SeaWorld attendence down by half a million visitors the last quarter

[sunshine1]

what does that mean exactly?

are people preferring Disney and Universal these days?

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Thank you Black Fish

 

[kelleybean]

Read an article that said that Blackfish has had an impact (although didn't mention it by name), plus the opening of Diagon Alley at Universal.

 

[Schmeck]

How is this part of Disney theme park attractions and strategies? Shouldn't it be over on the Sea World forum?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Read an article that said that Blackfish has had an impact (although didn't mention it by name), plus the opening of Diagon Alley at Universal.

Personally, I think Universal's Diagon had more impact than Black Fish.

 

[nessz79]

People have always preferred Universal and Disney. Sea World is a park that you can do once and feel like you don't need to head back to anytime soon, whereas Disney and Universal make you want to keep coming back for more.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

How is this part of Disney theme park attractions and strategies? Shouldn't it be over on the Sea World forum?

People aren't machines,,,,they make mistakes

 

[bwang123]

Personally, I think Universal's Diagon had more impact than Black Fish.

I disagree. Disney's numbers have increased even after Harry Potter World. All Potterland did was bring more people to the area who normally would not have been there. Sea World should have seen more casual visitors checking it out because they were already nearby, not a drop of 500,000.

After Black Fish, Sea Worlds stocks dropped by 30%. Attendance immediately dropped, though they blamed it on higher ticket prices and weather.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I think the negative publicity SeaWorld has gotten in the past year has much to do with this.

 

[RealBlast3]

I was once going to go to Sea World. Blackfish and getting educated about the issues of whales in captivity totally changed my mind.

So, let's not act like that isn't a thing. Sure, many people could care less about a documentary or have never even heard of it. But don't discount that it's impact has clearly affected many people's decisions on whether to support Sea World anymore by visiting it.

 

[Planogirl]

I disagree. Disney's numbers have increased even after Harry Potter World. All Potterland did was bring more people to the area who normally would not have been there. Sea World should have seen more casual visitors checking it out because they were already nearby, not a drop of 500,000.

After Black Fish, Sea Worlds stocks dropped by 30%. Attendance immediately dropped, though they blamed it on higher ticket prices and weather.

I think that Harry Potter has had an impact. If most people have a week to visit the parks then they have to choose where of course. If they routinely go to WDW and want to add Universal then that leaves little or no time for Sea World.

The film might have had some impact too of course but I question how many people have actually seen it and of those how many people believe it.

 

[Indio]

I agree with the been-there-once-don't-need-to-go-back theory. We didn't see Black Fish and honestly wouldn't have known anything about it if I didn't read the Disboards. We went to Sea World once when the kids were little. We had a good time, but we can't seem to be drawn away from WDW when we are in Orlando. We've said we're going back, but haven't done it yet - costs too much for what is over there IMO.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I think that Harry Potter has had an impact. If most people have a week to visit the parks then they have to choose where of course. If they routinely go to WDW and want to add Universal then that leaves little or no time for Sea World.

The film might have had some impact too of course but I question how many people have actually seen it and of those how many people believe it.

21 million when it aired on CNN originally, 12 million during it's encore performance after Trace Atkins and Trisha Yearwood pulled out of SeaWorld concerts, plus it was the featured film on Netflix for 2 weeks, but Netflix doesn't release that info.

However a 500,000 guest drop off is actually them regaining some visitors. Before Diagon Alley opened or Blackfish aired, this happened:

For the first nine months of 2013 (just before the Blackfish effect really took off), for example, SeaWorld reported that attendance at its parks declined by 4.7 percent—from 19.9 million to 18.9 million guests

 

[chartle]

I wonder if Seaworld had already run its course and Blackfish just gave it a little nudge over the edge.

We visited the one in Ohio years ago and it is very much been there done that.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Personally, I think Universal's Diagon had more impact than Black Fish.

This.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

This.

Not this.

For the first nine months of 2013 (just before the Blackfish effect really took off), for example, SeaWorld reported that attendance at its parks declined by 4.7 percent—from 19.9 million to 18.9 million guests—

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I disagree. Disney's numbers have increased even after Harry Potter World. All Potterland did was bring more people to the area who normally would not have been there. Sea World should have seen more casual visitors checking it out because they were already nearby, not a drop of 500,000.

After Black Fish, Sea Worlds stocks dropped by 30%. Attendance immediately dropped, though they blamed it on higher ticket prices and weather.

I think the additions and promotions at WDW and Universal have given people a Disney or Universal mindset. Attendance at both those resorts are up. People are not making room for Sea World in their plans anymore, there is too much draw at the other parks. I think this is a bigger factor than Blackfish for the average visitor.

 

[DOOM1001]

I wonder if Seaworld had already run its course and Blackfish just gave it a little nudge over the edge.

We visited the one in Ohio years ago and it is very much been there done that.

The Ohio park was a totally different experience than the Orlando park,so much so that one doesn't even exist anymore.I personally have Sea World right up there as one of the best parks in Orlando.Aside from Blackfish I think they did drop the ball on their latest attraction,Antarctica,first time I recall one of their attractions was a bit of a let down.The park overall is still amazing and I'll always have my annual passes for it.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I have been to SeaWorld once in the last 30 years. I go to Universal and Disney annually (this year twice). For me SeaWorld is just not that interesting of a park.

 

[TheWeasel]

We went to SeaWorld for the first time in 30 years this summer and loved it. The shows were great. Seeing the penguins up close and feeding the dolphins were very unique experiences that we really enjoyed. And the boys enjoyed the roller coasters. It is a full one day park that we can't wait to do again.