Jan 2018 wait times longer than Summer 2017: Disney reduced ride capacity

[bluehen]

The anecdotal reports of this made me change plans. I was planning on going mid february to mid march buying an annual pass to do January of next year. I know it would not be uncrowded during that time. but I did figure that not every ride would be mobbed. The conversations here made me believe that the relaxing park time would not materialize. We found other places to spend that money at business' that respect my time not manage it. It will be interesting to see how many people get upset when they realize they waited in longer lines because of a Disney decision to save a few bucks. Disney better be careful that the reputation of a premium experience at a premium price becomes premium price only.

 

[Allison]

Interesting.

 

[jenniferhouston2]

It will be interesting to see how many people get upset when they realize they waited in longer lines because of a Disney decision to save a few bucks. Disney better be careful that the reputation of a premium experience at a premium price becomes premium price only.

Well said!!!

 

[mshanson3121]

I do buy that it may be busier crowd wise, but I don't buy that the crowds are so intense that barnstormer should have a 50 min wait.

With my tin foil hat on....

It's no secret that WDW has fallen head over heals for these upsells.

These upsells are predicated on the notion that if one wants to accomplish anything without large crowds and long waits, then they need to "splurge".

It's hard to sell 1 hour early access for $70 bucks when the need isnt there.

It's hard to sell 3 hour late access for $100 bucks when the need isnt there.

I don't doubt at all that while crowds may be up, WDW is manipulating their wait times to some degree to encourage these "splurges"......

Veey good point...

 

[theone74733]

I wonder if there is any truth to the whole lowering ride capacity. When I went in January, it looked like all rides were running to capacity. Certain rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Living with the Land are built on how fast they can load up the boats and depart the station as I never noticed any of these attractions waiting for boats at the station. In fact a lot of times there would be 3-4 boats queuing at the end of the ride waiting to unload. Also, slow moving rides like Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Little Mermaid, Nemo and Friends, etc. are continuously moving so unless they are slowing down the speed of the attraction, I can't determine how they are lowering ride capacity here. They may be understaffing rides here or there so some of the organization of getting people on or off the ride may have lost its efficiency, but I saw rides loading as fast as they could with not much downtime between loadings. I haven't been to WDW in the summer/peak season so maybe it is something I can't see.

Even theater attractions like Hall of Presidents, Philarmagic were all filled to capacity, more than other trips I've been on. I think it isn't a matter of lower ride capacity, but an increase in people at the park. Look at the annual attendance at Magic Kingdom alone. From 2010 to 2017, the park has increased around 4 million people more and probably increasing as we speak. Probably doesn't help that most of the construction in WDW has been at the various resorts for more DVC rooms and hotel rooms. The parks just cannot handle the demand anymore plus the whole tiered pricing has spread crowds more evenly so you feel crowds no matter what season you visit.

 

[kalynn]

Give me a break. This is a bunch of bull. I have no doubt that capacity fluctuates based on several factors, and no, not all rides run at full capacity all the time. There will be ups and down for a variety of reasons.

If Disney wanted, there are plenty of other ways to squeeze extra profits. I can't imagine Bob Iger developing some mastermind plan to slow down rides on the hunch that it will somehow increase demand for special events. This would easily backfire. It diminishes the WDW experience and people won't want to come back. Not everyone is as enthusiastic and forgiving about WDW lines as us here on this board. Others will leave and go up the road to Harry Potter world if their time at WDW sucks. Slowing down rides diminishes the experience and hurts business in the long run.

I'm simply not buying Len's theory. In fact, I have a theory about Len's theory. We all know that book sales are not what they used to be, being we have the interweb and the information super highway. And, most of the information you pay for on his site can be found here for free (thanks disboards). This is factual. My theory is that Len's book sales are hurting and he's trying to drum up media attention to increase revenue and profits.

Like his theory, I have nothing to back my theory up. However, it's not stopping either of us from publically stating what we think.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Yes, I don't like all these upsells for things that used to be free for everyone.
They won't get my money for any of these, but unfortunately, many people will pay the price for less crowds. It's sad.

When was it free for everyone to get in to the park early and have breakfast with some unlimited riding?

When were Halloween and Christmas parties free?

The most popular theme park in the world is crowded. How is this shocking?

 

[Silock]

I'm simply not buying Len's theory. In fact, I have a theory about Len's theory. We all know that book sales are not what they used to be, being we have the interweb and the information super highway. And, most of the information you pay for on his site can be found here for free (thanks disboards). This is factual. My theory is that Len's book sales are hurting and he's trying to drum up media attention to increase revenue and profits.

I don't think Len's main source of income is the books. There is a LOT of information on the Touring Plans site you CANNOT see here. There are a lot of features on his site beyond some book sales.

 

[Silock]

I wonder if there is any truth to the whole lowering ride capacity. When I went in January, it looked like all rides were running to capacity. Certain rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Living with the Land are built on how fast they can load up the boats and depart the station as I never noticed any of these attractions waiting for boats at the station. In fact a lot of times there would be 3-4 boats queuing at the end of the ride waiting to unload. Also, slow moving rides like Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Little Mermaid, Nemo and Friends, etc. are continuously moving so unless they are slowing down the speed of the attraction, I can't determine how they are lowering ride capacity here. They may be understaffing rides here or there so some of the organization of getting people on or off the ride may have lost its efficiency, but I saw rides loading as fast as they could with not much downtime between loadings. I haven't been to WDW in the summer/peak season so maybe it is something I can't see.

I'm not sure how they'd lower capacity on omnimovers, but it's fairly easy to lower capacity on other rides by simply taking boats/cars out of the rotation. So, just because you don't see empty boats doesn't mean they can't increase capacity by adding more. It might mean that they've taken boats out of circulation.

 

[theone74733]

I'm not sure how they'd lower capacity on omnimovers, but it's fairly easy to lower capacity on other rides by simply taking boats/cars out of the rotation. So, just because you don't see empty boats doesn't mean they can't increase capacity by adding more. It might mean that they've taken boats out of circulation.

My point was that there are already enough boats and they are running them at full capacity. Even if they added more, there would be even worse backups at the loading areas as usually there is a queue of 3-4 boats filled to capacity waiting to be unloaded at the loading dock. It is a common occurrence on these boat rides like Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Carribean, and Living with the Land so capacity is already capped with these rides. I don't see how you add capacity unless you have parallel loading areas like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

 

[Silock]

I don't see how you add capacity unless you have parallel loading areas like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

I don't know, either. It may be something as simple as having multiple cast members there to direct loading and unloading procedures. Maybe someone like a former cast member can help shed light on the situation.

So, unless you think that the Touring Plans crew is wrong in their hourly count, it's pretty clear that something is going on.

 

[kalynn]

I don't think Len's main source of income is the books. There is a LOT of information on the Touring Plans site you CANNOT see here. There are a lot of features on his site beyond some book sales.

You're probably right. I don't actually think he did that. Just trying to prove a point that anyone can come up with any theory to provide a rationale for some change in data. It doesn't mean they're right. I know Disney is a for-profit company (I'm a shareholder) and their ultimate goal is to increase profits for shareholders, but they do have corporate values and morals. I can see them cutting staff to reduce costs, and thus cutting staff but I don't buy it that they're doing it for upsell purposes. I guess we'll never know.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Interesting that Touring Plans finally catches up with something that Josh @ EasyWDW has been saying for years...jus sayin

 

[Iowamomof4]

If Orlando's unemployment rate stays around 3% (I read some news articles from Dec/Jan that indicated that was the case) won't it be challenging for Disney to staff all these new rides and hotels they're building? I also imagine the lower unemployment rate plays into general staffing, even now. I heard rumors they've been offering signing bonuses for mousekeepers (didn't look for news articles to confirm that one), so maybe they're already struggling to staff the parks as well.

 

[Silock]

Just trying to prove a point that anyone can come up with any theory to provide a rationale for some change in data. It doesn't mean they're right. I know Disney is a for-profit company (I'm a shareholder) and their ultimate goal is to increase profits for shareholders, but they do have corporate values and morals. I can see them cutting staff to reduce costs, and thus cutting staff but I don't buy it that they're doing it for upsell purposes. I guess we'll never know.

He never said it was absolutely true or even for sure. He clearly said that he's not really serious when he says that. But the motivation is really a bit irrelevant. What matters to all of us, ultimately, is how it affects our Disney vacations. And they're working to provide us all some answers. I don't know that we can really ask much more than that.

Disclaimer: I'm not a Touring Plans employee (but hey, if you're reading this, Len, my credentials would qualify me!)

 

[Davey Jones II]

Right. As Disney will never release such information, the only way to ever know is to have someone like Len's group do the headcount and compare to their findings in the past. I think Len Testa is certainly credible to trust his group's headcounts.

And, I totally agree, WRLeGrand, I hope this capacity reduction gets reversed soon, but I have little hope for it. If Disney can reduce staff, reduce wear and tear on rides by lowering capacity, while raising general pricing and selling high priced special ticketed events, why would they stop?

IF Disney is really doing this...

a) It's pretty counterproductive. When they're stuck in line, people aren't spending in the restaurants and gift shops. And when they have a less than magical experience, you can forget about positive word of mouth and eagerness to plan a return visit.

b) Does it even make sense to be reducing capacity at existing rides, while adding capacity by building new ones?

c) Ultimately, theme parks are in the service industry. Reducing capacity when the parks are packed is a tremendous disservice to guests.

 

[Allison]

I'm not sure how they'd lower capacity on omnimovers, but it's fairly easy to lower capacity on other rides by simply taking boats/cars out of the rotation. So, just because you don't see empty boats doesn't mean they can't increase capacity by adding more. It might mean that they've taken boats out of circulation.

Here is what I witnessed a few weeks ago at the Peoplemover. There was quite a line at the bottom of the escalator, so as I stood waiting, I noticed the front half of the trains were all going out empty. Only the vehicles in the back half of the train were being loaded with people. When I got to the top, you could actually see they had set red cones in the seats of those vehicles to keep them from being used. Back in the day, there were several castmembers at that ride. That was not the case that day. There was someone at the bottom, someone loading, and someone getting people off the ride.

 

[mom2rtk]

Here is what I witnessed a few weeks ago at the Peoplemover. There was quite a line at the bottom of the escalator, so as I stood waiting, I noticed the front half of the trains were all going out empty. Only the vehicles in the back half of the train were being loaded with people. When I got to the top, you could actually see they had set red cones in the seats of those vehicles to keep them from being used. Back in the day, there were several castmembers at that ride. That was not the case that day. There was someone at the bottom, someone loading, and someone getting people off the ride.

How strange.

 

[Nancy O]

Right now I am trying to move some small mountains so that we can go the week of May 20 vs May 27. (We are staying off property and will not being doing ADR's. I have yet to book a condo, but want to in the next day or so). On the UT website, most of May 20 week is yellow. May 27 is red (Memorial Day weekend). What I am hearing from this thread is that I should stop moving these small mountains (aka rearranging my and DH work schedules which may or may not even be possible) as I may actually be better off with a red week.

 

[dlavender]

They also have FP to help them manipulate wait times.

For example, on SM, there is one side dedicated only to FP. However, they will divert some FP to the regular wait side as well. They, in theory, could manipulate the ratio of the amount of FP they send to the regular side to hold that wait at a certain level.

On the rides like Dumbo and Primeval whirl, they only run one side.

I don't think that anyone could really notice if they took 1 or 2 boats out of rotation on IASW or POTC.

I also am not 100% sure that they are purposefully doing it to sell extra FP's or tickets, but with reports like the one above about the peoplemover, and the data showing longer waits during the weeks before and after president's day weekend, it is worth questioning...