NEWS: Disney Comments On Theme Park Capacity

Disney World’s theme park capacity is a hotly debated subject. Since the introduction of the park pass reservation system, Disney has been able, essentially, to control how many visitors are able to visit each park. While many believed that the park pass reservation system was a temporary change, we’ve since found out that it looks like park pass reservations are here to stay (at least through 2024).

Crowds have returned to Disney World

During Disney’s Q1 earnings call, we learned more information about Disney’s park capacity.

Disney has attempted to protect the health and safety of its guests since reopening the parks in 2020. Since then, the parks have slowly started to return to normal and more experiences have returned.

Disney’s health and safety policies follow the federal requirements

Disney tends to keep capacity data and information close to their chest. But recently, they shared a bit of an update on the current state of theme park capacity.

EPCOT crowds this February

During the Q1 earnings call, Disney stated, “In fiscal 2022, our domestic parks and experiences are generally operating without significant mandatory COVID-19-related capacity restrictions, such as those that were in place in the prior-year quarter; however, we continue to manage capacity to address ongoing COVID-19 considerations with respect to guest and cast health and safety.” 

The language here is pretty vague

Recently, we’ve seen some MASSIVE crowds in the Disney parks, yet chief financial officer Christine McCarthy stated that only “18-22% of Disney World guests currently come from outside the U.S.”

International guests have yet to fully return to the parks

Further, McCarthy explained that the Disney parks have undergone several changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the implementation of mobile check-in and mobile ordering.

Mobile Dining Check-In

CEO Bob Chapek went on to explain that Disney’s “self-imposed capacity restraints” are due to a variety of reasons, including a need for more hospitality and food and beverage Cast Members.

Magic Kingdom

Chapek later stated, “Our ability to increase our guest experience through our reservation system…has been something that we really like.” For now, Disney intends to “self-manage the theme park capacity to optimize the guest experience.”

Disney is careful to control the park capacity

As more experiences return to the parks, such as live entertainment and nighttime shows like Fantasmic!, we’ll be interested to see if the crowd level increases!

We can’t wait to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade again!

We’ll continue to keep you updated as more information is shared, so stay tuned for more!

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Have you noticed an increase in park capacity? Let us know in the comments!