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

[tom1944]

We went last year in August and felt that even though it was very hot there were enough ways to get cool that we did not find it unbearable.

My big fear is the greater chance of having a week when the tropical storms hit. The daily afternoon storm I can work around.

If it was only my wife and I we would go after MLK and before President’s Day. But as long as we are going with our granddaughter we would rather battle the weather.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Having to share the top of a trashcan as a table to eat our food, rude cast members ,,expensive, lots of reasons we no longer visit the parks.

 

[JoshF]

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.

Where do you find these crowd ratings?

 

[mhautz]

Let’s not underestimate that WDW has been kind of stagnant the past few years. There’s no big headliner opening this year (Tiana’s is exciting, but it’s still the same ride as Splash Mountain and the last major expansion occurred in 2019. When you factor in many of the other reasons people have mentioned (heat, increased price/decreased income, more flexible schedules), people who have already been to WDW in the last five years don’t really have a compelling reason to overlook the friction.

 

[kidshop]

The willingness to take kids out of school, especially in older school years, is different since the pandemic. I have friends and family who are teachers and school administrators, and they all talk about this.

As a parent myself, I feel it too. We used to hem and haw over whether to take the kids out for longer than a few days in a given school year.

Now? It’s much more like, “What’s two weeks in the grand scheme?”

Yep. Where I live school was closed for a year and a half! (Something I will never get over). I have not looked at school the same way since. 2 weeks missed school for family fun? Doesn’t even make me blink.

 

[Travel60]

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.

For between $800 and $900, we got 2 nights in a family suite, including access to the water park for all three days and an extra package that gave us a dining credit and some other activities.

Last time we took them to WDW, the tickets alone (plus the "+" thing) cost about that, not counting lodging or food. What they remember most about that trip is standing around in crowds while the adults tried to get the "+" to work - it was down for the morning. And the adults staring at their phones trying to find the shortest lines.

We'll see - maybe GWL will not be as nice as we hope.

 

[Travel60]

As a teacher, I disagree. Post-Covid, families are waaaaay more likely in my district to take off randomly during the school year compared to before. I thought it might level out but the number of students taking vacations during the school year is increasing in my experience. There isn't as much of a stigma to pull your kids out mid-year. This leaves fewer families willing to suffer through Florida's summer heat if they can easily visit during the other 3 seasons.

Totally agree. I see it in my family. We NEVER took our kids out of school for anything.

My kids had K-3 when Covid hit. They were back online within a week and parents saw how little actual instruction goes on in a day after the teachers have to deal with paperwork, unruly kids, announcements, assemblies, etc. With their teacher's blessings, they occasionally take grands out a day or so for travel. All work is done on the trip (1-2 hours/day) and turned in on return. (They are in a parochial school so don't have some of the truancy mandates that public schools have.)

 

[neverlandsky]

DAS crackdown, Long lines, Genie+, Inflation, Cost, Refurbishments, Rides Temporarily down, Parks close early for after hours, Flight delays & cancellations, No free round trip transportation from airport to resort, Quality deterioration, Way too much planning for vacation that’s suppose to be relaxing, Weather, Inflation - vehicle insurance, homeowners insurance, property taxes, utilities, food, rent, etc. all super high.

Our first visit was 2017 and now we’re going for our 2nd visit this summer. Probably our last since so much has changed. To be honest for us it’s overwhelming. This is why DL will always be the superior park to us. DL is opened for longer hours, you can still be spontaneous, you can get a lot done in 1 day even with the high crowds.

 

[tom1944]

For between $800 and $900, we got 2 nights in a family suite, including access to the water park for all three days and an extra package that gave us a dining credit and some other activities.

Last time we took them to WDW, the tickets alone (plus the "+" thing) cost about that, not counting lodging or food. What they remember most about that trip is standing around in crowds while the adults tried to get the "+" to work - it was down for the morning. And the adults staring at their phones trying to find the shortest lines.

We'll see - maybe GWL will not be as nice as we hope.

I will be interested to hear how you like it. There are 3 GWL within an easy commute for us. The Poconos, in Maryland and Williamsburg Virginia. We could easily tie a few days at GWL into other parts of those areas for a 7–10-day vacation in the summer.

We will be going to WDW next year which will be 3 years in a row and then try another vacation of some kind to see if Disney should be every year of every other year trip.

We own DVC so I have to decide if we want additional points to go every year. I am an incrementalist and like to slowly walk my way into decisions. Last year was 7 days at Disney this year will be 9 days and next will be 5 days plus either a Disney cruise or time at Universal. After that some type of non-Disney trip and then back to Disney.

 

[Jrb1979]

I will be interested to hear how you like it. There are 3 GWL within an easy commute for us. The Poconos, in Maryland and Williamsburg Virginia. We could easily tie a few days at GWL into other parts of those areas for a 7–10-day vacation in the summer.

We will be going to WDW next year which will be 3 years in a row and then try another vacation of some kind to see if Disney should be every year of every other year trip.

We own DVC so I have to decide if we want additional points to go every year. I am an incrementalist and like to slowly walk my way into decisions. Last year was 7 days at Disney this year will be 9 days and next will be 5 days plus either a Disney cruise or time at Universal. After that some type of non-Disney trip and then back to Disney.

In that area you are also close to some great parks like Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion

 

[beccasmom]

Many school districts here in southeastern PA had their last session yesterday (6/14) and some are next week (depends on whether classes began before or after Labor Day).

And if I was a WDW local, I wouldn’t be planning a park visit in those temps (although I understand some folks don’t mind/enjoy them), unless maybe a water park. Our first WDW trip was in 1981 in mid-June and I remember it was pretty hot. But I was a lot younger then!

 

[RivShore]

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?

Where are those stats coming from? The same places that said crowds were down 15%+ a few quarters ago, when in reality they were pretty much flat?

 

[Minnie1222]

^This is interesting. I feel the same way about some of our spring break trips, especially during April. The combo of good park hours and somehow the parks seems to be running on all cylinders, CM morale strong, plus the pleasant weather helps save our own energy.

Our trip this past March was the best since the re-opening. Low-ish crowds for a few days. Sunny with cool breezes.

 

[wabbott]

In my opinion, this years' relatively lighter crowds is a big part of why DIS' stock price is back below $100/share as of yesterday's close. The 2024 Q3 (4/1/24-6/30/24) earnings report that will be released in early August will tell the tale.

 

[Lumpy1106]

As a teacher, I disagree. Post-Covid, families are waaaaay more likely in my district to take off randomly during the school year compared to before. I thought it might level out but the number of students taking vacations during the school year is increasing in my experience. There isn't as much of a stigma to pull your kids out mid-year. This leaves fewer families willing to suffer through Florida's summer heat if they can easily visit during the other 3 seasons.

As a parent, I can tell you the COVID shutdowns completely changed my POV on pulling my kids out. If the schools can shut down for years on end and change the rules as it suits them, then you better believe I can too. Not so much with my kid in the private school that we moved her to (because it as open the whole time and they deserve the consideration), but with my kids in public school. I have taken my kids out for college tours and educational trips that we arranged. I did not ask - I only gave the school the courtesy of letting them know we were going. When DD turned 18 and it was clear the school only wanted her there so they could get their attendance money I left it up to her. We did not get so bold as to pull any of our kids out for Disney vacations, but you can bet we did consider it.

 

[rdaky]

Covid flipped the busy times. Summer is now lighter and Fall is busy. That's also why they offered free dining in summer vs past years when it was offered in the fall. I guarantee that crowds will be a lot higher in October and November.

 

[Minnie1222]

Out of curiosity, I did a search for June 2024 crowd levels and these two sites came up. Only a few screenshots are attached here. The full data can be seen on their official sites. As usual, peer reviews are encouraged to ensure I didn't misinterpret the information.

COURTESY OF MAGIC GUIDES:

The scale is from 1 to 5. For June 2024, the days are consistently 3 and 4, meaning Average to Above Average crowds.


COURTESY OF UNDERCOVER TOURIST

The scale is from 1 to 10. Again, this calendar also shows Average to Above Average attendance.

 

[Minnie1222]

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

That's not true according to this crowd calendar:

 

[Travel60]

I will be interested to hear how you like it. There are 3 GWL within an easy commute for us. The Poconos, in Maryland and Williamsburg Virginia. We could easily tie a few days at GWL into other parts of those areas for a 7–10-day vacation in the summer.

We will be going to WDW next year which will be 3 years in a row and then try another vacation of some kind to see if Disney should be every year of every other year trip.

We own DVC so I have to decide if we want additional points to go every year. I am an incrementalist and like to slowly walk my way into decisions. Last year was 7 days at Disney this year will be 9 days and next will be 5 days plus either a Disney cruise or time at Universal. After that some type of non-Disney trip and then back to Disney.

You must live near us (Central MD). We are actually going to GW near Charlotte as it's close to our lake house. We are also DVC and spending 10 days in August with whole family in Grand Villa at HHI.

 

[Smugpugmug]

That's not true according to this crowd calendar:
View attachment 868592

Crowd calendars have not been accurate since WDW introduced the reservation system/Covid as they rely on past years' trends.