Cheaper tickets COMING SOON

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Summer downward trends are a fairly new phenomenon. I really think it's the heat that's keeping people away. I live in north Texas and it's hot as can be here during the summer, but even I struggle with the Orlando summers. I do pretty much try to avoid July/August at this point.

Attraction Ideas recently did a video about 'when is the best time to go' that used average wait times to guess for theoretical crowds and the wait time data they had seemed to show that summer drop offs started hard in 2022 in WDW and continued in 2023. This summer also seems to be slower than anticipated as well.

It's weird because you would think that summer would be when people go because the kids are out of school and that is Disney's key demo, but frankly I just think parents don't care anymore and they'll pull their kids out for whenever they (the parents) want to go. I've taken plenty of random mid-week trips during the school year and it seems no matter what, there's always just hordes of people, kids included.

Florida has record visitors in 2023 and it’s on track to be beaten in 2024

Are we under the impression that people are not traveling in the summer when it’s easiest?

Wdw and universal both suffered in attendance. You do the math.

Weather sucks…it sucks everywhere. There are parts of the country that has tornados, torrential rain AND 100 degrees in the same month.

Florida sucks a tad more.

Tell yourself what you want…but bad weather is becoming a frequent excuse for bad park management

 

[Tha Realest]

Florida has record visitors in 2023 and it’s on track to be beaten in 2024

Are we under the impression that people are not traveling in the summer when it’s easiest?

Wdw and universal both suffered in attendance. You do the math.

Weather sucks…it sucks everywhere. There are parts of the country that has tornados, torrential rain AND 100 degrees in the same month.

Florida sucks a tad more.

Tell yourself what you want…but bad weather is becoming a frequent excuse for bad park management

The “summer is the new offseason” crowd never wants to tell us when the new crowded season is.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I’m still happy to visit Disney, but many people I’ve talked to when traveling for work absolutely refuse to visit Disney because of political issues (they say Disney “went woke”).

Others say “we priced it out and it’s just so expensive!”

I think these are the 2 big reasons the park attendance is suffering. I’m pretty sure Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are packed this week.

This isn't just the "woke" issue, apparently when you put BDS/anti-Israel boycotts into play that could be a factor too.

People do not skip Disney for political reasons. They never had even when it’s almost always threatened. They have tracked this for decades.

Humans are not good at denying themselves anything.

Now if someone says it’s politics and DOESNT HAVE THE MONEY? then let’s rock n roll…

But is that political?

 

[Liloandstitch3]

Florida has record visitors in 2023 and it’s on track to be beaten in 2024

Are we under the impression that people are not traveling in the summer when it’s easiest?

Wdw and universal both suffered in attendance. You do the math.

Weather sucks…it sucks everywhere. There are parts of the country that has tornados, torrential rain AND 100 degrees in the same month.

Florida sucks a tad more.

Tell yourself what you want…but bad weather is becoming a frequent excuse for bad park management

I see the writing on the wall myself. But this trend…and thread… has been going on for how long? They aren’t pulling the levers at least we “die hard fans” seem to think they should. I.e ticket prices, return of magical express, room service, and many more ideas thrown around this thread if anything they are increasing prices to get the most out of the people who choose to come no matter what. I tend to believe they like it this way (and wasn’t it mentioned in one of the calls last year) less people but more spending per person. Win win for them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The “summer is the new offseason” crowd never wants to tell us when the new crowded season is.

That’s because the “crowded season” has taken the last 2…and I’m told at least the next year…off

It’s probably on a cruise

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I see the writing on the wall myself. But this trend…and thread… has been going on for how long? They aren’t pulling the levers at least we “die hard fans” seem to think they should. I.e ticket prices, return of magical express, room service, and many more ideas thrown around this thread if anything they are increasing prices to get the most out of the people who choose to come no matter what. I tend to believe they like it this way (and wasn’t it mentioned in one of the calls last year) less people but more spending per person. Win win for them.

What happens when they can’t cover the declines under price increases?

They are already razor thin close if not there.

Bob will have to start lying…or he’ll “retire” again

That “they want less” is a throwaway line from 2015 when their attendance dipped and he didn’t have an excuse. The praetorians won’t let it go…even as Rome decays in front of them

 

[Liloandstitch3]

What happens when they can’t cover the declines under price increases?

They are already razor thin close if not there.

Bob will have to start lying…or he’ll “retire” again

That “they want less” is a throwaway line from 2015 when their attendance dipped and he didn’t have an excuse. The praetorians won’t let it go…even as Rome decays in front of them

I don’t disagree with you I’m just not seeing them act according to this supposed “detrimental” territory of low bookings, low attendance, etc. they are invensting 60B into parks I don’t see them lowering costs. They are going to need to recoup those costs somehow.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don’t disagree with you I’m just not seeing them act according to this supposed “detrimental” territory of low bookings, low attendance, etc. they are invensting 60B into parks I don’t see them lowering costs. They are going to need to recoup those costs somehow.

And that’s what a lot of we “back benchers” have been thundering away at them for.

Me since the housing crash rebound as a warning…Martin for 5+ years…and I can tell you ALOT of the more longterm/loyal followers coming out of the shutdown. Len is backing it up with his data collection and tracking. Talk to a travel agent…

They are not doing anywhere close to a decent job responding.

Why? By choice. Bob rejected his old bosses strategy that turned Disney into a juggernaut. A flat out rejection of customer friendly for an unproven economic theory that is not working. Coupled with playing the Wall Street rat race and trying to misrepresent them as tech…mostly because I think he was scared to death of Steve Jobs.

This is a management problem. It would have been exposed long ago if they didn’t have Disneys reputation to bleed dry.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

People do not skip Disney for political reasons. They never had even when it’s almost always threatened.

just saying my anecdotal reports from middle America! Haha.

I do think the value is an issue - not the expense as much as the value.

 

[IanDLBZF]

This is a management problem. It would have been exposed long ago if they didn’t have Disneys reputation to bleed dry.

Well if someone (e.g. a shareholder or a board member) had blown the whistle, we would've seen Iger removed and probably facing criminal charges.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

just saying my anecdotal reports from middle America! Haha.

I do think the value is an issue - not the expense as much as the value.

Those are statistical outliers…and usually not entire truthful

Maybe dad just hates the idea of going there and spending the money when there are perfectly uselsss nfl preseason games to watch? And politics gives the leverage he wouldn’t have otherwise?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well if someone (e.g. a shareholder or a board member) had blown the whistle, we would've seen Iger removed and probably facing criminal charges.

Someone attempted to get inside and access the data…it was on a revenge tour…but nonetheless

Guess what happened? The shareholders behaved two ways.

The institutional saved bobs butt with an not at all veiled “we want our money…this is your last chance” message

And the little guys behaved like children and cried for Bob…probably due to not wanting to spoil the memory of that magical trip to port orleans with free dining back in 2014 (which they charge 4x more for now while you’ve been sleeping) and/or still think Daisy Ridley has talent? Or some mixture

And don’t be that guy that thinks CEOs are subject to punishment. They can lie all day…every day and face zero threat of criminality. Lobbyists write the regs. Whoever has the money wins and that’s the barons. They have complete deniability for anything they say and it’s legally designed that way.

He’s lying to you…he always has been.

His biggest “threat” is some embarrassment and a golden parachute.

 

[Nubs70]

If you have it in your head that $60 bil of non-committal money is going to result in huge tangible park gains…you’ve not been watching the corporate history since 2004

Oh heck no, 60B invested on tail end of 10 years. TVM at this rate will only mean less than 20B in 2024 dollars. That's if and only if WDW honors Bob's commitments 18 years after his next scheduled retirement.

Bob is like Ozzy, Many many retirement tours yet still going.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Oh heck no, 60B invested on tail end of 10 years. TVM at this rate will only mean less than 20B in 2024 dollars. That's if and only if WDW honors Bob's commitments 18 years after his next scheduled retirement.

Bob is like Ozzy, Many many retirement tours yet still going.

Yeah…very Motley Crue kinda vibe

 

[JoeCamel]

Yeah…very Motley Crue kinda vibe

With sweaters!

 

[Nubs70]

Redistributed crowds was to balance them out…not load them onto one date and vacate others

Parks were SICKENING empty today…and have been on many days for a year

That isn’t compensated for by having some busy (and they aren’t that busy) days during food and wine festivals.

They holidays aren’t even crowded…and there is zero excuses there.

The crowds are down significantly in Orlando…and it’s intensifying

What ever could be the reason?

Inflation has decreased the purchasing power of the median guest demographic.

Fewer on the right tail of guest demographic who can still afford it do not see the value proposition and are going elsewhere.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Inflation has decreased the purchasing power of the median guest demographic.

Fewer on the right tail of guest demographic who can still afford it do not see the value proposition and are going elsewhere.

…price

Plain and simple

 

[davis_unoxx]

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Record Breaking Tourism Numbers

www.flgov.com

Port Canaveral breaks record for most cruise passengers in a month

More people are sailing out of Central Florida's cruise port than ever before.

www.clickorlando.com

Port Tampa Bay anticipates breaking all-time cruise passenger record in 2024

Port Tampa Bay expects to break the all-time cruise passenger record this year as the cruise industry continues to boom, officials said.

www.fox13news.com

Numbers don't lie.

 

[Lilofan]

now you’re starting to get it

There’s a reason Iger hasn’t found his successor yet and hand picked Chapek to throw under the bus to come back.

Is it Iger’s job to find a successor or is it the Board made up of several outside execs?

 

[C33Mom]

Is it Iger’s job to find a successor or is it the Board made up of several outside execs?

Under DE corporate law the best answer is probably both—each executive and director is supposed to be looking out for shareholders’ interests and one of those interests is making sure that there is a qualified successor ready to be CEO when the time is right.