Are the parks still operating at reduced capacity?

[KCNat]

Just curious if this was still the case? Guessing that is why park reservations are still required? Thanks

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Disney won't publicly release their current park capacity, but it is probably set somewhere below the actual fire code capacity. How far below would be the question. It was very rare for parks to reach fire code capacity even pre-pandemic.

 

[lockets]

Not sure if park reservations will ever go away? They use it to charge higher/lower prices per day now. It’s got the same vibe as booking flights w an airline…

 

[hultrain]

Not by my estimation. Was just there and haven’t seen crowds like that outside of the holiday season.

 

[lockets]

Bob Chapek said they are still operating at a reduced capacity as of the earnings report a few weeks ago. Not sure if that’s still true with mask mandate lifted. It doesn’t “seem” true with the insane crowds lately. And really who knows what their definition of reduced capacity is… like PP said it could be anything under fire code technically? So. Not really reduced.

 

[reddog21]

The covid capacity limits are no longer being used however like the prev post stated normal park capacity limits are being utilized. Disney had stated(not sure I totally believe) that the reservation system is being used to staff each park appropriately. I have herd more rumblings lately thru various posts that the reservation system might be dropped sometime in 2022

 

[Westerner]

The covid capacity limits are no longer being used however like the prev post stated normal park capacity limits are being utilized. Disney had stated(not sure I totally believe) that the reservation system is being used to staff each park appropriately. I have herd more rumblings lately thru various posts that the reservation system might be dropped sometime in 2022

My sense is that the reservation system is more for staffing purposes than COVID concerns these days.

 

[sponica]

It probably depends on how you define the word capacity.

Can they legally fit more people in the parks? Sure. But considering not everything is up to March 12, 2020 staffing wise and functionally, then they lack the capacity to get as many guests as they would like.

 

[randumb0]

Park reservations are here to stay. My guess is limited capacity is a thing of the past. Having enough CM's to staff a park on any given day is probably the biggest issue

 

[gharter]

Hard to tell as Disney will not release numbers, nor are they required to.
Reports are that the parks are very crowded.
Are they more crowded than before Co-Vid? Not sure, but I suspect not. Remember, there are still shows, parades, night time shows, and character M&G's that sucked up a large number of people that are not open, so those people are wondering around or in line. And many that are open, are not at full capacity yet.

 

[Yinn]

I have herd more rumblings lately thru various posts that the reservation system might be dropped sometime in 2022

I'm struggling to see the benefit for Disney to drop it.

I'd imagine having the realtime data to run a lean staff is something that Chapek would be interested in vs staffing based on historical trends. Add on to it that the reservation drives a sense of scarcity, along with a soft advantage to staying on property to pass holders...it seems to fit well with the whole control supply, drive demand model.

The technology is already built, investment made. It doesn't require staff, does it? I don't know there'd be any cost savings to getting rid of it.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm struggling to see the benefit for Disney to drop it.

I'd imagine having the realtime data to run a lean staff is something that Chapek would be interested in vs staffing based on historical trends. Add on to it that the reservation drives a sense of scarcity, along with a soft advantage to staying on property to pass holders...it seems to fit well with the whole control supply, drive demand model.

The technology is already built, investment made. It doesn't require staff, does it? I don't know there'd be any cost savings to getting rid of it.

I agree. Without FP+ advance reservations to tell them how many people to expect, I expect park reservations to stay indefinitely.

 

[PaladinButters]

Park reservations are here to stay

They need to keep it to replace knowing where guests were going to be each day by where their FP was scheduled.

Bob Chapek said they are still operating at a reduced capacity as of the earnings report a few weeks ago. Not sure if that’s still true with mask mandate lifted. It doesn’t “seem” true with the insane crowds lately.

I would bet it is true. Reduced capacity is still a ton of people. Most guests have no idea what capacity really would feel like. The insane crowds now represent only a percent of what it really could be (ask anyone who's done July 4th with even a partial closure). I just don't see them leaving money from this booming travel period on the table if they didn't have to and I'm sure they are doing everything they can to up those numbers before it runs it's course.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Just wanted say…I really loathe the whole reservation thing. It is a magic/spontaneity sucker!

 

[chaoskids]

Before this weekend I'd have been in the no more reduced capacity camp. This weekend changed my mind. There was no availability at any of the four parks. Prior to Covid, I believe MK was the only park to ever close due to being at full capacity.