Magic Kingdom Entrance at Night - train station

Disney CEO Bob Chapek: Disney World Sees Encouraging Demand For Reopening

Bob Chapek, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, gave an interview on CNBC regarding the plan to reopen Disney World parks on July 11.

Here are highlights from the interview:

  • The company wants to make sure that is can still present is a quintessential Disney experience when the Walt Disney World parks reopen. That is why Disney is opening later than Universal Orlando and SeaWorld.
  • The capacity of the Disney World parks will be a function of 6-foot social distancing guidelines issued by the CDC.
  • Disney does not expect to get further guidance from the government regarding opening or operating protocols.
  • Disney decided early on that it would not open the parks unless they can cover their variable costs (hourly wages, utility bills, etc.).
  • The company will take baby steps to add more guests while still opening responsibly.
  • Chapek said he doesn’t think masks and temperature checks will discourage guests. The company still has many reservations on the books and has seen very encouraging demand at Disney Springs.
  • The Shanghai Disneyland reopening has been going well. The park is currently welcoming about 20,000 guests per day, and Chinese citizens have been respecting the new social distancing regulations.
Disney sees encouraging demand for the reopening of Disney World.
Disney sees encouraging demand for the reopening of Disney World.

Do you think Disney will experience heavy demand upon reopening on July 11?