Percentages -- Anyone Know?

[mickeyluv'r]

The above discussion also don't account for the 700,000 plus feet of ballroom/function space at WDW. A significant - but highly variable - number of ONSITE guests at WDW are NOT there to play in the parks. Even some of those who DO enter the park gates, are actually going in the park to attend a business function, wedding ,or other similar event. Epcot in particular has multiple meeting spots: American Adventure, Illuminations Dessert party area, etc. Multiple hotels offer some significant conventions, including the Swan and Dolphin.

Business guests can even host after hours events at the water parks, rent Atlantic Dance Hall, or rent the Fantasia Garden Pavilions.

Do guests going to Epcot for a business retreat or wedding count as having done research?
There's also a certain number of guests each day - coming and going from the Disney cruise ships. The Dream holds up to 4,000 guests, and many of those guests either do combo WDW trips- or simply stay at a WDW hotel on their way to/from their ship. Disney offers a shuttle bus service and various package deals.

There is also the Sport complex at WDW. The stadium has 9,500 seats (not sure if that includes box seats), plus patios and the Field House building to hold more.

also, when we talk about guests each day, which guests? Are you only counting guests who stay opening to close? Those who hop? Those who only enter Epcot to eat dinner?

How do you count employees who eat in the parks?

 

[NYHeel]

Besides the actual hotel rooms are all the rental homes and apartments. Nearly every family that I know stays in a rental home/apartment. You're going to have about 4-10 people per home/apartment. That's going to really swing the number to offsite.

 

[JimmyV]

The above discussion also don't account for the 700,000 plus feet of ballroom/function space at WDW. A significant - but highly variable - number of ONSITE guests at WDW are NOT there to play in the parks.

Also to be considered is the percentage of people who are staying overnight on their check-in day who do not visit a park that day. The couple who checks in at 9:00 pm counts toward the occupancy percentage but does not count toward the turnstile numbers. 30,469 rooms (according to Touring Plans) x 85% occupancy rate x 2.7 people per room (people often use 3.5, but WDW is such a huge honeymoon/babymoon destination that it has a huge impact on averages...people with a family of 5 or 6 are more likely to look offsite than the honeymoon couple will) = 70,000 people per night. Subtract out the convention goers, the check-ins, the people who are taking a day off from the parks, the people who are going to water parks, the people going to SW or US/IOA etc, and you probably have around 50,000 people tops. That is less than 50% of all people in the parks. There is a reason why Disney shut down the Richard Petty Experience to enlarge the TTC parking lot.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Mind op- while think it would be impossible for any of us here to answer, these are concepts many of us have considered in various forms from various angles.

Though I mostly focus my WDW time in the parks, a very interesting way to spend a little time is watching buses come and go from the MK bus area (say at the Contemporary's observation deck), or a water craft on the lagoon.

We've also had a few 'standard view rooms" where we got to see delivery trucks arriving, and the access roads (like the one behind the World Showcase). I consider such views to be a real treat, because they give me insight into aspects of the parks many guests never consider.

I've often wondered what percentage of guests live in the local area, and how they impact the park crowds. How long would you stay in MK if you could come every weekend? Would you ride 3 FP, then leave? Or would you simply show up for the midnight-1am MK hour and pack in as much as possible?