Orlando Sentinel article...CEO says park goers happier now than before Covid

[jimmytammy]

Please allow me to preface this article by not meaning to to stir up controversy but rather to get honest feelings about anyone who has experienced WDW since its re-opening. We were there in late Feb and the one thing that made me happier than pre covid days, social distancing. But the WDW of today is not enough to draw me back in. I look forward to a return of the old WDW.
Whats your thoughts after reading the article?

Disney CEO Says Disney Guests Are Happier Now Than Before The Pandemic
Posted by: Mike and Jamie Sylvester


Have you visited Walt Disney World since the phased reopening began in Summer 2020? If so, did you feel like it is a better experience than pre-COVID days? Bob Chapek, Disney CEO, says that Walt Disney World guests are happier now at parks than they were before the pandemic struck.

Are reported by OrlandoSentinel: Disney CEO Bob Chapek made some bold statements. People are happier at Disney World parks now — during a time when visitors must wear masks and can’t get the full experience — than before the pandemic, the company’s leader said.
“Our guest satisfaction scores since we’ve reopened across the world have shown that, indeed, our guests are even more satisfied than they were prior to the pandemic,” Chapek said during March 17 interview with Bloomberg.
“Our teams here have been hard at work, making sure that when we reemerge, that we’re going to do so in a way that’s actually going to improve the guest experience even versus a pre-pandemic situation,” Chapek said in a recent interview focused on Disneyland’s reopening next month.

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Credit: Disney
So, what are your thoughts? Are you happier now or are you ready to go back to the pre-COVID days? With limited capacity, social distancing, security and technology improvements, Mobile Ordering ease, no concern over snagging FastPasses, cleanliness, and Disney’s hard work at making the experience as magical as possible with character sightings and special cavalcades… it seems like many guests are enjoying the current Walt Disney World experience. Are you happier now?
Source: OrlandoSentinel

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ABOUT MIKE AND JAMIE SYLVESTER

We are Disney nerds. Two kids at heart who love the magic and the memories of Walt Disney World! We follow all things Disney and have great experiences with Disney Vacation Club and RunDisney events in particular. We enjoy the vacations, day trips, weekend getaways and geek out over the planning of such events. From lodging to dining to Fastpasses we have a spreadsheet for every occasion. Mike’s frivolous Disney goal is to acquire a magic band of every style while Jamie’s goal is to experience as many Disney desserts as possible. Usually there isn’t a day that passes without some discussion of the master plan of our next trip to the happiest place on earth. Most people think we’re normal – until they travel to Disney with us. We have been married for 15 years and are blessed with a daughter and a son who have already learned the importance of planning ahead! As a family we thoroughly enjoy the magic and the memories at Walt Disney World and are here to help others experience the magic as well.

 

[LiveLifeLoud]

Makes me wonder what Disney will actually bring back. If people are happier with half the experience and the parks are filling up what incentive does Disney have to bring certain things back ?

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Makes me wonder what Disney will actually bring back. If people are happier with half the experience and the parks are filling up what incentive does Disney have to bring certain things back ?

Yep.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Cast members sure aren’t.

 

[Eric Smith]

Makes me wonder what Disney will actually bring back. If people are happier with half the experience and the parks are filling up what incentive does Disney have to bring certain things back ?

Things will come back. I think most people are reasonable and look at it through the lens of a COVID environment. Is it the full experience? No, it isn't but it's also a place you can still go to enjoy yourself where COVID restrictions are actually being enforced. I think that's where the satisfaction is coming from.

 

[Jrb1979]

Makes me wonder what Disney will actually bring back. If people are happier with half the experience and the parks are filling up what incentive does Disney have to bring certain things back ?

There is no incentive other then money. They will charge more for the things people liked. They are using Covid to do the things they have always wanted to do.

 

[Jrb1979]

Things will come back. I think most people are reasonable and look at it through the lens of a COVID environment. Is it the full experience? No, it isn't but it's also a place you can still go to enjoy yourself where COVID restrictions are actually being enforced. I think that's where the satisfaction is coming from.

You don't buy into what many are saying in that they are using Covid to do things they have always wanted to do.

 

[Eric Smith]

You don't buy into what many are saying in that they are using Covid to do things they have always wanted to do.

I think they'll use it to restructure fastpass at WDW and restructure the AP program at Disneyland. Other than that, not really. It also seems like they're using the lower capacity times right now to catch up on a bunch of maintenance in preparation for the 50th, so that kind of counts too. However, that's probably not negative enough for your taste. Fireworks will come back, meet and greets will come back. Shows will come back. Disney will bring back things once it is safe to do so. It looks like it will be a gradual ramp up to the 50th.

Also, haven't you gotten tired of the sarcastic laughing reaction yet?

 

[jlwhitney]

Personally this is all a marketing strategy to keep people coming. Its all in the phrasing of the questions , surveys are pretty much always bias and if Disney wants it to be that guests are happier they will skew the questions that will lean it.

 

[LiveLifeLoud]

Things will come back. I think most people are reasonable and look at it through the lens of a COVID environment. Is it the full experience? No, it isn't but it's also a place you can still go to enjoy yourself where COVID restrictions are actually being enforced. I think that's where the satisfaction is coming from.

Im sure some things will come back but not all. I don’t believe it’s all due to covid. I think these are things they’ve wanted to do.

 

[Moliphino]

I wouldn't say it was a better experience than before, with all of the missing entertainment and short park hours, but I was so happy to get an actual vacation that I may have been happier overall on this past trip than on pre-Covid ones.

 

[BrianL]

Personally this is all a marketing strategy to keep people coming. Its all in the phrasing of the questions , surveys are pretty much always bias and if Disney wants it to be that guests are happier they will skew the questions that will lean it.

Yes, this. It's pretty much damage control and they can word questions however they want to get the answer they want (trust me, I was in market research for years). They know things are going to change and they will have to bring things back, especially as capacity increases.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Speculation from those who have taken post-visit surveys was the surveys were concentrated on satisfaction with Disney’s COVID safety so of course satisfaction was an all time high

 

[firefly_ris]

"Satisfaction" and "Happiness" are to me in this case not the same thing... could someone be "highly satisfied" with the way the parks are currently handled? Sure I think so, especially if the questions are about how they are handling Covid stuff. "Happy" with the way the parks are right now, I dunno, to me that's something else. Like BrianL said they can skew questions.

 

[Jrb1979]

I think they'll use it to restructure fastpass at WDW and restructure the AP program at Disneyland. Other than that, not really. It also seems like they're using the lower capacity times right now to catch up on a bunch of maintenance in preparation for the 50th, so that kind of counts too. However, that's probably not negative enough for your taste. Fireworks will come back, meet and greets will come back. Shows will come back. Disney will bring back things once it is safe to do so. It looks like it will be a gradual ramp up to the 50th.

Also, haven't you gotten tired of the sarcastic laughing reaction yet?

I think it's going to be way more then that. Streetmosphere actors I doubt come back, shows will come back but without the equity actors and I do see more evening parties. Basically making people needing 2 seperate tickets for each day.

 

[BrianL]

PEopel do find different things to be satisfied about too. I mena, short wait times may seem like a miracle for many guests, so they just leveraged that and had a great time. Thye probably knew they weren't getting the "full experience" anyway, and they're not going to ding Disney for it because of things outside of their control. Belive me, Disney knows what the responses actually mean and this was just a little spin to tout how well they are handling things. It does not mean it won't change back, though there may be a new form for some things.

 

[hertamaniac]

Take away entertainment options, holistically (domestically), and starve guests will naturally lead to higher "scores". I didn't read the article, but thinking about how many folks were just eager to go somewhere, anywhere post lock-down would have to drive satisfaction ratings artificially higher.

I would like to see the same exact polling/metric to be used 365 days from now and see how it compares.

 

[Kimpossible1]

Cast members sure aren’t.

Agree! I personally know 7 CM's in various roles and location who say it is not "magical" or fun right now Some are even working 6 mandatory overtime days and being asked to pick up a 7th day.
I agree that a survey can ask questions and skew the answers and I'm sure the survey was about covid questions, not about overall satisfaction.

 

[movie77]

hopefully this was PR and he doesn't really believe it. People have just appreciated getting out of their house into some sense of normality particularly in the first few months when things reopened. The diminished experience for the same exorbitant cost will get old very fast.

 

[Marionnette]

Judging by a thread on the TPAS board, the majority of guests are happy with not needing FPs, and how quickly those long lines move. The character cavalcades suit them just fine and they don't mind the park reservation system. My husband and I just look at each other and ask "Who ARE these people?"

https://www.disboards.com/threads/h...ed-disney-world-during-covid-masking.3830834/
From reading the responses, they appear to be frequent visitors (multiple trips since the reopening). I've only been there once since the reopening and my opinion is at the opposite end of the spectrum. If the only thing that they're surveying is whether I was happy with the safety measures, then the answer would be 5 stars. But all else...meh! Full price tickets for a half-price experience.