Do resort prices correlate to crowd expectations?

[sam1998]

The title basically sums it up. Obviously special events (cheer) can impact resorts but not as much parks, but excluding large groups like that, do you think resort pricing fluctuations indicate Disney’s expectations as far as crowds go?

 

[StacyStrong]

Yes, I do.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Yes. Why else would they fluctuate? Disney wants to fill as many rooms as possible at the highest price point the market will support. If demand is predicted to be strong, prices will stay high. If demand is predicted to be low, prices will drop to entice people to book, as every empty room is lost revenue.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Not entirely. The seasons are a bit legacy at this point. Fall is busier than rates might lead you to think.

 

[sam1998]

Thanks for the responses. My gut was telling me that (at least to a certain extent) that must be the case.

 

[Shanti]

The title basically sums it up. Obviously special events (cheer) can impact resorts but not as much parks, but excluding large groups like that, do you think resort pricing fluctuations indicate Disney’s expectations as far as crowds go?

Yes, of course.

 

[anomamatt]

The resort rates are based on room occupancy, not on park attendance. There are ~30,000 hotel rooms on site and the guests staying onsite are a small fraction of park capacity.

Resort occupancy does not always equal park attendance. Which is why there can be a disconnect between peak room rates and peak park crowds.

 

[vacationer1954]

For example, certain weeks are ideal weeks for conventions on property, and room rates will probably be affected by that. So even though the parks will be lightly attended, the room rates will still be higher those weeks.

 

[sam1998]

So on that note...it seems that a time with high resort prices may not correlate to high park attendance. What about the opposite? Are there times where low resort rates occur but high park attendance?