Is the draw of Vegas the gambling itself, though? I mean, it is a part of it. But Vegas is also about the shows, and the spectacle of it all.
That is Las Vegas.
I’d say that Atlantic City, in it’s hey day, was more like Universal rather than Disney! 
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Which hey day before or after casinos. AC always had more then gambling, boardwalk, beach, attractions, rides.
But it is now like you are getting defensive you asked why was LV on a decline and I’m trying to explain.
No. I’m not defensive, at all. Just not finding your points really changes my original argument. That is (to summarize) that the way Las Vegas grew, and started charging more and more, and now is so expensive that people are finding little reason to go back when there are other, cheaper, alternatives.
I think the same exact scenario applies to what Disney is doing. Eventually (!) I think Disney is going to find that they are going to hit a wall and start to see a decline. They aren’t there yet…but if they don’t learn from Las Vegas as a very similar model, I think they risk it.
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Disney won’t experience this for many many years or after many many many many bad decisions. Price has little to do with why Vegas is on the decline. Price is essentially the straw on the camel. It’s always been cheap to stay at Vegas, it’s the gambling, food, and shows that ended up getting you, but even then…it still wasn’t THAT bad.
Vegas is declining because it’s friggin boring. There’s nothing to do. The same shows, over and over (how long has Carrot Top been doing his show?). The same games. The same food. The same experiences. You can do all of Vegas in a few days and walk away feeling like you missed nothing. You can’t say the same for Disney.
Disney will continue to succeed and can even charge whatever they want because:
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Brand loyalty. - Vegas (and others) isn’t really a brand, but more a compilation of such. Even Universal isn’t a “brand” like Disney. That is an important factor when you can rally behind an entity (I do not know why humans do this). For many, Disney can do absolutely no wrong. It’s the same for Apple products. On paper, Apple is waaay overcharging for their hardware, but people still defend and buy it and make it one of the most profitable companies in the world. Outside of finding out that Disney is murdering kids to fuel the HEA fireworks, people will always come in droves regardless of price hikes. It might be a different people, but they will still come.
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As Joe is mentioning, Disney offers unique experiences and isn’t reliant on any one “gimmick”. You can’t go anywhere else and experience Epcot. And while you can certainly go elsewhere to enjoy much of what Disney has to offer, it’s impossible to find it all in one place. Disney pioneered and perfected the formula of keeping the customer engaged. They don’t rely ONLY on princesses. They don’t rely ONLY on food. They don’t rely ONLY on rides… etc…
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Generation-spanning acceptance. Vegas, even Universal, has little to nothing for [little] kids or senior citizens.
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Capitalization on the positive emotions. The thread “most magic memory” is a perfect testament to this. Where else has had that sort of impact? A lot of places tries to capture it but they fail to understand what’s causing it.
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My problem… is I’ve been thinking this for half-a-dozen years. But there seems to be an endless supply of people who will be experiencing it for the first time and have no sense of what they aren’t getting for their money anymore.
I’m long since over Disney being my happy-place. Now it’s my ok-once-in-a-whole place.
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This is good insight.
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Same here !!! 
They are going to keep going up and if attendance drops they will come up with specials years ago. I remember staying at POP with tickets for 6 days in January for $1600.00. 1 years ago. $1600.00 won’t even buy the tickets now. I for one would go more often if it hadn’t gone up so much. My next trip probably won’t be for at least 4 years probably more. Next trip will be to Universal. The only reason I have only done this once is because you have to stay in one of their expensive hotels for fastpasses or you pay for them. Since Disney is doing the same we might is well change it up a bit.
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BFF’s!
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So, funny story. The year was 2010 and we wanted to spend our 3-week vacation doing a grand tour of California. So we figured why not a few days in Vegas first ? Then we thought, hey let’s get married without telling anyone !!!
Because of timing of the vacation, we ended up getting married on 9/11. Little did we know, our chapel was in front of City Hall or something. And there was a protest which begun during the ceremony (so we didn’t know about it). Anyway, there were LOTS of cops overseeing the protest, including right outside the chapel so the very first thing we saw as a married couple was a bunch of big, grouchy, scary cops with big guns (very unusual to see for us Canadians). They didn’t smile but one of them did say ‘‘congratulations’’ to us, even though it was in the same tone of voice one would use to say other stuff, such as ‘‘freeze’’, ‘‘hands up’’ or ‘‘you’re under arrest’’… 
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That is SO COOL!!! Great story.
Ours was planned and we had about 100 guests at The Mandalay Bay Chapel with a reception at one of the restaurants afterward. We just liked the idea of having a destination wedding where all of our guests just had FUN all weekend together.
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Holy crap !!! That’s a lot of guests, must have been quite the party !!!
It was crazy fun!
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I don’t think I know enough people to have 100 guests, let alone 100 guests that would be people I’d actually like and want to see there !!! 
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See my post above.
My complaint with Disney right now is the quality of the experience and lack of flexibility. We have been 3 times in the past 9 years. When we go we stay onsite at a deluxe hotel. We eat where we want to and splurge on a hard ticket event and park hoppers. The first two trips, I really felt we had gotten our money’s worth. Yes, it was an expensive trip and we saved for it but it was worth the expense. This past trip, 2/19, I questioned the cost. It was the first time that multiple rides were down and some were down the entire day. I disliked that everything had to be so scheduled with no flexibility. If you don’t start planning at least 6 months in advance, it is a challenge. This won’t be a popular opinion but I would be willing to pay a little more if I could have a more spontaneous trip. I’m over the over scheduling and I’m a type A person.
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I don’t want to pay more for a more spontaneous trip. I want to pay less and not be locked in.
I don’t accept that it has to be so complicated or expensive.
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Vegas is fun. I don’t gamble, but I enjoy the over the top hotels, shows, etc. and even st 60 I enjoy a party night from time to time. But the prices have soared. In the 80s when I first started going you could get s decent room for $40-50/night, hit up a buffet for $10-15, and see a show for $30-40. And drinks were almost as cheap as soda (or free). But that was when everything was cheap to get people there to empty their bank accounts st the tables. Since they changed it to an adult resort location, everything has skyrocketed. You can’t find a room for under $200-300, buffets start at $30 (and sit down starts higher), and shows are crazy; $100 is average and celebrity show are through the roof ( the last time I was there I could have seen Paul McCartny - but the cheapest seat in the arena was $250). Maybe if they collectively lower their prices, more people will go back…
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Are these things your used to hearing? I’ve heard “pull over”, “license and Registration” I was even read my rights once (and then let go) but never the others.
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I live in CA so I’ve been to Vegas many, many times. It’s nothing like the 70s & 80s when the casinos were dark and the smoke-filled–full of sad gamblers lured in by cheap rooms and food–$9.99 rooms and $5.99 steaks. Once Steve Wynn came in and built the Mirage and Treasure Island the Old Rat Pack Vegas was history, literally.
I think the problem with Vegas now is over saturation–too many shows and themed hotels. Everything looks the same. How many Cirque du Soleil style shows can one spend at least $100/seat on?!!
Disney Parks attract a whole different crowd and that crowd will protect it. However, Disney has to be careful not to squeeze out too many of its fans.
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