Mouse Extra

This morning’s posting over at Jim Hill Media deals with the problems associated with the shrinking popularity of Disney’s pirates franchise.  Apparently the Pirates and Princesses Party is still struggling and Disney is cutting some costs to make it more profitable.  But perhaps the most disappointing is the red light given to the often rumored Tortuga restaurant project.

“So why didn’t the ‘Tortuga’ project go forward?,” you ask. Well, in addition to the problems associated with the “Pirates & Princess Party” and those declining “Pirates of the Caribbean” merchandise sales … There was the matter of what it would cost to change the Adventureland Veranda from a quick service facility to a full service restaurant.

Then when you factor in that the Magic Kingdom doesn’t really need a brand-new full service restaurant right now (Why For? Well, while places like Liberty Tree Tavern and the Crystal Palace are typically running at 90 - 95% occupancy at lunch & dinner these days, there are still in-park facilities like Tony’s Town Square that will have empty tables at various times of the day. So why should WDW officials spend the money necessary to add a brand-new dining facility to the Magic Kingdom when that theme park isn’t really making full use of the restaurants that it already has?) … It just didn’t make sense to spend the money now that would be necessary to turn the Adventureland Veranda into a “Pirates of the Caribbean” -themed dining experience.

There are a couple of things I find interesting in this analysis.  First, is the cost of converting a quick service into a full service restaurant so high that Disney would find the investment too much to handle?  That seems to be a bit of a stretch to me.  While kitchen equipment and renovations may be difficult, it is only a drop of what Disney puts into many other projects built from the ground up.  This sounds like a rationalization to me.

Second, I also have to question the conclusion that the Magic Kingdom does not need a new full service restaurant.  The 90-95% capacity seen at the Crystal Palace and the Liberty Tree is rather high, and certainly does not mean another would not be attended.  Many people don’t go to these places because they know how crowded it can be at lunch and dinner times.  Also, one is a buffet and the other family style, so a regular order-off-the-menu place would be a welcome addition.  And let’s be honest, Tony’s Town Square has empty tables because it isn’t all that great.

The reason for this ship being scuttled is much more obvious then that.  It seems the popularity of the entire Pirates franchise took a shot to the hull that left it crippled and sinking, and it was called “At World’s End”.  The film may have done well at the box office, but it failed to generate the cross generational appeal Disney was banking on.  The wit-filled swashbuckling that made adults laugh and kids run to find the nearest household object that could be imagined into a sword was replaced with a convoluted and way too dark storyline that anyone under 16 struggled to follow, and some of us more than twice that age did too.  Now Disney is left with a franchise that needs to be rebuilt before it can sail again.