Why are crowds lower this summer?

[buzznina]

All I can say is that this will be the first year we will not be taking a WDW trip. We have averaged 2-3 for the last 11 years, but felt with all the hikes in prices and cutting hours etc. that we will get AP's every other year. We live in Florida so between the discount and the fact that we can do monthly payments, WDW still has value to us.

 

[jhoannam]

I think everyone will be there in the fall when parks have shorter operating hours making it extra crowded. And we will all be miserable.

 

[nooneshome]

Disney knew it was going to be less crowded when they offered that partial CS free dining package for the summer months.

 

[dsdeleon]

Sounds like things will be dead for us the week before Labor Day. For us it comes down to one reason why this will be our last summer at WDW. The lack of late, post-midnight MK hours. We would much prefer to just stay and go to Universal if they both close right after dark.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I think everyone will be there in the fall when parks have shorter operating hours making it extra crowded. And we will all be miserable.

I'm a little worried about this. I don't mind peak times at Disney - bc they usually staff and use capacity accordingly. I hope that if this fall will be overly crowded, Disney is prepared for it. Otherwise, September and October will be rough this year!

 

[pwillin]

A lot of it probably centers around the fact that everyone knows how ridiculously hot it can be in mid summer in Orlando. That paired with everyone hearing about the perks of the annual Free Dining Plan and the spectacle of the holiday celebrations. Most families are in a "Been there, hate that" situation with the Florida summers and are migrating toward the "cooler" months. That and everyone is finding the websites showing the least crowded times to go.

 

[jkh36619]

I appreciate all of you staying home. Means shorter lines for me. I'll be there! Thanks! )

 

[mousefan73]

I think it has less to do with the economy and the price break point for people but more the fact that crowds have shifted from the summer and are more spread out throughout the year. I'm also worried that this qSeptember we will see more Crowds I have noticed that families are willing and to take the kids out of school to go during cooler months in the lower season. I also think that free dining is pulling people from summer to the end of August September. As far as I know park figures overall have a steady increase Year to year. And honestly if you had the means/choice you would avoid taking your families to Florida in June July and August when it's hotter than the surface of the sun.

 

[Burgermom]

Many parts of the world are in economic crisis or recession. South America and many parts of Europe are experiencing economic challenges. As a Canadian I know many fellow Canadians who were planning to visit this spring or summer but decided to cancel their plan because the exchange on the Canadian dollar is so poor. A lot of these changes were not noticed last fall or earlier this year because people had already booked their trips and the economic issues were not as bad. But as time has passed and economies have worsened the consequences of these issues are being seen in lower crowds starting around now because 6 months ago there weren't as many people from other countries planning trips.
I'm sure this is only part of the picture but if this IS part of the issue then it is less of an issue of people moving their trips to fall/winter/value seasons but rather not planning to visit at all.

 

[cmarsh31]

A few years ago, I could compare a 2 week stay at WDW (taking advantage of free dining) with a 2 week stay in the Lake George area, and the cost was pretty similar when we included the cost of all the entertainment and dining we would pay for separately when staying in Lake George. With the recent spate of price increases, and the changes to the free dining promotion making it no longer available to us (it starts too late in the summer for us now), that is no longer the case. I can vacation in Lake George for significantly less than I pay to vacation in Disney World, even counting in the cost of season passes for the Six Flags park there, and what we will pay for mini golf, and boat cruises, gas, shopping, food, hotel etc.



I'm sorry, but there is absolutely NO comparison there! Counter service at Disney World averages nearly $20 per person if you have entree, side (french fries) and a soft drink. I can go to nearly any fast food joint around here (subway, McDonalds, Wendys, Five Guys, KFC etc.) and eat for around $10 to $12 per person.

Table service around here averages around $20 per person, and at Disney World the numbers are more like $30 plus per person, more if you are going to have desert. There is just NO comparison between Disney World prices, and what you pay outside of Disney.

[/QUOTE]

Yup - same here. The only cheaper part of Lake George is the hour drive - until recently. If we had to drive farther, the lower gas prices are starting to make trips to the OBX and such cheaper too. We're doing Disney in Feb, because it's been planned for two years, but the increase in prices actually made me cancel the long weekend in Oct that we were also doing. Definitely wonder what crowds will look like in the fall.

 

[scottandtisha]

For my family, its not about "money," but about "value."

We have one last adults only trip planned for Food and Wine festival in November and then we are done. We discussed it as a family on our April spring break trip and the kids are on-board with the decision. We have planned 2 non-Disney vacations for 2017. For us, its not just the increase in prices. Its the price increases coupled with declining value. You pay more and get less. Also, customer service has gone way downhill in our opinion. For us customer service also includes park cleanliness and resort room cleanliness.

Next, it irks me to no end how non-confrontational Disney CMs are with guests who break the rules. I am tired of seeing people scamming the system and getting away with it. (One example - We were behind a family who talked their way into the Fast Pass line and then congratulated each other on how they worked the scam as soon as they were out of the site of the CM). And last, I believe that Disney executives have made a decision to charge more and more for their product trying to maximize profits while reducing costs. This shows up in everything from reduced park hours to generic napkins. I just don't like it so the only way I have to protest is not to go.

I think we need a 2-3 year break and then we will re-evaluate whether or not we want to return to Disney again.

Edited to add: Normally, we would have taken another Disney vacation this summer to maximize the use of our APs. But we are spending a week at another vacation destination instead. We are also not renewing our APs. So we are a very tiny reason the parks are less crowded.

We could have written this exact same reply! It's not just the increase in prices, but that coupled with less perceived value. I actually don't stay on-site, but reducing the number of street entertainers, the lack of new rides, and the sprinkling of less pixie dust has driven us to other destinations for awhile. We've been to WDW or DL 7 times in the last 7-8 years. We haven't gone this year and don't expect to go back in 2017. Maybe 2018 or 2019.

 

[Nancyg56]

I kind of ignored the whole thread but here is what I see happening....

1: Personal lives taking priority...

- really bad weather this year, biblical flooding, extreme highs.. people have to deal with their homes and lives
- the country has gone crazy.. so many shootings and man made disasters this year.. Is it safe to travel?
- is WDW safe? I hate to say it but that alligator incident I'm sure had a lot of people decide they would prefer somewhere else while it gets under control.
- Zika: is swamp and marshland safe to be in right now?
- recession: south america, au/nz, brexit, a lot of regulars to WDW just can't do it this year..

2: Being Nickle and Dimed..

- the increases are insane at disney this year so far. best discounts ever but you still have to eat and drink (yes I know ways to do that but does average not on this forum guest know that?)
- the line went to far and many just can't do it no matter how much they want too.
- disney has created a you better plan for 6 months or your not going to have fun mentality that the best discounts ever offered has people thinking you can't plan with this short notice if they even noticed the discounts because they probably booked somewhere else already.

3: Construction zone...

- the picture is painted that more is closed and not opened. not exactly true but things that should have opened failed too and it helps people decide that right now is not the time for WDW.
- things are coming.. This is going to be a huge part of it.. it's getting close enough to new things, mixed with the disney you better plan a year in advance precedent that people are waiting for it all to open and plan that massive visit with more money and going light on family vacations right now...
- if this is a once in a lifetime trip, they want everything opened and new things happening to be the best trip they will ever take.. (even though we all know they will be back but we all thought WDW was a once and done place).

And the real answer for what's going on...... It's a mixture of the above in everyones head... Disney's created a planning culture that can wait years to come while planning it out, it's starting to be felt.

I would be skipping the next year or three if I didn't move here.. I might head to other properties but I would probably head out to some other family favorites or bucket list destinations for now and wait until the 50th.

I agree with the bulk of your comments.

I am a planner by nature. There is nothing fun about standing in a circle trying to come to a consensus about teh plan for the day, but HOLY PLANNING!!! It is a lot.

Cost vs Value. I always look at the total cost and efuse to separate the park tix because we are not RD to park close people. I do not want to resent any portion of the trip. However I am planning a December trip and it is pretty expensive. More than last one, and for pe personally I may be at my own tipping point. Your nickel and dime comment is what strikes home for me. I do nto mind paying for something new, but I am not at all happy that if I want a certain spot for viewing fireworks what used to be included in my entrance fee is now a pay for play event.

Safety. For me, this is not a factor, but I saw from all of the threads posted recently, it is for many. I am more nervous about taking my DGD to NYC than I am getting on a plane and staying in WDW, but I think that peceptions of personal safety are relative, so I bet that after the recent attacks world wide, some folks are staying closer to home where they know the area and are comfortable.

Construction: that picture sure is not pretty lately. I do not agree that the picture is accurate but a wiser person than I says "My perception is your reality" and I think that is the case here.

I think that this next trip may be the last for a while. Now I love WDW as my destination, and it has been my first choice for years, but as I look at my own value vs cost, I am now questioning the money. That has never happened before. I am taking DGD to NYC for 3 days, and while the cost is very high, I see a value. DH and I have allocated a sum that rivals a Disney vacation, but so far the money seems reasonable for the destination.

I understand that we can all choose to travel on a tighter budget. I know that I can plan a truly budget WDW vacation. I don't vacation that way unless I am plannign an "extra trip, so I need to know that I am satisfied with the value. I know I could travel to NYC cheaper by compromising on my travel there, food and lodging choices, as well as well as attractions. I do not want to, so I need to know I will not feel buyers remorse. This is where DIsney vets are feeling the pinch. We know that if we want to keep the cost comparable to what we were used to, keeping in mind cost of business increases, we need to compromise. And we do not want to.

 

[conandrob240]

We are here now and it did not feel like 4th of July week at all. We had no problems getting 4th, 5th, 6th FPs for almost everything and even wait times were typically light. It feels like last week of August crowd-wise.

 

[dreiwhit]

WDW is expensive, sure more that a normal week long vacation, but want are you doing on the vacation that does not include same experience as you are paying for rides, shows, events etc.... I can book a nice hotel and no little in terms of activities (paid) and eat out less during that week and save tons of $$$ compared to WDW, but experience is not the same. WDW food is expensive but so is eating out at counter service/sit down meals for 1-3 times at day anywhere else. Yes you can cut costs for WDW and any other vacation experience, but more important question to ask is whether WDW is still providing value for the experiences you are paying for. Answer to that question will be unique to every guest but is the one you need to ask.

I understand where you're coming from. However, for us Disney is right now very close to being unaffordable, no matter what value we get or how much of a good time we have. Yes, you get a lot for your money. However, value or not, you have to be able to take a vacation without wiping out your savings and checking accounts or putting you in debt for the next year.

 

[Dina]

I believe it's because many school districts (our district is one)does not prohibit vacations during the school year (our district allows 5 days off per year for vacation).....I just believe many people are choosing to go during off season.

 

[miamimi]

Our last vacation to WDW was in April 2015 and we have no plans to return. Yes we miss WDW, but we miss the WDW before FP+ and before the 120 day ADR booking window. We miss the WDW where the guest experience was the priority. Now, it seems that Disney is working hard to squeeze every penny from their guests.

When my family has a great overall experience, we will spend more on souvenirs and dining. But Disney's money grab has brought out the miser in me to the point of spending all of our hard earned vacation dollars elsewhere.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I agree with people that the international economy may be the bulk of this. I don't think this is spreading of crowds so much because first quarter was down on attendance too. And 1Q has Jan and Feb slow times so people weren't going more then or at least not enough to increase attendance overall. But you wouldn't have known that attendance was down by reading the boards - everyone was talking massive wait times. I think this points to Josh at easyWDW being right that how crowded a park feels having a lot more to do with Disney staffing levels and how they manage capacity on their rides. So I don't think their mindset was 'gosh the crowds are too high, and it's hurting the guest experience, lets price more people out to get them to stop coming.' They could have improved the guest experience by running everything at full capacity. They could have set up more food carts around to ease restaurant congestion. I don't they were at a point where the crowd levels were actually higher than they wanted. But instead they cut back drastically this year. I suspect because they could see that the crowd levels were off in Jan and Feb and they went into recovery mode to quick get the financials back (they had slightly higher profits despite slightly lower attendance 1Q). They slashed CM hours and ride capacity, cleaning crews, etc. That made Easter miserable. My SIL is a diehard spring break goer and she said this year was awful. So lower attendance made the guest experience worse because that's not Disneys primary motivation right now.

So I don't know that people are going to see a huge uptick in fall. Probably some, because the reasons pps have listed are certainly valid but I would expect that to be a slow migration to fall, not a sudden increase and attendance has been down all year. But if Disney doesn't staff it well, it may feel much busier.

 

[tarak]

What has really surprised me is what appears to be lower crowds for next month. I easily got value level "free dining" when I first thought to go that route. When I changed my mind and decided to go room discount + tickets, there were plenty of value rooms available for every set of days I wanted- not just at my chosen hotel but at all of them. I'm about 45 days out now and just decided to flip my AK and HS days. I had absolutely no issues getting the exact same fastpasses (on good rides) for the new days- I was still able to get RNR coaster, ToT, and a junk one in HS and safaris, jungle book, and EE in AK. All of them had TONS of times to pick from. I just don't think there's that many people going next month or that many people staying onsite, which has to be even more vexing for them.

I have an AP and just checked out availability for 30 days out and I could have booked anything. Not for any time, but all the previously tough-to-get attractions were there.

I've been promising my son a trip to legoland and will try for next summer. I asked him if he'd want to have a few days at Universal or WDW if we go. He picked Universal because he said there are new things to see. My husband is adamant that he doesn't want to go back until something big has opened. Maybe after Toy Story land is up and running. My oldest is more interested in Universal and even my middle daughter would prefer Universal at this point (she's not a huge fan of the big coasters, but loves the motion simulators). At this point, it's pretty much the 4-year-old and me who would go to WDW any time.

 

[miamimi]

If the lower crowds at WDW were caused by the economy, why is attendance steadily climbing at DLR?

I think this is more about FP+, ADR's, and upsell events at WDW than it is about the economy.

 

[Tomh]

The only cheaper part of Lake George is the hour drive - until recently.

You're a bit closer than we are. It takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from here. Still a bit less expensive than the 18 hour plus drive to Florida, but as you said, with the gas prices coming down, even that difference is not what it used to be.

Definitely wonder what crowds will look like in the fall.

We will be there a bit before you, from Aug 13th through the 23rd. I am really hoping for, and even expecting the crowd levels to be lower than what we have seen in the past few years, just based on how easy it was to score the ADR's and FP+ we wanted, plus the spate of discounts that are being offered, and the seemingly high availability of those discounts, which is in stark contrast to this time last year when discounts were few and far between, and the ones that were offered seemed to only have a tiny bit of availability.