Cheaper tickets COMING SOON

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm the truest pixie duster there is and will defend the Disney parks like nobody else.....But I cruised DCL for the first time last year, and now I'm seriously considering solely cruising from now on.
I'm betting there's a significant number of folks like me doing the same.

…you should try the others…much better value.

But I get your point. Cruises offer little hassle. Orlando offers the exact opposite now. They ensured this by not growing with their crowd years ago

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I agree with you that the current system is pure greed and not what is best for the guest. And that major changes are needed. However, in 2024, there is simply no way Disney is going to revert to a paper-based system. Not a chance.

It’s not even a choice

They don’t have the capacity to serve their own operations and need the cash.

Bob

 

[peng]

I don't think many are waiting on Epic to open and that's why they didn't travel to orlando this year. IMO, Uni and SeaWorld are likely down because Disney is down. When guests flock in Orlando for theme parks, some go to more than 1

I know the beaches are packed this summer and cruises are booming... I wonder what Di$ney has done to change the normal crowd levels

People view theme parks as expensive wastes of time and most outside press has been calling them that. There's a lot more to do just in the states than theme parks. Another thing is most people don't know about Epic Universe at the moment that aren't extremely online (theme park people and non-theme park people), most normal people lump the Orlando parks together as one. Nintendo World will be a large lure to get guests back to the Orlando area, but people got their fill of theme parks during the pandemic years and are looking to other things. And that's not assuming Bird Flu creates another pandemic that wrecks travel again.

Whatever Disney is selling some shareholders are buying. When Chapek met with shareholders in meetings meetings, sun and fun was at the most luxurious resort at WDW- Four Seasons.

Still find it darkly funny that one of said meetings, which Chapek used to actually go to the parks, as one of the things that angered a lot of the money side of disney. And how McCarthy gave him the boot after using Oogie Boogie Bash out of all things to try to downplay how the film and tv side were losing tons of money.

 

[Tom P.]

People view theme parks as expensive wastes of time and most outside press has been calling them that. There's a lot more to do just in the states than theme parks. Another thing is most people don't know about Epic Universe at the moment that aren't extremely online (theme park people and non-theme park people), most normal people lump the Orlando parks together as one. Nintendo World will be a large lure to get guests back to the Orlando area, but people got their fill of theme parks during the pandemic years and are looking to other things. And that's not assuming Bird Flu creates another pandemic that wrecks travel again.

No offense intended, but I believe that literally everything you said in that paragraph is demonstrably false.

 

[peng]

No offense intended, but I believe that literally everything you said in that paragraph is demonstrably false.

Feel like I got the "there's more things to do in the US that theme parks" bit right at least, the US is a really big Country after all and I was lucky to be in the northeast for most of my life where you can get to a lot of interesting things within a day's car trip (historical sites, parks, cities, etc).

Also talking from personal experience. Even when my family went to the parks, we would usually go every other year and alternate with other stuff (different beaches, trips to other places in the US, etc), feel other people do the same. Besides, Universal and Seaworld have been traditionally something you tack on when you do something else in Florida either as a a second part of the trip or as something you do on the first/last day before you move on (which is one of the big reasons why EU is being built, so Universal can use it as a way to permanently get out of that perception), so when people are doing things that don't involve going to Florida, the Orlando theme park industry will collectively suffer.

 

[Jrb1979]

Feel like I got the "there's more things to do in the US that theme parks" bit right at least, the US is a really big Country after all and I was lucky to be in the northeast for most of my life where you can get to a lot of interesting things within a day's car trip (historical sites, parks, cities, etc).

Also talking from personal experience. Even when my family went to the parks, we would usually go every other year and alternate with other stuff (different beaches, trips to other places in the US, etc), feel other people do the same. Besides, Universal and Seaworld have been traditionally something you tack on when you do something else in Florida either as a a second part of the trip or as something you do on the first/last day before you move on (which is one of the big reasons why EU is being built, so Universal can use it as a way to permanently get out of that perception), so when people are doing things that don't involve going to Florida, the Orlando theme park industry will collectively suffer.

It's always been that way except many still managed to pack the parks with crowds. It's price what's keeping them away.

As much as you say there's more things to do than theme parks, regional parks seem to be very busy for a holiday week while Disney is quiet. Something doesn't add up.

 

[el_super]

What is your definition of fine?

Fine enough that we will all be here next year watching the same people ask "WHY DON'T THEY CHANGE COURSE" while they complain about low crowds. And the rest of us will wonder if they really really like crowded parks, or just want to see Disney fail.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Fine enough that we will all be here next year watching the same people ask "WHY DON'T THEY CHANGE COURSE" while they complain about low crowds. And the rest of us will wonder if they really really like crowded parks, or just want to see Disney fail.

If we all weren’t Disney fans we wouldn’t be on here. We also wouldn’t be voicing our opinions wanting things to be better.

Disney has been hurting themselves over the years and the frustrating part is they either don’t see it or don’t care while they just overcharge guests to make up for their bad decisions.

 

[davis_unoxx]

Day before 4th of July currently 84 and sunny, wow!

 

[el_super]

Disney has been hurting themselves over the years and the frustrating part is they either don’t see it or don’t care while they just overcharge guests to make up for their bad decisions.

Or consider for a second, just a second, that they know exactly what they are doing. They have raised prices and lowered crowds to create a better experience that has a higher guest satisfaction number and desire to return rating. This new experience is generating more revenue for the company and making the shareholders happy.

Really... do you think low crowds are really a BAD thing?

 

[JD80]

Yes definitely not good!

I really don’t get how people are ignoring the fact, attendance is going down.

Even last year Christmas Day and the days before were unusually quiet.

A few weeks ago I posted wait times, people said schools weren’t fully out for summer yet. What’s the excuse now?

I was there the week before Christmas last year up through the 23rd. It was not unusually quiet at all.

 

[GhostHost1000]

View attachment 796384
Day before 4th of July currently 84 and sunny, wow!

and it would look even worse (less wait times) with Test Track open too.

 

[el_super]

Day before 4th of July currently 84 and sunny, wow!

Seems like a nice day.

Luckily, I checked and it seems that thrill-data actually does have a nice chart for yearly average wait times:

I'm sure they are really sweating that 1 minute average decline this year (which will probably go back up toward the holidays anyway).

 

[Bocabear]

I was there first weekend in June and it was not quiet at all...huge throngs of people...Long waits for attractions... maybe there are some quieter days? not sure...but everytime they say the place is dead, I go and find it very crowded....

 

[Lilofan]

Fine enough that we will all be here next year watching the same people ask "WHY DON'T THEY CHANGE COURSE" while they complain about low crowds. And the rest of us will wonder if they really really like crowded parks, or just want to see Disney fail.

Go figure - some complain about low crowds predicting Disney to fail, then when the parks are crowded , complain it is too crowded.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Or consider for a second, just a second, that they know exactly what they are doing. They have raised prices and lowered crowds to create a better experience that has a higher guest satisfaction number and desire to return rating. This new experience is generating more revenue for the company and making the shareholders happy.

Really... do you think low crowds are really a BAD thing?

Does anyone really think they have created a higher guest satisfaction and desire to return rating post covid?

I love low crowds when I'm there... but it's the sign of a larger problem.... the parks are stagnant, nothing is being built to even open anytime in the next few years... prices continue to go up everywhere, complexity in planning a park day increases, attraction downtimes are getting worse, etc. etc. etc. .... things are not good (in terms of trends and forecasting) and they know it

 

[GhostHost1000]

I was there first weekend in June and it was not quiet at all...huge throngs of people...Long waits for attractions... maybe there are some quieter days? not sure...but everytime they say the place is dead, I go and find it very crowded....

I was there during memorial day weekend and the first week of June and it was the lowest I have seen crowds that time of year in a very long time

 

[GhostHost1000]

Go figure - some complain about low crowds predicting Disney to fail, then when the parks are crowded , complain it is too crowded.

I think you're missing something.... Disney can have higher crowds but it not be or feel over-crowded... ya know how?

expansion and increasing capacity.... something they have failed at continuing to do

 

[JD80]

They can try to manipulate the crowd levels but it can't change school times. Their primary target is children that attend school most of the year so school breaks and summer will always be parents choice times to travel. If they can't pull those kids in summer that direct family spending they are down a hole that needs filling.
Its the price

I have 3 kids in 1st grade and 6th. From my little corner of the world, after COVID, parents are incredibly more inclined to take their kids out of school than before.

It's never one thing in an ecosystem like tourism and travel.

1. It's more expensive.
2. People are more inclined to take kids out of school
3. The summer heat does influence family choices. I know it does for us and others in our circle of friends.
4. Someone mention WDW vacation cooldowns. That's an apt observation.

Plenty of more to list, but it's always a collection of things.

 

[Lilofan]

I think you're missing something.... Disney can have higher crowds but it not be or feel over-crowded... ya know how?

expansion and increasing capacity.... something they have failed at continuing to do

That includes huge investments and spending , the meeting of the minds is stopping this from happening for now.