In 1998 Mickey's Toontown closed two hours before park closing. Big Thunder Mountain opened an hour after the park did. Major attractions such as the Jungle Cruise also closed early back then, but protest ultimately reversed that policy. Shops, not surprisingly, did not have their operating hours cut.In 2009, things are much different. On Friday, February 6th around 10:30PM, half an hour before closing time, when a rampant downpour had chased most guests out of the park, Toontown remained open. Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin was serving the few guests that braved the rain. The land was literally a ghost town, my girlfriend and I two of roughly six or seven guests walking around. Yet Mickey's House, Minnie's House and Roger Rabbit stayed open. Understandably, Gadget's Go-Coaster and Goofy's Bounce House were closed.
This is something Disney does right. The Submarine Voyage was a walk-on. It's A Small World, despite re-opening after a long refurbishment that day, was deserted. A lesser park would have closed entirely.
When the park actually did close, few shops on Main Street remained open for that extra hour. Imagine that, attractions staying open and shops closing early. Even Winnie the Pooh, which isn't even that popular when it isn't raining, stayed open. It must have cycled through five empty vehicles as my girlfriend was dragging me to ride it.
I certainly don't have access to Disneyland financials, but the marginal cost of running an attraction to closing time can't be that high. While closed attractions only disappoint paying customers, keeping attractions open mean more options for latecomers and those looking to squeeze an extra bit of fun out of a long day.
Compare this to just a decade ago when the strategy was to close rides early to save cash. Disney said business was slow. No wonder it was slow. They were running the place into the ground!
Keeping attractions open creates a sense of respect for the guest, at least in my view. I hope it continues to stay a priority.
5 comments:
I can agree with that. It makes sense too: if all your stores sell the same things, then you don't need all of them open for a handful of guests. The rides, on the other hand, are what they're actually there to do, so keeping them open keeps the guests in the park at all.
It was always odd when Pressler/Harris had attractions close early or even seasonally. The attractions are the lure. You close down Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder and Toontown 2 hours before closing, people see that their favorite rides are closed and go home, which means less opportunities to get them to buy crap.
When someone sees a shuttered attraction that was open earlier in the day, are they more likely to get irritated and not part with their money on Main Street? I think so.
Keeping attractions open is good for business, and creates a larger sense of appreciation for guests. For a park that is historically characterized by long lines, when something is a walk-on it is truly a treat for any guest and it makes them happier.
Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
YOU have a girlfriend, Spokker?
Just an interesting footnote: Disneyland is closing two hours early tonight, February 16, due to rain.
Spoke too soon!
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