Yesterday, I joined the media at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort’s other theme parks and Disney fans to speak with Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Conference highlights include:
As with the two meetings with Disney CEO Bob Chapek at the time, “Attractions Magazine” was invited to the meeting with Damaro, but unlike the meeting with Chapek, this was private. . However, I was unable to record it, so these are not direct quotes from Damarro, but a summary of the questions I and other reporters put to Damarro.
D’Amaro started talking about how he’s been involved with Disney for over 20 years. When he started working at Disney Parks, he never thought he would become president of Disney Parks. Someone asked him if his job was a pain in the butt, he said.
He also said he knows how important every part of the park is to fans. and asked cast members if they knew the history of the bush prior to the move (i.e. some sort of pre-move significance). He said every change they make puts the guest first.
He also talked about how he is a true fan of the parks, visiting the parks often and loving talking to cast members and guests. I said I know what it means to people.
Will entertainment return to Disney parks?
MouseSteps.com’s Denice Preskitt asked if certain entertainment like Citizens of MainStreet USA and Red Car Trolly News Boys will be making a comeback. D’Amaro didn’t reveal whether these particular acts would return, but she said she wasn’t going to delay the entertainment comeback.
He also said he knows entertainment makes a difference and means a lot. We talked about how much it meant to him to see.
D’Amaro said their aim was to restore all the entertainment that was in the park. , said that Ariel’s Cave will reopen at the Magic Kingdom on January 22, 2023 and magical tales with Belle will resume on February 19, 2023, confirming our rumors. The opening of Mermaid Meat.
Are Genie and Genie+ Really Working Well?
I asked D’Amaro about a recent interview, and he said Genie was surprisingly well received. I also asked him if he had tried it himself. He does, he has tried it and it has worked well for him and his family. He also said it generally works well for families who aren’t very familiar with the park.
Will park reservations and park hopping restrictions be removed?
D’Amaro reiterated that the park’s reservation system helps keep the park from being overcrowded and offer guests a better visit, but he’s always looking for ways to make reservations easier and hopes to make reservations easier. Said we were finding a better way to process and tour the park. Benji Breitbart of LaughingPlace.com said he used to have the idea to plan all the parks in advance so he wouldn’t have to worry when he arrived at the parks, and that’s still the case today. I asked if it was planned. Consider how Genie and Genie+ work, and restrictions on reservations and park hopping. D’Amaro said that remains the ultimate goal and is working to ensure guests don’t have to think when visiting the park.
Will Disney+ affect theme park budgets?
Benji also asked whether financial losses from Disney+ (or other aspects of the Disney company) would affect how much money could be spent at Disney’s theme parks and resorts. It said it would not delay work on the new attraction for other internal reasons. He also said they haven’t withdrawn any expansions or new attractions. We announced some of the expansions and frequented Imagineering to see all the projects they were working on, which were postponed due to budget concerns. He pointed out that it’s easy to think the park’s water prices have been raised to help pay for Disney+, but that’s not the case. One budget does not affect other budgets.
Overall the meeting went well and I was happy to hear that Damaro was a true fan of the park. increase. He also said today’s and tomorrow’s businesses need to be human. That means you need to put your face behind the decisions, not just the corporate statement. D’Amaro, he said, would love to sit with all the fans and guests, just like we do.
