In an investor call this afternoon, the question of capacity at the theme parks came up. While Disney CEO Bob Chapek and Disney CFO Christine McCarthy didn’t give any hints as to the actual capacity percentage at the theme parks, McCarthy did say that Disney plans to continue to increase capacity at their theme parks.
Disney is bullish on the return of guests to their theme parks and said that they plan an “aggressive, but measured” increase in capacity.
Building on the question of capacity and demand, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy said that Disney plans to have their theme parks fully staffed by the end of calendar year 2021.
As far as indicators that are publicly available, we have the Disney Park Pass availability calendar. In the past, we have used the calendar to determine how much demand vs capacity there is. If a theme park was sold out, we were able to deduce that demand outpaced capacity. Now, while Disney is forecasting continued strong demand, we’re not seeing the Disney Park Pass availability fill up. This would mean that capacity in the theme parks is higher than the current demand.
That said, with the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebrations getting ready to kick off in October, it makes sense that Disney will continue to increase staffing levels in preparation for what looks to be busy fall and winter seasons.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!