Though Disney’s theme parks around the world had to close for pretty lengthy periods of times in 2019, Disney’s theme parks have now generally been open for some time.
What will the future hold?
Over the past several months, we’ve seen days with very low crowds in the parks and days with BIG crowds. But, what does attendance look like right now in comparison to previous years? We just got an important update!
Today, Disney released its 4th Quarter report and held its quarterly earnings call, sharing some big updates about the company’s financial standing.
During the call, Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company, made several comments regarding attendance levels in the park. According to McCarthy, attendance trends continue to strengthen at Disney’s theme parks.
Crowds
McCarthy actually shared that attendance at Disney World is up double digits from the third quarter. McCarthy also shared that attendance is growing at Disneyland as well.
In terms of looking to the future, McCarthy shared that the “forward-looking pipeline remains strong.”
Crowds
When it comes to international attendance, McCarthy noted that they’re looking forward to the return of international visitors to the U.S. (which is now possible due to changes in travel restrictions). But, McCarthy noted that they don’t expect to see a significant recovery on this end until the end of 2022 (or near that time).
And it’s not just attendance that appears to be going up. According to both McCarthy and Disney CEO Bob Chapek, per capita guest spending in the parks is up 30% when compared to 2019 (a.k.a. pre-pandemic levels).
Crowds in Toy Story Land
So, it seems not only are more guests visiting the parks, but they’re also spending more. Between Genie+, new merchandise releases, new After Hours events, and more, there’s certainly plenty to spend money on when visiting Disney World; and there are lots of food, merchandise, and other experiences available at Disney’s theme parks around the world.
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more details and news from Disney and we’ll let you know what we find.
Click here to see more about the earnings report.
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Have you visited a Disney theme park recently? Tell us in the comments.
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The reason visitor spending is up 30% is not because visitors are “spending more”; it’s because Disney has increased the pricing of everything. Remember the camel & straw parable!
It sure sounds like Disney is doing just fine after all their cost saving measures. Using the Pandemic as an excuse to increase guest spending while reducing amenities has really paid off. Now they are considering reducing food portions while raising food prices to combat inflation: cut me a break! Disney has taken away free magic bands and free Magical Express. They are now making us pay for fast passes. There are no trams in the parking lot which now charges for parking. Food plans are no longer available, and the discounts are only open to Florida residents and visitors from other countries, while raising prices across the board on everything. I don’t see Disney suffering much at all. They should tell us how much they have already saved by putting all these cost cutting measures in place DURING such a stressful time for most of the world.
Guests aren’t choosing to spend more by doing more, adding days, shopping more or selecting better dining options. Guests are doing the same things they always have. The per capita increase is due to the very high inflation that Disney parks are hitting guests with. It is a challenge to find any single guest expense that hasn’t experienced a pricing increase since pre-pandemic. Disney leadership must think the public is stupid not to see through that comment. On the other hand we all continue to line up and pay it so perhaps our intelligence is to be questioned!
Of course spending is up. Disney has jacked up the price and added new fees for just about everything!
Of course guests are spending more this year than 2019! When Disney increases prices across the board and then starts charging for FP+ And offers no discounts guests will spend more.
…during a massive event, after jacking up prices and bleeding dry every poor family trying to share a bit of Disney magic… What a surprise
I genuinely hope it would be a different story if it wasn’t for the anniversary, Disney needs to know it isn’t ok to punish fans and make sure the majority can never afford to visit.
Will they spend the money on their hard working staff..?
Disney’s Leadership is doing everything it can to push me away, Wish I can say I’d like to visit, I WON’T. Maybe that’s their idea, to push away the very people that made them who they are. C’mon, Let’s face it, Once the cycle of people who have been couped up for 2 years runs its course, might be at that point now, Although I’m guessing alot of folks made plans this year for the holiday season for their “Breakout” trip. And once we’re into the New Year, that place may become a ghost town for a while. One can only Hope. However with the Travel Ban lifted, Mr CEO Wonderful will most likely get yet another bump in attendance & spending from the Non-US Travelers. They still need to blow off their steam, Again once that subsides, maybe a bit of culture shock of their own fantasy world they live sets in, then, and hopefully then, Disney will see that Chapek and his cronies has squeezed every last bit of enjoyment out of it . Get a new leadership that can bring back what once was. Certainly won’t be with him. That’s for SURE !!
Disney doesn’t need “old time, return visitors”, they have realized that as long as there are families having kids, there will always be a continuous source of first time visitors, enough to keep the profits high and price raising on a upward trend.
Sorry, but the original Disney is gone.