Marginal Utility

A typical guest at this Magic Kingdom in Orlando rides about nine attractions in a single day. Disney's own internal park studies have tracked this number for 40 years, and it almost never moves, despite the park stretching to over 40 rides, multiple parades, character meetups, restaurants, fireworks, and a steady supply of new attractions. Nine rides per visit. That is the ceiling. The first ride hits like nothing else. Space Mountain at 10 in the morning, with kids screaming and the queue you have been planning for weeks finally behind you, is about as much pure joy as a theme park can manufacture. The second ride is also extraordinary. The third is great. The ninth ride is still good. The tenth, when it happens at all, lands flat. Disney is fully aware of the curve. The park hopper option, which lets a guest visit two parks in a single day, exists for the same reason.