Advisors' wish list for Disney Parks
We asked a group of advisors who specialize in selling Disney what they would do with the $60 billion the company has earmarked for its Parks, Experiences and Products division.
Bob Iger, sharpen your pencil and get out your notebook: Travel advisors have some ideas about how to spend the $60 billion the Walt Disney Co. plans to invest in its Parks, Experiences and Products division over the next decade.
The investment, revealed in September, is nearly double what Disney has spent on the segment in the past decade. Travel advisors are full of suggestions about where Disney should to put it, from transportation options to an entirely new Orlando theme park.
“The massive investment that they will make in the theme parks and cruising industry just shows their massive commitment to the travel space that they want to continue to invest in,” said Adam Duckworth, president of Travelmation in Fort Lauderdale, No. 55 on Travel Weekly’s 2023 Power List. “Obviously, Disney is the biggest and the best and has been for a long time. But to stay the biggest and the best, it takes commitment, and they are going to invest in it to continue to be the No. 1 brand in that space.”
Duckworth views Disney’s investment as showing commitment not only to the consumers who experience its products every day but to the travel agency community. He was not alone in saying that Disney had been sluggish with its domestic theme park expansion, noting that the last two were Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., in 2001 and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando in 1998.
“They want to put their money where their mouth is to make this the best [themed entertainment], because if I were being honest, they have fallen behind in a little way,” he said.
Disney ‘wants to put their money where their mouth is.’
That certainly seems to be the case when compared with its main competitor, Universal Orlando Resort, which is constructing a southern campus just up the road from Disney World, anchored by a new theme park, Epic Universe, to open in 2025.
Disney said its $60 million investment will go toward “expanding and enhancing domestic and international parks and cruise line capacity, prioritizing projects anticipated to generate strong returns.”
Advisors agreed that the investment is good news for the company and, in turn, their businesses.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Lisa Federico, owner of Academy Travel in Manahawkin, N.J., No. 58 on the Power List. “I think it comes at a great time because we’ve just gotten through Covid. We had our comeback year in 2022; 2023 was also a very good year, but I see 2024 is going to be an incredible year as we are post-Covid now at this point. I think it’s a fantastic announcement, and I think it’s much needed.”
PROJECTS ON TAP
Disney has made a number of large investments in its domestic parks in recent years, highlighted in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in September detailing the investment plan. Since 2012, it has opened Disneyland’s Cars Land; Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout!; Pixar Pier; Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge; Avengers Campus; and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. At Disney World, it has launched New Fantasyland; Seven Dwarfs Mine Train; Pandora — The World of Avatar; Toy Story Land; Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge; Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway; Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure; Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind; and Tron Lightcycle / Run.
Looking forward, new projects have been announced with varying degrees of specificity. Earlier this month, walkthrough attraction Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana opened in Epcot. Splash Mountain on both coasts is undergoing a retheme to become “The Princess and the Frog”-inspired Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, set to reopen late next year.
Disney Cruise Line will nearly double the capacity of its five ships with the upcoming Disney Treasure, an as-yet-unnamed sister ship and the Disney Adventure.
An experience related to the Avatar franchise was announced for the Disneyland Resort, and the Adventureland Treehouse is expected to open later this year. A new, “Avengers”-themed attraction is coming to Avengers Campus. Disneyland is also working with the city of Anaheim to expand the resort in a number of areas.
Disney also unveiled a laundry list of opening dates and new projects for Disney World at fan event Destination D23 last month, among them the unspecified “largest-ever” expansion of the Magic Kingdom; a neighborhood opening and nighttime show for Epcot later this year; a retheme for the Test Track attraction; a new show for the Tree of Life Theater in Animal Kingdom; and the retheming of Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand U.S.A.
So what else could be coming? Travel advisors have plenty of ideas.
A new “Avengers”-themed attraction is coming to the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disneyland Resort)
A new “Avengers”-themed attraction is coming to the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Disneyland Resort)
AGENTS’ PRIORITIES
Many ideas centered around simplifying a Disney vacation. For instance, Federico of Academy Travel said she polled her top-selling agents, and one of their resounding complaints was about the Genie+ system. Enabling visitors to purchase skip-the-line access to attractions, it replaced the complimentary FastPass system in 2021.
“A lot of people said it’s just too hard,” she said, calling for a simpler system.
Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com and the TouringPlans host agency, agreed but noted Disney is in a difficult position: Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes (separate paid access to the most popular attractions) likely provide hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue unattached to having to build new attractions.
Testa is an advocate for eliminating the pandemic-born system that requires visitors to have a reservation to visit a park.
Another advisor with a hand up for simplicity is Kari Dillon, president of Marvelous Mouse Travels in Cornelius, N.C. Consumers “want to go back to the basics of it, not have the parks be so reliant on technology and just have a more simplified guest experience,” she said.
Consumers ‘want to have a more simplified guest experience.’
Disney seems to have heard those pleas. Dillon pointed to the relaxation of some requirements this month, no longer restricting park-hopping by time in the new year. And during an agency owners event last week, Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Valhe re-emphasized an earlier statement from the company that Genie+ would be simplified, and said prereservations are coming to the system in 2024.
Sue Pisaturo, president of Small World Vacations in Washington Township, N.J., No. 61 on the Power List, would like to see more benefits for on-property guests, such as additional park hours exclusive to people staying at the resort.
Those who choose to stay at Disney properties, she said, are making an investment in the brand and deserve “more benefits that make it easier for guests to enjoy their time.”
Among the perks she’d like to see is the return of complimentary transportation from Orlando Airport to Disney World for guests staying at Disney properties. From 2005 to 2021, the Magical Express bus service would shuttle guests between the airport and their Disney hotel; baggage would be delivered directly to their rooms. Disney said the service was canceled because of changing consumer preferences, such as the onset of more flexible rideshares. But, Pisaturo said, it is a benefit guests miss.
Related to transportation, on Duckworth’s wish list is an expansion of the Disney Skyliner, the gondola system added to Disney World in 2019 that connects several hotels with Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Disney is retheming its Splash Mountain attractions in Florida and California to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. (Courtesy of Disneyland Resort)
Disney is retheming its Splash Mountain attractions in Florida and California to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. (Courtesy of Disneyland Resort)
IN-PARK ADDITIONS
Inside the parks, Pisaturo would encourage more attractions and areas designed for very young children, especially outside of the Magic Kingdom.
Federico agreed, calling for more toddler-friendly attractions. She’s also an advocate for expanding the parks to accommodate more visitors, while keeping the overall Disney atmosphere the same.
“Make the changes needed by bringing in the new characters, the new attractions — I think that’s very important,” she said. “I think enhancing things is very important. But I think what’s even more important is to not take away the nostalgia, to not take away the past.”
‘What’s important is to not take away the nostalgia, to not take away the past.’
One of the areas she would target for expansion would be Epcot’s World Showcase, with more country-themed pavilions.
Duckworth, meanwhile, said expansion of Disney’s Magic Kingdom should be a priority.
“That park is packed every time that I go in,” he said. “They need more attractions. They need to move more bodies.”
Testa agreed that new rides are necessary.
“Anyone in the theme park industry will tell you the No. 1 driver of attendance is opening new rides,” he said.
‘The No. 1 driver of attendance is opening new rides.’
But given the pipeline of design and construction, it is unlikely new rides will open at Disney in the next four to five years, outside of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and planned updates to shows such as the “Country Bear Jamboree.”
Greg Antonelle, who owns Windermere, Fla.-based MickeyTravels with his wife, Elyssa, would like to see a new land somewhere dedicated to Disney’s villains. Fans have wanted that for a long time, Antonelle said, and villain-themed after-hours events have been hugely popular. He said he believes that would translate well into a themed land or even an entire park.
‘Immersive experiences are what people carry with them from their trips.’
He said he also hopes Disney puts even more emphasis on experiences. Themed parties sell out all the time because their immersive environments are the kind of experiences people want, he said. He also pointed to Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which closed quickly but was a very memorable product for those who experienced it.
“Those immersive experiences — the key word being experiences — are what people carry with them from their trips,” Antonelle said. “Those are the things that they remember for a long time.”
The World Celebration neighborhood in Disney World’s Epcot is expected to open in December. (Courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)
The World Celebration neighborhood in Disney World’s Epcot is expected to open in December. (Courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)
A DORMANT STARCRUISER
In September, the Starcruiser — the “Star Wars”-themed hotel experience set on a spaceship called the Halcyon that ran two-night, highly themed “voyages” — closed its doors after only a year and a half in operation.
Disney hasn’t revealed any decisions about the property’s future, but advisors have ideas.
Some, including Duckworth and Antonelle, called for the property to reopen as a “Star Wars”-themed hotel with pricing similar to Disney’s deluxe resorts.
“I think that would sell out every day of the year at a deluxe level,” Antonelle said.
Testa has seen evidence that points to the possibility of shorter, and less expensive, experiences “aboard” the Halcyon. Demand is clearly there, he said: When the final voyages were announced, they quickly sold out. But not enough consumers could get past its price point, Testa said, adding that he thinks the product’s marketing didn’t convey well enough what the experience would be like.
Recent surveys sent to former guests indicate Disney is looking to identify the most meaningful parts of a Halcyon “voyage” and perhaps distill the experience into a shorter program, Testa said.
Disney plans to revamp DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. (Courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)
Disney plans to revamp DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. (Courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)
DREAMING BIG
If this group of powerhouse Disney sellers were given unlimited budgets and means for any project, what would they do?
Testa doubled down on his assertion that Disney needs new rides. In particular, he would expand Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom with more attractions, turning them into parks where more people spend an entire day. That incentivizes guests to stay longer and ultimately add more days onto their vacations, he said.
Pisaturo would turn to an unlikely place: guests’ homes. She would expand the capabilities of Disney’s wearable technology, MagicBands, so they could be used outside the parks as something like a fitness tracker, keeping Disney top of mind for users.
She would also theme one of Disney Cruise Line’s new ships solely to Disney Parks around the world, incorporating nods to the resorts, castles and attractions. Then, she would set that ship on an itinerary from New York to Florida, where guests could visit the parks, with some creative (and overnight) stops along the way. She would also ensure there was an Adventures by Disney tour in New York that could be sold for pre- and post-cruise opportunities.
Dillon, Duckworth, Antonelle and Federico are in unison when it comes to one investment: A fifth theme park at Disney World.
“I’m going to make it the most unique thing that’s ever happened in theme park history,” Duckworth said.
Federico agreed that it would have to use new technology, especially to compete with Universal, which is starting to employ things like facial-recognition technology. “Disney,” she said, “is going to need something like that.”
Not only would another theme park benefit Disney, it would also benefit Disney-focused advisors.
“I think it would open the floodgates with bookings and getting people to Walt Disney World to check it out,” Dillon said.
It may be a while before we know what Disney plans to spend its $60 billion on, but one thing is assured: A legion of travel advisors will be ready to sell it.
Update: This report has been updated to clarify the timing on when Disney said it would work to simplify the Genie+ program and enable pre-trip reservations.
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