News Park attendance showing significant softness heading into the Fall 2018

wannabeBelle

Well-Known Member
I prefer to call myself thicc... lol. Yeah, it isn't so much my height as it is the Smithfield Hams I call my thighs.
It is more a question of midsection ( tummy) and calf size on this one. As long as you can scoot forward far enough on the seat, I would think you'd be fine. Marie
 

geekza

Well-Known Member
It is more a question of midsection ( tummy) and calf size on this one. As long as you can scoot forward far enough on the seat, I would think you'd be fine. Marie
Well, the midsection has it's own ZIP code these days. Strangely, my calves are fairly average. In other words, thank goodness my wife loves me, because I'm definitely an odd shape.
 

MickeyMinnieMom

Well-Known Member
Board rooms.

There’s more "savings" proposed.
I believe it. Things are proposed all the time -- some enacted. I'll certainly be on the lookout. But I still have a hard time -- sitting here entirely on the outside -- understanding what in the current reality (micro or macro) would prompt any draconian cuts.
 

Horizons '83

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I was just thinking... what if they started charging for Magical Express??!! :eek:
I feel like that’s already in motion at some level. Minnie Van’s have already proved themselves and are now picking up at the airport so at some point they will pull the plug or start charging.
 

seascape

Well-Known Member
If things are bad at WDW what does Universal's offer of 18 months for the price of 12 on a premiere pass indicate up the road? Both Universal and Disney must be suffering from the delayed vacations until SW:GE opens. I hope Disney gives us a similar deal.
 

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
If things are bad at WDW what does Universal's offer of 18 months for the price of 12 on a premiere pass indicate up the road? Both Universal and Disney must be suffering from the delayed vacations until SW:GE opens. I hope Disney gives us a similar deal.
Anytime Disney's numbers drop, so do Universal's. Even with as much progress as Universal has made at gaining market share, Orlando's economy is based on WDW's performance. Universal isn't magically immune to that fact.

WDW has chosen a different plan than discounts for fighting the slump.
 

Lensman

Well-Known Member
After about a month of discussion and 1200+ posts, I don't recall seeing any questions or observations about why Disney Parks and Resorts didn't see this coming with that much advance notice? Or did they and it was only observed to this group on September 10th?

I would have thought they'd have an inkling of this from resort bookings months out or Fastpass reservations 30-days out? Does this indicate the subset of their customer base whose attendance was soft in September as offsite visitors who don't use Fastpass? Or local season pass holders?

Someone in another thread quoted a 30% decline in attendance starting in late August (presumably year-over-year). If this is accurate, this must have been visible in some of their advance analytics. Or is this number fictional?

If they didn't see this coming, maybe this is part of the rationale for the date-specific ticketing, which is sure to generate the data they need to anticipate seasonal attendance demand.
 

seascape

Well-Known Member
After about a month of discussion and 1200+ posts, I don't recall seeing any questions or observations about why Disney Parks and Resorts didn't see this coming with that much advance notice? Or did they and it was only observed to this group on September 10th?

I would have thought they'd have an inkling of this from resort bookings months out or Fastpass reservations 30-days out? Does this indicate the subset of their customer base whose attendance was soft in September as offsite visitors who don't use Fastpass? Or local season pass holders?

Someone in another thread quoted a 30% decline in attendance starting in late August (presumably year-over-year). If this is accurate, this must have been visible in some of their advance analytics. Or is this number fictional?

If they didn't see this coming, maybe this is part of the rationale for the date-specific ticketing, which is sure to generate the data they need to anticipate seasonal attendance demand.
Attendance was not down 30% from last year when I was there at the end of September. AK was crowded the day I was there as was HS. MK was not bad but the park was still busy. As for Epcot and Food and Wine, the evenings were crowded but not impossible to manage or enjoy.
 

winstongator

Well-Known Member
After about a month of discussion and 1200+ posts, I don't recall seeing any questions or observations about why Disney Parks and Resorts didn't see this coming with that much advance notice? Or did they and it was only observed to this group on September 10th?

I would have thought they'd have an inkling of this from resort bookings months out or Fastpass reservations 30-days out? Does this indicate the subset of their customer base whose attendance was soft in September as offsite visitors who don't use Fastpass? Or local season pass holders?

Someone in another thread quoted a 30% decline in attendance starting in late August (presumably year-over-year). If this is accurate, this must have been visible in some of their advance analytics. Or is this number fictional?

If they didn't see this coming, maybe this is part of the rationale for the date-specific ticketing, which is sure to generate the data they need to anticipate seasonal attendance demand.
Disney should have seen soft bookings. I was thinking, what’s changed? The crowds in January and February spurred talk of ‘no slow season anymore’. Say you were planning a summer of September trip but heard that from a friend. I went on what should have been a slow weekend in Feb and it was packed - AK 10/10. People looking for a slow time hear it won’t be slow, decide not to go or shift to another time thinking ‘it’s always busy’. We’re florida passholders or potential passholders waiting to buy/activate to catch GE at the end of their year? The price shif5 for Florida passes contributed to 2016’s softer attendance, and Disney met that with the 13 months for the price of 12 - very clever marketing. What draws people to wdw during slow periods while kids are in schools? Short lines. Stories of that are worth millions in marketing and promotions. I’ve also had friends be disappointed at mid October crowds, thinking that time was slow.

I think wdw is in a bind. They expected 2017’s strong attendance to continue and they’d be able to do a bigger price increase before GE - let that maintain attendance and profit off everyone’s higher priced tickets. That strategy is more of a gamble now. They are approaching the point where they’d have to announce AP price hikes to impact attendance at GE’s opening.

Fiscal q4 is done and in a month or so they’ll report quarter and year numbers. Given the summer, they’ll have to show an attendance drop. I looked at the last 6 or 8 years and they reported 20% increase in domestic attendance, but a 40% increase in per-guest spending. If that doesn’t highlight their strategy, what would. It’ll be interesting to read what their explanation is.
 

Bob Harlem

Well-Known Member
Universal just raised some of the annual pass prices (But not all levels), but also added an extra 6 months for renews and new ones (at least until April 4th). They also changed around some of the benefit levels. And they did something interesting with the Volcano Bay blackout dates (which affect all but the most expensive pass) Jul. 14 – Aug. 18, 2019, before 4pm (After 4pm its valid) Before it was all of July and didn't include after 4pm.

That's a pretty good indicator Disney will be raising AP prices very soon (to align with SWG as well) however I'm sure there will be nothing like the 6 month extension, (Although they may have much less blackout days before it, and much more blackout days for DHS late in the year.) I'm willing to bet Epcot will have little to no no blackout dates at all.
 

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