Disney News Round-Up: Preferred Parking at Disney Springs, Disney Attendance Down in 2016, and More

Happy Tuesday! Today's news round-up includes a few stories about Disney Springs and some news about a dip in attendance numbers at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2016. Read on to find out more!

Disney World attendance dropped in 2016Disney World attendance dropped in 2016

Earlier this month the official Disney Springs Twitter account announced that preferred parking would be available in the Grapefruit and Lemon lots. The cost to park in these preferred lots is just $10.

The Savannah Bee Company is moving to a permanent location in Disney Springs. The Savannah, Georgia-based shop sells honeybee-inspired gifts and was originally based in a kiosk in The Landing. The shop will occupy the former Sound Lion location.

To find out the latest information about Disney Springs, check out this post.

And finally, attendance at the Walt Disney World Resort dropped in 2016. Decreases ranged from 0.5 percent to 0.7 percent according to a report from the Themed Entertainment Association. However, the Magic Kingdom is still the most attended theme park in the world with 20.4 million visitors in 2016.

What are your thoughts on today's news? Let us know in the comments.

Jeff C wrote on Thu, 06/08/2017 - 02:40:

Jeff C's picture

They seem to be continually adding Premier or Preferred, fee-added services. Any idea on disneys official reason for this, other than just an option for those that want to pay for it?

I read the comments attached to the article - from the discussion about "parking cheaters" who use the DS lots to beat the cost of the park parking opts, to suggesting it's a precursor to charging for parking at Disney Springs period (to pay for the structure).

Kristen K. wrote on Thu, 06/08/2017 - 23:26:

Kristen K.'s picture

I think that all the recent "add on" services are another attempt at testing out where they can make revenue.

People complain about parking, but they don't want to pay for valet, this is more of a middle ground. The fact that people weren't paying for valet is actually why these lots are open, they were previously valet parking areas. If a space isn't making money, you can be sure Disney is going to try and rectify that.

People complain about bus service, so someone sees an opportunity to create a premium service with resources they already have. If it works it continues, if it doesn't it's easy to drop.

I think that is the common nature of all these premium add ons that Disney has been turning out - from boats, to parties, to transportation. How can we make each space bring in the most money possible without having to make huge infrastructure changes.

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