It’s been a long while since I have been on the boards, have not travelled to Disney for years. First Covid and then the absolute expense of going to Disney AND the level of difficulty trying to plan a trip for a family of 6.
I flirted with the idea about a year ago, and came to the theme parks forum to get a feel, and one of the top threads was ‘if I budget 1000 usd will that be enough for the genie fast passes, we are going for five days and a family of 4. Wow.
I read that Disney parks is still making a pile of money, but more money from fewer guests. I also had friends who travelled to Disney over the 4th of July, and they told me the morning of July 3, the crowds were low and they walked on to many rides. I don’t know if crowds are still thin at Disney, but if they are I am going to say Disney is in big trouble for long term survival.
What the bean counters forget, is that they are not creating a new massive generation of nostalgic Disney goers. They are shrinking the base of people who are going to think, ‘I can’t wait to take my kid to Disney and let them experience the magic of PeterPan’. They have priced disney out of the range of any average family (in my opinion of course) and the fan base is shrinking. Over time, this attrition is going to kill Disney.
Do you think the direction Disney is going is going to be sustainable in the long run? Maybe the bean counters just figure that is the next guys problem? I don’t know. But I think what they are doing is crippling a giant I use to love so much.