TEA Global Attendance Index is out

[Ayla]

Thanks for the warning. I'll make sure I go on an empty stomach (if I ever go). It's hard to think of a worse thing than motion sickness. Head to toe...want to say more but don't want to trigger the censors lol!

Try dramamine (less drowsy) before you ride.

 

[jah4955]

Try dramamine (less drowsy) before you ride.

Thank you @Ayla ...but that created new problems the last time I used it If Bob Gurr could handle it...so should I!

 

[doctornick]

See, but that's what I keep pointing out. According to the wait time numbers, you wait LONGER now than in 2019. Who cares if there were more people, the metrics you would really notice (waiting in line for rides/food) are longer now than they were in 2019. And that doesn't include that you had the option to skip lines back then without paying an insane extra price.

Is this true? I'd be curious if @lentesta or someone could provide evidence of that. Anecdotally, when we went last year I was pleasantly surprised at how much less crowded the parks were compared to pre-COVID and how short waits often were. And I'm under in the impression that the (kinda) new structure for DAS has helped cut down abuse which was a big driver of long wait times.

 

[Disstevefan1]

If MK manages to stay on top throughout the years of construction, then there no place on earth that will ever beat MK.

 

[HauntedPirate]

So, what you’re saying is that in 2026, I can pay as low as $139/ticket for one day at Magic Kingdom, but in 2019 the lowest was $109 plus a parking fee at the resort. And if I just have to have park hopping, it’ll be $197, an increase of $33 over 2019 ($164). And I’m supposed to be mad about this, especially given that the minimum wage at the resort increased by a higher percent than the minimum park hopping ticket price? I don’t think so.

However, I did recently pay $174 plus tax for a single park one-day ticket at Epic (cheapest ticket price is $139, same as MK). And my visit was plagued by the foul smell of the sewage treatment plant all day long.

Meanwhile, single day Disneyland tickets are going for as little as $104.

$104 Ticket Days at Disneyland in November 2025

Find out how to score $104 Disneyland tickets during the Halloween festivities this year, including a list of dates and how to book.

disneyparksblog.com

You're conflating multiple things with MK pricing to apparently make some mythical point that is only known to you. I'm not touching DL because it's smoke-and-mirrors to make you think there are all these good ticket days when, in reality, it's 2-3 day chunks spread out over 4-5 months. Hardly conducive to a family vacation at DL.

MK hasn't been at the $109/day ticket level in years. The cheapest MK ticket is $139, in the middle of August, for example. Park hopping for MK puts a one-day over $200. Park hopping plus LL throw the cheapest 1-day ticket into the $250 range. Now tack on $35 for regular parking (not sure why you threw that out there). $285 for a day at MK. A 5-day hopper in the middle of August, the "slow" season, is $658, with nothing additional added in.

 

[Ayla]

Thank you @Ayla ...but that created new problems the last time I used it If Bob Gurr could handle it...so should I!

Sorry. Maybe it will work for someone else reading.

 

[Touchdown]

USH is always going to suffer, for one thing it is a movie studio pretending to be a theme park, it has an extremely wonky layout and is difficult to get to and move around. It’s also not a full day park most of the year, let alone a multi day destination. Universal Orlando is clearly the better resort to visit, it has more parks, better design and >80% of USH experiences can be seen in Orlando as well, I went last year because I couldn’t wait to do Mariokart, but now that Epic is open and offers the full Nintendo experience I don’t plan on going back (the studio tour is iconic and Waterworld is great but even with a new coaster I have no desire to go back.)

 

[Stripes]

I'm not touching DL because it's smoke-and-mirrors to make you think there are all these good ticket days when, in reality, it's 2-3 day chunks spread out over 4-5 months. Hardly conducive to a family vacation at DL.

Actually, they are primarily 3-4 day chunks, but go on…

You're conflating multiple things with MK pricing to apparently make some mythical point that is only known to you. I'm not touching DL because it's smoke-and-mirrors to make you think there are all these good ticket days when, in reality, it's 2-3 day chunks spread out over 4-5 months. Hardly conducive to a family vacation at DL.

MK hasn't been at the $109/day ticket level in years. The cheapest MK ticket is $139, in the middle of August, for example. Park hopping for MK puts a one-day over $200. Park hopping plus LL throw the cheapest 1-day ticket into the $250 range. Now tack on $35 for regular parking (not sure why you threw that out there). $285 for a day at MK. A 5-day hopper in the middle of August, the "slow" season, is $658, with nothing additional added in.

Now you’re just quoting prices and expect me to be outraged. So, allow me to do the same.

Right now, I can book a 5-day August vacation at Walt Disney World for a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) at Pop Century. And I’m getting the Disney Dining Plan for the family. Total? $4,371.

So, that’s 5-days of WDW tickets, 5 nights at Pop Century, meals included, and no parking charges for just $218/person/day. And since the family has read all the news headlines about how empty the parks are and how low the wait times are during this time of year, they know they’ll still have a magical time without purchasing Lightning Lanes.

 

[LittleBuford]

Actually, they are primarily 3-4 day chunks, but go on…

Now you’re just quoting prices and expect me to be outraged. So, allow me to do the same.

Right now, I can book a 5-day August vacation at Walt Disney World for a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) at Pop Century. And I’m getting the Disney Dining Plan for the family. Total? $4,371.

So, that’s 5-days of WDW tickets, 5 nights at Pop Century, meals included, and no parking charges for just $218/person/day.

I agree with you that park tickets are a good value, but the perception of these things is so subjective that I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by this sort of exchange. There’s no more sense in your trying to convince him than in his trying to convince you. You both have the right to spend your money as you see fit, and it’s fine if you don’t agree.

 

[Stripes]

I agree with you that park tickets are a good value, but the perception of these things is so subjective that I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by this sort of exchange. There’s no more sense in your trying to convince him than of his trying to convince you. You both have the right to spend your money as you see fit, and it’s fine if you don’t agree.

Agreed.

 

[LSLS]

Is this true? I'd be curious if @lentesta or someone could provide evidence of that. Anecdotally, when we went last year I was pleasantly surprised at how much less crowded the parks were compared to pre-COVID and how short waits often were. And I'm under in the impression that the (kinda) new structure for DAS has helped cut down abuse which was a big driver of long wait times.

I'll look and see if I can find the data. I might be off on that, it might be that it lines up with like 2017 wait times while attendance lines up with 2010 or something like that.

 

[lentesta]

Is this true? I'd be curious if @lentesta or someone could provide evidence of that. Anecdotally, when we went last year I was pleasantly surprised at how much less crowded the parks were compared to pre-COVID and how short waits often were. And I'm under in the impression that the (kinda) new structure for DAS has helped cut down abuse which was a big driver of long wait times.

Just a quick look at the MK crowd calendar's measure of actual crowds, looking at posted wait times after the park day ended:

Average MK crowd level in 2019: 5.4
Average MK crowd level in 2025: 3.0 (YTD)

For reference, the average 7DMT posted wait on a '5' crowd day is ~87 minutes and 72 minutes on a '3' day.

My guess is that cutting down on DAS abuse probably cut wait times by 12% or so in the MK, based on what we saw over Christmas 2024.

 

[doctornick]

Just a quick look at the MK crowd calendar's measure of actual crowds, looking at posted wait times after the park day ended:

Average MK crowd level in 2019: 5.4
Average MK crowd level in 2025: 3.0 (YTD)

For reference, the average 7DMT posted wait on a '5' crowd day is ~87 minutes and 72 minutes on a '3' day.

My guess is that cutting down on DAS abuse probably cut wait times by 12% or so in the MK, based on what we saw over Christmas 2024.

Thank you. that jives with my personal experience as well as what I see online and talking to people. To me, right now, you seem to have a pretty good mix:

1. Parks are busy but less crowded than they were at their pre-COVID height. They are more manageable to tour because of the crowd levels and DAS enforcement such that I don't even think LL purchasing is "needed" though it can allow you to do more.

2. Disney is making good profits, so they seem okay with the crowd levels. I'm sure they'd be happy to have more people and even more money but it doesn't seem like they are "worried" about the current attendance.

3. There is an ongoing investment in expanding capacity (finally!) even though too much is replacement rather than just pure expansion IMHO. I may not agree with all the new things they are working on including placements, but when the current round of building is completed there will be clearly more attraction capacity than currently. Hopefully that invest continues and other projects get started in the interim.

4. Changes in habits (and crowds?) make it easier to do some things with some spontaneity - I'm particularly thinking about table service availability.

The parks are far from perfect and I could come up with a bunch of things I'd prefer they do differently/additionally but overall I feel they are better now - higher prices and all - than they have been in the immediate pre-COVID era when they were becoming somewhat unbearable.

 

[BrianLo]

Just a quick look at the MK crowd calendar's measure of actual crowds, looking at posted wait times after the park day ended:

Average MK crowd level in 2019: 5.4
Average MK crowd level in 2025: 3.0 (YTD)

For reference, the average 7DMT posted wait on a '5' crowd day is ~87 minutes and 72 minutes on a '3' day.

My guess is that cutting down on DAS abuse probably cut wait times by 12% or so in the MK, based on what we saw over Christmas 2024.

With another 15% attendance decline (16.5% resort wide) grafted on top. We have pretty good rationale of why the parks feel so much lighter, I tend to believe the reported numbers.

 

[BrianLo]

Thank you. that jives with my personal experience as well as what I see online and talking to people. To me, right now, you seem to have a pretty good mix:

1. Parks are busy but less crowded than they were at their pre-COVID height. They are more manageable to tour because of the crowd levels and DAS enforcement such that I don't even think LL purchasing is "needed" though it can allow you to do more.

2. Disney is making good profits, so they seem okay with the crowd levels. I'm sure they'd be happy to have more people and even more money but it doesn't seem like they are "worried" about the current attendance.

3. There is an ongoing investment in expanding capacity (finally!) even though too much is replacement rather than just pure expansion IMHO. I may not agree with all the new things they are working on including placements, but when the current round of building is completed there will be clearly more attraction capacity than currently. Hopefully that invest continues and other projects get started in the interim.

4. Changes in habits (and crowds?) make it easier to do some things with some spontaneity - I'm particularly thinking about table service availability.

The parks are far from perfect and I could come up with a bunch of things I'd prefer they do differently/additionally but overall I feel they are better now - higher prices and all - than they have been in the immediate pre-COVID era when they were becoming somewhat unbearable.

Magic Kingdom, for better or worse, is finally in a place that it can take multiple attractions offline and not completely break. That was not the case last decade.

I’d be screaming from the rooftops if they weren’t taking the opportunity to fix it in this window. To their credit they mostly are. Both fixing current attractions and meaningfully upping park capacity by end of decade.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I just don’t think USH has the repeat value still. Locals who aren’t AP’s may have come out to check out SNW once, and that was enough… international or out of state likely the same.

I know our trip last year was enough. Did our one day at USH and we won’t be back there for many many many years, until something bigger happens.

It's all relative, IMO.
US is our favorite park over IOA. We spend most of our 5 days there (before Epic) and find more that we like to do and visit there. IOA is fine, but we prefer US. I don't think it is all one or the other at all. There are attractions and things in each that are fun and interesting. Can't wait to visit Epic next year and spend 2 days there.

 

[Disney Analyst]

It's all relative, IMO.
US is our favorite park over IOA. We spend most of our 5 days there (before Epic) and find more that we like to do and visit there. IOA is fine, but we prefer US. I don't think it is all one or the other at all. There are attractions and things in each that are fun and interesting. Can't wait to visit Epic next year and spend 2 days there.

I was speaking of Universal Studios Hollywood, to be clear. Not USF.

 

[Jrb1979]

With another 15% attendance decline (16.5% resort wide) grafted on top. We have pretty good rationale of why the parks feel so much lighter, I tend to believe the reported numbers.

That's the thing that IMO many over look. Most guests won't necessarily notice a 15% decline in attendance.

 

[BrianLo]

I know the conversation incorrectly drifted. IOA is a very weird park. Conventionally it presents itself as far more cohesive and prettier than USF… but strangely it’s more vacuous in its current form. If Hagrids and Velocicoaster didn’t have lines, you can easily whip through that park far faster than DAK. There’s very little to it anymore than some nice placemaking and a ring of E tickets.

As soon as you have any modicum of preference (thrill avoidance, a passion to not be sopping wet) - the park falls apart.

I still think USF is the sorriest state of the Florida major 7, but IOA has fallen the quickest from a lofty perch. Entertainment matters. The very, very good Velocicoaster and Hagrids have increasing trouble covering up those flaws.

 

[doctornick]

I know the conversation incorrectly drifted. IOA is a very weird park. Conventionally it presents itself as far more cohesive and prettier than USF… but strangely it’s more vacuous in its current form. If Hagrids and Velocicoaster didn’t have lines, you can easily whip through that park far faster than DAK. There’s very little to it anymore than some nice placemaking and a ring of E tickets.

As soon as you have any modicum of preference (thrill avoidance, a passion to not be sopping wet) - the park falls apart.

I still think USF is the sorriest state of the Florida major 7, but IOA has fallen the quickest from a lofty perch. Entertainment matters. The very, very good Velocicoaster and Hagrids have increasing trouble covering up those flaws.

I dunno. Spider-Man is still IMHO one of the best theme parks rides ever designed and FJ is quite good (though some people cannot tolerate it well). Hogsmeade isn't as enthralling to walk around at Diagon but it still is fun to explore. I'd agree that the park has theming issues but it's not like USF is all that great in that category outside of one land.

To me, the probably is that there are really no "great" rides in USF, the kind of stuff that I would say "you don't want to be in Orlando and miss this". DA is awesome to explore, arguable as great as any theme park land ever developed but Gringotts is meh IMHO. The Mummy and MiB are the best rides and I'd place both of them below the the top four rides in IOA. YMMV.