Early Entry Changes 2024

[SOCALMouseMommy]

January was our last stay. Attempted EE on two days, one to DL and one to CA. DL we saw PP, Alice, Buzz, Space, all down for the 30 mins of EE. At CA only Guardians was available, which as it turned out was fine since we planned to ride that and then get in line to get in line at RSR but still there really wasn’t a bonus being in the parks 30 minutes early from an attractions perspective.

Wow. That’s just terrible honestly. :/

 

[OlliePop27]

Wow. That’s just terrible honestly. :/

On one of our days last January Webslingers was down. Another day Soarin was down for half the time. Another morning PP was down, another day Alice was down. This was over 4 separate EE days.

 

[joseph821]

January was our last stay. Attempted EE on two days, one to DL and one to CA. DL we saw PP, Alice, Buzz, Space, all down for the 30 mins of EE. At CA only Guardians was available, which as it turned out was fine since we planned to ride that and then get in line to get in line at RSR but still there really wasn’t a bonus being in the parks 30 minutes early from an attractions perspective.

Hi.
That is totally unacceptable. Disneyland is cutting EE. You know what I will say post COVID pandemic travel is over. When business keep cutting perks eventually customers take their business elsewhere. I am eager to see how this all plays out.

 

[joseph821]

On one of our days last January Webslingers was down. Another day Soarin was down for half the time. Another morning PP was down, another day Alice was down. This was over 4 separate EE days.

That is awful. Over 4 days is just wrong.

 

[OlliePop27]

That is awful. Over 4 days is just wrong.

I agree that continued cuts are not good, but let's see how things unfold. The problem at DL is that people keep gobbling up the on-site hotel rooms, even with fewer perks and increased prices. Attendance at DL is also higher (it's down at WDW, but not DL). Until this changes, DL does not have much incentive to change.

I'm trying to be optimistic that they'll make some EE adjustments with the changes in 2024. Maybe dedicated EE entrances to the designated park like they used to to do for Magic Mornings? Maybe additional attractions (i.e. Radiator Springs) get added to the EE roster?

I'm not optimistic, and I think the fact Disney has not even formally announced this change says a lot. I'm trying to be glass half full. Coming from a different time zone, even just the 30 minutes in the morning for my family is key. Our kids are up and ready to go at 6:00 am (thinking it's 8:00 am) and even being able to utilize an extra 30 minutes is still worth it for us.

 

[joseph821]

I agree that continued cuts are not good, but let's see how things unfold. The problem at DL is that people keep gobbling up the on-site hotel rooms, even with fewer perks and increased prices. Attendance at DL is also higher (it's down at WDW, but not DL). Until this changes, DL does not have much incentive to change.

I'm trying to be optimistic that they'll make some EE adjustments with the changes in 2024. Maybe dedicated EE entrances to the designated park like they used to to do for Magic Mornings? Maybe additional attractions (i.e. Radiator Springs) get added to the EE roster?

I'm not optimistic, and I think the fact Disney has not even formally announced this change says a lot. I'm trying to be glass half full. Coming from a different time zone, even just the 30 minutes in the morning for my family is key. Our kids are up and ready to go at 6:00 am (thinking it's 8:00 am) and even being able to utilize an extra 30 minutes is still worth it for us.

I agree. I come from the East Coast and I am ready to go. Yes Disney has not formally announced this change but hidden it on the website. I was able to do 5 to 6 attractions during my EE at DL. What I predict is this: the attendance will start to go down and Disneyland Resort Hotel occupancy will start to drop and Disneyland will start to panic and make the necessary changes. When other Anaheim hotels start offering more perks you'll see changes. Also any changes in the national economy will directly affect tourism and Disneyland.

 

[OlliePop27]

I agree. I come from the East Coast and I am ready to go. Yes Disney has not formally announced this change but hidden it on the website. I was able to do 5 to 6 attractions during my EE at DL. What I predict is this: the attendance will start to go down and Disneyland Resort Hotel occupancy will start to drop and Disneyland will start to panic and make the necessary changes. When other Anaheim hotels start offering more perks you'll see changes. Also any changes in the national economy will directly affect tourism and Disneyland.

They have already kind of tipped their hand about softening demand with the frequent promotional discounts. There's pretty much on-site hotel discounts during all seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer) for many weekdays. They also run the SoCal promotional tickets during much of the year. They will never lower base prices for hotels, but they will "lower" them unofficially through promotions.

Frankly, the off-site hotels aren't exactly cheap either. Many of the go-to options on Harbor are 2-3 times more expensive in 2024 than 1-2 years ago.

 

[joseph821]

They have already kind of tipped their hand about softening demand with the frequent promotional discounts. There's pretty much on-site hotel discounts during all seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer) for many weekdays. They also run the SoCal promotional tickets during much of the year. They will never lower base prices for hotels, but they will "lower" them unofficially through promotions.

Frankly, the off-site hotels aren't exactly cheap either. Many of the go-to options on Harbor are 2-3 times more expensive in 2024 than 1-2 years ago.

Once the economy cools off, tourism will be affected. Without all the promotions and sales, hotel occupancy and park attendance would be lower. Hotel prices have increased dramatically since the pandemic ended..it is price gouging by the hotel industry and eventually when travel decreases rates will drop.

 

[nalabear]

January is a common time for rides to be down and switching back over from holiday overlays - this has always been the case, even pre-covid. It's the lowest attendance time of the year after 1st weekend to President's day.

Yes, Disney is expensive. It's still pulling attendance ahead of the competition despite 50%+ price differential and filling its hotels. The promotions are a telltale sign of softening demand for sure.

They certainly haven't needed to reopen the annual passes and using the SoCal promotional to keep locals from going crazy about prices. Frankly, that 3day Socal is extremely worthwhile especially if not hopping types