Why I wish Disney would release attendance figures

[Aurora]

I know that Disney does not officially release attendance figures, but I really wish they would, and here's why:

If I could see how many people were at a given park on a day I was ALREADY there, I could gauge what that really means on a practical basis for planning my next vacation.

For example, if I visited the MK on June 15 and later saw that Disney counted 75,000 people that day, I would think, oh, it was pretty crowded; that's what 75,000 people look like. Then when I saw there were 100,000 people on July 4, I could say, hmm, I don't think I want to go there next July 4.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen posts that go, "It was a REALLY crowded day in Epcot today," and others will reply, "Really? I didn't think it was that bad. You should see it during (insert majorly crowded day here)." That way the first person can say, "Oh yeah? Disney says there were 500,000 people that day."

I know it'll never happen, but a girl can dream, right? :D

[gerald72]

And that would keep you from attending on the crowded day, which Disney doesn't want.

[Main Street Jim]

Aurora...PM me :)

[bleukarma]

There is an app for that. Due to terms of service I dont think I am allowed to mention what it is since it's from a competing website. But you do have to pay for it. But it's out there, it's just not released by Disney, just a private company.

[DizneyRox]

Park attendence doesn't really mean much... Depending on staffing and refurbs, MK could be at capacity one day and it not feel that busy, but be well below capacity another day and it be shoulder to shoulder.

A lot of these NextGen initiatives I'm sure are designed to allow Disney to plan better for these swings in attendence and lower their cost. Admin - better known as personnel - budget is a killer and anything they can do to lower it has to be high on their list.

[Aurora]

There is an app for that. Due to terms of service I dont think I am allowed to mention what it is since it's from a competing website. But you do have to pay for it. But it's out there, it's just not released by Disney, just a private company.

I think you're allowed to mention it. Just not post a link.

If you're talking about the Unofficial Guide's information, we used their advice in the past, but on our trip in early June last year, we found it next to useless.

It suggests you avoid morning EMH days, so we got to non-EMH parks at opening, and they were swarmed. It said our attendance days were between 5 and 7 on a scale of 10, and at times we were shoulder to shoulder with people, and the crowds never seemed to dissipate.

So that's what I mean about the numbers. If I could compare what was reported in another trip in June to THAT trip, I could strategize better.


Park attendence doesn't really mean much... Depending on staffing and refurbs, MK could be at capacity one day and it not feel that busy, but be well below capacity another day and it be shoulder to shoulder.

True, and I know the numbers vary throughout the day as well. But that's another reason it would be nice to actually see them on paper, to compare those numbers to our own experiences.

[bleukarma]

I think you're allowed to mention it. Just not post a link.

If you're talking about the Unofficial Guide's information, we used their advice in the past, but on our trip in early June last year, we found it next to useless.


There is a website called touring plans that has an app called lines. They have people that work for them that track the crowds and work on a number scale, like unofficial guide. It seems to me though that they really work hard to get it correct. They take into account the previous years crowds and factor in the holiday's and special events EMH, etc. I've never actually used it, but from what I hear it's pretty good. And I've seen the touring plans people around the park before. Or at least people wearing their t-shirt.

[Aurora]

There is a website called touring plans that has an app called lines. They have people that work for them that track the crowds and work on a number scale, like unofficial guide. It seems to me though that they really work hard to get it correct. They take into account the previous years crowds and factor in the holiday's and special events EMH, etc. I've never actually used it, but from what I hear it's pretty good. And I've seen the touring plans people around the park before. Or at least people wearing their t-shirt.

Yes, the touring plans site and the app are the same people as the Unofficial Guide. That's what didn't work so well for us last year. Maybe it was an anomaly, but we were shocked at the crowds and wait times for attractions that were more in line with higher times of year.

[thejens]

What I find works best, and it is an Unofficial Guide tip, is show up when the parks open and hit the biggest attractions first. We only go to WDW during Spring Break and other MOST packed times and it works well. We also find that the Unofficial Guide Touring plans work pretty well, even if you just follow them for the first couple of hours of your day. But, key: wake up and get there early.

[sweetsavannah]

I agree The Unofficial Guide crowd calendar didn't seem to be accurate this time for us either :( It worked well the past 2 trips but this time it was definitely more crowded than predicted.