Is it my imagination....

[juxtapose]

We just got back from DL, LA area, and Vegas and crowds in all 3 places were super low for summer. We've traveled to all in past summers and crowds were noticeably lower. I think less people are traveling in general but especially in summer when prices and temperatures are high.

 

[tom1944]

US tourism is being hit hard.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

The heat remains the same

It doesn’t. It’s getting hotter. The number of extreme heat days are up, the maximum temperatures reached during those days are up, the number of hours a day in extreme heat, all are up versus, for example, 1971 when the park opened.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Arrived Friday, first park day Saturday, and I've been pleasantly surprised by the crowds considering this is the lead in to a holiday week. We've had great luck with LLMP availability, coupled with shorter morning lines where we were able to hit a few more things that I anticipated before waits started to build.

Saw HEA on 29th and was able to walk right into the hub about 30 minutes before for prime viewing next to partners with space to breath. CM who was supposed to stand people up and push us in didn't really bother, so we all actually had some space and my kids and I saw more of the lower projections than we've ever managed to before because no one was directly in front.

There are definitely some large teen tour groups, so if you happen to be where they want to go, it's suddenly going to feel much more crowded.

 

[TOBS2010]

I too have been watching wait times recently and am shocked at how low they are especially for a holiday week. Curious to see what they will be like this weekend even.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

They wouldn't be offering all of the specials deals if they were filling up most of the rooms and parks. Pricing has likely affected many families and not just Disney, everyday life necessities have become so much more expensive that there is less disposable income for vacations and especially more costly destinations. We go to the beach for a third of the cost of our Disney trips.

 

[lowlight]

It’s heat and cash money. People are Broke with a capital B.

 

[CalSea12]

I dunno... there are not any discounts for the end of the year. I wonder if summer is slow because of the new parade or everyone is coming for the Halloween/Christmas holidays... otherwise why are they not releasing discounts? Although, I am surprised there is only one sold out day for the MNSSHP.

 

[Newsies]

I've been to Epcot a couple of times in the last few weeks and it felt very slow to me. The fact that there's not a festival going on right now is probably part of it.

This is why I loved our Epcot days so much when the family and I primarily traveled to WDW in July... we would be walking through World Showcase at noon and sometimes have to walk to a different pavilion before we saw another guest

 

[Minnie1222]

We had an extremely similar discussion last year on a thread called "Thoughts on why crowds are lower this summer so far??". That thread also began in June, and abruptly ended in August after the earning reports showed that attendance was about the same as the year before.

 

[princesslover]

We just got back from DL, LA area, and Vegas and crowds in all 3 places were super low for summer. We've traveled to all in past summers and crowds were noticeably lower. I think less people are traveling in general but especially in summer when prices and temperatures are high.

I thought prices were lower in the summer in Disney?

 

[kylenne]

As pp said summer has been trending down for a while. I am at MK right now as I write this post and waits are silly low for this time of morning. Waited 20 minutes for Jungle Cruise just now at 9:45a. Pirates and Mansion both walk ons.

 

[Dakota731]

US tourism is being hit hard.

Not at Epic Universe lol. And not true in reality - In fact, Deloitte data released on May 20 shows a 5% increase in Americans planning to take leisure trips this summer. AAA forecasts a record-breaking 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home this July 4 week.
Maybe people just are not going to WDW. We did a national parks trip and everywhere was packed!

 

[tom1944]

Not at Epic Universe lol. And not true in reality - In fact, Deloitte data released on May 20 shows a 5% increase in Americans planning to take leisure trips this summer. AAA forecasts a record-breaking 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home this July 4 week.
Maybe people just are not going to WDW. We did a national parks trip and everywhere was packed!

This is the data I read-

In May 2025, U.S. tourism is facing significant challenges, with international visitor spending projected to decline by $8.5 billion, while domestic travel shows signs of recovery.

What surprised me about the international travel being down so significantly was that the dollar is the weakest it has been in 40 years to foreign currency would make their US trip less expensive

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I think as more and more adult only groups go to WDW, the heat is a factor. We're adults only most of the time and don't have that limitations of only visiting during summer when kids are off. Hence why fall has become a "frenzy".

Second I think is cost. Disney is as expensive as ever. I could see families or groups who have gone several times in the last few years skipping it this year.

Third I think is the decline of foreign visitors. I don't think that phenomenon will last. But it could be a factor this year.

Whatever the reason is ...I hope it continues at least thru this weekend. Flying in today for a 3 day last minute trip and my first summer trip in 30 years when my parents were footing the bill (man I miss those days lol)

 

[hardcorestitch]

or is DW park attendance down? I've been checking weekend line wait times for several weekends at different times of the day and wait times seem less than years past. Why/

Two words: Epic Universe…

 

[godfather927]

We had an extremely similar discussion last year on a thread called "Thoughts on why crowds are lower this summer so far??". That thread also began in June, and abruptly ended in August after the earning reports showed that attendance was about the same as the year before.

Yep, exactly. Every year I get excited at the prospect of lower crowds because "people are fed up with Disney and their agenda" and every year it doesn't match reality when I walk through the gates on our first park day and watch the wait times balloon by noon like they always do.

 

[scrappinginontario]

What surprised me about the international travel being down so significantly was that the dollar is the weakest it has been in 40 years to foreign currency would make their US trip less expensive

Not sure which currency you are referring to as a foreign currency but it is not true for Canada.

In 2007 our dollar was on par with the US dollar.

In March of this year when I exchanged money I paid $1.50CDN for every $1.00US!!

I am one of very few of my friends who are visiting the US this year.

 

[CaroM8]

Not sure which currency you are referring to as a foreign currency but it is not true for Canada.

In 2007 our dollar was on par with the US dollar.

In March of this year when I exchanged money I paid $1.50CDN for every $1.00US!!

I am one of very few of my friends who are visiting the US this year.

Same! Going in September with my daughter but most people I know are vacationing in Canada this year. I get it. But at the same time, you go Toronto and decent hotels are over $500CAD a night, same for Montreal or Quebec City. Everything is expensive. At least with my $200USD (or less!) Disney hotel room I feel like I get way more value. This is my math logic and I'm sticking to it

 

[kylenne]

I thought prices were lower in the summer in Disney?

They aren’t. Summer is at the high end for rack room and ticket rates.

Yep, exactly. Every year I get excited at the prospect of lower crowds because "people are fed up with Disney and their agenda" and every year it doesn't match reality when I walk through the gates on our first park day and watch the wait times balloon by noon like they always do.

I have been at MK since EE today. Multiple rides were a walk on at noon. Not “filler” attractions either, I’m talking things like Pirates. Waits did not really begin to peak until about 2pm and even then they have been far cry from normal midday peaks, which is why I didn’t dip out for my usual break. Tron has been less than 60 for a large chunk of the day. I had zero issues finding a table at Casey’s during peak lunch hours.

Summer has had demonstrably lower crowds every year for the last few, excepting the revenge travel bubble. The data doesn’t lie; even Iger mentioned softer than expected Fourth of July attendance last year. There’s a very good reason they’re pulling all these levers this summer and we saw some of the best discounts since 2019.