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When will Disney World return to normal? That’s the question we have all been asking ourselves. Disney CEO Bob Chapek answered that question in a recent interview! Read all he had to say below.
CEO Bob Chapek
Bob Chapek replaced Bob Iger as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company back in February 2020. Before that, he served as the Chairman of Disney Parks. He has seen the company through an entire year and a pandemic. While some argue that he is not the right choice for CEO, some believe he is just the man for the job.
Yesterday, March 1, Chapek participated in a Q&A-style interview at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference. He shared it all from Disney’s plan to continue direct-to-consumer products and the Guest experience at Disney Parks. The pandemic has greatly affected the Guest experience at parks around the world. Two parks remain closed while the others have established several health and safety protocols.
Guest Experience at Disney Parks
He started off that portion of the interview by saying he was excited at how Guests have responded to the health and safety protocols Disney has in place. He believes this increases people’s confidence in Disney as a whole and will benefit the company greatly when COVID-19 settles down.
Speaking of COVID-19, Chapek said that the recovery of the theme park rests on the speed of the vaccine distribution and people’s readiness to travel. We know that with capacity and crowd levels increasing, people are becoming more comfortable with the idea of traveling again.
Next, he stated that the reopening of Disney Parks gave the company the opportunity to make some operational changes. He specifically mentioned the cancelation of Disneyland Annual Passes. There are several other changes I can think of that Guests have been less than pleased with, like the suspension of FastPasses, dining plans, and Magical Express (beginning in 2022).
Finally, the interview moved on to technology. Chapek believes technology helps with immersive storytelling and used Galaxy’s Edge as an example. Additionally, mobile food orders, keyless room entry, and contactless park entry will become more widespread in the future.
He concluded this portion of the interview discussing the costs associated with the reopening of the theme parks, but the company was thrilled to have these costs as it meant Cast Members could return to work.
What else did Chapek discuss in the interview?
The guest experience at the parks is not the only thing Chapek talked about. He shared information about the success of Disney+. He noted that almost 50% of subscriptions come from households that do not have children, which speaks to how popular the streaming service is.
He also discussed Marvel and Star Wars, noting that those projects are so much more than just superheroes but have fantastic storylines thanks to the leaders in charge of those projects.
You can catch the entire interview on The Walt Disney Company website.
What do you think of this interview? Do you think the parks will return to normal when everyone is vaccinated? Or, do you think other things must happen as well before Disney eases the current protocols in place? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook.
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Chungus
Wednesday 3rd of March 2021
She sued because the coffee was far hotter than it should have ever have been and caused 3rd degree burns to her genitals. The coffee was between 180 and 190 degrees F. McDonald's on Quality control guy conceded that the coffee would burn the throat and mouth if consumed when served. That was a valid lawsuit that McDonalds managed to spin to make her look bad. By your comments, it worked.
Kevin H Jones
Wednesday 3rd of March 2021
Disney does what it does because we live in a society where a woman can sue McDonald's when she spills Hot Coffee on her hoohah. Disney is a target for complainers and their attorneys. Do I want to have to sit down at a restaurant and keep my mask on until drinks are on the table? Nope. Won't be going. But trust me, it is those that would sue that hold us all hostage, not Disney. I just choose not to purchase a diminished experience. That includes buying more DVC points.
Jami Rozanski
Wednesday 3rd of March 2021
Chapek sucks! The parks are not in true Disney fashion. And it said nothing just like the new CEO. Find another! And as a long time pass holder who gave it up before he dissed us... good luck eithout us
Sue
Tuesday 2nd of March 2021
When I go into a sit down disney restaurant I request a printed menu. They always have them ready at hand but you need to ask. I am never, I repeat never going to sit down and use the QR code to look at a menu.
Barbara
Tuesday 2nd of March 2021
I actually like the mobile ordering, especially at resort quick service restaurants. Ordering from the comfort of your room, or while returning on the bus then just picking up the order when ready is certainly better to me than standing in line at a quick service restaurant, and in the case of a food court type location, having to go to more than one station to get items. I will likely continue to use mobile ordering even after things return to "normal"