Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Was just glancing at some Disney schedules I picked up for the rest of July and couldn't help but wonder 'Seriously?!' when I was checking out the operating hours. Today we have MK at 9-10, EPCOT at 9-9, Studios at 9-7 and DAK at 9-6. Again, it's July. Attendance may be down, but it's not down by double-digits ... people are there. To put this in another perspective, Sea World's water park is open later than three of four WDW main gates and as late as any/all of them. Sure, tomorrow MK is back to midnight and Studios is 9 (with one Fantasmic), but Wednesday it's back to today's schedule. Thursday would be the same as today except for a 9 p.m. Studios close. And that's if these printed hours haven't already been cut further. This is actually worse then summer of 2002 for anyone wondering. And attendance doesn't justify it. But Al, Erin and Inoverherheadmeg know better ... sure they do ... Yep ...
Originally Posted By sjhym33 The MK is open till 11pm tonight and tomorrow and 10pm on Wednesday. I think what Disney is doing is instead of keeping steady hours at each of the parks as in the past, they are taking into account the Extra Magic Hours knowing that a majority of guests are Resort guests who will gravitate to the Extra Magic Park. Since on Weds EM Hours are at the Studios they figure that the MK doesn't need to stay open as late. I dont agree with the mind set but I betcha thats what they are thinking.
Originally Posted By leobloom >>...a majority of guests are Resort guests...>> I've wondered about this before, but is there anyway to gauge approximately what percentage of day guests are also resort guests? I don't doubt it's a significant number, but surely there is a sizeable group of people who don't stay on-property and thus get gyped by the early closes. Also is Fantasmic a nightly event during summer? I know it wasn't playing every night in May. Just wondering about now.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 last I looked was still only 2x per week- trying to schedule around this nonsense for my trip
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << Attendance may be down, but it's not down by double-digits ... people are there. >> Universal Orlando just reported attendance down in the 2Q by low double digits. There's no reason to believe that WDW isn't seeing similar trends. Air traffic into Orlando is down double digits.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << This is actually worse then summer of 2002 for anyone wondering. And attendance doesn't justify it. >> And I guess you are basing your attendance assumptions on your recent 4th of July weekend trip? The busiest week of the year outside of Christmas and Spring Break? What makes you think the rest of the summer is as busy as that?
Originally Posted By leobloom >>last I looked was still only 2x per week- trying to schedule around this nonsense for my trip>> What a joke, if that's the case. When I was at DHS in May, I didn't see Fantasmic because it wasn't playing that night. My group ended up leaving around 5:00 because we'd done the entire park and TSMM three times, even though we got there late. I suppose during the peak summer season it might take all day to do the park. But still, for what Disney charges, nightly entertainment should be a given at MK, Epcot, and DHS (and really DAK) during summer.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<The MK is open till 11pm tonight and tomorrow and 10pm on Wednesday.>> Not according to the July 16-31 schedule they put out in every Central Florida hotel. I guess again they decided to play games again with hours at last minute. Tomorrow was scheduled as midnight close, so they actually are taking away an hour even if they added it to tonight. <<I think what Disney is doing is instead of keeping steady hours at each of the parks as in the past, they are taking into account the Extra Magic Hours knowing that a majority of guests are Resort guests who will gravitate to the Extra Magic Park.>> I think that well be how they justify it to themselves, but I don't agree with it in principal because I don't for one second think the majority of WDW guests are on-property (even with close to 30,000 rooms and timeshares). <<Since on Weds EM Hours are at the Studios they figure that the MK doesn't need to stay open as late. I dont agree with the mind set but I betcha thats what they are thinking.>> I agree on those counts ... I think their 'tude is 'screw the guests who won't pay our premium for a magical WDW resort room with AC that will turn off in the middle of the night to save us money!'
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I've wondered about this before, but is there anyway to gauge approximately what percentage of day guests are also resort guests? I don't doubt it's a significant number, but surely there is a sizeable group of people who don't stay on-property and thus get gyped by the early closes.>> Orlando is a huge hotel market (I believe second only to Vegas). Even if WDW resorts were running all at load levels in the 90 percentile range (they aren't), they still are a drop in the Central Florida lodging bucket ... a very large drop, no doubt ... and I am too lazy to pull the numbers, but there are just so many. And that doesn't count the huge number of vacation homes that are rented, folks driving in from areas like Tampa and Daytona ... and, of course, locals. <<Also is Fantasmic a nightly event during summer? I know it wasn't playing every night in May. Just wondering about now.>> No. It was three nights a week when I was there (I believe Sunday, Tuesday and Thusday at 9 and 10:30) ... now it appears to be only one show on those nights (again, going by the schedule Disney put out). I am not a big fan, but the show is very popular and not having it nightly in summer is a huge cutback and results in a much lesser guest experience. 7 p.m. closings in July??!??! Seriously. Poor Rilous Carter, I sincerely hope what will be abysmal numbers at his park isn't held against him. Not his call.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Universal Orlando just reported attendance down in the 2Q by low double digits.>> So what? Uni has been having an awful year. SW has set some records in the other direction. Does that mean things are great at Disney? I know what my eyes saw in 11 days there. I know what my friends who work there are saying. And I know what Disney analysts are too. I don't believe Disney is down by double digits. <<There's no reason to believe that WDW isn't seeing similar trends. Air traffic into Orlando is down double digits.>> Everyone doesn't fly. <<And I guess you are basing your attendance assumptions on your recent 4th of July weekend trip?>> Nice. I know your seemingly sole purpose here is to discredit me, but I gotta say you really should polish the resume because you're doing about as good a job on that front as most P&R execs are on theirs! I was there from July 3-14. I don't believe the holiday weekend or people visiting for it were all there for 11 days. I'm not gonna argue the point. I've been to Disney parks when they've been body-to-body unsafe ... and when you were basically alone (the old 'offseason' of the 70s and some of the 80s ... right after 9/11). The parks were packed on the holiday weekend and at least moderately crowded every other day. <<The busiest week of the year outside of Christmas and Spring Break? What makes you think the rest of the summer is as busy as that?>> The week of July 4th isn't nearly as busy as those times and hasn't been for well over a decade. The holiday itself (or this year) or the long weekend, perhaps ... And again, I'm basing my opinion on what I saw with my eyes and what people who know are telling me. You just keep on defending management, though. At least you're consistent.
Originally Posted By disney pete spirit if im going 3rd oct when will i be able to get schedule for them dates ? It sounds like Disney is using the RECESSION as an excuse to cut back.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << It sounds like Disney is using the RECESSION as an excuse to cut back. >> It's a little more than a recession.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << You just keep on defending management, though. At least you're consistent. >> I didn't make a defense of anyone in my post. I only pointed out that your attendance "observations" are counter to the actual facts that are available to anyone that wants to dig deeper into the actual attendance trends in the Orlando market right now. I prefer facts to spirited observations.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Hum, so do you have offical facts on the attendance numbers? If so what are they? If not, then observations are our best at what attendance is like.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << If not, then observations are our best at what attendance is like. >> Fact: Air traffic into Orlando is down by double digits. (reported in the Orlando press several times during the past year) Fact: Attendance at Universal Orlando in the 2Q was reported down by double digits. (reported in the Orlando press this week) But the OP suggests that attendance at WDW can't possibly be down by double digits because it still "feels" crowded by his senses, and all of his observations took place during the busy 4th of July holiday. WDW has recently extended an aggressive discounting program further into the fall. Would they be doing this if attendance was meeting its targets?
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 I don't care about air traffic numbers, not everyone flys. I also don't care about Universal numbers, that is not what we were talking about.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << I don't care about air traffic numbers, not everyone flys. >> Not everyone drives. << I also don't care about Universal numbers, that is not what we were talking about. >> So, WDW exists in a vacuum and the greater Orlando market doesn't provide clues?
