Disney World’s theme parks have been noticeably quieter this summer, with shorter wait times for rides suggesting that visitors are staying away as ticket prices remain high.
Data from the analysis firm Touring Plans shows that Florida’s Walt Disney World is seeing thinner crowds, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Touring Plans tracks wait times using information posted by Disney parks on their mobile apps. It compiled the new data by comparing the average wait times for rides at Disney World’s four theme parks in Orlando.
In 2019, the average wait time for a ride at Magic Kingdom was 47 minutes. In 2022, it was 31 minutes. This year, however, the average wait time is 27 minutes.
According to Touring Plans, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are seeing a similar drop in wait times for attractions.
Hollywood Studios, home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, experienced its third-slowest day of 2023 on the Fourth of July, Touring Plans’ report said. The summer months, especially the Fourth of July, are usually busy at Disney World.
Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that Disney’s theme park pricing strategies were “too aggressive” in the company’s “zeal to grow profits”.
Shorter average wait times
Iger returned as Disney’s CEO in November last year, replacing Bob Chapek. By January, Disney had changed some of the most unpopular policies at its US parks related to ticket prices, hotel parking, attraction photos and annual passes.
Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, said the company is “listening, adapting, and staying relentlessly focused on making the guest experience at our Disney parks even better”.
Disney is currently completing a round of cutbacks to save $5.5 billion in costs, with 7,000 employees being laid off. The entertainment giant’s chief financial officer (CFO) Christine McCarthy has also stepped down.
