Will Harry Potter Parklett make an Impact on Disney?

[Cinderelley]

We'll be having a family reunion in Orlando next summer. When we did it in 2005, we spent two weeks at WDW. Next year, we'll be doing one week at WDW and one week at Universal. Losing a week's worth of business for 16 people in one group alone leads me to believe that Disney will be losing money.

Quite honestly, I think that once the kids go to Universal, they will want to go back. They love the type of rides that Universal has. Additionally, Disney has shut down some of our favorite things - Adventurer's Club, characters at Liberty Tree Tavern, etc - and we're not too interested in the things they've replaced them with.

[gueli]

Yes it will have a financial impact on WDW.

No it will not be the end of WDW being a premere destination.

In the end, WDW will respond and do what WDW needs to to stay on top.
At the same time US will try to become better and better, and make their area a premere destination.

[TheVBs]

I don't know about that. There's Seuss Landing, there's the whole area with the Curious george stuff. The Jurassic Park area has some kid friendly rides. I have taken my small children and we all had a great time. And this coming from a Disney fanatic here.

I'll have to check out their site then! It sounds like there's more there than I thought. Again, I wouldn't cut into a Disney trip for it, but it might be something we could do while were there for other reasons.

When is HP supposed to open?

[lockedoutlogic]

Well I've *always* felt strongly that competition pushes both these parks to be bigger and better. I think if Universal had not come around, we might not have DHS or AK at all! With each place trying to one-up each other ( and other big parks in the area like Busch Gardens and SeaWorld ), it's ever more important for them to keep things fresh.

That being said, I agree and hope that HP is a huge hit so Disney comes back with something great too! I'll be happy to visit both

You would think that....

but it doesn't really bare out that much

WDW has something like an 80% share of the revenue that goes to the themepark industry in orlando....and that's against the Seaworld and Universal complexes and alot of other diversionary stuff.

I like to compare it to shipping in the US. Most people think that UPS and Fedex are rivals and butt heads on an equal field....

but the reality is UPS has 80% of the business and Fedex/USPS shipping about 20%


Because things appear to be in equal competition....doesn't always pan out when it comes to customers and revenue

Coke vs pepsi is another such example


Seaworld and Universal were only made possible by the existence of WDW....just as Disneyland opened the doors in LA 20 years earlier.
The numbers say that the other contenders feed off the scraps from disney's table....and even when they unveil something big and new....disney draws in increased numbers and profits.

It is why you see alot of Walmarts and Targets next to each other....or lowes and home depots....

a symbiotic relationship

[xipetotec]

I'll have to check out their site then! It sounds like there's more there than I thought. Again, I wouldn't cut into a Disney trip for it, but it might be something we could do while were there for other reasons.

When is HP supposed to open?

Well that's the thing. Right now it's anywhere between Dec 1st to June 30th. Assuming they are even on time. The last "rumours" we've heard are that the Hogsmeade Village would open Dec 1st with the Hogwarts Castle attraction opening sometime in the spring.

[xipetotec]

You would think that....

but it doesn't really bare out that much

WDW has something like an 80% share of the revenue that goes to the themepark industry in orlando....and that's against the Seaworld and Universal complexes and alot of other diversionary stuff.

I like to compare it to shipping in the US. Most people think that UPS and Fedex are rivals and butt heads on an equal field....

but the reality is UPS has 80% of the business and Fedex/USPS shipping about 20%


Because things appear to be in equal competition....doesn't always pan out when it comes to customers and revenue

Coke vs pepsi is another such example


Seaworld and Universal were only made possible by the existence of WDW....just as Disneyland opened the doors in LA 20 years earlier.
The numbers say that the other contenders feed off the scraps from disney's table....and even when they unveil something big and new....disney draws in increased numbers and profits.

It is why you see alot of Walmarts and Targets next to each other....or lowes and home depots....

a symbiotic relationship

Well for my family, that's certainly true. We go down for Disney. We're DVC members and will always go down for Disney. but Universal doing something great and new will make me take a day or two to go there. ( said table scraps ). But there ARE people who are Universal people, and there are some who've expressed recently that Universal's hotels are better than Disney's. Granted *right now* Disney has the majority share. But that doesn't mean it will always be that way...

[Meteora]

WDW has something like an 80% share of the revenue that goes to the themepark industry in orlando....and that's against the Seaworld and Universal complexes and alot of other diversionary stuff.

Right...but I'm sure WDW likes having 80% of the revenue. If it dropped, say 10% due to the opening of HP, even if only for a couple of years, that would likely annoy WDW brass. It doesn't have to be an equal split for it to be competitive. Honestly, from what people are saying and from what I've heard in my own life, I'll be very surprised if Disney does not feel compelled to respond in some way, if only because HP and US is going to be all over the media and they will want to get their own news cycle in.

And also, if they're thinking intelligently, you'd think they'd want to do the inverse of what HP is doing in drawing people away from Disney for a look-see: open up something new and exciting that might prompt people coming to Orlando specifically for US and HP to drop by WDW and check it out.

[lockedoutlogic]

Right...but I'm sure WDW likes having 80% of the revenue. If it dropped, say 10% due to the opening of HP, even if only for a couple of years, that would likely annoy WDW brass. It doesn't have to be an equal split for it to be competitive. Honestly, from what people are saying and from what I've heard in my own life, I'll be very surprised if Disney does not feel compelled to respond in some way, if only because HP and US is going to be all over the media and they will want to get their own news cycle in.

And also, if they're thinking intelligently, you'd think they'd want to do the inverse of what HP is doing in drawing people away from Disney for a look-see: open up something new and exciting that might prompt people coming to Orlando specifically for US and HP to drop by WDW and check it out.

i agree with you....but history tells that it's not much of a valid concern....

it didn't happen when universal opened....didn't happen when IOA opened....didn't happen with discovery cove....and on and on...

disney holds the advantage in perception and emotion.....that is probably going to preserve a 75/25 split alone.

it probably would be good if they got knock down a peg or two for all of us....but it is extremely unlikely to happen

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

i agree with you....but history tells that it's not much of a valid concern....

it didn't happen when universal opened....didn't happen when IOA opened....didn't happen with discovery cove....and on and on...

disney holds the advantage in perception and emotion.....that is probably going to preserve a 75/25 split alone.

it probably would be good if they got knock down a peg or two for all of us....but it is extremely unlikely to happen

Yes, but think about the properties that Universal holds versus Disney. Do things like Jaws, Terminator, Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, or anything else that Universal has to offer have the same following that Disney has? No, not yet. But Harry Potter DOES have a huge following, bigger than anything Disney or Universal have offered to date.

To say things will be business as usual following the opening of Harry Potter is extremely short-sighted. It WILL affect Disney, either positively or negatively. HOW it will affect Disney remains to be seen. But to say it will not affect Disney at all comes off incredibly misinformed about how large, powerful and effective the Harry Potter fanbase can be.

[antngoof89]

Well for my family, that's certainly true. We go down for Disney. We're DVC members and will always go down for Disney. but Universal doing something great and new will make me take a day or two to go there. ( said table scraps ). But there ARE people who are Universal people, and there are some who've expressed recently that Universal's hotels are better than Disney's. Granted *right now* Disney has the majority share. But that doesn't mean it will always be that way...

Regardless of anything that happens, people will chose to vacation according to their own preference. Familys will always be better off going to a park like Walt Disney World where everything is magical and kids can feel like they really are in a new world. It will always be internationally more popular and even if Disney isn't getting the popularity at one park, another park around the world will get some new comer's business.

HP will make an impact for some people, but without those same films you grew up seeing and the magic we all fell in love with as kids, people will only visit HP so often, the world will be visited countless times due to their long run of safety and magic.

I just don't think that HP will affect WDW much at all, some affect on profit of course, but not enough to scare them.

[sherrynny]

Lets not forget the economy. With so many people cutting back, the cost of tickets is going up again. Many families can no longer afford the price of Disney, and at $99.00 for one week, US & IOA are a bargain. Disney has forgotten that not everyone is a family of 4 and can stay at a value hotel. They have to give away free dining, and charge an unbelievable rack rate. Disney gives nothing for free, but they do take away. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney, and travel from upstate NY at least once a year, but with all their cutbacks, I feel like I'm getting less for my money. Given a choice this year, we are doing Universal & SeaWorld. The kids are getting older, so they want different things. And I can hardly wait for WWHP Sorry, Disney.

[SurferStitch]

Am I wrong is understanding the HP Land is handful of rides (I think 3) a restaurant and a couple of gift shops? It's not a whole park, if I were to compare it to anything it would be Frontierland at MK.

The signature ride appears to be pretty interesting, but they are going to re-theme Dueling Dragons as the other big ride.

I don't see a lot of staying power here... Again, I think Universal will do a fantastic job theming this, etc, but factoring in the cost of tickets, transportation, time, etc, I just don't see how this can offer a lot of competition...

I have to agree with you here.

I really love the HP movies, but I'm not a big enough fan to make a trip to Universal for a "land" in the park. Sounds cool, and if we were planning to visit Universal, then sure, I'd check it out. BUT, we won't make a special trip for HP. It's not a park...just an area in the park.

Also, a big thing about Disney is character interaction. The Jack Sparrow character is amazing, and people love him. That's staying power. Are they going to have HP characters there? If so, cool...but it might be difficult to get a good HP there to interact.

[lockedoutlogic]

Yes, but think about the properties that Universal holds versus Disney. Do things like Jaws, Terminator, Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, or anything else that Universal has to offer have the same following that Disney has? No, not yet. But Harry Potter DOES have a huge following, bigger than anything Disney or Universal have offered to date.

To say things will be business as usual following the opening of Harry Potter is extremely short-sighted. It WILL affect Disney, either positively or negatively. HOW it will affect Disney remains to be seen. But to say it will not affect Disney at all comes off incredibly misinformed about how large, powerful and effective the Harry Potter fanbase can be.

I have said it countless times....i'll say it again...

Harry potter will fade.....probably more quickly than even entertainment analysts would predict.

But again, we don't need to go back and forth...i'll just wait for the judgement of the market on this one

[KatrinaJ91]

I look at US and WDW as totally separate. We always visit for a week and spend the majority of our time at WDW. We LOVE HP and are very much looking forward to the opening, but feel this will have nothing to do with our trip to WDW! We usually go to the parks for 4-5 days and spend the other days at our resort or exploring Orlando. Once HP opens, we will use one of our extra days to visit. We have been to Universal and found that 1 day is plenty, so I don't think it will impact our trip at all in regards to Disney!

[wire0monkey]

I think it will.

The addition of Harry Potter to the Universal Studios campus means that my family can happily do a 5 day vacation in Orlando and never set foot on Disney property. I can easily see us spending a day at SeaWorld, a day at Discovery Cove, a day at Universal Studios, a day at Islands of Adventure, and a day at Aquatica. Add tickets to Blue Man Group and it's a very nice week for a family of 4. If we took side-trips to Busch Gardens, NASA, GatorWorld and the beach, we could easily make a full week of it, have a great time, and never spend a dime with Disney.

[JPL]

I have said it countless times....i'll say it again...

Harry potter will fade.....probably more quickly than even entertainment analysts would predict.

You sound like the people who said the same thing about Star Wars and Star Trek

[antngoof89]

I think it will.

The addition of Harry Potter to the Universal Studios campus means that my family can happily do a 5 day vacation in Orlando and never set foot on Disney property. I can easily see us spending a day at SeaWorld, a day at Discovery Cove, a day at Universal Studios, a day at Islands of Adventure, and a day at Aquatica. Add tickets to Blue Man Group and it's a very nice week for a family of 4. If we took side-trips to Busch Gardens, NASA, GatorWorld and the beach, we could easily make a full week of it, have a great time, and never spend a dime with Disney.

While I can agree with this to an extent, not every family will think like that. You're buying tickets to each one of these parks, paying nightly for a hotel that will not put you in the same kind of atmosphere and service you get at Disney, point 1 for Disney still getting money.

None of those parks have the same character interaction or themes that Disney has. Not to mention, IOA is a thrill park mostly, so for many families with small kids, that is a half day adventure with tickets needing to be purchased for a show or something entertaining for the night... Disney provides free entertainment in all parks, parades, and fireworks.... point 2 for Disney.

Then you have to add the food factor, it's either gonna be quick service or nice Orlando restaurants with this kind of vacation, no sentimental attachement like there is in WDW. No character interaction during dining, no world class chef's, and no way of making great dining greatly cheapened like WDW Dining Plans. Point and game for Disney.

Although WDW can be overpriced, merchandise is getting generic, and there arent' the same thrills you can get elsewhere, think of this. The test of time. The world renowned name will always win!

[lockedoutlogic]

You sound like the people who said the same thing about Star Wars and Star Trek

i wouldn't put harry potter on that level yet....


but even if i did.....star trek was in shambles for the last ten years before abrams movie....

and star wars....well....the new car glint wore off that quite quickly when they spent a billion dollars making those three installments of substandard "whatever" to sell jar jar binks dolls....

and those have much wider appeal than potter....


just wait and see

[JPL]

paying nightly for a hotel that will not put you in the same kind of atmosphere and service you get at Disney, point 1 for Disney still getting money.

Actually talking to a few people who have stayed at the Universal Hotels and also stayed at Disney Deluxe Resorts this is not entirely true. They all said the Universal Resorts make a Disney Deluxe look like a Value in comparison. They also offer their guest Front of Line access to all the attractions in the parks.

None of those parks have the same character interaction or themes that Disney has. Not to mention, IOA is a thrill park mostly, so for many families with small kids, that is a half day adventure with tickets needing to be purchased for a show or something entertaining for the night... Disney provides free entertainment in all parks, parades, and fireworks.... point 2 for Disney.

There are pelnty of things for younger children and families to do in both Universal Parks. They just market the parks to an older audience.

Then you have to add the food factor, it's either gonna be quick service or nice Orlando restaurants with this kind of vacation, no sentimental attachement like there is in WDW. No character interaction during dining, no world class chef's, and no way of making great dining greatly cheapened like WDW Dining Plans. Point and game for Disney.

There is a large selction of Restaurants including Emerils for your World class chef. And as for dining option they is a much larger selection and generally cheaper prices off Disney property.

Although WDW can be overpriced, merchandise is getting generic, and there arent' the same thrills you can get elsewhere, think of this. The test of time. The world renowned name will always win!

As for thrills you can't get elsewhere the same can be said for Sea World and Discovery Cove as well as Universal. The best attraction in all of Orlando resides at IOA in Spiderman.

This all coming from a Disney Purist at heart but I also look at the bigger picture. I spent a week at a convention on I-Drive between Sea World and Universal 2 years ago and I ate like a king for a fraction of the cost of WDW. I enjoyed 2 Days at Sea World for less than a 1 Day ticket to WDW. If the economy doesn't turn around these are factors that will also come into play. I really think many people haven't explored as much of the area surrounding WDW to really understand that these other parks and restaurants exist and are also great places to visit.

[antngoof89]

Actually talking to a few people who have stayed at the Universal Hotels and also stayed at Disney Deluxe Resorts this is not entirely true. They all said the Universal Resorts make a Disney Deluxe look like a Value in comparison. They also offer their guest Front of Line access to all the attractions in the parks.



There are pelnty of things for younger children and families to do in both Universal Parks. They just market the parks to an older audience.



There is a large selction of Restaurants including Emerils for your World class chef. And as for dining option they is a much larger selection and generally cheaper prices off Disney property.



As for thrills you can't get elsewhere the same can be said for Sea World and Discovery Cove as well as Universal. The best attraction in all of Orlando resides at IOA in Spiderman.

This all coming from a Disney Purist at heart but I also look at the bigger picture. I spent a week at a convention on I-Drive between Sea World and Universal 2 years ago and I ate like a king for a fraction of the cost of WDW. I enjoyed 2 Days at Sea World for less than a 1 Day ticket to WDW. If the economy doesn't turn around these are factors that will also come into play. I really think many people haven't explored as much of the area surrounding WDW to really understand that these other parks and restaurants exist and are also great places to visit.

Even though this is said, the Characters are what sells the parks and we all know that. The feeling of being a little kids sells Disney without promotion. I think the Dis will always reign supreme