When Walt Disney World reopened, we were introduced to a whole bunch of new policies and procedures.
Magic Kingdom
One of the biggest changes we’ve seen is the introduction of the Park Pass Reservation System. Thanks to today’s quarterly earnings call, where the Walt Disney Company discussed the results of its third fiscal quarter of 2020, we’ve got more news about how limited capacity is being handled for Disney World’s Passholders and locals.
In order to enter one of the newly reopened theme parks at Walt Disney World, a Disney Park Pass reservation, in addition to valid park admission, is required. On several occasions, we’ve seen park passes for specific parks fill up on certain days for Disney World Passholders, only to then see more availability open up later!
EPCOT
During the quarterly earnings call, Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, noted approximately 50% of the guest base at Walt Disney World is currently made up of guests who are traveling to the resort from a distance, leaving locals to constitute the remaining 50% (approximately) of the guest base.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Chapek noted that there has also been a higher than expected level of cancellations as COVID-19 numbers ebb and flow, but that every day the parks are pretty close to the percentage that they can fill. Chapek also noted that Disney ultimately gave more reservations to locals, which explains why more park pass reservations were recently released for Passholders! We assume this is meant to counterbalance some of the cancellations that have been made by other guests.
Tower of Terror
Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company, also noted Disney expects demand to increase for Walt Disney World as COVID-19 numbers in Florida decrease.
We’ll definitely keep watching the park pass reservation system to see how and if availability changes in the future! In the meantime, we’re off to buy all the Mulan merchandise in anticipation of the special release of Mulan on Disney+ in September!!
Click here to check out the ULTIMATE Disney World Reopening Video Playlist!
Have you visited Walt Disney World recently? Let us know in the comments!