Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

Smugpugmug

Smugpugmug

Well-Known Member
Andrew25 said:
A bit of an exaggeration on their post, but they're not far off from what a lot of guests are thinking. DHS is absolutely the worst theme park experience when more than 2 attractions go down.

I'm fortunate to be a local, but I can't imagine the stress that comes out of planning a trip only for the headliner to be down.
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It's part of the reason why I don't go to HS anymore and think of WDW as a 3 park resort. It's miserable being there when 2 rides go down due to the lack of capacity. I do agree that the post was exaggerating.
 
C

celluloid

Well-Known Member
Smugpugmug said:
It's part of the reason why I don't go to HS anymore and think of WDW as a 3 park resort. It's miserable being there when 2 rides go down due to the lack of capacity. I do agree that the post was exaggerating.
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Throw the thunderstorms into the mix with Toy Story Land being all outdoors.

It is wild that a day.in 2007 at MGM feels hard to do in DHS 2023.
 
Smugpugmug

Smugpugmug

Well-Known Member
celluloid said:
Throw the thunderstorms into the mix with Toy Story Land being all outdoors.

It is wild that a day.in 2007 at MGM feels hard to do in DHS 2023.
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I still do NOT understand how Toy Story Land was built without shade in Orlando, Florida. A place that gets daily hours long storms in the summer. As well as it being excruciatingly hot temperature wise.
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Smugpugmug said:
It's part of the reason why I don't go to HS anymore and think of WDW as a 3 park resort. It's miserable being there when 2 rides go down due to the lack of capacity. I do agree that the post was exaggerating.
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We primarily go to Hollywood studios for Slinky, Midway, Prime Time and Brown Derby for the mornings and then hop to Epcot for the rest of the day.
 
J

jpeden

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Thepuma said:
Just to confirm...attendance is definitely UP compared to any previous years.

We've been coming to Animal Kingdom for 6 years and visited about 50 times...when we get to the park 1 hour before opening we've previously always been about 6 or 7 people deep in the queue. Today we are here 1 hour before as usual and we are about 200 deep and into the parking lot.

Anyone who says the parks are quieter are just downright lying...they are busier than ever certainly busier than we have ever seen them by quite some margin too...and we have been in December before Xmas...its busier than even that.
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We were there over Labor Day weekend and never waited longer than 30 minutes in standby lines. Walkways were relatively empty and we could get spots for fireworks and parades within 15 minutes of the start times. The only thing that was truly “busy” was Food and Wine on a Saturday, which is to be expected.

The company has admitted attendance is down. What I suspect is happening is that they are running rides are reduced capacity and staff which is inflating wait times as things start to slow now that everyone is back in school. I’m not saying you aren’t seeing what you’re describing but it doesn’t mesh with what others have seen and experienced.
 
J

jpeden

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
PREMiERdrum said:
Fewer and fewer people are paying for Genie+, which normalizes the standby lines a bit as they were designed to operate.

Raw attendance is indeed soft, but G+ utilization dropping is pushing more people out of longer queues and onto the pathways, etc.
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Hard to pay for G+ when an ice cream sandwich/bar is now $6.25. I about stroked when I bought one a few weeks ago.

I felt like I noticed significantly less people in the G+ lines this trip than in the past but wasn’t sure if it was true. Very interesting to get confirmation that fewer folks are shelling out for it. I wouldn’t hate it as much if it allowed re-rides. It was clear that there was PLENTY of capacity for the days we did buy it as almost everything had availability all day but of course G+ is a one and done, which is it’s biggest negative over FP+. If I’m paying I should be able to use any G+ pass that’s available regardless if I’ve ridden the ride once already.
 
Wendy Pleakley

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
el_super said:
I have... but for me, if a ride is down I usually just... go do something else. There are lots of things to see and do, even in Hollywood Studios, that don't involve running from ride to ride. Seems like that is even easier to do now that the wait times are back to normal.
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Yep. Given the time and expense needed to even enter the park at 8:30, leaving a mere 15 minutes later makes no sense.

I'd spend 30 minutes browsing shops before flat out leaving and getting no return on what I've invested to be there.

Maybe after a couple of hours if I've done nothing and am just miserable.

Makes we wonder if that story is even real.
 
JoeCamel

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
jpeden said:
Hard to pay for G+ when an ice cream sandwich/bar is now $6.25. I about stroked when I bought one a few weeks ago.

I felt like I noticed significantly less people in the G+ lines this trip than in the past but wasn’t sure if it was true. Very interesting to get confirmation that fewer folks are shelling out for it. I wouldn’t hate it as much if it allowed re-rides. It was clear that there was PLENTY of capacity for the days we did buy it as almost everything had availability all day but of course G+ is a one and done, which is it’s biggest negative over FP+. If I’m paying I should be able to use any G+ pass that’s available regardless if I’ve ridden the ride once already.
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But you paid....
 
Henry Mystic

Henry Mystic

Author of "A Manor of Fact"
Ayla said:
As I frequently mention, literally everything discussed anywhere on this forum is a first world problem.
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Very true! And that goes for anything people enjoy: from fashion to sports, to clubbing and movies. It doesn't nullify the absolute human need to find joy and happiness in our pastimes, however.

I believe Walt said at one point (can't remember the exact quote, or if it's even attributable to him) that he felt bad at times early on in his career that his contributions to the world were merely pleasureful endeavors rather than something of a non-first world problem like medicine or solving world hunger, but he came to terms with it because he realized pleasure and art were just as important. Maybe not to merely survive, but to actually enjoy the one life we have.

Now, while I think the internet by and large brings out exaggerated over-criticism and negativity and these forums aren't immune, I do think the direction we previously saw with Dinoland would've been blasphemous to the medium as an art form. In contrast, I think the new Tropical Americas plans are fantastic, but people are free to disagree if their viewpoint is well thought out.

So all in all, I think fair critiquing services to bring out further exhilarating "side quests" in the human experience, rather than just focusing on mere survival rates, so they can both be perfectly in balance, as all things should be.
 

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