Attendance Tracker

[UniversalRBLX]

I also think people have become more knowledgeable of the resorts and noticed that it's more valuable to visit when an event is going on.

 

[twebber55]

Sure, but you get "increase" or "decrease"...Honestly, if one more person came than last year (heck even 1000), that's technically an increase in attendance...But not sufficient enough to move the needle...It's all a revenue game in those reports

no im pretty sure they give actual percentages right?
but i do agree with you in terms of revenue

 

[brianlo]

Keep in mind January and February crowds were significantly up this year. So it's all coming out in the wash right now unless this trend stays way down.

I kind of assume WDW will see a bump back up again with Toy Story. Whether it deserves it is another matter, but it will happen. Whereas Pandora was driving this comparable season last year, so it's not altogether surprising there is a nadir.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Keep in mind January and February crowds were significantly up this year. So it's all coming out in the wash right now unless this trend stays way down.

I kind of assume WDW will see a bump back up again with Toy Story. Whether it deserves it is another matter, but it will happen. Whereas Pandora was driving this comparable season last year, so it's not altogether surprising there is a nadir.

Agree, I think Toy Story delayed some people's visits by a few weeks. July and August will be unbearable for DHS.

 

[UNIrd]

Orlando Summers might finally just be TOO hot for guests. They should consider trying some of the water-centric summer festivities that other parks around the world do. It's not like Osaka and Shanghai are any more brutal than Orlando can get sometimes.

 

[Nick]

A few friends of mine are making the jump to Royal Carribean, simply for cost sake...Obviously one doesn't speak for everyone, but I found it interesting

Also, I really think Fall is becoming more lucrative for theme parks and summer is losing its spot as "most attended "

Royal Caribbean is simply better than Disney all the way around. More to do for the whole family. Kids and Adults. I recently did a 7-night and the amount of different entertainment they had for everyone was amazing.

I highly recommend doing the Oasis Class to anyone thinking of cruising with RC. Giant ships that are simply dizzying with the amount of things going on.

 

[bob albert]

Royal Caribbean is simply better than Disney all the way around. More to do for the whole family. Kids and Adults. I recently did a 7-night and the amount of different entertainment they had for everyone was amazing.

I highly recommend doing the Oasis Class to anyone thinking of cruising with RC. Giant ships that are simply dizzying with the amount of things going on.

I thought the cruise I went on was boring, which is why if I ever went again I would definitely chose the largest Royal Caribbean ships.

 

[Nick]

Orlando Summers might finally just be TOO hot for guests.

I live about 5 minutes from Magic Kingdom, yet barely make it out there. Between the heat, crowds and long lines, it's just not enjoyable in this weather.

 

[Frank Drackman]

A couple of interesting anecdotes this week:

From @DCLBlog (the source for Disney Cruise info):
Average May passenger numbers for the Dream are down, the lowest May numbers since I started tracking them in 2014. May ‘17 to ‘18 had a drop of ~100 pax. Similar downward trend for the Fantasy if you ignore last May’s post dry dock decrease and compare May ‘16 to ‘18.

Also, heard from a well-known WDW performer that May was unusually soft. Some of the smallest crowds he's played to--under two dozen on a Wednesday night, when he typically plays to a full house.

Not sure what to make of it, but add it to the lifting of blackouts in June as signs of a trend.

Thanks for mentioning the Cruise line being down as well. I know WDW is great about selling packages, but I also think there are folks that would do a cruise only.

I just like thinking bigger picture as in maybe tourism is down this summer.

every year i read on these boards (and others) how bad attendance is yet every year when official reports come out they ve gained in attendance

Not sure, but I think the parks report more in revenue, they explain the details in average guest spend, a lot of time, price go up which explains maintaining profits while having fewer visitors.

i would say the biggest issue is people waiting until next year for star wars

Could be part of it, but there could be other factors. Disney tried to push people from summer visits.

I’ve heard of some concert tours not selling as well as expected, I keep getting offers for discounted tickets to shows (theater) as well as local concerts.

Agree, I think Toy Story delayed some people's visits by a few weeks. July and August will be unbearable for DHS.

No doubt, but that is why I imagine looking at only attendance numbers does not mean a lot. I imagine many passholders live nearby and can go anytime....if 10 to 20% of the passholders come out to check it out, I imagine it would have long lines all the time.

I think UoR is still growing in they they keep adding rooms which is boosting guest spend, but it is a lot easier for them to grow since they are smaller then the folks down the road.

 

[bob albert]

I know multiple people, some that have never been to disney, willing to break the bank on visiting when star wars opens. I think the numbers are going to be bigger than most people could predict.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I know multiple people, some that have never been to disney, willing to break the bank on visiting when star wars opens. I think the numbers are going to be bigger than most people could predict.

Hence the reason I believe DHS will be the 2nd-most visited WDW (and Orlando) park for a while. Epcot will soon be DCA-like with walls everywhere and AK will be forgotten with no new projects (unless IJ is true).

 

[Nick]

Hence the reason I believe DHS will be the 2nd-most visited WDW (and Orlando) park for a while. Epcot will soon be DCA-like with walls everywhere and AK will be forgotten with no new projects (unless IJ is true).

DAK will not be forgotten for all that long. And that's whether IJ goes there or not. The plan is to get rid of Chester & Hester. Basically if Indy doesn't go to DAK, they have a back-up plan on what to put in that area. Supposedly there's at least one other major project currently being worked on for DAK as well.

 

[shiekra38]

no im pretty sure they give actual percentages right?
but i do agree with you in terms of revenue

They are ridiculously tight lipped on attendance figures...Most of the TEA attendance figures are all estimation..And in my opinion, biased towards the mouse..

Here is a quote from Disney's report last year:

Higher operating income at our domestic parks and resorts was driven by guest spending growth and an increase in attendance, partially offset by higher costs. Guest spending growth was due to higher average ticket prices, food, beverage and merchandise spending and average daily hotel room rates

Essentially, we grew (yeah sure, by how much)...And we raised ticket prices (woohoo, progress)

It's all fluff

This is not to say that Disney and Universal are in any way in trouble, quite the opposite...They just seem to have to sugarcoat the fact that attendance was 'meh' to the shareholders and investors

Royal Caribbean is simply better than Disney all the way around. More to do for the whole family. Kids and Adults. I recently did a 7-night and the amount of different entertainment they had for everyone was amazing.

I highly recommend doing the Oasis Class to anyone thinking of cruising with RC. Giant ships that are simply dizzying with the amount of things going on.

I've heard the same...I've never been on a cruise, so I wouldn't know anything about it haha

 

[Skubersky]

Royal Caribbean is simply better than Disney all the way around. More to do for the whole family. Kids and Adults. I recently did a 7-night and the amount of different entertainment they had for everyone was amazing.

I highly recommend doing the Oasis Class to anyone thinking of cruising with RC. Giant ships that are simply dizzying with the amount of things going on.

That may be true of their Oasis class, but I did 4 nights on one of their smaller Florida-based ships and ran screaming back to DCL. Food quality, entertainment, and guest service did not compare.

 

[Nick]

That may be true of their Oasis class, but I did 4 nights on one of their smaller Florida-based ships and ran screaming back to DCL. Food quality, entertainment, and guest service did not compare.

The one thing I do think Disney still does better is guest service. Our steward never really got to know us and our waiters didn’t really figure it out until night 5 or so.

I can look past that though when everything else was such a great experience and of high quality.

 

[Skubersky]

The one thing I do think Disney still does better is guest service. Our steward never really got to know us and our waiters didn’t really figure it out until night 5 or so.

I can look past that though when everything else was such a great experience and of high quality.

Which ship & itinerary did you do?

 

[Nick]

Which ship & itinerary did you do?

Oasis of the Seas - 7-night Eastern Caribbean (Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Maarten). Wasn't big on Cats (it's VERY abstract and it was the full two-act show), but the rest of their shows (and adult game shows) I enjoyed. Their show in the AquaTheater was cool, the Ice Skating show was actually a lot more interesting than I expected (not much into skating), "Come Fly With Me" really allowed the performers from Cats to shine a lot more imo. There was about 2-3 other shows held in the main theater as well. The Love & Marriage game show, Family & Adult Comedy show on last night (instead of in the comedy lounge) and one other. There was really a little something for everyone.

One of my gripes I guess was that the only place to grab a bit to eat after around 8:30 or so (unless you wanted to pay extra) was Sorrento's, a pizza place along the main promenade that was open until 3am. Oh, and there was a cafe/bakery open 24/7 too, I guess. But if you didn't want a pastry or Pizza, you were pretty much out of luck. It wasn't too bad though as we had our dinners around 5:15 daily and saw pretty much all the shows. Then we'd grab a bite to eat and hit the Casino. And then grab another bite and go back to the Casino

Considering we were on a cruise ship, I was fairly impressed with their Dreamworks parade. However we did their Dreamworks breakfast and I can without a doubt say it's not worth it. Just hit up Windjammer or even Johnny Rockets - breakfast is free there (lunch is extra).

As for the islands, Nassau was Nassau. Although we did do Atlantis Aquaventure for the first time. It was a really cool experience and they incorporate the slides to show off certain things like the sharks is really cool. One of the slides goes from a tube ride to a slow lazy river-type ending. Overall though, there isn't a ton to do there and considering a lot of people were using this as a standard for VB, I was slightly let down. The Rapid River was fun though as were all of the slides. I guess I was just expecting a little more. I do wish VB had utilized the lazy river in ways that they do here.

St. Thomas was in really rough shape from Maria. Crazy to see up close. St. Maarten had some damage but definitely much less. We didn't make it to the French side of the island though so that'll be for next time I guess.

 

[bob albert]

Oasis of the Seas - 7-night Eastern Caribbean (Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Maarten). Wasn't big on Cats (it's VERY abstract and it was the full two-act show), but the rest of their shows (and adult game shows) I enjoyed. Their show in the AquaTheater was cool, the Ice Skating show was actually a lot more interesting than I expected (not much into skating), "Come Fly With Me" really allowed the performers from Cats to shine a lot more imo. There was about 2-3 other shows held in the main theater as well. The Love & Marriage game show, Family & Adult Comedy show on last night (instead of in the comedy lounge) and one other. There was really a little something for everyone.

One of my gripes I guess was that the only place to grab a bit to eat after around 8:30 or so (unless you wanted to pay extra) was Sorrento's, a pizza place along the main promenade that was open until 3am. Oh, and there was a cafe/bakery open 24/7 too, I guess. But if you didn't want a pastry or Pizza, you were pretty much out of luck. It wasn't too bad though as we had our dinners around 5:15 daily and saw pretty much all the shows. Then we'd grab a bite to eat and hit the Casino. And then grab another bite and go back to the Casino

Considering we were on a cruise ship, I was fairly impressed with their Dreamworks parade. However we did their Dreamworks breakfast and I can without a doubt say it's not worth it. Just hit up Windjammer or even Johnny Rockets - breakfast is free there (lunch is extra).

As for the islands, Nassau was Nassau. Although we did do Atlantis Aquaventure for the first time. It was a really cool experience and they incorporate the slides to show off certain things like the sharks is really cool. One of the slides goes from a tube ride to a slow lazy river-type ending. Overall though, there isn't a ton to do there and considering a lot of people were using this as a standard for VB, I was slightly let down. The Rapid River was fun though as were all of the slides. I guess I was just expecting a little more. I do wish VB had utilized the lazy river in ways that they do here.

St. Thomas was in really rough shape from Maria. Crazy to see up close. St. Maarten had some damage but definitely much less. We didn't make it to the French side of the island though so that'll be for next time I guess.

Cats is one of the worst shows to make so much money of all time. I literally would book a different cruise to not have cats as a main attraction. That show has one good song and is a nonsensical mess otherwise.

 

[Nick]

Cats is one of the worst shows to make so much money of all time. I literally would book a different cruise to not have cats as a main attraction. That show has one good song and is a nonsensical mess otherwise.

Yeah, I went into it not knowing anything about it except it has a large fan-base and is thought of as a classic. I came out of it sooooooooo confused. Definitely not something I wanted a repeat viewing of.

 

[sparky]

I know multiple people, some that have never been to disney, willing to break the bank on visiting when star wars opens. I think the numbers are going to be bigger than most people could predict.

I really want them to have just admission to Star Wars area ticket events. I would be happy to pay a premium to avoid the mass of daily guests, and the horror of trying to get a fast pass.