Is Disney Phoning It In?

• Report this Comment On June 01, 2009, at 6:42 PM, kellogg9 wrote:

  For my family i find e-ticket service very appealing and use it all the time not just for parks but for things like movies. It saves a lot of headache in lineups or phonecalls and you get to find out more details than could have been known any other way. I wish everything wuold do the same.

  Kelly

  http://www.stockcoupons.com/

• Report this Comment On June 01, 2009, at 10:41 PM, epmccart wrote:

  I agree that if it has the capital to make expansions, it probably should, but I don't think the move to save up this summer will have a humongous impact on ticket sales - it's DISNEYLAND. Every kid in the US doesn't say they want to go to Universal Studios; no Superbowl winners say "I'm going to Six Flags!" (On this note, I think the "free birthday entry" idea is GREAT - tons of kids would see that as the ultimate birthday present - and it would be FREE).

  In fact, I think half the drive bringing adults - and of course, their kids with them - to Disneyland is that they want their children to experience Disneyland, as they, the parents, experienced it - in this light, adding an electromagnet to Splash Mountain would likely hurt "The Disney Experience". Case in point: a few years ago, I went to Disneyland with three friends from college - one friend and I had been when we were young, and the other two had never been (largely why we went). The two of us who'd been ended up LOVING it (mostly out of nostalgia); our two friends who'd never gone as kids found it overrated, and one said he'd rather go to Six Flags.

  Disney's not a park for teens looking for thrill rides: it's a family place, meaning who goes is largely dictated by the parents, who in many cases went there when they were younger. (Of course, I'm writing most of this based on Disneyland and Disneyworld - I do feel like constant additions to their other, more thrill-oriented parks is good, even a necessity).

• Report this Comment On June 02, 2009, at 2:59 PM, jedited1 wrote:

  I agree somewhat with this article, especially in regards to Walt Disney World. BUT Disney Parks and Resorts has ALOT on it's plate right now. And their focus right now is DEFINITELY in the right place. Disney is focused on it's parks that have the lowest attendance (California Adventure and Hong Kong Disneyland) and are spending about $1 billion on each.

  Why spend millions or billions on the highest attended park in the world (Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom) when your attendance is still VERY high (17 mil compared to the next highest non-Disney park Universal in Florida's 6.2 mil)?

  It makes more financial sense to spend money on your lower performing parks. Disneyland in California gets 14.7 million visitors while California Adventure (which is <100 yards away) only gets 5.5 million visitors.

  New attractions in Florida MAY bump their attendance numbers by 1 million or so (although in the past, it has made little to no difference), but a redo (or even new attractions) of California Adventure will increase it's attendance numbers significantly.

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