Capacity Reduced by 20% at Disney Parks During Peak Periods

Spencer Lloyd

Buena Vista St. sign with Carthay Circle in background

Capacity Reduced by 20% at Disney Parks During Peak Periods

Spencer Lloyd

Buena Vista St. sign with Carthay Circle in background

Capacity Reduced by 20% at Disney Parks During Peak Periods

As part of the Q1 2023 earnings call today, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy announced that capacity in peak periods at the Disney Parks has been cut by 20% compared to pre-pandemic, even with attendance up at the Disney Parks.

Buena Vista St. sign with Carthay Circle in background

This change goes hand in hand with the Park Pass reservations system championed by McCarthy as well as Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro. Despite many complaints about the system, it appears that capacity reduction efforts mentioned in previous earnings calls are actually in effect. Last year, McCarthy told Morgan Stanley investors that the parks may never return to full capacity to improve the guest experience.

Do you feel like there are still fewer people at the Disney Parks? Let us know in the comments below!

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16 thoughts on “Capacity Reduced by 20% at Disney Parks During Peak Periods”

  1. I like the reservation system & the control on capacity. The lines & crowds would be crazy if full capacity was allowed again. The same people complaining about capacity would be the same people complaining about how long they had to wait in lines. Can’t make everyone happy! I want to enjoy being in the parks without shoulder-to-shoulder crowds & getting ran over by strollers.

  2. The parks are always packed. No matter what day and time you go. I literally went in had lunch and left last week because it was at its worst. And the rides ALWAYS break.

  3. Parks were busy but not packed full last week when we were there. Except Fantasyland…it was packed every day.

  4. I don’t feel like attendance is down. We’ve lived here for a year & feel as if there is no true “slow time” like there used to be.

  5. Very dumb. They’re turning away customers ready to spend money on the most profitable product that the company sells, yet the company won’t add capacity because it’s spending capital on other parts of the company that are now losing money, and at best will always be a low margin product.

    If Uncle Scrooge were running the company, he would be throwing a Donald Duck fit over this.

  6. My family has come to Disney for years! I hate that you don’t have the annual passes! Haven’t been back since those can’t be purchased!

  7. Yes, definitely felt less crowds during our last trip in Nov 2022 compared to our previous trip in 2017 during the same time. I found the parks to be more manageable (although we did take advantage of early entry) with the exception of Hollywood Studios which was unbearable. While crows were fine, lines for rides were ridiculous vs. 2017 same time period. G+ exacerbates wait times, making it extremely difficult to get things done. We had no issues in 2017 with FP+

  8. If capacity is reduced by 20%, and the parks are still as crowded as they are, it shows that Disney is doing a horrible job at managing crowds via Genie and Genie+. Isn’t this proof enough that the old FP+ system worked better?

  9. I was at Magic Kingdom on December 27th, 2022. There was a very large crowd; but it wasn’t shoulder to shoulder as has been in the past. I was able to do everything I wanted to do to celebrate being there the year WDW opened. Visitors were happy and kind to each other and strangers came away with happy memories

  10. I am glad to hear this, but it was still very crowded in the parks the first week of January. Even at Animal Kingdom we had to wait 90 minutes for Navi River after the nighttime show.

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