Why add it on to DHS? Why not it’s own park?

[Smbmoyers]

I just wanted to throw this random thought out and see if anyone else has thought of this. If they knew SWGE was going to be THIS BIG and, if they knew it was going to be a major cash cow, why put it in any park at all? Why not make it it’s own park and add on to maximize their return on investment? Yes, it would be small at first but, are we really kidding ourselves with the idea that even if it was small it wouldn’t max capacity out? That people still wouldn’t flock to it as a stand alone park or experience? Is it proposterous to think that it would be a better idea than to add on to an existing theme park that already struggles with congestion? Just curious what your thoughts were

 

[mom2rtk]

1) Disney barely wants to staff the parks it has now. No way were they adding another.

2) DHS needed a shot in the arm.

3) They don't want to cannibalize attendance from the other parks.

DLR is a whole other discussion. Since they apparently don't have room for a 3rd gate there, they should have bombed half of DCA and put it there.

 

[rteetz]

1) Disney barely wants to staff the parks it has now. No way were they adding another.

2) DHS needed a shot in the arm.

3) They don't want to cannibalize attendance from the other parks.

DLR is a whole other discussion. Since they apparently don't have room for a 3rd gate there, they should have bombed half of DCA and put it there.

Yes and no on #1, Disney yes has been cutting staffing but also the Orlando employment market is getting tapped out. If Disney had a 5th gate and then Universal opened another they would be begging people to take jobs. People don't want $10/hr front line jobs at Disney parks.

2. Yes it did.

3. Also part of it as well as the fact that Star Wars is one franchise. Creating a whole park means non-SW fans aren't going to that park. This way it gets more to DHS because non-SW fans still have things to do.

DLR doesn't have 3rd gate room right now but they could if they wanted especially if the Angels eventually leave. DCA is such a new mess now SW may have made it worse.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

A 5th gate would cannibalize the other parks, especially since there are plenty of attractions that need replacing/updating. Thats what happened when AK opened... guests were just reallocated from Epcot/ MGM(now DHS) to AK... most guests will always visit MK. If attendance continues to grow it will happen eventually but not until the existing parks are all fleshed out.

The staffing cutbacks absolutely have to do with finding enough employees to fill the ranks at a price that Disney is willing to pay. Right now unemployment is low, so workers can afford to be pickier abt the jobs they take. Disney will only raise salaries to a point.

 

[toonaspie]

I don't like the idea of an entire park centered on one property. Hurts the bottom line as it would only guarantee hardcore fans of said property. People who don't like Star Wars would consider a Star Wars park an easy thing to drop from their vacation when necessary. The parks should have a good range of properties being represented.

I think DHS was a good fit for this IMO. The non-Magic Kingdom parks have suffered from a lack of real attractions since they've open and Disney is still working on fixing this problem. A 5th gate would just add the same problems to the mix as I hardly believe that they would open a 5th gate at WDW containing more than 4 rides to start out with. Budget restraints and all that.

 

[Nancyg56]

I see no problem with GE being situated in DHS and honestly cannot find any reason for a 5th gate to encompass to SWGE. I have always enjoyed DHS, but in the past few years it has become a bit hollow, relying on shows to make it a full day. For many, once you have seen the shows there is really no reason to see them over and over again, so what to do? 1/2 day park? That doesn't work for most guests, so why not use space that was dormant for the better part of the year and create a fabulous new Land that draws folks in?

I actually think that after the initial pull ends and attendance evens out a bit the new land will be fine. GE is located far enough away from the entrance that crowd control should become more manageable. We were iN DHS just before CHristmas and overall, every park was pretty crowded by then, but it seemed to me that it was much easier to navigate through the park than as you approached TSL. I imagine adding GE will change that initially, but you will see the crowds more clustered around that area once the "newness" wears off and folks disperse through the entire park.

 

[monkyby87]

Much like the Harry Potter portions at Universal, SWGE wouldn't be enough to sustain an entirely separate park. As cool and exciting as it may be, it's really just a few rides and some theming. It's not going to be a huge addition that you could spend hours in.

 

[FSU Girl]

Much like the Harry Potter portions at Universal, SWGE wouldn't be enough to sustain an entirely separate park. As cool and exciting as it may be, it's really just a few rides and some theming. It's not going to be a huge addition that you could spend hours in.

I don't know, I think an entire Harry Potter park would do really well.

 

[monkyby87]

I don't know, I think an entire Harry Potter park would do really well.

The current Harry Potter stuff at Universal is cool, but there's not a lot to it. As popular as Harry Potter is, I just don't know if it has legs to be its own thing. I think it serves better as part of an existing park and part of something already established.

 

[MichelinMan]

I initially wondered why they didn't build a new park - it would have easily got the visitor numbers. But central Florida is now at capacity with theme parks. A typical Brit like me going on holiday for 2 weeks to Florida will struggle to do all the attractions, and another park would just make that even worse. SeaWorld's attendances are already starting to suffer (although that has something to do with animal rights as well I suspect).

Having said all that, I still think it should have had a new park - it is going to swamp DHS, which is a shame for the rest of that park.

 

[FSU Girl]

The current Harry Potter stuff at Universal is cool, but there's not a lot to it. As popular as Harry Potter is, I just don't know if it has legs to be its own thing. I think it serves better as part of an existing park and part of something already established.

I can spend my entire day in just the Harry Potter parts, I think it could definitely exist on it's own. I don't think they would do that though because people would stop going to the other parks or people who don't like Harry Potter wouldn't go at all. But it definitely has enough to be on its own.

 

[Nancyg56]

I initially wondered why they didn't build a new park - it would have easily got the visitor numbers. But central Florida is now at capacity with theme parks. A typical Brit like me going on holiday for 2 weeks to Florida will struggle to do all the attractions, and another park would just make that even worse. SeaWorld's attendances are already starting to suffer (although that has something to do with animal rights as well I suspect).

Having said all that, I still think it should have had a new park - it is going to swamp DHS, which is a shame for the rest of that park.

I think that Disney can get the same results without building a new park. I know that International travelers need more time here, so it seems as if it is impossible to get all the area attractions into the trip, but I bet Disney banks on a week + or - from you, and knows that the balance of time will be split up between the rest of your chosen attractions. If they look at the cost vs return of adding a new park they will go for expanding what they have in place and call it a day IMO. I do believe they can even treat SWGE as a 5th Gate and isolate it once they determine how the crowd flow will occur, adding more as needed. The beauty IMO of doing this is that Disney can add hard ticket events much like the Parties in MK and the morning magic and after hours events. Those who are not hard core SWGE fans could pass on that opportunity, grab a FP or not, and enjoy what they get to in DHS. Folks who are interested in hitting that Land hard would pay extra for several hours in the AM and even more in the PM, IMO. Frankly, if I was going to pay I would want the after hours, and I would pay $200 per person if I knew I would have a decent access to attractions, would be able to enjoy the beverages and sample some of that delicious food.