Cutting Perks and Raising Prices: 6 Reasons Crowds Are Vanishing From Disney Parks

Despite Disney fanatics intentionally avoiding heavy crowds at Walt Disney World when school’s out for the summer, the Parks have always been notoriously packed with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

No school for the kiddos and Summer Fridays for adults meant strategic summer planning for Guests headed to Walt Disney World during the hottest months of the year. The same goes for special event weekends like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, New Year’s Day, and Memorial Day. But despite some Guests claiming the crowds showed up for Independence Day, statistics say otherwise.

Your eyes aren’t fooling you—the Walt Disney Resort is seeing drastically low crowds compared to previous years.

The Disney Data

Now, there’s no debating the crowd levels were higher in June than in May, which could skew a subjective perception of the dwindling crowds overall. However, statistics according to Thrill Data point to a concerning trend at Disney.

According to the data capturing counts on the Disney World crowd calendar, January was the only month in 2023 with higher attendance than in 2022, with each of the following months slower than its 2022 counterpart.

Theories attributing the decline in the crowd level to the summer heat aren’t accounting for the non-summer months that saw lower numbers at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2023.

While it’s hard to pinpoint one culprit behind the crowds dropping, we can look to these six reasons Disney fans highlighted in a viral Reddit post to explain vanishing crowds at the ever-popular Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom Parks.

Dwindling Post-Pandemic Demand

After being quarantined and questioning the safety of being entangled in large crowds with COVID-19, a phenomenon called “revenge travel” emerged. In late 2021 and 2022, crowds quenched their Disney cravings, and with prices being at an all-time high, fewer groups have been likely to make a quick return.

Economic Woes

According to The Street, Disney ticket prices have increased 22% in the last ten years. In addition to increased Walt Disney World ticket prices, Disney added Genie+, a paid line-skipping service to replace the former free FastPass. With inflation and an economic decline, Florida’s tourism tax dollars have seen a 6.7% decrease from last year, and it’s like Disney has priced numerous middle-class Guests out of its Parks.

Less “Magic” in the Parks

A growing presence of Disney Influencers has increased live-streaming rides, phone flashes disrupting dark rides, and loud talking over pre-shows in the Parks. Disney fans are seeing behind the closely guarded curtain more than ever, and Guests are noticing. Touches like the Magical Express used to whisk Guests straight into the magic upon arrival, and cutting perks has led Guests to lose a sense of “magic” while at Disney.

Post-Pandemic Policies

Despite Josh D’Amaro admitting Disney “doesn’t always get it right” regarding pricing, the complexities of planning a Disney vacation have discouraged die-hard fans from going as often. Relegating Guests to their phones to hunt down Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations, Individual Lightning Lane reservations, and Virtual Queues, Guests have cited a lack of “presence” in the Parks. Park reservations and absent dining plans have added to the woes, although Disney is doing away with them in 2024.

Universal Competition

With the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an incoming Epic Universe, and a favored Express Pass system, Universal Orlando is closing in on the once untouchable Walt Disney World. Universal Orlando has also seen a drop in attendance recently, but its numbers have eclipsed Disney’s, especially on a typically busy holiday weekend.

Political Division

The famous feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Disney World Park rages on, and while national numbers don’t quite favor DeSantis, Florida is mainly behind him. Despite his hometown’s concerns about the Disney legislation hurting its tourism revenue, DeSantis keeps taking blows at the Mouse House. Regardless of how the population feels about the division, the legal battle has painted the Walt Disney Company in a new light, and political tensions have discouraged travelers from heading to Orlando.

Final Thoughts

Also worth mentioning is DeSantis’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and presidential campaign messaging. The Human Rights Campaign issued a Florida travel advisory for those in the LGBTQ+ community, which could undoubtedly deter Guests from Disney plans.

With significant internal changes in leadership at the Walt Disney Company, shifts in the streaming service landscape, and ongoing box office challenges, it remains to be seen how Disney rises to meet the numbers Guests have been accustomed to seeing.

Any die-hard Disney fan wants to see the best for The Most Magical Place on Earth, and many remain hopeful that upcoming policy changes can turn up the dial on the Disney magic.