Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[John park hopper]

ding ding ding! and we have a winner!
Disney was never a cheap vacation, and I don't expect them to be offering any crazy deals, but the overall cost of tickets, food and rooms has just gotten untenable... especially with the annual ticket price increases, and Genie plus where you are paying an extra fee to use it, then paying another $15-$20 per ride you want to get on. so my $125 day ticket to the park actually ends up $160 plus with a couple ride reservations. When the budget hotels (all Star) are routinely $200 and up for a Motel 6 experience, it is time to rethink things.
I think they have finally hit the tipping point.
We used to go multiple times a year, we are DVC members and have lots of happy memories, but the last few years have made us rethink our visits. The restrictions and park reservations, the Fastpass Plus and Genie, the never-ending construction walls, and the crowds have all made running up for the weekend more of a planning hassle than any sort of fun. Add in the food, beverage, and hotel costs and it is too much. Nobody wants to feel like they are getting fleeced. It is easier and cheaper now to plan a last minute cruise than a weekend trip to the Magic Kingdom.
I am hoping when things settle down, perhaps they will even things out again... but doubtful under current management.

All of your points made is why we have stopped going to WDW.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Maybe it shouldn't cost a family of four $600+ to go in to the park for a day.

and about $175 more to ensure you get to ride most things

and park reservations
and the 7am G+ lottery game
Etc
Etc

 

[Nubs70]

An observation from Munich, a little cold and rainy but not too busy. Now in Prague, it is cool but sunny and crowds are pretty big. Must be the sun brings out the crowds.

 

[SaucyBoy]

It's anecdotal, of course, but crowds were once again remarkably low this weekend. The biggest surprise was how "light" Epcot felt on Saturday for F&W. It wasn't dead by any means but typically it's wall to wall people. To be fair, Saturday's heat was absolutely unbearable, and I say that as someone living in the south.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

For the third month in a row, the Orange County Comptroller has recorded a year-over-year decrease in Tourist Development Tax collections. June collections were just over $30 million, representing a 7.3% decrease compared to June 2022

(source: Blog Mickey article)

 

[SamusAranX]

ding ding ding! and we have a winner!
Disney was never a cheap vacation, and I don't expect them to be offering any crazy deals, but the overall cost of tickets, food and rooms has just gotten untenable... especially with the annual ticket price increases, and Genie plus where you are paying an extra fee to use it, then paying another $15-$20 per ride you want to get on. so my $125 day ticket to the park actually ends up $160 plus with a couple ride reservations. When the budget hotels (all Star) are routinely $200 and up for a Motel 6 experience, it is time to rethink things.
I think they have finally hit the tipping point.
We used to go multiple times a year, we are DVC members and have lots of happy memories, but the last few years have made us rethink our visits. The restrictions and park reservations, the Fastpass Plus and Genie, the never-ending construction walls, and the crowds have all made running up for the weekend more of a planning hassle than any sort of fun. Add in the food, beverage, and hotel costs and it is too much. Nobody wants to feel like they are getting fleeced. It is easier and cheaper now to plan a last minute cruise than a weekend trip to the Magic Kingdom.
I am hoping when things settle down, perhaps they will even things out again... but doubtful under current management.

125? Every day I go (weekdays only, Pixie Pass) I am seeing 139 or 149 at the gates for a 1 day/1 park ticket. It's madness

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Last couple of days have been hotter than ever and the parks very crowded still. The two aren't correlated. Seems like some of these promotions are filling rooms.

 

[jpeden]

Last couple of days have been hotter than ever and the parks very crowded still. The two aren't correlated. Seems like some of these promotions are filling rooms.

They clearly aren’t filling rooms for the holiday season though if they’ve shuttered parts of the following:

Crescent Lake Hotel
Monorail Hotel
South Values
Two Moderates

 

[erasure fan1]

the never-ending construction walls,

And the worst part of that is the fact that if you factor in the closed attractions, there's been zero net gains to the parks.

 

[celluloid]

And the worst part of that is the fact that if you factor in the closed attractions, there's been zero net gains to the parks.

Even worse there is still a loss within the park.

Shoot, now right down for the more expensive parking than ever.

 

[Splash4eva]

Last couple of days have been hotter than ever and the parks very crowded still. The two aren't correlated. Seems like some of these promotions are filling rooms.

But but but the heat we were told were why sooo many people didnt go on the 4th or are we back to blaming Taylor Swift

 

[jannerUK]

Did seaworld yesterday and that was unbearable.
Disney MK feels busy in fantasy land currently but not manic.
We have been told many schoolkids go back tomorrow and few on monorail stated this was their last stop today, so may see a bit of an increase.

 

[AEfx]

ding ding ding! and we have a winner!
Disney was never a cheap vacation, and I don't expect them to be offering any crazy deals, but the overall cost of tickets, food and rooms has just gotten untenable... especially with the annual ticket price increases, and Genie plus where you are paying an extra fee to use it, then paying another $15-$20 per ride you want to get on. so my $125 day ticket to the park actually ends up $160 plus with a couple ride reservations. When the budget hotels (all Star) are routinely $200 and up for a Motel 6 experience, it is time to rethink things.
I think they have finally hit the tipping point.

Exactly.

They have basically done what many of us around here predicted would eventually happen (though, I don't know how many of us really thought it would happen this soon).

As you point out, Disney has never been "cheap" - but it did offer a quality experience and was at a price point that even those with lower incomes could save up for a few years and be able to have a great vacation. That is no longer in the cards when, at minimum, even staying at the Disney motels, a week's vacation costs as much as a used car.

I helped over 100 families plan WDW vacations back in the day, and by far the most common question/comment was: "okay, so the admission price is huge - what more am I going to have to lay out once we are inside"? And you used to be able to say, "everything is included, except what you eat and what you buy for souvenirs".

So, unless you were among the .01% super-wealthy visitors and paid for private tours, it didn't matter if you were that family who saved up for years for your big trip, or someone who went four times a year - when everyone arrived, they had the same in-park experience and access to rides and attractions as everyone else. I think people way under-estimate that as a selling point, just because "all the other parks charge more for line access".

In any case, those people who had to save were priced out years ago now. Then Disney relied on the pixie dusters (who turned into the social media hounds) who just couldn't get enough and were back every year, if not multiple times a year. Once they started to fall off, due to the decline of the experience, and burnout, was just in time for the pandemic, and then the post-pandemic travel boom which has reached its conclusion.

This has been a long time coming. I've said it before - but the Galactic Starcruiser was not an anomaly, it was the canary in the coal mine. It was the perfect microcosm of the current Disney experience - massively overpriced, for an experience that was pared down to the bare minimum, and was so lopsided in value that even the natural highly valued good-will the Star Wars brand brings couldn't save it.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Exactly.

They have basically done what many of us around here predicted would eventually happen (though, I don't know how many of us really thought it would happen this soon).

As you point out, Disney has never been "cheap" - but it did offer a quality experience and was at a price point that even those with lower incomes could save up for a few years and be able to have a great vacation. That is no longer in the cards when, at minimum, even staying at the Disney motels, a week's vacation costs as much as a used car.

I helped over 100 families plan WDW vacations back in the day, and by far the most common question/comment was: "okay, so the admission price is huge - what more am I going to have to lay out once we are inside"? And you used to be able to say, "everything is included, except what you eat and what you buy for souvenirs".

So, unless you were among the .01% super-wealthy visitors and paid for private tours, it didn't matter if you were that family who saved up for years for your big trip, or someone who went four times a year - when everyone arrived, they had the same in-park experience and access to rides and attractions as everyone else. I think people way under-estimate that as a selling point, just because "all the other parks charge more for line access".

In any case, those people who had to save were priced out years ago now. Then Disney relied on the pixie dusters (who turned into the social media hounds) who just couldn't get enough and were back every year, if not multiple times a year. Once they started to fall off, due to the decline of the experience, and burnout, was just in time for the pandemic, and then the post-pandemic travel boom which has reached its conclusion.

This has been a long time coming. I've said it before - but the Galactic Starcruiser was not an anomaly, it was the canary in the coal mine. It was the perfect microcosm of the current Disney experience - massively overpriced, for an experience that was pared down to the bare minimum, and was so lopsided in value that even the natural highly valued good-will the Star Wars brand brings couldn't save it.

Well Said!

 

[the_rich]

Overseas travel is being discounted as a factor and I thinks it a big reason. International travel to the US is still down 27% from 2019. It actually decreased in June. There are many things contributing to a decline in attendance but it isn't isolated to disney.

 

[Lilofan]

Overseas travel is being discounted as a factor and I thinks it a big reason. International travel to the US is still down 27% from 2019. It actually decreased in June. There are many things contributing to a decline in attendance but it isn't isolated to disney.

Could it be worldwide recession ?

 

[the_rich]

Could it be worldwide recession ?

Well, while inflation is going down here, in Europe(especially the UK) its been higher. I'm sure that's playing a role.

 

[Lilofan]

Well, while inflation is going down here, in Europe(especially the UK) its been higher. I'm sure that's playing a role.

Kissimmee which seems like the rental and vacation home capital of the world has UK residents renting and buying real estate. Perhaps Kissimmee is feeling the effects also.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Well, while inflation is going down here, in Europe(especially the UK) its been higher. I'm sure that's playing a role.

Don't conflate inflation going down (which is a government-manipulated figure to begin with) with prices remaining far too high to sustain. Continued high prices are going to bring things to a halt.

But Disney doesn't have to worry, once the temps fall in the next few months the parks will be packed again.

 

[John park hopper]

Well, while inflation is going down here, in Europe(especially the UK) its been higher. I'm sure that's playing a role.

Don't know where you live but here (USA) inflation is still going up and with the increase in gas prices products will cost more to ship, grow, process and package. Example I bought a gallon of lacquer thinner was $10 2 years ago now same brand 21.99 yesterday.