We were more fortunate during our October visit, not too many breakdowns. But, in general, from what I'm reading on these boards, Disney needs to rethink the way they ruthlessly use the parks as a cash cow. Their goal seems to be to pack them to capacity all year long, and that's just unsustainable. Rides just can't take that much wear and tear, and guests can only take so much of being packed in like sardines. The more people in the parks, the more the guest experience goes downhill. Even if the majority of breakdowns/shutdowns occur because of dumb things guests do, even those incidents are more likely to occur when a lot more people are going through every hour.
The parks are busy all year long now, so why the relentless advertising from Disney 365 days a year, as if the parks were hurting? Why add a zillion special events to draw more and more people, marathons, cheerleader events, tour groups (God help us), festivals, more and more Halloween/Christmas parties, etc. etc. (Halloween in August? Really??).
Wait, I can hear them already, the "Disney is a business" crowd is about to jump into the fray. Yes, Disney is a business. Does that mean they should treat their guests with contempt, in the pursuit of ever more outrageous profits? Where does it end? Some people on these boards talk as if the only thing that matters is that Disney makes as much money as humanly possible. Well then, if that's true, then they should hire big burly guys to hold us by the ankles and shake us over a barrel until all the money pours out of our pockets. Why not? I mean, the guest experience matters squat, the only thing that matters is Disney maximizing its profits, right? That won't happen as long as we have a nickel left on our persons.
More short term cash, at the risk of alienating your guests, is that really a good long-term business model? Seems they never heard the story of the goose that laid the golden egg. Keep overworking that poor goose, guys, I'm sure it'll just keep going forever. "Let's keep packin' em in like sardines, boys, let them fight it out over the attractions. Money, money, money!"