Poll: Are You Rewarding Disney for Bad Behavior?

[Spork24]

So I was sitting around thinking about park crowds and how Disney has done a good job at building crowds during the more traditionally slow times of year. The parks are so crowded that its hard to get as many things done in a day as apposed to 20 years ago. (at least it seems that way) Though Disney is planning some major new expansions, it is expected those parks will see increased attendance which will negate the new areas' ability to absorb the already high crowds. So basically unless Disney Builds a 5th park to house some of the guests (which would also increase overall attendance), the Crowds will remain at ridiculously high levels.

What do I mean about rewarding Disney for Bad Behavior you ask? 20 years ago my family went to Disney for 4 days and had a blast. 5 years ago we would go for 5-6 days. This year we are going to the World for 8 days, primarily to reduce stress caused by high crowds and long wait times. So we are rewarding Disney for their high wait times by giving them more money.

One more note. I am a big fan of capitalism, and don't think Disney is evil or anything like that. When I say "Bad Behavior" its mostly in Jest. I know Large crowds are a good problem for Disney to have. I have also praised them for their increase in reinvestment that they have started the last few years. I just wonder if we take away their motivation to fix the problem.

 

[maxiesmom]

The only way to fix the problem is to make ticket costs out of reach for a massive amount of people. Not a good fix imho.

I don't pick how many days I'm visiting based on how busy the parks will be. I pick based on my own schedule and budget.

 

[nilla]

We added days just because we love it so much

 

[Disneylover99]

We will be heading to DW the last two weeks of August for our seventh year in a row. I haven't noticed an increase in crowds during that time of year. Maybe I haven't been going long enough to notice.

 

[Delirium]

We've extended our # of days because there is simply more to do than there was 20 years ago. Plus, we like to build some down time into the trip, as a matter of personal choice. We were younger and able to go longer hours without wearing ourselves out 20 years ago.

 

[mom2rtk]

The only way to fix the problem is to make ticket costs out of reach for a massive amount of people. Not a good fix imho.

I don't pick how many days I'm visiting based on how busy the parks will be. I pick based on my own schedule and budget.

Not necessarily. If they added more net new attractions (not just replacements for things they close) the parks would absorb the crowds better.

I tend to think most people cannot just add extra days. Most are limited in how much vacation time is available to them.

 

[opal]

Mixed bag for us. We live a little over an hour away and used to do mostly days trips. Now we go less frequently but will stay over one night. There is just too much advance planning involved to do a spur of the moment day trip. It is almost impossible to get our favorite FP or dining reservations on short notice so even our overnights have become less frequent. We took our 1 yr old GD last fall. It was so crowded and stressful we have decided not to take her back for several years. We would love for her to have the same magical WDW memories that her mom enjoyed. It remains to be seen if that is possible.

 

[Spork24]

To clarify a bit. Obviously budget and schedule would effect your trip planning more than crowds. It affects our trips as well. But 20 years ago if we had gone to Orlando for 8 days, there is no way we wouldn't spend part of the trip doing things other than Disney. (Beach, other theme parks, etc.) Now we just want more Disney.

 

[dsdeleon]

I voted no because the parks don't get as much $$ but we have moved on to DCL so the mouse still wins!!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Our Disney vacations haven't changed. We have always arrived on Sunday and we leave on Saturday.

Now, this year we are arriving on Saturday. We are doing it for our benefit not Disney's.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I guess you need to punish the airlines too. 20 years ago, many of the budget airlines didn't exist. And punish Disney for building value and moderate resorts to make WDW more affordable to people. Oh and punish all the offsite resorts that were built to attract and house visitors. I'm not sure how this is Disney's "fault". They aren't forcing people to go to their parks. Do you want them to reduce their park capacity and have more phased closures? They could do this, but you would see a huge increase in ticket pricing (think Discovery Cove exclusivity pricing).

BTW, stockholders will strongly disagree that this is bad behavior.

The crowds don't bother me. We go with a good touring plan and enjoy non-park offerings as well. If you educate yourself and plan well, keeping your family's touring style in mind, you can have a great trip.

 

[DizDaD7]

Same here...I add days to our trip, just because I like being here...Or shall I say we love being here....It's not necessarily the parks and how busy it is or isn't, We love our leisurely lounge days by the pool too. Even just a nice afternoon relaxing in the sun is as satisfying as going on all the rides for the unth-tienth time...lol

 

[larryz]

We've actually shortened our trips. We used to go Sunday to Saturday -- our last trip was Monday to Friday to avoid weekend crowds...

 

[Spork24]

I guess you need to punish the airlines too. 20 years ago, many of the budget airlines didn't exist. And punish Disney for building value and moderate resorts to make WDW more affordable to people. Oh and punish all the offsite resorts that were built to attract and house visitors. I'm not sure how this is Disney's "fault". They aren't forcing people to go to their parks. Do you want them to reduce their park capacity and have more phased closures? They could do this, but you would see a huge increase in ticket pricing (think Discovery Cove exclusivity pricing).

BTW, stockholders will strongly disagree that this is bad behavior.

The crowds don't bother me. We go with a good touring plan and enjoy non-park offerings as well. If you educate yourself and plan well, keeping your family's touring style in mind, you can have a great trip.

Did you even read my post? I even stated that "bad behavior" was used in jest.

 

[soniam]

We actually go less days now than we did on our first trip, which wasn't that long ago. We have shifted some days to Universal, which is not a reflection on Disney. Universal has really good offerings now, and DS is older and can enjoy more rides there. We usually do everything we want to do at Disney. Extra days just let us do it at a more relaxed pace with more pool days and repeats of favorite rides.

 

[North of Mouse]

Actually we were there the past couple weeks, but cancelled our last two days during Mardi Gras for the great increase in crowds - also, to be honest, the cold gusty winds had a large part in it! So, they missed out on a few hundred $$'s from us.

Have no plans to return until the massive amounts of construction is completed in a few years, and the crowds can spread out a little more. The 'glitter' has faded somewhat for us.

 

[North of Mouse]

Same here...I add days to our trip, just because I like being here...Or shall I say we love being here....It's not necessarily the parks and how busy it is or isn't, We love our leisurely lounge days by the pool too. Even just a nice afternoon relaxing in the sun is as satisfying as going on all the rides for the unth-tienth time...lol

Guess this is what really puzzles me. We have lots of beautiful relaxing resorts a lot closer than Disney that we can actually enjoy more than the Disney resorts. The 'only' reason we travel so far to WDW is the parks. Not enjoying the parks like we did for many years is what is causing us to vacation elsewhere for awhile.

 

[DizDaD7]

Guess this is what really puzzles me. We have lots of beautiful relaxing resorts a lot closer than Disney that we can actually enjoy more than the Disney resorts. The 'only' reason we travel so far to WDW is the parks. Not enjoying the parks like we did for many years is what is causing us to vacation elsewhere for awhile.

Don't get me wrong....We have plenty of vacation spots here or close by to NJ and also some of the islands that we've visited, but it always comes back to how they treat you at WDW....For some reason they just get it.... Hard to explain I guess, but I do Love the parks don't get me wrong.....

 

[AngiTN]

No, we go the numbers of days we want to go and lines have nothing at all to do with the decision.

 

[Disneylover99]

If I started to find the crowd levels high and the lines long, I would probably stop going, and not add extra days to my trip.