Chapek: What it will take for Disney World to get back to normal
Walt Disney World will see capacity percentage increase in the “low double digits” in the next serval month as the resort moves back to “normal,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during a virtual appearance at J.P. Morgan’s 49th annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference.
The resort could see normalized operations closer to August (the start of the company’s fiscal fourth quarter) and most likely be complete by the end of the fiscal year, which would be the end of October, Chapek said.
“We are encouraged by the trends that we see and our goal is to try to get to normalized operations as soon as possible, as soon as practical and as soon as responsible,” he said.
Disney World has been slowly phasing out protocols used during the height of the pandemic, including exterior social distancing markers, plexiglass that was installed between seats, seating guests from different parties next to each other, removing temperature checks and making face masks optional when outdoors.
Things have also returned, more shops, restaurants and hotels have reopened.
Turning off the spigot for businesses is easier than turning it back on. The hurdles outlined by Chapek needed to get back to “normal” include:
Labor: To reopen shops, hotels, attractions and shows, the labor need to be in place. “We’ve had a good go about it,” he said. “We’ve found that the great majority of our Cast Members that we have called back” are ready and willing to return.
Booking windows: Walt Disney World is a multi-month booking window, meaning that from the time it takes to decide to go book it and arrive at the resort there is a lag time.
International travel: This is the wild card, Chapek said, and “we don’t really have a good feel for” when this will change. This is a smaller constituency in terms of people visiting, but the UK, and South America provide a large number of tourists.
Health and safety constraints: There are a number of rules regarding inside attractions versus outside attractions and domestic versus international guidelines. While there is simple guidance for guests, there are a large number of OSHA regulations that Disney needs to navigate for Cast Member’s safety.
