We have a different theory about the reports of understaffing. Years ago when there were still "dead times" to visit WDW we used to walk around commenting that we didn't understand how Disney could afford to employ so many people who appeared to just be standing around waiting for someone to get in line for a ride or purchase something from one of the carts - and this was even noting that many of the carts and kiosks that are open during the busier times of year were closed. Those were the days of being able to walk right on just about every single ride at WDW and have no wait at all to order food at a QS location. We actually think, from a business perspective, that WDW was way overstaffed during those times. I think that many complaints about staffing issues and wait times have to do with people who primarily visited WDW during those dead times of the year. To us it seems like Disney simply corrected their overstaffing issue. Yes, if you were used to no or very low wait times it is a serious bummer. Financially, it makes the most sense for Disney to staff so that wait times throughout the year are about the same (understanding that during extremely busy holiday, spring break times, etc even maxing out staffing will likely still not be able to handle the massive crowds).
Having recently had week long vacations in June, July, October, and January we can easily say that the waits and crowds we experienced seemed, on average, to have been almost exactly the same during each visit (with slightly lower crowds and lines during June and July).
Couple this with the ability to easily and immediately access information about planning a WDW trip on-line now compared to several years ago. Back when there were very "dead times" during the year, MOST people who planned a WDW trip either depended on a
travel agent or simply called WDW. The very savvy might have ordered the vacation planning information from WDW or purchased a book about WDW but until the Unofficial Guide most were published by Disney. For the most part though, aside from a travel agent telling people that the parks will be more crowded in the summer, there was really now way to get information on the "best" time of year to visit. Now, the average person wanting to visit WDW is MUCH more likely to find a website that explains the "busy" and "slow" times at WDW when they do a basic google search looking for info on a WDW vacation. The average person is therefore much more likely to know that they should go during the historically low times - which, of course, results in MANY more people visiting when it is "supposed" to be slow.
Then you have the advances in technology from the WDW side. They now have computer models based upon the ability to track guest data that helps them determine their actual staffing needs in advance and with real time data. If an average wait time for ride x is 45 minutes but it has been averaging a 5 or 10 minute wait, they can see that immediately and make adjustments.
So I don't think it is just staffing that is causing crowd and wait "issues." It seems to me that everything WDW has been doing is being done to keep the crowds and wait times the same throughout the whole year. I just don't understand complaining about crowds and lines because it was "supposed" to be a low crowd time to visit or because "everyone said it wouldn't be crowded in January." It's not like there was a law was broken because the crowds were heavier than someone thought they would be. So many people seem to think they are "owed" something because it is crowded and they had longer waits than they expected. It's a theme park, the understanding going into your vacation should be that you WILL have to deal with crowds and lines. And if people choose to no longer visit WDW because they don't like the crowds WDW simply doesn't care, they don't have to. There are plenty of people who are perfectly happy to go to WDW year after year in spite of crowds and wait times.
