Crowds are down? Curious about the claims . . .

[Gatorboy]

Had Starbucks with a front line manager this morning--first time in 15 years no single park went to any phased closing on July 4.

Facebook reports of gaps of viewing space around lagoon at EPCOT last night.

Both Universal parks on Saturday were slow, Animal Kingdom on Sunday had pretty good crowd, and Magic Kingdom Monday seemed more like a fall day. I didn't
read whole thread, but did anyone mention the lack of Brazilian tour groups.

 

[Gatorboy]

That and like I said, it doesn't seem to be having an impact on the resorts. I couldn't go in June bc the one I wanted was sold out the 2 different weeks I could make it. For our December trip I booked in March and I think it basically sold out within a week of me booking.

Animal Kingdom Lodge was not very crowded this weekend, including being able to get checked in &
in my room at 8:00 in the morning

 

[PhotoDave219]

Both Universal parks on Saturday were slow, Animal Kingdom on Sunday had pretty good crowd, and Magic Kingdom Monday seemed more like a fall day. I didn't
read whole thread, but did anyone mention the lack of Brazilian tour groups.

Multiple times. Brazil's economy is in the toilet as well as people are staying home for the Olympics.

 

[donsullivan]

Both Universal parks on Saturday were slow, Animal Kingdom on Sunday had pretty good crowd, and Magic Kingdom Monday seemed more like a fall day. I didn't
read whole thread, but did anyone mention the lack of Brazilian tour groups.

There has been a distinct lack of the south american tour groups most of the summer. However, they were back in force this weekend when I was at MK on Sunday and Epcot on Monday. Large numbers of large groups just like we typically see most summers. There is no telling whether this was just an anomaly for the July 4th weekend but it was more like the normal pattern we see each summer vs what we've seen all this year.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Had Starbucks with a front line manager this morning--first time in 15 years no single park went to any phased closing on July 4.

Facebook reports of gaps of viewing space around lagoon at EPCOT last night.

Thats..... thats quite a shock.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

And the tone here still seems to be people complaining about the lower crowds. That cannot possibly be true, is it???

 

[Brad Bishop]

I think TWDC has a slightly more severe problem this time around.

In times past, when things got bad, they could always count on their fans to come to the parks. Offer them some deal and they'd usually show up.

This time around, though, I think it's different. They've been actively ticking off long-term fans with cuts in service, price increases, trying to monetize everything, lower quality in food and services, too-little/too-late on attractions, etc.

For me, as a long-time WDW fan, I've lost interest. I just don't see the value there any longer. I know this: I could take some days off and head down there and see Epcot, like it's always been, DAK pretty much as it's been for 10 years (Pandora isn't open, yet), DHS with less to do than before, and MK which is roughly the same save for a mediocre NFL all at a higher price and, from what I've seen from other threads, a bit dirtier. I can ride the dingy monorail, if it's working over to the MK but, in reality, I wouldn't do that because I gave up on the monorail years back when it started breaking down.

So, this time around, someone who'd otherwise head down there and blow some cash on them, is staying home. I'll end up going somewhere else, though I haven't determined where that'd be.

This isn't me punishing them but more me thinking, "I'm paying more for, at best, the same old thing (less at DHS), and more than likely, for a worse, overall, experience between food, cleanliness, etc."

What's worse is that the new attractions that are coming aren't piquing my interest either. I'm not holding out for Avatar or Guardians or even Star Wars.

I don't think I'm alone.

 

[donsullivan]

No one's complaining, just wondering what's going on/wrong.

The racist movement in the UK, shouldn't be effecting the British crowd just yet. But what's going on?

Is it the lack of investment in Orlando (thanks Shanghai) that is finally coming home to roost?

I don't see any here complaining (in the most recent few pages of the thread), most are just curious what caused the lower than historical attendance levels over the holiday weekend.

 

[ToTBellHop]

And the tone here still seems to be people complaining about the lower crowds. That cannot possibly be true, is it???

The only complaining I see is from folks complaining about others apparently complaining. All I see in regard to the declining crowds is shock and surprise from people seeing unprecedented crowds. If you love a band and they raise prices to see their show and you arrive to find half the seats empty, might you be concerned for the future?

20 minutes for Soarin on a summer afternoon is nice for the guests on the park (and I love low crowds) but concerning for the long-term health of the parks. Let's hope it's just a blip and not the start of a long-term trend.

 

[wm49rs]

Magic Kingdom looks llike a desert today - how can anyone say Disney want this.

Only going to get worst with racists wrecking the UK economy, and the Brazilian economy on a down turn.

You forgot Iger, Jordan. Mustn't leave him off your regularly scheduled rant....

 

[LuvtheGoof]

The only complaining I see is from folks complaining about others apparently complaining. All I see in regard to the declining crowds is shock and surprise from people seeing unprecedented crowds. If you love a band and they raise prices to see their show and you arrive to find half the seats empty, might you be concerned for the future?

20 minutes for Soarin on a summer afternoon is nice for the guests on the park (and I love low crowds) but concerning for the long-term health of the parks. Let's hope it's just a blip and not the start of a long-term trend.

Fair enough.

 

[21stamps]

Animal Kingdom Lodge was not very crowded this weekend, including being able to get checked in &
in my room at 8:00 in the morning

They seem to always have rooms, maybe because of the size? Not sure, because I know it's an extremely popular resort!
But Poly was sold out on the weeks that I needed for June, and GF, Poly and CR are all pretty much sold out my week in December. Oddly though they do have rooms the week of Thanksgiving, so go figure lol

 

[culturenthrills]

I was at SeaWorld last night and it was pretty packed. The parking lot was almost completely full and every space around the lake was packed with people for the fireworks. But that may have more to do with their aggresive push into increasing AP holders(and really offering them many perks) and their online deal on tickets if you buy in advance.

I think Disney has reached the breaking point with many people on pricing combined with a dramatic drop in Brazilian tourists has created a perfect storm this summer.

I think Universal is taking a hit too and wondering if they jumped the gun on upping their ticket prices too much.

 

[21stamps]

Fair enough.

Fair would be comparing all of Florida tourism.
Which is down- and why it is down. ( hint- it's not the prices.)

 

[21stamps]

Someone please quote me with legitimate complaints in this thread about crowds being low. Or are certain people here getting their fantasies and realities mixed up again?

I'm taking Chantix right now. So my fantasies and realities crossing are unfortunately keeping me up all night. And driving me absolutely crazy.lol

 

[ToTBellHop]

Fair would be comparing all of Florida tourism.
Which is down- and why it is down. ( hint- it's not the prices.)

They were declining before the massacre and Gatorgate.

 

[dizneeboy]

Contemporary was mostly sold out while we were there (6/29-7/3). They had a couple Bay Lake tower views left. Parks were busy but manageable. No complaints here ; )

 

[21stamps]

They were declining before the massacre and Gatorgate.

Exactly. And not because of prices. It's because of economy issues in other countries. I posted excerpts from the Broward and Miami Dade sun sentinels citing the same issues there. I don't think Miami beaches have become any less attractive to tourists, it's just that a large segment can not afford to come this year.

 

[21stamps]

Fair would be comparing Orlando to the rest of the US tourist destinations.

Yeah, I'd say Miami/SoFla is a big one.

And both SoFla and Orlando share the same base of latin and south American travelers.

 

[Cletus]

I think TWDC has a slightly more severe problem this time around.

In times past, when things got bad, they could always count on their fans to come to the parks. Offer them some deal and they'd usually show up.

This time around, though, I think it's different. They've been actively ticking off long-term fans with cuts in service, price increases, trying to monetize everything, lower quality in food and services, too-little/too-late on attractions, etc.

For me, as a long-time WDW fan, I've lost interest. I just don't see the value there any longer. I know this: I could take some days off and head down there and see Epcot, like it's always been, DAK pretty much as it's been for 10 years (Pandora isn't open, yet), DHS with less to do than before, and MK which is roughly the same save for a mediocre NFL all at a higher price and, from what I've seen from other threads, a bit dirtier. I can ride the dingy monorail, if it's working over to the MK but, in reality, I wouldn't do that because I gave up on the monorail years back when it started breaking down.

So, this time around, someone who'd otherwise head down there and blow some cash on them, is staying home. I'll end up going somewhere else, though I haven't determined where that'd be.

This isn't me punishing them but more me thinking, "I'm paying more for, at best, the same old thing (less at DHS), and more than likely, for a worse, overall, experience between food, cleanliness, etc."

What's worse is that the new attractions that are coming aren't piquing my interest either. I'm not holding out for Avatar or Guardians or even Star Wars.

I don't think I'm alone.

THIS! We have purposely put off WDW because of it's "stagnation". We used to take several trips a year, for about 10 years, and haven't been back in almost 4 years. We are holding out until Pandora, and then will still just hit up AK and skip the rest. We will then go again when Star Wars finally opens. Between the price gouging and nothing new to entice us, our money has been spent up the road at Universal.