Great Videos of the Rise and Fall of Disney Parks

[traderneal]

Two great videos that were uploaded to YouTube about 5-6 months ago. IMO, very factual and observant. The videos claim that within a decade, Universal will have overtaken Disney Parks.




Rise and Fall of Disney Parks Part 1


Rise and Fall of Disney Parks Part 2

 

[Jross34]

never going to happen

 

[traderneal]

If Disney keeps going on the same path they are going on, it damn sure will. You can only milk you customers so much before they revolt. Genie is a perfect example of this.

 

[Mousey0324]

never going to happen

tell this to blackberry, compaq, toys r us, blockbuster, etc.

 

[J-Dog]

I'm just as annoyed with Disney as anyone right now, but I agree that it's not going to happen.

The current "fad" of people being irritated with price hikes will fade eventually - long before the next decade. There's too many Disney apologizers and just plain nostalgic people that will continue to patronize them - much more so than Universal has ever had. And if Disney continues to add product and experiences, that will further temper people's frustration over the next few years.

And, this is also assuming that UO will add their third theme park without significantly increasing prices and/or doing any of the new nickel-and-diming that Disney is currently being accused of - how do know that won't happen?

 

[traderneal]

If Disney's quest to separate you from your last dollar stops, yes, I agree with you. But what's on the horizon, you know something more will be coming down the line. You can only fleece the flock so much before they revolt.

 

[grossmansr]

I like that Universal is continuing to up their game. It's nice to have options.

 

[philbrody]

My take is it's not the price but the quality that will bring about the downfall of Disney. Cadillac would be the brand I would say is the best analogy. Used to be synonymous with luxury, but better products came into the market offering more and higher quality.

 

[PaladinButters]

And, this is also assuming that UO will add their third theme park without significantly increasing prices and/or doing any of the new nickel-and-diming that Disney is currently being accused of - how do know that won't happen?

I'm assuming this will happen. Every time somebody comes out with "Universal is cheaper" I mentally add - "until Epic Universe" to the end of it. An entire extra theme park sounds like a great reason to increase ticket price and I can't imagine an on site hotel isn't going to be their most expensive rooms by a mile. All that being said - HP made them a serious contender, is Nintendo enough to take them over the top? We'll see.... Disney probably has 27 different plans up their sleeves to counter.

 

[jkh36619]

Universal would have to figure out a way to entertain me longer that 3 days. Parks are small with a bunch of screen rides. They have a long way to go to take down Disney. I agree. not happening.

 

[AvidDisReader]

As long as Disney has exclusive attention of little girls with Princess dress and makeup, they will rule the theme park universe. As a father of 3 girls and 5 female grand children, it is never even a question on where we are going. I have 2 male grand children, but guess where their mother wants to go (she is in her mid 30's)--clue it is not Universal. Disney hooks them when they are young and the nostalgia keeps bringing them back.

 

[reddog21]

There's no way Universal over takes Disney. Everyone is just annoyed that Disney is now charging for things that used to be free just like very other theme park and hotel. Not to mention Disney and Universal are marketed to entirely different demographics.

 

[lukemorenus]

Nah - this too shall pass... new headliners will open soon... current management isn't forever... but a Disney vs. Universal arms race would help us all

 

[BrianL]

Nah - this too shall pass... new headliners will open soon... current management isn't forever... but a Disney vs. Universal arms race would help us all

Exactly. I don't think Universal has surpassed Disney nor do I think that will be happening any time soon. I certainly don't mind Uni keeping Disney on their toes though - it creates better experiences for all of us fans at both parks!

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I don't think Universal has a shot at overtaking Disney at this point, Disney is so engrained into the American culture, i think every child in the U.S knows who Mickey Mouse is (not sure the comp at universal, perhaps Harry Potter), not to mention the media empire Disney has created that constantly pumps up the parks, (Frozen ever after for example) which brings crowds in droves just to experience it.
You may think that the parks have come down in quality, and that's perfectly fine, but I can't see a parent telling their child that they can't go to Disney World because it's not what it was, at this point

 

[middlechild]

No one thought Sears would ever fail either. The fallacy of eternal good will, that a corporation is so ingrained into economics that it would stay forever despite management errors is what that once great retailer mistakenly believed. Now is Genie+ the breaking point? No, I don't think so, at least not by itself. Perhaps the "pay per experience" model is widely supported by twenty-somethings with disposable income. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what the fall of the parks business would look like, or suggest a cause? Disney selling the All Star resorts to a hotel operator like Rodeway Inn? Selling restaurants across the board to Landry's? And then lease them back to keep the Disney brand? Cut benefits to third party operators (oops, already done)?

 

[Wreckem]

Everyone complains that Disney is now charging for line skipping, when this has always been an industry practice.

Universal charges $129-169 a day for express pass. Six Flags is ~$55-85 a day for their flash pass. Moving on A 3 day park hopper is $144 more expensive than a 3 day 2 park to park Universal ticket. These are based on peak pricing. The biggest difference is the annual passes, but again 2 parks vs 4 parks. Epic Universe is going to cause my UOAP to go up I am sure. Probably not as much as Disney’s but the price disparity is likely to close.

Is charging for line skipping going to kill Disney. Certainly not. Should Disney give more perks to Deluxe’s? Yeah they should probably throw in Genie+. They should probably re-evaluate rack rates at hotels but the parks aren’t priced unrealistically. I am staying at Loews Hard Rock and Swan Reserve at Xmas and New Years, I’d never pay 50-100% more for the deluxes at that time.

 

[ChipnDale79]

i dont think universal is going to overtake disney. the land that disney has that creates the bubble, is something universal just simply cant do.

i think universal is going to put a major dent in disney's profits once their next park opens, but i dont think Princess Peach can compete with all the princesses Disney has......besides, she's in another castle anyways.

 

[J-Dog]

Like I said earlier, I doubt UO will ever overtake Disney, but I really do hope that these topics keep happening - hopefully it will make Disney take notice and maybe turn focus on the patrons as much as profits.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Everyone complains that Disney is now charging for line skipping, when this has always been an industry practice.

Universal charges $129-169 a day for express pass. Six Flags is ~$55-85 a day for their flash pass. Moving on A 3 day park hopper is $144 more expensive than a 3 day 2 park to park Universal ticket. These are based on peak pricing. The biggest difference is the annual passes, but again 2 parks vs 4 parks. Epic Universe is going to cause my UOAP to go up I am sure. Probably not as much as Disney’s but the price disparity is likely to close.

Is charging for line skipping going to kill Disney. Certainly not. Should Disney give more perks to Deluxe’s? Yeah they should probably throw in Genie+. They should probably re-evaluate rack rates at hotels but the parks aren’t priced unrealistically. I am staying at Loews Hard Rock and Swan Reserve at Xmas and New Years, I’d never pay 50-100% more for the deluxes at that time.

Completely agree, no one brings up Disneys peers in these threads, just that Disney will absolutely lose guests for charging more.
agree that the hotels in Disney are overpriced, if there starts to be a shift to offsite locations, Disney will react, but they aren't at that point yet.
other than that, they have pulled some perks that aren't even offered by their peers, and are aligning themselves with the rest of the industry