Amazed and Disappointed

[maxiesmom]

I would expect nothing less as a reply from you.

What? Rational? A poster who is able to see both sides of the issue? One that doesn't immediately think Disney is out to get their customers? A person that, when Disney states things such as Park Hours are Subject To Change, believes them?

Do you honestly think Disney does anything for no reason? Or to punish their guests? If Disney was making money hand over fist keeping their parks open late at night, do you really think they would go Nah, we don't need the revenue?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

More than just MK hours, I do wish there was more to do at WDW after 10pm during the summer. I'm not too big on hanging out at bars or laying on the bed watching TV. My family's summer vacation patterns at most destinations is to be active in the mornings and at night, leaving the hottest part of the day for indoor activities or rest. Oh well, I'll let you know next week how it worked out for us this year at WDW.

 

[maxiesmom]

In my mind I keep relating it to my job. I work retail. And during our peak season (Christmas) the store I work for extends their hours. Which is great---for the small number of shoppers we have in relation to our normal operating hours. Do we really make money? Not really. You have to add staff and then you have to run the air and the electricity at full (which doesn't happen when we are closed). Staying open those hours costs way more than we make. But it is nice for the few customers we have.

I'm guessing Disney has chosen to not stay open for those hours. I believe if staying open later would make them money, they would do it. How many threads are there about Disney being greedy, Disney price-gouging, Disney is trying to get more money. They are not stupid. If it was worth it to do so, they would stay open.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

More than just MK hours, I do wish there was more to do at WDW after 10pm during the summer. I'm not too big on hanging out at bars or laying on the bed watching TV. My family's summer vacation patterns at most destinations is to be active in the mornings and at night, leaving the hottest part of the day for indoor activities or rest. Oh well, I'll let you know next week how it worked out for us this year at WDW.

Out of curiosity what type of activities would you want to do during the daytime at WDW?

 

[dlavender]

man I really wish JimmyV was still around for threads like these.

He really was a really big loss to this board.

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

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Out of curiosity what type of activities would you want to do during the daytime at WDW?

Whatever we feel like doing. Maybe dining, maybe attractions in the parks, maybe the pool at the resort, maybe resort hopping. We've been doing this WDW thing forever so we are pretty flexible to say the least.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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

Interesting.

Wonder what September and October hrs have been like over time as the talk has been focused at least in part on crowds relation to hours provided.

 

[mom2rtk]

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

Wow, thanks so much for putting pen to paper for us. Pretty startling, isn't it?

 

[Westcoastwild]

More than just MK hours, I do wish there was more to do at WDW after 10pm during the summer. I'm not too big on hanging out at bars or laying on the bed watching TV. My family's summer vacation patterns at most destinations is to be active in the mornings and at night, leaving the hottest part of the day for indoor activities or rest. Oh well, I'll let you know next week how it worked out for us this year at WDW.

I can agree with that. If they close down the parks early, I wish they'd add late night events elsewhere. Maybe not every night but on a rotating schedule of some kind. Dance parties or adult mini golf or pool parties? I'd pay for that kind of add on. I generally like to make the most of my evenings and I like to find late night stuff to do because I eat late and then "recharge" after that in the summer.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Wow, thanks so much for putting pen to paper for us. Pretty startling, isn't it?

I think what's most interesting is that they more than halved the EMH and then it's remained pretty consistent since 2013. Wonder why? Have they given the other parks more EMH in return, or is the pattern the same across the board?

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

 

[twoplustwins]

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

Wow! Thanks for putting all that together. For a family of six (four kids although Disney adults), we will have to return to WDW less frequently than we would like to. I was planning a family trip for next summer, but I guess not. I love Disney, but with reduced hours and increased ticket prices, it looks like we will have to save up and wait until Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land opens. What will that be, like 2019???

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Whatever we feel like doing. Maybe dining, maybe attractions in the parks, maybe the pool at the resort, maybe resort hopping. We've been doing this WDW thing forever so we are pretty flexible to say the least.

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

 

[back2disney]

While MK should certainly be open later than 10:00 in the evening, and has more to do than HS, I would not label HS as a half-day experience. We like to do everything that HS has to offer, with the exception of Disney Jr (kids have outgrown it). Between rides, shows, character meet & greets, and photo opportunities, we easily need 1.5 days to do everything.

For my itinerary I have all shows except Disney Jr as well but no character meet & greets. And it all fits in 1/2 day with some re-rides. Those character meet & greets must take lots of time.

*Edit to add half a day plus 2 more hours

 

[Delirium]

For my itinerary I have all shows except Disney Jr as well but no character meet & greets. And it all fits in 1/2 day with some re-rides. Those character meet & greets must take lots of time.

So, to clarify, you are doing all of the following in 6-7 hours.

Ride:
Toy Story
TOT
RNR
Star Tours
Great Movie Ride

See
Muppets
Frozen Sing-Along
Indiana Jones
Little Mermaid
Beuaty & The Beast
Music of Pixar
Fantasmic
One Man's Dream
Star Wars Launch Bay
Star Wars Fireworks

Do
Jedi Training
Eat
Use bathroom
Visit a gift shop
Walk to and from attractions


Even if you are able to teleport to the front of the line at each of the rides and magically sit down in the theater at the exact second a show starts, I would challenge whether you could do all of that in 7 hours.

 

[AllieBoo]

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.

 

[Farro]

Wow, thanks so much for putting pen to paper for us. Pretty startling, isn't it?

But I guess why is it startling? I have read over and over on these boards how summer crowds are decreasing and fall is the "New Summer". Hours were always extended based on crowd levels. If crowds are decreasing, so would the hours.

Increased ticket prices, well what can we do. Prices will always go up with everything. Rents increase every year, but apartments aren't getting any bigger!

 

[dlavender]

But I guess why is it startling? I have read over and over on these boards how summer crowds are decreasing and fall is the "New Summer". Hours were always extended based on crowd levels. If crowds are decreasing, so would the hours.

Increased ticket prices, well what can we do. Prices will always go up with everything. Rents increase every year, but apartments aren't getting any bigger!

It almost becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Longer hours used to be the best perk of visiting in the summer.

Take that away.....

 

[mom2rtk]

But I guess why is it startling? I have read over and over on these boards how summer crowds are decreasing and fall is the "New Summer". Hours were always extended based on crowd levels. If crowds are decreasing, so would the hours.

Increased ticket prices, well what can we do. Prices will always go up with everything. Rents increase every year, but apartments aren't getting any bigger!

That will certainly be easy to prove. If hours increase in October, we'll know it really was just a shift in hours, and not a cut.

 

[Farro]

@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.

 

[Harmacist]

We go in August due to kids and job demands. I am definitely bummed about MK closing at 10. I was expecting at LEAST 11 for that park, and maybe midnight a day or two. I expect I will be spending more time at Disney Springs at night, staying at SSR so not a bad idea.

We go almost annually, last year we did Disneyland, but last went in 2015. The park was insanely crowded and honestly not a ton of fun. That year I also went with a friend the last week of October as well to do adult Disney and F&W. I had heard that week was really low crowds, hence free dining, and I wanted to see the difference. In October the parks were WAY more crowded than I expected, maybe that year was the year people caught on about going in fall for F&W, lower crowds and better weather. I was expecting near walk on rides, so maybe my expectations were out of whack, but even though it was much more crowded than I expected, it WAS less crowded than August. The lines were shorter, not a ton but definitely were, and seated shows like Philharmonic or Muppets went from 90% full in August to about 50-65% full in October.

So I guess I hope the migration from summer to fall continues and this August won't be complete mess with the shortened hours, the wait times this summer have been promising, but I still am holding out for 11PM closings.