IS THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO LEGOLAND FLORIDA GOING TO AFFECT DISNEY?

No doubt we will be discussing this in great depth on the next edition of Eye on Orlando. After all. Cypress Gardens it Craigs great love and once we get him talking about it he just won’t stop!!

But, what does this mean for Walt Disney World? Are people really going to spend a day in the land of bricks over a day with the Mouse?

First off, I think we need to think about the target market. Those older visitors (the ones without the kids) will probably give this place a miss. The new park will aim itself squarely at families with younger children. That would mean directly in competition with the Magic Kingdom. Are many families going to choose Legoland over the Magic Kingdom? Probably not, but they might just choose a day in the brick built wonderland over a day at Hollywood Studios, Epcot or Animal Kingdom. Afterall, these parks are less "little kid" friendly.

The biggest problem that Disney may face is that Merlin Entertainment have entered town. They are a UK based entertainment company that have an impressive portfolio of attractions. They are the second largest theme park operator with only Disney ahead of them. These guys mean business and no doubt will succeed very well. Digging deeper into the situation we also realise that a well known company to the Orlando area, Blackstone, also own part of the company. That means that Disney have real competiton as Blackstone own part of Universal Orlando, Seaworld. Wet and Wild, Legoland and its adjacent waterpark.

Blackstone’s Orlando portfolio is almost as impressive as Disneys. Is there any reason that they might not offer across the board discounts or transportation between the parks? This is where Disney might just feel the pinch. With a connection between the other parks, they become a stronger force collectively. Ok, no will ever knock Disney off top spot in Orlando but they are going to give it a good try.

Disney are going to have to think carefully about their next move. They have the Fantasyland expansion and Star Tours 2 in the works but what will their strategy be to fight an entire new park, Harry Potter and the many other developments happening in the area? The one advantage is that Winter Haven, the location for the new Legoland is further down the I4. If people continue to use Magical Express then it will be harder for them to reach the park but it could mean that people begin to use car hire companies more, even if it is for only a few days.

So, what do I really think? I think the "family traffic" to the resort might be hit but only why the resort is new. I don’t think it is the kind of place that will attract families on every trip to the Sunshine State. The family attandance will increase after the first few years of opening. I think that it will benefit the resort as it brings more people to the area. Can you think of anyone that will travel to Florida for vacation just to experience Legoland? In the long run, I don’t think Disney have anything to fear but I do think they need to consider their strategy for 2012/13 and have to make sure that the Fantasyland expansion is a good one!

You thoughts?