Crowds are Insanely Busy - Why?

PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So MK & the resort as a whole has been insanely, bat-crazy since Memorial Day. Statistically abnormally busy. June & July 2014 had a grand total of 8 peak* crowd days at MK. This June and July? 34. The resort as a whole? 22 for June & July whereas 2014 J&J had 7. The crowd has shifted up, what was an average crowd* last year has returned in droves and is busier than ever. Even DHS is pulling peak crowds. I checked with my Bothan Spies and this same question is being asked behind closed doors.

Anyone have any insights as to the why?

If you chose to come this summer or are planning a trip for this summer, why this summer? Why now? Marketing? Discounts? Frozen? (No Seriously.... Did Frozen clinch it?)

The numbers are statistically out of line with Summer 2013 & 2014 and for the life of me, I can't figure out why.








*A peak day is defined (by me anyways) as having a crowd level of 8+ as observed by Touring Plans. Average is 4-7. Off-peak is 1-3.
 
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Arthur Wellesley

Well-Known Member
I work in a completely different tourist destination nowhere near the Orlando/Kissimmee vicinity. We too have been insanely busy this summer. Normally, we see numbers like this in the Autumn, which is our peak season of the year. But so far, summer has been booming! Not complaining though, because it is wonderful for business! :D

Whatever the reason is for the unexpected influx of tourists...I sure hope it continues.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Arthur Wellesley said:
I work in a completely different tourist destination nowhere near the Orlando/Kissimmee vicinity. We too have been insanely busy this summer. Normally, we see numbers like this in the Autumn, which is our peak season of the year. But so far, summer has been booming! Not complaining though, because it is wonderful for business! :D

Whatever the reason is for the unexpected influx of tourists...I sure hope it continues.
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Seriously.... What MK & the resort as a whole has pulled is Spring Break/ borderline Christmas numbers for two months straight. Oddly, the slowest time was July 4th.

It makes no sense.... but good for those that work in the industry.
 
ewensell3

ewensell3

Well-Known Member
Lower fuel prices? Higher stock market? Solar flares? El Nino? People who have been fearful of losing their jobs have been hording cash for the past 14 years and are starting to loosen up?

Who knows. It comes and goes in cycles, and right now appears to be the high point of the cycle.

If it's because there is some sort of massive "secret" discount package which everyone else seems to know about, I wish they'd pass it along to those of us living under a rock.
 
Polyman

Polyman

Active Member
Seen just the opposite at Epcot. Crowds appear much thinner than years past. However, management says current crowds are level with last year. Level is the key word. No increases as seen in the other parks.
 
Jon81uk

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
Polyman said:
Seen just the opposite at Epcot. Crowds appear much thinner than years past. However, management says current crowds are level with last year. Level is the key word. No increases as seen in the other parks.
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Epcot is stagnant though, nothing to drive any increase. At least DHS added Frozen stuff.
 
JasonDeyoung

JasonDeyoung

Well-Known Member
I normally go to WDW this exact time every July for a week but decided to take the summer off and it is or at least when ive gone over the summer has always been pretty busy and crowded which I am not missing right now lol. I've gone over almost every major holiday and IMO July is possibly the busiest compared. It's crazy
 
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bakntime

Well-Known Member
Hockey89 said:
Average wages are still down 3% since 08.... The economy may be improving but wages have not.
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I think there needs to be more data to back that up and to provide context (unemployment rate is very relevant here, as are things like part time wages, housing market costs, mortgage rates, etc, which all relate to how much expendable income a person will have). Median wage is also more relevant than average, as the average can be skewed downward by across the board reductions of "high level" wages, whereas median wage is a better indicator of what the "average" person would be making.

Also "wages are down 3% since 08" might not have a ton of relevance in 2015. What are wages compared to 2012, 2013, and 2014, for example? That's relevant. What's unemployment compared to those years? How are foreign economies doing (are there lots of out-of-country visitors that are skewing up attendance)? What are airline ticket prices in comparison to previous years?

Maybe there are ways that people are learning to save money vs. the 2000s (cutting out cable TV, for example, travelling less in general to save up for a Disney vacation, etc).

Maybe the new health care laws have made health care more affordable for the lower income families, thus providing more expendable funds along with tax breaks.

Also consider the harsh winter. People cooped up inside during the long winter may be more inclined to plan a summer vacation to WDW as something to look forward to.

Maybe Universal's two Wizarding World expansions and new "budget" hotel (Cabana Bay) are helping to encourage people to come to Orlando and visit both WDW and Universal. It's certainly more money spent on a vacation, but maybe people who had been otherwise saving up money for a "big vacation" are deciding that now is a good time for it, with there being more to do in Orlando in general.

Could just be a nice coincidence all these various factors lining up just right this summer.
 
WDWVolFan

WDWVolFan

Well-Known Member
PhotoDave219 said:
So MK & the resort as a whole has been insanely, bat-crazy since Memorial Day. Statistically abnormally busy. June & July 2014 had a grand total of 8 peak* crowd days at MK. This June and July? 34. The resort as a whole? 22 for June & July whereas 2014 J&J had 7. The crowd has shifted up, what was an average crowd* last year has returned in droves and is busier than ever. Even DHS is pulling peak crowds. I checked with my Bothan Spies and this same question is being asked behind closed doors.

Anyone have any insights as to the why?

If you chose to come this summer or are planning a trip for this summer, why this summer? Why now? Marketing? Discounts? Frozen? (No Seriously.... Did Frozen clinch it?)

The numbers are statistically out of line with Summer 2013 & 2014 and for the life of me, I can't figure out why.








*A peak day is defined (by me anyways) as having a crowd level of 8+ as observed by Touring Plans. Average is 4-7. Off-peak is 1-3.
Click to expand...
Is there a breakdown on where these tourist are coming from, whether it's from overseas markets or domestic markets?
 
HolleBolleGijs

HolleBolleGijs

Well-Known Member
I actually just heard an NPR story about the hotel industry in general. Business is booming across the board; it's not just a Disney thing.
 
WDWVolFan

WDWVolFan

Well-Known Member
Seeing as I'm Brazilian, I do know that more and more Travel Agencies are sending kids to Disney...but that will dip as the economy down there hits the tank, but until then the middle class and up, will continue to do so but it will slow down as the BRL to USD ratio is at 3.19 : 1.00
 
Jon81uk

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
bakntime said:
Maybe Universal's two Wizarding World expansions and new "budget" hotel (Cabana Bay) are helping to encourage people to come to Orlando and visit both WDW and Universal.
Click to expand...

Also those off-property guests might do 2-3 days at Universal but then only do Magic Kingdom to see the main Disney park which is why it is much busier than Epcot. Of course there are plenty of other attractions such as Legoland, Wet'n'Wild, outlet shopping and Crayola etc.
 
blueboxdoctor

blueboxdoctor

Well-Known Member
I could not imagine doing Disney is the summer, it's far too hot here in Jersey let alone Florida, but to each their own. Late October-January, that's when to go, but luckily people are going now, let them get in and out before I arrive (seriously, one or two days I couple trips ago it felt almost like our own, private Magic Kingdom).
 

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