Industry experts are pointing out a noticeable decrease in foot traffic across Disney’s amusement parks, with Disney World seeing one of the quietest turnouts for its Fourth of July celebration in nearly 10 years.
Touring Plans, which tracks wait times at major amusement parks, logged significantly shorter wait times at Disney World in recent weeks.
“It’s something that nobody would have predicted — just unfathomable,” remarked Len Testa, president of Touring Plans, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Although Testa did see a bump in wait times at Disney World last week, a comparison between attendance on the Fourth of July celebrations of 2019 and 2023 is striking. The average posted wait time at the Magic Kingdom park decreased from 47 minutes in 2019 to 27 minutes in 2023.
More broadly, Disney’s rivals in Florida — like Universal Studios Florida — and across the country have also seen thinning crowds amid what travel industry professionals reportedly have called a lull in interest in theme-park vacations.
“From what we’re seeing with our bookings, that pent-up demand has somewhat transitioned to cruises and Europe,” explained Greg Antonelle, co-owner of Florida-based travel agency MickeyTravels, WSJ reported.
Disney, however, may also be dealing with additional challenges, especially since its very public clashes with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers over the last year.
In April 2022, Florida’s legislature voted to revoke Disney World’s designation as a special tax district after the company spoke out against a new state law prohibiting the discussion of sexual orientation and gender ideology in K-3 classrooms, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. DeSantis later stressed that Disney would also be expected to honor a debt of nearly $700 million to the state.
Disney underwent a major restructuring earlier in 2023, characterized by mass layoffs in a bid to reduce costs by $5.5 billion. A major motivation to get lean was the poor performance of its streaming service Disney+, which saw $1.5 billion in losses in Q4 2022 and $1.1 billion more in Q1 2023.
Still, Stephanie Oprea of Pixie Travel, an agency specializing in Disney bookings, suggested that price fatigue might be contributing to the company’s falling numbers. She told WSJ that recent price increases at Disney’s parks have given some of her clients pause, with many opting for cruises or beach vacations instead.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Disney World hiked the prices of its annual passes last December. The Pirate Pass increased by $50 to $749, the Sorcerer Pass went up by $70 to $969, and the Incredi-Pass climbed by $100 to $1,399.
However, the recent lull in visitors has reportedly prompted Orlando-area parks like Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld to roll out a series of promotional deals.
In fact, as Disney Food Blog owner A.J. Wolfe suggested, savvy travelers might want to hold out until promotions offering more significant savings are launched.
“If I were going to Disney World, I would probably hold off until 2024,” Wolfe told WSJ.
