My wife and I made an unexpected trip to the Disneyland Resort this past Saturday. Kathy thought it would be nice to buy Disneyland postcards to send as "Thank You" notes to the kids at school who gave her teacher gifts at the end of the term.

After getting to the Disneyland Resort, we did our traditional "let's look at our brick in the esplanade" routine and then made our way to Disney's California Adventure for our 11th visit there. I couldn't help but notice the large crowd of visitors at Disneyland's gates and the lack of a line outside of DCA's. It was a gorgeous day out, a little hot but still very nice. But the park still felt somewhat empty. I couldn't help but think how sad it was that this gorgeous park felt so deserted on a Saturday at the beginning of summer vacation.

Disneyland, when we went later in the day, felt very busy. There were people everywhere and the lines for rides were very long. It wasn't hard to figure out that it was much busier than its neighbor to the south.

One telltale sign of the lack of attendance at Disney's California Adventure can be found by looking at the food locations around the park. I've seen how few eateries are open at DCA, especially later in the day, which can either be attributed to the apparent lack of visitors or because there are simply too many food locations in the first place. Many fast-food-style restaurants close early in the day, if they open at all. Even some of the big gun locations aren't opening during certain hours. This becomes a real Catch-22 for Disney's California Adventure and its guests. Visitors looking to eat somewhere can't find anything open so they don't buy meals and because nobody is buying, the restaurants don't stay open.

This is too bad because the food offerings at the newer park are much better overall than its senior sister. My wife is partial to the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, presumably more for the themed atmosphere than the food, but she likes it just the same. Kathy ran to get priority seating for the Bistro when we visited during the Annual Passholder preview in February. I've promised to take her back for our anniversary in July. I may not get the chance to fulfill that promise. I have read that this particular establishment may close except for special events. Kathy is bummed.

We've all heard about the ways that Disney is hoping to attract more visitors to its newest theme park. Disney's Electrical Parade makes its official debut on the Fourth of July, typically one of the busiest days of the year on the Disneyland calendar. Construction is progressing extremely quickly on the building that will house the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It attraction, which has been packing them in at the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. But what people are still lamenting is that the new park, with a smaller roster of attractions, is the same price as the old one with a plethora of them.

So Disney has announced another "quick fix." Starting yesterday, Southern California adults can get into Disney's California Adventure at the "kid's price" of $33 until September 4. And while this type of discounting is typically unheard of during the summer, it becomes even more incredible when you add in the fact that kids ages 3 through 9 can get in free when accompanied by an adult paying the discounted rate. So instead of $76 for that pairing, it now only costs $33 - a 56 percent savings ... during the supposedly busy summer months.

My feeling on this is that it is basically a good move on Disney's part to do this. Hopefully, it will convince local residents who have stayed away up to now to take advantage of the deal. Once these people get into the park, they'll presumably buy food at the restaurants, which should keep them open. More souvenirs will be sold too. And with more people in the park, in line for attractions, it will take longer to do everything and contribute to a feeling that there was "more to do" even though it simply took people longer to do the same things.

It is sad to me that this new pricing scheme helps support people's claim that Disney's California Adventure is less of a park than Disneyland. I've long felt that admission prices are too high at theme parks anyway. I've always thought that if you keep the prices reasonable, people will come in and buy the $2.50 Coca-Cola that would cost them 80 cents at the grocery store. They'll eat the $2.75 popcorn that costs a quarter to make and sell. The money to be made is in the concessions and you can only sell those if you have people entering the park.

I'm lucky enough to have an annual pass. This is really the only way that I can afford to go to Disneyland as often as I do. And I've used this pass a lot more this year than I have any other year that I've had one (I've been an annual passholder since 1989). But I have wondered, especially lately, how many times I would come down to the park and pay for admission on each visit if I didn't have the pass. With what I pay for an annual pass, I have to visit 7 times a year just to break even on my investment, yet that seems like a bargain to me. I think if I had to pay for each visit, I'd only go once or twice a year. Disney has got me to come to the resort and spend money on food and merchandise at least 10 times more so far this year than I would have if I had to pay $43 for each visit. It all comes down to perceived value.

So that is what Disney is doing right now by offering the Southern California discount - creating a perceived value. It truly is a value-added proposition and should help not only get people into the park but make them feel that they got their money's worth. Once in, Disney hopes that people will discover its fun and beauty and will want to return time and again. And just maybe it will help keep open the Soap Opera Bistro so that I can follow through on my promise to my wife. None of that would be a bad thing.

On a final note, I have very fond memories of Disneyland because I grew up submerged in the magic. I was too young to worry about how much things cost or whether I felt like I got my money's worth by visiting. I am too young to have experienced a Tomorrowland that opened without attractions. I've never visited the park without E-ticket rides such as the Matterhorn, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. Frankly, I can't imagine that there was ever a world without Disneyland. Part of the reason that I'm high on Disney's California Adventure is because I'll be having kids soon and they will feel about the whole resort what I felt - and feel - about Disneyland. I have a feeling my kids are going to love DCA so that's why I root for it.

As we were leaving Disney's California Adventure last Saturday, a boy and his dad were in line ahead of us to get their hands stamped. The boy, maybe 8 or 9, looked back into the park and then looked at his dad. The boy said, "Dad, I think I like California Adventure more than I like Disneyland." In that one seemingly blasphemous comment, I realized that it truly is a matter of perspective. Hopefully Disney's summer pricing special will have a positive effect on many more people who before visting perceive California Adventure as a place not quite worth the price of admission.

In My Humble Opinion,
Matt

Posted June 21, 2001

E-mail Matt at matt@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

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