Disney FINALLY Reveals Truth About Park Capacity Limits

Ever since they reopened after the pandemic closures, Guests have been debating the attendance of Disney’s theme parks.

Guests have seen numerous changes to their Park experience since Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disneyland Park reopened to the public after COVID-19, including new health protocols, mask mandates, and the new Disney Park Pass system.

Back in 2020, Park attendance was minimal, with Disney introducing smaller capacity limits to aid in social distancing. Without the big crowds, Walt Disney World felt like a different experience, with wait times short, FastPass gone, and Main Street, U.S.A. not shoulder-to-shoulder.

Now, Disney has revealed the future of Park capacity, and it may surprise you.

Disney has been creeping capacity back up for some time now, with crowds at its theme parks feeling like pre-pandemic levels.

With international borders opening back up, families rebooking canceled vacations, and travel returning to “normal”, crowds at Disney’s theme parks have felt ridiculous lately. Wait times have skyrocketed, and along with the removal of mask mandates, the return of beloved entertainment, and a normal operational schedule, the theme parks in Florida have seen capacities increase.

We were at Walt Disney World this month and it was busy! With Park Pass availability booking up lately, it is not surprising that crowd levels are so high at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme parks.

Guests have been wondering whether Disney is back to operating at full capacity (it sure feels like it!), and now we have an answer. Chief Financial Officer for the Walt Disney Company, Christine McCarthy, participated in a question and answer session during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference this week, and revealed that Disney Parks are not currently operating at full capacity. 

When asked, “What does full capacity mean looking forward?”, McCarthy revealed that Disney Parks are approaching full Park capacity, but added, “We don’t want to have the Parks bursting at the seams,” when asked about whether the Parks are managing things differently.

Disney’s CFO also discussed the controversial Park pass reservation system, explaining, “We know how many people are going to the parks on a given day,” which has been beneficial for capacity management. McCarthy explained that this has allowed Disney to better analyze the crowds each month.

Disney fans were shocked back in January when Disney extended the Park reservation calendar through January 2024. The system forces Guests to commit to planning their trip in advance, requiring those who wish to visit a Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort theme park to have both a valid ticket as well as a reservation for the Park they wish to visit that day.

The Park Pass Reservation service offers a tiered system of booking Park bookings, with Annual Passholders and Magic Key Pass Holders having a wider choice for theme park reservations at Walt Disney World and Disneyland than those who purchase single or multi-day Park tickets.

Disney added a new “no-show” policy to the Park Pass system, threatening to penalize Guests who make a reservation to visit a Park but don’t show up for their day of magic.

Chairman of Parks, Experiences, and Products Josh D’Amaro revealed that Walt Disney World is “choreographing” the Guest experience, using technology to enhance the Guest experience and help Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s 2022 goal for innovation. Originally, the Park Pass system was going to end at Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary back on October 1, 2021, but with Disney’s CFO revelations, this system looks like it is here to stay – for now.