betty rose
Well-Known Member
We had 97 in May for three days of our trip. Way too hot, to enjoy.
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Crowds are down? Curious about the claims . . .
- Thread starter KeithVH
- Start date
wogwog
Well-Known Member
The heat index (feels like) will be 110 to 115. It was in that range most of this week.
betty rose
Well-Known Member
Wow, way too hot for me. I would be in the pool the whole time!
shipley731
Well-Known Member
We went to Epcot today & the crowd looked very similar to the above picture of DHS. I live about 2 hours north of Disney, so while I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of the heat, I can deal with it. Rode a few rides, was able to get a reservation at Chefs de France for 1:30 when I looked at 12:30pm, so we had a nice lunch. Was only in the park for about 3 1/2 hours. It was a win in my book. When we rode Soarin' (with a fast pass), the stand by line was only 40 minutes at 3pm. I can't remember the last time I saw Epcot so calm.
Kylo Ken
Local Idiot
Agreed. I live 2.5 hours South of Disney but the heat doesn't bother me. ToT stand by was only 20 mins and MM was 40 mins. I was able to score an additional FastPass for the Rock n' Rollercoaster. Agree with you, not bad for a Saturday.
TaoBoxer
Well-Known Member
We were there from July 1st - 9th. We've been going July 4th week every year for the past 10 years or so. I must say, that this year was , by far the least crowded. MK parking lot on the 4th never hit max. As a matter of fact, on Wednesday night after the Star Wars fireworks, we were the only ones on the bus back to the hotel !
21stamps
Well-Known Member
That would be nice after a long day at the park.
Total side note--LOVE the sweatshirt!!!!
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
Wait times are super low today.
TikiTorch
Active Member
I know what you mean. We skipped Fantasmic and chose Star Wars, because we were most interested in the new offering. It would be possible to do both on a night when there are multiple Fantasmic shows. I'm fairly certain Star Wars is a once per night affair regardless of the season.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Yes, adjusted for inflation, a flight from NY (closest major city to Iger's home on Long Island) to LA cost about 2-to-3 times more than it does today. Think about flying from LaGuardia to LAX for about $1200. That's a number that's out-of-reach for a family making around median income.
The question is whether it was out-of-reach for Iger's family in the early 1960s, when Iger would have been between the ages of 9 to 12 and of prime age to go to Disneyland. (Until the 21st Century, Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom were not "kiddie parks". They were intended for older children.)
Quoting from his father's obituary in the NYT:
IGER--Arthur L., an advertising and publishing executive, college professor and author of a well-respected guide to American popular composers and lyricists of the 20th century, died in Port Jefferson, NY, Sunday. He was 84. The cause was a heart attack, said his son Robert. Mr. Iger, who served in the U.S. Navy aboard a submarine chaser in World War II, was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. During the 1940s, he was a professional jazz trumpeter. Mr. Iger's professional career included stints at the advertising agency, Cunningham and Walsh, Macmillan Publishing and Greenvale Marketing Corp.
This is not some construction or factory worker. This is an Ivy League graduate of one of the most prestigious business schools in the World.
Yet Iger would have us believe that his father couldn't afford to take his family to California, if he wanted to.
There once was a time when most adults thought it crazy to fly anywhere just to visit an amusement park. If Iger's parents thought it was foolish to fly across the country to go to Disneyland, then they would have been typical for their generation. However, it would not have been because a trip to Disneyland was "unaffordable" to them.
Let's be clear about what Iger said:
“I grew up in the United States dreaming of going to Disneyland one day — unaffordable for us, by the way, and I didn’t go until I was a parent,”
Iger expects the reader to accept that "going to Disneyland" was "unaffordable for us". Iger is implying that Disneyland itself was unfordable when, in fact, the primary expense at the time were flights.
Let's remember the cost barrier we're focusing on: air travel. This has nothing to do with the cost of Disneyland itself. As is well-documented, Disneyland and Walt Disney World were eminently affordable to nearly everyone up till 1984 because Walt Disney, Roy Disney, and the senior executives who followed believed the Disney theme parks should remain affordable.
Relative to income, airlines have gotten cheaper since the 1950s and 1960s. Nice to know that Iger has done so much to make airlines more affordable.
Because when it comes to his U.S. theme parks, no one has does as much as Bob Iger to make them unaffordable!
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
I'm still thinking about your entire post, but it's worth noting:
Cunningham and Walsh was one of the premier NY Madison Ave. ad agencies, I think they were one of what was called the "Big Five".
They have a storied history anyhow, more info here: http://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/cunningham-walsh/98611/
I don't know about Greenvale Marketing Corp, but MacMillan Publishing is one of the major publishing houses, too.
Maybe I'm mixing up ad agencies and publishers?
Anyhow, your point stands - they could well afford a Disneyland vacation, so I wonder what kind of vacation Iger was accustomed to (growing up)? And what kind of vacation experience does he think that WDW should provide (on quality, price, and value)? It begs the question.
Cunningham and Walsh was one of the premier NY Madison Ave. ad agencies, I think they were one of what was called the "Big Five".
John P. Cunningham and Frederick H. Walsh formed Cunningham & Walsh in a 1950 reorganization of
New York-based Newell-Emmett Co. Mr. Walsh served as president and Mr. Cunningham, exec VP.
The agency opened with billings of $26.4 million, which ranked it No.15 among U.S. agencies.
New York-based Newell-Emmett Co. Mr. Walsh served as president and Mr. Cunningham, exec VP.
The agency opened with billings of $26.4 million, which ranked it No.15 among U.S. agencies.
I don't know about Greenvale Marketing Corp, but MacMillan Publishing is one of the major publishing houses, too.
Maybe I'm mixing up ad agencies and publishers?
Anyhow, your point stands - they could well afford a Disneyland vacation, so I wonder what kind of vacation Iger was accustomed to (growing up)? And what kind of vacation experience does he think that WDW should provide (on quality, price, and value)? It begs the question.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
I think it's obnoxious to try to judge what his family could or could not afford.
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
Fair enough.
Do you think it's obnoxious that Iger is clearly 'fudging' his background in a New York Times article?
I'll even help you out a little bit - my mother grew up in an upper class household, which is easy to forget b/c that is not how my family grew up, until she casually mentions the maid they had.
Do you think it's obnoxious that Iger is clearly 'fudging' his background in a New York Times article?
I'll even help you out a little bit - my mother grew up in an upper class household, which is easy to forget b/c that is not how my family grew up, until she casually mentions the maid they had.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
There's nothing "clear" about it. You are guessing, period.
These posts are cringe-worthy to me. You don't know the circumstances, means, or mindset of the family beyond what you can google, which is very presumptuous.
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
The name of the ad agency jumped out at me.
I'm not guessing Iger's mindset - I'm expressing curiosity as to what his personal experience was and what he thinks now. I wish I knew, the only person who truly knows that is him.
Let me explain some more - I don't doubt that Disney is having a major PR problem, and I simply don't think they are displaying adequate marketing skills to handle it.
As others here have said, they grew up watching Eisner on 'The Wonderful World of Disney' on Sunday nights. Me, too.
How is Bob Iger, the current CEO of TWDC, and chief leader, connecting with the public? I think he's disconnected from it, instead of showing leadership, instead of reassuring the public that WDW is as safe as it has ever been, despite the recent problems. Reassuring the public that it's still a great vacation and a great value, that it is money well-spent.
WDW is not just a theme park business, retail business, or hotel mgmt. business - it's all of the above AND it is in the tourist business and right now they are failing Tourism 101 (if attendance really is down as has been said).
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
OK I'll follow this tangent.
I grew up watching Walt Disney on 'The Wonderful World of Disney' on Sunday nights. (They must have been repeats or edited to include him because it was the 70s.) I never even knew Eisner jumped into that role. I have no connection with Eisner or Iger, nor do I expect it from either of them. Neither of them are Walt, who had a unique role that died with him. There is no public face of the company since Walt IMO. It is unusual and typically unnecessary for a CEO to interface publicly (with a handful of exceptions.)
I think some people have unrealistic expectations of Iger and Disney. He has no obligation to personally reassure the public of anything. The fences around the lakes went up within hours of the incident and a more permanent solution is on the way. One could argue his leadership among his staff/employees, but of the public? What?
This is the first summer with more AP's including blackout dates, and more people priced out of AP's. Add to that some people are waiting for things to be built before paying the higher ticket rates. And finally a nearby mass shooting just before the holiday, in which WDW was mentioned as a previously considered target (as were gay bars down here in Fort Lauderdale, according to local rumor.) A lot of locals go to WDW last minute, and I'm sure a number of them saw the wisdom in being cautious and not risking going for July 4th & the end of Ramadan.
Wags14
Active Member
We just came back from a trip to the World staying there from June 28-July 7. We've been going around the 4th for the past three years. I must say, that this year was by far the least crowded. My wife and I commented on this multiple times throughout the day and really took advantage of the low levels. The past few years it seemed as if there were threats of capacity around 3rd or 4th, this year it wasn't even close to reaching capacity.
My family really enjoyed the low wait times for rides and really took advantage of multiple fastpasses and extremely low standby times. The only park that felt packed at times was MK and this only in the afternoon and evening times. Epcot, HS, AK were amazingly empty, good for us, but at the same time sad to see.
My family really enjoyed the low wait times for rides and really took advantage of multiple fastpasses and extremely low standby times. The only park that felt packed at times was MK and this only in the afternoon and evening times. Epcot, HS, AK were amazingly empty, good for us, but at the same time sad to see.
MuteSuperstar
Well-Known Member
I would wager that the average, non-message board-reading prospective parkgoer probably only has a vague (if any) awareness that these projects are even in the works.
disneyKaiju
Well-Known Member
I was at epcot yesterday, was able to grab FP+ for all the main rides on the go except for Frozen but for the first time the ride wasnt down and the stand by was only 60mins. This was around 2pm