eyes! Us fans hardcore or not still have an incredible time at home! We just see things others don't see because we have been to the world since we were little and have kept on going every year. But all in all it's still the most magical place on earth! And what did we all do before Internet and d23? We enjoyed Disney to te fullest everytime we went!
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Exactly - Thank you!!
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
Don't shoot the messenger but....

Hearing a great deal about how it has been determined that Buena Vista Street at DCA isn't really financially justifying it's existence and that placemaking is now "out" on future theme park projects.

That's no doubt going to have an impact on how this park's future development pans out.
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@pheneix, if you had to put a number to it, how much money does a park like DCA make per day? With ticket sales, average food sales, merchandise? How many years would it take to justify the amount spent on DCA? How long does it take to "pay for itself" or has it already, with its new found overwhelming popularity?
 
NoChesterHester

NoChesterHester

Well-Known Member
PeterAlt said:
Depends on your definition of "worse". If you mean rock bottom worser than worse, as bad as it could possibly get worse, then the answer is "yes".
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This^

Like what's going on at Busch Gardens worse? Yes... It could be oh so much worse.

But, that doesnt mean a thing. As fans we should demand better.
 
Travel Junkie

Travel Junkie

Well-Known Member
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
@pheneix, if you had to put a number to it, how much money does a park like DCA make per day? With ticket sales, average food sales, merchandise? How many years would it take to justify the amount spent on DCA? How long does it take to "pay for itself" or has it already, with its new found overwhelming popularity?
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I don't pretend to have any insider knowledge, but as a frequent visitor I can give you a gut feeling about how DCA 2.0 is doing financially. My guess is food & beverage and merch are not hitting their goals. Yes, ticket sales and crowds have skyrocketed and the crowds have made the park very busy. However it doesn't appear to translate to merch and food sales. If you want to get away from the crowds on a packed Friday night go into the BVS shops. They typically have a few people browsing but I have never seen a line at checkout. NEVER! The Glow With the Show Mickey Ears they have pushed hard have bombed. They keep trying bless their little hearts, but you only see a few at WOC or Fantasmic! and many of those were given away to AP's as part of the marketing push.

Starbucks has by far the longest line for food and beverage. Cathay Circle is packed on a Friday night but hardly anyone inside the restaurant eating. The Cozy Cones in Carsland are dead most of the time and Flo's is not nearly as crowded as I thought it would be.

The one thing that does really well at DCA is alcohol sales. The Mad T party in particular is a cash cow with people forking over $10-15 for a watered down specialty drink. Other than that the huge attendance boost is leading to a lot more people on property, but most of them are just waiting in line for rides. They are not buying stuff other than admission.
 
C

celluloid

Well-Known Member
Very good points. This is where Potter and properties similar in nature of having items people always wanted to try(The Simpsons) excel.

Cars never had any food that everyone wanted to try, no matter how cute they make them. The Cozy Cones were a motel, not an eatery. I actually enjoy what they did with those but besides Flo's in whcih nothing was really pushed or shown, no one feels like they have to try what has become a reality.

Something to take note of when thinking about Avatar as well.
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Stupid question. But if price of admission wasn't so high, wouldn't you think people would spend more at the parks themselves?

As I'm figuring out how I'm going to vacation next year (stop laughing, brain!) I can't help but feel that the almost $100/day bite is... a rather big bite. And to make up for that, a much smaller spending budget on food/merchandise. If it only cost $50 for park tickets that would free up more money for in-park purchases.

Crazy talk, I know. My brain hurts.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
Stupid question. But if price of admission wasn't so high, wouldn't you think people would spend more at the parks themselves?
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Yes, to a large extent. Holidays somewhat have a set budget. If the entrance fee is lower, there's more left to spend on merch and food. If food is lower, there's more money for merch.


In a sinister way, high prices work in Disney's favour. WDW is by default the central focus of an Orlando vacation. If they eat my entire budget just for entrance and food, I don't go to UNI. WDW is develishly clever in their pricing structure. My ninth and tenth day entrance at WDW are paid for, and the high prices for food and merch have eaten my entire vacation budget. So I've got no option but to stay at Disney. Disney is so expensive I can't afford the competition. o_O
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
Stupid question. But if price of admission wasn't so high, wouldn't you think people would spend more at the parks themselves?

As I'm figuring out how I'm going to vacation next year (stop laughing, brain!) I can't help but feel that the almost $100/day bite is... a rather big bite. And to make up for that, a much smaller spending budget on food/merchandise. If it only cost $50 for park tickets that would free up more money for in-park purchases.

Crazy talk, I know. My brain hurts.
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No, people won't. Charge more up front and people budget and give you your money before they even arrive. Disney would prefer that we pay for EVERYTHING before we arrive. See NextGen. Pay for your hotel, park tickets, dining, ride access, character greetings, firework viewing before you arrive (when you can spend 6 months taking out $100/week from your paycheck). Once you arrive, you have a set amount of money you can spend (what you brought), but if you find out 6 months out that you can pay extra and have your dining taken care of (so you don't have to "worry" about it once you arrive), you can budget and give Disney more money. Of course, I can afford a sit-down meal every day during my January vacation if I start paying for it now. I would be less likely to do that if I pay out of pocket when I arrive.
 
Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
In a sinister way, high prices work in Disney's favour. WDW is by default the central focus of an Orlando vacation. If they eat my entire budget just for entrance and food, I don't go to UNI. WDW is develishly clever in their pricing structure. My ninth and tenth day entrance at WDW are paid for, and the high prices for food and merch have eaten my entire vacation budget. So I've got no option but to stay at Disney. Disney is so expensive I can't afford the competition. o_O
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I can see this backfiring though. If a stay at Disney is taking that much of your vacation budget, eliminating it entirely opens the door for you to see and do a lot of other places with the same amount of $$. I see this happening more and more lately.
 
WDWFREAK53

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
ISTCNavigator57 said:
No, people won't. Charge more up front and people budget and give you your money before they even arrive. Disney would prefer that we pay for EVERYTHING before we arrive. See NextGen. Pay for your hotel, park tickets, dining, ride access, character greetings, firework viewing before you arrive (when you can spend 6 months taking out $100/week from your paycheck). Once you arrive, you have a set amount of money you can spend (what you brought), but if you find out 6 months out that you can pay extra and have your dining taken care of (so you don't have to "worry" about it once you arrive), you can budget and give Disney more money. Of course, I can afford a sit-down meal every day during my January vacation if I start paying for it now. I would be less likely to do that if I pay out of pocket when I arrive.
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Well...then you get into the problem with people not going as often because they can't afford it. So, they are giving you ZERO money.

I know, from personal experience, we have decided to go to WDW less often as we normally would. When we do go, we opt to stay off property because the rates are so high. It's not that we can't afford it...it's that we don't think it's "WORTH" that money and the rates they are charging could be better spent other places and on other things.

First time visitors will pay anything...it's the repeat business where the high prices are going to affect.
 
EPCOTCenterLover

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
Virtual Insanity said:
I don't pretend to have any insider knowledge, but as a frequent visitor I can give you a gut feeling about how DCA 2.0 is doing financially. My guess is food & beverage and merch are not hitting their goals. Yes, ticket sales and crowds have skyrocketed and the crowds have made the park very busy. However it doesn't appear to translate to merch and food sales. If you want to get away from the crowds on a packed Friday night go into the BVS shops. They typically have a few people browsing but I have never seen a line at checkout. NEVER! The Glow With the Show Mickey Ears they have pushed hard have bombed. They keep trying bless their little hearts, but you only see a few at WOC or Fantasmic! and many of those were given away to AP's as part of the marketing push.

Starbucks has by far the longest line for food and beverage. Cathay Circle is packed on a Friday night but hardly anyone inside the restaurant eating. The Cozy Cones in Carsland are dead most of the time and Flo's is not nearly as crowded as I thought it would be.

The one thing that does really well at DCA is alcohol sales. The Mad T party in particular is a cash cow with people forking over $10-15 for a watered down specialty drink. Other than that the huge attendance boost is leading to a lot more people on property, but most of them are just waiting in line for rides. They are not buying stuff other than admission.
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That's interesting! When I was there last October mid week, the shops were packed, and there was a line for the Cones and for Flos.
 

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