Think back to pre-COVID days in the Disney Parks. Guests could purchase a same-day theme park ticket and visit the Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort Parks on a whim. That spontaneity in the Disney experience is now gone with Disney’s Park Pass Reservation System, and Chapek is proud of it.
If visiting a Walt Disney World Park or Disneyland Park, Guests need to purchase a ticket in advance, as well as make a Park Pass Reservation. The Park Pass Reservation System has been known to fill up quickly on select days, leaving Guests (especially locals) wishing they could spontaneously visit the Parks but unable to do so without Park Pass availability.
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Now that we are a couple of years post-COVID closures in 2020, we were keeping our fingers crossed that Disney would make the decision to remove the Disney Park Pass System, which was initially created to allow for social distancing within the Parks during the pandemic.
Unfortunately, Disney fans… it looks like the Park reservation system is here to stay. During The Walt Disney Company Third Quarter and Nine Months Earnings for Fiscal 2022 call on August 10, 2022, Disney CEO Bob Chapek praised the system.
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In reference to how prices vary based on dates Guests visit the Parks, Chapek stated, “We believe we do have a lot of flexibility to shift if demand changes. Remember, we have a reservation system that now enables us in real-time, on the fly, to change whatever we need in terms of our ticket packaging.”
He further said, “The reservation system does a great job of spreading demand. If we see any spikes we can smooth it in a way that we couldn’t before.”
The praise of the theme park reservation system is met with the big news that the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products revenues for the quarter increased to $7.4 billion compared to $4.3 billion in the prior-year quarter. BUT – Disney has also noted it has an attendance problem at Disneyland Resort, sourcing an “unfavorable attendance mix” as the reason for revenue offset.
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So, alas, it looks like we will make Disney Park Pass selections well into the future if CEO Bob Chapek and his team prefer the system. Disney Tip – don’t forget to make those ticket and Park pass reservations in your Disney account as soon as possible to ensure you get to visit the Disney Park you want!