Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[Eric Graham]

They need to cut prices, not just discount them.

Tons of answers could apply here but I’ll start with a few

Quit using movies and park decisions to make statements. This is going to kill their brand image whether you agree with it or not

Make entertaining original movies again.

Announce mass expansion of Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and DHS and get to work now

Remove park reservations and park hopping restrictions

Fix G+ and get back to where people can go to Disney World without feeling like they have to work each day all day to enjoy it the way we used to.

More perks for onsite guests

Fix their ridiculously inoperable websites that crash every time something new comes out. I mean seriously what year is this

Get rid of Bob and get someone in there who understands how not to make dumb decisions.

Etc etc etc etc

Bring back Fastpass? Maybe?

 

[Eric Graham]

Most CEOs get Golden Parachutes. They don't care. Case example: Look at a Peleton CEO buying a 55 million plus house while the stock plummeted.

 

[jpeden]

Most CEOs get Golden Parachutes. They don't care. Case example: Look at a Peleton CEO buying a 55 million plus house while the stock plummeted.

Or Iger building a new yacht and showing off the model to people while he lays off 7,000 employees.

 

[Indy_UK]

Wonder if he'll end up selling to Apple like the speculation is?

I think thats what Iger wants but Apple probably doesn't

 

[James Alucobond]

Bring back Fastpass? Maybe?

They’re not going to switch away from a proven revenue generator to something free, and being free was about the only thing FastPass had going for it.

However, I do absolutely think Genie+ should be included with a resort stay, at least at deluxe resorts. Kind of nuts that it’s not when it seems that would be one of the easiest ways to pack all of your more expensive rooms and restore some sense of value without actually fiddling with any price tags.

 

[Eric Graham]

They’re not going to switch away from a proven revenue generator to something free, and being free was about the only thing FastPass had going for it.

However, I do absolutely think Genie+ should be included with a resort stay, at least at deluxe resorts. Kind of nuts that it’s not when it seems that would be one of the easiest ways to pack all of your more expensive rooms and restore some sense of value without actually fiddling with any price tags.

Aren't they changing the system early next year? To something different.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Aren't they changing the system early next year? To something different.

They have said they will work to update the system and make it simpler and bring back an element of pre-booking - but they haven't given any details and haven't said it will be a new system - more likely keep the G+ name just modify it so it is somewhere in between current G+ and old FP+

 

[Eric Graham]

In 2024, the Walt Disney World Resort will be making the Disney Genie+ even better to use! Disney is working to allow Guests to plan Disney Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane selections prior to the day of their park visit. The goal is to give Guests the opportunity to spend less time planning while in the parks.May 8, 2023

 

[Indy_UK]

Is mid to late August (next month) likely to be quite? American schools are back by then aren't they?

 

[DisneyDebRob]

IMO, prices are the main reason for the slower bookings. As many said here, when planning a trip and seeing how much further your money will go going overseas….cruises..etc, people are realizing it may not be worth it anymore. Some still do but I’m guessing that they are ones where the flow of cash really isn’t a big worry.

They got themselves into this situation and now it’s almost impossible to get out of without massive discounts to try and get some of the people on the fence to commit to booking. Problem is the prices will continue to go up each year for many reasons.
As for lowering prices as many mention here, they can’t do it . It tells everyone that the product isn’t worth what they were charging and very rarely do you see a company do it. Do you really think the money maker Genie+ or LL is going to stop? Cereal manufacturers get away with making smaller boxes and charging the same. Disney can’t do that. They have slowly got rid of everything that was costing them money like ME and added in costs for things that were free before.
It’s been talked about here on the boards that Disney’s price increases may get to the point where it bites them and we may be getting very close. Huge discounts are the only thing left so expect to see them for a long time.

 

[Eric Graham]

That's from Google.

 

[Eric Graham]

Is mid to late August (next month) likely to be quite? American schools are back by then aren't they?

Not sure. My nephew and niece go back in about a week and a half.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Is mid to late August (next month) likely to be quite? American schools are back by then aren't they?

hopefully - we are going the last week of August - my kids don't go back to school until Sept 7th though (it varies by where you live - most of the southern states including Florida are generally back by mid-August but the Northeast schools don't go back until later)

 

[Ayla]

They're trying to stop an arterial bleed with a band-aid right now when they need a tourniquet if occupancy is pushing 80% and they're taking resort sections offline. In no particular order what I think would help:

• Restore DME (even if they can't do it with bag delivery service since Bags, Inc. went bankrupt)
• Make G+ free for on-site guests (or at least at the deluxe resorts)
• Make G+ "discounted" for on-site guests not at deluxe resorts
• Reduce prices overall (F&B, Hotels, Tickets) - they won't do this but they may start making discounts more aggressive
• Improve show and maintenace which has started to lag at both the parks and resorts
• Provide free magic bands (just basic ones, not MB+) to onsite guests again
• Get rid of park-hopping restrictions
• Bring back a night parade to MK - it was a core part of the experience for so many years that has been abandoned
• Bring back daily housekeeping to ALL resorts - not just deluxe resorts
• Bring back EMH's for ALL resorts in full - not this split system (and I say this as someone who normally stays deluxe)

Some of these aren't huge things, but they made the "Disney Difference" - which they've completely forgotten about. It's why you could say "yeah Disney's expensive but it's worth it becayse of this, this, and that, and maybe a little intangible here or there, but you just knew it was different in a good way" so you didn't mind paying more. They've lost the majority of that.

In addition they need to really focus on making Traditions longer an ingraining in the CM's the service values - the past couple of times I've met some downright rude cast members and I walked away thinking behavior pre-pandemic of that nature would have led them to be fired had that interaction been reported (which is why I didn't report it).

They need to stop lowering their standards because it lets them save a dollar. Keeping standards high and raising them even further may cost them money in the short run, but they'll more than make up for it in the long run with loyalty and repeat visits from guests. They've lost sight of that fact.

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[Ayla]

Is mid to late August (next month) likely to be quite? American schools are back by then aren't they?

Only schools in the south. Most of the rest of the country that doesn't have year-round school typically starts the first week of September, either right before or the day after Labor Day.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They’re not going to switch away from a proven revenue generator to something free, and being free was about the only thing FastPass had going for it.

However, I do absolutely think Genie+ should be included with a resort stay, at least at deluxe resorts. Kind of nuts that it’s not when it seems that would be one of the easiest ways to pack all of your more expensive rooms and restore some sense of value without actually fiddling with any price tags.

They can’t include it in hotel stays…it would wreck the lines just like fastpass+ did.

 

[James Alucobond]

They can’t include it in hotel stays…it would wreck the lines just like fastpass+ did.

What percentage of deluxe guests already buy it? Do we know?

 

[arich35]

However will you maximize the value of your passes if you don't spend every possible minute in the parks? Sacrilege!

We were there in May for 5 days and going back in January for a week with kids so they will be taken advantage of lol. Want to relax more during this adult trip

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

They're trying to stop an arterial bleed with a band-aid right now when they need a tourniquet if occupancy is pushing 80% and they're taking resort sections offline. In no particular order what I think would help:

• Restore DME (even if they can't do it with bag delivery service since Bags, Inc. went bankrupt)
• Make G+ free for on-site guests (or at least at the deluxe resorts)
• Make G+ "discounted" for on-site guests not at deluxe resorts
• Reduce prices overall (F&B, Hotels, Tickets) - they won't do this but they may start making discounts more aggressive
• Improve show and maintenace which has started to lag at both the parks and resorts
• Provide free magic bands (just basic ones, not MB+) to onsite guests again
• Get rid of park-hopping restrictions
• Bring back a night parade to MK - it was a core part of the experience for so many years that has been abandoned
• Bring back daily housekeeping to ALL resorts - not just deluxe resorts
• Bring back EMH's for ALL resorts in full - not this split system (and I say this as someone who normally stays deluxe)

Some of these aren't huge things, but they made the "Disney Difference" - which they've completely forgotten about. It's why you could say "yeah Disney's expensive but it's worth it becayse of this, this, and that, and maybe a little intangible here or there, but you just knew it was different in a good way" so you didn't mind paying more. They've lost the majority of that.

In addition they need to really focus on making Traditions longer an ingraining in the CM's the service values - the past couple of times I've met some downright rude cast members and I walked away thinking behavior pre-pandemic of that nature would have led them to be fired had that interaction been reported (which is why I didn't report it).

They need to stop lowering their standards because it lets them save a dollar. Keeping standards high and raising them even further may cost them money in the short run, but they'll more than make up for it in the long run with loyalty and repeat visits from guests. They've lost sight of that fact.

I agree with all this completely! It's too bad that now they seem to be only thinking about the short term, and only regarding the shareholders. They seem completely oblivious to what really needs to be done to right the wrongs. Until they do see it, then nothing will change, IMO>

 

[Grimley1968]

I agree with all this completely! It's too bad that now they seem to be only thinking about the short term, and only regarding the shareholders. They seem completely oblivious to what really needs to be done to right the wrongs. Until they do see it, then nothing will change, IMO>

When I think about the long term, I think about the nostalgia (or lack thereof now) that kept bringing me back for decades. IMO, there's not much nostalgia being instilled in current visitors to bring these visitors back 20-50 years from now. There might be some, but not enough to overcome the penny pinching by Disney and the "feels like work" aspect of simply trying to get on a ride. Those current visitors become one-and-done visitors.