As discussed earlier in this thread, even that tiny attendance increase is directly attributable to the godawful winter that has smacked the east coast. As just one example, I've read news stories about an increase in the number of Canadians fleeing south this winter. Of course WDW will get their share.
I don't know if Disney was delusional enough to think that FP+ would actually lead to an increase in attendance. But what really bothers me is this: the WDC always seems so painfully reluctant to build new attractions, crying poverty when it comes to expansions and seldom going all out on the few projects that they do greenlight. Yet, when someone dangled the prospect of installing an IT system that they believe will manipulate guests into buying more merch, they had no trouble finding over a billion dollars to spend on THAT.
They don't seem to care if overcrowding makes guests miserable
or if there are enough rides to absorb the crowds, or if there is not much new since the last time we visited. Their priority was to continue treating the parks like a giant mall.
It pains me to write stuff like this, because I really do love the parks, and my theme park vacations mean more to me than any jaded, out-of-touch board of directors will ever know. And I still prefer Disney to Universal, but man is the competition closing the gap. Universal
gets it; they understand the business they're in. They're building and building at a frantic pace, while Disney seems more concerned with their endless and stubborn campaign to get us to buy Duffy and Glow with the Show ears.