Super low wait times?!

[prprincess]

This is great. I hope that this trend continues, as it would give us more chances to visit during the year.

 

[bettybooplove]

I'm not sure if anyone in the parks can confirm, but just from sporadically checking wait times over the weekend the crowd levels seemed to stay low. Today seems pretty busy though.

Right. Space Mountain is 110, Splash is 105 (but they were both at 125 around noon). The parks were much lower on Friday and Saturday but there was a surge on Sunday.

I'm not seeing these low crowd numbers. It seems like a typical summer to me.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I think it's a combination of the northern schools going until June 20th or so and people skipping Disney due to prices and overplanning.

The only two people I know who do yearly onsite Disney trips opted for universal this year. They both said Disney prices were crazy and they wanted a more laid back approach that universal could give them.

 

[Farro]

A few sites are saying it's due in part to the worsening South American economy.

 

[neptuneflame]

I'm not sure if anyone in the parks can confirm, but just from sporadically checking wait times over the weekend the crowd levels seemed to stay low. Today seems pretty busy though.

We've been here since Friday, and your assessment is correct. MK on Saturday and HS on Sunday were completely manageable and smooth. Today was much more typical crowds at Epcot, yet we still only had a 30 min wait for Soarin' at 2. The last time we've been here was October 2015 and crowds were huge! I was worried about the heat, but it was hot in October, and with lower crowds, we've had more access to air conditioned spaces, including completely empty stores. It's been a great trip so far, and we're traveling with my infant nephew and my sister who has an injured foot. Cast members have been great as well. I'll post a brief trip report later.

 

[bryanb]

The United States, overall, has seen a drop in tourism from overseas this year. Disney World would be more impacted by this than other places.
This is good news for guests like me, who don't like long lines. Not so good news for shareholders like me, who have Disney in their retirement accounts.

Just like last year, though, it will probably get busier in July until mid-August. Then the last week of August, we'll see another drop off in visitors. The last week of August is always a great time to go if you don't mind heat and rain (and possible hurricanes). Many people avoid it and it's also back-to-school season.

 

[DOOM1001]

I think its a combination of people realizing visiting Disney in the 95 degree summertime is not ideal,drop in tourism from other countries and Pandora bringing in people who were in other parks in the past.I saw the same thing at Universal last week,decent wait times as they basically now have a third park in the Volcano Bay water park cannibalizing visitors from USF and IOA and with as hot as it is where would you prefer to be.You can add to the Fl resident silver pass holders (myself included)who are blacked out until Aug 11th I believe.I have AP's without blackout dates to Universal,Sea World and Busch and even with those summer park visits for more than 2-3 hours during daylight hours are rare,its just too hot!!If Disney would have longer park hours during summer,like 12-1 am I would deem it worth it to upgrade my pass,its way more tolerable to visit the parks after the sun goes down.

 

[shaycamp21]

For us Canadians having a weak dollar with the rising cost of a WDW vacation and after the you add the exchange it's 30+% more than in previous years when our dollar was more on par with the US. This I know is causing many Canadians to stay away. We usually go to WDW anywhere from 7-10 days but are only doing 3 days and going on a cruise (not Disney) and getting more bang for our buck.

 

[agavegirl1]

Josh over at EasyWDW is speculating that South American visitors, which comprise up to 30% of guests may be down to single digits this year. Economic factors including taxes imposed on tours to the US are playing a part. I suspect as PP mentioned, the currency exchange rates, the purposeful efforts of WDW to steer attendance with dynamic pricing and special events/offers during traditionally lower crowd times are having an impact. October used to be so perfect for us. Now it requires a pretty detailed plan but I still prefer to go to Orlando then.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We arrive July 6. I have a hunch this trend will change by then.

 

[bastraker]

We're boarding the plane now - on our way to Disney! Hope the waits stay low!

 

[Cinderella94]

We're boarding the plane now - on our way to Disney! Hope the waits stay low!

How has it been? Our flight down is tomorrow morning.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

We're the same. I grew up in MA and currently live in NY and school always gets out in late June (usually 3rd week) and starts the day after labor day. I'm always shocked when I hear how some kids go back in early August! Even mid-Aug still seems so early to me...it's still summer! To me school start = fall. School end = summer (June 21st or so being the usual first official day of summer.) Not a perfect match up since summer doesn't officially end until late Sept, but it's close, since it usually starts getting cooler here in mid-Sept. Is it the weather that causes the different shifts in school times across the country?

I'm watching this thread closely now since we still haven't chosen when to make our Disney visit in 2018.

DW is a teacher here in GA. Her first day back this year without students is July 24th!!!