Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[Lilofan]

One year DW and I were staying off site ad got caught in the time share scam. Rep said it would only be a short tour and we would get free tickets Ha got to the place and found it was an all day deal. Immediately told them take us back to the resort ---which they did. Sounds to good to be true --it isn't

One tour took 4 hours. During that time was the provided all u can eat buffet then the time share tour and sales pitch.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Why do you think people are doing it?

I don’t know a lot about DVC but I thought part of it was that you get “locked in” at a certain price? So if resort prices go up over the course of several years it’s a good deal in that sense. For those who bought 10-15 years ago, I would think they’re getting a pretty amazing room rate today.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Good point. For so long, we (and all the reputable crowd calendar makers and Disney touring guide publishers) have measured WDW "crowds" in terms of attraction wait times. It's a hard habit to break, and I think it will be some time before guests change their mindset to understand that nowadays when there are fewer people in the parks, Disney is purposely reducing staff, ride capacity, and hours, in order to keep wait times (and the perceived need to buy G+) as steady as possible. As a result, there's no way to measure (other than eye-balling and guessing from the crowdedness of common areas, knowledge of historical crowd levels, or surges in WDW's hotel/ticket/G+ pricing) whether park attendance is rising, falling, or staying the same. Nor do crowd fluctuations have as much of an impact on the average guest as in times past, since WDW is doing its best to ensure that even if you visit during a "low crowd" time, you're unlikely to see much benefit from that choice (or at least, far less benefit than you used to get), in terms of attraction wait times.

My husband and I used to go to Disney yearly from 2013 on. We started to notice decreased staffing and the closing of one side of an attraction about 2018. We always tried to go during slower times, when they actually had them.
So, I think the reduced staffing situation started slowly about that time. Our last visit was 2020 the week before Covid hit.

 

[CAV]

To me, it seems a bit mean-spirited to offer nothing but pessimism to first-time guests who have already bought their tickets and are excited to go. I’ve given plenty of useful tips to friends of mine going for the first time, and they’ve been super grateful. The notion that it’s totally unnavigable just isn’t true.

One person's mean spirit is another person's actuality. But, it is judgmental to call someone someone mean spirited when you don't know their intentions.

 

[Kristamouse]

Because the skyliner is awesome and the buses suck. If they want their other moderates to do better they need to expand the skyliner.

yes, please...!

 

[UNCgolf]

Why don't they just lower the prices on the other moderates if they're not selling as well as Caribbean Beach?

Port Orleans Riverside and CBR cost roughly the same overall -- some rooms types are more expensive at POR and some are more expensive at CBR. I personally think Riverside is much, much better than CBR and I'd stay there over CBR even if it was $30-40 more per night, but if CBR is the only one moving rooms it seems strange that they aren't reducing rates elsewhere.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Why don't they just lower the prices on the other moderates if they're not selling as well as Caribbean Beach?

Port Orleans Riverside and CBR cost roughly the same overall -- some rooms types are more expensive at POR and some are more expensive at CBR. I personally think Riverside is much, much better than CBR and I'd stay there over CBR even if it was $30-40 more per night, but if CBR is the only one moving rooms it seems strange that they aren't reducing rates elsewhere.

I would have thought POR would be the most popular moderate... maybe the skyliner helps for CBR

 

[UNCgolf]

I would have thought POR would be the most popular moderate... maybe the skyliner helps for CBR

I'm sure it's the Skyliner, although the Skyliner actually makes me less likely to stay somewhere (not that I was ever interested in CBR anyways).

 

[Grimley1968]

I would have thought POR would be the most popular moderate... maybe the skyliner helps for CBR

Definitely, and the same would seem to be true for Pop, at least IMO. Before the Skyliner, I'd bet POR was the most popular moderate. I don't know if Pop costs more than other value resorts, but I could certainly understand it if that was the case, just because of Skyliner access. I hope WDW will build other Skyliner lines to support other park/resort areas within WDW (as long as they don't try to connect newer lines to the existing Skyliner line - each area needs to be standalone because Skyliner tops out at something like 15 MPH).

 

[DisneyRoy]

Definitely, and the same would seem to be true for Pop, at least IMO. Before the Skyliner, I'd bet POR was the most popular moderate. I don't know if Pop costs more than other value resorts, but I could certainly understand it if that was the case, just because of Skyliner access. I hope WDW will build other Skyliner lines to support other park/resort areas within WDW (as long as they don't try to connect newer lines to the existing Skyliner line - each area needs to be standalone because Skyliner tops out at something like 15 MPH).

Pop is definitely priced more than the All-Stars. And on par with the Little Mermaid rooms at AOA.

 

[UNCgolf]

Definitely, and the same would seem to be true for Pop, at least IMO. Before the Skyliner, I'd bet POR was the most popular moderate. I don't know if Pop costs more than other value resorts, but I could certainly understand it if that was the case, just because of Skyliner access. I hope WDW will build other Skyliner lines to support other park/resort areas within WDW (as long as they don't try to connect newer lines to the existing Skyliner line - each area needs to be standalone because Skyliner tops out at something like 15 MPH).

I hope they add other non-bus transit options, but not additional Skyliner routes. There are much better options that are faster/more efficient without the Skyliner's problems -- the standalone aspect you mentioned being just one of them. It would be bad to have a bunch of piecemeal Skyliner routes that didn't connect to each other (and probably not feasible because it would take up an inordinate amount of space at the theme parks to have multiple different Skyliner stations scattered around).

 

[Andrew25]

I hope they add other non-bus transit options, but not additional Skyliner routes. There are much better options that are faster/more efficient without the Skyliner's problems -- the standalone aspect you mentioned being just one of them. It would be bad to have a bunch of piecemeal Skyliner routes that didn't connect to each other (and probably not feasible because it would take up an inordinate amount of space at the theme parks to have multiple different Skyliner stations scattered around).

In an ideal world they would invest in a light rail system that can utilize existing roads/bridges.

 

[LittleBuford]

One person's mean spirit is another person's actuality. But, it is judgmental to call someone someone mean spirited when you don't know their intentions.

I’m sure their intentions aren’t bad. I just don’t see what’s to be gained by such an approach.

 

[fgmnt]

I have the very opposite of a miserable experience at WDW. Otherwise, I would never go back. Why would any of us?

I think two things can be true here: your standard first time family visiting unit around a median US family income and obtaining a median understanding of the resort operations (probably a bit lower than you could ever think) is having a significantly diminished experience for their dollar compared to 20 years ago, and that can have knock on effects down the line.

 

[CAV]

I’m sure their intentions aren’t bad. I just don’t see what’s to be gained by such an approach.

then how is it mean spirited?

 

[LittleBuford]

I think two things can be true here: your standard first time family visiting unit around a median US family income and obtaining a median understanding of the resort operations (probably a bit lower than you could ever think) is having a significantly diminished experience for their dollar compared to 20 years ago, and that can have knock on effects down the line.

I don’t understand how this relates to my point.

 

[fgmnt]

I don’t understand how this relates to my point.

Your experience is not necessarily a universal truth across all types of guests.

 

[LittleBuford]

then how is it mean spirited?

Because if someone has already booked a trip and is excitedly asking for advice, it can only dampen their spirits to be told, “Disney is nowhere near as good as it once was.”

 

[LittleBuford]

Your experience is not necessarily a universal truth across all types of guests.

When did I claim it was? I merely said that few of us would keep going back to Disney if the experience were actually miserable.

 

[Nubs70]

Because if someone has already booked a trip and is excitedly asking for advice, it can only dampen their spirits to be told, “Disney is nowhere near as good as it once was.”

After going to WDW since 2008 to 2021ish, 1x to 2x per year, the increase in prices, diminished inclusions, and increases in trip complexity, the experience does not meet my value proposition.

While I would try to help someone who has already book, I would certainly not encourage someone who was considering booking a vacation to WDW based on my post covid experience.

My standard reply now is, "you do know that it is actually the same price, if not slightly cheaper, to spend a week in Europe?"

My standard vacation allotment is now 1 winter week in Cancun then 2 summer weeks in Europe. I'm heading to Portugal this summer with a side trip to the Azores. 2 persons for 2 weeks for about $5k flights inclusive (may increase a bit depending on excursions)