Attendance Trends, Price Hikes, and More–What in Disney is Happening Now?!
There’s lots of noise out there in the social media world about how poorly Disney is doing, as if it were in dire straits. This podcast today seeks to answer a couple of key questions: First, Is attendance really down and out in Walt Disney World? Second, why are there no big new attractions coming in the short term? Third, Why is it so expensive to come to Disney? Fourth, when will big new attractions like Monstropolis and Villains Land arrive? We look at the calendar to see hope in 2027 & beyond, but until then Disney has to fill in through 2025 and 2026. How will they do this? Join us in What in Disney is Happening Now?!
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The following is an outline of what is presented in this podcast:
Is Attendance Really Low?
Attendance has not returned to the numbers it had prior to Covid. But attendance did go up significantly after Covid when everybody needed to go somewhere and they had money in hand to do it. Since then it has drifted somewhat, but not as badly as bloggers and vloggers state it to be in their baited posts. Here are some factors for why attendance is low:
Here are some signs of things not going well:
- There are challenges in the economy
- Late August and September have always been low attendance months–explaining “ghost town” moments.
- TEA has not yet handed out 2024 numbers
- Disney is struggling with the perception of being expensive, and living up to it by raising prices.
Why is Disney raising prices? Why is it so expensive?
- Challenges to the economy
- Inflation in General
- Increase in Labor
- Disney’s dependence on shareholder opinion
- Shoring up Disney+, Film & Television Shortfalls.
- Disney doesn’t take shortcuts–Quality has a cost–Lighthouse Point
Image by Disney.
Humorous and sad at the same time, I overheard a conversation between two guys the other day, one a cast member from Disney noting that sales was down 40% (not sure what sales), and that they were building new attractions like Incognito (meaning Encanto) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to fix it. What kills Disney’s efforts is the ignorance sometimes of its own employees–particularly those in management. If you don’t know/remember the world Encanto, you ought not be in sales.
Yet despite raising prices, and other factors mentioned earlier, Disney has done fairly well with all of that going on. Here are some signs of things going well:
- Convention traffic is strong for 2025. It expects a record year in 2026.
- Mickey’s Not-So-Scary for 2025 is sold out.
- Several dates for Mickey’s Very Merry are already sold out, though none of Hollywood Nights are (four were sold out last year).
- People keep buying high end product like premiere parking, light sabers at Savi’s and expensive Lightning Lane packages, creating higher costs of that and other such products. Pricing goes up when demand goes up.
- Disney Cruise Line has high occupancy and forward bookings for remainder of 2025 and 2026. Treasure being extremely popular.
- Disney held its own though Epic Universe opened.
- Disney holds well compared to other locations like Las Vegas which has seen continuing declines in their numbers.
- It has done all this without any big new attractions since Tron and Guardians.
If there had been big new attractions this year or even next, that would really shore up the attendance. But there wasn’t. So this brings us to the question, why aren’t there big new attractions since Tron (April 2023) and Guardians (May 2022). To understand this, we have to go back to D23 in 2019.
D23 Chapek Announcements
In August of 2019 Bob Chapek, then not CEO, but responsible for Disney Parks & Attractions, stood up in D23 and announced an enormous slate of new attractions coming not only across the globe, but specifically Walt Disney World. At the time our post showcased those and other already promised attractions that made up some 75 new attractions, restaurants, shops, entertainment, hotels and more. By 2022 there were still some 21 incomplete projects. Today there are two announced remaining to open:
- Disney Destiny–Boarding in December
- Reflections: A Disney DVC Lakeside Lodge–Under Construction
Image by Disney.
Those That Never Made It
- Main Street Theater (2017)
- Mary Poppins Attraction
- Interactive Wishing Tree
- Story Fountain
- Wondrous China
- Play Pavilion
- Spaceship Earth Remodel
Image by Disney.
Those Terminated
- Kite Tails
- Disney Enchantment
- HarmoniUS–$100-150 million in estimates
- Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser–$350-$400 million in estimates
Image by Disney.
Those That Have Been Added Since Not Announced Pre-Covid/During Covid Built Before 2025
- Country Bear Musical Jamboree
- McKim’s Mile House
- Mandalorian and Grogu
- Celebracion Encanto!
- Smellephants on Parade
Why Did We Not Start on Big New Attractions back in 2020-2021?
- Covid–Attendance Shut Down
- Attendance Went Down–Less Monies
- Price of Steel Went Up
- Imagineers Left and Morale Went Down
- Monies Spent Shoring Up Disney+, Film & Television Shortfalls
Because of no planning on big new attractions there was nothing but “blue sky” that was discussed at D23 in 2022. Because those new attractions were not started, Disney has to get people to come without something big on the radar. Let’s look at what they’ve done:
What Happened This Year
These are the things Disney has done to get people to attend during 2025. And while not a big tent-pole attraction, they are still helping the attendance from dying:
- “it’s a small world” new musical ending
- The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure
- Villains Unfairly Ever After
- Tron Ares
- Revitalized Test Track
- Beak & Barrel
- Spaceship Earth Lounge
- Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether
What is Happening Next Year
These are the things Disney has done to offset the lack of big attractions built in an effort to increase attendance:
- Cinderella Castle Repainted
- Revitalized Big Thunder Mountain Railway
- Revitalized Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
- New Version of Carousel of Progress with Walt Disney
- Renewed Magic of Disney Animation
- Mandolorian & Grogu Mission on Smuggler’s Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets–Aerosmith to close when Big Thunder opens
- New Cast Animatronics for Frozen Ever After
- Level 99
What Probably Will Happen Next Year But Isn’t Announced
- Epcot?
- Bluey?
- Revitalized Rafiki’s Planet Watch Conservation Station
- Some Additional Entertainment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom–Nighttime Show?
- U.S. Semiquincentennial–250 Years
So When are Big Attractions Coming?
Back in the beginning of 2025 I gave a potential schedule for new attractions at Walt Disney World over the remainder of the year
Want to visit Disney?
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