Disney World Resorts Struggling

[5kidsmommy]

Same. I've been to both Disney and Universal twice since Covid. Outside of the Harry Potter parts of Universal no one is that impressed in my family with Universal, so it's a 2-day, 3 days if we ride the HP rides 5 times each lol, experience for us. We easily spend a week at Disney without getting bored.

We also stayed at Hard Rock at Universal last time, and the rooms were really beat up and dirty. We've had some not perfectly clean Disney rooms but never a combo of stains all over and not cleaned very well.

We stayed at Hard Rock twice since Covid, both time club level. Our first time going to Universal. I enjoyed the hotel and the amenities. The second stay the room was in need of some love, the first one was perfect. So I loved the walk from the hotel, nice and short. I enjoyed the club offerings. I thought the pool area was lovely, we rented a cabana and it was a very good deal. The price for the room was good. We found it cheaper to upgrade to an annual pass but chose not to renew. It's a nice place to visit but honestly I'm not a huge coaster person and the screen rides bore me after a bit. I love the Harry Potter areas. I am sure we will go back to Universal at some point. Right now their prices for hotels have gone up considerably so our January trip it was cheaper to rent a 2 bedroom DVC and do Disney. I do like Universal. I als agree with the above poster about Cedar Point, we are season pass holders there and I enjoy it, a different experience but I like it.

 

[R&RsMom]

We did combined Universal and Disney in Oct ‘21. Two days at Universal, 5 at Disney. We stayed at Royal Pacific at Uni for the express passes. We enjoyed Uni, especially the Harry Potter areas, but everyone liked Disney better - including my thrill-ride-loving son-in-law, who was most looking forward to Uni. For me, I felt like all the simulators were the same ride with different screen images. I would go back again, though. We still had fun.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

I don't believe this. We've swallowed everything they've fed us since reopening, I think it will be a while before we see any dip in reservations. The only thing that might change this is Nintendo at Universal - people will still want a Florida vacation, but they'll spend their money at the cool new thing their kids are bugging them for. It'll be like Harry Potter all over again.

Actually many are cutting back on travel because they can’t afford it now . The summer hotel deals are the beginning signs.

 

[Pooh's World]

Random thoughts for today:

- It never ceases to amaze me that both high demand ("the parks are overflowing!") and low demand ("Disney is hurting!") can be spun as signs that Disney management has failed.

- While I completely respect some people's affection for Universal, not all people view it as a suitable 1:1 replacement for Walt Disney World. Universal is different. It can be cheaper. It's certainly less familiar to someone who have visited WDW 20 or 30 or 300 times. But not all themed entertainment venues are viewed equally. Whatever emotions & preferences draw someone to Mickey Mouse, World Showcase and Galaxy's Edge are not necessarily replicated with Minions, Transformers and Harry Potter.

That is all.

I can do an actual world showcase (visiting all the the real countries in Europe) and it would still be cheaper than a Disney trip staying in Deluxe hotels.

 

[tjkraz]

Actually many are cutting back on travel because they can’t afford it now . The summer hotel deals are the beginning signs.

Pre-covid, Disney had to offer deals every summer to fill their hotels. % off hotels, free dining plans, Buy 5 days get 2 free. There were offers every single year.

I can do an actual world showcase (visiting all the the real countries in Europe) and it would still be cheaper than a Disney trip staying in Deluxe hotels.

Maybe. I'm not sure that makes repeat visits to European countries any more appealing to people reading this board. But interesting, I suppose.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Universal is great.
Disney is great.
Cedar Point is great.

It's all great. I don't know why it has to be a competition either.

Can't wait for CP to open. Went to WCO and now it Makes May seem so far away

 

[drenalin'junkie]

Like Disney, like UO, like SW/BG.
Each have their strengths.
Disney has more variety available and is better for younger kids.
OU has more contemporary and relatable characters.
SW/BG coasters are more numerous and extreme.
All now have festivals to bring in foodies and party crowds.
To me it would like picking between kids, unfair to the kids and too subjective anyway.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

Pre-covid, Disney had to offer deals every summer to fill their hotels. % off hotels, free dining plans, Buy 5 days get 2 free. There were offers every single year.


Maybe. I'm not sure that makes repeat visits to European countries any more appealing to people reading this board. But interesting, I suppose.

It’s not really that. Look at the economy talk to regular people , so many I know are having to cut back simply because everything everywhere is so dang expensive. It’s catching up, post Covid travel boom is over. Now it might not get as bad as the Great Recession or post 9/11 but it isn’t exactly amazing either/

 

[Pooh's World]

Like Disney, like UO, like SW/BG.
Each have their strengths.
Disney has more variety available and is better for younger kids.
OU has more contemporary and relatable characters.
SW/BG coasters are more numerous and extreme.
All now have festivals to bring in foodies and party crowds.
To me it would like picking between kids, unfair to the kids and too subjective anyway.

Except the Disney Kid is asking and spending x1000 times the Universal kid and your street urchin Sea World kid with your credit card.

 

[tjkraz]

It’s not really that. Look at the economy talk to regular people , so many I know are having to cut back simply because everything everywhere is so dang expensive. It’s catching up, post Covid travel boom is over. Now it might not get as bad as the Great Recession or post 9/11 but it isn’t exactly amazing either/

Who are these "regular people" you believe I'm not in touch with?

Everyone has been impacted by higher prices and interest rates. No question about that. Still, most industry experts project that travel & tourism will continue to grow from 2022 to 2023. Among factors driving the growth is the percent of workers who are now permanently remote. People trapped in their homes another 40 hours per week are placing higher priority on the desire to occasionally distance themselves from that work environment.

Exactly how that filters down to WDW remains to be seen. I'm simply pointing out that summer hotel discounts for WDW are nothing new. Disney maintained strong crowds during the Great Recession, albeit at the cost of profitability due to some of the discounting.

There's no question Disney has stretched the limits of what they can charge in recent years. But that's the way you play the game--you grab the money when it's out there and reduce prices when business lags. I expect them to continue offering hotel and ticket discounts as necessary to keep business at an expected level.

 

[RivShore]

Except the Disney Kid is asking and spending x1000 times the Universal kid and your street urchin Sea World kid with your credit card.

And why is the Disney kid spending 1000x more (I assume you meant this to be a ridiculous number), because Disney has much more desirable stuff to spend money on. That is why the free market allows them to charge more, it is as simple as that.

 

[Pooh's World]

And why is the Disney kid spending 1000x more (I assume you meant this to be a ridiculous number), because Disney has much more desirable stuff to spend money on. That is why the free market allows them to charge more, it is as simple as that.

That's what American car companies, AOL, Blockbuster and IBM thought as well.
Eventually it catches up to you.

 

[New Mouse]

That's what American car companies, AOL, Blockbuster and IBM thought as well.
Eventually it catches up to you.

Modern day wall street , capitalists and executives are about pump and dump. They don't care if a company survives long term so long as they get theirs, hence why Disney is in an inevitable death spiral.

 

[tjkraz]

 

[Pooh's World]

View attachment 745371

Disney says that you cannot use that New Hope meme. You must use the skunk Episode 7-9 memes

 

[RivShore]

That's what American car companies, AOL, Blockbuster and IBM thought as well.
Eventually it catches up to you.

It hasn't caught up to Disney for 100 years, why now?

It survived:
The Great Depression
WW2
The Cold War
The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The unrest of the 60's+
The energy crisis
Inflation, stagflation, deflation
The dot com bust
9/11 and the never ending war on terror
The Great Recession
The Pandemic
Bob 2.0 (I couldn't resist)

And countless other major economic disruptions. Many of these directly destroyed travel for a time and yet Disney survived and thrived. It has changed with the times, unlike AOL, Blockbuster, and IBM who stubbornly held to models that became outdated.

So again, why now? Because they raised prices too much while the parks were overwhelmed with guests? Easy fix, offer nice discounts and all those people who thought they were priced out will come running back. Or maybe because everyone feels nickle and dimed - easy fix, eliminate things like resort parking fess (done), then offer free G+ and two LL's with a hotel/ticket package, everyone will then feel like they are getting something for nothing. Or because the economy is headed for trouble - see above, it has survived a century of troubled economies.

So in conclusion, trouble ahead - probably. The end of a 100 year old company, an American (and Worldwide) institution, - I most definitely think not.

 

[jkh36619]

Consumer dept has hit 17 trillion. One would think that affects vacations first . A lot of money went on credit cards post lock downs. Now the piper wants his money back.

 

[BrianL]

It survived:
Bob 2.0 (I couldn't resist)

Perhaps the most epic struggle of all!

 

[wabbott]

It hasn't caught up to Disney for 100 years, why now?

It survived:
The Great Depression
WW2
The Cold War
The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The unrest of the 60's+
The energy crisis
Inflation, stagflation, deflation
The dot com bust
9/11 and the never ending war on terror
The Great Recession
The Pandemic
Bob 2.0 (I couldn't resist)

And countless other major economic disruptions. Many of these directly destroyed travel for a time and yet Disney survived and thrived. It has changed with the times, unlike AOL, Blockbuster, and IBM who stubbornly held to models that became outdated.

So again, why now? Because they raised prices too much while the parks were overwhelmed with guests? Easy fix, offer nice discounts and all those people who thought they were priced out will come running back. Or maybe because everyone feels nickle and dimed - easy fix, eliminate things like resort parking fess (done), then offer free G+ and two LL's with a hotel/ticket package, everyone will then feel like they are getting something for nothing. Or because the economy is headed for trouble - see above, it has survived a century of troubled economies.

So in conclusion, trouble ahead - probably. The end of a 100 year old company, an American (and Worldwide) institution, - I most definitely think not.

I agree we are (speaking as a DIS shareholder) NOT doomed. Problems? Yes, Self-inflicted? yes. Fixable? Yes. Have the issues been identified and addressed? Somewhat.

The pre-Eisner era (early 80s) was much more dangerous, imo. The company was being circled by others intent on buying control and selling off the pieces. No more DIS.

If anyone wonders why the stock price is important, this is why. A low price invites pirates who only want to make money and aren't interested in providing a superior product to happy customers.

 

[New Mouse]

It hasn't caught up to Disney for 100 years, why now?

It survived:
The Great Depression
WW2
The Cold War
The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The unrest of the 60's+
The energy crisis
Inflation, stagflation, deflation
The dot com bust
9/11 and the never ending war on terror
The Great Recession
The Pandemic
Bob 2.0 (I couldn't resist)

And countless other major economic disruptions. Many of these directly destroyed travel for a time and yet Disney survived and thrived. It has changed with the times, unlike AOL, Blockbuster, and IBM who stubbornly held to models that became outdated.

So again, why now? Because they raised prices too much while the parks were overwhelmed with guests? Easy fix, offer nice discounts and all those people who thought they were priced out will come running back. Or maybe because everyone feels nickle and dimed - easy fix, eliminate things like resort parking fess (done), then offer free G+ and two LL's with a hotel/ticket package, everyone will then feel like they are getting something for nothing. Or because the economy is headed for trouble - see above, it has survived a century of troubled economies.

So in conclusion, trouble ahead - probably. The end of a 100 year old company, an American (and Worldwide) institution, - I most definitely think not.

Why? Because the company was headed by much different people through most of that. It's the people that typically sink a company, the global environment is just a small part of the why companies fail.