Continued Cut Theme Park Hours

[Figmentrocks]

It's the summer and as we progress through the next month, the Magic Kingdom has most nights closing at 10 and MGM at 9, not to mention Future World at 7 PM. The company is under fire and to reward the division that brings in the core of their profit, they continue to keep these reduced hours even during the bust summer. The CFO admits that attendence at the parks is now down only about 6% from this time last year. Give us a break! We're so sick and tired of lowered expectations with this company and it should be a real fun time at places like the MK that reach full capacity on many days and closes at 10. Just a rant, but it's truthful. Hey, they need to cut those hours to get us to spend money at Downtown Disney at night, instead of riding attractions where we've paid for it already.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by Figmentrocks
The CFO admits that attendence at the parks is now down only about 6% from this time last year. Give us a break!

I guess it all depends on what you believe. If attendance is still down why would they keep the parks open longer?

 

[Panthius]

If attendance is still down why would they keep the parks open longer

Keeping parks open longer is a relative statement. Keeping them open longer than less-busy season hours...well, that should definitely be the case due to the vast difference in the attendance at the parks. Keep them open longer than when they were originally reduced due to NOBODY being in the parks due to external events which had affected tourism, well, that should be the case due to the increasing atendance as time seems to go by. Keeping them open longer than past summers, now that is not what anybody is asking for since past summers they were open to midnight and sometimes later. What it seems Disney has done is when the attendance has shrunk, they opened the parks later and closed the parks earlier. Now that the seasons have changed, they made the mandatory hour changes that they normally do from season to season. however, the problem is that attendance levels are getting closer and closer to where they were before they decided to shorten the hours, but Disney is not changing the hours back to what they originally were before the attendance had plummeted. If my mind is working correctly today (which is debatable), then that is the concern here.

Panthius

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Your info on park hours is a bit misguided.

Disney MGM Studios is 9am to 10pm with a Fantasmic at 9pm and 10:30pm. Also Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror remain open until 10:30pm.

Epcot Future World is 9am to 7pm with Test Track, Journey Into Imagination, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Innoventions East and West, and Spaceship reamining open until 9pm (I really do not see any reason to have the other Future World attractions open until 9pm).

Animal Kingdom is now 9am to 6pm so you have gained an hour at that park.

 

[Panthius]

What are the hours at Magic Kingdom, arguably Disney's most popular park? And what were they before they were shortened?

I suppose the only way to justify any arguments on park hours as compared to park operating hours would be to have actual attendance figures to reference when looking at the changes of the park hours. I do not know what the hours were for each park last Summer during this time, but supposedly, there were 6% more people at the parks. Now if you look at the park hours last Summer during this time, are there 6% more hours? or is it more like 25% more hours? I do not know the answer to this and my resources presently do not allow me to find this information, but that is the "fair" way to look at this issue. This is also assuming that the hours last summer were the same as they have always been for each individual park.


Pan

 

[Eeyore2U]

Are we living in this world or the past. Hours will never be to 12 or 1am.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Hours will never be to 12 or 1am.

Why not?

 

[Peter Pirate]

We're going to DL this summer and their hours are 8-11 (it was originally posted as 12!)...DCA is 8-10...What would the scenerio be that allows DL the longer hours do you think?

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

What would the scenerio be that allows DL the longer hours do you think?

Peter, as usual, I don't understand what you are saying. Would you mind explaining. (No garden path, I just want to know)

Thanks

 

[Peter Pirate]

Sorry, my friend...I'm just wondering crcumstances allow DL to get such great hours vs. what is happening at WDW...

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Ah! I understand now. I didn't know you were comparing DL with WDW. I thought it had something to do with DCA. My mistake.


Anyway, I don't know. Think Paul has something to do with it? Whatever the reason, the MK hours STINK . They created sooooo much MAGIC in those last two hours. By cutting them, they sent me right over to the "dark" side. And now they are even worse. I'll let you know August 1st how the trip went, and I'm sure I'll have some thought on those miserable hours!!

 

[d-r]

At WDW there are 4 theme parks - plus PI, DD - lots of space to fill. Most of the visitors at WDW are tourists - they can be funnelled around different parks during the day.

At DL /DCA - you have 1 and a "half" theme parks with 3 hotels in walking distance, plus lots - tons of locals - there isn't any place else for them to go besides the theme parks, they do have a DD, but its a completely different demographic all around.

I can see where MK would be open late on weekends when you have more people coming in, but during the week 10pm seems pretty reasonable. Even with summer crowds - you have 4 parks plus so much else to do in the evenings. The resorts at WDW are much different as well.

DL/DCA is totally different than WDW and really can't be compared effectively to each other. There is such a completely local crowd at DL - its very hard to understand without seeing it first hand.

Just out of curiosity - what are the hours at SeaWorld, USO, IOA?

 

[d-r]

I did check the hours of the other Orlando parks out of curiosity and found that SeaWorld has listed there hours from June thru August as 9-10pm daily (even weekends) and Universal for both parks is the same 9-10 daily (even weekends) with hours cutting back gradually in August.

Like I said originally weekends are different at WDW - particularly MK, but 10pm during the weekdays seems pretty reasonable and isn't out of line with the rest of the area. Of course all the parks can adjust there hours as necessary and they do.

So no my other question is how often does MK reach capacity? I know during holidays or spring break I've heard it has, but didn't know about the summer - we try everything possible to avoid WDW during the summers so we just aren't that familiar with the crowds then.

Melissa

 

[raidermatt]

Raidermatt makes a rare and brief weekend appearance, just to get some facts out...

July numbers:

According to Laughingplace, MK was open 409 hours last year, 27 days until 10, 3 days until 11, and 1 until 1 am.

According to Disney.com, MK is open 402 hours this year, 5 days until 9, 23 days until 10, 2 days until 11, and 1 until Midnight.

That is a 1.7% decrease in hours. Even if you add 2 hours a week for EE, the decrease is less than 4%.

So this actually seems pretty good, if the 6% decrease in attendance is correct.

Now, Baron, I know your point isn't last year's hours, but pre-1998 hours, and this comparison does not change your very valid point.

However, since this thread was referencing attendance compared to last year, and speculating that hours were down 25%, I though the above facts were relevant to the discussion.

(Also, there is still the possibility of a few hours being added here and there in July. I don't know if it happened in June, but it happened several times in May).

 

[Another Voice]

The same website shows that for both 1999 and 2000 the Magic Kingdom was open from 9-11 for 30 days in July and from 9-1 for July 4th of both years. That seems to work out to a total operation of 436 hours. I’d say a drop to 402 is a pretty decent cut – it works out to over two full 14-hour days of from the 2000 Calendar. And let’s not forgot all the additional hours lost do to Early Entry and E-nights. A lot of people on this board seem to have used those as well.

As for the Animal Kingdom, in 1999 the July hours were 7am – 7pm. In 2000 that was cut to 8am – 7pm. So is the current 9-6 hours much of a gain? Even I won’t say that Animal Kingdom has had a 25% reduction in attendance over the last three years – so what justification should we look for about these cuts?

This is the Doritos game. The one where the price of bag of chips stays the same, but they just put less chips in it. Same deal with the parks – the price of the ticket stays the same, but you get less product. And The Company pockets the difference. It’s not attendance, it’s not about “without the crowds people can see so much more” – it’s just good old fashioned budget cuts.

Nibble, nibble, nibble, nibble.

P.S. – Sorry to intrude on your rare weekend outing Mr. Raidermatt. I just thought the numbers were interesting and I had to take a look for myself.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

They are still having e-nights and have been having 2-3 e-nights per week for the last several weeks.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

D-R. I’m thinking I may come off as a little blunt. So please, no offense is meant.

At WDW there are 4 theme parks - plus PI, DD - lots of space to fill. Most of the visitors at WDW are tourists - they can be funneled around different parks during the day.

What in the world does that have to do with MK staying opened until midnight? If you happen to enjoy PI and fall within the proper demographics you may (and I stress may) be able to have a night, or possibly two, filled up. But being from Chicago, PI is a sad and lame representation of ‘real’ night life and with five kids in tow, it is certainly not a place that I want to hang around all night.

The next is a bit out of order but I have to. It'll flow a little better!

Even with summer crowds - you have 4 parks plus so much else to do in the evenings.

You have really got to be kidding!!! Have you ever been there in the summer? Have you ever witnessed the mass exodus of a ten o’clock closing? I have. And I can tell you, you have nothing – NOTHING else to do!!!

OK. You’re in the MK. And it is now ten. What are you going to do? Where else can you go to do that, “so much else to do in the evenings”? Maybe you mean that unique Disney experience of shuffling towards the exit like cattle. Only to find an hour long wait for a bus, simply because there are sooooo many people. Is that the, “so much else to do in the evenings”, you are talking about? Not my idea of fun!!!

I can see where MK would be open late on weekends when you have more people coming in, but during the week 10pm seems pretty reasonable.

WOW!!! You really haven’t been to WDW in the hot, humid summer, have you? The weekends, as virtually every guide book and seasoned summertime visitor will tell you is the least crowded. It seems the locals avoid the place like the plague. And those two days, for a vast majority of people, are travel days, to and from WDW, thus making Mondays one of the busiest!!

but during the week 10pm seems pretty reasonable.

PLEASE!!!!!!! Visit during the summer before you write on the subject!!! I don’t claim to know anything about September thru May. I don’t know what hours used to be and I don’t know what hours are now. I don’t know the crowds and I don’t know attraction counts. But I am an EXPERT on the summer!!! I’ve lived and breathed it since 1972!! And closing at 10:00pm is not only unreasonable, it is insanity!!! The crowds are huge!!! The place is packed. And it is NOT a pleasant way to end the day.

Just out of curiosity - what are the hours at SeaWorld, USO, IOA?

OH MY GOD!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TYPE IT!?!?!?!?!

It doesn’t matter!!!! Not in the least. Disney is Disney!!! Not Sea World, 6 Flags or the carnival down the street!! They set their own standards!! They wrote the book, for God’s sake!!! How about if they just live up to that standard and let Sea World and the rest of them try to keep up with them!!!! That’d be nice for a change!!! Kind of the way it used to be!!!!

So no my other question is how often does MK reach capacity?

In my thirty years I’ve seen it reach capacity many, many times during July and August. But are you really saying that it has to “reach capacity” until a midnight closing is feasible? That’s absurd!!!

Sir Raider!!

Now, Baron, I know your point isn't last year's hours, but pre-1998 hours, and this comparison does not change your very valid point.

Thank you. Since you were nice enough to bring it up – I won’t dwell on it!!

OnWithTheShow, thanks for the info. I really mean it. The sarcasm is directed toward you management team, of course, not you!!

They are still having e-nights and have been having 2-3 e-nights per week for the last several weeks.

Oh goodie!! I always love paying for a part of something that used to be included, in it’s entirety, with you purchase. But I can find no way to avoid them, because without them you cannot possible do everything you want to do, within the hours they have provided.

So there goes another 12 bucks, times seven, times two!! For a quarter sized park!!!! Thanks Ei$ner!! I hope it helps line that parachute and I hope you’re able to use it real soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[doggy]

Lets face it folks....Disney will do what ever they want to and you know what.......we the customer will continue to support them no matter what???

Untill they really feel the pinch in the pocket book like the rest of america is feeling, Disney will do it their way and not what the customers want.....

OK I understand they do listen once in a while, but overall they still are a Large company looking out for the Profit First!!!!!

Anyone that does not agree with that is looking through rose colored glasses...

They should stay open til at the very least 11pm for the months of June, July and August.......It is Always Hot in Florida, isn't it???

Yes California has cut back a little, but it is still 11PM.....

Send those emails and letters to WDW that is Your Voice!!!!and money they are using!!!!

 

[Figmentrocks]

DVC-Landbaron,

THANK YOU! Our sentiments exactly. For those of you smitten with the Walt Disney Company, you fall exactly into the trap of what they love, settling. Also as DVC noted, weeknights during the week at the Magic Kingdom are a nightmare. We usually avoid the park during the summer because it is so busy.

As AV noted, we remember last summer of AK opening at 8, ALL of Epcot closing at 9 PM, MK at 11 most nights & midnight some nights along with MGM at 10:30. Closed attractions, reduced operating hours with an always increasing price for us. There is no excuse or justification to be made by the public for the company. AND, the fact that attendance is off very little (6% or so publically reported) considering September and a RECESSION, that's incredible. Not to mention the fact that Disney was reaching a maximum point of visitors with the amount of attractions. AV, I might not be a Walt Disney Co. executive, but logic would dictate to me that if I was in a business position, if I brought capital to the theme parks, producing a few blockbuster attractions, it would bring a rise in attendence, to an untapped market, or people who will only come when new and cool attractions open. Attendance numbers were also being based on the amount of people coming during an unprecidented economic expansion inflating travel numbers.

The bottom-line is that the executives of the Walt Disney Company will use September as an excuse as long as possible to keep taking away from what was standard operating fare. Do we need to mention: The Skyway, 20,000 Leagues closed, Country Bears, Timekeeper, CoP, Tiki Birds, Hall of Presidents on limited hours to save them even more money. That's not acceptable, period. You think that maybe with the surge of interest in patriotism, they might want to keep the Hall of Presidents open the entire day? No, that costs money. We've seen our share of people ticked when going to the door and being told it's closed the past few months. $19.00 for t-shirts that are of way lower screen printing quality versus past years, increases in food (that they casually have slipped in the past few months)... Also, never compare Universal, SeaWorld, and Disney hours. They have always operated with independence of one another. Maybe some of you agree, maybe some don't, but Disney is just another example of another conglomorate who continues to charge more and more, while trying to take away as much as they can before too much complaining from the dear customer comes into play. Disney just continues to chugg along with a fan base dedicated to the founder, so rare today in the world.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by Figmentrocks
The bottom-line is that the executives of the Walt Disney Company will use September as an excuse as long as possible to keep taking away from what was standard operating fare.

Can you show me where Disney says Septemeber is the reason for their decisions? I've yet to see that. I've seen mention of attendance being down, tourism being down. I know I'm spiltting hairs but lets represent this somewhat accurately.

Figmentrocks,

Should Disney operate like Enron or Worldcom? Should they give and give put themself out of business? Have you been to US/IOA? We were there the past two Februarys and since we were there early we couldn't eat since nothing was open. And not everything was open either. I love how it is easy to bash Disney and then say the others are so good, when they offer less.

Disney just continues to chugg along with a fan base dedicated to the founder, so rare today in the world.

My fascination or loyalty has nothing to do with Walt. It has to do with immersive feeling I get at the park.

If so many are unhappy why do they return?