DEBATE Is DCA Worth $14/Day?

[daannzzz]

I have been to DCA three times now, always on a three -4 day park hopper and that is fine. I would also pay $14 to hop over there on one day because I have been to Disneyland so many times but I wouldn't recommend any first timer to do a one day park hopper if they were there for only one day. I would recommend they go for two days and get a one day pass to Disneyland the first day and then a one day park hopper the second.
There are alot of people who seem to think that if Disneya Sea had been built that it wouldn't have made much difference. Some how I think they are just wrong, wrong, wrong. I know I would have been there more times than 3 and have spent longer periods there. I am plannin on going to Tokyo to see that park.
Now maybe Disney wouldn't have made back the money quite as fast since it would have cost twice as much but then again maybe it would have as compared to what DCA is doing for them now. I don't think for one minute that people would be unaware of the park if the Journey to the center of the Earth Volcanoe, and Medetaeranian Harbor had popped up in adds in the papaer, magazines and on TV as opposed to a white coaster a raft ride and people hanging from a chair lift.
My brother and sister-in-law went to DCA and said they won't be going back for a long time. My sister happened to be in the LA area for a convention and went to DCA on opening day. My other sister saw DCA a couple of months before it opened, from our room at the Paradise Pier hotel and said she doesn't care if she goes. All these people are medium Disney fans and most of them have spent the money to go to WDW and would like to return there. People I work with are not excited about the place or don't know about it. My boss just got back from a Disneyland resort trip and she really liked DCA and couldn't understand why so many people were dissapointed. I told her that mostly they wouldn't pay full price for a one day ticket. When I told her a one day ticket was $45 she laughed and said she would never pay that for it.
Are all these people wrong?

 

[Another Voice]

Nonsense. It just needs some more, good, family style California themed attractions.

So where are they? We’ve had marching bands, we’ve had Disneyland’s old parade, we’ve had projected Christmas cards, and we’ve had a WDW clone about a cancelled TV show filmed in New York. Good, family style California themed attractions?

Now we're getting traveling carnival rides nicely decorated as bugs. Yes, there are bugs in California. There are bugs in Saskatoon, Walla Walla, and Timbuktu as well. That hardly qualifies the attractions as “California themed”. And since it’s unlikely they will accommodate anyone over six feet, they’re not much of a family attraction either.

And ‘Tower of Terror’ started at DCA life as a clone of the NEW YORK themed ‘Tower of Terror’ from DisneySeas. Again – uniquely California themed? And a family attraction?

So IOA is not a full ticket park, since Universal sells a two day hopper in Orlando? I think not.

No, selling a two-day park hopper is a different matter than selling a one-day park hopper with a 67% discount on the second park. It’s a different matter than running a second summer of one-day tickets that at a 34%. It’s even a different matter than selling a children’s ticket for absolutely nothing. Disney tried to sell a two-day park hopper. It failed because no one is going to pay full price for California Adventure. Disney’s even giving DCA away for free on it’s annual passes. If that isn’t a sure sign when even the most ardent Disney-fans won't pay for the place, then nothing is.

…and I doubt you can prove your contention

Ya wanta read the memos?

That's not something you can guarantee…

Because there are no guarantees in show buinsess. Everything is a risk. California Adventure is a park built by people unsure about their skills and untrusting of their audience. “There’s no guarantee” is a coward’s answer.

There is no joy in DCA, just a fear of failure papered over by walls of profit margin calculations. It’s the defensiveness of DCA when compared to the joy of creating at DisneySea which so sharply marks the contrast between the two. DCA isn't lacking DisneySea’s rides so much as it’s missing the other's spirit.

If Disney doesn’t have the talent or the stomach for the business, they should leave and make room for the people who have the drive to do what’s right.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

So where are they?

Wish I knew. But I do know retheming is not the answer to the park's woes - adding good rides is.

No, selling a two-day park hopper is a different matter than selling a one-day park hopper with a 67% discount on the second park.

Yes, a one-day hopper is not nearly as good of a bargain.

Disney tried to sell a two-day park hopper.

When did they do that? And was it available to everyone, or just So cal residents?

Ya wanta read the memos?

Yes, I would.

California Adventure is a park built by people unsure about their skills and untrusting of their audience. . . If Disney doesn’t have the talent or the stomach for the business, they should leave and make room for the people who have the drive to do what’s right.

Then the problem is much, much deeper than a simple retheming. You're talking about a massive overhaul of upper management. That's very unlikely.

 

[Bob O]

The whole idea of putting a park based on CA in that state was dumb to begin with and now its too late to change it and i dont think adding cloned attractions from wdw will be the parks salvation. Now maybe adding some rides to the park that beat out Spiderman at IOA might help but more clones wont IMHO.
And a overhaul of upper management may be possible as the stock price of the company goes furthur into the tank!!!

 

[King Triton]

No one wants to see a California theme park in California. People go to Disney for the magic and imagination. Who in the hell wants to see Californians make tortillas right in front of you for entertainment? Who wants to see a movie exhibit about California lifestyle?? (This is another example how Disney rather save money than build another good ride - movies are cheaper.) Is that boring or what?? People go to Disney to see high quality rides - a magical journey.

Do you want to see how much better DisneySea is compared to DCA? Go to: www.barrybedford.com

The difference in quality will blow you away!

Yes, Disney should have built a DisneySea there instead of DCA. I'll say it again....that would send attendence through the roof. "If you build it, they will come."

Oh God...if only Walt were still around.

King Triton

 

[Mr D]

Our family usually plans year round for our annual winter escape to either WDW or DL alternating each year, last winter we spent two weeks in Orlando, this year we are staying home in Alaska because I feel strongly that DCA has taken so much away from DL proper that it has now become less interesting in quality to us.


There is however Tokyo DisneySea......

 

[d-r]

Originally posted by Cris


I've been on the raft rides at Knott's, Six Flags, and Sea World. GRR is superior to them all. Screaming beats all their roller coasters for me, hands down. It's fast, smooth, long, has a cool sound track, and is launched.


GRR I do really like. Though the water raft ride at Silver Dollar city in Branson is a lot of fun as well. These kind of rides are my favorites, and I wish Disney would make a very long one, they really messed up with Kali River Rapids.

I just wanted to say that I agree - the GRR is a whole lot better than Kali river. The only other raft ride I've been on is 6 flags Ga., and GRR is better - I'm really satisfied that GRR is a very nice ride and well-themed. I wish Kali was as good as GRR.

DR

 

[Another Voice]

But I do know retheming is not the answer to the park's woes.

Well the hip and edgy California theme was dumped on the park’s third day and they’ve never looked back. Gone is the hip, gone is the edgy, and gone is California. All we’ve got left is a slab of concrete for more traveling carnival rides. I hope simply stuffing rides into a place is not considered “Disney Design”. At the moment the place has a name, but no theme. That needs to change one way or the other.

Yes, a one-day hopper is not nearly as good of a bargain.

You’re right. It’s not a bargain for Disney, it’s a flat out financial disaster. Since 70% of the guests visit Disneyland only for the day, the one-day park hopper is the knife into the heart of the “resort” concept so lauded on all those PowerPoint presentations. There is no reason for locals or anyone else to spend multiple days on property. It’s a killer to DCA’s food and merchandise sales as well – people are going back to D/L to eat and for shopping. Even the premier merchandise location at the entrance to DCA doesn’t sell DCA-themed merchandise anymore, it’s selling Disneyland tee-shirts and mugs.

When did they do that? And was it available to everyone, or just So cal residents?

There have been so many ticket schemes at DCA that it makes buying an airline ticket seem easy. The two-day hopper was started last summer (for $79 I think). At first it was only for hotel guests than was sold to the general public. Then they offered the two-ticket plan. Then it was the 3-Day Hopper for the price of 2 days. Then it was get-a-day-free on all hoppers. Even now you can buy a three-day adult park hopper for the price of two-admissions. And kids are free even if they live out of state. Even the cast members who are selling the tickets can no longer keep track of which deals are currently ongoing.

Ya wanta read the memos?

As to not get anyone in trouble (since the Mouse Cops seem to lurking these days), how about a quote – “utilizing proven, off-the-shelf industry rides and show like sets to replace replications of period themed architecture…meets the challenge of providing customers with the nine attraction/retail/dining experience goal.”

You're talking about a massive overhaul of upper management.

There are already people working on that. I just wish they hurry a bit before more damage is done.

 

[airlarry!]

I almost fell out of my chair laughing at that 'quotation.' I know a certain Chicagoan who would give up a Sosa 66 homer ball right now to read that memo...but he's preparing his annual Address right about now.

And Scoop we agree on something but wouldn't you also like to know what AV's post was before Sarangel edited it?

There are already people working on that. I just wish they hurry a bit before more damage is done.

Damage? What damage? Ei$ner himself is 'reading scripts and visiting with people' right now! Won't be long before he turns this ship around. Not.

Reminds me of my favorite line from Band of Brothers:

"Eisner and his cronies have us completely surrounded -- the poor *#$&@$&#!"

 

[lrodk]

There are already people working on that. I just wish they hurry a bit before more damage is done.

Mark my words, it's gonna get a whole lot uglier before things get better. My feeling is that I wish things would unravel a whole lot sooner so as to spare us from the long and painful drama that will no doubt play out over the next year or so. Like the stock market, we need a decisive thrust downward to mark a point where things just can't get much worse. With new management in place, and a slate wiped clean, there will only be one direction to move in(up). At that point anything they do will be positive compared to their predecessors. Then, and only then, will we begin to see light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Gone is the hip, gone is the edgy, and gone is California.

It's not as prominent, but it's still there. And the most recent additions have been and will be very loosely themed to California, but that trend need not continue.

Even the premier merchandise location at the entrance to DCA doesn’t sell DCA-themed merchandise anymore, it’s selling Disneyland tee-shirts and mugs.

It did when I was there in May.

Even now you can buy a three-day adult park hopper for the price of two-admissions

Maybe that's why DL is doing fairly good business, even while the market is recovering.

In any event, it the park doesn't have a strong commitment of support by senior management, the theme is irrelevant. If management is willing to put in some good attractions, the park will improve, regardless of the theme. Retheming is not the answer to the park's woes.

 

[Another Voice]

The board also has also Roy Disney’s long term business partner and the guy that hired Eisner in the first place (Stanley Gold), the editor of a Spanish language newspaper where Disney buys substantial ad space, a bunch of ex-Disney executives had Eisner hired in the first place, and Sidney Poiter (a great actor, but someone who can oversee a multi-billion dollar media empire?). It will be interesting to see what happens to this group when the wave of board reforms starts. There are rumors that even the New York Stock Exchange itself is going to demand changes because Disney’s board is far too “inside” for them.

Back to DCA – Disneyland proper was doing very well without the discounts. All of the ticketing schemes are just attempts to siphon off some of the D/L traffic into the parking lot carnival.

Mr. Dubh, you are correct – management has no commitment to the park. It’s a problem that’s being dumped onto those that will come after the breakup. Hopefully, they will have the courage to fix the place and get it right. But again, how are bugs even loosly themed to California?

 

[larworth]

After the breakup?

 

[Douglas Dubh]

But again, how are bugs even loosly themed to California?

Last time I was in California, there were plenty that ended up on my grill and windshield.