Hmmm...wonder if this story is totally factual or not? if it is, must be a wonderful time to visit Disney World with shorter wait times right now!

[StarWarsGirl]

I was there for three weeks between August and September. Never bought LL. I think the longest I waited was for Tron and Guardians at about an hour. Other than that, I mostly was waiting about 30 minutes or less for everything.

 

[Chi84]

I don’t disagree. Disney has a special place in many hearts including mine. But for your vacation dollars there are absolutely much better values out there. For a family who isn’t entirely Disney focused; they may choose something that provides more value for the money.

No sense in trying to compare “value.” It’s completely subjective.

 

[Chi84]

I was there for three weeks between August and September. Never bought LL. I think the longest I waited was for Tron and Guardians at about an hour. Other than that, I mostly was waiting about 30 minutes or less for everything.

That’s good although an hour is too long for me personally. I’d buy the LL.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

That’s good although an hour is too long for me personally. I’d buy the LL.

I was in an ECV because of an injury. I ceased caring as long as I could stay there and had my Kindle.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Disney has lost the brand loyalty. It cannot recover. I'm not saying their business is going under or anything else that extreme. And there will always be a few in the "We go to Disney every year" crowd. But they will be much harder to identify, less vocal, and less committed than they were a decade or two ago.

Disney is morphing into the "we went a couple of times with kids when they were young. It was okay. But expensive." place.

And that's on Disney.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I don’t trust these reports. Due to recent events, there are multiple groups with an agenda to paint Disney as being “punished.“

I see these stories posted on social media from suspicious sources, followed by comments from people saying they are there right now or were there yesterday or the day before, and it’s crowded or normal.

I don’t think they’re talking about August, and I don’t think the pricing is any more a factor this month than two months ago. Prices haven’t increased in the last few months.

We’re at a point where we have to verify everything we read.

 

[Chi84]

I don’t trust these reports. Due to recent events, there are multiple groups with an agenda to paint Disney as being “punished.“

I see these stories posted on social media from suspicious sources, followed by comments from people saying they are there right now or were there yesterday or the day before, and it’s crowded or normal.

I don’t think they’re talking about August, and I don’t think the pricing is any more a factor this month than two months ago. Prices haven’t increased in the last few months.

We’re at a point where we have to verify everything we read.

I think that’s especially true when the source has been proven to pretty much make stuff up. Low wait times can also be the result of better park operations.

I read that nonsense about empty parks and restaurants and none of it comports with anything I’ve ever seen at WDW.

The video calling these people out is well worth watching.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I don’t trust these reports. Due to recent events, there are multiple groups with an agenda to paint Disney as being “punished.“

I see these stories posted on social media from suspicious sources, followed by comments from people saying they are there right now or were there yesterday or the day before, and it’s crowded or normal.

I don’t think they’re talking about August, and I don’t think the pricing is any more a factor this month than two months ago. Prices haven’t increased in the last few months.

We’re at a point where we have to verify everything we read.

It’s the natural evolution of the “French Model” syndrome.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I don’t trust these reports. Due to recent events, there are multiple groups with an agenda to paint Disney as being “punished.“

I see these stories posted on social media from suspicious sources, followed by comments from people saying they are there right now or were there yesterday or the day before, and it’s crowded or normal.

I don’t think they’re talking about August, and I don’t think the pricing is any more a factor this month than two months ago. Prices haven’t increased in the last few months.

We’re at a point where we have to verify everything we read.

I don't disagree, especially about the fact checking, however, I've gone in the same timeframe for a while now and these were the lightest crowds I've seen since Covid. Disneyland my past two trips was also very light on the crowds.

I don't think it's anything political or that people are "punishing" Disney but simply because we're getting into a recession economy, and this is the effects. The amusement park industry as a whole has been feeling the effects (see $100 million loss from Six Flags...which I think is likely an epically botched merger, but I wanna see their annual filing before I make that judgement. Anyway...)

I've also been concerned for a while because Disney's primary reason for increased revenue in parks (per their own financial filing mind you) has been increased prices. That's it. Not due to offering new experiences, increased merchandise sales, etc. That's not a sustainable strategy. As an accountant, I'd be concerned if I read any business's filings that said "we're only making more money because we increased prices."

Now, Disney is doing the right thing investing in long term projects. That's what I would want to see. But am I shocked that attendance is down? Nope.

 

[TomP]

Of your list the only one impacting the greater attendance numbers of WDW is pricing/economy.

What in the world would streaming have to do with taking a trip to WDW???

I didn't say streaming affected attendance at parks. I was just mentioning it to show that the general attitude towards the Disney brand is pretty negative right now.

 

[Chi84]

I didn't say streaming affected attendance at parks. I was just mentioning it to show that the general attitude towards the Disney brand is pretty negative right now.

It could be with some people but I doubt that would factor into visiting the parks.

 

[Minthorne]

Been here since Thursday. I’d say crowds are moderate. It’s not dead by any imagination.