Crowd Control Theories

GeoffR

GeoffR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to see if anyone 'in the know' or elsewhere has any insight on how Disney, WDW especially, is planning on "controlling" the crowds in the coming months/years. The reason I ask is that since I go pretty often, I've noticed there isn't really a slow season. The least crowded it's been for me has been around late August because most people are back to school and have already done something during the summer. November used to be less crowded, but Food and Wine extend to the second week of the month now, so those crowds spill over. Now, I don't mind the crowds, and I always found it to be part of going. That being said, most people don't think like that, and with the growing upsurge of guests year-round with the opening of SWGE, more Marvel in the parks, more kid-friendly IP in EPCOT, will usher in a ton of guests even more so than now.

So my question is, does WDW have a plan to deal with these growing numbers, or will they just wait for the pendulum to swing the other way when eventually crowds thin out?

Thanks!
 
GeoffR

GeoffR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Genie_naughty_whispers said:
The most logical thing for them to do on a high level is keep raising prices, deterring some people. As far as “on the ground” control, no idea, but that is something I would love to know more about. Fascinating subject
Click to expand...

I hate to think raising prices is the only option, only because prices have risen so consistently, and the crowds aren't thinning out at all. You can argue that more people will try Universal, but from what I've heard, typically people do both in one trip especially if they are traveling from far away, so no one is dumping WDW in favor of something else. I guess my only real input is that everything is cyclical, and eventually things will even out.
 
John park hopper

John park hopper

Well-Known Member
Many people have posted elsewhere that raising prices will lead to lower crowds. IMO it won't and IMO here is why. It's very easy to use credit cards for everything and many people use them for vacations as well never thinking of how they will pay them off. In this age of instant gratification charge now worry (if ever) about paying for it later. Disney could easily cap crowds at a much lower level then they currently do but realistically would they- no. They are a business --making money is the name of the game. Crowds are here to stay and I'm afraid they will only get worse unless the economy takes a major down turn. just my 2 cents
 
larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
John park hopper said:
Many people have posted elsewhere that raising prices will lead to lower crowds. IMO it won't and IMO here is why. It's very easy to use credit cards for everything and many people use them for vacations as well never thinking of how they will pay them off. In this age of instant gratification charge now worry (if ever) about paying for it later. Disney could easily cap crowds at a much lower level then they currently do but realistically would they- no. They are a business --making money is the name of the game. Crowds are here to stay and I'm afraid they will only get worse unless the economy takes a major down turn. just my 2 cents
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It'll work... they just need to keep raising prices. Think $200 per person per day with no age, international, or multi-day ticket discounts.

That would dry the crowd up pretty quickly.
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
GeoffR said:
Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to see if anyone 'in the know' or elsewhere has any insight on how Disney, WDW especially, is planning on "controlling" the crowds in the coming months/years. The reason I ask is that since I go pretty often, I've noticed there isn't really a slow season. The least crowded it's been for me has been around late August because most people are back to school and have already done something during the summer. November used to be less crowded, but Food and Wine extend to the second week of the month now, so those crowds spill over. Now, I don't mind the crowds, and I always found it to be part of going. That being said, most people don't think like that, and with the growing upsurge of guests year-round with the opening of SWGE, more Marvel in the parks, more kid-friendly IP in EPCOT, will usher in a ton of guests even more so than now.

So my question is, does WDW have a plan to deal with these growing numbers, or will they just wait for the pendulum to swing the other way when eventually crowds thin out?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Some of what you're talking about as the cause of crows is actually intended to be crowd control itself.

WDW does not have a total crowd volume problem, they have a crowd distribution problem. If guests were spread evenly over every land of all four parks every hour of the day for 365 days, it would never feel crowded anywhere. The crowd problem is when you're walking through Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at 2pm on a Saturday in July. Compare that to the Imagination pavilion at 7pm in January.

Even something as massive as Star Wars plays into this. It'll be the most crowded theme park land in history (most likely) when it first opens, but eventually it will have the long-term effect of balancing crowds away from other parks and into Hollywood Studios. This is the same effect as Frozen in Epcot, though obviously on a much larger scale.
 
NelsonRD

NelsonRD

Well-Known Member
Wait times for crowds can be reduced by increasing staffing and operational capabilities. However, Disney is trying to balance this, by reducing staffing on less crowded days, and increasing it on more crowded days. You can have longer lines, more congestion, and higher wait times when there are lower crowds. They do not want guest visiting a park a day, and leaving after 4 days. Short waits are not good for them.

I am also prepared to argue increasing pricing will not reduce croweds, but actually increase crowds. As price increases, people that were waiting for particular time to visit, may visit earlier to get ahead of even more rising prices in the future. Similar to people who buy stock as the value is increasing.
 
ppete1975

ppete1975

Well-Known Member
Less strollers (that will make it look less crowded), more rides to disperse people. More publicity on the other 3 parks to make people leave the magic kingdom... more rides at the other parks.. fill up the parks with rides, currently too many low capacity or closed rides..
the theater that got cancelled was a great idea.. it was a huge people eater and would have helped a ton.. so more huge show buildings with shows that eat people... they have already started a lot of the things that will help.. but its too late so that any additions will be eaten up by the increasing people going year after year.. (esp with star wars bringing in record crowds.. my prediction). They need to go on a construction spree and open 3-5 rides every year spread out over the park.. and build a massive theater in each of the parks. OR another Disney park in texas somewhere. I only say texas due to central US and good climate.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
larryz said:
It'll work... they just need to keep raising prices. Think $200 per person per day with no age, international, or multi-day ticket discounts.

That would dry the crowd up pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

That's what a lot of us said in 2014 before their one day tickets crossed the $100 barrier.

I'll agree, though, that there's a breaking point somewhere, and that Disney will need to continue ratcheting up their prices until they find it.
 
Minnesota disney fan

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
I don't think raising prices will help much at all. Not in this age of credit cards. They will just pay them off later, or (as another poster said) not at all. So, I don't think this is the answer. Don't really know what the answer is, except opening another park, or massive increases in their 4 parks, which they are starting on.
 
jloucks

jloucks

Well-Known Member
GeoffR said:
Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to see if anyone 'in the know' or elsewhere has any insight on how Disney, WDW especially, is planning on "controlling" the crowds in the coming months/years. The reason I ask is that since I go pretty often, I've noticed there isn't really a slow season. The least crowded it's been for me has been around late August because most people are back to school and have already done something during the summer. November used to be less crowded, but Food and Wine extend to the second week of the month now, so those crowds spill over. Now, I don't mind the crowds, and I always found it to be part of going. That being said, most people don't think like that, and with the growing upsurge of guests year-round with the opening of SWGE, more Marvel in the parks, more kid-friendly IP in EPCOT, will usher in a ton of guests even more so than now.

So my question is, does WDW have a plan to deal with these growing numbers, or will they just wait for the pendulum to swing the other way when eventually crowds thin out?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Disney supply curve is nearly static. It cannot move to accommodate demand. Well, ok, sure they can man every station, and that shifts it a little bit. But still, it is close to static.

That leaves only 3 ways to decrease demand.

1) Become undesirable
2) Increase Price
3) Add artificial barriers (quotas/caps)

Now, technically, #1 & #2 are the same thing. But I think one is more intentional than the other. Disney can start sucking for a variety of reasons. These reasons might sneak up on Disney. However, spiking the prices is no accident, and is done for multiple reasons. Profit is one, but also controlling demand. You can see in the little graphs I added how much price is affected with a Disney supply model. It's pretty big. And, there is not much choice (except #3 which is unlikely).

There is almost no reason at all to manage crowds through park caps. There is no money in it. Sure, it is.... charitable, but that is not what Disney is about. At all. Not when increasing price works so well (because of gigantor demand).

Why would you want to control demand? That is a tricky question. The theory goes that people that are willing to pay more, spend more on trinkets and chow.


4_5_static_increase_demand.jpg
 
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