With construction looking like its almost done, what are your estimates on the attraction opening? Will they finish and just keep it closed until 2021, or will they open to help with Epcot capacity issues?
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When will Ratatouille open at EPCOT?
- Thread starter ImNoImagineer
- Start date
Epcot doesn’t currently have a capacity issue. Quite the opposite.
My apologies, I misspoke. I meant to say attendance issues.
champdisney
Well-Known Member
SoFloMagic
Well-Known Member
Epcot's "attendance issues" are self-inflicted. Local passholders are the lifeblood of Food and Wine but all the slots are gone. Its simultaneously "sold out' and dead. Add Rat, double the cap for passholders at epcot and boom - problem solved.
HarperRose
Well-Known Member
It's going to be a draw attendance-wise when it opens, so I think it will be opened sometime this year. Disney needs all the help it can get right now in regards to something new and shiny.
Giss Neric
Well-Known Member
It will definitely be a draw to locals and APs and families too, not just the ride but the entire new section of restaurant and shops. My prediction is Nov/Dec.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I would guess next spring at the earliest.
Nothing at wdw can be characterized as such...locals “augment” the attendance at all times.
72% of those polled in the US are not comfortable attending an amusement park.
BOOM! Problem remains.
That sounds like a bet the house would cover
I’ve mentioned it in the ratatouille thread - all things being even it should be finished October-ish. When it opens I don’t know.Possible chance to fill us in on the main question at hand?
Prediction even?
Giss Neric
Well-Known Member
Even though things could get even by then, they still lack manpower to run/operate the attraction. I hope I'm wrong though.
Training is a whole nother issue. And then Covid concerns.
The fact remains that Disney had cut the hours at EPCOT because they claim their aren't enough visitors to justify keeping it open as long as it was, which is the same at the other parks at WDW. So that implies that their is a problem. They also mentioned that local visitors just didn't spend as much as out of town visitors which means they are finally seeing the real problem with APs. Especially when they have this new reserve a limited spot system in place. If they fill up a park but a larger percent than normal is locals it isn't going to help them much it is going to do the opposite. I'm guessing if the virus continues then they are going to have to eliminate the APs completely for a while because they are taking up spots that could be better filled by out of towners that spend more while in the parks.
SoFloMagic
Well-Known Member
APs are certainly not taking up spots that out of towners could use. In fact, out of towners are refusing to come and can't fill up their own spots! They'd be better off having an AP than nobody.
I think you missed the fact that I was replying to someone that claimed EPCOT was sold out. It was the reason I said "If they fill up a park..." And it was the new CEO that mentioned AP's were not as generous as out of town visitors. Frankly when I heard they were cutting hours I didn't think it was because they were sold out as much as it was because they didn't have enough visitors to justify staying open. I will be shocked if they don't end up closing down again until a vaccine is found as the current trend of an additional spike in infections is probably going to make things worse for places like amusement parks, and even more of a problem when the flu season kicks in around October.
They'd be better off having an AP than nobody.
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JIMINYCR
Well-Known Member
When it gets finished and when it gets staffed and when they work the glitches out ( there always are glitches that make new attractions go down ) Disney will hype it up and try to use it to bring guests in. Theres always the locals who make it a point to be the first in line to get on new things, but Disneys hoping theres a point where out of state people are attracted to it and will risk getting back to a Disney park. As much as Ratatouille is impressive I doubt it will be enough to draw people out of their safe havens.
SoFloMagic
Well-Known Member
You were replying to me. Epcot is sold out, but only to APs. Hotels and tickets have no restrictions this month at all.
The only reason they have a 50/50 split is because they limit the AP segment to skew the numbers to their more profitable group (and a massive group of local Passholders were blocked out in the timeframe reported)
I would venture a guess that if they pulled a Universal and made all entry media equal, it would be 90%+ floridans.
The solution to this is so easy that it makes it clear they don't want to hit their cap limits. They're just lamenting about being slow to the media so that they can justify cuts and blame it on the guests.
I predict that some day they will wake up and divert ParkPass availability to Passholders to "fill" the parks.
Since I'm not a AP holder anymore I can't see when they are blocked out or not. I do wonder if you look online for park availability today are AP holders blocked out? I can understand them trying to limit APers from making reservations weeks or months in advance... but it would seem odd if they were blocked out the same day or the day before as sold out when the normal spots are wide open. One would think that they would at some point realize that they might as well chaser the APers that will do a last minute visit rather than have no one there. Even an Aper is going to spend a little money even if it isn't nearly as much as a real visitor.
nickys
Premium Member
You can see park availability for any of the groups, using the toggle bar.
SoFloMagic
Well-Known Member
Yeah this exactly is my struggle. Wide open availability for hotel guests and for regular ticket holders, no dates in August for APs. The non-ap guests largely are not coming, but they are not reallocation inventory to APs, even the day before or day of.