A Disney Executive makes a disturbing comment that some people cannot afford Genie+
The comment affirms what many people think of Disney's recent measures to increase profits while devaluing the Guest experience. See what she had to say here.
Christine McCarthy
The Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company is Christine McCarthy. She also serves as Senior Executive Vice President.
According to her bio on the company website, she "oversees the Company's worldwide finance organization, which includes brand and franchise management, corporate alliances and partnerships, corporate real estate, corporate strategy and business development, enterprise controllership, enterprise technology, financial planning and analysis, global product and labor standards, investor relations, risk management, tax, and treasury."
Recent Comments
You may remember she commented on ways Disney was exploring to cut costs back in November. She stated that they could essentially raise prices while also reducing portion sizes. What really struck a nerve with people was this comment:
WE CAN CUT PORTION SIZE WHICH IS PROBABLY GOOD FOR SOME PEOPLE'S WAISTLINES.
-Christine McCarthy
She insulted not only Disney Guests' weight but also their willingness to pay whatever the cost to visit Disney. Now, she goes on to strike a nerve with another demographic of Disney Guests.
Too poor for Genie+?
Yesterday at the Morgan Stanley Tech, Media & Telecom Conference, she commented on the fact that traditional character meets will return "soon". She also shared that park capacity will likely never return to what it was before the park closure in 2020.
When speaking about Genie+, she was quoted saying that it really improves Guest experience at the parks. "Some people have more money than they have time and others have more time than they have money."
Some people have more money than they have time and others have more time than they have money.
-Christine McCarthy
I think she needs a few lessons on public speaking and etiquette. To me, she basically implies that those who purchase Genie+ and ILLS will have a better experience while people who cannot afford it will not.
It seems Disney is more concerned with increasing profits and getting the most money out of its Guests rather than giving them a better experience. It's true that Disney is expensive and anyone who an afford to go probably has money. However, many people save up for years for their trips and look to cut costs wherever they can in order to be able to go. Does that mean they deserve to wait in standby lines all day?
What do you think? Are her comments tone deaf? We would love to hear from you! Join the conversation in the comments below and on Facebook.
You are right Andrew. It doesn’t matter how many Colleges or Degrees you get. You can’t teach compassion, understanding or the values of the legacy that Walt brought. It is very very sad.
Christine McCarthy,
Maybe instead insulting people about their waistline you should take a class on how to apply makeup. The days of "cake application" went out a long time ago. No, this is not an appropriate comment to make but I am so tired of people thinking they are so much better than others. I wish Walt could return to clean house. You, Miss "High and Mighty" would be gone as well as the rest of the corporate robots who have no clue why Walt came up with his vision. Disney has become nothing more than a company that wants it all. It is no longer about vision, it is about how much profit can be made with as little investment as possible and how big can Disney become.
A person in your esteemed position certainly has a college degree. I have always believed that a college degree is fine. Never-the-less, this does not make you smart nor does it mean you will succeed. It does not define who you really are. You actions do and you MS McCarthy lack the basic principle for success. Common sense.
Walt had a Master of Science from the University of Southern California (USC) and two Masters of Arts degrees from Yale University and Harvard University. So how is it that he had such an understanding of finance that you do not? He made money while investing (well, the banks did) in his dream and took heavy risks believing all the while that it would be something the whole world would enjoy.
After Walt's passing, Roy O. Disney oversaw the building and financing of Walt Disney World. After he died in late 1971, and for the next decade the Company was led by a team including Card Walker, Donn Tatum, and Ron Miller—all originally trained by the Disney brothers. I know things did not work out as well as they had hoped it still was not as bad as what took place after Bob Iger became CEO. Then the next disaster happened as Bob Chapek took his place.
Bob Chapek and Bob Iger more than doubled their salaries in 2021. Chapek earned $32.5 million, while Iger took home $45.9 million. Did you object to this. I mean if you are upset about the food portions Disney was offering then you must have lost your mind over this expense.
What do you make? Let us see.
Christine McCarthy Net Worth;
Net worth is estimated to be at least $48.64M
Owns at least 169,886 units of Walt Disney Co stock
Sold an estimated value of $36.71M in the last 7 years at Walt Disney Co
Christine McCarthy Compensation at Walt Disney Co in 2020
Earned a $1,661,815 salary
Rewarded $4,712,459 in stock value and options
Received a total compensation of $10,997,005
WOW!!! I can see why you want to cut back as much as possible. Heck, how can you afford to live on such a meager income? If you and the other EXTREMELY overpaid execs would take a serious reduction in your stock options and compensations the costs to go to Disney would go back to affordable levels. But that's not what you're about is it.
It is sad to see what Disney has become. The park is dirty, the rides are in need of maintenance and it seems like many of the park employees are not happy. They do not have that glowing personality they used to have. Fights seem to occur far more often. The place is starting to look like nothing more than an overpriced carnival.
If there is one thing I have learned in my 66 plus years in this world it is this. People get what they deserve. Sometimes it is while they are alive and for others, it is when they are gone. In the end we all have to answer to one person.
Hopefully MS McCarthy, this may give you pause to reflect on your actions and maybe convince the others this current direction is wrong. How would you feel if you were Walt and this is what was done to your life long dream.
I’ve heard that a survey went out to some with a question about how important is free transportation from the resort to the park. That’s probably the next thing to go.
As an out of state AP (& a DisneyTravelAgent), the comments made are very sad to me. I understand that it’s a for profit company, but making a profit and gouging prices are very different. We recently experienced WDW on “the most crowded days since reopening” & I have many opinions on many things…these are just a few.
-If I’m going to pay $15/day I want to be guaranteed more than 1 ride of my choosing (also, we noticed posted wait times seemed padded, my guess is to encourage people to pay the extra).
-30min early for resort guests sounds nice but in reality it barely gets you in past the crowds (especially at MK, when your funneled to the right of the castle).
-CastMembers for the most part are still amazing and want to spread the magic. Unfortunately from many conversations they are now limited due to corporate opinion … no more kitchen sink fun at B&C, no candles, it’s unsafe!
-You can enjoy your day and not do everything but I absolutely understand if it’s a “once in a lifetime” trip you want to do it all!! …or feel like you almost can.
I love being able to do Disney with my family. It’s a great time to escape and enjoy time together. We were fortunate enough to enjoy 4 trips this past year, but I don’t think we will get back to pre-closure “magic” anytime soon and certainly not with the view point from the top. I think Walt would want us to continue to enjoy the magic where & when we can, but he would be sad & would miss “home”!
Thank you KTP & crew for always sharing & listening!!
We have canceled our out of state annual pass and canceled our next trip, when I am on vacation I do not want to spend the day looking at a phone. The Disney executives see a business when they look at the parks, they are not concerned with a happy experience but dollars per customer. They should never use the word guest when talking about the person inside their money pit.
completely agree
I totally agree with you,I am from that era.As of Right now ,it is more about the money,not the ave.,Consumer.The Happiness is Disappearong fast!
I have been an annual passholder for over 10 years. I watched our girls grow up here. Sadly, this summer is our final trip to WDW. Our oldest will be graduating college and our youngest will be graduating high-school. Next year will will be buying annual passes from Universal Studios. Between hearing that Annual Passholders are "less desirable guests", and all this mess. I'm done.
We have been to Disneyworld over a dozen times through 30 years. The experience has been declining so fast during the last 10 years. We have decided to keep our happy memories and not put up with the herding of guests and price gouging. The quality of basic souvenirs has declined to the point that a simple t-shirt instead of being a lasting treasure turns into a rag in no time. Disneyworld will no longer feast on our money.
In a way she’s probably right. But as an Exeutive you may think it but never say it. The ignorance and arrogance of Disney is beyond belief. Very sad.
I understand their idea of having guests pay for fast passes but they took away the ability to book in advance and pick your own time. They also only let you book one at a time. If they are going to make you pay, the system should at least be as good as it used to be or better! The only on site advantage is 30 min early entry and that is only long enough to ride one ride. I know they have late hours too but those of us with little kids prefer to rope drop and be done by late afternoon. I am only going back to WDW because I have a lot of money tied up in credits from renting DVC points and then the park closed due to COVID. I had every dining reservation, fast pass and experience that I wanted booked. It just makes me sick that I probably won't be able to get half of that when we go in 2023 and it will cost me even more money. I hope they get a lot of complaints and at least let people book 3 fast passes at once and give a better onsite advantage. again.
Your comment about needing etiquette and public speaking classes is a fair point but I'd offer the other idea that those things would just cover up her problematic thoughts. For Disney to have recently added the key "inclusion" is a huge problem. This is not INCLUSIVE at all.
I have been to Disney 23 times with the last trip being 12/21. That will be my LAST Trip because of the experience. No Disney Channel, no ABC ESPN, I'm done. Not because of the money but because of the culture of management. I remember the first time we visited in 94 and stayed at the then new Wilderness Lodge, it was amazing. The staff were so much happier and we saw families from all walks of life. We saw people at the Grand Floridian having fabulous dinners and folks who stayed at wilderness campgrounds with groceries in a bag from Walmart. I am blessed to both financially able and retired so my wife and I planned on getting annual passes and visiting often. I see this new corporate culture making it so only the Upper Middle Class and the rich can afford Disney. Those little kids from Ohio who stayed at the campgrounds deserve to enjoy what Walt and Roy built too. Many people cant even watch Disney on TV anymore without paying a premium over the already high Cable fee.
Bye Uncle Walt, I enjoyed you from the days of Magical World of Disney on Sunday Nights...maybe it is time to turn the light off in your apartment above the firehouse. :(
Walt Disney would be angry to see what people like Chapek and McCarthy are doing with his company. They couldn't care less about their guests only about the amount of money they can squeeze out of them.
DVC member as well. I find myself spending more and more time at resort! And, enjoying doing that!
Ms. McCarthy's comment about "more money vs. more time" is greedy and way off point. Disney parks are supposed to be VACATION destinations. Not a place just to spend money. Genie + destroys vacations - regardless of how much money you have or do not have. If they had kept the fast pass concept of making reservations months in advance (time & date) and charge - that would be in the best interest of ALL guests. The system now has everyone running and waiting all over the place controlled by computers. Controlled by Disney for people to wait longer and spend more money without any enjoyment.
And here we go, the next President of the Company, once Chapek is gone! We are fortunate to be DVC members but my wife has basically said she is content going to the resort and never even has to go a park again. I do feel for those who save for years to make a trip of a lifetime. Next they will charge for bus rides to and from the park I guess.