Los Angeles (Trends Wide) — Long lines and crowds are often a part of Florida theme parks during the summer months. However, guests at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando could get a breather this season.
Wait times at attractions at both resorts have been reduced, according to analysts who track attendance at the theme parks. Videos on social media also show park-goers commenting that it’s less crowded.
The reasons for this drop in traffic are hard to pin down, but travel experts point to extreme weather and heat in Florida, a waning post-pandemic travel boom, and a tense political climate in Florida that has prompted warnings. travel by some groups.
Disney CEO Bob Iger attributed the recent decline in wait times at Disney World to a general drop in tourism in Central Florida.
“Florida opened earlier during covid and it created enormous demand, and it had no competition because there were a number of other places, states, that hadn’t opened yet,” he said Thursday in an interview with CNBC.
“If you look at the Florida numbers in 2023, versus 2022, when there wasn’t as much open and Florida was the only place, there’s a lot more competition today,” he added.
Iger told CNBC that he had “no long-term concerns” about the Disney theme parks. Disney declined to comment to Trends Wide about attendance at the parks.
Less waiting at attractions
Although there is some debate about the causes, the results are more open reservations to enter the parks, higher discounts and faster lines for visitors compared to last year.
Since February, the average wait time at attractions at Florida’s Disney parks has been lower than last year, according to Thrill Data, a website that collects data on theme park waits. As for Universal’s parks in Florida, every month since March has seen a lower average wait time, according to the website. Experts say that longer wait times are often associated with higher crowds at theme parks.
So far this month, Thrill Data reported that the average wait time at Disney World is 33 minutes, one of the shortest months since January 2022, and during what is typically peak season for the parks. Last year, the wait time in July at the Disney parks in Florida was 41 minutes on average.
Don Munsil, president of MouseSavers, a guide to discounts and deals at Disney and Universal parks, said that while he has noticed a slowdown at the parks, the drop from July onwards was “remarkable.”
Data from Touring Plans, a company that helps plan trips to Disney and Universal parks, corroborate Munsil’s observation. It found that wait times for attractions were shorter on July 4 at all Disney parks in Florida compared to 2022 and 2019. For example, the median wait time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was 37 minutes in 2019 and 34 minutes in 2022. This year, the average is down to 25 minutes, Touring Plans said.
Universal’s two parks, Universal Studios Florida and Island of Adventure, also saw wait times drop from last year, according to Touring Plans. Wait times at Island of Adventure were reduced to 25 minutes this July 4, compared to 30 minutes last year and 28 minutes in 2019.
Universal Studios, Florida, on the afternoon of June 17. Credit: DIS
A slowdown is “unusual” for a holiday, especially during the summer when children are out of school, Munsil said. “I think the July 4th weekend is when it really hit hard. A lot of people were surprised.”
“There was no one”
Some of the Disney parks have been hit especially hard: July 4 was the third slowest day in 12 months at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, according to Touring Plans.
Kayla Pareti, Disney-themed content creator and travel agent for Mickey Travels, visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios the first weekend in July and was surprised by how few people she saw in the park. (Mickey Travels is not associated with the Walt Disney Company).
“It was a Saturday before the 4th of July, which is a big holiday. You expect a lot of people, and it was crazy that no one was there,” he told Trends Wide.
“Normally when you go into the park, there’s Hollywood Boulevard, which is like the main road and it’s usually very crowded,” he said. “At one point, around noon, I turned around and there was no one on the street. It was a strange sight to see,” she said.
Iger pointed to the heat as one reason for the low turnout during the July 4th holiday.
Pareti said he spends four to six days a week at Disney parks and also visits Universal ones. He says that he has noticed a drop in attendance this summer.
“For a year and a half after covid, any time was a good time,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, people keep coming back, but it’s nowhere near what it was.”
Recent discounts offered by Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort also far exceed those of last year. Munsil said the discounts may reflect a return to pre-pandemic demand levels. In a recent list of special offers, for example, Disney mentions savings of up to 25% on rooms at select Disney hotels this summer.
“It’s essentially the same discounts that they offered in 2019. In 2022 they were stingy with the discounts,” he said.
Demand cooling after the pandemic
Disney and Universal parks in Florida closed for several months during the pandemic; Since reopening in mid-2020, Comcast-owned Disney and Universal have enjoyed rising revenue from their parks and resorts businesses amid a deluge of demand to visit — and spend.
This year, the parks face stark comparisons as demand levels begin to cool. The UBS Evidence Lab found that the decline in foot traffic at Disney parks in the US is accelerating, with a 23% drop in Disney’s fiscal third quarter (through June 24), a sharp decline. compared to the 5% reduction in the second quarter.
Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom park in Bay Lake, Florida, on June 12 in the early afternoon. Credit: DIS
Universal did not respond to a request for comment, but in Comcast’s first-quarter results, the company reported record profits for its parks division. However, Comcast noted that international parks had driven most of the growth that quarter.
In February, during Disney’s first-quarter earnings conference call, Iger said the company had deliberately reduced capacity during the December holiday season, and that “improved the guest experience, and we’re able to sustain profits.” , not just profitability, but a very, very successful or robust bottom line.”
Since the reopening of its parks in 2020, Disney has implemented a park reservation system to manage daily attendance. But efforts to curb crowds in its parks don’t tell the whole story of the recent decline in foot traffic; As of press time, Disney World’s reservations website showed that all four Disney theme parks in Florida were not at full capacity for any day during the rest of the year. This is in stark contrast to the previous two years, when visitors had to book weeks in advance.
What is this slowdown due to?
Munsil noted that this year’s extreme heat may be preventing some residents from visiting the park, reducing visitor numbers. In late June, Florida, along with much of the southern part of the country, suffered a heat wave that lasted several days, pushing temperatures above 100°F. This week, the state is facing another record-breaking brutal heat wave.
The decline in park attendance also comes amid a tense political climate in the state, which many feared would hurt tourism. Disney and the state’s Republican governor and presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis, have been locked in a high-profile dispute.
In recent months, some groups concerned about DeSantis’s conservative policies have advised against traveling to Florida. Groups like the NAACP, the Human Rights Campaign, and the League of United Latin American Citizens have issued “travel advisories,” citing DeSantis’s political agenda.
However, Munsil said that if potential park-goers were avoiding Disney specifically as a result of the company’s friction with DeSantis, it would show up in the data.
“I don’t think there’s any evidence of that, because that would imply that Universal would post huge numbers and Disney less. I don’t think we’re seeing that,” he said.
Iger said Thursday that the company saw “no signs” of slowing down due to its fight with DeSantis.
In general, however, signs point to a slowdown in tourism in central Florida. Orange County, which includes Orlando, collected 6.7% less from its tourism development tax this May compared to May 2022, according to the Orange County Comptroller’s office. The Florida Tourist Development Tax is collected on income received from short-term rentals, including hotels.
Pete Werner, owner of The DIS, a Disney fan guide and website, and co-owner of Dreams Unlimited Travel, said he sees how people are shifting their money from theme parks to cruises.
During Disney’s second-quarter results presentation in May, then-CFO Christine McCarthy specifically highlighted the strength of the company’s cruise business, stating that although it was the last business to reopen following the pandemic lockdowns, ” business has come back with incredible strength over the last year, or the last fiscal year.”
Werner said he believes the cruise business is now the best value for many Disney fans.
“Walt Disney World no longer flourishes, even among the most die-hard fans. It’s too expensive,” Werner said. “Disney Cruise is owned by the same company, and they’re doing great.”
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Los Angeles (Trends Wide) — Long lines and crowds are often a part of Florida theme parks during the summer months. However, guests at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando could get a breather this season.
Wait times at attractions at both resorts have been reduced, according to analysts who track attendance at the theme parks. Videos on social media also show park-goers commenting that it’s less crowded.
The reasons for this drop in traffic are hard to pin down, but travel experts point to extreme weather and heat in Florida, a waning post-pandemic travel boom, and a tense political climate in Florida that has prompted warnings. travel by some groups.
Disney CEO Bob Iger attributed the recent decline in wait times at Disney World to a general drop in tourism in Central Florida.
“Florida opened earlier during covid and it created enormous demand, and it had no competition because there were a number of other places, states, that hadn’t opened yet,” he said Thursday in an interview with CNBC.
“If you look at the Florida numbers in 2023, versus 2022, when there wasn’t as much open and Florida was the only place, there’s a lot more competition today,” he added.
Iger told CNBC that he had “no long-term concerns” about the Disney theme parks. Disney declined to comment to Trends Wide about attendance at the parks.
Less waiting at attractions
Although there is some debate about the causes, the results are more open reservations to enter the parks, higher discounts and faster lines for visitors compared to last year.
Since February, the average wait time at attractions at Florida’s Disney parks has been lower than last year, according to Thrill Data, a website that collects data on theme park waits. As for Universal’s parks in Florida, every month since March has seen a lower average wait time, according to the website. Experts say that longer wait times are often associated with higher crowds at theme parks.
So far this month, Thrill Data reported that the average wait time at Disney World is 33 minutes, one of the shortest months since January 2022, and during what is typically peak season for the parks. Last year, the wait time in July at the Disney parks in Florida was 41 minutes on average.
Don Munsil, president of MouseSavers, a guide to discounts and deals at Disney and Universal parks, said that while he has noticed a slowdown at the parks, the drop from July onwards was “remarkable.”
Data from Touring Plans, a company that helps plan trips to Disney and Universal parks, corroborate Munsil’s observation. It found that wait times for attractions were shorter on July 4 at all Disney parks in Florida compared to 2022 and 2019. For example, the median wait time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was 37 minutes in 2019 and 34 minutes in 2022. This year, the average is down to 25 minutes, Touring Plans said.
Universal’s two parks, Universal Studios Florida and Island of Adventure, also saw wait times drop from last year, according to Touring Plans. Wait times at Island of Adventure were reduced to 25 minutes this July 4, compared to 30 minutes last year and 28 minutes in 2019.
Universal Studios, Florida, on the afternoon of June 17. Credit: DIS
A slowdown is “unusual” for a holiday, especially during the summer when children are out of school, Munsil said. “I think the July 4th weekend is when it really hit hard. A lot of people were surprised.”
“There was no one”
Some of the Disney parks have been hit especially hard: July 4 was the third slowest day in 12 months at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, according to Touring Plans.
Kayla Pareti, Disney-themed content creator and travel agent for Mickey Travels, visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios the first weekend in July and was surprised by how few people she saw in the park. (Mickey Travels is not associated with the Walt Disney Company).
“It was a Saturday before the 4th of July, which is a big holiday. You expect a lot of people, and it was crazy that no one was there,” he told Trends Wide.
“Normally when you go into the park, there’s Hollywood Boulevard, which is like the main road and it’s usually very crowded,” he said. “At one point, around noon, I turned around and there was no one on the street. It was a strange sight to see,” she said.
Iger pointed to the heat as one reason for the low turnout during the July 4th holiday.
Pareti said he spends four to six days a week at Disney parks and also visits Universal ones. He says that he has noticed a drop in attendance this summer.
“For a year and a half after covid, any time was a good time,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, people keep coming back, but it’s nowhere near what it was.”
Recent discounts offered by Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort also far exceed those of last year. Munsil said the discounts may reflect a return to pre-pandemic demand levels. In a recent list of special offers, for example, Disney mentions savings of up to 25% on rooms at select Disney hotels this summer.
“It’s essentially the same discounts that they offered in 2019. In 2022 they were stingy with the discounts,” he said.
Demand cooling after the pandemic
Disney and Universal parks in Florida closed for several months during the pandemic; Since reopening in mid-2020, Comcast-owned Disney and Universal have enjoyed rising revenue from their parks and resorts businesses amid a deluge of demand to visit — and spend.
This year, the parks face stark comparisons as demand levels begin to cool. The UBS Evidence Lab found that the decline in foot traffic at Disney parks in the US is accelerating, with a 23% drop in Disney’s fiscal third quarter (through June 24), a sharp decline. compared to the 5% reduction in the second quarter.
Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom park in Bay Lake, Florida, on June 12 in the early afternoon. Credit: DIS
Universal did not respond to a request for comment, but in Comcast’s first-quarter results, the company reported record profits for its parks division. However, Comcast noted that international parks had driven most of the growth that quarter.
In February, during Disney’s first-quarter earnings conference call, Iger said the company had deliberately reduced capacity during the December holiday season, and that “improved the guest experience, and we’re able to sustain profits.” , not just profitability, but a very, very successful or robust bottom line.”
Since the reopening of its parks in 2020, Disney has implemented a park reservation system to manage daily attendance. But efforts to curb crowds in its parks don’t tell the whole story of the recent decline in foot traffic; As of press time, Disney World’s reservations website showed that all four Disney theme parks in Florida were not at full capacity for any day during the rest of the year. This is in stark contrast to the previous two years, when visitors had to book weeks in advance.
What is this slowdown due to?
Munsil noted that this year’s extreme heat may be preventing some residents from visiting the park, reducing visitor numbers. In late June, Florida, along with much of the southern part of the country, suffered a heat wave that lasted several days, pushing temperatures above 100°F. This week, the state is facing another record-breaking brutal heat wave.
The decline in park attendance also comes amid a tense political climate in the state, which many feared would hurt tourism. Disney and the state’s Republican governor and presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis, have been locked in a high-profile dispute.
In recent months, some groups concerned about DeSantis’s conservative policies have advised against traveling to Florida. Groups like the NAACP, the Human Rights Campaign, and the League of United Latin American Citizens have issued “travel advisories,” citing DeSantis’s political agenda.
However, Munsil said that if potential park-goers were avoiding Disney specifically as a result of the company’s friction with DeSantis, it would show up in the data.
“I don’t think there’s any evidence of that, because that would imply that Universal would post huge numbers and Disney less. I don’t think we’re seeing that,” he said.
Iger said Thursday that the company saw “no signs” of slowing down due to its fight with DeSantis.
In general, however, signs point to a slowdown in tourism in central Florida. Orange County, which includes Orlando, collected 6.7% less from its tourism development tax this May compared to May 2022, according to the Orange County Comptroller’s office. The Florida Tourist Development Tax is collected on income received from short-term rentals, including hotels.
Pete Werner, owner of The DIS, a Disney fan guide and website, and co-owner of Dreams Unlimited Travel, said he sees how people are shifting their money from theme parks to cruises.
During Disney’s second-quarter results presentation in May, then-CFO Christine McCarthy specifically highlighted the strength of the company’s cruise business, stating that although it was the last business to reopen following the pandemic lockdowns, ” business has come back with incredible strength over the last year, or the last fiscal year.”
Werner said he believes the cruise business is now the best value for many Disney fans.
“Walt Disney World no longer flourishes, even among the most die-hard fans. It’s too expensive,” Werner said. “Disney Cruise is owned by the same company, and they’re doing great.”
