9 things that made us go ‘hmmm’ this week in the world of Disney

It’s officially the holiday season in Walt Disney World, though some stores are still packed with Halloween merchandise and some Christmas decorations aren’t what these used to be. These, and many other things, made us go “hmmm” this week:

1. Walt Disney Co. CFO Christine McCarthy made a crack about guests’ weight during the company’s earnings calls. In discussing how Disney might continue to cut back to boost earnings, McCarthy said, “Just last week … I was talking to our parks senior team about things we could do there. And there are lots of things that are worth talking about. We can adjust suppliers. We can substitute products. We can cut portion size, which is probably good for some people’s waistlines.” Hmmm, does McCarthy realize these calls are public?

2. On the same earnings call, Disney said roughly one-third of guests are paying the $15 upcharge for Genie+, the replacement for free FastPass service. How many are paying for the individual rides, like Rise of the Resistance, hmmm?

3. Guest spending at Walt Disney World is up 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Hmmm, how much of that is higher ticket prices and the upcharge for Genie+, vs. a pent-up spending spree?

4. It’s mid-November and there are still Halloween merchandise displays at several locations in the theme parks. If people are spending so much money, why can’t they sell the Halloween merch, hmm?

5. Disney tried to turn the second anniversary of its streaming service, Disney+, into a holiday of sorts, rolling out the “blue carpet” at Hollywood Studios. While the free magic shot downloads were a nice benefit, this was a hard sell. By the end of the day, cast members were still trying to give away the commemorative buttons. Where were the commemorative buttons on Oct. 1, Disney World’s 50th anniversary, hmmm?

6. The Santa Tails Dooney & Bourke bags arrived at Disneyland last week, as well as on ShopDisney, where they sold out faster than Santa can cover Rhode Island (which is really fast). But the only part of the collection to arrive at Disney was the MagicBand. Hmm, will they ever make their way east?

7. The giant Christmas ornaments floating around the Christmas tree in Echo Lake at Hollywood Studios weren’t lit up this week. Hmm, is this just an oversight? If it’s yet another budget cut, it’s even more petty than cutting the PhotoPass downloads from annual passes.

8. Disney has gotten into the world of NFTs (collectible non-fungible tokens, or digital artwork) with the release of its Golden Moments series. Hmmm, how long until they end up on eBay? Oh, wait. They already are!

9. Tourists from the United Kingdom are starting to return to Disney World after 19 months of travel restrictions. Hmm, how much more crowded can these parks possibly get?