Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt set up a bar/cantina @ DHS!!! where that funky band could play & if anyone complains CM's slice off your arm with a light saber!!!
Originally Posted By leobloom >> If it's authentic and good quality, it's worth it. << $30 for an authentic magic wand would certainly be worth it. $30 for a wooden twig...hehehe...PT Barnum said it best!
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt How about "I'd rather kiss a Wookie" kissing booth. or a "Your Worship" dress-up kiosk where women can be made up like Princess Leia in her metal bikini!
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<set up a bar/cantina @ DHS!!! where that funky band could play & if anyone complains CM's slice off your arm with a light saber!!!>> No way, that would be way to scary/violent for the rug rats. Try a nice relaxing meal with Jar Jar. Now that's what the people would want!
Originally Posted By MPierce >> No way, that would be way to scary/violent for the rug rats. Try a nice relaxing meal with Jar Jar. Now that's what the people would want! << Or maybe a crayon coloring session with Obi Wan Kenobi?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> $30 for an authentic magic wand would certainly be worth it. $30 for a wooden twig...hehehe...PT Barnum said it best! << Do the $250 broomsticks fly?
Originally Posted By vbdad55 >>so when does construction start on about another 50,000 hotel rooms ? I appreciate the HP effort and congratulate them for it-- but let's not get carried away -- at least in the next decade or so<< They don't need to build 50,000 motel rooms to make the Mouse hurt. In fact, they don't even need to take over Disney's market share. All they need to do is make Disney's quarterly profit margin go down. This will be done by Potter in the coming months no doubt about it, but it can also be done long term by attacking the MYW and thereby reducing guest per-day spending, which is all they care about in Burbank. No - the claim was they were going to take over the number 1 spot - not make the Mouse hurt--
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <<They've added DUST to the boxes. Jeesh>> They've pre-dusted a dust collector? I went to a HP exibit in Boston, the merch was REALLY cool but the chocolate frogs were $5- each! they were about the size of a peanut butter cup. I didn't try one. went to the show when it came thru Chicago -- and wand wise they had various level ones- the good ones were $40+ ( I got a Dumbledore) - then there were cheaper ones at two lesser prie levels. I like Potter I really do- but still think Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are superior franchises... and contrary to popular opinion here- not everyone in the UK is a Potter fan- one of our most active UK posters here is not. I think it is a 1/2 day diversion for those who normally don't go ( myself included)- but I don't see it being a complete attendance changer. Does that 1/2 day hurt the mouse- yes. WIll it draw repeat business- that remains to be seen. I also remember reading many places how IOA was going to shut down Disney for certain demographics and that didn't happen either - not by a long shot. So, time will tell-- I will comment after my visit in 2 months.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Disney should have done something on this scale with Star Wars.<<< They still can... Not like it's no longer popular, or something.
Originally Posted By MousDad >>No - the claim was they were going to take over the number 1 spot - not make the Mouse hurt--<< So you're saying it's a given they're going to hurt the Mouse then? lol Regardless, I do really believe that a combined effort of Uni/SW/Legoland/Busch could as a whole surpass the Mouse, if they wanted to. It wouldn't be the end of the world, or World.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<I like Potter I really do- but still think Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are superior franchises...>> Star Wars I'll agree with, LOTR not so much. LOTR is great, but for the most part the younger crowd isn't into it and it's much less accessible to a casual fan than Potter is.
Originally Posted By MPierce >>>Disney should have done something on this scale with Star Wars.<<< >> They still can... Not like it's no longer popular, or something. << Yes they could, but they won't. At least we are getting Star Tours 2.0. Maybe?
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer LotR is dreadful. There. I said it. I had to bite my tongue in college classes because all the esoteric, snobby, snarky kids would have jumped be if I said it. I'm sure the books have literary merit (Know it, in fact, I read 'em), but my gosh...It's just so dull. And the movies were far too long. Visually stunning...but...eh. Not my style. *waits to be jumped by some snobby, esoteric LotR Disney Fanboi*
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ^^ You are a snarky?! Ugh...I held you in such high esteem until now...
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper ^^^Anyone who can't get jacked up while watching a movie like Return of the King has something wrong with them. "RIDE FOR RUIN AND THE WORLD ENDING! DEEEAAATTHHHHHHH!"
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer It had it's moments. I have VERY odd taste when it comes to movies...
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<WDW Co. operates on a business model that is almost entirely outside the berm these days.>> Absolutely. That explains their past Decade of Decline (maybe I'll copyright that with a pixie dust trail!). They don't really care much about their parks or what goes into them (or doesn't). Selling timeshares ... selling pins and vinyl ... selling hotels stays ... selling dining 'plans'. <<It operates theme parks solely to get people on-site. Theme parks work on very high costs bases and therefore are a very weak use of your capital. WDW Co. operates theme parks to sell your accommodation, F&B, merch and a host of other activities like mini-golf, boat hire etc. Think of the economics - a basic 7-day MYW ticket equates to about $34 per day - it is easy to sell high-margin F&B to each guest that equals that amount - far more profitable than the ticket media. Universal have three hotels - and there are all Loews O&O - and their total inventory is 2,400 rooms including deluxe rooms and suites. The new Art of Animation Resort - just one resort - will have 2,000 rooms. Universal can't and never will be able to compete on the inventory front and I bet they wish they could - those margins are far more tasty than operating two theme parks and being a landlord at CityWalk.>> Sure, UNI likely would want more captive guests. But I don't believe for a second they'd want the headache of an overbuilt resort collapsing under its own weight, while its exec 'leadership' team decides to expand even more ... all in the worst eceonomy since the Great Depression. Disney has no business adding resorts. They should be cutting inventory to raise prices. They want family suites? Fine. While 'rehabbing' POP now they could have taken 500 rooms and converted them into family suites. They could do so at ASMovies too ... and even add some at the moderate level at CBR and PO. But GREED is all they're thinking about. <<Just having the possibility of Potter open this week has resulted in IOA having a good 10K more vistitors in the park daily. >> <<If that figure is true then good luck to them - it doesn't tell us the breakdown of the revenue though - a huge proportion could be locals on those ridiculously cheap APs (do they still do that Buy 1 Day and Get the Year For Free promotion every year?) - in which case they are only getting F&B and merch.>> I believe many are locals, but certainly not all. And they don't have "Buy a Day, Get a Year' deals to my knowledge, that's something SW/Busch does. Of course, to use your logic, even if ALL the folks are on cheap APs. UNI is still raking in $$$ on merchandise and food and beverage (neither area having been dumbed down to LCD/WalMart levels like the Mouse has). <<If they are folks on WDW property then the question is what is the daily rate of their passes etc. As I said before - Disney still gets revenue from them even if they are visiting Universal.>> More folks who visit O-Town stay off WDW property than on. Even today. That's a fact, despite Disney's desire to 'capture' every visitor. <<If IoA is attracting that level of additional guests (and 10k per day is an extra 3.65m guests annually) then I hope their existing infrastructure and the HP world can cope with that - when I've talked to industry colleagues they believe strongly that beyond the Kuka attraction they undercooked the occupancy (I think they were talking stores/F&B etc.).>> I've heard the ride system has been working very, very impressively and the attraction is easily meeting projections in hourly throughput. The biggest 'issue' I've heard of is the fact the Potter 'island' is smallish and the shops (very, very popular) aren't conducive to large crowds. <<The issue is that there hasn't been an additional attraction/land that has been a game-changer in Orlando history - never. Maybe HP is that silver bullet but I remain skeptical. I'm sure there will be a big initial drive up in attendance numbers - like we saw for ToT at D/MGM and Everest at DAK - but I'm sure they will settle down eventually. And all that capex has to be paid for - as Sport Goofy so aptly explained - Uni Parks & Resorts doesn't have a healthy balance sheet - they've bet big on Potter and the additions to the main park like that Rip It Coaster - that is effectively their capex done for the next decade unless capital markets start to creak open again. It is a huge gamble.>> Disney's balance sheet hasn't looked great either. Of course as I am fond of saying 'if you torture numbers enough, they'll say anything' ... and that can be used to justify great risks, great decisions and the opposite. ... And that's in general, not talking Disney or UNI. But Disney, which built a reputation on gambling (everything from animated features to DL), has become a giant corporation that plays things safe all the time. One that reacts (often years too late) and doesn't look to take any risk at all. Risk is building EPCOT Center. Hell, to some degree, risk is building DAK. Risk isn't putting the same tees in every shop, cutting menus to six items and using marketing over substance. That's the 100% polar opposite of risk. It's playing it safe. That may seem smart from a business standpoint (although I'd argue against that), but it sure diminishes the 'Disney brand' because the worst thing a creative company can do is play it safe all the time and not take chances.
