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View Full Version : Will Harry Potter at Universal hurt WDW?



MarkC
02-18-2010, 10:13 PM
Anyone have any guesses on whether the new Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios will have an impact on attendance at WDW in the next few months? I could see it really affecting the teenage crowd levels. Disney will always have a strong base, so I'm guessing it will be minimal if any change. But it could affect spring break and summer crowds, especially this year and especially among foreign tour groups or others who have already been to WDW. Just curious since we'll be at WDW mid-July.

forever a child
02-18-2010, 10:16 PM
It shouldnt hurt spring break because it wont event been open then, at least there isnt an official open date posted yet...

I doubt it. My DD15 and I want to go but only view it being worth 1 day at the park. And I do see it as a park worth repeating much. IMHO

SBETigg
02-18-2010, 10:29 PM
It might have an effect but I don't think it will be tremendous as people will add Potter/Universal time on to their Disney stays-- or add Disney time on to their Potter/Universal stays. I'm not sure there's enough going on with it to make it more than a day trip destination from a WDW stay.

FamilyBand1
02-18-2010, 11:41 PM
Might lighten crowds a little at first, but with the crowd volume in the past few years, I doubt you'll notice. I think the only thing that would put a dent in the crowds would be a Disney World in South America.

Pirate Granny
02-19-2010, 12:05 AM
NEWS FLASH....
Universal announced Harry Potter vacation packages today...beginning with May 28th...
:pirate:

Ms. Mode
02-19-2010, 07:45 AM
You know, the thing I love about WDW is that IT'S WDW...we have never been to Universal and don't plan to go...even for Harry:thumbsup:

olivegirl
02-19-2010, 07:57 AM
No way do I feel that this new park will even come close to WDW!!!! Disney will be forever #1 !!!! :thumbsup: Just my opinion!! :)

crazygoalie39
02-19-2010, 08:21 AM
WWoHP will not decrease attendance. People do not spend a whole week at Universal like WDW. People that are going to mainly Universal will add at least a day or two at WDW and people going to WDW, that want to see WWoHP, will add take a day to go to Universal. It will all balance out.

DVC2004
02-19-2010, 08:23 AM
Some good competition benefits everyone. Believe me, WDW is not hurting.

Ian
02-19-2010, 08:36 AM
Yeah, I think it will ... at least until Disney offers up something as viable competition. They've hurt themselves to a degree by letting the parks stagnate for so long. I think it was a huge miss by their leadership team (and probably also an indication of just how stifling the bureaucracy is within TWDC) that they waited until WWoHP was almost open before they even announced the Fantasyland expansion.

But I don't think it's going to be devastating or anything. I think people will probably carve a couple days out of their trip to WDW to go to Universal. It's not like I think it'll revert to people carving a few days out of their WWoHP trip to visit WDW.

MNNHFLTX
02-19-2010, 08:42 AM
Nah. IMO it's not an either/or situation--some people will make time to see the Harry Potter attraction, but they will go to WDW too.

#1donaldfan
02-19-2010, 10:19 AM
I truly hope it has a huge impact on attendance, at least for the month of June !!! I'd like to visist Disney during the summer with just heat and no crowds.....

.....I don't see how it could affect it to a degree that we as vacationers would even notice.....no worries !!!:cool:

faline
02-19-2010, 12:07 PM
Personally, I'd probably try to figure out how I could get in an extra trip to see the Main Street Electrical Parade rather than Harry Potter at Universal!

Goofy Pluto
02-19-2010, 02:03 PM
Oh, the things I want to say... the things I want to say...

Mendelson
02-19-2010, 02:47 PM
My speculation is that to some extent it will drive more visitors to Orlando, increasing the overall pie, and some of that will spill over to WDW...in that way it could increase attendance.

Kinda like when Starbucks moves into a neighborhood...the argument against them is that they drive out other competition. On the contrary - it brings more foot traffic into a neighborhood and raises coffee awareness of people there. Some small coffee chains follow Starbucks around and try to open close to where they do for that very reason.

Ian
02-19-2010, 02:52 PM
Nah. IMO it's not an either/or situation--some people will make time to see the Harry Potter attraction, but they will go to WDW too.Yeah, but those people might not extend Disney vacations to go to Universal. I would think they'd be more likely to spend a couple days they would normally have spent in WDW at WWoHP instead.

I expect that, in this economy, people are being pretty careful about how they spend their vacation dollars.

stephntampa
02-19-2010, 04:05 PM
You know, the thing I love about WDW is that IT'S WDW...we have never been to Universal and don't plan to go...even for Harry:thumbsup:

IMHO Universal and Islands of Adventure are fun parks to visit. Why do you say you would never go there? Just curious...

Meteora
02-19-2010, 05:16 PM
I don't think it will hurt WDW's overall attendance. However, I think a lot of people will want to make HP a part of their Disney vacations, which might lead to them not getting other parts of a Disney package. For instance, they might choose to stay off-site, or to stay at a Disney resort for 4 or 5 nights instead of 7. They might get fewer days worth of park tickets and opt not to do the dining plan, spending money in non_Disney restaurants, allocating some souvenir money to HP... Basically, Disney has a nice thing going for it now in that a lot of families come JUST to do Disney and never leave property. And I do think that's going to change, at least for awhile, when WWOHP opens. I agree with Ian that for both practical and financial reasons, people will take a couple of Disney days out of their vacations rather than extending by a few days.

hubbyofadisneyholic
02-19-2010, 08:24 PM
I have a friend at work that has been toying with the idea of taking her 7 yr old son to WDW for several yrs, but just never did it.

With the arrival of the Harry Potter attraction she is booking a trip for the fall and will go to Universal and WDW. So it is a win for both.

I wonder how many others there are like her...

TiggeRia
02-19-2010, 08:31 PM
I know that I for one will be shaving a few days off my WDW trip in September to spend a few days at Universal, however I am undecided whether or not I will stay at a Universal Hotel or not. While I don't want to lose time at WDW, I certainly don't have the time or money to add extra days onto my trip, so I will just have to lose a few days so I can experience WWoHP. I am very excited to see it!!!

kbean
02-19-2010, 08:44 PM
The Harry Potter is nothing but shops and resturants. They took the Dueling Dargons coaster and combined them to the Potter theme. So they really don't even have a Harry Potter Themed ride. Just took the one that was already there. I think their going to have a walk thru of the castle. Alot of people are going to be disappointed.

DizneyFreak2002
02-19-2010, 08:49 PM
It will hurt as much as Islands of Adventure hurt... Oh wait, it didn't LOL... Nah, it won't hurt and I don't expect Universal's to increase drastically either...

DizneyFreak2002
02-19-2010, 08:50 PM
The Harry Potter is nothing but shops and resturants. They took the Dueling Dargons coaster and combined them to the Potter theme. So they really don't even have a Harry Potter Themed ride. Just took the one that was already there. I think their going to have a walk thru of the castle. Alot of people are going to be disappointed.


Um, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey??? There is going to be a major e-ticket ride...

DisneyLuver91
02-19-2010, 09:23 PM
I'd bet that people would go to Universal for one day to see HP and then spend the rest of their trip in the World! The new attraction may boost the WDW attendance for a year or two!

RAIDER
02-20-2010, 10:56 AM
Without a doubt it will effect WDW in one shape or another. And as far as i am concerned its only the paying public who gains with this attraction .
I just hope it lives up to the hype :thumbsup:

Meteora
02-20-2010, 12:49 PM
The Harry Potter is nothing but shops and resturants. They took the Dueling Dargons coaster and combined them to the Potter theme. So they really don't even have a Harry Potter Themed ride. Just took the one that was already there. I think their going to have a walk thru of the castle. Alot of people are going to be disappointed.

This is not correct. They are designing a MAJOR ride with state-of-the-art technology, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It's supposed to be the best thing Universal has done yet, which if you speak to people who like Universal, is quite an achievement.

Dopey's Girl
02-20-2010, 03:10 PM
I would imagine that it will be a draw for a while, but WDW will always be the main attraction in the area.

I love Harry Potter, but won't be shelling out the money to go to Universal ever again. I have never been in so many lines, only to find out that the attraction is broken down. It was so frustrating!

mom2morgan
02-20-2010, 03:15 PM
I don't know about others, but it won't change our pattern since we always do a few days off site anyway (usually one or two at Universal, one at Seaworld, and perhaps one at Discovery Cove if we want a splurge). It doesn't take time "out" of our Disney days, since we plan extra for it. My bigger fear is that Harry Potter will make the crowds at Universal insane! For us, we still stay on-site and we still use dining plan (just eat snacks off site and then have a nice meal at one of the resorts when we get back on property).

LiloLovesTheKing26
02-20-2010, 04:34 PM
We are going next year but only for one day. We will still be spending the whole week in Disney on Disney property. I'm excited! I LOVE Harry Potter!!!!!

crltkcagle
02-20-2010, 08:37 PM
hmmm everyone scheduled to visit WDW the last week in May should definetly go check out Harry Potter instead! That way the park will be empty for us! LOL :D

TheVBs
02-21-2010, 05:05 PM
I would love to check out HP, but I would not be willing to cut a WDW visit short for it. We typically stay 9-10 days and wouldn't want to try to tack something on to the beginning or end either. We'd be more likely to stop at Universal if we're there visiting family at a time when we're not planning on a WDW trip.

Goofy Pluto
02-22-2010, 12:22 PM
... I think a lot of people will want to make HP a part of their Disney vacations, ... For instance, they might choose to stay off-site, or to stay at a Disney resort for 4 or 5 nights instead of 7. They might get fewer days worth of park tickets and opt not to do the dining plan, spending money in non_Disney restaurants, allocating some souvenir money to HP...

Sounds EXACTLY like us for our upcoming trip! :D

Staying off site... Check!

Staying at Disney for only 5 nights instead of 8 or 9... Check!

(We're staying off-site for a week and then going to Disney for 5 nights.)

Fewer days of Disney park tickets... Check!

Eating in non-Disney restaurants... Check!

Allocating souvenir money to HP... Check!

Giggy
02-23-2010, 02:38 PM
My guess is no, it isn't a zero sum game between Disney and Universal, in the short term it may even draw more people to Orlando to see what it's all about, these people will most likely want to give Disney a try. They both draw crowds into the area who largely visit both, why else would Disney, Universal, Sea World, etc all set up base next to each other rather than each claim different cities/states.

Some people may extend their stays to fit in both, a few may shorten their stay at Disney by a couple of days but bear in mind the extra days on long passes work out at less than $10. This may add up over a lot of people but it's not going to pose any real threat and cost Disney a fortune. Universal are hardly likely to displace WDW as the main place to be in Orlando over a new theming as WDW is a much bigger and more complete vacation prospect. Overall I doubt it would cause Disney any real harm, if anything it may even have a (slight) positive effect.

Our plans for this year are as they would have been anyway, 14 days at Orlando with a Disney pass to cover the duration of that. We expect to spend 2-3 days at Universal during that time as we always do.

bruin1344
02-23-2010, 08:58 PM
Some good competition benefits everyone. Believe me, WDW is not hurting.

I agree.

ParkMan
02-23-2010, 11:15 PM
A combination of things will occur:
- an increase in people visiting Orlando to see the ride. Spill over from this should benefit WDW
- a small percentage will shave a day or two off their trip to see HP.

Overall, I say there is a 3% decline in attendance at WDW this year over what it could be without HP.

WelshieLover
02-24-2010, 05:25 PM
I think it will cost WDW something not too much but something. Most people do 1 week vacations, so they will probably split their stays or take a day or 2 and go to Universal. WDW loses the money that would have been spent in their parks on food and souvenirs...

I know that is how my family would do it. We almost did it on our last visit, but didn’t because we did not have enough desire to head to Universal. Harry Potter would have been the thing to send us there. Also we make have done a totally opposite trip, stayed off property, spent time at Universal, Sea World and maybe just a day at WDW.

Victor Kelly
02-24-2010, 06:47 PM
Just like in years past, Disney is not our end all be all of our vacation. We go to Universal (3 days), Seaworld (1 day), Disney (5 days). Last trip we added a day at Universal and pulled a day from Disney.

For our honeymoon, we will be going to Disney 3 days maybe 4 and Universal for 2.

Mousemates
02-25-2010, 09:24 AM
Originally Posted by DVC2004 Some good competition benefits everyone.

When I read the question this was my thought too...I would love for Harry Potter to siphon a few folks away from WDW and kind of up the ante again in terms of competing for guests and their dollars...that kind of competition provides WDW with the best possible motivation (lost dollars) to improve their own theme parks...the simple truth appears to be that without serious competition there remains little reason to fork out the big money in terms of capital outlays required for new major attractions.

Stu29573
02-25-2010, 10:45 AM
Harry who?:D

PirateLover
02-25-2010, 10:50 AM
It will cut in a little bit. I am a case in point. My fiancee and I have gone to Disney 5 times now together since we've been dating. Every time we say "We should go to Universal!" But we never do it. Harry Potter was our impetus to finally get there. So, on our Honeymoon, instead of staying 6 or 7 nights on Disney property and at Disney Parks, we are only spending 4 nights and then moving on to Universal. I don't think it's going to devastate Disney but I do think it will have a mild effect.

Ian
02-25-2010, 11:04 AM
Some people may extend their stays to fit in both, a few may shorten their stay at Disney by a couple of days but bear in mind the extra days on long passes work out at less than $10. This may add up over a lot of people but it's not going to pose any real threat and cost Disney a fortune.Bear in mind, though, that it isn't the admission revenue Disney would be missing out on. It's the empty hotel rooms, food, merchandise, souvenirs, etc. That stuff adds up.

Trust me ... if you have any doubt at all as to just how valuable an on site guest is to Disney look at the way they changed the ticket pricing under Magic Your Way. They totally incent you to stay on property longer.

Giggy
02-25-2010, 11:24 AM
Bear in mind, though, that it isn't the admission revenue Disney would be missing out on. It's the empty hotel rooms, food, merchandise, souvenirs, etc. That stuff adds up.

Trust me ... if you have any doubt at all as to just how valuable an on site guest is to Disney look at the way they changed the ticket pricing under Magic Your Way. They totally incent you to stay on property longer.

I guess so, that would explain why the extra days on the passes work out cheap compared to the first ones.

I still don't see it really harming Disney, the fact that all the parks chose to set up next to each other suggests that it's beneficial in some way to base them all next to each other, making the city a major drawing point for holiday makers world-wide. If it wasn't the case they have all set up in different cities, maybe even different states to avoid competition.

If you haven't guessed by my ramblings i have never studied business. :secret:

Ian
02-25-2010, 12:02 PM
I'm pretty sure that the recent Fantasyland expansion announcement was a direct response to WWoHP, so I would guess that Disney feels it will be a threat to them in some way.

Honestly, if this were a good economy I wouldn't assess the impact as being as great. But nowadays I feel like people are being much more discriminating with their money which could dampen some of their enthusiasm for extending stays.

mermaidmarian
02-25-2010, 12:23 PM
I think it will have some immediate effect. Whether that effect is sustainable, remains to be seen.

My DS (12) has been a very big Harry fan for most of his life, but that phenomenon is fading a bit, and I recently couldn't get him engaged to watch the most recent film on DVD because he had already seen it once and read the book. So I think there may be some longevity issues that I would not have anticipated 3 years ago, with the franchise. I estimate that will be compounded as the last of the films associated with the books are released this year.

I think some people will, as has been said, add a trip to Universal to their Orlando itinerary, but I do not think that that is likely to be instead of time that they would have otherwise spent at WDW. We are going in August and have no plans to head to Universal for Harry Potter, at this time. Were those plans to change, it would be solely for a one day excursion to Universal; we would still be staying on WDW property and would have already purchased length of stay tix, so the potential revenue loss to WDW from our family would just relate to what we would spend for meals/snacks/souveniers in the parks.

Competition for guests is a great thing though for fans of WDW. It raises the bar; as long as WDW is not the only game in town, Imagineers will keep working to create and develop new Disney entertainment and the powers that be that control the purse strings will see the incentive in investing in that which keeps us coming back.

Or at least, that's what I hope. :mickey:

elmjimmlm
03-29-2010, 09:54 AM
I am hoping with the annoucement of the opening on June 18th that our trip on the 20th will be a little less crowded...

Loweschevy
03-29-2010, 10:28 AM
I think Universal will win out with the package deals getting people to stay on property at first. However people who visit WDW are not going to favor doing Uni over a WDW park, they are still going to both, but maybe cut out one of the extra days. You are probably going to have more people spending 1-2 nights at Uni and 4-5 at WDW if guests really want to hit Universal.

WWofHP isn't enough to drive me to Universal years after year, as WDW does, but for people with older children, not into princesses and pixie dust, it is a driving force. I will visit Universal next year to check out HP and possible stay on property, but its just not the same as being at WDW to me. WDW just does it better.

DisneyFr33k
03-29-2010, 10:37 AM
We've gone to Disney for 5 years now and never went to US. Now that HP is opening, and our kids are older (11 and 13), we will definitely be cutting our trip short at Disney and go to US for part of our week. DD is a HUGE fan!

forever a child
03-29-2010, 10:52 AM
Ok, I have to re-think my previous thoughts on this. I think perhaps it will hurt WDW a bit. At least now that Universal has an official opening date. Our trip is in May and I have already purchased airline tickets and the HP Park is not even official open yet...so we will miss out, for now. But I would love to book a late year trip or at least our trip for 2011 will include Universal. I am thinking of doing 2 days at Universal, 2 days at WDW, 1 day at Kennedy Space Center and 1-2 days in florida general checking out universities for DD and just site seeing. We probably would not have considered venturing off WDW until this park opened. We are HUGE HP fans! So yes, it will definitely be making us leave WDW and change our vacation habits. Will we return to Universal after our first trip? Don't know...I guess that depends on how good it is;)

TikiLounger
03-29-2010, 12:00 PM
By a complete coincidence, I'm leaving Orlando (and Disney) on the same day that the HP Park opens. I must admit, when I heard about the opening day, I did consider adding a couple of days to my vacation so I could take it in. The timing just won't work out for this trip, though. So, I do plan on taking another trip with my whole family...maybe next winter? The bulk will be in Disney, though. I've never been to Universal Studios, but I can't imagine spending the whole vacation there. HP, or no HP...and we all LOVE Harry Potter! I just hope that the crowds for the week of Jun 14-18 won't be horrible for Disney (and us). I'm concerned about more people than usual being there because of the HP opening.

Kaps
03-29-2010, 01:14 PM
We did universal in 1 1/2 days not hat much to see in my opinion. There parks can't compare to disney. The impact should not be all that bad on WDW parks.

jillluvsdisney
03-29-2010, 05:38 PM
We are booked for 8 nights in August at WDW.
We plan on spending an entire day at Universal just for Harry Potter. Both me and my sister are soooo excited.

joonyer
03-29-2010, 05:43 PM
We love Disney Parks and will visit over and over. That being said, WDW has no attractions that are any better that Spiderman and the Mummy, for state of the art technology and effects. Those are as good a theme park attraction as you'll find anywhere,although I think TSM and EE are right up there with them. And I expect HP's Forbidden Journey to be even more fabulous. The coasters at US and IOA are higher and faster also. On the other hand, WDW has more really good attractions. But remember, if WDW had only two parks, you could see those in two days also, if you wanted to hit all the major attractions just once. We will visit US and IOA again, we had a lot of fun there, but WDW is still the most magic overall.

spoiled
03-30-2010, 02:17 PM
No Proboly Not Yes,all the teens will go there but parents and there parents little kids and those kind of people love disney so they won't lose much people disney is :number1:

Goes4FastPass
03-30-2010, 05:53 PM
The Harry Potter area at Universal IoA will include some great things. That's as sure as Spiderman is as good as any attraction at WDW.

If new attractions at Universal Orlando cause WDW management to step up plans for improvements at WDW parks, Disney fans will benefit - even those who swear they never visit Universal Orlando.

joebobodo
03-30-2010, 06:06 PM
I think it may have an effect at the outset, as people will want to rush to experience this new Harry Potter World.

However, some perspective that I think people are overlooking is this: Wizarding World of Harry Potter is NOT a theme park, as it is consistently being referred to ("did you hear the Harry Potter theme park is opening in June?!?!??). It is merely 1/6 of an already existing park. 2 of the attractions are just re-themed rides that were already there, leaving just ONE new e-ticket attraction for people to experience. Yes, the whole area will be very detailed and a cool way to experience the film world, but I do not see is suddenly rocketing Universal into the stratosphere over the long term.

brownie
03-31-2010, 10:23 AM
It's helping. We're making a trip to Walt Disney World this year to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We may be spending a day at Universal but we're staying at Walt Disney World.

Imagineer1981
03-31-2010, 11:25 AM
For the most part I think people will just add another day to their trip to go to Universal, or maybe instead of 5 days at Disney they do 4, but I don't think it will hurt them. The addition of Harry Potter will maybe bring additional tourist into the area, in which case they will go to WDW as well

MarkC
03-31-2010, 11:55 AM
I started this post initially a while back, and its interesting to see the different responses. What I'm seeing is that a lot of people will still go to Disney, but a lot of you are taking at least a day and going to Harry Potter. If you spend 10% of your time at Universal instead of Disney, I think it will have a significant effect, especially the remainder of this year. The economy has affected crowds anyway, and even a 5% drop in attendance will be significant. We arrive on July 13th so I'm hoping to see some smaller crowds than normal. And it will be just be me and the wife, so we will not be leaving Disney property once we arrive. Mark

finaldynasty
03-31-2010, 02:20 PM
It might effect WDW slightly, but the Mouse is the king of Orlando...

wdwluv
03-31-2010, 04:01 PM
The response to this question is so funny to me!!! I had a COMPLETELY different train of thought! I was concerned that the opening of HP would INCREASE the crowds at MK! I figured many people would now be making an Orlando trip to see the WWoHP and would tack on time at WDW since they were already there for Harry!!!
I'm not saying my thoughts on it are correct - I was just worrying that our visit would be MORE CROWDED not less! I'm happy to hear everyone is either thinking it won't change crowds or actually reduce them a bit!! :mickey:

goofygirl67
04-03-2010, 11:25 AM
Normally when I go to WDW I spend a week. During that week I like to take a day off, or most of the day off from the parks. With the addition of HP I had thought of going to US for the first time. I have lived in Florida for 14 years now and have never been.
I was not going to book an additional room but still stay at WDW. Crunching the numbers though, I don't know if I want to spend the money on a ticket and parking. I don't have to do that at WDW since I am a passholder and stay on property. There might be an impulse purchase of a souvenier I don't need. I have most eveything I want from WDW, if there is something I am interested in I look for it at the outlet store.
Moneywise, I see that I will spend less staying at WDW than going to US. HP was the only reason I was thinking about going.

PETE FROM NYC
04-03-2010, 02:12 PM
OK here is my two cents worth.
I firmly believe that people visit the Orlando area for WDW. Trips to Universal, Sea World, etc are merely side trips.

Disneymom4ever
04-04-2010, 08:29 PM
We are coming to Disney World for Christmas, and yes, we are adding a few extra days for Universal, and staying onsite to have the HP package. I have two DS's, 14 and 17, who are actually more excited to see the Harry Potter land than Mickey! And that says a lot, because we LOVE Disney!! But they're teens, and big HP fans, so it's to be expected. But no, we would never not do Disney, we are just adding to it. :thumbsup: