Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "But I think what Weiss is saying is that they've planned so much of the Disney "magic" into their new Aulani resort that it just might change some of those minds who previously weren't attracted to a Disney park. I can see especially families with kids feeling this effect, as the kids have a great Disney time and want to experience more of it, so they put the pressure on ol' Dad to maybe go to Florida next summer." Exactly.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I guess I just don't know any families with kids who aren't already wanting to visit the parks. I've not met any kids, ever, who have been Disney parks "refusers". I guess they exist, but they're probably kids who remind the teacher when she forgets to assign homework or something, and I never related to them, either. ; ) That has to be an awfully small market segment. Or maybe families with teens who are "over" Disney theme park vacations. Do you think there is some huge number of families who honestly have not considered going to the parks? I think people either rule it out because of expense or because it just isn't their thing. I took the comment by Weiss to be more directed at adults who hadn't considered visiting the parks, not parents with kids in tow. It just feels like a stretch to me. But what do I know? Perhaps this is a vast untapped market. I'd just be surprised is all. Suppose what he says is true, and Joe from Denver and his family visit the Hawaii resort and decide that gosh darn it, this is a really nice place and maybe Disney isn't so bad after all. Is Joe going to find the same sort of vacation experience visiting EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, etc?
Originally Posted By SeventyOne <Again, what he seems to be saying is that the company hopes that the investment in new resort properties and cruise ship destinations will drive new customers to their existing theme park resorts, not that that they are “going to sit on our behinds and throw our hands up and give up on the park”, or that WDW's primary growth will come from building these places.> I agree I think that is basically his point. There's two problems with that line of thinking: (1) Based on my own observations on 3 DCL cruises, the vast majority of passengers are people who are already Disney park regulars. I say this based on conversations, attire, and the number of DISBoard magnets/fish extenders. I think DCL is attracting WDW regulars who have never cruised before, not experienced Royal Caribbean/Holland/Princess cruisers. I suspect Alluni will be much the same--filled with Disney fans finally making the trek to Hawaii. (2) If a Disney "refuser" actually did break down and take a cruise, THEN went to WDW, I dare say the drop in quality would more than likely turn them off the company as a whole. It's a weakest link argument--doesn't matter how nice your ships and Hawaii DVC are, you're always going to be best known for your flagship theme park complex.
Originally Posted By danyoung I just flat out don't agree with your last argument, SeventyOne. Anyone going to WDW for the first time is going to be totally blown away by the place. They're not going to see any of the things that regulars here complain about. They're not going to care that the MK is light on new E ticket attractions. They're just going to be amazed that there is so much more to do than at their local Six Flags. But then, of course there are those people for whom the Disney parks just don't work, no matter what. I'll never understand their mentality, but then they'll never understand mine!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I took the comment by Weiss to be more directed at adults who hadn't considered visiting the parks, not parents with kids in tow." I wouldn't think that would be a very big segment of guests at an off site Disney hotel property, Adventures by Disney, or one of their cruise ship.... unless we're talking about hard core Disney fanatics and I don't think that's the group Weiss is referring to. The key word here is synergy. "Is Joe going to find the same sort of vacation experience visiting EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, etc?" Of course not, and I don't think it's meant to be. The idea is that they are selling unique vacation experiences under an exceptional brand, banking that their core customers demographic will embrace it worldwide.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Based on my own observations on 3 DCL cruises, the vast majority of passengers are people who are already Disney park regulars. I say this based on conversations, attire, and the number of DISBoard magnets/fish extenders. I think DCL is attracting WDW regulars who have never cruised before, not experienced Royal Caribbean/Holland/Princess cruisers. I suspect Alluni will be much the same--filled with Disney fans finally making the trek to Hawaii.<< Totally agree.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "(1) Based on my own observations on 3 DCL cruises, the vast majority of passengers are people who are already Disney park regulars. I say this based on conversations, attire, and the number of DISBoard magnets/fish extenders. I think DCL is attracting WDW regulars who have never cruised before, not experienced Royal Caribbean/Holland/Princess cruisers." Hmmm... I don't know all the itineraries for DCL these days, but Disney's ships are now going places that aren't even remotely close to a Disney resort. My boss, who has only taken his kids (ages 10 & 8) to a Disney park once (DLR) is heading to Barcelona from California this summer with his family for a DCL Mediterranean cruise.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>I wouldn't think that would be a very big segment of guests at an off site Disney hotel property, Adventures by Disney, or one of their cruise ship.... unless we're talking about hard core Disney fanatics and I don't think that's the group Weiss is referring to.<< Then who the heck IS he talking about? LOL, he lost me at "great programming" and maybe I tuned out of the rest of it at that point.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>My boss, who has only taken his kids (ages 10 & 8) to a Disney park once (DLR) is heading to Barcelona from California this summer with his family for a DCL Mediterranean cruise.<< Right, but the idea we're talking about is whether or not, after that cruise, he'll feel compelled to then go back to one of the parks. Not the other way around.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Let me tell you my thoughts...I suspect they want to reach the wealthier clientelle that have never remotely considered going to WDW except for the wife and nanny taking the kids. Most business men I know of want to go to the most expensive golf resorts to play golf. That is their idea of a vacation. I also think Hawaii is the perfect vacation destination for the WDW execs that do not want to go to WDW or DL themselves. They are just trying to camouflage the need for Aulani! Think about it.
Originally Posted By hopemax I'll be curious to see if all these non-Disney people even show up at Aulani. It says right under the name in promotional material, "A Disney Resort & Spa." So if I'm a non-Disney person, I will put it on ignore, and go look up the prices for the Hilton, or other Hawaii resorts. And since it's not with the rest of the Oahu resort development, it's not like they are going to walk by, and say, "Let's take a look around," like people do in Las Vegas.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 If a Disney "refuser" actually did break down and take a cruise, THEN went to WDW, I dare say the drop in quality would more than likely turn them off the company as a whole -------------- couldn't disagree more unless they have never been to an amusement park in their life. Most likely this person is someone who at one time or another at least went to an amusement park- or carnival or whatever- they will be blown away by WDW- even the MK...as they will not see the little crap that regulars or Disney fanatics notice, or in some cases obsess on. The concept and most of how it is executed will overwhelm the one time visitor.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Let me tell you my thoughts...I suspect they want to reach the wealthier clientelle that have never remotely considered going to WDW except for the wife and nanny taking the kids ----- Bingo ! we have a winner-- this goes along with the Four Seasons placement at WDW.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox One of the reasons I suspect the "wealthier clientele" have never embraced the Disney parks is the crowd factor. Standing in long lines with the unwashed masses? "ICK!!" The rich simply will not visit without special accommodations, like Golden FastPasses devoid of time slots and ride limits. Otherwise, I just don't see them stepping foot on property, even with ultra-luxury resorts or gated housing like Golden Oak.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Right, but the idea we're talking about is whether or not, after that cruise, he'll feel compelled to then go back to one of the parks. Not the other way around." Well I think we're talking about overall synergy, and I was responding to SeventyOne's first point, and that was that DCL's primary customers have been WDW regulars. I gave at least one example of some who is not a regular Disney park goer, who is going all the way to Europe to take a Disney cruise to illustrate that Disney seems to be expanding beyond the geeky fan base. I'll let you know when my boss plans a trip to a Disney park. Assuming that the experience in Europe meets or exceeds expectations I certainly wouldn't be surprised at all if it happens within a year after, especially with the big marketing push coming to DCA in 2012.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "So if I'm a non-Disney person, I will put it on ignore, and go look up the prices for the Hilton, or other Hawaii resorts." I think what is happening here is that the fans (myself included) tend to overlook that families with kids are the primary customer spending money at Disney's resorts, theme parks, and cruise ships. A family with children planning a vacation in Oahu is probably going to put the Aulani at the top of their list of hotel preferences because the property caters directly to their demographic.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom << A family with children planning a vacation in Oahu is probably going to put the Aulani at the top of their list of hotel preferences because the property caters directly to their demographic.>> No one is saying that the Aulani isn't going to be potentially popular. What many of us are saying is that we don't necessarily see the cause and effect to warrant a bold statement suggesting that families vacationing at the Aulani would motivate a family who has ever set foot in a Disney park before to actually vacation at a Disney park. And I think anyone who has visited DL as a child and decided to visit WDW for the purpose of going to the MK is in for a shock. It's like comparing apples to oranges.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "What many of us are saying is that we don't necessarily see the cause and effect to warrant a bold statement suggesting that families vacationing at the Aulani would motivate a family who has ever set foot in a Disney park before to actually vacation at a Disney park." I get that, and I think others have made valid points as to why it makes sense, at least conceptually. Think of it this way: the cruises, Adventures by Disney, and off site resorts serve as experiential advertisements for the theme park resorts. Disney is the master of synergy, and the way that all of their various vacation destination/experiences are tied together perfectly illustrates why Disney management believes that this strategy will succeed.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom If I'm going to spend a week at Aulani in Hawaii that isn't going to motivate me to spend a week at DL in Anaheim. And if I'm going to France, I'm not going there to visit a Disney park.
