Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

J

jpeden

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
PREMiERdrum said:
There has been an unsupported internal belief that their measures would take hold and beat the trend. With bookings out on a long calendar, there has been enough leeway to imagine a light at the end.

This summer season is going to be brutal for them.
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They really can't internally think that throwing out some free dining and (up to) 35% off rack rates (that have done nothing but go up over time to where a discount is the rack price 3-4 years ago) was goign to "take hold" did they?

Like, they can't be THAT stupid...can they? They've devalued the on-site stay, they've consistently removed/not restored pre-pandemic perks (EMH's for all hotels, DME/Bags, Inc. services, Free FP/G+, resort merchandise delivery, activities at resorts, etc.), and they've increased prices on tickets, merchandise, and food/beverage so far outside of the rate of inflation (I mean, an ice cream sandwich was $6.50 when I last went - I literally would normally get one every day because it's my favorite treat there but at $6.50 I had ONE on a six day trip). When people get the bill at the end of the trip they're starting to question the validity of the worth - and the reality of the matter is the vast majority of visitors aren't like the people on these boards - they go once and if they have a bad trip at the current price point they won't give it a second chance.
 
Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
el_super said:
Just looking over the data at thrill-data.com for a bit and it looks like Universal had higher average wait times the weekend prior as well. The real winner of the weekend seems to have been Epcot which... I mean.... who knows why.
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Must have been the hugely successful EPCOT renovation 🤣

Seriously, most APs are blocked from MK, and all others, in general, I think assume MK will be mobbed and go to EPCOT to avoid crowds and now it backfiring?
 
el_super

el_super

Well-Known Member
jpeden said:
They really can't internally think that throwing out some free dining and (up to) 35% off rack rates (that have done nothing but go up over time to where a discount is the rack price 3-4 years ago) was goign to "take hold" did they?
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They don't want to keep broadcasting that their product can be had cheaply. That does far more damage to the brand overall, because then you end up with an audience conditioned to wait for the discounts. They will keep prices high and wait.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
lentesta said:
Magic Kingdom was a crowd level '1' (out of 10, 10=highest) on Memorial Day. I think that's unprecedented.
  • EPCOT = 8 / 10
  • DHS = 4
  • DAK = 5
  • Disneyland = 8
  • DCA = 9
  • Universal Studios Florida = 9
  • IOA = 5
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when you said it was the lowest you had ever recorded...

lowest memorial day saturday? or lowest saturday? or lowest day period?
 
Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
PREMiERdrum said:
There has been an unsupported internal belief that their measures would take hold and beat the trend. With bookings out on a long calendar, there has been enough leeway to imagine a light at the end.

This summer season is going to be brutal for them.
Click to expand...
I gives them the excuse to cut costs and raise prices on everything.

On the bright side, (if they don't cut too deep) who every goes in the summer may have a better, less crowded guest experience?
 
Andrew25

Andrew25

Well-Known Member
Part of it is all the things Disney has done to make the experience far more difficult/expensive/less valuable... but also a good amount of it is people being "smarter" with their planning and choosing to visit on days that will be less busy.

Mondays have been ridiculously busy at MK when Saturday would historically be a busier day. Holiday weekends the past 2 years have been quiet with increased pricing and significant blockouts.

As a local, I would have easily jumped to MK had they "switched on" access for APs if they had that capability.
 
Dad 2 M & M

Dad 2 M & M

Well-Known Member
Disstevefan1 said:
On the bright side, (if they don't cut too deep) who ever goes in the summer may have a better, less crowded guest experience?
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GhostHost1000 said:
It’s just a matter of time before they finally get it…

….hopefully
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Andrew25 said:
Part of it is all the things Disney has done to make the experience far more difficult/expensive/less valuable... but also a good amount of it is people being "smarter" with their planning and choosing to visit on days that will be less busy.

Mondays have been ridiculously busy at MK when Saturday would historically be a busier day. Holiday weekends the past 2 years have been quiet with increased pricing and significant blockouts.
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One additional thought…..

It peeps realize the Parks are slower/attendance is down and sustained, what happens to the Demand for the After Hours?

Currently, many (my peeps included) see the After Hours as a Value with short waits/line queues…..

Fall After Hours/MNSSHP/MVMCP might take a hit?

Dreaming??
 
Grimley1968

Grimley1968

Well-Known Member
It's a weird dilemma Disney has: they've become so dependent on the extra revenue stream that Genie+ and ILL provide that they have pretty much ignored attendance dropping because the revenue stream was good enough, until probably now, when attendance is such that guests either don't need it, or WDW has to throttle standby lines to an even more ridiculous extent to ensure the necessity of Genie+/ILL. Recovering attendance levels to a couple of years ago will be very difficult when they've favored one and done guests to the detriment of multi-trip loyalists the past several years, and they're probably still unwilling to let go of their cash cow ILL and Genie+, even when those are very possibly some of the biggest factors behind the drop in attendance.
 
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Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Dad 2 M & M said:
One additional thought…..

It peeps realize the Parks are slower/attendance is down and sustained, what happens to the Demand for the After Hours?

Currently, many (my peeps included) see the After Hours as a Value with short waits/line queues…..

Fall After Hours/MNSSHP/MVMCP might take a hit?

Dreaming??
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Just my opinion, I don't think After Hours will take a hit, its too significantly better an experience than during the day.
 
N

nestface84

Member
is there an indicator of what waiting times were like in 2023 compared to 2024 in the same months. is the lack of people a constant fall. or maybe an anomaly due to weather and costs at the moment in america?
 
Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
nestface84 said:
is there an indicator of what waiting times were like in 2023 compared to 2024 in the same months. is the lack of people a constant fall. or maybe an anomaly due to weather and costs at the moment in America
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I think wait times as a measurement of how busy the parks will not be accurate due to the failed Genie+ system.
 
Dad 2 M & M

Dad 2 M & M

Well-Known Member
Disstevefan1 said:
Just my opinion, I don't think After Hours will take a hit, its too significantly better an experience than during the day.
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I agree completely….it’s definitely an experience driven purchase on our end….

Just wondering if we’ll ever get to a day and time when the experience during normal hours converges even close enough to lower the demand/value if the After Hours

On a somewhat related note….the Extended Evening Hours being restricted to only Deluxe Resorts has made a tremendous difference to the Perk. Before the “perk” had almost disappeared with so many people attending…

We rarely considered staying at a Deluxe, but now the Extended Evening Hours ARE a VALUE….
 
Tha Realest

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
Dad 2 M & M said:
I agree completely….it’s definitely an experience driven purchase on our end….

Just wondering if we’ll ever get to a day and time when the experience during normal hours converges even close enough to lower the demand/value if the After Hours

On a somewhat related note….the Extended Evening Hours being restricted to only Deluxe Resorts has made a tremendous difference to the Perk. Before the “perk” had almost disappeared with so many people attending…

We rarely considered staying at a Deluxe, but now the Extended Evening Hours ARE a VALUE….
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Last time we did Deluxe hours it wasn’t much of a perk. In hindsight, there were a lot of people using LL, which didn’t make sense at the time but does now that some of the DAS abuse issues are more widely known. They were also less than vigilant in restricting ride access to Deluxe stays
 
Dad 2 M & M

Dad 2 M & M

Well-Known Member
Tha Realest said:
Last time we did Deluxe hours it wasn’t much of a perk. In hindsight, there were a lot of people using LL, which didn’t make sense at the time but does now that some of the DAS abuse issues are more widely known. They were also less than vigilant in restricting ride access to Deluxe stays
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The restricting was noticeably better at MK the last time we used the Extended Evening…..of all rides, Small World had the most militant entrance…we thanked the Cast Member for being so thorough

The usage of LL seemed to be much less as well…
 

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