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Is attendance really down at WDW this or…
- Thread starter coachb
- Start date
JD80
Well-Known Member
Thrill-data:
2023 wait times for today are right around middle of the pack for the last 9 years but still below '17 through '19 and on par with '22.
TheMaxRebo
Well-Known Member
yeah, I've looked at that at the past and view it the same ... now maybe there was more "other stuff" to do in 2016ish (more streetmosphere and what not) but still - I don't think this means the parts are EMPTY just they were nutso in 2018/2019
DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
I think the biggest reason for the drop is that Disney miscalculated what its customer base wants and went off brand. I said before Genie+ launched that this might be one of the few things that has a negative impact on attendance. My reasoning was that Disney fans will happily do expensive, but they will not do tacky. They already had plenty of upcharges (Early Mornings in Fantasyland, dessert parties, tours, etc.) that people were absolutely eating up, so I don’t think upcharges per se are the entire story (although they probably play a part now, with inflation). Eliminating Magic Express and adding pay-per-ride fees was like featuring a non-ironic mullet in a Dior ad, though. People are not having it.
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DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
Like I said, I’m agnostic on overall impact. Who knows? I do feel more confident in saying that I think the nickel-dime approach upset a lot of people. I think Disney could have rolled crazy prices into a bunch of “extra”, “luxury” experiences and people would have oohed and aaahed over them. But the nickel-dime came across as cheap and conveyed a certain contempt for “guests”. Especially post Covid when people went to Disney with sky high dreams of how wonderful it would be to get “back to the magic” after the horror of Covid. I think Disney saw this as an obvious time to introduce a bunch of changes when, psychologically, it was probably one of the worst times. People were desperate for their familiar pleasures back, not a new landscape.
Splash4eva
Well-Known Member
Removing ME was moronic when lets face it they were probably “charging” for it anyways in its pricing…
Paid FP did not bother me as much bc lets face it almost every theme park has it. Problem they made was they didnt want to charge for the same product tried to pull a PR spin which backfired along with an inferior product. Could have easily dealt with the initial backlash of a paid FP leaving everything else the same & would have had a better result.
Also the “class” systems of resort guests had to rubpeople the wrong was as well allowing certain people to stay later.
DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
I think a better way to go about it would have been to offer a 4th and 5th FP for a charge, after the original three. To be charitable to Disney, I get that they experienced huge losses during Covid and were probably super anxious to make up for some of that. But still, I think they miscalculated on this one. Time will tell how much. They got about a year and a half of short term gain, but we’ll have to wait and see what the long term outcome of that short term gain is. At the moment it looks like they built up a great deal of ill will during that time.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
I think many found the enforced hiatus from the obligatory Disney visit to do pretty much the same thing over and over found new horizons that are in different areas. The addiction cycle broken
Long live the king the king is dead.....
Nubs70
Well-Known Member
Even pre covid with the evolution from paper FP to MM+ was supposed to enhance one's visit with the caveat that "WDW would never monetize MM+". Well, MM didn't do much to enhance the experience but was more of a pain in the . Now WDW started to charge for the pain in the and called it Genie+
Splash4eva
Well-Known Member
I personally loved FP+. As a resort guest i pretty much never had issues getting what rides i wanted & also had success with same day additions after using my 3rd. I would gladly pay for that system again
I would love to know if this is really a thing. I mean we went over the 21 Holidays and felt it was just as bad as ever. My DD is starting college and wanted to know if we could go before she starts in Aug. UGH I was not very thrilled in 21 and wasnt planning on returning for a loooonnnggg time. But I am being conspired against
If your times are flexible, you can have dinner for 2 anywhere tomorrow night.
Nubs70
Well-Known Member
I never had problems with paper FP. Family would do their thing while I foraged for passes and then meet up again. It satisfied my hunter gatherer instinct and toddlers didn't have to tag along as we NEVER rented or brought a stroller. Much less stressful with no phones required.
GhostHost1000
Premium Member
I never once used a paper fastpass because we never had to back then.
We went to Epcot on Sunday. This was not a Disney trip but we had an extra day in Orlando and really wanted to ride Guardians. The morning was very quiet but the afternoon was pretty busy (lots of tour groups). We had a fantastic day and got so much done. We did buy lightning lane (plus virtual queue) for Guardians but didn't purchase Genie +. We didn't need it. We rode everything we wanted to (including Test Track like 6 times using single rider) and didn't wait over 30 minutes for anything else. Soarin was a 10 minute wait at 11 am. Just a huge difference from our usual November trips where Genie+ is pretty much a necessity. We generally stay away from Disney in the summer because it's just so hot but our day has me rethinking for next year. I was really pleasantly surprised by how much fun we had and now nice it was to see empty walkways! Even buying water and snacks was so much easier.
monykalyn
Well-Known Member
However Uni offers an AP with EP after 4 built in. We’ve had these for years which allows us to stay offsite (timeshare) and still go and ride everything during busy times. Plus the free HHN ticket. Plus the free valet parking. Plus the better discounts. Love Cabana bay but Sapphire Falls is my absolute favorite. Uni is also offering 3 free months on AP currently.
This is what drives me crazy. Disney does it become “everyone else is” . Disney used to set themselves apart by being the leader not following the mediocre middle of pack. Disney used to be the one place ALL guests were equal. They experimented with deluxe resort club level guests able to buy extra fast passes-guess that opened the door for unbridled greed.
Splash4eva
Well-Known Member
Yes i agree. Disney was never like everyone else and it was one of the many things that set it apart from everyone else… but the lack of maintenance the parks no longer being immaculate like they once were bathrooms at times worse than yankee stadium garbage cans overflowed things that are mind boggling to me lets not even get into less hours downtimes and less entertainment offerings along with the biggest disgrace NO parade at night which we pretty much all grew up on… so to me charging for FP would not have been the worst thing they did. But again this is something they simply could have easily baked into the ticket prices along with the hotel stays and simply allocated X amount accounting wise and guests would not have blinked an eye lid over it.
lentesta
Premium Member
Beaches & Cream is really tough to get because of capacity.