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Credit: DisneyToday, November 10, 2021, The Walt Disney Company discussed the fiscal year and fourth-quarter financial results in a live audio webcast. As the Disney Parks and experiences crawl out of the COVID-19 pandemic closures and capacity restrictions, we are starting to see a climb in numbers for the company. One of these is the overall per capita Guest spending.
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Recently, we have seen new shops open such as the Walt Disney World Resort flagship Creations Shop at EPCOT and Plaza Point at Disneyland Resort. Guests are also finding it easier to shop in Parks with mobile check-out right from their My Disney Experience App. We’ve also seen the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary merchandise fly off the shelves. Of course, there are also the resellers that are seemingly growing in numbers. Shopping is trending at Disney!
In the investor call on November 10, 2021, Disney’s Chief Financial Officer, Christine McCarthy, noted that Guest spending at the Disney Parks is very strong. Strong enough actually that the per capita Guest spending is up 30% compared to pre-pandemic figures from 2019. Disney expects the per capita spending in 2022 will continue to significantly exceed pre-pandemic levels.
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Why do you suppose Guests are spending more? While we understand the need to snag those brand new ears, favorite jersey shirt, and even that must-have Starbucks tumbler… we believe the spending travels much further than merchandise. It is important to note that Annual Passholder and ticket prices are on the rise and new experiences like the charge of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane attractions are likely part of this spending increase.
Have you found your Disney Park budget increasing over this past year?