Amazed and Disappointed

[DaisyJ]

@mom2rtk

The only thing though is October has parties and food/wine. We are going this year and last went in 2014. MK regularly closed at 11 and 12 while we were there on non-party nights, and this year I see Epcot is open until 10!!! So maybe not a fair fight.

Parties and Food and Wine start in August.

 

[Karebear]

I was also very disappointed in the hours on our trip this June. Mk closed at 10 most nights, 11 at the latest, except for the one Emh night. A few years ago, we would be in the parks until 1-2 am. I definitely feel like they are charging more while dong less.

I agree with this. I am disappointed with the hours for our upcoming trip. When I planned it I was hoping for a few 8 am openings or 11/12 closings at MK in addition to some EMH nights. I am not sure that I am buying the attendance is down idea. The MK has more visitors on a yearly basis than Disneyland (which as a CA peep I can tell you is always crowded). So why is Disneyland open from 8 to midnight in the summer and not MK? That just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Farro]

Parties and Food and Wine start in August.

First year for the parties and food/wine in August to start compiling any real August data - besides, posters (I think you may have been one) said July/August are now slower than September/October, which is possibly a reason for the earlier closings. Only time will tell.

 

[DaisyJ]

First year for the parties and food/wine in August to start compiling any real August data - besides, posters (I think you may have been one) said July/August are now slower than September/October, which is possibly a reason for the earlier closings. Only time will tell.

I said October was crowded. I made no comparison to the summer months.

 

[Farro]

I said October was crowded. I made no comparison to the summer months.

Okay then!

 

[Westcoastwild]

I agree with this. I am disappointed with the hours for our upcoming trip. When I planned it I was hoping for a few 8 am openings or 11/12 closings at MK in addition to some EMH nights. I am not sure that I am buying the attendance is down idea. The MK has more visitors on a yearly basis than Disneyland (which as a CA peep I can tell you is always crowded). So why is Disneyland open from 8 to midnight in the summer and not MK? That just doesn't make sense to me.

Disneyland has a less spread out "high season" possibly? They can't do fireworks every night during school year, anyway. And Florida parks also want to spread around profits more; while DLR and DCA's main shot at mailing money is in 2 parks.

I don't know how much comparison you can really do between CA and FL. They're very different models. CA is much less about the resorts, and it's more of a day destination while FL has a lot more to do out of the actual parks. Lot more food, Disney Springs is so much bigger than DTD, waterparks, mini golf, resort hopping. It's much more of an destination than DLR, and I think their profit sources are quite different. I'm done after 2.5 days at DLR; I probably wouldn't got to FL for less than 5 full days.

 

[mom2rtk]

@mom2rtk

The only thing though is October has parties and food/wine. We are going this year and last went in 2014. MK regularly closed at 11 and 12 while we were there on non-party nights, and this year I see Epcot is open until 10!!! So maybe not a fair fight.

But October has always had parties and food/wine. If crowds are larger than before, hours should be longer than before too, right? (assuming the theory is correct and park hours going up or down are about attendance). Maybe they can't add hours on party nights, but they can stay open later on non-party nights and they can open earlier any day.

 

[Farro]

But October has always had parties and food/wine. If crowds are larger than before, hours should be longer than before too, right? (assuming the theory is correct and park hours going up or down are about attendance). Maybe they can't add hours on party nights, but they can stay open later on non-party nights and they can open earlier any day.

Oh I agree! I will see for myself this coming October if it really seems more crowded to me than it did in 2014, pretty much the same time-frame. I will be honest!

 

[heazer]

I wouldn't mind the parks closing as "early" as 10pm if there was a chance I might be able to snag an hour in the resort pool by the time I got a bus back to the resort.....but I know those pool hours are an entirely different discussion point!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Resort hopping is something I'm interested in seeing if there is time to do on our upcoming trip.

Do it! The kids (20 and 17) will probably hang in the parks all day, but DW and I always enjoy exploring the monorail resorts for a few hours. Also is fun to exit Epcot thru the International Gateway and explore between there and DHS. It's a nice walk even when it's hot. Of course it is always a treat to go back to our room and relax too. Viva los resorts!

 

[Carl4628]

High crowds, insane price increases, less hours, and poor maintenance is really starting to make a trip to WDW a bad value. Basically becoming less for more.

 

[Dismama2boys]

He really was a really big loss to this board.

Off topic, but what happened to him? I've come and gone from the boards a lot over the years and must have missed whatever it was.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

Just wanted to say we've been to WDW the past two years in June (just got back on Thurs) and have been disappointed in the early closings for MK. At 10:00 there seemed to still be a lot of people in the parks and overall I did not feel like there were low crowds at all. Still had a great time, but when everyone keeps talking about how uncrowded it was, and I'm like huh? Really?

 

[nicko]

Maybe they are trying to prove to shareholders that AvatarLand was a great idea by forcing folks to go there by closing MK early. Of course, two rides at AK is is a poor substitute for another hour or two at MK.

 

[Kaytie]

a good majority of the people are not watching where they are going. Last night, I several numerous people running into each other and falling because they are trying to video things.

Can't fix stupid.

 

[oktxregulators]

or I guess they were trying to catch Pokemon's lol

 

[Kaytie]

Anyway, I don't think it's negative or outrageous to oh, I don't know, comment on hours being cut while prices go up.

Standard MK hours are 9-6 (don't recall the source, but I'm thinking it's one of the books since I can't find it online), so anything beyond that is extended hours. Not extending hours as much as in past years isn't the same as cutting hours.

There is a happy medium between 10pm and 3am.

There's a happy medium between 6 PM and 3 AM: 10:30 PM

If you don't see how tone deaf it is to tell people to stop whining about shortened hours while visiting 4-6 weeks a year, there is nothing more I need to say.

Instead of klayfish's vacations, I go once every 4-6 years for a week.

I still agree with everything he said.

(queue the "but Disney Springs is open later or AK is open later responses)

But Disney Springs is open la...

2012 wasn't some kind of anniversary party year, was it?

Fortieth anniversary. Also, wasn't 2013 when they reduced evening EMH from three hours to two?

 

[Kaytie]

But October has always had parties and food/wine.

If "always" began in 1995, yes.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Standard MK hours are 9-6 (don't recall the source, but I'm thinking it's one of the books since I can't find it online), so anything beyond that is extended hours. Not extending hours as much as in past years isn't the same as cutting hours.

There's a happy medium between 6 PM and 3 AM: 10:30 PM

Instead of klayfish's vacations, I go once every 4-6 years for a week.

I still agree with everything he said.

But Disney Springs is open la...

Fortieth anniversary. Also, wasn't 2013 when they reduced evening EMH from three hours to two?

That would account for both the number of hours in 2012 and the halving in 2013. Makes sense. Doubt that they had planned the 35 EMH hours as something long term in the first place, then.


And I agree with the bolded. I don't go multiple times a year either, and I don't think I'll even make it annually and I still agree. I think 11 is reasonable but 10 is only an hour less. And it probably takes them an hour to clear the parks at least. I usually got in line for something at 5 til closing, so it's not like they kick you out right at 10 like DLP.

 

[JayHowell]

In the spirit of Jimmy V, Here's the June hours by year. Summer MK hours are shrinking. No ifs ands or buts about it. (queue the "but Disney Springs is open later or AK is open later responses)

June 1-30th 2012 - 426 Included hours + 35 EMH= 461 (Wow, EMH)
June 1-30th 2013 - 431 Included hours + 13 EMH = 444
June 1-30th 2014 - 461 Included hours + 11 EMH = 472
June 1-30th 2015 - 469 Included hours + 12 EMH = 481
June 1-30th 2016 - 425 Included hours + 14 EMH = 439
June 1-30th 2017 - 396 Included hours + 13 EMH = 409

Thank you for all of this ground work. It really does lay out the facts in a very concise way. It shows exactly how the hours have fallen in 2017. You are looking at about 1 hour less a day since last year, and over 2 hours a day since 2015.

I know some of the arguments here are that the attendance isn't as good. That is preposterous! There is NO WAY that June/July/August aren't the busiest months. When the kids are off, the park is busiest. Pointe finale. It is a crime to raise prices year on year, charge a premium at the MK for the summer, then close the park EARLIER AND EARLIER!

I would love to see the same breakdown for July. I'm sure it is similar, if not more brutal.

It is very disappointing overall. Summer is so hot, and weather is so unpredictable, that the slightly later hours make up for nature interfering with daily plans. I'm not saying they should stay open until midnight every night. But 11 PM as a baseline would not be terrible for them. It also spreads out the park departure a little bit, helping with the monorail and boat traffic. Some would leave after the fireworks, some after an attraction or two more, some at close. It just makes sense on SO many levels.