Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
It’s no secret that the Walt Disney World Resort has been a ghost town this summer. The crowds at Disney World have dropped to or below pre-pandemic levels, with the lowest Fourth of July weekend in over a decade.
So, what has caused this dramatic drop in Disney World crowds this summer? Fans took to X to try to figure out precisely what was happening, and they have some solid theories.
Credit: Inside The Magic
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The Heat
This one may be the easiest to dispel. Some fans believe the heat keeps people away from Walt Disney World this summer.
This theory has a slight problem: it’s always been hot in Central Florida, but never quite like this.
The area around the theme parks in Central Florida has seen nearly a dozen days in recent weeks where the feels-like temperature is above 110. While it’s always been hot, it’s never been quite this hot.
However, guests don’t know it will be that hot when they book their vacations. They only know that they will be getting Central Florida in the summer.
Credit: Inside The Magic
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The Cost
A Disney World vacation is expensive—that’s nothing new. However, with Disney continually increasing the prices of tickets, food, and souvenirs, it’s nearly impossible to keep up.
Guests heading to a Disney theme park feel nickeled and dimed to death. They pay thousands of dollars for tickets and a room at a Disney Resort, and then there are the extras.
Guests are paying significantly more for extras like Lightning Lane passes, and the Walt Disney World Resort has taken away many of the free perks that once came with a Disney vacation. Gone are the freebies like Fast Pass, Magical Express, Extended Hours for all Disney Resort guests, and free MagicBands.
No, Walt Disney World isn't empty this summer because of "shifting guest visiting patterns" or Disney's goal of removing seasonality from their business.
It's empty because it costs more than ever to visit people are scoffing at the idea of having to pay for stuff that used to…
— Disney Glimpses (@disneyglimpses) July 9, 2024
Related: Signs Are Pointing to a Very Slow Summer for Disney World
The loss of all these free items for Disney World Resort guests starts to add up, and Disney fans have had enough.
The cost of a Disney vacation has priced out a large portion of Disney fans and is clearly starting to impact the size of the crowds. Families are being stretched thin, and something has to go. It appears that a Disney vacation may have been the first thing.
Credit: Disney
Nothing New
When guests returned to the Walt Disney World Resort after COVID-19, it was an entirely new experience. They missed Disney when they couldn’t have it.
But when they came back and found that it was almost exactly the same, they realized there wasn’t much to return to.
This summer, Disney World opened CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom. However, the much-maligned Magic Kingdom ride and the uninspired dining hall at EPCOT weren’t enough to attract visitors to the theme park.
Many guests have decided to wait until next summer for their Central Florida vacation. By then, Universal Orlando Resort will have opened Epic Universe.
Credit: Universal
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So, even if Disney World makes major announcements at the D23 Expo about its expansion, those projects will take years to complete. Universal Studios will already have Epic Universe and new expansion plans in the works.
What Happens Next?
Last year, Disney World saw a dip during the summer, only to have people return in the fall and winter. However, based on the discounts that Disney is offering for this fall and winter, bookings do not appear to have been that strong this year.
So, this trend could turn into a regular event at Walt Disney World, and with more people heading to Universal Studios Orlando next year, things aren’t getting any better.
Why do you think attendance has been down at Disney World this summer?
For potential guests from the UK the reason is simple. The cost to us is massively greater than ever before. Disney has increased the prices way above any inflation markers and on top of that the exchange rate of the pound to the dollar is dreadful. All in all these holidays are just too expensive and not good value for money. More of the UK travellers are heading East rather than West to get better value for money. A real shame. We’ve been to WDW in Florida 13 times but I just can’t see when we are likely to return.