Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[CntrlFlPete]

a couple of things I noticed while at Epcot on Saturday.

I feel like if it were not for International tourist, the park would have been beyond slow.

I think the thing that shocked me the most was how slow the Margarita stand near Mexico looked at around 5 PM on a Saturday night. There are no switchbacks being used, I do not feel like I have ever seen that area w/o a mob queued up for a drink.

 

[jpeden]

I’m sure there must be a current or former CM who works the ride, that can share some more info on HM ride speed.

Is it something that you get told to change based on crowd levels?

Just wondering what it’s all about.

I’m sure there are varying acceptable speeds for show purposes. But since when do they care about show anymore?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So this is a first for me and I'm not sure if it's due to soft bookings or something else. I had a 4 night stay booked at the boardwalk Aug 23-27. I just got an email with a special offer. They offered me an upgrade to the grand Floridian for $100 more in total. I of course took it because usually it's priced at more than I want to pay a night.

I wonder if they are getting a lot of cancellations at the GF due to the level of construction going on in the lobby now.

Still a great deal for you if it is somewhere you want to stay

 

[the_rich]

I wonder if they are getting a lot of cancellations at the GF due to the level of construction going on in the lobby now.

Still a great deal for you if it is somewhere you want to stay

It's possible. I want to visit all of the deluxe hotels as some point . But Gf is usually more than I want to pay.

 

[GhostHost1000]

So effectively its very unlikely we would need Genie+ for our august trip it seems. Sans MK at key points.

You’re gonna need way more water than line skips in August.

May the force hydration be with you and the odds be forever in your favor

 

[jpeden]

They’ve used them in the past

Bookings are soft. No question

Good for you…take it and USE IT

I’m a beach/yacht/boardwalk cat…but I’m happy for you

They’re clearly trying to stimulate bookings but it isn’t working. The recent promotion while limited in room type shows this. I find it interesting that while it should include most hotels, many of them while having available rooms during the promo period don’t have inventory as part of the promo.

Yet the rooms that are part of the promo aren’t moving.

Coming soon I’m expecting a fire sale on tickets or a large expanse of the promos for the fall and winter.

 

[the_rich]

They’re clearly trying to stimulate bookings but it isn’t working. The recent promotion while limited in room type shows this. I find it interesting that while it should include most hotels, many of them while having available rooms during the promo period don’t have inventory as part of the promo.

Yet the rooms that are part of the promo aren’t moving.

Coming soon I’m expecting a fire sale on tickets or a large expanse of the promos for the fall and winter.

The only thing is I already had a booking. They didn't gain one by giving me the offer.

 

[jpeden]

I wonder if they are getting a lot of cancellations at the GF due to the level of construction going on in the lobby now.

Still a great deal for you if it is somewhere you want to stay

Well if they want to move me to the GF for $100 more than what I’m paying I’ll sign up. While I’m excited about AKL I would for sure jump on that promo immediately.

 

[jpeden]

The only thing is I already had a booking. They didn't gain one by giving me the offer.

Yeah we have one for November. Hoping this keeps happening and maybe we’ll get the same offer. Although we are in a 1 bedroom because of the kids so I doubt we’ll get moved out of AKL. I liked the Grand the one time we stayed but certainly wouldn’t pay what they charge normally (we rented points for that trip and got a good deal is the only reason we did it).

 

[CntrlFlPete]

w/ the talk around Genie, I forgot to mention something. We went on Journey with a 10 min posted time, it was a walk on, we entered standby just as a family got in the lightning lane. They got slowed by the 2nd tap so we ended up on the ride prior to them.

here is a pic from around 4:45 PM on Saturday:

 

[Disney Dead Head]

a couple of things I noticed while at Epcot on Saturday.

I feel like if it were not for International tourist, the park would have been beyond slow.

I think the thing that shocked me the most was how slow the Margarita stand near Mexico looked at around 5 PM on a Saturday night. There are no switchbacks being used, I do not feel like I have ever seen that area w/o a mob queued up for a drink.

View attachment 725326

Yep, we experienced that 2x last week and for what it's worth Mexico was the busiest spot as usual. The only line I saw was to get into the Tequila Tasting Bar

 

[the_rich]

Yeah we have one for November. Hoping this keeps happening and maybe we’ll get the same offer. Although we are in a 1 bedroom because of the kids so I doubt we’ll get moved out of AKL. I liked the Grand the one time we stayed but certainly wouldn’t pay what they charge normally (we rented points for that trip and got a good deal is the only reason we did it).

This is almost as good as when I booked paradise pier in 2019 for the opening of GE. They guaranteed entry if u stayed in a Disney hotel. So everyone booked paradise pier since it was the cheapest at 400/night. I get a call saying they're overbooked and would I accept a free upgrade to the grand Californian which at the time was 800/night. That was a no brainer.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They’re clearly trying to stimulate bookings but it isn’t working. The recent promotion while limited in room type shows this. I find it interesting that while it should include most hotels, many of them while having available rooms during the promo period don’t have inventory as part of the promo.

Yet the rooms that are part of the promo aren’t moving.

Coming soon I’m expecting a fire sale on tickets or a large expanse of the promos for the fall and winter.

That’s a tactic they’ve used for a number of years.

Try to move the “undesirables”…typically really overpriced deluxes and perhaps the stars that don’t “shine too bright”…and hold the line on the others.

Sometimes it works…sometimes it doesn’t.

I see old “free dining” in the future

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Yeah we have one for November. Hoping this keeps happening and maybe we’ll get the same offer. Although we are in a 1 bedroom because of the kids so I doubt we’ll get moved out of AKL. I liked the Grand the one time we stayed but certainly wouldn’t pay what they charge normally (we rented points for that trip and got a good deal is the only reason we did it).

Like vacation club?

If so…you don’t get moved out of that. Doesn’t really work that way.

 

[Coaster Lover]

The only thing is I already had a booking. They didn't gain one by giving me the offer.

It's possible the promo (or something else) is driving demand at Boardwalk, so they simply want to move guests from Boardwalk elsewhere to ensure that they continue to have availability at Boardwalk. Or maybe some group wanted to book a large block of rooms at Boardwalk and they needed to move some other guests around to free up the room inventory. What they did gain from you was an extra $100 which cost Disney essentially nothing...

 

[jpeden]

Like vacation club?

If so…you don’t get moved out of that. Doesn’t really work that way.

Vacation club on cash. Sorry should have clarified. We are not DVC members but I’ve found that a 1 bedroom at AKL is sometimes cheaper than a regular deluxe room and with a 3 and 1 year old the space is invaluable. Plus my 3 year old loves the bus so we don’t mind the transportation options (and frankly, unless you’re going to MK it makes more sense to drive).

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's possible the promo (or something else) is driving demand at Boardwalk, so they simply want to move guests from Boardwalk elsewhere to ensure that they continue to have availability at Boardwalk. Or maybe some group wanted to book a large block of rooms at Boardwalk and they needed to move some other guests around to free up the room inventory. What they did gain from you was an extra $100 which cost Disney essentially nothing...

I think you’re digging too deep here

Those dates have been some of the slowest dates on the calendar for years when it WAS busy…

No run on boardwalk

It’s far more “possible” they’re moving people out of boardwalk to shut some of all of the inn down in Low Occ conditions

 

[MR.Dis]

I think you’re digging too deep here

Those dates have been some of the slowest dates on the calendar for years when it WAS busy…

No run on boardwalk

It’s far more “possible” they’re moving people out of boardwalk to shut some of all of the inn down in Low Occ conditions

Also, they are doing a full reburb of Boardwalk.

 

[Ayla]

Vacation club on cash. Sorry should have clarified. We are not DVC members but I’ve found that a 1 bedroom at AKL is sometimes cheaper than a regular deluxe room and with a 3 and 1 year old the space is invaluable. Plus my 3 year old loves the bus so we don’t mind the transportation options (and frankly, unless you’re going to MK it makes more sense to drive).

Enjoy your vacation. AKL is gorgeous and much better suited to kids than GF.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Also, they are doing a full reburb of Boardwalk.

There you go

“Out of order” to Expedite renovations…off the rack.