Why the crowds?

[DividedSky]

No, that's not the case. Partially operational meant that you had to be staying at a particular resort to test the system, or have been randomly picked to test the system, or that the system was only in place in one or two of the parks. No one knew, on 1/10/14 that all FP- machines were going to be taken off line by 1/18/14. No one who booked before 1/15/14 could have possibly known that the system would look like it currently does by March 7. So the only people who knew what they would be buying into were the ones who booked after 1/15.

that is not right. the entire system is a test, which means it is prone to change at any moment.

but way back in October, I knew that the rules changed so dramatically that a tsmm fast pass could be acquired without a rope drop.

 

[Kristine316]

Everyone has their opinion but, I think the weather has been a big contributing factor. It has been the worst winter in quite awhile and people are looking to get to a warmer climate, even if just for a few days.

The economy is probably not a big contributor in my opinion. Just yesterday there was an article about Darden Restaurants and how they are not doing well and it mentioned the economy as a reason they are failing... people not being able to afford these mid price restaurants that cater to mainly the middle class. In fact restaurants like Panera and Chipotle are booming because they are higher quality than a Fast Food chain but, lower priced than a sit down restaurant like Olive Garden.

The Cost of Living is not well.. wages are stagnant, gas prices are on the rise and the unemployment rate actually ticked up today to almost 7% which is hardly considered a healthy unemployment rate... especially when it is on the rise, again. The economy is very sluggish, unless you are wealthy and then things are really going your way.. for now. The middle class is in fact not doing well in this economy, overall.

I also think Disney is doing an amazing job bringing in foreign tourists and I believe this group is actually helping WDW to be busier than ever. I just read an article about how Brazilians are a huge market for WDW.

 

[flutterby3744]

Everyone has their opinion but, I think the weather has been a big contributing factor. It has been the worst winter in quite awhile and people are looking to get to a warmer climate, even if just for a few days. The economy is probably not a big contributor in my opinion. Just yesterday there was an article about Darden Restaurants and how they are not doing well and it mentioned the economy as a reason they are failing... people not being able to afford these mid price restaurants that cater to mainly the middle class. In fact restaurants like Panera and Chipotle are booming because they are higher quality than a Fast Food chain but, lower priced than a sit down restaurant like Olive Garden. The Cost of Living is not well.. wages are stagnant, gas prices are on the rise and the unemployment rate actually ticked up today to almost 7% which is hardly considered a healthy unemployment rate... especially when it is on the rise, again. The economy is very sluggish, unless you are wealthy and then things are really going your way.. for now. The middle class is in fact not doing well in this economy, overall. I also think Disney is doing an amazing job bringing in foreign tourists and I believe this group is actually helping WDW to be busier than ever. I just read an article about how Brazilians are a huge market for WDW.

I actually saw a news segment the other day talking about this very thing. Tourism is WAY up this year, in part because of the weather.

I have to disagree with you about the economy though. Is it recovering as fast as we would all like? No way. It IS getting better though. If it were not, people wouldn't be spending money on vacations. And it's not just "the rich" who are traveling.

As for Darden restaurants....it's not the economy. It's the quality. Sure Olive Garden and Red Lobster can be tasty, But their prices don't match the quality. If I'm going to spend $20+ per plate, there are A LOT of better options out there. I just took my son to Olive Garden about a month ago. It was $75 for the two of us appetizer, 2 entrees, and drinks. And the quality? I've had better at Fazolis for more than half the price! Darden would like you to think it's the economy...but no.

 

[JimmyV]

that is not right. the entire system is a test, which means it is prone to change at any moment.

Not really. They aren't going to bring back thr FP- machines. On January 10, nobody knew that by January 15th, they'd all be gone.

 

[Love Tink]

that is not right. the entire system is a test, which means it is prone to change at any moment.

but way back in October, I knew that the rules changed so dramatically that a tsmm fast pass could be acquired without a rope drop.

There are only two people in America who think being able to ride TSMM without waiting and without being at the park early is an exciting enough prospect to create an entire vacation around it. One is you and the other one will probably pop up on this thread eventually.

 

[DividedSky]

Not really. They aren't going to bring back thr FP- machines. On January 10, nobody knew that by January 15th, they'd all be gone.

the old machines are relics.

you could easily bring back how the old system operated using modern technology of smart phones and kiosks.

changing the distribution of tickets with tiers, advanced reservations, hard limits, etc are all separate decisions made.

 

[fbarker]

How many college students visit the parks?? Not many I'd guess.
Economy improving my rear end! I doubt many are making more than they did and their COL has lowered.
I'd say weather, people living beyond their means and FP+ are to blame, the parks might not be much more crowded it's just the FP lines making the parks appear super packed.

Weather yes.....people living beyond there means....yes some but not enough to make much of a crowd impact at WDW. I doubt FP+ lines are making it more crowded or even appear to be more crowded. You are grasping at straws here.

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

There are only two people in America who think being able to ride TSMM without waiting and without being at the park early is an exciting enough prospect to create an entire vacation around it. One is you and the other one will probably pop up on this thread eventually.

Omg, LOL!! I was thinking the exact same thing when I read that comment. Hahahaha!

 

[Kristine316]

I actually saw a news segment the other day talking about this very thing. Tourism is WAY up this year, in part because of the weather.

I have to disagree with you about the economy though. Is it recovering as fast as we would all like? No way. It IS getting better though. If it were not, people wouldn't be spending money on vacations. And it's not just "the rich" who are traveling.

As for Darden restaurants....it's not the economy. It's the quality. Sure Olive Garden and Red Lobster can be tasty, But their prices don't match the quality. If I'm going to spend $20+ per plate, there are A LOT of better options out there. I just took my son to Olive Garden about a month ago. It was $75 for the two of us appetizer, 2 entrees, and drinks. And the quality? I've had better at Fazolis for more than half the price! Darden would like you to think it's the economy...but no.

I am merely repeating what I read in this article and saw on Yahoo about Darden. They said it was because of the economy so, that is why I repeated it.. I wasn't just giving my opinion, I was giving Economic expert's opinions.
You may hate Olive Garden and it is why you don't go but, dismissing what I wrote is not just dismissing my opinion, it is dismissing people who actually are experts on our economy and the reasons this business is struggling.

Sure the economy has improved but, it is still quite shaky. I am hardly an expert on the economy and do not claim to be but, I do read and I read as much as I can and I just go with the facts and the numbers and those are not so good. Yes, more people are traveling now but, I still say Disney's ability to reach out to foreign tourists and bring in a ton of business from South America is what is really keeping the parks packed.

 

[JimmyV]

the old machines are relics.

you could easily bring back how the old system operated using modern technology of smart phones and kiosks.

changing the distribution of tickets with tiers, advanced reservations, hard limits, etc are all separate decisions made.

You are missing the overall point.
The premise being debated is: Are people booking Disney vacations because of the new technology? So let's look at this by way of a timeline. Start with someone who booked their 3/1-3/7 vacation a full year ago. Did that person do so with the expectation that the new technology was going to be in use when they arrived? Of course not. They had no way of knowing that FP- would be retired by then. How about a person who booked their vacation in September. Did that person know that the new technology would have supplanted FP-? No again. In September, there could be no expectation that the new system would have been rolled out by March. How about someone who booked a vacation in November for a March arrival. Well, that person would have known (or guessed) that at a minimum, FP+ would be in a testing phase and that certain resort guests would be allowed to participate and that certain parks (but not all) might be converted over. But which guests and which parks? That would have been a crap shoot. So booking a vacation in November based on the hopes and expectations of experiencing the new technology would have been iffy at best. Now, after 1/15/14 when the internet went wild with the news that FP- had been retired in its entirety and would not be brought back, then a person could have gotten all giddy and booked a March vacation knowing that FP+ was in their future for sure.

So what is the conclusion? Are there more people at the parks in the first week of March because of the new technology? Only if they booked after 1/15/14, because any vacation booked before that could not have been assured of experiencing the new technology and hence the new technology cannot be attributed as being the root cause of the booking. At best, a person before that could have hoped to be part of a test, with no guarantee of success. Sure, changes could be made. But no matter what configuration you wanat to twist this into, it would all involve the new technology because it was announced in mid-January that FP- was dead and gone. So testing the original premise is easy. Just ask a person who is there now when they booked their vacation. If was a year ago, then we know that the new technology was not the driving force. If they booked in late January, then the new technology could have been a consideration.

 

[nooneshome]

I blame Harry Potter and the folks at Universal.

 

[mtmbyck]

I come to Disney every year this week and found crowds better than previous years. FP+ stressed me out as we are offsite guests but it was a non-issue......got our passes for everything we wanted and didn't even need them at some attractions. The usual attractions were ridiculous by 10am (Peter Pan, TSM,.....etc) but never waited more than 15 min for anything else. But the lines do "look long". The fastpass line for Buzz wrapped around a cue outside the building and looked crazy but it was only 9 min from getting in line to getting on ride.

 

[ohionola]

The reason the parks are crowded is because of mardi gras break. I know about 15 families there this week. I am sure you are seeing a lot of lsu and saints shirts on people.