Why are crowds lower this summer?

[Kwdsue]

We're headed to WDW in Sep. but I've been stalking live wait times just to get a better idea of what rides develop long lines earliest, as I plan for FP+. I've been surprised how low the wait times in general have been on many of the rides. I've also read many posts commenting on lower crowds this summer.

Why do you all think crowds are lower this year? Has Disney hit a point where it's too expensive for some families? Has the opening of Shanghai Disney taken some of the international visitors away from WDW? What other factors could be contributing to this? I'm just curious!

 

[gmboy95]

I hate to say that i actually hope the prices do drive people away, but I do, something need to send the message that it is getting ridiculous....I am going in two weeks, but i tend to doubt the wait times correlate with park attendance, but we shall see

 

[A Mickeyfan]

With annual passes going up basically $100 +/- over the last year, I do think it has caused many to rethink their purchases.
I was there 2 weeks ago and other than FEA, Soarin & 7DM the waits really weren't as bad as they use to be. The walkway between Peter Pan & IASM was clear, no congestion & no CM directing traffic

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I hate to say that i actually hope the prices do drive people away, but I do, something need to send the message that it is getting ridiculous....I am going in two weeks, but i tend to doubt the wait times correlate with park attendance, but we shall see

I personally dropped from a full annual to the Gold. That price increase for photo downloads was just too much. They are downloaded, not printed...it costs Disney nothing for that. Most, not all, AP holders go often and do not need or want all those pictures. ..like I said...most, not all holders

 

[Seeker615]

My sister used to go every year to Disney and stay on site and do the dining plan. She finally has had enough with their price increases and hasn't went in two years and she doubts she will go back any time soon. The prices are just too high for her and she and her husband make good money. They really love Disney but they find better value in other trips.

 

[dlavender]

I think it has more to do with the economic unrest developing globally.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Brazil is in turmoil. Zika, the Olypmic games, political unrest and a government scandal have driven down the number of tour groups from there.

We didn't renew our AP's this year because the value in the vacation went down. We'll go to Disneyland next summer.

 

[Pkltm]

The foreign exchange rates probably are adding to the lower attendance. Coming from Canada it is costing us a fair amount more to go this year compared to last year.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've been saying for a long time that it would hit a tipping point and perhaps that has happened? For a couple years people here on the DIS have been complaining about this, that and the other. And the answer is always "If you don't like it, don't go". I think a lot of those people love Disney and wanted to give it "one more chance". Well, a lot of those "one more chances" have come and gone. And cutting entertainment and park hours while substantially hiking prices to offset costs in Shanghai was perhaps a bridge too far for many.

 

[kittyab]

The only reason we are coming back in Sept is that we have AP's that expire in Oct.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

What's it boiling down to it seems is "money" from most of these posts. Probably the combination of what we are all saying since the common denominator is money...be it price increases, value of AP, economic issues....it's all about money

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Pricing is up, attractions are closed, the competition keeps opening new and exciting things. (Disney keeps opening things that don't actually work like Rivers of Light or Frozen LOL!)

Maybe folks got tired of paying for new shops, restaurants and places to greet characters and are waiting for something big and new.

 

[Ursula's Apprentice]

The only reason we are coming back in Sept is that we have AP's that expire in Oct.

Same here! It'll be my last trip for a while.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I renewed only, and I say only, because of my granddaughter. She's 2 and loves all Disney. We live 3 hours away. Next year when she will require a pass...that means me, her and I paid for my DD's...nope, don't think I can swing that much. My other DD did not renew and does not think she's going to. She will come up with us but not go into parks. As she puts it, she's got other bills and Disney just priced her out.

 

[Julylady]

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.

 

[BrittyRo]

Me and DF still love going. We renewed our AP in May. Trip planned for September, December and possibly May (before it expires) but after that we are heading out East to all 3 Disney parks the end of 2017 and will probably go back sometime in 2018.
We aren't priced out yet (we have much disposable income=no kids) and we still find great value and love going (maybe because his first trip was in 2014 and my first trip back was in 2013 [after not going since 2006 and it was a school trip for me])
I still find great value FOR US. We'd rather be at Disney than anywhere else, so that's where we go (even if there has been a "decrease in value" we don't really feel it, besides at DHS; but due to the opening of Launch Bay and the extra SW stuff we don't mind. Most of the stuff they closed at DHS we didn't care about anyway) EXCEPT OSBOURNE LIGHTS AK added value and will continue to with Pandora, Epcot added new things but still needs a lot of TLC, MK is great, and DHS is in transition to greatness.
If it's true regarding crowds (we didn't see it in memorial weekend... It was a madhouse) I'm hoping September and December it stays low.

 

[Tondee]

I admit to having a hard time paying the price for AK, HS, and Epcot. Reduced hours, and a lack of attractions has definitely made me start to rethink our vacations to Disney. We usually go once a year. It is interesting to see what everyone thinks about this topic.

 

[Dbktmc]

We go every year and really enjoy the parks. In fact, for the first time in about 20 years we purchased AP's so we could return in both October and May. (We spent 10 nights at AKL in June.)

When these passes expire we are done with Disney for a while. It's not because we don't love it because we do! It is just so expensive and it keeps getting more expensive. We choose to stay in deluxe resorts because we love having a balcony. We also choose to go on vacation for at least 10 nights because that is what works for our family. My DH and I know that we could go to many beautiful islands for the same amount of money that we give Disney each year. It has helped us realize that we want to give our 4 year old a variety of experiences and not just tied to Disney as we always thought we would be.

We will be back to Disney in the future but I can see us waiting 4-5 years as we enjoy other locations for the same amount (or less!) money.

 

[1lilspark]

IMHO I think it's a mix of international economic turmoil mixed with higher price tag for lesser quality attitude that things have been going as of late. I shudder to think of just how much more APs will go up come October. I need to renew this time for reasons but I may need to slip back down to the monthly plan instead of one lump sum and enjoy the hell out if cause even with Avatar, Star Wars, Toy Story...et all I may end up cutting it in 17/18

 

[Kathryn777]

Hmmm. I'm surprised no one thinks that Disney's desire and (from what I saw myself) ability to increase crowds during the rest of the year would naturally draw down the crowds in what is a very hot time of year in Orlando.