GhostHost1000
Premium Member
Bob -
“quick… build more DVC resorts that'll fix it!”
-
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Is attendance really down at WDW this or…
- Thread starter coachb
- Start date
“quick… build more DVC resorts that'll fix it!”
dennis-in-ct
Well-Known Member
We visited WDW last week (m-f) and the ride wait times seemed disproportionate to the crowds I saw. The crowds seemed light but the wait times were 50min and more
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
…funny, huh?
Chi84
Premium Member
Are they really selling it all that much these days? The iconic images like the castle, Mickey Mouse, Spaceship Earth are probably linked somewhat to nostalgia but they're all still there. The general feeling of Disney is still there.
My kids are too young to remember much about Pleasure Island, Horizons, etc. and they sort of like the new attractions like Guardians and Tron. But I'm not sure nostalgia has anything to do with their wanting to go to WDW. There's just a lot to do to keep everyone happy for the week.
I don't really do nostalgia so I'm probably the wrong one to ask.
GhostHost1000
Premium Member
All part of the plan to get more people to buy LL’s.
They are becoming sea world which has horrific load/unload times
Disneylover69
Active Member
They probably not running the rides as effectively as they should. Cost cutting
GhostHost1000
Premium Member
That and more attraction downtimes than in the past bottleneck things…all part of the magic
Disneylover69
Active Member
It’s funny how broken rides actually increases their short term bottom lines as it gets people to wanna buy lighting lanes and also revisit the part to go in the downed ride
That is by design...
Wanna try something funny? Next time you see a long posted "official" wait time but then see the line being not too long...go ask a nearby cast member how long the "real" wait time is. They will giggle or laugh and tell you they can only state the official posted time.
They are specifically not allowed to tell you the "real" time.
It's also funny how you can artificially make wait times longer by taking the number of boats and logs in circulation OUT of the water or trains off the track to get those wait times up. ;-)
Grimley1968
Well-Known Member
I've been like Wilford Brimley with my preaching about nostalgia, so this hits home to me. Disney's advertising is like a circular argument with its dependence on nostalgia, but when guests (like me) go and experience little of the pleasing aspects of yesteryear, combined with the seeming nickel and diming for almost everything, it makes me not want to return, and we haven't since 2020 and have no plans to anytime soon. IMHO that is the biggest reason for the decline in attendance. I just think there aren't enough people who are young enough to try WDW for the first time (and don't care about the Disney nostalgia push or the negative reviews by people like me) to offset the numbers of people put off by Disney these days and have become immune to the nostalgia push.
I still read my copy of Neal Gabler's Walt Disney biography from time to time for my Disney nostalgia fix, but if I go to central Florida these days, I'd rather sit at the beach or go to Kennedy Space Center than be within 30 miles of WDW.
Dranth
Well-Known Member
Len already said they were not doing this.
Dranth
Well-Known Member
Interesting. Past TP crowd levels are based on actual wait times and they show the highest day last week as a 4. Wonder if you just got unlucky if you kept running into hour waits.
dennis-in-ct
Well-Known Member
It's also funny that you mention broken rides.
During my week-long visit last week, I witnessed MANY rides going down: Haunted Mansion (we were evacuated), Tiana's (evacuated), Tron (especially during Mickey's very merry Christmas party - a big bummer), RISE, Rock and Roller Coaster (evacuated) and more.
At least we were given a special pass except we did not know that the make-up pass was only good for CERTAIN rides. I forgot to check which tier ride I could substitute.
Bottom line - I have been going to WDW for many years (since 1975) and this was the first year that it FELT like there were more rides going on and offline throughout our stay. It almost felt like they were slowing down the loads to make the crowds appear more than reality.
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Chi84
Premium Member
This is in line with our latest experience. Pre-COVID there were times we couldn't get on the first bus at the resort, had to wait for trams, had significant waits to be seated in restaurants, etc.
Our November 2024 trip was much more expensive but definitely more comfortable. There were still tons of people but we didn't feel overcrowded; it just felt lively and vibrant. If we had paid what we did on this last trip and experienced overcrowding, it would have made us much more likely to go elsewhere for the next vacation.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
I agree with everything you said. I'm a good example of a younger family that wouldn't go to Disney if I hadn't gone as a kid. A lot of it is mostly to do with that my 5 year old has no interest in the Disney IP. She likes Peppa Pig, Blippi, Mario and Lego. It makes no sense to pay the Disney price for a place my daughter isn't into.
No one is going to buy Figment merch by these numbers because current Figment is a beloved character. People want his current state to be more than it is. People buy it because they love what character was.
They still sell plenty of nostalgia.
World of Motion is heavily leaned on with every change Test Track makes.
The issue is often that the nostalgia leaned into is shallow for merch and facade and not more sincere like boutique shops on Main Street,
Not Odd tributes and forced "hey that thing that used used to be here. And we named it this."
and CoP...no o e wants to lose it so they don't want to risk it and I love Shepard's voice...bht it is far past time to cha ge 1994's CoP.
Chi84
Premium Member
Are you talking about older customers? None of the young kids with us had any interest in Figment. We bought plenty of merchandise but it was at Pandora and Guardians. Also Spiderman Lego stuff at DS. I guess it depends on the kids.
Honestly, I don't think our kids have ever been on CoP (maybe once when they were very young). If they change it, maybe they would be interested.
Journey into the Imagination has been bad for a long time, but I suppose Disney would re-do it rather than replace it because of the nostalgia factor for the older fans.
Funny question to me because we are talking about nostalgia. By definition nostalgia...can't be experienced by the young that were not there for what it is aimed for.(enjoy, but not reminisce and experience)
My point was exactly that. Figment is pop culture zeitgeist of nostalgia more than quality of current and nostalgia based was a great example of the point.
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Chi84
Premium Member
Oh okay. When I think of Figment, I associate that mostly with younger kids. My kids are 36 and 40 and they’re not interested in Figment merchandise; neither are their kids.
I think my point is that maybe Disney isn’t leaning as heavily into nostalgia because the guests who remember the parks as they were when they first opened are dwindling.
And I doubt the newer generation is going to be able to visit as often as we did because of the excessive cost. So less reliance on nostalgia makes sense.