In 1994, Disney officials were worried about a decline in attendance, after peaking at 33.7 million visitors in 1990. Today the number of visitors exceeds 56 million (uscitytraveler.com), and the resort far exceeds any other as the most visited in the world. But in 1994, the honeymoon period for 5-year-old Disney-MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios) was over. And, we were well into a backlash of the materialistic 80s. The economy was no longer booming, and people were tightening up.
rising ticket prices change demographic
According the the Orlando Sentinel (1994), the primary factors driving the decline were the Gulf War (and subsequent decline in international visitors) and a surge in costs. Rapidly rising prices made a WDW vacation out of reach for many families. In 1984, a one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom was $18 and had risen to $38 (dang, that sounds nice) in just 10 years under Chairman Michael Eisner. Disney surveys of guests showed that visitor perception of the value of a WDW vacation was declining significantly. And the higher prices were making Disney more and more exclusive, with the average 1992 family income exceeding $56,000, 58 percent higher than the national median.
family market no longer stands alone
Yet, Disney executives perceived that the prices were set appropriately, and emphasized new efforts to market beyond families. New commercials featured less characters and children and more illustrations of fun for young couples and people whose children were grown. This 1994 commercial has nearly no children at all, and instead features Mickey beckoning us to enjoy a round of golf or the nightlife at Pleasure Island. The mid-nineties also brought the advent of Disney’s Vacation Club and the opening of the Wedding Pavilion.
These strategies seemed to have worked, as now many of us no longer focus on the parks as the primary driver of our plans. Who would have thought in 1994 that Fort Wilderness would become a destination in itself for couples over 50? Or that the once quaint Disney Marketplace would transform into today’s Disney Springs, a stunning and thriving area with a beauty and energy rivaling New Orlean’s French Quarter and Epcot’s World Showcase (without the ticket price)?
an even better idea
I really hope that tickets don’t continue to rise. And I will fruitlessly dream for the return of the 70s E-Tickets, particularly as America’s population ages. I would also love to see Fort Wilderness further expanded with a third pool and maybe a cool yurt loop. We could call the yurt loop Lakeside Lane and just scratch the new Lakeside Lodge DVC (I can’t stand calling it Reflections). But I am thrilled to fully understand that it’s no longer about the parks.
