Disney Admits to Crumbling Guest Experience, Announces $60 Billion Expansions to Parks and Cruise Line

in Disney, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Parks

Disney parks shown in a collage of photos, including Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney World Resort, and Hong Kong Disneyland

Credit: Inside The Magic

Disney just announced some major news concerning its parks and cruise lines. Billions will be spent to enhance and expand amidst concerns about poor guest experiences throughout its parks and cruise liners.

A picture of Sleeping Beauty Castle with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse's Partners statue in the foreground at Disneyland Park in Disneyland Resort. Photo by Ed Aguila
Credit: Ed Aguila / Inside the Magic

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Disney and Its Parks and Cruise Situations

Despite making hundreds of millions of dollars throughout its parks and resorts worldwide, Disney is still losing out on the total guest experience. Deadline reports that Disney only increased 4% in profits from its domestic parks while increasing 94% from its domestic parks, still down from previous years. Parks and Experiences saw sales increase 13%, equaling $8.3 billion, a slight increase from last year. Many believe the global pandemic (COVID-19) is to blame for these losses, while others point to the former CEO Bob Chapek (“paycheck”) being the main issue.

Regardless of where you stand, one thing is sure – no matter how you look at it – Disney is losing billions of dollars in profits from its parks, experiences, and cruise lines. People no longer want to spend an arm and a leg just to visit a theme park where rides are down, lines are vast, and they feel they are not getting their money’s worth. Even Disney’s streaming service, Disney+ (Disney Plus), lost 2% in total revenue. This means that 4 million subscribers left the platform this quarter and year.

Mickey meets two guests at a restaurant
Credit: Shanghai Disneyland

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Billions of Dollars Coming Soon to a Disney Park Near You

But it would seem that Disney is admitting to this notion, as just moments ago, they announced through an SEC filing that they plan on spending $60 billion over the next ten years on “expanding and enhancing” domestic and international parks and cruise line experiences.

JUST IN: Disney plans to nearly double its investment in its theme parks business. In an SEC filing, the company said it plans to spend roughly $60 billion over the next 10 years. The would include “expanding and enhancing” domestic and international parks and the cruise line.

disneyland-paris-parks-vacant-empty-crowd-levels
Credit: @DLPGuestEN

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Multiple rides, attractions, experiences, and more have been canceled or removed from its parks over the last year. Although the recent D23 event announced new expansions and attractions coming to a Disney Resort near you, guests are taking to social media to comment on the overall dwindling and crumbling experience throughout all parks worldwide.

Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook seem to be the most popular places guests take to complain and share their experiences with Disney World, Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland, and others. Recently, posts went viral showing the dangerous crowd levels inside Tokyo Disney Resort. The Disney Resort could face an imminent shutdown if this crisis continues.

Mickey Mouse (pumpkin), Minnie Mouse (cat), Donald Duck (candy corn), and Goofy (haunted tree) in their Halloween outfits at Disneyland in 2022
Credit: Disney Parks Blog

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Ensuring the continual enhancement and fulfillment of the overall guest experience is paramount for Disney. Disney parks are renowned as the “Happiest Places on Earth,” a reputation intricately linked to their ability to consistently craft enchanting moments, provide outstanding service and immerse visitors in captivating narratives.

Disney operates parks worldwide, and a decline in guest satisfaction at one locale can reverberate through its entire brand. Negative experiences in a single park can cast shadows over others, influencing prospective visitors’ choices and potentially tarnishing Disney’s global reputation. Consequently, Disney’s dedication to elevating the guest experience extends far beyond the confines of any single park; it’s about preserving the enchantment that defines the entire Disney legacy.

Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney California Adventure Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and more must be enhanced and worked on continuously for a better guest experience. Whether you’re visiting Disney World Resort, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort, or any other Disney theme park, you’re spending money on a vacation that took months to plan. You want to feel an unforgettable experience when walking down any of the Disney parks on Main Street, U.S.A., U.S.A., or when visiting Toy Story land for the first time, or getting wet at a water park, seeing Cinderella Castle, entering the future world, checking out Walt Disney Studios Park – you’re experiencing should be one of wonder and joy.

in Disney, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Parks

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