Will WDW ever be back to how it was?

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by myaquarium

They will never never reduce the numbers unless following guidelines or for good PR so as to remain open now.
I expect 90% of society to be back to normal within 2 years. No masks no social distancing no vaccine passports( if they ever start) we are humans social animals.
As quick as we have become controlled thru the virus then we will unlock as soon as it’s over. We are basically sheep that follow other people’s habits. So once we see hugs kisses no masks no social distancing we will follow suit. Once the airlines start filling up and holiday spots open we will act cautiously the first time until we gain confidence and then go back to the normal way of life.
Isolation social distance masks will fade away over time.
However the other 10% may never resume normal living as we knew it. Nothing wrong with that at all. Just choice.

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Disney are a fantastically successful business with hard nosed directors and dividends to pay. They have a responsibility to their shareholders, just like any other company. They are not Philanthropists bestowing a gift.

I do not believe that those that matter care in the slightest about their customers, other than that the absolute maximum is gouged, competing facilities are kept very much at arms length by any fair means and that hopefully those customers return to be gouged again at a later date. Many are so entranced by the whole experience that they do not even venture outside the empire and when they do, it is to other theme parks with similar prices and ethics, making the return bit more likely.
If doubling the footfall in the parks would increase the margins, then they would do it and regardless of overcrowding, provided that people still perceived that the magic was still there.
If halving the crowds by doubling all prices and squeezing out previously loyal customers increased the margins due to it being a more premium product, then I have no doubt that they would be just fine with that also.

It is a fact that everything you buy from hotels, to food to souvenirs to.. anything else is very overpriced when compared with LBV, I Drive or most other locations. You can only admire their business model, having learned from Disneyland California and ensured a good size quarantine area all round by buying far more hectares than they actually needed. Outside of WDW, competition abounds, there is a clear oversupply and this forces prices down. WDW have shielded themselves from this.

I am not anti Disney. In my earlier visits when my children were young, it was inconceivable that I would not buy a Disney ultimate and family logistics made it highly likely that I would spend all day in the park. As I have got older and the family group got taller, changing their interests and weighing up different things, then for us, the magic totally went. I would like to see Avatar and the new Starwars, but cannot justify the price. In our last 5 visits to Orlando, we have invested elsewhere, ironically increasingly distantly from the other two park organisations.

I do not think for one moment that Disney or any other park company values it’s Brit customers as they tend to come for 2 weeks plus and thus generally water down their day to day budget (after spending a further fortune to get there with direct U.K.-Orlando flights being the most expensive U.K. flight into the States. They want Hank Dole from New York who will pay just 150 return to travel from La Guardia , stay 4 nights and blow an absolute fortune. You can get 3 or 4 Hank Doles for every 1 U.K. visitor.
Yes, Brits have at times had DDP, but you can argue whether it is in fact free for as long as you like. What it can do is to ensure that the British Customer never leaves the empire, spends every dollar that they possess in there and is oblivious to the real cost of things just outside the wire.

I am a big admirer of Disney, but perhaps not in the same way as some others. I believe that the magic still exists, but particularly for families with young children and also those who are either greatly loyal or love to relive their childhood dreams. Nothing at all wrong with that and I believe that Disney are the very best in the World at it.

There is of course another U.K. and Worldwide Disney customer, namely those who have invested in DVC. I do not know if the modern prices per point represent good value or a good investment as I have never researched it, but those who purchased 20 or more years ago in its infancy, seem to have got a fantastic deal. Long May it continue!

[SleepingBeauty]

Yes, it will be back to how it was before. I think it will be even better.