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[Willow]

Attendances for Theme Parks around the world have been published.

Disney are still miles ahead of Merlin Entertainments for the biggest chain (Buy Busch and Universal Merlin and come closer to Disney!)

Disneyland Park is still the number 1 park in Europe. A massive 8 million ahead of Europa Park in Germany.
Due to the way guests attendances are calculated at the Resort, Walt Disney Studios is down in 9th, slightly ahead of Alton Towers (Most popular in the UK).
The resort has had a rise of around 5%.

Looking at Disney Worldwide, In the USA, Disney parks are all in the top 5, except California Adventure.
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are the top 2 parks in Asia with Hong Kong Disneyland lagging in 7th.
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are the top 2 waterparks worldwide.

Overall, Disneyland Paris is the 4th biggest Park Worldwide. (Behind Magic Kingdom, WDW. Tokyo Disneyland. Disneyland, CA. Tokyo DisneySea and Epcot) Walt Disney Studios does not chart in the top 25.

[Kristof]

Do you have a link to the full rapport?

[Willow]

Do you have a link to the full rapport?

http://www.teaconnect.org/etea/TEAERA2008.pdf

[pussinboots]

Well, these things should apparently be taken with a grain of salt. The fact that Disney wants the Magic Kingdom to be #1 and that it miraculously is every single year is questioned by some, and of course both Disney's California Adventure and the Walt Disney Studios are plagued by that system where only the first turnstile click on a given day counts (or something to that extent.)

Still, good publicity for the Disneyland Park at least.

[andrewuk]

DLP now ahead of TDS and WDS rising up the chart too /  /


Interesting that DLP still had better growth than WDS despite all the new stuff in the Studios.

[davewasbaloo]

DLP now ahead of TDS and WDS rising up the chart too /  /


Interesting that DLP still had better growth than WDS despite all the new stuff in the Studios.

Ah yes, but I think some of this is down to the way attendance is calculated. If a family goes to DLP for EMH and then hops for the opening of WDS, the attendance count still goes to DLP (WDS does not count). However if you start with WDS to ride Crush and then hope to DLP, then WDS gets the count.

I suspect a lot of people go to DLP and hop to WDS later in the day (I know we used to before Crush, Cars and ToT). Where parks open later than another (e.g. DLP opens earlier than WDS and DL opens earlier than DCA), it is no wonder there is a big difference. People on vacation are likely to go to the park that opens first.

WDW does not suffer as much as the others as park hopping in the main is a pain because of the size of the resort (though it is not uncommon for people to hop into Epcot from the MK - monorail link, the Studios - good ferry service and somewhat walkable, and DAK - due to the fact DAK closes early). I suspect if Disney were counting pure entrances to the parks, Epcot could have nearly the same or better attendance as the MK. But again, with EMH, the MK does well. Also I believe the MK gets attendance counts for all their upsell parties - MVMCP, MNSSHP and the Pirate and Princess nights.

As for Tokyo, you cannot park hop until your 3rd day, or with a very expensive hopping passport. So different again.

So it is difficult to do like for like comparisons on Disney parks.

[BrerDan]

Do we actually know this is how the calculations are made?  I've tried to track down the methodology for this report the last three years in a row, but as a non-member (they have more detailed reports for members), I've never seen it.

I think it's actually quite possible that this report *is* reflecting attendance at a park--regardless of turnstiles at other parks.  Thus, WDS would receive an attendance "click" even if someone started in Disneyland that day...

Brer Dan

Well, these things should apparently be taken with a grain of salt. The fact that Disney wants the Magic Kingdom to be #1 and that it miraculously is every single year is questioned by some, and of course both Disney's California Adventure and the Walt Disney Studios are plagued by that system where only the first turnstile click on a given day counts (or something to that extent.)

Still, good publicity for the Disneyland Park at least.

[Anthony]

I think it's actually quite possible that this report *is* reflecting attendance at a park--regardless of turnstiles at other parks.  Thus, WDS would receive an attendance "click" even if someone started in Disneyland that day...

Wouldn't that mean more than one click per day, and so a higher total than the resort's actual reported attendance of 15m+ last year? It wouldn't add up the same as this does, surely?

Infact, even with Disney's "first click" policy, I'm quite shocked the Studios figure is still so low in the year Tower of Terror opened. I do still hear people talking about it like something to fill time on their last afternoon/day though...

But actual WDS figures must be about 40-50% of DLP, if not higher?

[pussinboots]

What would be the reason for the one-click policy, anyway? I don't see how it would be in anyone's interest.

But surely the Studios* don't get 40% of the Disneyland Park. I know there have been a few wild mornings, but it would be absolutely ridiculous if both parks were equally busy on a regular basis — imagine for illustrative purposes all the people dining at Disneyland Park's 9,618 restaurants squeezed inside the Studio 1 food court, Restaurant des Dullsville and the Backlot Express. It would be madness.


*I can never figure out whether that word counts as plural or singular. Anyone a grammar freak?

[jeakat24]

Pussinboots; yes it does because its named Walt Disney Studios. If it were named Walt Disney Studio park then really you shouldn't use it in a plural sense, although it would still be acceptable  :oops: (yes I am a grammar freak!)

I have to say, although I love the Studios park far more than Alton Towers I am really surprised that they beat them. You think how many rides they have at Alton Towers and they still have over hour-long queues for all the big ones, compared with how many attractions they have at Studios and the waiting times are virtually the same (although I think Crush's Coaster is an exception to that!!) I suppose it may be because I assume Alton Towers closes for winter like Thorpe Park and Chessington and the Studios is year-round?

[Willow]

Pussinboots; yes it does because its named Walt Disney Studios. If it were named Walt Disney Studio park then really you shouldn't use it in a plural sense, although it would still be acceptable  :oops: (yes I am a grammar freak!)

I have to say, although I love the Studios park far more than Alton Towers I am really surprised that they beat them. You think how many rides they have at Alton Towers and they still have over hour-long queues for all the big ones, compared with how many attractions they have at Studios and the waiting times are virtually the same (although I think Crush's Coaster is an exception to that!!) I suppose it may be because I assume Alton Towers closes for winter like Thorpe Park and Chessington and the Studios is year-round?

WDS gets vastly more visitors than Alton. But due to the first-click policy at DLRP the public stats suggest otherwise.
I would guess the majority of the 15 million resort guests will go to the studios.

[pussinboots]

Pussinboots; yes it does because its named Walt Disney Studios. If it were named Walt Disney Studio park then really you shouldn't use it in a plural sense, although it would still be acceptable  :oops: (yes I am a grammar freak!)

Thanks. I thought so, but it just feels odd to refer to a single theme park in the plural sense. Epcot is closed, the Magic Kingdom is closed, Disney's Hollywood Studios are closed. But no one ever said the English language had to make sense, I suppose.

[jeakat24]

Pussinboots; yes it does because its named Walt Disney Studios. If it were named Walt Disney Studio park then really you shouldn't use it in a plural sense, although it would still be acceptable  :oops: (yes I am a grammar freak!)

I have to say, although I love the Studios park far more than Alton Towers I am really surprised that they beat them. You think how many rides they have at Alton Towers and they still have over hour-long queues for all the big ones, compared with how many attractions they have at Studios and the waiting times are virtually the same (although I think Crush's Coaster is an exception to that!!) I suppose it may be because I assume Alton Towers closes for winter like Thorpe Park and Chessington and the Studios is year-round?

WDS gets vastly more visitors than Alton. But due to the first-click policy at DLRP the public stats suggest otherwise.
I would guess the majority of the 15 million resort guests will go to the studios.

That's very true, I don't think many people visit and not go to the studios park it just looks odd on paper!

Pussinboots; yes it does because its named Walt Disney Studios. If it were named Walt Disney Studio park then really you shouldn't use it in a plural sense, although it would still be acceptable  :oops: (yes I am a grammar freak!)

Thanks. I thought so, but it just feels odd to refer to a single theme park in the plural sense. Epcot is closed, the Magic Kingdom is closed, Disney's Hollywood Studios are closed. But no one ever said the English language had to make sense, I suppose.

I'm only good on plurals, commas and a couple of other things, get me on to apostrophes and I'm completely lost!

[RnRCj]

Thanks. I thought so, but it just feels odd to refer to a single theme park in the plural sense. Epcot is closed, the Magic Kingdom is closed, Disney's Hollywood Studios are closed. But no one ever said the English language had to make sense, I suppose.

I actually say "Disney's Hollywood Studios is closed", and the same with Walt Disney Studios. I've always said it like that - it seems normal to me!

:offtopic:

[BrerDan]

To answer the question--no I don't think that means more than one click per day PER park.  

There are three possibilities of measurement:

1)  Every entry is counted no matter how many times or how many parks in a single day (so one could get a "click" for entering Disneyland, then a "click" for entering Walt Disney Studios, then a "click" for entering into Disneyland again for the evening--for a total of 3 "clicks").

2)  Only one entry is counted and attributed to the first park of entry (so if one went to Disneyland, then Walt Disney Studios, than back to Disneyland, that would count as only one "click" for Disneyland).

or 3) Each NEW entry to a park is counted, (so in the above scenario a person who enters Disneyland, then Walt Disney Studios, and then Disneyland again would generate two "clicks" total:  one for Disneyland and one for Walt Disney Studios).

I think we all agree that possibility #1 is NOT what's happening--and most people seem to assume #2 is how it's being done.  I still wonder if #3 isn't how measurement is happening, since it captures unduplicated headcount within a park at each park for the day.  

I just need to track down how the measurement occurs!

Dan

I think it's actually quite possible that this report *is* reflecting attendance at a park--regardless of turnstiles at other parks.  Thus, WDS would receive an attendance "click" even if someone started in Disneyland that day...

Wouldn't that mean more than one click per day, and so a higher total than the resort's actual reported attendance of 15m+ last year? It wouldn't add up the same as this does, surely?

Infact, even with Disney's "first click" policy, I'm quite shocked the Studios figure is still so low in the year Tower of Terror opened. I do still hear people talking about it like something to fill time on their last afternoon/day though...

But actual WDS figures must be about 40-50% of DLP, if not higher?