Thoughts on why crowds are lower this summer so far??

[Genie+]

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I have noticed the Genie+ and ILL prices creeping up recently and wondered if they were getting ready for the change on the 24th and what they will charge. You know, make it not seem like such a big jump in price.

Very interested to see next week. I have budgeted $27 per day plus tax for 10 people and if it gets to double that my next year, I am going to be re-evaluating. I realize Christmas time is much higher and usually budget $39 plus tax for that, and that doubling wouldn't be surprising because of crowds. I guess I would probably cut some dining and definitely shopping.

 

[Minnie1222]

I was at AK today and the crowd appeared to be similar to past summers.

I also stopped by MK at night to pick up some merch and it was packed with people waiting for the fireworks.

Despite the intense heat, the majority of the visitors appeared cheerful.

Looking forward to another "dead" park tomorrow.

 

[twoplustwins]

According to wdw passport, July has been busier than June.

 

[AttheParks]

Will be going Saturday so I've been watching wait times, etc. Parks don't seem to be empty at all! Of course, not as crowded as Spring break or holiday time, but pretty darn busy- IMO!

 

[TAPMD]

Demographics are changing too. There’s a large increase in retirees, empty nesters and double-income no-kids visiting WDW, and those may have a higher preference and ability to avoid the worst time of year in Orlando.

We fall into the category of empty nesters. Late Oct thru early April seems to be the sweetest spot. Our rationale is even if crowds and prices are lower in summer, WDW is still expensive and makes no sense if not enjoyable. Summer isn’t more convenient for our schedule now. Our stamina and weather tolerance is less than years ago. I can’t stand the sunscreen battle.

We bought APs in Feb. Squeezing in a summer trip would get a ‘free ticket’ trip and it’s still a “No thank you!”

You’re right! I’m going at the end of August. I just want to go to the pools, hotel hop and do some shopping. If I go to a park, it will be at night.

 

[focusondisney]

Will be going Saturday so I've been watching wait times, etc. Parks don't seem to be empty at all! Of course, not as crowded as Spring break or holiday time, but pretty darn busy- IMO!

Some of us having been saying that all along. Have a great trip!

 

[Minnie1222]

HS today


EPCOT today


I'm not going to comment on whether the crowd is high or low because that is entirely subjective. All I want to say is the parks are definitely not dead, and the crowd looks the same to me when compared to similar time frames in the past.

 

[katyjeka]

From the pictures it looks like the crowds have picked up.

 

[itf]

It felt visibly busier w/c 15th than w/c 7th certainly.

 

[Jfsag123]

We were there 7/10 through yesterday and the parks were definitely nowhere near dead. Crowds were manageable, but definitely present. It seemed a lot less crowded when we went the same time last year. We have been going in July since 2018 and this year felt more similar to pre-COVID July crowds.

 

[aalan]

I've been looking at the stats and live crowd numbers so far this June. It appears that they have been much lower than the last several years. We have been early to mid-June many times and they were consistently crowds of 6-8, even during rainstorms and extreme heat as summer often brings. In particular, Magic Kingdom has reported crowds of 2-3 the majority of the month so far.

Thoughts on this?

Cost versus value Is finally catching up with Disney!

 

[Minnie1222]

MK today. Still magical despite the sticky heat.

 

[wabbott]

Related to this discussion

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/23/comcast-cmcsa-earnings-q2-2024.html

Comcast posts mixed results, weighed down by film studio, theme parks

Published Tue, Jul 23 2024 - 6:30 AM EDT
by Lillian Rizzo@Lilliannnn

Meanwhile, theme park revenue dropped nearly 11% to $1.98 billion as attendance normalized compared to record-setting 2023.
Last quarter the theme park segment began its cool down from the hot post-Covid lockdown attendance surge in 2023.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240722277817/en/?Fds-Load-Behavior=force-external

 

[Minnie1222]

According to wdw passport, July has been busier than June.

I have an inkling feeling that June was probably not as dead as reported. As previously mentioned, I joined this discussion because I didn't agree with all the posts about WDW being an empty place. For that reason I'm posting sample pictures so you all can see the correlation between crowd calendars and actual crowds.

 

[Minnie1222]

Cost versus value Is finally catching up with Disney!

Or we're just returning to the normal pattern following the big combination of post-Covid revenge travels and 50th/100th celebrations.

 

[AttheParks]

MK today. Still magical despite the sticky heat.
View attachment 879107

Thanks for the pics - wow! looks pretty crowded! Going on Saturday and was hoping for lower crowds. I am assuming things will be pretty busy during our trip with all the 'good to go days'. Weather looks pretty rainy, too. More than just the usual summer afternoon storm.

 

[CoasterGT24]

Good to Go days more indicates that they expect things to be slower and are trying to entice visitors to come.

 

[focusondisney]

I have an inkling feeling that June was probably not as dead as reported. As previously mentioned, I joined this discussion because I didn't agree with all the posts about WDW being an empty place. For that reason I'm posting sample pictures so you all can see the correlation between crowd calendars and actual crowds.

To add that correlation, TP had Studios a 3 on Sunday & MK a 3 yesterday. A 3 now isn’t as quiet as it was 15 years ago. Just a lower level of busy.

 

[Minnie1222]

Thanks for the pics - wow! looks pretty crowded! Going on Saturday and was hoping for lower crowds. I am assuming things will be pretty busy during our trip with all the 'good to go days'. Weather looks pretty rainy, too. More than just the usual summer afternoon storm.

I'm old-fashioned and only use Mermaid, Star Tours, and Living with the Land as guidelines to measure crowds. The wait times for those three were 5 minutes, that to me meant low to average crowds. I don't think you will run into high crowds during your visit.

We had Genie+ and ILL for three days and were able to ride all the big attractions except for Remy and Tiana (for clarification, we were able to get G+ for Remy but the ride kept shutting down right before our redemption time. For Tiana, I was too slow in the morning and kept getting a return time after 7PM. I didn’t want to deal with the modifications so it was easier to forfeit it this time). ILL was easy to get for FOP, Tron and Guardians, but Rise was being taken at a much quicker rate.

The heat was oppressive. I like the summer times for the lower crowds, but personally I can't take this heat anymore.