Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Interesting article over on Mice Chat tonight about World of Color. <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1J5S7W/miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al050410a.htm" target="_blank">http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/...410a.htm</a> Now, while this is concerning DCA and DL, I want to bring it to the WDW Section because it talks in depth about the seemingly intense and close management tactics being used over there. Read, and you'll see what I mean. The Weatherman is actively involved, so is Staggs. Ideas and products are being nixed because they are not up to par, and not up to quality. Plans are being made about capacity, guest flow, and park hours are being extended. Basically...Disney is really being DISNEY here. They are worried, and looking to meet a challenge. I like what I am seeing. Obviously, I also want it here. Why can't WDW have this kind of involvement? Is it all because of the investment they've made in that park already? Or is it just the "Disneyland Cause" again, where the local AP holders demand and get this sort of attention and quality? Did I just answer my own question? Just a topic to...explore. ;-) -EE
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Did I just answer my own question?>> You did. They need to make this stuff good or suffer the wrath of the APers. WDW doesn't have to worry about that.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>> You did. They need to make this stuff good or suffer the wrath of the APers. WDW doesn't have to worry about that.<<<< They do come out when needed...Look at LoW.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<They do come out when needed...Look at LoW. >> Yea, they come out for inconsequential stuff. Yet the quality of the resort drops yearly and not a peep.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ^^ I don't get that...at all. But seriously, why NOW all this attention to DCA and WoC? Are they just that worried?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<But seriously, why NOW all this attention to DCA and WoC? Are they just that worried?>> I think so, and rightfully. Iger is spending a boatload of cash on this park. And WoC is the first major addition as part of the rehab. If WoC isn't a home run from the first night, the critics will rip Iger apart and question every additional change before they're even completed.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>> If WoC isn't a home run from the first night, the critics will rip Iger apart and question every additional change before they're even completed.<<< I think it will be...I certainly hope it doesn't allow them to rest on their laurels. In fact, it would me nice if it was inspiration to make changes like these in ALL OF THEIR PARKS.
Originally Posted By CaptainMichael Nothing will change until someone in O-Town who cares is put in charge. Out of sight, out of mind, I'm afraid. It's different when Disneyland is in the execs/Lassetter's backyard.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Hopefully the recent attention we are getting in terms of investment and maint. increases. *sigh*
Originally Posted By pitapan16 WDW has stagnant managment. They feel that because the MK is the worlds most popular park and the other 3 parks are holding rather well on top of that, the WDW Resort can continue on a very mediocre path, so managment focuses on trying to reduce expense and increase income despite mediocrity. I think they missed the boat on that type of mentality. What they should focus on beyond a very "surface" income/expense plan IS why people travel from all around the WORLD to Orlando to spend there once a year/decade mega-vacation with Disney. Eventually the greed will noticeably catch up to even the most ignorant of WDW exec's. WDW has incredible bones, why spoil such a wonderful thing? WDW execs need to focus on increasing value and holding a stronger quality about the entire REsort. Shore up what is currently built and bring UP the quality. Make WDW #1 w/out question.
Originally Posted By -em >>They feel that because the MK is the worlds most popular park and the other 3 parks are holding rather well on top of that, the WDW Resort can continue on a very mediocre path, so managment focuses on trying to reduce expense and increase income despite mediocrity. I think they missed the boat on that type of mentality. << Agreed. They don't HAVE to do anything to draw 90% of their guests and they know that. They don't have that same luxury at DLR where they have to keep "bobbin the carrot" of new and exciting. It's obvious they've figured out how much they can even chip away at the "old guest experience and expectations" and not affect that 90% because they HAVE. Unique merchandise? The Ninety want basic mickey, Unique Food? The Ninety want basic food, New Shows? The Ninety want to see their "favorite" even when they come once every ten years Instead of giving us what we "NEED" in a park experience they are giving exactly what the Ninety are wanting. Did the "people" WANT Mansion, Space, Thunder or before they were built? Or was it after it was opened they realized they need it? -em
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ^^^ That's another thing I fail to grasp. Is Disneyland so over run with APs that the people that vacation there are in the minority? I find that hard to believe....it's DISNEYLAND. The original. People in the proximity (westerners) flock there as much as easterners flock to WDW.
Originally Posted By -em Not necessarily APs (though they are a good chunk) but the average guest at DLR returns to the park more often than the average guest at WDW. (If I remember right the average space between visits was 1-2 years vs 5-7 of WDW- I don't remember where I heard that but its been from different sources) So DLR can't rest on something being "new" for 7 years like WDW can when the avg guests has had 3 visits in that time.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ^ Interesting. Can't be the case in Florida, though, most people I know visit Disney often.
Originally Posted By -em ^ Florida is a small exception but if you play the "license plate game" in Mickey n Friends vs the Magic Kingdom it paints a different picture (and if you figure in the amount of rentals vs residents for the florida tags vs the same for CA- even better) Course I also use the license plate game to tell how good the economy is and when its tourist season so take it as you will...
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ^ Of course. Well, if that means that many Floridians are repeat visitors... Maybe we are starting to get some more attention in terms of quality and I'm jumping the gun here.....I just think it's taking too long, and it should have never gotten THIS bad.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Average Disney guest visits once every 4 years. That is a studied statistical fact that was true as of the early to mid aughts. WDW largest AP markets are the Orlando metro and then Tampa/St. Petersburg area. After that it's places like Chicago and Jersey. Disney carefully watches when guests don't behave how they expect them too. They formally play the license plate game with survey-takers recording all the plates in the parking lots. They know that after financial crisis, world events, etc.. if people aren't flying they'll suddenly surge in cars during a minor to mid-level holiday period. I think that when new Fantasyland opens they'll be much more conscious of MK's trends. They're expecting it to increase MK's attendance and subsequently increase the other 3 parks as statistically the 4 parks during healthy periods track in-sync with one another. If he Fantasyland expansion does not meet their projections they'll start coming down on the management much harder. And going back to an idea I brought up in another post - there is a differnce in what is built between Disney resorts but in general the management is mostly the same. I've been a DLR local for a year and was a WDW local for several years and spent an entire summer with an AP in Paris. They're the same - as much as anyone's hometeam rivalry wants to pretend otherwise, they make the same dumb decisions and they generally misunderstand guests the same ways. There is some regional difference but not major enough to pin on TDA/TDO - most notably because TDA/TDO are very much merged in being the same exact people in many departments. The big decisions are made by the same people between the resorts.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>> If he Fantasyland expansion does not meet their projections they'll start coming down on the management much harder.<<<< Is it bad, then, that I really hope that they don't realize that it has problems now, as I have been hearing, and that the FLE turns out to be a capacity and logistical nightmare so we can actually see some nice changes after it?
Originally Posted By Manfried I think Al should move to Florida. They need his kind of bird dog attack mentality down there.
