Attendance Tracker

[Galaxy Defender]

Touring Plans is reporting that WDW is offering annual pass holders discounted Park Hopper tickets- 1 day Park Hopper for $79 up to 6 guests. Offer good until Sept. 30th.........Well, I guess Disney is really trying to keep their parks uncrowded for better guest enjoyment. ...Well, so much for that Disney BS explanation for attendance being down. First they lifted almost all CM blackout dates. Now this big time special to get more attendance. Bottom line. They want more attendance and aren't getting it. :cry:

This is a clever promotion. The AP holder has to be present and buy the tickets the day of use at a ticket booth. It will mainly attract friends and family of AP holders that likely don't go to WDW much. It increases attendance without hurting ticket sales to tourists. Since it day of visit it limits the ability to stock up on FP+.

Very clever. Totally opposite of their stated goals on attendance, but very clever.

Here is an article with the details for anyone interested.
Disney offers passholders discounted park hopper tickets - Orlando Sentinel

 

[Disneyhead]

I think this promo is very telling at what TDO is thinking. This is more to pad the numbers and not full on panic mode. So it appears numbers are soft but not collapsing.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

I think this promo is very telling at what TDO is thinking. This is more to pad the numbers and not full on panic mode. So it appears numbers are soft but not collapsing.

It does suggest their attendance problems are continuing for a third quarter in a row.

 

[Disneyhead]

It does suggest their attendance problems are continuing for a third quarter in a row.

True. And this promo is strictly attendance related. They have already put out deals to fluff the occupancy rates. So I believe that their awkward plan to pull attendance down a bit is working. Spike prices, then backtrack with necessary deals to fill the gaps.

IMHO not the best business model, but they are obviously trying to deal with their self inflicted train wreck.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

True. And this promo is strictly attendance related. They have already put out deals to fluff the occupancy rates. So I believe that their awkward plan to pull attendance down a bit is working. Spike prices, then backtrack with necessary deals to fill the gaps.

IMHO not the best business model, but they are obviously trying to deal with their self inflicted train wreck.

I guess the question is which attendance plan.

If it was for attendance to balance out it is failing. By that strategy Q1 and Q3 should be up and Q2 down. This move says all three quarters are down.

If the plan was for attendance to go down to increase the quality of the guest experience then they are succeeding. Profits are up at the same time. Guests seem happier about the crowd levels during the summer, except for DHS. This would mean the ticket promotion is just helping Disney to fine-tune their plan. Strangely enough, this would also mean all the new work on the parks is just to make guests happy rather than bringing in more guests.

 

[Disneyhead]

I guess the question is which attendance plan.

If it was for attendance to balance out it is failing. By that strategy Q1 and Q3 should be up and Q2 down. This move says all three quarters are down.

If the plan was for attendance to go down to increase the quality of the guest experience then they are succeeding. Profits are up at the same time. Guests seem happier about the crowd levels during the summer, except for DHS. This would mean the ticket promotion is just helping Disney to fine-tune their plan. Strangely enough, this would also mean all the new work on the parks is just to make guests happy rather than bringing in more guests.

Well the biggest guest complaint is over crowding. There are only 2 ways to deal with that. Add more quality capacity, and increase prices squelching demand. They appear to be doing the price thing while they catch up on capacity. But none of these moves are to attract new customers. But it will help retain customers.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

Well the biggest guest complaint is over crowding. There are only 2 ways to deal with that. Add more quality capacity, and increase prices squelching demand. They appear to be doing the price thing while they catch up on capacity. But none of these moves are to attract new customers. But it will help retain customers.

I just can't imagine a plan that is based around decreasing attendance while your competition is growing. Walt Disney World is steadily losing market share. The price of a preferred annual pass at Universal Studios is roughly equal to a 4 day ticket at Disney. I can easily see it getting to the point where guests want to do Universal and Magic Kingdom regularly, but the other three Disney parks maybe once every few years.

 

[Disneyhead]

I just can't imagine a plan that is based around decreasing attendance while your competition is growing. Walt Disney World is steadily losing market share. The price of a preferred annual pass at Universal Studios is roughly equal to a 4 day ticket at Disney. I can easily see it getting to the point where guests want to do Universal and Magic Kingdom regularly, but the other three Disney parks maybe once every few years.

I think most of 2017 will see Universal making strong gains in market share with Volcano Bay and the new Cabana Bay Towers adding more "value" rooms.

 

[Mad Dog]

Yeah, I saw a headline on a news feed that mentioned deep discounts for WDW passholders on park hoppers, but I did not read the article. I would think APH folks wouldn't need tickets, I mean I assume summer is over now or soon for folks with blackouts. I see you mentioned they can get multiple, so I guess they are hoping passholders will seek out friends to get tickets for.

I guess I'm just surprised they didn't offer FL residents something similar as I would think that would work better....hey, shouldn't surge pricing drop when attendance is low and not be priced based on a dates you set a year in advance?

I think it's been close to four years since we have been to Disney, but I've been hearing that they've resorted to raising sit down restaurant cost while really shrinking portions...it's just been odd lately as folks I would consider being hardcore fans seem to be talking differently this year than the way they played things up last year.

For me, I think the final straw was when the eleminated the child's price on APs which, along with the increase in pass cost was just too much all at once. I admit our last visit was b4 fast pass+, but our Disney vacations really were feeling stressful...somehow our UNI trips feel like vacations and for some reason I always felt like I needed a vacation after a trip to Disney.

I do hope UNI keeps options that I find value in as well as maintaining the feel of a relaxing vacation!

"our Disney vacations were really feeling stressful...somehow our UNI trips feel like vacations and for some reason I always felt like I needed a vacation after a trip to Disney"...:agree:....Yes, I completely agree. I wrote the same thing on OU after our 2 weeks on site at WDW's CBR last Fall. Way too much planning required for a relaxing vacation. You're plugged into an itinerary and if you want to deviate from it, you're punished with long attraction lines and poor choices to eat.

 

[Mad Dog]

I just can't imagine a plan that is based around decreasing attendance while your competition is growing. Walt Disney World is steadily losing market share. The price of a preferred annual pass at Universal Studios is roughly equal to a 4 day ticket at Disney. I can easily see it getting to the point where guests want to do Universal and Magic Kingdom regularly, but the other three Disney parks maybe once every few years.

I don't believe that is a viable business plan. I've always believed it was PR BS to hide decreasing demand. It's a cover your butt PR when things are pointing south.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

According to the governor, tourists are still showing up to Florida in record numbers.

Gov. Scott: Florida welcomed record number of tourists in first half of 2016 - Orlando Sentinel

 

[Scott W.]

According to the governor, tourists are still showing up to Florida in record numbers.

Gov. Scott: Florida welcomed record number of tourists in first half of 2016 - Orlando Sentinel

At least it's not that moron governor from Wisconsin with the stupid name.

 

[Mad Dog]

At least it's not that moron governor from Wisconsin with the stupid name.

He has greatly dishonored your name. He deserves Braveheart's fate.

 

[Scott W.]

He has greatly dishonored your name. He deserves Braveheart's fate.

A few years ago, the customs officer made a joke about it but I didn't have a clue what they were talking about and if I've been told anything it's that you don't mess around during immigration so I just gave a big smile and nodded. I must have looked insane, I don't know why he let me in now that I think about it.

 

[Ultranel]

Yes. A lot of tourists like me from the northeast & midwest have a huge array of great coasters nearby in our many regional parks that are within easy driving distance. There are way more coasters in some individual parks alone than all of Orlando offers. I go to Orlando for theme parks , not coaster parks. I would think the coasters would attract locals, but they would not be a deciding factor for a tourist. They're only dressing on the cake, not the cake, for most tourists.

As a local, I'm still hoping Sea World will become the BG of Orlando because it bothers me that being the so called theme park capital we still don't have a true thrill park that can stand next to other amusement parks around the nation. As much as I respect UO, if I have to pick the best theme park in the area, most likely will be USF or IOA, but if you ask me for the best days I had in a theme park.... BG would murder WDW and UO. AP at SW/BG are treated so good, all I need is to buy my "All Day Dinning Plan" and I'm all set for a great day... #1 because that will give you 241 on drinks all day as well, and #2 because BG by far has the best food over ANY other theme park in the area, WDW is awful and UO is worse (except for the bubble bee man food truck) mmmm! lol. BG just need to get their act straight when it comes to ride dispatches an hour.... GOD!!! they are sooo slow, maybe that's why they give us 241s :thumbsup:

 

[Scott W.]

As a local, I'm still hoping Sea World will become the BG of Orlando because it bothers me that being the so called theme park capital we still don't have a true thrill park that can stand next to other amusement parks around the nation. As much as I respect UO, if I have to pick the best theme park in the area, most likely will be USF or IOA, but if you ask me for the best days I had in a theme park.... BG would murder WDW and UO. AP at SW/BG are treated so good, all I need is to buy my "All Day Dinning Plan" and I'm all set for a great day... #1 because that will give you 241 on drinks all day as well, and #2 because BG by far has the best food over ANY other theme park in the area, WDW is awful and UO is worse (except for the bubble bee man food truck) mmmm! lol. BG just need to get their act straight when it comes to ride dispatches an hour.... GOD!!! they are sooo slow, maybe that's why they give us 241s :thumbsup:

Alcoholic drinks?

The big issue with the parks in Orlando is the height restriction and close by housing. I'm not sure if SW is affected by it but if Mako was limtied to 200ft, I imagine it must be.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

Alcoholic drinks?

The big issue with the parks in Orlando is the height restriction and close by housing. I'm not sure if SW is affected by it but if Mako was limtied to 200ft, I imagine it must be.

I don't think there is a 200-foot height limit. It is more that when something is 200 feet or over you have to put the lights on the top for low-flying aircraft. Most theme parks prefer to avoid this.

Now the Six Flags I live near has actual height restrictions but that's because there is an airport nearby. The further in the park away from the airport the higher they can build.

 

[Ultranel]

Alcoholic drinks?

The big issue with the parks in Orlando is the height restriction and close by housing. I'm not sure if SW is affected by it but if Mako was limtied to 200ft, I imagine it must be.

241 Long Island Ice Tea all day woop woop!!! yeah alcoholic drinks.... all other drinks (including bottled water) are included in the Dinning Plan. I'm telling you WDW and UO food and dinning plans are garbage.
I didn't know SW was restricted to 200ft.... I thought that was the plan all along, I mean Mako is all it took to break all records in the area... mostly talking about UO, since WDW has zero coasters worth talking about.

 

[Scott W.]

I don't think there is a 200-foot height limit. It is more that when something is 200 feet or over you have to put the lights on the top for low-flying aircraft. Most theme parks prefer to avoid this.

Now the Six Flags I live near has actual height restrictions but that's because there is an airport nearby. The further in the park away from the airport the higher they can build.

Curiosity got the better of me.

Planned Orlando roller coaster too tall?

'The Orlando city code restricts Universal’s roller coasters to a 200-foot height limit because the park is bordered by a residential neighborhood. SeaWorld falls under county jurisdiction, but Orange County planning administrator John Smogor told commissioners that the park probably would have gotten a larger height allowance simply by asking for it. Its Sky Tower observation deck is 400 feet tall.'

241 Long Island Ice Tea all day woop woop!!! yeah alcoholic drinks.... all other drinks (including bottled water) are included in the Dinning Plan. I'm telling you WDW and UO food and dinning plans are garbage.
I didn't know SW was restricted to 200ft.... I thought that was the plan all along, I mean Mako is all it took to break all records in the area... mostly talking about UO, since WDW has zero coasters worth talking about.

 

[IzzyB]

At least it's not that moron governor from Wisconsin with the stupid name.

Trust me our governor is also a moron.

And I agree with Maddog that Disney is spinning low attendance. They two things to move crowds around. They raised one day ticket prices and they restructured AP levels. But it was meant to slightly decrease attendance during the summer and holiday periods. It was never meant to do what happened. I don't think what they did really did any of this either. Many people got Gold passes and there is so few one day ticket people that I don't think that mattered either.

Honestly this has everything to do with all the other factors including prices being too high and pricing too many people out of the market in this economy.