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Crowds are down? Curious about the claims . . .
- Thread starter KeithVH
- Start date
raymusiccity
Well-Known Member
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
I'm sure there are several factors at work here, but I have to assume the new pricing structure has had the desired effect (so far.) Whether people were completely priced out of AP's, or downgraded to the one with summer blackout dates, that would reasonably account for lower crowds at this time of year. The question for Disney is whether the decrease in attendance now or eventually outweighs the higher ticket prices.
I suspect some people also decided to skip a year or two until more of the new plans have been completed (especially in light of higher pricing, talk of reduced value in meals, etc.)
And as an almost-local (Fort Lauderdale) I would think twice about going on both our national holiday as well as the end of Ramadan, especially with the option to go plenty of other times.
I appreciate all the on-site reporting, and can't help but hope it is similarly slow by the time we get there for Food & Wine!
I suspect some people also decided to skip a year or two until more of the new plans have been completed (especially in light of higher pricing, talk of reduced value in meals, etc.)
And as an almost-local (Fort Lauderdale) I would think twice about going on both our national holiday as well as the end of Ramadan, especially with the option to go plenty of other times.
I appreciate all the on-site reporting, and can't help but hope it is similarly slow by the time we get there for Food & Wine!
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
Hope this lasts...we just booked AP discounted room in Pop for late this month!!
Whatever the reason(s) is/are, we are glad to see the crowds lesson....
Whatever the reason(s) is/are, we are glad to see the crowds lesson....
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
With all the talk of Disney raising prices for the "stated" reason to lower crowds, could Disney have foreseen the the soft crowds coming? And thus raised prices ahead of the curve?
DisneyFans4Life
Well-Known Member
I don't think Disney forecasted lower crowds at all. If anything...crowds most likely would have continued to increase had they kept the prices the same.
My gut feeling is that we are reaching a plateau and prices should remain relatively constant through the next couple of years until Avatar and Star Wars open.
My gut feeling is that we are reaching a plateau and prices should remain relatively constant through the next couple of years until Avatar and Star Wars open.
wdwfan22
Well-Known Member
I think they have reached the peak of pricing for awhile. Disney Resort rates for 2017 saw only minor increases in some room categories for some resorts. A big change from pervious years. Not to say some didn't go up. Disney's Port Orleans Riverside/French Quarter and Art of Animation Resorts saw the biggest increases for 2017.
I was wondering that as well. Seems like a lot of complaints instead of thanks.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
We are happy to see the reduced crowds
Isn't it amazing! Many said they would pay more for a less crowded park.....
Quinnmac000
Well-Known Member
Smaller crowds can lead to cutbacks in attractions as Disney has to get a return on investment. Whereas repeatedly hitting capacity while people at the park may absolutely hate it will lead to more investments and more attractions in a park for crowd control.
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
FL and Orlando have had record-breaking tourism levels in 2013-15...but WDW MK has limited capacity. I think they raised price levels simply b/c they could....it would only thin out the crowds a little and still maximize profits. There were signs in the spring that attendance would be down due to the decrease in intl tourists, while domestic tourism is increasing (due to low gas prices for example). I'm looking at the past few years of FL tourism and what I'm seeing is a coordinated effort by FL govt, coinciding with new theme park offerings, to increase FL/Orlando tourism, specifically marketing to intl tourists b/c they spend more than domestic tourists (shopping is a main activity for them; hello, Disney Springs).
I do not think that they have anticipated the summer decline - in September of last year, the travel industry was not anticipating lower crowds of Brazilian tourists due to the Rio Olympics). Combine that w/ fewer Canadians and fewer UKers, plus domestic tourists perhaps avoiding Orlando now (due to recent events as well as higher prices)...there will be more of a decline than they could have anticipated.
There is no proof to this at all. If they are still hitting the profit points they desire, investment will still occur.
Do you honestly believe that adding even more new attractions, say in MK, would result in better crowd control there???? All it would do is ADD more people, and so the parades and fireworks would be even more packed than they are now. Do people not realize this???
Kylo Ken
Local Idiot
Glad I'm not the only one that noticed. I don't see the down side at all to having lighter crowds especially in the summer.I'm liking this trend and the trend of lower prices at the resorts.
Just want to point out that it's a well known fact that after Disney had record profits the previou quarter, they then did massive cutbacks in the park.
donsullivan
Premium Member
I'll speak only for myself and I was simply surprised at the lower crowd levels I saw this weekend. There are so many variables that impact attendance it's not possible to be sure what the driving trigger was and whether it was expected, or a surprise. From the way I saw parking at Epcot on 7/4 it seemed that Disney was expecting lower overall crowd levels from the start of the day. On a very heavy day like July 4th or NYE it is common for them to start parking in the Wonder and Explore lots to support larger attendance. When I arrived at ~4PM, those lots had not been used at all and when I left after the fireworks, no cars had been parked in those lots.
I can say that in my experience yesterday it was certainly a more pleasant day than the crush of guests that I have seen build in the past. I even noticed available ADR's in World Showcase at nearly every restaurant (not always the best times) at 5PM on 7/4. I'd normally expect to see them for Restaurant Marakesh or Nine Dragons, but if you were flexible on time there was something available and pretty much every table service restaurant in the park.
I'm not going to make any judgements on what triggered the lower attendance but it was definitely lower than I've experienced in that decade plus of visiting Epcot for July 4th.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
I don't think it would be primarily a pricing reason contributing to lower crowds, but I hope that does have some impact, and I'm sure it was meant to.
I have sworn that I would never return to WDW during the summer months again- after a horrible horrible crowded visit one June in 06 or 08, can't remember which.
But from what I'm reading here, I would actually consider it.
I have sworn that I would never return to WDW during the summer months again- after a horrible horrible crowded visit one June in 06 or 08, can't remember which.
But from what I'm reading here, I would actually consider it.
Brad Bishop
Well-Known Member
Normally, yes, that is true.
I think that the reduction in crowds will lead to further cuts, myself, as the execs will how to show, now, that they're dealing with fewer people and, thus, can make the cuts so it looks good on the bottom line. I have a hard time believing that anyone in charge will say, "We've cut all we can from back when the place was packed."