Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[jpeden]

Have we seen any info on what bookings are looking like for 2024? It seems like the parade of discounts has stoped at Christmas season. I wonder if this means bookings are picking back up for 2024.

I believe @PREMiERdrum said they weren’t where the company wants them but I could be mis-remembering. Tagging for clarification.

 

[Jumping Fountains]

I assume you are referring to the normal operating hours. Compare that to the after hours party nights when there are few lines, and additional entertainment offerings. Disney is capable of operating levels of better experience when the average revenue per cap is higher.

Not that there is really THAT much of a gap. The quality isn't that far off.

After Hours is great for rides/lines, but I miss the no-light-bulb-left-unchanged quality of older times (I’m in my mid-40s). As long as I’m going to an artificial environment, it may as well be unrealistically clean and maintained! Slightly different, but I also miss the thematic integrity and related street entertainment of old EPCOT and MGM, but I understand that’s long gone. Now I’m really going on a tangent, but also, bring back stores with differentiated product (instead of main st magic kingdom now feeling like one continuous (boring) mall with many doors)!

 

[jpeden]

After Hours is great for rides/lines, but I miss the no-light-bulb-left-unchanged quality of older times (I’m in my mid-40s). As long as I’m going to an artificial environment, it may as well be unrealistically clean and maintained! Slightly different, but I also miss the thematic integrity and related street entertainment of old EPCOT and MGM, but I understand that’s long gone. Now I’m really going on a tangent, but also, bring back stores with differentiated product (instead of main st magic kingdom now feeling like one continuous (boring) mall with many doors)!

I miss when sight-lines were actually considered important.

 

[Touchdown]

Well it was 60 days for me today, despite booking for a party of 7, 5 and 1 (different arrival and departure dates) at a lot of desired restaurants I had only had one time where I had to book earlier then an hour before my desired time. Everything else wasn’t a problem

 

[FigmentFan82]

I'm curious if there will appear to be a more noticeable drop in attendance over this week into next as the kids are finishing up their last summer days before heading into the school year. Also if it will be more noticable of lower hotel occupancy.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I'm curious if there will appear to be a more noticeable drop in attendance over this week into next as the kids are finishing up their last summer days before heading into the school year. Also if it will be more noticable of lower hotel occupancy.

One family I know went back to school last week, they live in the Winter Garden Area, so some schools in Florida are back. New York doesnt go back until later, typically after Labor Day. This year it is September 7th, 2023. Marie

 

[CaptainAmerica]

After Hours is great for rides/lines, but I miss the no-light-bulb-left-unchanged quality of older times (I’m in my mid-40s).

That was always a myth and it's been proven many, many times. People post old trip photos from the 80s and 90s that show burnt out light bulbs here and there, it happens. Things appeared perfect 30 years ago because you were a kid.

Now I’m really going on a tangent, but also, bring back stores with differentiated product (instead of main st magic kingdom now feeling like one continuous (boring) mall with many doors)!

Every time Disney introduces unique merchandise (Galaxy's Edge, Avatar, Tron) everyone cries and complains that it's too expensive.

 

[Lilofan]

One family I know went back to school last week, they live in the Winter Garden Area, so some schools in Florida are back. New York doesnt go back until later, typically after Labor Day. This year it is September 7th, 2023. Marie

That's right FL kids back in school, high school football teams have been working out / practicing since late May, Friday night football under the lights begins in a few days!

 

[drew81]

https://www.fastcompany.com/90934522/disney-world-is-hell

 

[erasure fan1]

Every time Disney introduces unique merchandise (Galaxy's Edge, Avatar, Tron) everyone cries and complains that it's too expensive.

I can't speak for everyone, but the vast majority of merch from Galaxys edge and tron, we didn't go to Pandora, is not great in my opinion. Yea it is too expensive, but mostly for the quality that it is. Just because it is unique to that area, doesn't necessarily make it worth the extra cash. It also has to be cool and so much of what was in Galaxy's edge just wasn't great.

 

[Tha Realest]

I can't speak for everyone, but the vast majority of merch from Galaxys edge and tron, we didn't go to Pandora, is not great in my opinion. Yea it is too expensive, but mostly for the quality that it is. Just because it is unique to that area, doesn't necessarily make it worth the extra cash. It also has to be cool and so much of what was in Galaxy's edge just wasn't great.

Since the merch is tied to the land, which draws its inspiration from Solo and the sequel trilogy, that tracks with the lackluster merchandise sales those films have received.

There’s a reason that LEGO keeps going to the original trilogy and Mandalorian well. If only WDI would learn this same lesson.

 

[erasure fan1]

Since the merch is tied to the land, which draws its inspiration from Solo and the sequel trilogy, that tracks with the lackluster merchandise sales those films have received.

It's also supposed to be more "in world". So if you want a cool star wars shirt, you will probably find it outside of the land instead of in the billion dollar star wars area.

Who wants these? All the plush was just kind of lame.

 

[Tha Realest]

It's also supposed to be more "in world". So if you want a cool star wars shirt, you will probably find it outside of the land instead of in the billion dollar star wars area.
View attachment 737493
Who wants these? All the plush was just kind of lame.

You don’t want a bizarre plush that looks like carnival game quality of the thirsty alien that listed after Han and Chewbacca?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Since the merch is tied to the land, which draws its inspiration from Solo and the sequel trilogy, that tracks with the lackluster merchandise sales those films have received.

There’s a reason that LEGO keeps going to the original trilogy and Mandalorian well. If only WDI would learn this same lesson.

. . . . .

It's also supposed to be more "in world". So if you want a cool star wars shirt, you will probably find it outside of the land instead of in the billion dollar star wars area.
View attachment 737493
Who wants these? All the plush was just kind of lame.

Im gonna bet at least 2 of those bins never get touched

That goes to the lego point.

They sell 3 things now:
1. OT - 50% +
2. Mando and D+ series based on OT - 30%
2. Clone wars/prequel stuff - 18%


The rest are all spoils to KK and her boys club director cult

 

[AEfx]

That was always a myth and it's been proven many, many times. People post old trip photos from the 80s and 90s that show burnt out light bulbs here and there, it happens. Things appeared perfect 30 years ago because you were a kid.

Disney did not have magical light bulbs that never burnt out, that is true - the difference is, as soon as one was spotted it was written up and corrected ASAP. Usually by the extensive overnight crews they had specifically for that, and things like paint touch-ups, etc.

Disney used to pride themselves on things like this, and the fact that they had people working all night long doing things like constantly repainting the curbs (I distinctly remember a Disney Channel short back in the day where they interviewed the curb guys - basically, it took them like two weeks to repaint them all throughout the park, and then once they finished - they went back and started all over again).

So this isn't some fan nonsense or pixie colored glasses - Disney used to heavily promote the fact that they had just as many people working overnight in the parks when guests weren't there as when the gates were open, all to make sure that everything looked brand new every day, attraction effects were maintained nightly, etc.

It may have been overkill, but Disney has no one but themselves to blame for these expectations, because they themselves are the ones that created them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney did not have magical light bulbs that never burnt out, that is true - the difference is, as soon as one was spotted it was written up and corrected ASAP. Usually by the extensive overnight crews they had specifically for that, and things like paint touch-ups, etc.

Disney used to pride themselves on things like this, and the fact that they had people working all night long doing things like constantly repainting the curbs (I distinctly remember a Disney Channel short back in the day where they interviewed the curb guys - basically, it took them like two weeks to repaint them all throughout the park, and then once they finished - they went back and started all over again).

So this isn't some fan nonsense or pixie colored glasses - Disney used to heavily promote the fact that they had just as many people working overnight in the parks when guests weren't there as when the gates were open, all to make sure that everything looked brand new every day, attraction effects were maintained nightly, etc.

It may have been overkill, but Disney has no one but themselves to blame for these expectations, because they themselves are the ones that created them.

The assertion that maintenance/upkeep was “always” this way is a stance not based in reality.

They obvious don’t feel like they need to remove the “garbage” from the blue ocean anymore

 

[Lilofan]

Disney did not have magical light bulbs that never burnt out, that is true - the difference is, as soon as one was spotted it was written up and corrected ASAP. Usually by the extensive overnight crews they had specifically for that, and things like paint touch-ups, etc.

Disney used to pride themselves on things like this, and the fact that they had people working all night long doing things like constantly repainting the curbs (I distinctly remember a Disney Channel short back in the day where they interviewed the curb guys - basically, it took them like two weeks to repaint them all throughout the park, and then once they finished - they went back and started all over again).

So this isn't some fan nonsense or pixie colored glasses - Disney used to heavily promote the fact that they had just as many people working overnight in the parks when guests weren't there as when the gates were open, all to make sure that everything looked brand new every day, attraction effects were maintained nightly, etc.

It may have been overkill, but Disney has no one but themselves to blame for these expectations, because they themselves are the ones that created them.

I am curious if DLP has the same issues . The Paris custodial theme park overnight team is third party but I don't know if the maintenance teams are completely outsourced too.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Disney used to pride themselves on things like this, and the fact that they had people working all night long doing things like constantly repainting the curbs (I distinctly remember a Disney Channel short back in the day where they interviewed the curb guys - basically, it took them like two weeks to repaint them all throughout the park, and then once they finished - they went back and started all over again).

I remember hearing something similar that each night the some of the horse head poles on Main Street were stripped down to bare metal, and then repainted and once they had done all of them, they started over. I could swear it was during a Keys to the Kingdom Tour. As far as not being based in fact, I had often heard that Disney prided itself on being the trendsetter in the industry. I am sure I didnt make that up. Disney held themselves to a higher standard in the past. I dont know for certain if that was ever stated as a business goal by anyone in the organization but that was the general feel around the Industry. Marie

 

[Disstevefan1]

I remember hearing something similar that each night the some of the horse head poles on Main Street were stripped down to bare metal, and then repainted and once they had done all of them, they started over. I could swear it was during a Keys to the Kingdom Tour. As far as not being based in fact, I had often heard that Disney prided itself on being the trendsetter in the industry. I am sure I didnt make that up. Disney held themselves to a higher standard in the past. I dont know for certain if that was ever stated as a business goal by anyone in the organization but that was the general feel around the Industry. Marie

All this attention to detail did indeed happen in the good old days. Not sure how much has survived.

 

[erasure fan1]

As far as not being based in fact, I had often heard that Disney prided itself on being the trendsetter in the industry. I am sure I didnt make that up. Disney held themselves to a higher standard in the past.

There's a reason that many companies would try to model Disney. I can't tell you how many places started calling their customers guests. Heck, the last company I worked for had a whole training seminar on why Disney was on different level as a business. So while Disney might not have had a lightbulb taskforce, or repainted the magic kingdom every night. They were considered major trendsetters and many companies wanted to emulate them.