For at least the last couple of decades, Disney has toyed with the idea of building a “boutique” park, one with high admission prices but limited capacity (think Discovery Cove at Sea World) That idea was ultimately shelved, but the idea of charging guests more for a less crowded experience remained and is manifesting itself in Genie+ along with attendance caps. Of course Covid attendance caps were necessary in the beginning, but there are no need for caps to be in place now. Disney, I think, is continuing the caps as a way to justify to their vision of lower attendance coupled with higher per guest cost. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Universal takes over all of the attendance numbers, in the next few years. Disney will let them be the Golden Corral of theme parks, and they will continue to position themselves as a high end steakhouse.
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News 2021 Theme Index
- Thread starter lazyboy97o
- Start date
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
The big unknown is if Disney is still capping attendance, based on the pictures I’ve seen it looks just as busy as it was pre-pandemic.
Our last trip was in Nov 2021 and it was definitely capped then but the walkways and lines look nothing like that now.
Crowding is relative. You can have fewer people and worse crowding.
I have heard they’ve been holding at 75% for quite awhile now.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
I do wonder if a lot of the crowding issue is due to Genie+. Theme parks were made for people to be in lines for part of the day. With many in Virtual queues more people are wandering around waiting to join a queue instead of being in one.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I’m in between there and it’s ugly little sister at the other end of the New Jersey turnpike
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I bet you nailed it right there.
Remember that the CP and IP also amounts to nearly free labor…probably generates profit or close to it
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
More than likely…
However the places were pretty much unrestricted from February/March from a health standpoint in 2021. Approaches and nuance varied.
If anything…it is a feather for UOR’s cap as they…not Slaphead…invest in the future in a big way
peter11435
Well-Known Member
They are still capping attendance. That number is still less than pre pandemic max capacity. It feels busier for a variety of reasons
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
I still find the Disneyland number impressive, given they were only open 7 months in 2021, and had very limited capacity at first out there.
They were not that far behind UO, which was open fully, all of 2021.
They were not that far behind UO, which was open fully, all of 2021.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Would that be the case If “reservations” for Epcot and DAK filled each day?
peter11435
Well-Known Member
crazy4disney
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
PA or DE? Close? Lol
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
I’d really, really love some concrete numbers and proof of Disney’s “capping,” because it absolutely reeks of an excuse Disney is using for a variety of reasons - to explain unfavorable numbers to Wall Street, to make excuses for unpopular systems to guests, etc. I find it very hard to believe that Disney has abandoned every single COVID measure, down to removing hand sanitizer stations, but is keeping the one that would seemingly have the biggest impact on the bottom line. I can easily believe, however, that Disney is micromanaging where guests go without trying to substantially limit their number in order to minimize staffing, because the company and Wall Street hate what they perceive as needless spending much more then they hate hypothetical lost income.
In 2021 I visited both Uni and WDW for more days then I have in many years. Operations between the two seemed very similar, and crowds in both were similarly diminished from their pre-pandemic heights. It’s not like Uni was booming and Disney wasn’t - for instance, the starkest contrast in crowds between 2021 and 2022 in Orlando could be found at HHN.
I’m very tired of the insinuation, pushed both by Disney and some on these boards, that the pandemic was something only Disney experienced. I’d love to see evidence - timelines, numbers, etc - to back up the constant excuses.
In 2021 I visited both Uni and WDW for more days then I have in many years. Operations between the two seemed very similar, and crowds in both were similarly diminished from their pre-pandemic heights. It’s not like Uni was booming and Disney wasn’t - for instance, the starkest contrast in crowds between 2021 and 2022 in Orlando could be found at HHN.
I’m very tired of the insinuation, pushed both by Disney and some on these boards, that the pandemic was something only Disney experienced. I’d love to see evidence - timelines, numbers, etc - to back up the constant excuses.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
This is absolutely a huge part of it. The parks were designed to work in a certain way, with guests in queues. To even make Genie begin to work, you’d need to alter the entire geography of the parks - many more restaurants, interesting stores, live entertainment, casual seating areas - more space in general. The chances that Disney will make such changes are vanishingly small. They are happy running demonstrably broken parks.
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el_super
Well-Known Member
What unfavorable numbers? Wall Street has been pretty pleased with the recent numbers.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I find that number impressive as well.
They’ve tried to actively scare locals away…and they can’t
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
I’ve come to love DL more then WDW, and a big part of that is the palpable sense one gets at things like the weekend swing dances that this international tourist destination ruled by a corporate behemoth is nonetheless a key part of an actual, vibrant community. So of course that’s something Disney desperately wants to kill.