Visitor Repetitiveness

[SMS55]

Florida residents typically go once a year for a long weekend. Typically 3-4 days. That's from most people I've known to live in South Florida. As a kid I went once year. Once I got into my teens the trips were very infrequent as my parents thought I was too old and I was broke to take myself. That went on til my early to mid 20's. Since then it's varied. When real estate was booming form 2003-2006 we went 3-4 times a year for long weekends. When it crashed I didn't go for almost 3 years and now we're back to going twice a year.

 

[WDWoptmist]

Really curious if anyone knows the answers to the following questions (to make it easy, we'll use any given time period):

1. Of the total number of visitors, how many are once and done? Single visit in their lifetime.
2. How many have visited more than once, but frequency is only once every 4+ years or so?
3. How many repeat visitors come more than once within a 2 year period (or less)?

Just thinking how this would explain certain drivers behind decisionmaking at TDO.

My GF and I have gone a weekend every month for a couple years now...cannot get enough!!! But every trip we see so many first time visit buttons

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Stupid question, but isn't the price difference between the U.K. and U.S. vacations because of the airfare?

 

[dicksonthunder]

I guessing the once and done at about 25%, the 4 years or so at 35% and the every 2 year's at 40%. There are a lot of folks that go every year or maybe more. We averaged once a year for about 6 years several years back but have cut back to the 3-4 year category the last couple of trips.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Not scientific by any means.

However I cannot count, over the years, all the people that have told us *we are going to WDW and get it out of the way and not have to go back*.............yet................they ALL go back and usually more then once.

AKK

 

[Minthorne]

Stupid question, but isn't the price difference between the U.K. and U.S. vacations because of the airfare?

hush now, don't start bringing logic into this

 

[DisneyJoe]

Stupid question, but isn't the price difference between the U.K. and U.S. vacations because of the airfare?

That is what I believe also.

Those from the UK also tend to take much longer vacations, so Disney does offer special ticket packages as an incentive.

 

[ToyStorygirl]

Stupid question, but isn't the price difference between the U.K. and U.S. vacations because of the airfare?

Yep. A 10 day trip cost me (if I work out individually) just under $2000 for airfare, transfers and hotel (off Disney Property) with 6 days in Disney and 2 in Universal plus cabs and food that's another $1000. Add to that at least $750 general spending money. I reckon for one person it comes to about $4000 (bearing in mind cost to and from UK airports too)

Expensive if you have kids, my party is all adults so we don't have that problem and just pay for ourselves - hence why we go yearly usually.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Since my Mom no longer pays for our trips (and she did as gifts to us until 2010!!) and we pay for ourselves, this trip in February will be my 8th trip in just under 3 years (and our last for awhile.) All our trips are 5 nights or longer, plus we've done 4 nights on the Disney Dream in that time span, too. And we're from Maine so it's a hike to get there!! Looking at how the parks have evolved, I'm glad my parents took us when we were younger. I couldn't imagine trying to be a first time visitor there now! There's just soooooo much stuff to see and do, I would get overwhelmed!! We're planning this as kind of a frewell trip until we come back. There's just lots of other stuff we want to see. Planning a trip to Disneyland in April and we want to do a few more cruises. I hate to say it but... Disney is starting to get a TINY BIT... how should I say this.... not boring but, I just don't get excited the way I used to between visits. I went 3 times this year and the time between trips (one was 3 months, then 2 month apart) and I just don't get that same anticipation leading up as I do when it's been 8-12 months between trips. I feel VERY fortunate to be able to visit as much as we do but as they say, too much of a good thing can be bad. I don't want to grow tired of it!

 

[KeithVH]

Conundrum of the day. For sake of argument, let's say repeats are 20-40% of total traffic. That would seem to be a lot. If so, why the %$#@ isn't TDO taking their feedback into account when making major decisions that affect the parks?

Forget the $$$ issues for now. Until I see P&L sheets, I am not that convinced money is the only/major driver here. And yes, I know members here are definitely repeats and only represent a small percentage of the total. But as a SAMPLE of the POPULATION, it should be at least representative. Ignoring the pixie dust snorters, a lot of the members here agree on certain aspects of park management over the last few years.

So I'm just trying to logically (I know, I know) get from one point to the other and having a hard time.

 

[AndyS2992]

hush now, don't start bringing logic into this

Rude

 

[Gabe1]

Boy, ask this same question a few years down the road and the Magic Band data might just be able to spit it out for ya. Disney has already tracked visits for quite some time by telephone number but for the most part that is only onsight guests not day trippers who didn't have a traceable pass. Someday likely soon even the day trippers will be able to be tracked.

FYI, we are from IL so not locals obviously, my kids hit their 365 days before their 21st birthdays.

 

[Courtneylee212121]

We try to go every year as a family!! We live 8 hours away! We do that instead of big Christmas gifts! Just a few small ones!

 

[ezralou]

I was thinking about this recently, too! I had four categories in my head, splitting the Worldphiles into two groups- AP/FL resident/ DVC vs. none of those demographics. I would guess 30% once and done, 30% occasional, 20% AP/DVC/FL and 20% frequent but not DVC etc. At Coronado Springs now, come down here from New England once a year since 1999.

 

[luv]

We on the boards go more often than regular people. I have known plenty of people who waited until the kids were old enough to remember it, went once and never returned.

Listening to people in the parks, I think a great many are repeat visitors. No clue what the actual numbers are, though.

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

I just went to the UK WDW site and booked a basic vacation with the following:

£5,794.14 = $9,469.94

7 Day park tickets and 7 Nights at Pop Century, standard room (August 3rd to 10th 2014) for two adults and two children with return economy flights. This does not include a dining plan, car hire, Universal tickets etc.

I just went to the US site and booked the same vacation:

And it cost $4,036.98 = £2,469!! (£3,325 / $5,433 Saving)

So the answer is No, the UK does not get better deals lol

A big part of the difference has to be airfare no?

 

[ToyStorygirl]

A big part of the difference has to be airfare no?

That adds to it but airfare isn't that high to make such a huge difference.

 

[Florida_is_hot]

I go back every 6 - 8 years.
I used to go every year but,
1)Nothing is new.
2)Walt Disney World is too expensive.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Once I got into my teens the trips were very infrequent as my parents thought I was too old

 

[SMS55]

You don't know the half of it. I've been told by a few ex girlfriends that I have a Peter Pan complex. To this day my mom tells me when am I going to stop acting like a kid when it comes to Disney. During my 20s she was losing her mind because I wouldn't "settle down." I never had any desire to get married. She kept asking me when I was going to grow up. As if growing up has anything to do with getting married. My parents are just so old fashioned that they should have been born 30-40 years earlier (they're in their early 70's). I'm in my mid 30's and I am married now. I tell her she should be relieved that I'm married because it was never in my plans. She doesn't understand why I waste some of my money on collecting some of the toys I used to play with as a child. I have a few Transformers from when I was a kid that I purchased and I have them displayed. It's a part of my youth. I have never understood this idea that you have to grow up and be miserable once you're an adult. I work hard all week running my busy. Once I leave the office I can do as I please.