Let's Do Something about that DCA Problem

[Alex]

Originally Posted by mousepod

Moonliner has a point - but the counterpoint will always be TDS. It's hardly "Disney", it's not truly a resort, and it's butted up against TDL, which is clearly the more familiar park - yet it's incredibly popular and a marvel to behold. For me, it's all about the execution...

It is booted up against Tokyo Disneyland like MGM Studios is booted up against Epcot.

The relationship in attendance between Disneyland and DCA is about the same as between Magic Kingom and MGM/AK. The lessers hover around 50% of the greater.

Personally, I like DCA. I don't think it is the greatest thing since sliced milk (mmm....cheese) but it, in my opinion, better than any of the other Los Angeles theme parks (I think SeaWorld is better but it is also fundamentally different).

In my view, Tokyo DisneySeas or Epcot could have been build in DCA's spot and it would still have underperformed in my opinion. I think it is almost entirely a product of the different nature of the attendance at Disneyland than at any of the other Disney theme parks.

I don't think the performance problem of DCA will be fixed by any plan because I don't think it can be fixed. Disney will never have a monopoly on the attention of travelers and most locals don't make multiple day visits, they come a few times a year at most and at that pace people will almost always pick the known (definitely and perpetually) superior quantity over the unknown and therefore stick to Disneyland.

If Disneyland didn't already exist, I'm confident it couldn't be built. It would simply be too expensive and time consuming and it would be declared a failure out of the gate.

Personally, I find what is there to be better than the parking lot that was. I use it to the ability that it interests me and ignore the rest (just as I do with Disneyland, only going into Fantasyland and Toontown to work on MouseAdventure).

If I were to make a fundamental change, it would be Baxter's plan. I'd push the entry gates out to security checks put a giant food complex in the esplanade and make the whole thing one big park with DCA simply another new land for Disneyland.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Disney will never have a monopoly on the attention of travelers and most locals don't make multiple day visits, they come a few times a year at most and at that pace people will almost always pick the known (definitely and perpetually) superior quantity over the unknown and therefore stick to Disneyland.

Though we never will, we know a lot of people who spend entire three-day weekends at Disneyland or who do nothing else in the LA/Orange County area before heading down to San Diego for the zoo, etc. We're good for about opening to 2:00, so no California Adventure for us. Woody and Buzz vs. Winnie and Piglet? Not even close.

I'm no expert, but it strikes me that all the expansion, California Adventure included, was implemented to con people into thinking they needed to stay at one of the Disney hotels and for at least several days.