el_super
Well-Known Member
Maybe, but they seem to be OK with that. If they can keep the parks closed for six months, what's a couple of bad summers?
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Is attendance really down at WDW this or…
- Thread starter coachb
- Start date
Maybe, but they seem to be OK with that. If they can keep the parks closed for six months, what's a couple of bad summers?
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
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
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
Premium Member
when you said it was the lowest you had ever recorded...
lowest memorial day saturday? or lowest saturday? or lowest day period?
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
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?
GhostHost1000
Premium Member
GhostHost1000
Premium Member
A tank in marketshare and a bad look for those in charge because of bad decisions they make (or don’t make)
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.
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.
Dayma
Well-Known Member
We were in the parks from 15-19th expecting the attendance to be light based on crowd calendars. Kinda shocked how busy it was, but then this past weekend it looked more reasonable. I like to use data to drive our decision on when to visit, but seems like thats all over the board now.... 
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
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
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
Well-Known Member
Just my opinion, I don't think After Hours will take a hit, its too significantly better an experience than during the day.
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
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
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
lentesta
Premium Member
Lowest Memorial Day Saturday and Monday since we started saving data in 2009.
Dad 2 M & M
Well-Known Member
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…
lentesta
Premium Member
Here's the waits for 7DMT on Memorial Day in 2024 and 2023.
2023, which had no ride downtime (and thus did not need to delay standby guests in order to serve LL guests) saw peak posted waits of 120 minutes. Actuals were lower.
And yesterday, with 3% downtime, posted waits briefly hit 75 minutes: