TDR: Attendance Up 1.1% in First Half 07

[JoeInJpn]

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Parks
Attendance Figures for the First Half of Fiscal Year 2007

URAYASU, CHIBA - The total combined attendance at Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea Park during the first half of this fiscal year (April 1 to September 30, 2007) amounted to 12,170,000 persons, which is 1.1% more than the attendance figure for the same period last year.

During the first half of this fiscal year, increased attendance at Tokyo Disneyland can be attributed to the renewal of the attraction Pirates of the Caribbean which reopened on July 20 and the popularity of the nighttime entertainment program themed to the attraction.

At Tokyo DisneySea, the 5th anniversary celebration which ran through the end of May, and the Tower of Terror attraction which opened last year were effective in drawing large numbers of guests to the Park.

Combined attendance figures show an increase of 126,000 persons compared with the same period last year.

For Reference: Park Attendance for the first half of fiscal year 2006 (April 1 to September 30): 12,044,000 persons (Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea Park guests ages 4 and above)

JoeInJpn
http://www.jtcent.com

[TDR_Fan]

Great news! I hope the attendance continues to increase at both parks, and the 25th Anniversary Celebrations should be very effective at accomplishing this task.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Wait a minute...increased attendance from April 1 - September 30 can be attributed to an attraction that didn't reopen until July 20?

So nothing happened from April 1 - July 19? I don't believe one Stitch of that!

-- PMM

[TDR_Fan]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

Wait a minute...increased attendance from April 1 - September 30 can be attributed to an attraction that didn't reopen until July 20?

So nothing happened from April 1 - July 19? I don't believe one Stitch of that!

-- PMM

Yes, I'm sure the Find Stitch event must have brought crowds of people to the park.

[Malin]

Not bad for a Resort that has except for a few things more or less repeated last years event offerings. Through I dispute the claim that Tower of Terror helped, as that attraction only posted a 40 min wait the entire time I visited TDS. While next door Pooh was recieving 180 min waits and POTC had a 60 min wait. When was the last time anyone had to wait 60 min for that attraction at any of the other parks. Anyway good result for OLC and lets hope they can keep it up into next year when the Big 25th Anniversary begins.

[TDR_Fan]

Originally Posted by Malin

Not bad for a Resort that has except for a few things more or less repeated last years event offerings. Through I dispute the claim that Tower of Terror helped, as that attraction only posted a 40 min wait the entire time I visited TDS. While next door Pooh was recieving 180 min waits and POTC had a 60 min wait. When was the last time anyone had to wait 60 min for that attraction at any of the other parks. Anyway good result for OLC and lets hope they can keep it up into next year when the Big 25th Anniversary begins.

Over at DCA, Tower of Terror never gets more than a 30 minute wait. It's often a walk on, and I should know. The one at the Studios rarely sees a line more than 45 minutes in my experience. I don't think the OLC would lie on their press release, do you?

[Malin]

Originally Posted by TDR_Fan

I don't think the OLC would lie on their press release, do you?

Absolutely I do this is a classic move by any public company to make. Hype up the big new project and try and convince your shareholders it was worth the millions spent on it.

[steamboat will]

Too many people

can't move

being sqaushed ......HELP

i don't think we can concluded that a ride that "Only" gets a 40 minute Q is not a success.

[TDR_Fan]

I think Tower of Terror most definitely was a success and did bring additional guests to Tokyo DisneySea along with the 5th Anniversary Celebrations.

[Malin]

For the first year but when I visited just recently TDS the place was dead, while TDL was packed. What makes that interesting is that I had visited the same time as last year when the crowds at TDS were bigger. This makes me think TOT did not achieve what it was set out to do which was to permantly increase attendance,not tempory. Even when I visited TOT of the weekend it only posted a 50 minute wait, which is quite poor compare to the 180 min waits it was doing a year before this, plus the fact that other attractions like Raging Spirits were posting longer waits. OLC obviously hyped up the suscess of the Tower of Terror because it has to prove to all its shareholders it was worth the cost. Sadly TDS apears to me to be really strugling since the Anniversary year has finished.

[TDR_Fan]

Originally Posted by Malin

For the first year but when I visited just recently TDS the place was dead, while TDL was packed. What makes that interesting is that I had visited the same time as last year when the crowds at TDS were bigger. This makes me think TOT did not achieve what it was set out to do which was to permantly increase attendance,not tempory. Even when I visited TOT of the weekend it only posted a 50 minute wait, which is quite poor compare to the 180 min waits it was doing a year before this, plus the fact that other attractions like Raging Spirits were posting longer waits. OLC obviously hyped up the suscess of the Tower of Terror because it has to prove to all its shareholders it was worth the cost. Sadly TDS apears to me to be really strugling since the Anniversary year has finished.

Raging Spirits has a lower capacity than Tower of Terror, doesn't it? And sadly, I agree with you regarding Tokyo DisneySea struggling with attendance. But Tokyo Disneyland, being the Magic Kingdom and all, will always be more popular and attract more guests. Tokyo DisneySea is a fantastic Disney park (the best of the second gates by far for me) and a masterpiece of theming. There are no flaws design wise with the park. Perhaps adding a few more family E-ticket attractions like Pooh's Hunny Hunt would help boost the park?

[Malin]

Originally Posted by TDR_Fan

There are no flaws design wise with the park.

I tend to disagree with that TDR_FAN as the layout and navigation is a nightmare. In TDL you can be in any area of the park within a few minutes, while at TDS its slightly more difficult. Also one of the main reasons for the short waits at Tower of Terror I feel is due to all the other attractions being the other side of the park. Also while TDL is all flat TDS is multi level and involves walking. I also feel unless your visiting with someone who's been before it can be quite a confusing experience navigating around this park. The layout at TDL is more simple and I feel guest can get more out of a day at TDL than at TDS due to the parks layout. So I see a massive design flaw right here with that park.

[TDR_Fan]

Originally Posted by Malin

I tend to disagree with that TDR_FAN as the layout and navigation is a nightmare. In TDL you can be in any area of the park within a few minutes, while at TDS its slightly more difficult. Also one of the main reasons for the short waits at Tower of Terror I feel is due to all the other attractions being the other side of the park. Also while TDL is all flat TDS is multi level and involves walking. I also feel unless your visiting with someone who's been before it can be quite a confusing experience navigating around this park. The layout at TDL is more simple and I feel guest can get more out of a day at TDL than at TDS due to the parks layout. So I see a massive design flaw right here with that park.

You must find Animal Kingdom especially hard to navigate then. Personally, I had no problems navigating around Tokyo DisneySea at all. Even on my first visit, walking around the park was extremely easy. The ports of call are laid around in a general circle with no dead ends, unlike many other second gates. I actually like the different levels of elevation in the park as it provides an interesting perspective from each port and makes the park more exciting to explore in my opinion. It also adds a lot of depth. So I would actually count that as a pro and not a con.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I have to agree with Malin here about the design. Tokyo Disneyland does a great job of taking your mind off the long walk you're on by throwing up a lot of eye candy and having all sorts of interconnected walkways so you always think you're taking some sort of shortcut.

But in TDS, it feels like a long walk to anywhere. Want to go to Tower? It's all the way at the far end of American Waterfront with nothing but a few shops along the way. Want to go to Indy? You'll need to hike up to the Roman ruins, know to make a left, then a right & walk through Mysterious Island, then know to take a shortcut through Mermaid Lagoon, find the proper bridge, then you're finally at Indy. Whew! Now I, personally, don't mind the walk because I love all the sights along the way. But, I certainly do notice that I'm walking longer distances at one time in TDS than TDL.

-- PMM

[TDR_Fan]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

I have to agree with Malin here about the design. Tokyo Disneyland does a great job of taking your mind off the long walk you're on by throwing up a lot of eye candy and having all sorts of interconnected walkways so you always think you're taking some sort of shortcut.

But in TDS, it feels like a long walk to anywhere. Want to go to Tower? It's all the way at the far end of American Waterfront with nothing but a few shops along the way. Want to go to Indy? You'll need to hike up to the Roman ruins, know to make a left, then a right & walk through Mysterious Island, then know to take a shortcut through Mermaid Lagoon, find the proper bridge, then you're finally at Indy. Whew! Now I, personally, don't mind the walk because I love all the sights along the way. But, I certainly do notice that I'm walking longer distances at one time in TDS than TDL.

-- PMM

I wouldn't say that you pass by only a few shops walking to Tower of Terror. The walkway has you passing several elaborate facades that are more detailed than those found in Main Street, USA. It's certainly packed with eye candy and detail.

Another thing to take into account is that Tokyo DisneySea is larger than Tokyo Disneyland in terms of sheer acreage, so you definitely do have to walk more. No different from Epcot, which requires an enormous amount of walking.