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justagrrl
12-19-2003, 12:36 PM
Just thought I'd post a link to an article on DCA in today's OC Register (http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=72256)




Disney's California Adventure eighth most-visited park in North America.

Attendance jumped 13 percent at Disney's California Adventure this year, one of the few bright spots in theme park attendance in Southern California.

"People feel now like it's a whole park," said Karen Oertley, publisher of Amusement Business.

"This year more people than ever realized that DCA has really evolved into a first-class theme park," Rasulo said.

California Adventure moved up to eighth in the North American rankings, swapping places with No. 10 Universal Studios Hollywood, which drew 12 percent fewer visitors.

Darkbeer
12-19-2003, 12:55 PM
Here is the actual graphic showing the numbers (http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=72384&section=BUSINESS&subsection=BUSINESS)

So, I wonder, was the sale of the special 2-day, 2-park tickets up 20% or more?

Or the 5 day for the price of 3 tickets that were offered year round.....

sediment
12-19-2003, 01:16 PM
That's a lot of AP Lounge visits!

luvsdca
12-19-2003, 01:29 PM
I like DCA ... makes me smile ... maybe because when I go there, it reminds me of all the things I've always liked about CA and why, 25 years ago, I decided to leave my quiet, secure, sheltered life surrounded by friends & family and move to CA for fun and adventure. It has been both... and I'm not done yet! (I still tell my mom that I'll move back "home" someday once I've seen and done everything there is to see and do in California.)

Darkbeer
12-19-2003, 10:05 PM
The top 25 Worldwide park numbers (2000 thru 2003), courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-bk-attendancegraphic,1,185692.htmlstory?coll=orl-home-headlines)

Demigod121
12-22-2003, 08:41 AM
DCA: Eight most visited theme park in the World.

DCA: First most hated theme park in the World by Disney Geeks.

:D

-Demigod
(Just playin!)

Hyperboy
12-22-2003, 04:17 PM
Of course, all those free tickets they gave away for DCA in the last year had nothing to do with this attendance bump; it was the locals and tourists "discovering" this "first-class" park....

Gotta love that Disney spin :)

zapppop
12-22-2003, 04:57 PM
They goofed!
Tokyo Disneyland is in Urayasu, not Tokyo.

Cadaverous Pallor
12-22-2003, 05:21 PM
I feel bad for the folks at USH. They actually have a first class park on their hands and deserve more attendance than DCA, any day of the year.

"AP Lounge" plus freebies plus proximity to Disneyland equals better than USH....very sad.

millionairegirl
12-22-2003, 05:27 PM
Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
I feel bad for the folks at USH. They actually have a first class park on their hands and deserve more attendance than DCA, any day of the year.


You really think so? I've visited USH once in my life (1997), and I have no desire to ever go back. We were only there for 6 hours, and I felt we covered the park fully. Most of the stuff was outdated or kind of lame. I liked the Back to the Future ride and Jurassic Park, but the rest I could take or leave. Of course I'm not very big on shows (another reason why I loathe MGM). I have heard good things about Shrek 3D, but not enough to call it a 'first class park'. Even looking at the Islands of Adventure website and USF, there doesn't appear to be enough there to keep me entertained for a full day.

Cadaverous Pallor
12-22-2003, 06:25 PM
I must admit that it has been a long time since I've been there...perhaps 3 years?....so I can't say I'm doing direct comparisons. Perhaps things have aged worse than I might expect. But I believe that the experience of USH is just that, a full experience, unlike DCA. I've always loved USH, mainly because it's a real movie studio, and it thrills me to think that big films were done there, plus hundreds of famous movie stars and big time directors have done their work there.

So maybe it's just me.

CoasterMatt
12-23-2003, 04:44 AM
millionairegirl, just as Disneyland has changed a lot over the past 6 years (not always for the better), USH has changed quite a bit over the past 6 years. If you don't feel like going back now, perhaps when Revenge of the Mummy opens next summer, you'll feel compelled to visit. As for the IOA comment, IOA is perhaps the only park that out themes every American Disney park (I haven't been to DisneySeas, so I leave that out of my comparison).

Pat-n-Eil
12-23-2003, 10:11 AM
This is awesome. I guess I can feel validated now for liking the park now that I've joined the group that has made DCA #8 in the world.

I wish I could fail so successfully in my businesses.

You may dislike Eisner & Co. so much that nothing they do is ever good enough. I say - it is what it is and will be what it will be.. and it will not be Disneyland part 2.

And, of course, we all know the park is going to get better with new rides & attractions. WTG DCA!

Not Afraid
12-23-2003, 10:15 AM
For me, DCA is the #2 most visited park. However, that is ONLY because it is next door to the #1 most visited park, I happen to have free admission and the lines for Ice Cream and baked goods are shorter than DL.

If DCA was in Hollywood, I wouldn't go.

cemeinke
12-23-2003, 10:40 AM
DCA may be the 8th most visited park, But I have to wonder where it ranks in generating revenue. I think many of their visits can be attributed the APer's who visit the park to get something to eat, maybe ride Screamin' and then go back to Disneyland.

zapppop
12-23-2003, 10:47 AM
Originally posted by Pat&Eil
I guess I can feel validated now for liking the park now that I've joined the group that has made DCA #8 in the world.

If you're group want's DCA to be in the top 10 in the world, you better keep working at it cause DCA is not there yet. DCA ranked # 8 of the top 10 in the continent, not the world.

Here are the top 10 in the world:

# 01) Magic Kingdom--Lake Buena Vista, Florida (USA)--14,044,000
# 02) Tokyo Disneyland--Urayasu, Japan--13,188,000
# 03) Disneyland--Anaheim, California (USA)--12,720,000
#04) Tokyo Disney Sea--Urayasu, Japan--12,174,000
#05) Euro Disneyland--Marne La Vallee, France--10,230,000
#06) Universal Studios Japan--Osaka, Japan--8,811,000
#07) Everland--Kyonggi-Do, South Korea--8,800,000
#08) Epcot--Lake Buena Vista, Florida (USA)--8,620,768
#09) Lotte World--Seoul, South Korea--8,500,000
#10) Disney-MGM Studios--Lake Buena Vista, Florida (USA)--7,870,733


DCA ranks # 15.
Keep tryin' Pat!

Even though it's in the top 10 in North America, they're not making much money & still underperforming. Half of their restaurants are closed daily and operating hours continue to be slashed.


Originally posted by Not Afraid
If DCA was in Hollywood, I wouldn't go.

EVERYBODY COMES TO HOLLYWOOD!

;)

9oldmen
12-23-2003, 07:43 PM
As for the IOA comment, IOA is perhaps the only park that out themes every American Disney park

What do you expect? When they lay off creative and R&D people from Imagineering, while keeping the bean counters, the creative types go to work for companies like Landmark Entertainment Group, or Universal Creative, taking their talents with them. They design places like IOA while Disney is stuck with DCA.

Darkbeer
12-24-2003, 10:28 AM
Here are a couple of very good links.....

Official Amusement Business numbers, with brief explanation per park (PDF file) (http://www.amusementbusiness.com/amusementbusiness/images/pdf/2003-top-50-north-america.pdf)

Amusement Business link to other lists (http://www.amusementbusiness.com/amusementbusiness/parks_attractions/index.jsp)