Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Whoa….. be our guest is $70 for lunch!?!? And the Castle is $84!?

Like getting slapped with a wet fish in the face, isn’t it?

I put a picture on a thread of crystal palace at 1:15 in the afternoon a few weeks back…

Dead. Nobody on the verandas and maybe 25% at the tables

Wonder why? Can’t be that they want $64 for a 10 year old to eat, could it?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Wonder why? Can’t be that they want $64 for a 10 year old to eat, could it?

That 10 year olds are considered adults for tickets is bad enough, but for eating it's just. Oy.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Like getting slapped with a wet fish in the face, isn’t it?

I put a picture on a thread of crystal palace at 1:15 in the afternoon a few weeks back…

Dead. Nobody on the verandas and maybe 25% at the tables

Wonder why? Can’t be that they want $64 for a 10 year old to eat, could it?

Are those dessert parties selling well? My favorite example of both Disney greed and Disney customer gullibility is the Dessert Party at the Christmas Party invention. I like to think there were a bunch of executives sitting around going
Executive 1: Well we are already charging these rubes another $180 bucks for this "party", to stay at the park past 7pm that they could have already conceivably spent $180 to get into earlier that day(and now have less hours). We can't possibly get more money out of a guest than nearly $400 for one day can we?
Executive 2: Hold my beer. Dessert party. That thing we sell during regular days, let's sell that for this too
Executive 1: But don't people buy the party tickets because we tell them the parties are more intimate, less crowded affairs? Why would they need the dessert party, which we sell as a way to avoid the mobs?
Executive 2: Have you seen how many tickets we sell to those parties?
Executive 1: What the hell let's see what dopes buy it, they gotta have that magic experience! $90 bucks and we can put it in Tomorrow Land Terrace, abandoned quick serve becomes Premium viewing location! Let a few YouTubers have it for free to talk it up.

 

[easyrowrdw]

Now, Plaza Inn breakfast character meal at DLR? Yeah, that's still worth it.

What is so good about that one? I’ve never been.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Sometimes I'll check dining reservations to see how busy the parks look. Last night there were multiple reservations open for Space 220 on Day 60, 59, and 58 (and that was at the very end of the day.) I don't think I've ever seen that before.

Wonder what's causing it? I read that "Quiet Life Travel" is a new trend (serene wilderness type excursions,) which wouldn't fit the vibe of the parks. Inflation takes bigger and bigger cuts out of budgets. Disney has taken a PR beating recently. And of course they drove up per guest spending to higher and higher levels without really offering more for it. I wonder what the overall profit outlook is like? If per guest spending is making up for low attendance, or if it's not enough to offset it?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Are those dessert parties selling well? My favorite example of both Disney greed and Disney customer gullibility is the Dessert Party at the Christmas Party invention. I like to think there were a bunch of executives sitting around going
Executive 1: Well we are already charging these rubes another $180 bucks for this "party", to stay at the park past 7pm that they could have already conceivably spent $180 to get into earlier that day(and now have less hours). We can't possibly get more money out of a guest than nearly $400 for one day can we?
Executive 2: Hold my beer. Dessert party. That thing we sell during regular days, let's sell that for this too
Executive 1: But don't people buy the party tickets because we tell them the parties are more intimate, less crowded affairs? Why would they need the dessert party, which we sell as a way to avoid the mobs?
Executive 2: Have you seen how many tickets we sell to those parties?
Executive 1: What the hell let's see what dopes buy it, they gotta have that magic experience! $90 bucks and we can put it in Tomorrow Land Terrace, abandoned quick serve becomes Premium viewing location! Let a few YouTubers have it for free to talk it up.

Upsells were always a very slippery slope. More so for Disney than anyone.

I get why they started…I also get why it’s become a huge problem. You can’t rob your day business for the night.

Because the good will/word of mouth/reputation - always Disney best marketing tool that costs nothing - is hit at home if it’s sniffed out they’re trying to double charge you/rip you off.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Sometimes I'll check dining reservations to see how busy the parks look. Last night there were multiple reservations open for Space 220 on Day 60, 59, and 58 (and that was at the very end of the day.) I don't think I've ever seen that before.

Wonder what's causing it? I read that "Quiet Life Travel" is a new trend (serene wilderness type excursions,) which wouldn't fit the vibe of the parks. Inflation takes bigger and bigger cuts out of budgets. Disney has taken a PR beating recently. And of course they drove up per guest spending to higher and higher levels without really offering more for it. I wonder what the overall profit outlook is like? If per guest spending is making up for low attendance, or if it's not enough to offset it?

I think sit down dining at the Parks has outpaced inflation by far. The prixe fixe restaurants are a really hard sell too considering they want to charge $60 or more for a kid that's 11. Add in that park hours are still far from their highs of many years ago yet tickets are higher than ever, I don't think as many families want to pay all that money for a dinner while missing valuable ride time.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Sometimes I'll check dining reservations to see how busy the parks look. Last night there were multiple reservations open for Space 220 on Day 60, 59, and 58 (and that was at the very end of the day.) I don't think I've ever seen that before.

Wonder what's causing it? I read that "Quiet Life Travel" is a new trend (serene wilderness type excursions,) which wouldn't fit the vibe of the parks. Inflation takes bigger and bigger cuts out of budgets. Disney has taken a PR beating recently. And of course they drove up per guest spending to higher and higher levels without really offering more for it. I wonder what the overall profit outlook is like? If per guest spending is making up for low attendance, or if it's not enough to offset it?

Almost everything has been available 1-3 days out for quite sometime

People still dump them with regularity.

Disney would probably deny that they have a restaurant problem. That would be a lie.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think sit down dining at the Parks has outpaced inflation by far. The prixe fixe restaurants are a really hard sell too considering they want to charge $60 or more for a kid that's 11. Add in that park hours are still far from their highs of many years ago yet tickets are higher than ever, I don't think as many families want to pay all that money for a dinner while missing valuable ride time.

People try to fight this…

But it’s not close.

Again…3-400% in 20 years.

Prices go up…that’s not what we’re talking here.

And a big side effect - it seems - is people spending less time dining because of genie. Which also means less shopping and drinking.

That’s robbing Peter for Paul

 

[Angel Ariel]

What is so good about that one? I’ve never been.

Each time we've been we've seen 9-10 characters, and they don't rush you so sometimes characters will stop more than once. off the top of my head, on our last visit we saw: Pooh, tigger, Captain Hook, Chip and Dale, Suzy and Perla, Max, Pluto - and Minnie Mouse you see and take a picture with outside before getting seated.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

What is so good about that one? I’ve never been.

Breakfast is $46 Adult / $27 - I’ve never been but I’ve heard people rave about how many characters are present and how it’s a great way to start the day since you get lots of characters met and a filling meal.

Now for me at Disneyland, the morning is when the lines are low and you can get a lot in - I like to spend the money for a sit down restaurant at lunch time when it’s hot and crowded in the parks.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What is so good about that one? I’ve never been.

It’s not quite as pricey as wdw character spots…$45/$27…especially in California

But it offers a lot of rotational characters and they play more.

Disneyland still offers way more personal touches

Wdw is built to overcharge fools from the east coast. At least since Bob took over

 

[Angel Ariel]

Breakfast is $46 Adult / $27 - I’ve never been but I’ve heard people rave about how many characters are present and how it’s a great way to start the day since you get lots of characters met and a filling meal.

Now for me at Disneyland, the morning is when the lines are low and you can get a lot in - I like to spend the money for a sit down restaurant at lunch time when it’s hot and crowded in the parks.

We ended up doing the breakfast on our final day in the parks - we were already not spending a full day, so we did an early breakfast and then used the rest of the time to do one last ride throughs on favorites. (We had 5 day tickets, so it was our 3rd day at Disneyland Park, and we had done so much on the first two days we didn't feel we were missing out).

 

[stepjune28]

You’re both over and under thinking it.

It’s always been hotter in Florida…and it’s hot everywhere now

It's true that it has always been hotter in Florida during the summer, but recent years have been worse. And people who are experiencing that are deciding they don't want a repeat, so they are choosing to travel to Florida during the cooler months (myself included), which is why previously slow weeks in November, January, February etc are seeing MANY more guests than they were in the past and people are coming away from those trips saying "It was a lot more crowded than I expected but the weather was great!" For me, and many others, comfortable temperatures have taken priority over the length of the lines.... and I'm not overthinking that.

It might be "hot" everywhere in the summer... but in California it is in the 70s right now with low humidity. HUGE difference from Florida... and there are awesome Disney parks there too.

It really isn't that hard to imagine why summer attendance is low at WDW.

 

[KDM31091]

At some point people just can’t afford it. The dining prices are getting really out of hand, and I say that as someone with no kids. Can’t even imagine trying to pay for 2 adults and 2 kids. It’s just crazy. So now, as a local, the table service restaurants are a very occasional treat. Quick service more often, but even those are overpriced, and they can’t allow even a paltry 10% discount for APs (yes I’m aware they don’t have to, but it’s a nice gesture).

The hype and buildup of 5 years for Epcot led to almost nothing in terms of substantial additions. Hotel designs and in park designs are getting more and more bland and generic. Disney seems to be phoning it in and seeing how little they can get away with and how much they can charge. People are getting fed up with all these things.

It feels like we will never see a resort of the quality of Wilderness Lodge or Poly (original buildings) or VGF etc ever again. As a long time fan the direction the company is going is honestly deeply concerning.

As far as current crowds, it has been insanely hot, way above average, which drives locals away. Also summertime is no longer a peak season. People started coming during previously slow times like January / Feb instead.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It really isn't that hard to imagine why summer attendance is low at WDW.

It’s been dropping for 2 years WITHOUT a recession across the board.

Because they overpriced it combined with bad management ideas.

I’ll go ahead and give you “the secret”

 

[DisneyHead123]

I think sit down dining at the Parks has outpaced inflation by far. The prixe fixe restaurants are a really hard sell too considering they want to charge $60 or more for a kid that's 11. Add in that park hours are still far from their highs of many years ago yet tickets are higher than ever, I don't think as many families want to pay all that money for a dinner while missing valuable ride time.

Almost everything has been available 1-3 days out for quite sometime

People still dump them with regularity.

Disney would probably deny that they have a restaurant problem. That would be a lie.

I think the kid's prices are a big deal because so many kids want like three nuggets and some fries.

I also think the food quality seems to have gone down a bit recently. And that's coming from me, who is a super bland eater and not at all adventurous. But even for me, some of the buffet foods and prix fixe menus have gotten a bit homogenous.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think the kid's prices are a big deal because so many kids want like three nuggets and some fries.

I also think the food quality seems to have gone down a bit recently. And that's coming from me, who is a super bland eater and not at all adventurous. But even for me, some of the buffet foods and prix fixe menus have gotten a bit homogenous.

Good points

 

[LSLS]

Everyone is concentrating on $60 for a 10 year old, and I get that, but $40+ for a 4 year old who doesn't finish a happy meal is even worse to me.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Everyone is concentrating on $60 for a 10 year old, and I get that, but $40+ for a 4 year old who doesn't finish a happy meal is even worse to me.

My preschooler literally eats nothing but the dinner rolls. His meal price is basically an extremely expensive LL to meet the characters.