True, and it’s not just a spike in FL. When the opening date was announced back in May it looked like the whole country was on a downward trend. The more cases anywhere or everywhere the less likely people want to venture too far from home.
Even then some places have parks open and many can't be bothered to visit them
I agree. DH and I have become unhappy with the crowds in the past few years to the point of debating whether or not to renew our APs. We love WDW, but agreed that there are more places to visit (and spend our $$ on) than WDW several times a year. For us, the crowds and long lines due to FP+ have taken some of the enjoyment out. The current crisis gives TWDC a chance to rethink their strategy and make changes to give visitors a better experience. Whether they will or not remains to be seen.
I disagree. It has nothing to do with the things that prevent people traveling. People just don't feel safe going to theme parks right now and they don't have the money to go. As far as opening more spots for AP holders good luck. Lex Luthor already said they don't really care about those people. They aren't the highest spenders.
The majority of folks that would LOVE a vacation are opting for ones near their home.
Probably true-- I suspect most of those 50% of non-Floridians are driving there. Most people I know have no desire to hop on a plane but will gladly make the drive. If i'm correct, then most of those people are from the south-east (GA, AL, MS, SC, NC, and TN).
www.ocregister.com
Good questions and I don't know what would be best, either. I remember about 15 or so years ago when we took our 2 sons to WDW, usually in the Fall or Winter. It was not nearly as crowded and it was much more enjoyable. I'm not sure what changed- heavy marketing to South America? Allowed more guests in? Special prices for resort stays? I know it's business so I cannot fault them for wanting more guests to come and spend $$$, yet there seems to be a point where it becomes too many guests and the experience is diminished.
There is many other great amusement parks out there that I find are much better. If you look at the top 10 poll USA today put out recently no Disney park was on it. Silver Dollar City, Cedar Point and Busch Gardens Virginia were the top 3. Disney fans need to come the dark side more.Good questions and I don't know what would be best, either. I remember about 15 or so years ago when we took our 2 sons to WDW, usually in the Fall or Winter. It was not nearly as crowded and it was much more enjoyable. I'm not sure what changed- heavy marketing to South America? Allowed more guests in? Special prices for resort stays? I know it's business so I cannot fault them for wanting more guests to come and spend $$$, yet there seems to be a point where it becomes too many guests and the experience is diminished.
I think getting rid of FP+ is a good start. It's amazing how fast the lines go during parties when there's no FP. I'm not crazy about the VQ as it is now- I think everyone should have a chance to ride, not just those who are fast on their phone. We usually end up waiting a year or two until we ride the new attractions, and we've gone to After Hours events just to have a chance to ride FoP- so guess that AH marketing ploy worked with us.
I feel designing attractions with more capacity would help a great deal, if they want to continue with the larger crowds. Perhaps a theater to attract a large audience or expand the parks but not increase capacity. They could jack up prices even more, but they better have great attractions or the cost will not be worth it.
In particular, it would be nice if they made the parks more guest 'friendly.' As we've gotten older (60s), we still love the thrill rides, but we also enjoy sitting and listening to the music and looking at what's going on. More benches and shade would be great, more water fountains for drinks, more 'atmosphere' additions such as water features or kid play areas, even more low-thrill attractions like TTA and CoP would be nice.
Lastly, they need to keep the parks up to date and not let attractions fall apart or get run down. Spaceship Earth is one of our favorite attractions, but clanking along like it's on its last legs is just disheartening. Space Mt is my favorite coaster and the rough ride adds to the thrill....but the numerous trim brakes don't. I won't even go into JII or Epcot- that's just inexcusable.
So, I don't know the solution, but I do know that we are looking at less visits and other places to vacation.
We are a 1.5hrs from Carowinds, 4 hrs from Dollywood & 6 Flags over Ga, and SDC & Busch would be doable, too. We like to travel and see history sites, so all would work for us. Thanks for the tip!
