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

[twoplustwins]

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?

 

[Smugpugmug]

Don't have concrete proof of any of these points but this is just my 2 cents:

- Heat: it's been a feel temp of up to 107 some days. If I was planning a trip with family and friends, I would 100% swap to a time of year that is cooler, even if I had to sacrifice crowds.
- Northern schools are not out yet for summer vacation: obviously this is dependent on where you are but I grew up in NJ and our last days of school were June 18-21 (estimating as it changed every year) and we went back to school after Labor day.
- Continuation from the first point but parents are WAY more willing to take their kids out of school - I've seen it firsthand in my area. My neighbors took their two kids out of school for a 2 week trip to Italy. The time they went was WAAAAY cheaper than going during our county's spring break week.

 

[mom2rtk]

Don't have concrete proof of any of these points but this is just my 2 cents:

- Heat: it's been a feel temp of up to 107 some days. If I was planning a trip with family and friends, I would 100% swap to a time of year that is cooler, even if I had to sacrifice crowds.
- Northern schools are not out yet for summer vacation: obviously this is dependent on where you are but I grew up in NJ and our last days of school were June 18-21 (estimating as it changed every year) and we went back to school after Labor day.
- Continuation from the first point but parents are WAY more willing to take their kids out of school - I've seen it firsthand in my area. My neighbors took their two kids out of school for a 2 week trip to Italy. The time they went was WAAAAY cheaper than going during our county's spring break week.

None of that is any different than it has been for many years.

 

[Karin1984]

On the Disney Cruise board there is a recent thread on why Disney cruises do not seem to sell out at the moment.

Maybe there is a relation?

Most people say cost of a cruise, cost of living recession etc. as the main reason.

 

[reddog21]

Could it just be possible that pre covid levels are returning? I always go during the summer except for the past 2 years I never really found it to be overly crowded.

 

[Smugpugmug]

None of that is any different than it has been for many years.

Just from observation I definitely notice more people shifting their trips from summer months to fall/winter. January is busier than it was previously.

 

[Massachusetts]

Just from observation I definitely notice more people shifting their trips from summer months to fall/winter. January is busier than it was previously.

I agree we had January trip and it was much busier than we expected. Prior to this year our last January trip was 2012-2013ish.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Many people don't have as much spare cash being that groceries and everyday staples are much more now than a couple years ago.

 

[lowlight]

January was oddly busy this year, so maybe people are going in the traditionally slower months to get away from the crowds. Also, credit card debt is well over a trillion in the US and everyone I know is broke.

 

[Travel60]

Combination of factors mentioned above plus parks/food/lodging have become much more expensive and planning a park visit much more complicated. Not so fun.

Most of the folks I know now consider a Disney trip an every 3-4 year thing, if at all, and prefer to enjoy other trips that are less intense - national parks are becoming a big thing.

We are taking the grands to a Great Wolf Resort this month. Compared to Disney, it's pocket change and they will love it

 

[greeneyedchick]

Combination of factors mentioned above plus parks/food/lodging have become much more expensive and planning a park visit much more complicated. Not so fun.

Most of the folks I know now consider a Disney trip an every 3-4 year thing, if at all, and prefer to enjoy other trips that are less intense - national parks are becoming a big thing.

We are taking the grands to a Great Wolf Resort this month. Compared to Disney, it's pocket change and they will love it

The first time I took my kids to Great Wolf Lodge, they all said that it was better than Disney World. Now that they are teens, they still talk about GWL (and have asked to go back) while they have zero desire to go to Disney World. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Massachusetts]

Combination of factors mentioned above plus parks/food/lodging have become much more expensive and planning a park visit much more complicated. Not so fun.

Most of the folks I know now consider a Disney trip an every 3-4 year thing, if at all, and prefer to enjoy other trips that are less intense - national parks are becoming a big thing.

We are taking the grands to a Great Wolf Resort this month. Compared to Disney, it's pocket change and they will love it

I have found GWL to be pretty close to as expensive as Disney - claw machines should be illegal (lol)! Still definitely a good time and in my limited experience very well run.

 

[Upatnoon]

1. Cool times vs. hot times have flipped for crowds. People vacation all year and school schedules aren't the driver they used to be.

2. It's expensive. A lot of people went over the past few years after the pandemic and may now wait a few years to return.

3. There's still plenty of people there.

 

[tinkerhon]

1. Cool times vs. hot times have flipped for crowds. People vacation all year and school schedules aren't the driver they used to be.

2. It's expensive. A lot of people went over the past few years after the pandemic and may now wait a few years to return.

3. There's still plenty of people there.

Agree with all, especially #2- the price for one day park tickets are insane! I know everything is more expensive, but wow …. Sticker shock

 

[gottalovepluto]

MONEY.

And people are no longer desperate to travel.

 

[mhautz]

3. There's still plenty of people there.

This. I have a hard time distinguishing between a 2/3 day and a 6/7 day most times. I almost always resent going on "slow" days because they didn't feel any slower. 8/9/10 days, on the other hand, those are noticeable.

 

[Lumpy1106]

For us the continued absence of perks for staying on-property and the nickel and diming (G+) has taken a lot of the wind out of our sails. We don't mind the cost so much but there should be some added value and there just isn't. We were going at least once a year, now once every other year. Hoping for even lighter Disney crowds next summer when Epic opens.

 

[Jrb1979]

I don't fully buy the heat reason as people book Disney vacations months to a year out. I fully believe price of a Disney vacation especially when you add in Genie+ and the amount rooms go for now it's too much for most people.

MCO saw record breaking travelers for Memorial Day weekend yet Disney had low crowds. People are still traveling just not to Disney

 

[Minnie1222]

I happened to be at Universal and Disney for six days that included Memorial Day. Crowds fluctuated at both parks but were never low. Living with the Land and Figment had wait times as high as 50 minutes. E.T. also had wait times at 50 minutes during certain parts of the day.

I don't follow crowd data. My report is based on personal observation and comparison to past trips. The crowd did not appear to be smaller or bigger than my previous Memorial Day trips.

The heat, however, was noticeably worse.

 

[Minnie1222]

None of that is any different than it has been for many years.

The heat is real. Last July was the hottest we've ever experienced in Orlando.