Disneyland’s Attendance Issues Summer 2019

[bob albert]

These days I expect the first night of anything that isn't limited capacity to be slammed.

 

[GhostHost85]

I was at the park today and despite it being the first weekend for HalloweenTime, crowds were at a pleasant level. Pan had a posted 20 minute wait around 11pm, and in reality, it was really like 10-15. Pan almost never has that short of a wait regardless of day or time. It was far less busy then it usually is during HalloweenTime which resulted in a great and enjoyable visit to the park.

 

[Ryan]

Very curious to see what happens when it goes back to Regular pricing, or even Value.

 

[Clive]

Was at the park for Halloweentime yesterday. It was... fairly uncrowded. Definitely picked up later in the day, but Space Mountain and Matterhorn FastPasses were available up until close. Easy to get parade or firework viewing spots. Many rides under 20 minutes, including headliners. Only rides that required any substantial waiting or planning were Monsters After Dark (which to be fair was down an elevator bay) and Haunted Mansion Holiday.

 

[Mad Dog]

Was at the park for Halloweentime yesterday. It was... fairly uncrowded. Definitely picked up later in the day, but Space Mountain and Matterhorn FastPasses were available up until close. Easy to get parade or firework viewing spots. Many rides under 20 minutes, including headliners. Only rides that required any substantial waiting or planning were Monsters After Dark (which to be fair was down an elevator bay) and Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Yeah, it also was reflected in Touring Plans crowd calendar....They predicted a Level 7 for Disneyland and a Level 3 showed up.(Last week had four days of level 1 crowds and one level 2 during the weekdays) Curiously, the past few years the first week of all AP access usually has large crowds, regardless of it being school season. You would think with a brand new spankin $1 Billion plus new land that the crowd would even be larger than the past few years, instead of the much smaller crowds showing up.Plus it's the beginning of Halloween overlays, usually a popular crowd attention getter. And today looks slow too at 11:45. Radiator Springs 25 minutes. And little to no lines at Disneyland. Falcon at 40 minutes posted, not actual, is just about the longest line. This week pricing returns to Regular pricing.

 

[Scott W.]

Yeah, it also was reflected in Touring Plans crowd calendar....They predicted a Level 7 for Disneyland and a Level 3 showed up. Curiously, the past few years the first week of all AP access usually has large crowds, regardless of it being school season. You would think with a brand new spankin $1 Billion plus new land that the crowd would even be larger than the past few years, instead of the much smaller crowds showing up.Plus it's the beginning of Halloween overlays, usually a popular crowd attention getter. And today looks slow too at 11:45. Radiator Springs 25 minutes. And little to no lines at Disneyland. Falcon at 40 minutes posted, not actual, is just about the longest line.

I just don’t see GE being a draw until ROTR opens up.

May the quiet times continue for the next few weeks.

 

[shiekra38]

May the quiet times continue for the next few weeks.

I think you mean bright suns

ROTR is the reason I'm waiting, for what it's worth

But I also know what it could potentially be, and it isn't blazing hot in January

 

[UNIrd]

I feel like the waiting for ROTR excuse may be valid for WDW, but what does that have to do with DL's huge AP base? When another visit costs them nothing? Literally every single DLR pass is unblocked right now.

 

[Nick]

I feel like the waiting for ROTR excuse may be valid for WDW, but what does that have to do with DL's huge AP base? When another visit costs them nothing? Literally every single DLR pass is unblocked right now.

Yeah, I don’t think crowds are gonna all of a sudden appear once Rise opens. They’ve finally priced people out and it’s pretty clear.

 

[Scott W.]

Yeah, I don’t think crowds are gonna all of a sudden appear once Rise opens. They’ve finally priced people out and it’s pretty clear.

If they’re priced out now, they’ll want the best bang for their buck and ROTR offers that.

Whether they think it justifies the cost is another story because with nothing major planned for 2020, next year could be more of the same.

 

[Ryan]

I mean, Spider-Man is in 2020...

 

[tielo]

Will there be another price hike in 2020?

 

[Scott W.]

I mean, Spider-Man is in 2020...

I thought that was 2021. My bad.

Will that be enough? I think that Spider-Man is targeting the same audience as Star Wars. If the GP doesn’t care for Star Wars, then they probably won’t care for Spider-Man and I don’t think people will be prepared to wait or even know to wait.

Add another price increase and it could be another year of the same.

 

[Ryan]

I don't think it's about what the GP cares for, I think this is mostly about pricing. It's just too damn high.

 

[Mad Dog]

Perhaps Disney finally did damage to their BRAND, with those super price increases, especially how they accelerated in the past 18 months. This is generally a period when Disneyland gets decent crowds, between the mostly unblocked AP's and first days of the Halloween overlays, and the crowds are just not showing up, even with the big expensive SW expansion that should have spurred even bigger crowds than normal.

 

[Mad Dog]

Today from Mice Chat..."California's future projects will be seeing some big cuts pretty soon"

 

[GhostHost85]

Perhaps Disney finally did damage to their BRAND, with those super price increases, especially how they accelerated in the past 18 months. This is generally a period when Disneyland gets decent crowds, between the mostly unblocked AP's and first days of the Halloween overlays, and the crowds are just not showing up, even with the big expensive SW expansion that should have spurred even bigger crowds than normal.

People have probably realized that Disney is overpriced, especially compared to the competition in the surrounding area. Disneyland is the single best theme park in the area. However, the other parks are far cheaper when it comes to annual passes. You can get a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass, Six Flags Diamond Elite Pass and a USH Gold Pass for less than the price of a Deluxe AP, and the Deluxe AP doesn't even have parking.

Also, I think economic issues are at fault. Wages are mostly stagnant yet the price of rent and most every other necessity increases every year. Eventually, it is going to be too much for most people, and people have to cut back on expensive things like Disneyland, especially when there are cheaper alternatives out there.

Today from Mice Chat..."California's future projects will be seeing some big cuts pretty soon"

This doesn't surprise me. Nothing coming to the future of DLR really excites me that much, so I'm not too disappointed. Avengers Campus already looks lame, and the E-Ticket was the only thing that might have saved it. Since construction hasn't started, I would not be surprised if it gets entirely cancelled. That sucks since DCA desperately needs another high quality E-Ticket.

 

[tielo]

Just saw this from the Dis yesterday. Remember they sell Disney packages and have a close relationship with Disney. They also can see how their own sales are doing and what future sales are. It all was very shocking to me that Pete said he thought Disney was in for a problematic 18 months. I'm positive he says that regarding their sales numbers and prognoses. It focus a lot on WDW but I think they problems and trends they talk about apply to all Disney parks.

 

[frank_1991_]

Just saw this from the Dis yesterday. Remember they sell Disney packages and have a close relationship with Disney. They also can see how their own sales are doing and what future sales are. It all was very shocking to me that Pete said he thought Disney was in for a problematic 18 months. I'm positive he says that regarding their sales numbers and prognoses. It focus a lot on WDW but I think they problems and trends they talk about apply to all Disney parks.

The next couple months are gonna be challenging for all business that deal with luxury goods. I have a luxury business down here in south Florida and I can tell you that things have been slowing down slowly. I’m counting on Xmas sales to sustain me through spring and summer of next year. The fall months will do good and the parks will get packed for Christmas and New Years but it’s not gonna be crazy busy like other years. But once spring comes around prepare for a big slow down.

 

[Mad Dog]

Just saw this from the Dis yesterday. Remember they sell Disney packages and have a close relationship with Disney. They also can see how their own sales are doing and what future sales are. It all was very shocking to me that Pete said he thought Disney was in for a problematic 18 months. I'm positive he says that regarding their sales numbers and prognoses. It focus a lot on WDW but I think they problems and trends they talk about apply to all Disney parks.

:thumbsup: Nice find. The board echoes what many of us have been saying this past year. And, unfortunately, it doesn't look good for the short term. Hopefully, as they conjecture, Disney Executives wake up, after misreading the tea leaves, and make adjustments to fix what they've broken. .