Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Andrew25 said:
I know wait-times are not indicators due to the ridiculous amount of downtime and LL ratios they are using nowadays... but the parks are busy just walking around, including Universal.

I say this as someone who thought the parks would be empty going into this year, but boy have I been wrong.
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I find tremendous amount of variation between “busy” descriptions these days

It will be truly busy in “off season” days…and really lacking during traditional “busy” periods that people still fret as busy.
 
Willmark

Willmark

Well-Known Member
LSLS said:
Oh yeah, the difference was starker for me in the last 3 years than ever before. Theming does matter to me, but it's not the end all/be all either. Like you said, value is the biggest. All things equal in terms of pricing and ease of going, I'd rather be at MK. But all things aren't equal. I pay less for my season pass than a single day at Disney. This includes discounts all over the place, as well as random perks (things like a random fast pass, a free ticket for a friend, etc. get randomly sent to you). And that's not even getting into all the planning both months in advance as well as day of that needs to be done at WDW. Even long lines don't feel as long at Cedar Point because they move (my TOP complaint about WDW among everything else. It's not just the wait times, it's the wait times where you just stand still).
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Hard to like this post enough. Spot on.

The inordinate amount of planning required for Disney hardly feels like a vacation.
 
Tha Realest

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
Angel Ariel said:
For our honeymoon we had a theme park view room overlooking seven seas lagoon at the grand Floridian for around $350/night. In the middle of the summer. And we had extra magic hours until 2-3am in MK.

Hotel rates for Disney hotels are seriously inflated. There's no way I'm going to pay $200/night for the tiny rooms at the all star hotels. If we didn't qualify for Shades, we would never stay "onsite." It's just too ridiculously overpriced with very little benefits esp since they gutted extra magic hours.
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If you believe the quarterlies and anecdotal information passed on by folks like @PREMiERdrum , more and more people are making the same calculus.
 
Willmark

Willmark

Well-Known Member
EPCOT-O.G. said:
If you believe the quarterlies and anecdotal information passed on by folks like @PREMiERdrum , more and more people are making the same calculus.
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Exactly right.

The rise in prices pre pandemic and even early post was their only lever to throttle demand due to their inability/refusal(insert reason here) to expand capacity while attendance has increased dramatically.

Now the Mouse is addicted to those prices and loathes to reduce them while simultaneously reducing any perks. Then add in the “privilege” of needing an advanced math degree for what is supposed to be a vacation.

Add in all of the other problems we can’t talk about here?

It should come as no surprise to anyone outside of the pixie dusters that the math simply doesn’t add up for lot of folks. I said earlier that Disney has been coasting on good will for decades.

Add in a split fan base to this?

If Disney started right now they might be able to fix their issues, major one being capacity. I say might because in reality they need multiple lands at MK fully expand out AK and overhaul EC.

MK needs to add something like 10 rides at minimum to handle demand. The Mouse doesn’t want that however. They want people in the gift shops rather than the rides.
 
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Eric Graham

Well-Known Member
Expansion can take a lot of time and money. They've revealed plans on this site for Disney World expansion, but it just can take time.. Didn't they reveal they want to spend $60 billion in the next 10 years on theme parks and experiences around the world. 70% of that is earmarked for increased capacity.
 
Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Eric Graham said:
Expansion can take a lot of time and money. They've revealed plans on this site for Disney World expansion, but it just can take time.. Didn't they reveal they want to spend $60 billion in the next 10 years on theme parks and experiences around the world. 70% of that is earmarked for increased capacity.
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Seems like a tall order for a xenophobic CEO who “claims” he’ll be gone long before then…
 
crispy

crispy

Well-Known Member
Eric Graham said:
Cedar Point sounds like a lot of fun. I googled it. 300 foot tall coaster. We opted to go to Dollywood this year instead of Disney. We've gone before and my wife really enjoyed it. My Mom had a former hairdresser who did hair for movies. While Dolly was filming a moving here, Richard did her hair. He said what a wonderful person that she was in real life. She invited him up to stay for free at her new place at the time after that movie filmed. I believe he still uses the photo I took for him at a family event as a headshot. I've never met her, though. Just heard so very nice and wonderful things from the people at Pigeon Forge. I heard a story about her on a radio one time. She has a studio in her house where musicians would come to record. As the story goes, she went into the kitchen and made the musician chicken and dumplings while they were recording. Yum!
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Dolly is a national treasure, and Dollywood is a great park. She usually comes to opening day at Dollywood each year. I have seen her several times at the park. My youngest daughter was gobsmacked when she realized Dollywood was named after an actual, living human. 😂
 
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Eric Graham

Well-Known Member
crispy said:
Dolly is a national treasure, and Dollywood is a great park. She usually comes to opening day at Dollywood each year. I have seen her several times at the park. My youngest daughter was gobsmacked when she realized Dollywood was named after an actual, living human. 😂
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I believe if I'm not mistaken that she has some sort of apartment she stays at above one of the gift shops. That is pretty wonderful that you met her at the park many times. My wife and I had been a few years back and it was her first time going there. We really wanted to go to Dollywood, but it had rained the whole trip pretty much and we opted not to go. We're definitely going this time and staying at her new place. My earliest recollection of the park (I'm definitely dating myself) was when I saw a concert with Suzy Bogguss, and someone came up and gave her a dozen roses at the concert. We really enjoyed Paula Deen's Family Kitchen the last time we went. Yum.
 
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Eric Graham

Well-Known Member
We have also eaten at the Guy FIeri restaurant there too. One of my family members in the food industry, and we like how nice that he has been in the past to fellow restaurateurs over the years. What a great guy! His Chicken Guy restaurant in Disney Springs is very good too!
 
crispy

crispy

Well-Known Member
Eric Graham said:
I believe if I'm not mistaken that she has some sort of apartment she stays at above one of the gift shops. That is pretty wonderful that you met her at the park many times. My wife and I had been a few years back and it was her first time going there. We really wanted to go to Dollywood, but it had rained the whole trip pretty much and we opted not to go. We're definitely going this time and staying at her new place. My earliest recollection of the park (I'm definitely dating myself) was when I saw a concert with Suzy Bogguss, and someone came up and gave her a dozen roses at the concert. We really enjoyed Paula Deen's Family Kitchen the last time we went. Yum.
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The parks is so open that rain makes it difficult. We love only a few hours away so we get a season pass usually every other year. I went once or twice as a teenager and then started visiting again once I had kids. Visiting there brings back so many good memories.

We love the festivals at the park if you can visit during one of the. Usually have great food and entertainment.
 
Laketravis

Laketravis

Well-Known Member
Willmark said:
As a contrast to the woes at Disney, we’re planning out the first summer vacation in a bit to Cedar Point this summer.
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Sirwalterraleigh said:
Now I want to go to Pigeon Forge AND Sandusky…

Damn you people!!! 😡
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LOL! Now you've both got me thinking of going......what's the best (least crowded) time of year, if there is one?
 

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