Yeah, because they are still struggling to catch up in attendance.
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Yeah, because they are still struggling to catch up in attendance.
I doubt they will ever catch up in attendance, those parks are not as large. Yet they have done a very good job of raising their bar for attractions then when they opened and if they can steal a day or two away from Disney and sway the guests that use to spend 100% of their time at Disney, it is a win for Universal.
Some might believe Disney is comfortable forfeiting 1 or 2 days to Universal, me, I continue to believe that was the reason for the FLE, to try and recapture those days. Epcot and DHS have both seen a drop in attendance at those parks from what they once were. Just look at all the trip reports, the Disney Fans are making their way over to Universal where many have not before. And Universal to make sure they don't loose what they have gained, they are expanding HP before FLE even opens.
Universal commands pretty equal admission price and yet doesn't have nearly the overhead that Disney has. They streamlined their transportation to and from their parks and City Walk. Having the upswing in attendance at Islands has to have their stockholders doing the happy dance. While Disney's 1% is nothing to sneeze at, stockholders can't be surprised given the state of Future World and the pitiful attention given to AK, DHS and Epcot as of late.
I have no doubt that the West Coast advertises DL.Quote:
Originally Posted by LTTCMJAKE
Of course they would advertise DLR on the east coast. I think the point was that while Disney spends money advertising WDW in the Midwest (quite a bit in Texas as well) they don't see advertisements for DLR in that part of the country.Quote:
Originally Posted by LTTCMJAKE
One upgrade in 10 years... Last time I checked even with HP land they arent cracking Disney's attendance numbers... Universal has tried... And often failed... To replicate Disney's magic... Let's leave them out of this conversation...Quote:
Originally Posted by LTTCMJAKE
It is too easy to delete Harry from the conversation when Disney has not opened anything of that magnitude or successful in ten years at wdw and their in the process of expanding their expansion. This week Disney announced a wardrobe change for epcot. Woot!!Quote:
Originally Posted by JNota0005DakMC
So it's all about being competitive?
It's like bellyaching because the 7-11 on the corner has added a salad bar to their store, yet the Super Walmart down the road hasn't added anything since their full service automotive department 10 years ago.
The conversation just gets sillier and sillier by the post.
Are you saying Disney should not be competitive? Disney should not have invested in DCA to make that park competitive? How is that silly?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mo Noyz
Islands has moved up to 10th in the World boosting its attendance by 2 million visitors in a single year and are reinvesting some of that profit to expand and expansion and the Harry Potter addition is equivalent to a salad bar in the world of theme parks?
Without a map to follow that analogy I say take a wool coat there is a heat wave outside.
I'm am old enough to remember that type of analogy being used to discredit Steve Jobs desire to be competitive after a rocky road to success and look how that turned out.
Yes, the leader by a mile that is nowhere close to being overtaken is being neglected because it's added a little less in the last decade than others.
I say we just keep ignoring the fact that Universal and DCA desperately needed to increase attendance and keep bemoaning the fact that the number one theme park resort in the world is being "neglected".
well said... this is the issue... and the thought of Disney doing nothing in the past 10 years...Quote:
Originally Posted by Mo Noyz
1. Expedition Everest opened in 2006
2. Star Tours update: 2011
3. We may not like it but Lights! Motors! Action! in 2005
4. Toy Story Mania in 2008
5. Soarin' in 2005 (though that was transplanted from Cali)
6. The Seas with Nemo- 2004
7. Philarmagic 2003
8. Laugh Floor- 2007
9. FLE
10. Test Track
there are a few i might have missed... but I'm sure the argument will be that none of these were significant... yeh... 2 hour waits at TSM and Soarin are not relevant... and EE didn't help put people into AK...
Largest expansion in the 41 year history of the MK.Quote:
9. FLE
In the already highest attended theme park resort in the world...
It's abuse!!!
A theme park expansion that was more then likely brought on by the competition's addition of an area featuring Harry Potter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mo Noyz
Since everyone enjoys analogies lets use this one. These parks remind me of the old Papa John's commercials where the delivery drivers for the old guys, Pizza Hut and Domino's, would laugh at the new guys on the block, Papa Johns, but eventually the new guys passed them by.
Universal is decades away from unseating Disney as the leader in the theme park world but that doesn't mean that Disney should rest on it's laurels. Universal is making serious moves and is banking on Harry Potterville to carry it into the future.
And with the Walmart previously being brought back into the mix, take a stroll through your local Wally World. The ethnic foods sections are growing, there's more exotic produces being offered, etc. Walmart is adapting to it's changing customer base.
Now to kind of emphasize the OP's topic, Spectromagic was replaced by the Main Street Electical Parade which is getting re-retired at WDW and in it's place we are getting...wait for it...SPECTROMAGIC!! Not a new reimagined Spectro but the same old one. Now I like Spectromagic and Disney never promised to replace Spectro on a permanent basis which is good because I like the music and it's the parade that was there when we first started going. But why would Disney not take the time to add to or re-imagine Spectro or create a whole new parade to debut at WDW while MSEP is appearing? Is it neglect or taking it's customer's loyalty for granted?
Anyone care to guess how much it will affect me the nonexistent day Universal surpasses WDW?
And honestly...surpasses them how? In attendance? Yearly earnings?
Universal has barely learned how to theme their parks. It could be argued they actually haven't at all (though I haven't seen Pooterland).
I wouldn't care if Disney were tenth in whatever subjective and ridiculous category we could talk about. It's my resort. Period.
I will give it to Universal on Potterland based on theming and such... The issue Universal always deals with is management... They finally built something worth it but they killed it with managing the park... Seriously charging to use their version of fastpass... And then it not including the big rides...? Come on... And then making guests lock everything they carried into the park into a locker... Just to get some morel eh out of people... Oh and btw... Nice of IOA to advertise Disney characters in their park... (think Marvel Superhero Island)
Disney has been trying to figure out how to do the same thing for years. Most likely they'll package the price in with your resort along with a hierarchy based on the level of resort you choose to stay in. (How's that for fine management?)Quote:
Originally Posted by JNota0005DakMC
IOA had those characters long before Disney even thought about buying up Marvel. And they have contracts to keep them in their parks for as long as they keep in good condition.Quote:
Originally Posted by JNota0005DakMC
Also, Disney is still getting a portion of the profits from those characters in their parks, which is more than Universal can say at Disney Parks.