Disney World (DIS) is making a major change after the theme park faced a dip in visitors over the past few months.
Disney’s fourth-quarter earnings report for 2024 revealed that while revenue for its theme parks in the U.S. increased by 2% year-over-year, operating income for these locations declined by 5%. Operating income is a company’s profit after expenses.
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Disney said the theme parks faced “lower volumes attributable to declines in attendance.” Specifically for Disney World, it attributed the decrease in visitors to the impact of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida in September, and Hurricane Milton, which directly hit Central Florida the following month.
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However, Disney World also recently faced backlash from consumers in October after it announced price increases for its annual passes and tickets (only for busy days in November and December this year). Prices for food and beverages at multiple dining locations at the theme park also recently increased, which may have deterred some visitors.
Disney World makes drastic move
Amid a recent decline in visitor attendance, Disney World has opted to revoke a beloved perk that has helped to manage large crowds for popular rides.
Virtual queues at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride in Epcot and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom will no longer be available starting Feb. 25.
Virtual queues, which have been used to replaces traditional in-person lines, allow visitors to reserve a place in line later in the day for rides and attractions that are in high demand via the My Disney Experience app. This allows visitors to enjoy other activities at the theme park as they wait in line virtually.
Virtual queues have been put in place at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind since it opened on May 22, 2022, and at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom when it opened on June 28, 2024. Both attractions will now have regular standby lines.
The move from Disney World comes after it ended virtual queues for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland in California in December last year.
In a statement to BlogMickey, Disney World said that even though it is removing virtual queues for these rides, visitors may see this option pop back up in the future.
“While no longer available after Feb. 25, virtual queues continue to be helpful with the launch of popular attractions and the debut of new experiences and offerings, so we may use them again from time to time for select experiences in the future,” said Disney World in the statement.
Related: Disney World hopes to win back consumers with generous offer
In addition to this change, Disney World will also start allowing Early Entry access to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind on Feb. 25. Early Entry allows visitors who are staying at Disney Resort hotels and other select hotels to enter the park 30 minutes prior to opening time at no extra cost.
Visitors with Early Entry access to Cosmic Rewind and those without will also be held in two separate lines. Those with Early Entry will be lined up on the right side of Spaceship Earth in Epcot, while visitors without Early Entry will be held at the left of Spaceship Earth.
Disney execs are concerned about high prices
Disney’s recent removal of virtual queues at its U.S. theme parks is another hint that demand at these locations is waning amid recent price hikes.
A recent report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that Disney executives are allegedly worried that its theme parks and resorts have become too expensive for middle-class families.
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These concerns come after a survey from LendingTree last year revealed that 24% of consumers have gone into financial debt in order to fund a Disney trip. For consumers who are parents of young children, that figure increased to 45%.
Consumers in the survey listed unexpected high costs as a major factor of their debt with 65% claiming that Disney’s in-park food and beverages cost “significantly more” than they budgeted for.
In a statement to the Journal, Disney’s Experiences Chair Josh D’Amaro said that the company offers families many options to save money on their Disney trips.
“The number-one thing we hear from the millions of guests who visit our parks each year is how much a Disney vacation means to them, and we intentionally offer a wide variety of ticket, hotel and dining options to welcome as many families as possible, whatever their budget,” said D’Amaro. “We also know that in inflationary times it’s especially important to give families ways to save on their visits.”
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