Disneyland’s Attendance Issues Summer 2019

[SailwiththeTide]

Have you got a link?

Why does attendance seem to be down at Disneyland this summer?

 

[Red Carpet]

I am dumbfounded that people holding off going until Rise opens is not an option in that poll.

 

[Jamesh22]

I am dumbfounded that people holding off going until Rise opens is not an option in that poll.

I'm not.
Unless you follow Theme park forums like us, you are very unlikely to know anything about ROTR, so it wouldn't be the reason for not going IMO.

 

[frank_1991_]

To be fair to Disney a little I’ve seen tons of commercials for GE in my area(Central Florida) for awhile now.

I can only imagine that they are holding off advertising till RotR is open. What’s the point of running ads in central Florida though? everyone that’s a local and has passes is gonna go anyways. WDW’s main market isn’t locals it’s everyone else. People that are gonna spend $200+ Per night at a resort and thousand on multi day tickets, food, and souvenirs for a family of 4. It’s gonna be interesting as we approach the grand opening of GE at Hollywood Studios. I believe someone was saying how there’s still plenty of onsite rooms available. I hope that this time the open is a success otherwise I can see Disney pulling back from large expansions in the future.

 

[Brian G.]

I'm not.
Unless you follow Theme park forums like us, you are very unlikely to know anything about ROTR, so it wouldn't be the reason for not going IMO.

Oh, I disagree. Unless you're a theme park junkie, regular folks planning a vacation to go see something new are gonna make sure they're spending their money wisely. If they see a half-open land currently operating, they're most likely gonna wanna wait until it's fully open before dropping that kinda cash.

 

[Jamesh22]

Oh, I disagree. Unless you're a theme park junkie, regular folks planning a vacation to go see something new are gonna make sure they're spending their money wisely. If they see a half-open land currently operating, they're most likely gonna wanna wait until it's fully open before dropping that kinda cash.

I guess I just don't credit people with that much intelligence... especially having seen them in said theme parks :shrug:

 

[Brian G.]

I guess I just don't credit people with that much inteligence... especially having seen them in said theme parks :shrug:

I agree, until money gets involved.

 

[frank_1991_]

Oh, I disagree. Unless you're a theme park junkie, regular folks planning a vacation to go see something new are gonna make sure they're spending their money wisely. If they see a half-open land currently operating, they're most likely gonna wanna wait until it's fully open before dropping that kinda cash.

Which is also the reason why I think Disney expecting tourist to flock to Disneyland was flawed. Tourist who wanna have a “Disney” vacation travel to Disney World not Disneyland. They see Disneyland as a lesser version of two which is 100% incorrect for obviously reasons. But you don’t see a large portion of the tourism market with the exception of some Disney fans planning annual trips to Anaheim.

 

[Red Carpet]

There are a lot of people who have a simplistic understanding of the new land. They see that the ride that is open now is "just a simulator". The ride that is opening later is a "real ride". So of course people will wait for the "real ride" to open.

 

[s8film40]

I guess I just don't credit people with that much intelligence... especially having seen them in said theme parks :shrug:

I think there are people on both sides. Some people are going to do the research and figure out what all the details are. There is definitely a segment of the GP that’s just going to show up without really knowing what’s going on.

 

[Mad Dog]

Have you got a link?

Sailwith the tide posted the link. It's interesting to read the comments also. Their readership is generally mostly a Disney oriented crowd....but most of them are pointing out the same issues that posters here have talked about. I recall Iger basically said that all they have to do is open the gates and the crowds will come. And he probably wasn't exagerrating what the Disney Executives 'thought' was going to happen. The obvious fact it didn't happen with Disneyland was probably pure shock to them.

 

[Nick]

Oh, I disagree. Unless you're a theme park junkie, regular folks planning a vacation to go see something new are gonna make sure they're spending their money wisely. If they see a half-open land currently operating, they're most likely gonna wanna wait until it's fully open before dropping that kinda cash.

I know wayyyy too many people that are freaking APs and don’t know RotR is a thing. I really feel people just don’t know about it.

 

[Brian G.]

I know wayyyy too many people that are freaking APs and don’t know RotR is a thing. I really feel people just don’t know about it.

They still aren’t regular folk planning a vacation.

 

[SeventyOne]

I agree, until money gets involved.

Unless Anaheim tourists are inherently smarter than Orlando, you're talking about the same single-day guests who walk up to the window at MK or EPCOT and buy one-day tickets ... despite planning to be in the parks for three or four. And also ask which park has the Harry Potter ride.

Also, I saw crowds swamp Diagon without Gringotts, 5 years after the initial novelty of Potter in a theme park. They swamped New Fantasyland for one new ride, one anticipated bar-like QSR and a kids show. I don't think lack of a single ride is a deciding factor, particularly when the two stars of the land to casual theme park goers opened.

 

[Mad Dog]

Unless Anaheim tourists are inherently smarter than Orlando, you're talking about the same single-day guests who walk up to the window at MK or EPCOT and buy one-day tickets ... despite planning to be in the parks for three or four. And also ask which park has the Harry Potter ride.

Also, I saw crowds swamp Diagon without Gringotts, 5 years after the initial novelty of Potter in a theme park. They swamped New Fantasyland for one new ride, one anticipated bar-like QSR and a kids show. I don't think lack of a single ride is a deciding factor, particularly when the two stars of the land to casual theme park goers opened.

I agree. The normal, not theme park internet site reading public, doesn't necessarily study this stuff. . I was one of those tourist types back in 2004. We bought single day tickets to AK & MK. None of us really had any idea what was in the parks short of the many years bandied about POC, Small World and Space Mountain. We didn't know paper fastpasses existed until we saw a couple of machines in the park, and then it took a while to figure out how to use them. Alene works in a large hospital and when people that have already booked a future vacation to WDW hear she's been to Orlando a lot they pepper her with questions. From what she tells me they rarely have any understanding of what they are going to experience. And the people that have recently booked didn't even know about GESWL opening soon. Their vacation decision didn't have anything to do with SW. It's about Mickey and the gang. She usually directs them to the Touring Plans site, which is another thing they've never heard of.

 

[Jonea32]

UK tourist here, I've seen literally nothing regarding SW:GE for WDW so far in the form of day to day advertising. On TV I see Visit Orlando ads, Universal ads, even Disney ads but they are generic. (I should note the universal ones now have 'Hagrids now open' tagged on the end).

My point being you would need to actively stumble across the ROTR stuff online to find it. We are coming out in September with my folks and friends. They have no idea that GE has another ride coming.

To compare this to last year, I saw quite a few a Toy Story Land promotions in stores etc. Probably appealing to different demographics and kids can pester their parents for it but I don't think this has been marketed well at all.

 

[Brian G.]

Unless Anaheim tourists are inherently smarter than Orlando, you're talking about the same single-day guests who walk up to the window at MK or EPCOT and buy one-day tickets ... despite planning to be in the parks for three or four. And also ask which park has the Harry Potter ride.

Also, I saw crowds swamp Diagon without Gringotts, 5 years after the initial novelty of Potter in a theme park. They swamped New Fantasyland for one new ride, one anticipated bar-like QSR and a kids show. I don't think lack of a single ride is a deciding factor, particularly when the two stars of the land to casual theme park goers opened.

There is no doubt those kinda tourists that, no matter what, are just clueless - but I'd also like to believe there's a good amount that does their research. If they are looking at dropping close to thousands for a trip, they may wait for the whole experience to open.

But hey, I've been wrong before.

 

[Freak]

There is no doubt those kinda tourists that, no matter what, are just clueless - but I'd also like to believe there's a good amount that does their research. If they are looking at dropping close to thousands for a trip, they may wait for the whole experience to open.

But hey, I've been wrong before.

PLUS, if people are saving up to travel to Disney to see GE, why go to DL when WDW will have the same thing but the park will be "bigger and better" than DL? I understand there's a whole separate argument for the last part, but from a general tourist's perspective, that may be something to consider.

 

[SailwiththeTide]

PLUS, if people are saving up to travel to Disney to see GE, why go to DL when WDW will have the same thing but the park will be "bigger and better" than DL? I understand there's a whole separate argument for the last part, but from a general tourist's perspective, that may be something to consider.

It doesn’t rain in California also Florida Man headlines.

 

[UAN17]

UK tourist here, I've seen literally nothing regarding SW:GE for WDW so far in the form of day to day advertising. On TV I see Visit Orlando ads, Universal ads, even Disney ads but they are generic. (I should note the universal ones now have 'Hagrids now open' tagged on the end).

My point being you would need to actively stumble across the ROTR stuff online to find it. We are coming out in September with my folks and friends. They have no idea that GE has another ride coming.

To compare this to last year, I saw quite a few a Toy Story Land promotions in stores etc. Probably appealing to different demographics and kids can pester their parents for it but I don't think this has been marketed well at all.

They seem to be relying on the likes of virgin holidays, attraction tickets direct and Orlando attraction tickets to push this for them....but people will as you say only see this info if they go actively searching for it. The remarketing from some of these has been pretty intense.