Disney World News: AP Freebie, Ticket Deal, Character Selfie Spot & Guest Satisfaction Up?!
We’re back with a big Walt Disney World news roundup. Among other topics, this one covers expanded & added park hours through June 2021, spring break at EPCOT, lighting enhancements to Spaceship Earth & Grauman’s, ticket discounts, an Orange Bird freebie, physically distanced selfie spots with Minnie & Mickey Mouse, and more.
Let’s start with an update on new and extended park hours as Walt Disney World’s spring break season continues. All four theme parks, Disney Springs, and Blizzard Beach have had hours for another week added to the DisneyWorld.com park hours calendar. These now extend to June 5, 2021. Hours are the same for all dates:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 6 pm
- EPCOT: 11 am to 7 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 9 am to 5 pm
- Blizzard Beach: 11 am to 6 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 10 pm (11 pm on weekends)
Park Hopping times for those and all dates remain from 2 pm until park close; that’s quite the range given Animal Kingdom closes at 5 pm and Magic Kingdom closes at 10 pm on certain dates. Also note that beginning on May 23, 2021, Disney’s Hollywood Studios begins opening at 9 am daily instead of 10 am. As usual, there are also extensions to hours for select dates at specific parks…
From April 4 to 10, 2021 all four parks at Walt Disney World have received significant extensions:
- Magic Kingdom: 8 am to 9 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- EPCOT: 11 am to 11 pm (previously 11 am to 7 pm)
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 8 pm (previously 10 am to 7 pm)
- Animal Kingdom: 8 am to 8 pm (previously 9 am to 5 pm)
Significant extensions here, but standard for the week following Easter. The only minor surprise here is that April 11, 2021 was not also extended. That’s the last day of peak spring break season, and should be every bit as crowded as the days immediately before it.
What April 11 still having the boilerplate/placeholder hours underscores is that Walt Disney World’s park hour releases and extensions are formulaic. Hours are typically released or extended by the week, which ends in Saturday, without regard for crowd or attendance trends beyond that.
This is significant because we’ve heard from several readers recently looking at the park hours calendar months down the road, trying to draw conclusions about crowds. Walt Disney World still has not updated hours for a Sunday three weeks from now that will unquestionably be busy–we know that, they know that. The current hours for May and June 2021 are utterly meaningless and in no way reflective of crowd forecasts.
Speaking of spring break, we visited EPCOT over the weekend to check out some new things. Although we’ve been tracking wait times from the comfort of home, this was our first spring break visit to the parks.
It wasn’t too bad. Busier than the last couple of months (save for Mardi Gras), but not as congested as we anticipated based on last Christmas season. It would be premature to draw sweeping conclusions from one visit, but our guess is that loading more rows of ride vehicles has helped a bit with the “feels like” crowds. Wait time data also supports this hypothesis.
Our main motivation for visiting was the new physically distanced selfie spot with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in the EPCOT entrance plaza.
Pluto and Goofy also appear throughout the day, but we didn’t see them.
This is a solid addition, and one that is proving quite popular with spring break crowds. Throughout our time in the main entrance plaza, there were always several parties waiting for selfies or photos with the characters.
It’s a bit surprising that it has taken Walt Disney World so long to deploy this concept. RunDisney has done distanced selfie spots for years, and the Winnie the Pooh characters outside Crystal Palace have proven popular since last summer. Clearly guests want more character “interactions” like this.
We also checked out the 2021 EPCOT Eggstravaganza scavenger hunt that debuted over the weekend.
If you want the prize, the cost is $8.
Here’s what should be a spoiler-free photo of one of the eggs. If you can identify that location, you have quite the astute eye…and will thus have no problem finding the eggs.
I’m not sure what the prize is, as we did a “self-guided version for cheapskates who don’t need trinkets.” It would be savvy if Disney made the prize that Spike the Bee spork that they’re otherwise going to be selling for the next decade.
Speaking of sporks, the “coveted” Star Wars spork is once again available for purchase (limited to one spork per person) at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It even comes with a travel pouch perfect for keeping it safe as you explore infinity and beyond.
I’ll level with you: I do not get the appeal of this at all. I didn’t get it when people were stealing them from Disneyland and trying to sell them for absurd amounts on eBay, and I certainly don’t get buying this thing for $11. I don’t have anything against sporks, but I’m also not bothered by forks and spoons being separate utensils. To each their own, though. If Star Wars sporks spark joy for you, have fun with it!
In other news, Walt Disney World is working on some lighting upgrades happening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. Imagineering is testing out new lighting on Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, plus the return of spotlights beckoning guests to the premiere of the latest Mickey Mouse short at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Per Imagineering, “this is a culmination of years of work by our teams to bring ‘premiere night, every night’ energy to this iconic golden age of Hollywood architecture.” Not to be too cynical or snide, but how on earth does it take “years of work” to add spotlights to a building? I’m not sure that’s something about which I’d boast.
Back at EPCOT, Imagineering teased work on the “Beacon of Magic” lighting debuting at Spaceship Earth on October 1, 2021 as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Above is a first look at one of the points of light, as overnight teams test fit the first of these fixtures before starting installation at the top and working down.
Per Imagineering, the team “has been hard at work innovating the design and technology for this poetic and inspirational lighting concept.” Again, not to be too cynical or snide, but what they call poetic and inspirational looks to me like a push puck light. I didn’t realize our cheap closet lighting solution was so ingenious and inspirational!
The other aim of our EPCOT visit was checking out the Easter Eggs at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts.
The displays are a bit scaled back this year, but given that we were expecting nothing, even this is a huge win in our view. As we discuss in our updated 2021 Guide to Easter at Walt Disney World, it also bodes well for future holidays and more returning. Incremental progress!
Next, Walt Disney World is offering Annual Passhodlers a special discount on 1-Day Water Park Tickets: only $49 plus tax. This means you can save up to $20 per ticket for adult and $10 per ticket for kids.
As covered in our Blizzard Beach Reopening Report, we had a great time at the water park…but it was dead. That was likely a byproduct of the weather, but also that the vast majority of Annual Passholders no longer have water park access. We’ll be back once the weather gets a bit nicer to see whether Blizzard Beach is busier.
In celebration of the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, an Orange Bird magnet will be mailed to active Annual Passholders sometime in early summer. (Limit of two magnets per household.)
We only receive about half of our AP communications from Walt Disney World, so hopefully that means we’ll get one! Joking aside, it’s really nice to see Walt Disney World sending these out to APs. Kudos on this gesture. I am sort of surprised they’re not requiring an offseason weekday visit to EPCOT, but am very happy we won’t have to wait in what would surely be a long line for this!
Finally, Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently did an interview with Bloomberg and discussed a wide range of topics. Among other things, these included Disney+, ESPN+, theme park demand, brand trust, and the future of technology at the parks (again hinting that theme park reservations could stick around).
The most buzzed-about topic among Walt Disney World fans has been Chapek’s statement that guest satisfaction scores have improved since the parks reopened, with guests having more satisfaction than prior to the closure. He also mentioned a “reemergence scenario” in which the “magic is even greater for our guests when they do come back to the parks.”
On a somewhat similar note, I’ve heard sentiment essentially boiling down to high-level leadership within the Walt Disney Company being satisfied with current performance of Walt Disney World. There are concerns that said leadership will use the current numbers to justify maintaining a reduced slate of entertainment, nighttime spectaculars, etc.
To be sure, this is superficially plausible. Anyone who has been a Walt Disney World fan for the last 5+ years has seen this play out even pre-closure. I don’t doubt for a second that certain executives salivate at the prospect of axing more entertainment. However, I would not extrapolate anything from current trends.
For one thing, current attendance is, at most, 35% of full capacity. Don’t misconstrue Chapek’s carefully crafted message: the parks are not profitable. They are making a net positive contribution towards fixed costs, which is to say that they are losing less money by being open than they would lose by being closed. Despite appearances and anecdotal observations during spring break, 35% of full capacity is not a healthy number of guests or good target. To the contrary, it is unsustainable.
While it’s true that we don’t know what organic spring break attendance would’ve looked like without the attendance cap, we do know that most other dates last year and so far this year have not even hit 35%. Occupancy rates are also anemic and many hotels remain closed, having had their reopening dates pushed back due to low demand. Perhaps things will change this summer and fall, but so far, the argument that “Walt Disney World is doing well despite cuts” is utterly unpersuasive. Attendance is mostly weak–for a variety of reasons.
As for guest satisfaction scores, those can likewise easily be explained away. It’s fair to say that there are objective upsides to the post-reopening lower crowd levels and shorter wait times. There’s no denying that guests enjoy those things. However, those advantages won’t last once attendance picks up.
Moreover, there’s a ton of self-selection bias occurring. There are so many warnings and disclaimers on DisneyWorld.com that they literally take up the top half of the page. You have to see and acknowledge those multiple times before even booking a theme park reservation–there’s no way to not see the changes and temporary rules before visiting.
Consequently, most guests know what the modified Walt Disney World experience will entail and choose to visit anyway because they’re okay with the compromises. Guest satisfaction surveys are sent to those who attend the parks–not those who choose to stay home.
Perhaps more significantly, this is all happening against the backdrop of a pandemic and incredibly divisive climate. Disney’s surveys don’t ask “how much has the last year sucked for you?” and use that to grade on a curve. But it’s probably not a stretch to say the last 12 months have been among the worst (if not the worst) of our lifetimes. Is it thus really any surprise that people are giving high marks to escapism?
We can only speak for ourselves, but two of the best days we’ve ever had at Walt Disney World occurred last year–our first stay back at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and our first day back in Magic Kingdom. Our guest satisfaction scores for both would’ve been through the roof. While Disney certainly played a role in that, the larger change was in us. We really savored the experience and didn’t take it for granted. I’m guessing this is along the lines of what Chapek is suggesting with his “reemergence scenario.”
Beyond that, our overall satisfaction at Walt Disney World from last summer through the present has honestly been higher than the 12 months prior to that. That’s partly because of my aforementioned newfound appreciation for the parks, and not taking anything for granted. It’s also because a lot of the stuff that has been cut doesn’t matter a ton to us, and on balance, we prefer enjoying the parks with lower crowds.
If I did highly value all of that temporarily unavailable stuff, I simply wouldn’t visit Walt Disney World right now. Judging by readers and commenters on this blog, that’s exactly what people are doing–visiting now or postponing trips based on their circumstances and priorities. This is not really profound insight nor is the reality that it impacts guest satisfaction scores.
It’s also fair to say that, although Walt Disney World is not grading guest satisfaction scores on a curve, fans are doing exactly that. In normal times, I would not be okay with so much of what has been cut. However, for the time being some of that gets a pass given the real world circumstances. If those same things remain absent beyond mid-summer, I’ll be far less forgiving.
Ultimately, my strong suspicion is that Chapek was posturing for Bloomberg, trying to put his best spin on the theme parks’ performance for the sake of Wall Street, tailoring his message for that audience, and telling them what they want to hear. That isn’t to say his statements don’t concern me. It’s always possible that Disney leadership truly believes that attendance or guest satisfaction scores are strong and will hold at that level on the merits of the current theme park offerings or in light of pent-up demand. In such a scenario, it could take longer for entertainment and other components of the guest experience to be restored. However, guest satisfaction will also plummet in the process and park offerings will be corrected over time.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this Walt Disney World news? Analysis on Chapek’s statements about guest satisfaction scores? Thoughts on what another extension to park hours means for spring break? Excited for the free Orange Bird Annual Passholder magnet? Thoughts on the physically distanced selfie spots? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I would have bought one of those sporks on my last visit, if they had them. You can get a lightsaber anywhere, but nothing says “I was in a fully immersive Star Wars land where they really thought about every detail” quite like a spork. Well, maybe the Coke bottles.
Short and not so sweet. I DO NOT believe Chapek assessment of high satisfaction at the parks! Period.
I honestly think Chapek is playing with his words a little. He is truthful, but obviously pushing positives that are most likely positive because of the time we are in. If you went last February and showed up with no meet and greets, no shows, how fireworks. Guest satisfaction would probably be below 15%. There are also statistics behind statistics that he could be playing. Net promoter scores measure good scores (9/10’s) against low scores until 7. Where 7/8’s get thown out and are statistically nothing. So as with all stats, the speaker of them always wants to scu them to what they want, and its always possible to find positives in the worst data.
With that said, as vaccines get rolled out faster and faster, Disney is going to have to keep up with expectations. They are normally masters of knowing what to do next. But unless they are keeping an ace up their sleeves people are already impatient having been through the last year. Once the CDC says things are starting to be safer people are going to want to get out. Once most of the pop is vaccinated (which looks like around may/June) they will not want to give Disney such a break on offerings. The positives right now should be curved as you said. Not doing it is honestly a disservice to themselves. I don’t think internal policies are keeping people away, like masks and such. But offerings are keeping people away.
Things like the selfie area, do more of them. There are still thousands of great CM’s who have not been called back. Get them back. Disney can afford to take a few losses to build back up to normal. Even investors with Disney will understand dividends being down if its building back up. But I will tell you what those same investors won’t understand is why profits are still down a year from now because they slow rolled opening back up when their state and even cdc are putting out guidance on safety of crowds with vaccinated people. I could careless about masks. but latest guidelines with 3ft social distancing and transmission rates with vaccinated people, make most guidelines that they use for creating their temporary status of shows and gathers mostly moot. I know this is just my opinion but I think its time they start releasing their own expectations. How can anyone traveling possibly plan effectively when they are not even releasing park hours 3 weeks out?
It would be interesting if Disney did a survey among AP’s to find out if they are not visiting, why? We would love to go, but whenever we look at hotel reservations it is next to impossible to find availability for locations and times that we want. And we are not looking at peak times. So it may be that there is interest in locations that are not yet opened or have limited availability. It is also unfortunate that they continue to build accommodations without increasing entertainment venues. I dread when they return to full capacity and it is wall to wall people again.
Ah, clearly those must be artisanal spotlights, then.
I’m in the crowd of individuals who will absolutely be buying a spork when I next visit in 2022 provided they’re still available. Not because I have any particular spork love, but because its a far more useful and compact souvenir than those plastic specialty sipper cups. I bought way too many cups my first time down and have regretted it since.
I think a lot of the rationale you’ve outlined above is spot on (no pun intended re: first joke). This is also what it seems they’re doing with regard to the lack of discounts–so long as there is a cap that they’re coming close enough to hitting? There’s not much incentive to really reduce the price. Once attendance opens back up, if they’re not drawing in more crowds we’ll start to see those discounts finally.
Having just returned from 11 days in Orlando, (3 days Pop Century, 4 days Universal Cabana Bay, 4 days AofA), I can attest that there is indeed NO MAGIC left in the Magic Kingdom. I still have 4 days from my 10 day ticket remaining before it expires in September, and I’m seriously considering just letting those days expire. Just not worth the cost and time. Chapek is definitely spinning for the media because IF he had to wait in line for an hour for most rides he’d give up too. I never rode Tower of Terror – tried twice and gave up after seeing lines snaking for miles with wait times of 110 and 70 minutes! Gave up twice on Aerosmith coaster with wait times over an hour each time. Very disturbing when you add up the exorbitant man-hours of human capital wasted daily waiting in lines for a few minutes on rides that haven’t changed in the 25 years since I last visited! The bus system was a chaotic mess and each morning and evening the Skyliner lines snaked for 40 minutes or more. It took over an hour to get back from Epcot to AofA. No direct bus to the water park either. Took an hour to get from AofA to Blizzard Beach – had to take the bus to Animal Kingdom and then transfer to another bus to Blizzard Beach. And I was extremely disappointed with the uncleanliness of Blizzard Beach – tons of leaves and twigs on the pathways (ouch, ouch, ouch barefoot going to slides) and in the lazy river. And the wave pool cement entry area had moldy-looking black stains everywhere! Universal Volcano Bay by contrast was pristine and way more enjoyable!
God bless you, Tom and Sara, for having the stamina and perseverance to go so often to the parks and find positive things to write about. Because for me, logging over 19,000 steps daily and waiting in lines for 8 hours each day to boot and spending thousands of hard-earned dollars for mediocre food and hotel rooms, is way too much work to feel like I’m on vacation! The “Happiest Place on Earth” is looking more and more like just staying at “Home Sweet Home”! I recognize that everyone has different value systems, but I wish more folks would take off their Disney rose-colored glasses and instead of excusing away the mediocre and hugely expensive experience, start demanding more for their hard-earned money.
P.s. I did enjoy Universal more and thanks for pointing me to the Mardi Gras Tasting Lanyard – it was a good value for several delicious items, including alcoholic beverages and tasty desserts!
Just got back from Disneyworld. Full price for about 60 percent of the Magic.
Expectation plays a huge role in satisfaction. If someone oversells a movie you’ll often be disappointed and vice versa.
We knew going in what was missing and more importantly WHY! We were good with that and the much lower crowds were a nice bonus.
The conditions that are acceptable to us now will not be when we return to normal.
Mr Chapek has me a little worried. I do wish there was a Disney family member around to remind the board what the films and Parks should be about.
As a person that loves to go to Disney I have booked my next trip. However I waited till 2022. I have always taken magical express from airport had my fast pass and din. Reseversation completed as soon I could book them. That was part of the fun. But I was able to enjoy my trip and let the stress roll off once I was on plane. I am hoping that the changes that were made are only for the time of virus if they keep adding charges and take away extras what will be the since in spending xtra money staying at Disney resort. I would hope if you invest in there rooms fast pass will be included. As it is there won’t be transportation from airport with the luggage magically showing up in your room. Such a bummer
There was something really nice about going straight to a park and not worrying about your luggage, but if you have to wait 40 minutes for DME vs grabbing your bag and taking Uber, dropping bag in room, then going to park your time is about the same…
I wish they had mailed magnets before. I would have even paid postage. I missed out on a lot of magnets when I was a pass holder!
100 agree with your lighting comments and sentiments about Chapek’s guest satisfaction. I used to go the parks yearly and now have not been for 2 years. We are finally going back in May and even then only to Hollywood Studios for 2 days because (1. favorite park and 2. Galaxy’s Edge). Since we have not been in so long and now have the same not taking anything for granted mentality I’m sure we’ll have a higher satisfaction rating than the trip we took a year prior to the pandemic start. As far as the lighting those efforts probably could have been more well spent elsewhere……
Unfortunately the high cost of the hotels even with a Spring discount is just ridiculous in my eyes and we will be for the first time ever staying OFF Disney property in an airbnb and renting a car; actually very excited about it as we won’t have to rely on uber or Disney transportation! Hope to see you and Sarah around!
I do think that the general feeling of optimism that seems to be surrounding the vaccine rollout fits well with WDW’s brand and something they can work with in marketing. The new ad featuring “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” is a great example, and also pretty much wrecked me the first time I saw it.
It’s really a great ad.
I just WDW had that same optimism for its substantive offerings and not just its marketing.
So I don’t understand how the announced hours work. We will be at the parks April 11-16; can we expect that they will announce longer hours as we get closer?
Yes. Check back late this Friday or early Saturday–hours for April 11-17, 2021 will likely be extended then.
Thanks! So helpful! I read your blog religiously as we are getting ready for our trip!
At this point, I have no question that Disney is slow-walking a “return to normalcy” — Using the pandemic and the guest satisfaction rhetoric as an excuse.
It “feels like” they don’t want to put any spending ahead of the demand. They likely believe that demand will increase naturally as the pandemic fades, so they don’t need to invest to bring back demand. After the natural demand returns, they will assess how strong it returns, and where they can best invest.
I heard from a decent source that as things stand now, they are not currently planning on Magic Kingdom fireworks, even for the 50th anniversary on 10/1. The only announced entertainment return is a “modified” (ie — shrunken cast) FOTLK for summer. Considering that was announced 2 months ago, you would have expected announcements and leaks of other summer entertainment by now.
People are booking for summer and for the 50th anniversary now — Yet Disney still hasn’t announced re-opening dates for many properties.
In other words — Disney is not proactively operating in anticipation of increasing demand. Instead, feels like they are waiting to see the sustained demand before they spend a penny. Instead of, “if you build it, they will come” — Disney is taking the approach, “let’s see if they come, and then we will decide what to build.”
I don’t expect any additional shows to return this summer aside from FotLK. I’ve heard enough on the entertainment front to surmise that it’s unlikely.
However, fireworks on 10/1 and beyond are a different story entirely. What I’ve heard has strongly stressed the “tentative” or “at this time” nature of the status of those.
That’s what I’ve heard as well… But that says a lot. If you look at the IHME model, they are projecting that by July 1st, Florida will be averaging 8 deaths per day and 500 cases per day. (not just confirmed cases.. 500 cases per day would be like 100-200 confirmed cases). The last time Florida was averaging 8 Covid deaths per day was in March 2020.
With projections like that, I’d expect, “at this time, we are planning on increasing entertainment over the summer, we are planning fireworks by 10/1, but while we are planning this, it’s still subject to change.”
Instead it’s, “at this time, we aren’t planning on adding anything, but that’s subject to change.”
We are quickly getting to the point where it is too late to bring back much for summer. (If Fantasmic has any chance of a summer return, they would need to start the process now, for example). And even anything big for 10/1… they would need to set in motion within the coming weeks, by end of Spring.
We are looking at a visit later in the year. There are no package options showing up when we look (late Fall). Only room-only options show up. They had the package options a few weeks ago. Any idea what is happening with that? I have been holding off on making reservations until there is more clarity on MNSSHP, dining plans, etc.
I’m cautiously optimistic that Disney can’t go too far in permanently cuttings things with Universal putting the pressure on with the full steam ahead on Epic Universe.
$49 for one day at the water park??? I want to say that two summers ago they offered AP holders the “rest of the summer” for $79. That was a good deal!
Magnet, yeah right. I am STILL waiting on mine from last year. It’s been so long I can’t even remember what the magnet was supposed to have on it…
While the last 12 months has sucked for many people, I feel pretty fortunate. In the time since Feb 2020 I have visited WDW 3 times, and got to go to DLP for the first time and then spend a week in Germany even though we came back a few days early because of the hype. I worked completely from home for several months, spending more time with my brother and the dogs, even got a free dog that was bound for the pound if we didn’t take her. Work has been steady but generally not horrifically busy. I even got to drive back to NM to visit my parents 8 times, working from home there for the week each time. The biggest bummers were seeing the general foolishness of the general populace, a worldwide political disaster, and losing two family members. While both were listed as Covid, my uncle needed a lung transplant 3 years ago and my aunt had been undergoing chemo and treatment for some undisclosed cancer for over a year, so neither was much of a surprise. I empathize with all who have lost family or friends in this.
I fully agree about the lighting comments Tom, and ask myself how these can be heralded as technical achievements. And shake my head at the poor planning keeping the railroad at MK closed for a completely unreasonable period of time. I enjoyed the two trips with lower crowds, but I do sorely miss fireworks. A day without the refreshing aroma of burning black powder just isn’t the same…
“And shake my head at the poor planning keeping the railroad at MK closed for a completely unreasonable period of time.”
Poor planning? Ha! If you think this wasn’t by design (minus the year delay on TRON) to save operating expenses, I have a bridge to sell you…
I know what you are saying Tom, but having spent 25 years in the industry, that work should’ve been completed over a year ago (RR, not Tron). They could’ve kept the trains closed to save on operating costs, but the excuses about the tracks are ridiculous. It’s simply not expensive or difficult work.
It’s an interesting thing. We go every other year for about 16 years now and spend 10 days or so. WIthout a doubt- our trip this past July/August was by far- the most enjoyable trip to WDW of my life. Not even close. On one hand- the late night fireworks are cool, and when my kids were young they liked to meet characters. But on the other hand- as someone who likes to ride the rides at a theme park- as a parent who was spending the money- I really dislike spending that money- to wait in a line for an hour- to not ride a ride (character) or to stand in a single spot for 90 minutes to see fireworks and a show. If I want a show- I can go to a good concert for the same price as a WDW daily ticket. And have a nice seat- and see a great show. The shows etc et wdw are a plus to me. The fact that I wanted 75% lower on average to ride rides- never had to deal with throngs of people, didn’t have to plan every second because of fast passes, and had 4 hours every day in the middle to enjoy the spectacular pools- made it a much better trip, even with less actual stuff happening in the parks. Myself and my daughter who went with me- liked the character parades and intereactions a heck of a lot better than the character meets. I hope it stays that way (for the most part)- bring back some meets, but keep the rest how it is. What I’m saying overall- is my satisfaction was higher this year then ever before, so in your survey of 1, FWIW, I agree. Chapek is running a multifaceted company- with much of it still shut down. Disney is a movie studio and Hotel Operator first and foremost- Half the hotels are closed, and no one is going to movies. Theme parks- may be most interesting for us- but it is essentially a byproduct of those other businesses. Most don’t understand that- but it is what it is. Unbooked hotel rooms are a much bigger issue that pushing funds to finish Tron or Space restaurant etc. That said- If comcast keeps spending how they are next door- WDW’s hand will be forced to restart things they have shelved. Competition is good for all of us as consumers.
“Unbooked hotel rooms are a much bigger issue that pushing funds to finish Tron or Space restaurant etc.”
Agree with most of what you’re saying (at least on a personal level) but here’s where there’s an issue–Disney arguably cannot achieve improvements in the former without the latter (or at least more of the park experience being restored).
There’s a reason Disney is not focusing on occupancy rates when talking up how well the reopening is going–those numbers are still really bad. Things are improving for Q1FY22, but that’s still with a lot of hotels closed…and overlooks summer, which is already booming elsewhere. Disney needs to do something with park offerings to move the needle on hotel occupancy.
I wouldn’t say the parks are a byproduct at all. While movies got things rolling, the last quarter of Walt’s life was completely about the parks, right up to the day he left us. I do agree they never would have been possible without TV and movies, but Walt was interested in the experience, creating an ever-increasingly immersive guest experience, something not possible with mere movies or TV. Not even modern 3D movies come close to being in a theme park.
As for the vacant rooms, they’ve pretty much done that to themselves. Overbuilt for a decade and more. They need to increase park hours and reopen restaurants to bring more guests in, and part of that formula is ditching masks. Not arguing for against their effectiveness; that’s irrelevant to the calculations here.
yeah I get it. It’s a balance, right?
and if you are bleeding out your left side, it’s hard to spend money to make the right side healthier. And they still have parks closed- with zero hotel occupancy. I don’t think you can compare either of these 3 theme park complexes with the “booming elsewhere”, because lots of the people booking all those beach resorts think it’s looney to walk around outside at one of these 3 central florida theme park resort areas with a mask on. (which I’ve looked at as a positive, because it’s made my experience better with them not coming). But that is definitely a factor as well. (See the current state of Miami as more proof). It is what it is, not debating what is intelligent or not.
Correct, the construction industry is going nuts all over. Materials prices are skyrocketing. $5 for a 2×4, seriously? $40 for a sheet of plywood? With plant closures, materials are going up and lead times are growing every day. Labor is out there, but we had worsening major shortages of skilled labor before last year. I laugh when folks on the govt side suggest they will see lower bids coming up.
Loss of theater revenue is a huge deal. Disney+ is bringing some in but not on the same scale. We really do need theaters to reopen on a large scale! But the expenditures we are talking about for RR and even Tron construction were programmed far in advance of Feb 2020, and the cash reserves were there. In the big picture, those numbers were a drop in the bucket. As I’ve said before, deferring maintenance on other things that could’ve and should’ve been completed during the closure is costing much more now and will continue to do so for some time. It’s good to hear they have been cycling attractions at DL to keep systems operational. Hopefully they’ve taken advantage of the closure there to perform tweaks and minor repairs at least.
Tom is right about operational costs. When I was a CM at MK in 92, they told us they were spending around $275k a night on fireworks/shows. That was basically MK and Epcot, as there wasn’t a nighttime show at D-MGM Studios back then. Today (pre-cove) it was almost certainly over a million a day. One thing which may be hampering relaunching fireworks shows is lack of availability of product. People I know in the industry who run large shows are looking at shortages due to many factories in China still being closed. There are many, many parts in this puzzle, and I am concerned about long-term viability for the parks as we know them.
For my 2 cents, the parks are more important than the hotels. I’m not talking about which makes more money after expenses, parks or hotels but no parks no hotels. It all starts with the parks.
You talk about visiting different resorts to see the eggs.. Are they allowing non-reservation guests now?
We walked from World Showcase to Yacht & Beach Club. All of the hotels with egg displays are within walking or boat distance of a park or Disney Springs.
Tom
So you are saying if you are at a park say Magic Kingdom and you want to walk over to Grand Floridian, no one is going to stop you and ask for your room key
I have no respect for Chapek, so his words don’t mean a lot. As someone who visited WDW on a yearly basis, I’m not more pleased with Disney now than before the pandemic changes. We’ll be going in May, but only because it’s a rescheduled trip from last year that was already paid for. It was nonrefundable, but we got resort credit that had to be used by a certain date. Same with the military park tickets.
I understand that most of the changes are necessary for COVID requirements. That being said, however, Disney is now offering a lot less than they did before, but charging the same amount (even increasing prices on things). With half the restaurants still closed, there’s few dining options at the resorts. There’s also way more competition to get an ADR. I started first thing in the morning on day 60 & had a difficult time getting reservations. I ended up renting a car from the Disney World Car Care Center to make sure we’ll be able to eat something besides QS hamburgers every day.
Disney is raising the price of park tickets, but the parks are open way fewer hours than before. No more fireworks. The buffets are gone, but the price of the meal for what’s replaced them hasn’t changed. No more luggage pickup at the airport. And in 9 more months, they won’t even offer the Magical Express anymore, so you pretty much have to rent a car & pay parking at the resorts. Disney’s just not worth the high cost anymore, so next year, we won’t be returning. That makes me sad since our trips to Disney were a tradition, but I just can’t justify the cost for what we get anymore. The magic is gone.
I completely agree about the food and restaurant situation. But especially with the cruddy park hours I’d never even consider leaving a park to eat! Talk about a waste of money…
The ending o DME is a slight bummer, but people saying that’s their reason to not return are being ridiculous. It’s far less than 5% of the cost for a trip to WDW. Unless you’re the Brady Bunch, it’s less than $50 for an Uber ride each way. The luggage thing is inconvenient, sure, but not a deal breaker. Lack of fireworks is much, much more so.
I agree ending MDE is a bummer for some folks. We have done it some of the time but also like having the flexibility of a car often. (Nice to drive over to AKL and have dinner, etc.)
No shows and fireworks is a disappointment.
Surveys are probably skewed.
#1 as someone who has been to Disney a bunch I know that unless you give folks an EXCELLENT rating it is a negative so I usually give excellent even if it is just nothing was wrong. I think many people understand that, and want to be sure that a complaint doesn’t come back on the cast member.
#2 Life is different. You go to Disney and you are just happy to get away and do something other than hanging in your house. You are going to give a positive rating rather than complain that there were no fireworks!
Ditto on 100% of PegP’s comment above. Way less for more money. It was already too expensive for many people. I had been waiting for things to open up so we could book (longer hours, shows, restaurants, etc) again. I certainly miss it, but my money could be better spent elsewhere. Very disheartening.