With the recent boom in foreign Disney and Universal parks, and the poor attendance in domestic California and Florida parks I began to wonder if those foreign parks were hurting the U.S. ones. Sure September 11th and a lot of other stuff can contribute as well, but if people in Europe, Japan, and China are no longer having to travel all the way across the Pacific or Atlantic to get the famed Disney experiences then they won't. I don't know it for a fact, but going to Orlando 9 or 10 times a year I can't help but notice that the majority of the tourists are foreigners.
From the reports it sounds like the foreign parks are bringing in a ton of money, even more money than the domestic ones, but it seems like Disney and Universal may be shooting themselves in the feet. What do you guys think?
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"This time I think ... I think it's ... it's going to work!" - Dr.Bruce Banner
*** This post was edited by IOArules on 12/11/2002. ***
It is possible that the opening of more theme parks in Europe and Asia may be affecting the attendence at U.S. parks. I remember when Japanese tour companies would book an entire 747 with groups going to Disneyland, and later WDW. With the opening of the parks there I would speculate that there is less demand for these trips. However remember Disney and Universal have substantial stakes in these parks. What they may be losing here, they are making up over there, and then some. They have gained an audience that may not have been able to afford the transoceanic junkets.
Disney's domestic situation, IMHO, is due more to some really bad management decisions. There is more than enough potential business here to keep the division healthy. All they have to do is give the GP what they have come to expect from Disney in the past. A quality, cutting edge product. When they start doing that again and quit worrying about the stock dividends they will come again. Then the latter will take care of itself.
You have to spend money to make money. Unbelieveable budget = DisneySea = record theme park attendence. Unbelieveable skimping and budget slashing = DCA = Attendence lower than anyone ever thought.
As I said in another thread, Walt's (vision of) Disneyland is still alive, but it's in Tokyo, and not LA anymore. After visiting both, it's a no-contest.
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- Peabody
*** This post was edited by Peabody on 12/11/2002. ***
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- John
I got a B&M T-shirt!
After just coming back from Florida for the first time in 14 years I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I was with WDW and MGM. I had already visited DLP and thought this park to be beautiful, green and generally magical. Everything looks clean and new, the theming is wonderful.
To me WDW was clean and nicely maintained but Tomorrow land was dreadful compared to the Paris one, it looked like some sort of vision from the 70's and really needs to be re-done. There were some nice attractions there in Alien Encounter and Buzz Lightyear. But Space Mountain, people will say that it is a classic, but I think so much more could be done with it. Big Thunder Mountain in Paris beats the WDW one hands down in-fact everything does. The themeing of Fantasyland looks a bit cardboard like and things like the maze in Paris really add to the area.
I was expecting amazing things from MGM as well, the stunt show was good, and Muppet vision was alright. I'm sure some of you will get offended by this, I realise the park is an American theme park and quite a large portion of the visitors are Americans but I got a bit fed up with the America is wonderful and great being rammed down your throat, maybe that’s because I'm English and we are quite reserved but I found it a bit much. I though the Rock n Rollercoaster was pretty average, the launch and first element are great but after that it was just rough and un-interesting. I will admit I was completely blown away by the Hollywood Tower though, that is by far the best ride I have ever been on I even preferred it to Spiderman, breathtaking from start to finish. If Disney is capable of this why do they stick in attractions like Rock n Rollercoaster, which was pretty uninspiring and uncomfortable.
The main thing I noticed and the reason why I am posting in this thread, is that I visited WDW when I was 10, 14 years ago, the year before MGM opened. 14 years later the only new rides I rode were Buzz Lightyear, Alien Attack, Splash Mountain and the Pooh ride. The amount of money that that park must make and they have only opened 4 rides in 14 years. I'm sure some of you will come back and say well actually they have opened this, this, this and this since then. I know Aladdin was there as well but it isn't exactly cutting edge.
All I know is that if I went back to Orlando tomorrow I would not be visiting WDW and the thing is if I went back in 10 years time they probably wouldn’t have put much else into the park.
This might seem like a rant, but I paid a lot of money to get into the parks, I wasn’t expecting thrill rides I expected to go wow but I only really did that twice and that was on the Hollywood Tower and Alien Attack.
They just don't seem to want to spend any money, anyone else see why I'm disappointed or am I going mad?
Funny thing is, Tomorrowland WAS redone once already and looks a lot more modern than it used to. Disney makes money whether you go to their parks in the US or otherwise. I thought RNR coaster was well done and you have to consider it was intended as a family ide and not a "scare the hell out of you attraction".
That having been said, you're right. WDW is falling behind the advanced look of parks like IOA and DLP. Nostalgia will only get you so far and in 15 years the MK will not be very modern and will look outdated.
aflack- I understand what you mean about the overly excited patriotisim that is displayed here in America sometimes. I understand how the Muppets 3D attraction, especially, shows that. Sam Eagle is not the typical American, just remember that.
If you visit that attraction and you're not American, or are looking at it from the point of view of somebody from somewhere else, it seems totally different. I spent 3 days at WDW with my friend from Liverpool and it got me thinking how overly American the parks can be sometimes. For instance, at the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show half of the first round of questions were about American government, baseball, and football. Yeah, our friends from across the pond will be able to answer those, alright.
For a place that boasts to be an international travel destination WDW sure is overly American. But being American myself I've never really noticed it. I'm still deciding if that's a bad thing...
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I disagee about D/MGM Studios park though, it a very good park IMHO with some very good attractions. I do think that Disney goes not build enough new "A" type attractions.
Ted
I can see where you are coming from with regards to the Rock N Rollercoaster but I wouldn’t say that the Hollywood Tower was an incredibly intense experience but it was so well done that it didn’t matter. I thought the launch was amazing and very intense but I was just expecting so much more from the coaster. My girlfriend refused to ride it again because it gave her a headache and bashed her head around and this was the only time this happened in the whole of our visit.
Why do Disney still insist on using this second rate coaster company? they have produced some good rides, but this is Disney they can afford the best and with the amount they charge to their parks they should deliver the best.
In WDW that driving ride, how old is this ride. You might say where else in the world can kids of 5 drive there own cars around a track, but the cars are old and difficult to steer and it’s not like you get much freedom at all. Again this is Disney said to be one of the most innovative companies in the world surely they must be able to develop some kind of new technology to give a better simulation of real life driving.
I moaned in my last post about Space Mountain and so much more could be made of it. The problem is when eventually it does receive a rehab, Disney will just stick a Veckoma launched coaster in a newly themed building which will look amazing the ride will be great on opening day and maybe for 6 months, but after a year it will start to turn into the one in Paris which is so painful it is no longer a pleasure to ride anymore.
Rant over.
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