Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[GhostHost1000]

Today's resort guests at Disney don't feel as valued as they once were... which has caused many to look at staying off property... the problem with that is, honestly, there are a lot of nice properties in the area better than many of the Disney resorts.

 

[Andrew25]

That they haven't put one at Crescent Lake, TTAC, and perhaps the All Star complex boggles my mind.

Aside from the obvious cashflow, it would absolutely be viewed as a serious amenity by a huge number of guests.

Not that long ago they had the Joffrey's truck that moved around to the more congested resort areas, in what I assumed was testing the waters for a standalone coffee concept for resort guests. Is it still out and about?

Not putting a Starbucks in the Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station will always boggle my mind. I can understand their hesitancy of putting a Starbucks at each WDW resort (no need at the campgrounds for example), but the Universal onsite resorts all have them and are always busy, and it has no impact on the locations located in the parks/CityWalk.

 

[Ayla]

Not putting a Starbucks in the Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station will always boggle my mind. I can understand their hesitancy of putting a Starbucks at each WDW resort (no need at the campgrounds for example), but the Universal onsite resorts all have them and are always busy, and it has no impact on the locations located in the parks/CityWalk.

There is a Joffrey's just outside the Caribbean Beach station.

 

[Andrew25]

There is a Joffrey's just outside the Caribbean Beach station.

Not the same, sorry

I like Joffrey's more than Starbucks, but people go crazy after Starbucks

 

[Disstevefan1]

Orlando's ballooning inventory of vacation home rentals is viewed, internally, as a far greater threat to WDW's resort hotel portfolio than anything Universal is doing.

Vacation home rentals have been around forever. Yes they are a super value when you have a very large group vacationing together. I think this is a small subset of vacationers, big groups who want to drive to the parks.

All Disney needs to bring back the free Disney Express, then they will pack them in again.

 

[Andrew25]

Vacation home rentals have been around forever. Yes they are a super value when you have a very large group vacationing together. I think this is a small subset of vacationers, big groups who want to drive to the parks.

All Disney needs to bring back the free Disney Express, then they will pack them in again.

Yes, but there's been a ridiculous surge over the past few years. More home developments are being built to the west of WDW property (aka Flamingo Crossings area) and they are being utilized for vacation homes and/or Air BNB.

 

[Tha Realest]

Orlando's ballooning inventory of vacation home rentals is viewed, internally, as a far greater threat to WDW's resort hotel portfolio than anything Universal is doing.

This is a great point. I’ve known a few couples that have taken trips / about to take trips in recent years. Each of them is renting an AirBNB. In years’ past they would’ve just don’t CBR or GF/Poly (and have).

 

[eliza61nyc]

Yup - US 192 is a nightmare, and will sometimes back up onto World Drive and congest roads onto WDW property. They just started work on I4 from Sand Lake through Championsgate, so it'll become (hopefully) easier to stay offsite in a few years with less traffic headaches.

If Disney needs to "subsidize" hotel rates... just put a Starbucks, those things are pure money making machines.

lol, a little OT. on the corner of my avenue they opened up a new Starbucks, right across the street from..... Yep another starbucks.
World domination has begun

 

[MrPromey]

Yup - US 192 is a nightmare, and will sometimes back up onto World Drive and congest roads onto WDW property. They just started work on I4 from Sand Lake through Championsgate, so it'll become (hopefully) easier to stay offsite in a few years with less traffic headaches.

If Disney needs to "subsidize" hotel rates... just put a Starbucks, those things are pure money making machines.

That I-4 work needs to extend down to Hanes City. That is where trouble south/east of Disney starts and it's been a bottleneck for over decade, now.

An extra lane from there to at least the Celebration/Airport exit has been badly needed for a long time and has only gotten worse with the explosion of Champion's Gate.

During the day, going east on I-4 backs up as a result of the double-lane entry from Hanes City all merging in and then just continues to be a problem as a result of the next two exits/onramps. In the evening, going west backs up due to the Champions Gate exit not being able to handle the number of people getting off the highway after parks start closing.

 

[HoustonHorn]

lol, a little OT. on the corner of my avenue they opened up a new Starbucks, right across the street from..... Yep another starbucks.
World domination has begun

I moved to Houston 20 years ago, and we were apparently the first to have this. Lewis Black chronicled it well:

One has since closed, but I frequented both.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I moved to Houston 20 years ago, and we were apparently the first to have this. Lewis Black chronicled it well:

One has since closed, but I frequented both.

OMG!!

 

[MrPromey]

Yes, but there's been a ridiculous surge over the past few years. More home developments are being built to the west of WDW property (aka Flamingo Crossings area) and they are being utilized for vacation homes and/or Air BNB.

This. (and the east, south/east)

I had a friend who bought a really nice condo in Davenport not realizing that most of their neighbors were Air BNBing their places.

Trash in the parking lots constantly, noise day and night and one time, he was late to work because two women were for reasons unknown, standing on his front porch yelling to each other* about something some guy (presumably a boyfriend or husband) had done - he had the entire incident on his doorbell cam.

Within a year, they were having a home built and were out of there before the yard in the new place had been sodded.

People who can't really afford them are buying vacation or what they think will be their retirement homes/condos and using them as income earners or trying to make them pay for themselves and it's thrown everything out of wack.


*I'd say fighting loudly because that was the tone and the body language but they seemed to be on the same side. Just the same, he was a little afraid to open his door to leave with them there like that.

 

[Andrew25]

That I-4 work needs to extend down to Hanes City. That is where trouble south/east of Disney starts and it's been a bottleneck for over decade, now.

An extra lane from there to at least the Celebration/Airport exit has been badly needed for a long time and has only gotten worse with the explosion of Champion's Gate.

During the day, going west on I-4 backs up as a result of the double-lane entry from Hanes City all merging in. In the evening, 1-4 backs up due to the Champions Gate exit not being able to handle the number of people getting off after parks start closing.

Thankfully they just started work on that. All of I4 from Sand Lake Road (Universal) to Championsgate will be adding lanes, new and improved exits and express lanes, plus space for future Brightline rail... so it'll get better one day, but it's gonna suck the next few years lol

 

[MrPromey]

Thankfully they just started work on that. All of I4 from Sand Lake Road (Universal) to Championsgate will be adding lanes, new and improved exits and express lanes, plus space for future Brightline rail... so it'll get better one day, but it's gonna suck the next few years lol

Unless it reaches Hanes City, going East (up I-4) will continue to be a problem though because that was getting bad even before Chapions Gate. While the exit/entry there is fine, the build up of people in Hanes City and Davenport served by that exit has continued to get worse.

Really, the area between Hanes City and the Celebration exit are, I think, where they need all of this most. While there is plenty of congestion in both directions for the rest of it, that's the only area I've ever been in that consistently has totally stopped traffic for big chunks of the day, every day.

That also seems like the easiest area to expand since the space is there and there are minimal overpasses unlike just about everything after Celebration.

A stretch of road that should and once did take 15 minutes to travel, can now easily add an hour or more to a trip.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

If Disney needs to "subsidize" hotel rates... just put a Starbucks, those things are pure money making machines.

While I'm not a huge fan of Starbucks directly, I feel like WDW is overlooking a significant aspect of 2024 WDW. With G+, someone has to be awake before 7am. First to buy it before 7am, then to book G+, ILL's, and VQ's all at 7am.

Yet many of the food courts don't open until 7am. I just checked, and it looks like some- maybe this week due to Easter? - open at 6am (GF,), and a few open at 6:30am (All Stars, AKL,). Most open at 7am = AoA, BC, Bwk, CR, Poly, Pop, POFQ/POR, Riviera, SS, WL, YC.

AK often opens at 7:30am for onsite guests. Busy weeks MK also opens at 7:30am, then HS opens at 8am. It isn't possible to book G+/ILL's?VQ's, get coffee/breakfast, and get to the parks in 30 minutes.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Starbucks would see a fair bit of early morning traffic before 7am.

 

[Lilofan]

Unless it reaches Hanes City, going East (up I-4) will continue to be a problem though because that was getting bad even before Chapions Gate. While the exit/entry there is fine, the build up of people in Hanes City and Davenport served by that exit has continued to get worse.

Really, the area between Hanes City and the Celebration exit are, I think, where they need all of this most. While there is plenty of congestion in both directions for the rest of it, that's the only area I've ever been in that consistently has totally stopped traffic for big chunks of the day, every day.

That also seems like the easiest area to expand since the space is there and there are minimal overpasses unlike just about everything after Celebration.

A stretch of road that should and once did take 15 minutes to travel, can now easily add an hour or more to a trip.

Anyone planning a leisurely trip on I-4 from Orlando to Tampa or vice versa is in for a rude awakening.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I can’t believe I missed stupor spending a whole day proving how to completely misunderstand Disneys staffing controls?

It’s like when snotty beamed president skroob: “why didn’t someone tell me my @$$ was so big?!?”

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

While I'm not a huge fan of Starbucks directly, I feel like WDW is overlooking a significant aspect of 2024 WDW. With G+, someone has to be awake before 7am. First to buy it before 7am, then to book G+, ILL's, and VQ's all at 7am.

Yet many of the food courts don't open until 7am. I just checked, and it looks like some- maybe this week due to Easter? - open at 6am (GF,), and a few open at 6:30am (All Stars, AKL,). Most open at 7am = AoA, BC, Bwk, CR, Poly, Pop, POFQ/POR, Riviera, SS, WL, YC.

AK often opens at 7:30am for onsite guests. Busy weeks MK also opens at 7:30am, then HS opens at 8am. It isn't possible to book G+/ILL's?VQ's, get coffee/breakfast, and get to the parks in 30 minutes.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Starbucks would see a fair bit of early morning traffic before 7am.

I noticed the same thing the last time I was there: definite missed opportunity

I think all food locations should be available 6am-midnight

But you know…what should we expect from Hotels that are 2x retail price?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That they haven't put one at Crescent Lake, TTAC, and perhaps the All Star complex boggles my mind.

Aside from the obvious cashflow, it would absolutely be viewed as a serious amenity by a huge number of guests.

Not that long ago they had the Joffrey's truck that moved around to the more congested resort areas, in what I assumed was testing the waters for a standalone coffee concept for resort guests. Is it still out and about?

I think one at boardwalk is inevitable

Or like the joffreys standalone at Caribbean

Maybe after they get finished taking 11 years to build a bakery?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The deluxe resorts are like Motel 6s?

Based on staffing…not much different