Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[Splash4eva]

Yet - ARE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF WDW VISITORS. Why is it so hard for people to understand that if you have a drop that doesn't have to be the MAJORITY for that change to be impactful?

So a simple yes or no. Do you truly believe the heat caused a SIGNIFICANT attendance drop for Disney. Yes or No?

 

[wendysue]

So a simple yes or no. Do you truly believe the heat caused a SIGNIFICANT attendance drop for Disney. Yes or No?

Yes. We canceled over the 4th of July because of heat. Been looking to go ever since, but it's still too hot for me.

 

[Splash4eva]

Yes. We canceled over the 4th of July because of heat. Been looking to go ever since, but it's still too hot for me.

okay so you cancelled finally someone... may i ask you what did you think the weather was going to be like in July down in Orlando when you booked your trip? Also are you a local or did you cancel a vacation?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So a simple yes or no. Do you truly believe the heat caused a SIGNIFICANT attendance drop for Disney. Yes or No?

I think it added to it ... if bookings are down 20% in total already, and then another 10% on holidays from people avoiding it, and then the heat (to the point there were warnings to stay inside) kept 20% of locals who would have gone away and 5% of guests in the park left early... it all ads up and made July 4th have even lower crowds than it would have without the heat, but was definitely not the main factor and certainly not the main factor for the summer in general

 

[Splash4eva]

I think it added to it ... if bookings are down 20% in total already, and then another 10% on holidays from people avoiding it, and then the heat (to the point there were warnings to stay inside) kept 20% of locals who would have gone away and 5% of guests in the park left early... it all ads up and made July 4th have even lower crowds than it would have without the heat, but was definitely not the main factor and certainly not the main factor for the summer in general

im asking a simple question regarding people who booked a vacation from out of town.... NOT locals. How many lets say percent wise does anyone know who cancelled their trip to Disney or anywhere due to this "extreme" heat...

 

[GimpYancIent]

An Iger comment reported in the L.A. Times Feb this year: “One of the things that we had to do was we had to improve the guest experience by reducing crowding,” Iger said. “It’s tempting to let more and more people in, but if the guest satisfaction levels are going down because of crowding then that doesn’t work. We have to figure out how we reduce crowding but maintain our profitability." I believe he is diligently working at it as we speak, the crowds that is not the satisfaction part which is a fail.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

im asking a simple question regarding people who booked a vacation from out of town.... NOT locals. How many lets say percent wise does anyone know who cancelled their trip to Disney or anywhere due to this "extreme" heat...

well, you have one person above out of the # of people posting here

plus locals do contributed to crowds so lack of them does impact things

Plus people that were there but left the parks early due to the heat will contribute to the photos and videos in question of low crowds in the parks - which is what all of this is in response to

 

[Nubs70]

I guess the internet got the word that crowds are low this spring, so everyone booked a trip as soon as they could, which is apparently now.

I have trouble explaining the apparent influx of guests any other way? Did DDP start this week?

Must be a cold front moved through.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Must be a cold front moved through.

nope, still hot ... but no heat advisories to stay inside like on July 4

 

[DisAl]

Some percentage of people are not going because of the price. Some percentage of people are not going because of the lower quality of the experience and poor maintenance. Some percentage of people are not going because of hot weather. Some percentage of people are not going because of the woke politics. Not a high percentage in any category, but it all adds up.

 

[Splash4eva]

Im pretty confident Orlando has had hotter or just as hot of days and the crowds were still there… so again. I truly dont believe the drop in attendance Disney is seeing was/is weather related

 

[MisterPenguin]

An Iger comment reported in the L.A. Times Feb this year: “One of the things that we had to do was we had to improve the guest experience by reducing crowding,” Iger said. “It’s tempting to let more and more people in, but if the guest satisfaction levels are going down because of crowding then that doesn’t work. We have to figure out how we reduce crowding but maintain our profitability." I believe he is diligently working at it as we speak, the crowds that is not the satisfaction part which is a fail.

Bob Iger: I'm making a note here... huge success!

 

[Ayla]

I can't speak for them, the only ones I know who would have had a hotel room would be a cast member if they could get an employee rate. For dinning, personally (as a local) we tend to check dinning day of. I cannot think of a single restaurant that we have not had an 'opportunity' to book day of since reopening. I am not saying we could find what we might be in the mood for -- just 'do you want to eat at 'CRT' tonight. Beast's Castle on another, but always a decent choice of places open on any giving day.

I imagine that could/will change once the dinning plan comes out, but I think the APP has made it easy to find stuff within 2 hours of wanting to eat.

Once the Dining Plan comes out, it will take some effort to find reservations.

 

[flynnibus]

So a simple yes or no. Do you truly believe the heat caused a SIGNIFICANT attendance drop for Disney. Yes or No?

Yes - because the heat wave that was affecting the south at the time was impacting locals, day trippers, and other near term travelers… in addition to modifying people’s activities who were there on long planned vacations.

Literally miami is -still- in an oppressive stretch of heat and armchair qbs are like ‘its summer… duh’.
Mget your head out of your rear and take a look at the abnormal weather that was happening in most of Florida at the time… and is still crushing southern and sw fl

 

[PREMiERdrum]

The discounting of VIP tours is... interesting.

Use of this service has exploded in recent years, and this could be a way to soft walk into a dynamic pricing structure for the plaids. When Iger forced a philosophy switch from catering to those who could afford it to catering to those who would pay it, they expanded their capacity here to accommodate demand from those "once in a lifetime / huge debt" visitors wanting to maximize their trip. I'm getting the sense that they expected that gravy train to last much, much longer.

I'd love to hear an insider's perspective on staffing and hour expectations moving into the fall and beyond.

 

[wendysue]

okay so you cancelled finally someone... may i ask you what did you think the weather was going to be like in July down in Orlando when you booked your trip? Also are you a local or did you cancel a vacation?

Yes, we know that it is HOT in Florida, but it seems that as we get a bit older it isn't as easy as it used to be. Also, it seems that this summer has been much hotter than in recent years down there. I believe last year was the mid 80's. We also went in 2018 and 19 also in the mid 80's. We are from Northern Illinois, where it is forecast to be 97 and feel like 105-110 tomorrow and Thursday and we will just stay inside where it is cool. I just won't try to power through that kind of heat feeling miserable or going all the way there to just stay in our room (or the pool). We have AP's so got a room only and can cancel 5 days out if needed but will be letting those expire this year as it isn't a deal any longer to pay thousands for AP's and then be expected to pay for all the rides as well. (or wait in even longer lines). I am still hoping to get another trip in before expiration though.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The discounting of VIP tours is... interesting.

Use of this service has exploded in recent years, and this could be a way to soft walk into a dynamic pricing structure for the plaids. When Iger forced a philosophy switch from catering to those who could afford it to catering to those who would pay it, they expanded their capacity here to accommodate demand from those "once in a lifetime / huge debt" visitors wanting to maximize their trip. I'm getting the sense that they expected that gravy train to last much, much longer.

I'd love to hear an insider's perspective on staffing and hour expectations moving into the fall and beyond.

Do you know if they have done this in the past? I don't recall seeing it ... some new discount is a bit telling (though obviously this is very limited/focused)

 

[PREMiERdrum]

Do you know if they have done this in the past? I don't recall seeing it ... some new discount is a bit telling (though obviously this is very limited/focused)

I could be wrong, but I have no recollection of this ever being done before.

It's an interesting target, too, going after DVC owners since they presumably visit every year or at least often... but are assumed to have the expendable income to pay for it.

Maybe a dynamically priced VIP tour is more palatable for Disney's audience than a Universal-esque Unlimited Express Pass?

In any event, I would have offered this discount maybe to Club Level guests or those staying at the top tier Deluxe resorts.

We'll see how it plays out.

 

[DisneyDreamerxyz]

Resort check-ins go back down starting this week and stay down through the fall. To compare park attendance/wait times to guests who are choosing to stay overnight is a whole different thing. Currently most guests choosing to book hotels are international and booked a package or are Florida residents just doing a staycation and taking advantage of discounts. Everyone else is either not coming at all or they are going to the parks but staying off-property.

 

[Angel Ariel]

impending?...excuse my ignorance, but when do American kids return from summer break? Genuinely interested as I assumed it was like British kids, ie first week of September?

We start aug 21. It varies a lot across the country. we got out of school mid-June