The Disney Dish Podcast: 2022 Year-End News Round-Up

Theme Park Operations and Refurbishments

• 🎢 Collie River Rapids closed for its annual refurbishment in January, with plans to reopen in the spring.
• ⛰️ Big Thunder Mountain also underwent brief annual maintenance, reopening by January 14th, 2023, to compensate for the closure of Splash Mountain.
• 🚀 The upcoming opening of Tron Light Cycle Run is expected to impact park capacity, especially with Splash Mountain closed and Tiana's Bayou Adventure under construction.

Technology and Planning Tools

• 🗺️ A survey indicated guests rely on travel agents for various aspects of trip planning, including resort accommodations, dining reservations, and park reservations, highlighting the complexity of Disney trip planning.
• 📱 Disney is collecting feedback on technology experiences, with surveys covering the My Disney Experience app, Genie, Genie Plus, mobile ordering, and Magic Bands.
• ⚠️ Technical issues like app crashes, connectivity problems, and slow loading times were reported, with a specific mention of Disney Genie issues.

Park Attendance and Pricing Trends

• 📈 The massive interest in Disney parks over the past 5-7 years is attributed partly to the long economic expansion from 2009 to 2020, leading to increased disposable income.
• 💰 Disney has been increasing prices, drawing comparisons to the cost of Broadway theater tickets, professional sporting events, and ski resorts.
• 🎟️ The Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland sold out rapidly in 2022, with tickets for the 2023 event anticipated to sell out even faster.

Major Disney Announcements and Openings

• 🚢 The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened in March, with DVC members later offered significant discounts, raising questions about booking softness.
• 🎆 Disney D Light, a drone show, debuted at Disneyland Paris in March, preceding the 30th anniversary celebration.
• 🏨 Disney Vacation Club announced a new tower between the Polynesian Village Resort and the Wedding Pavilion, potentially as a response to the underperformance of Reflections at Disney's Lakeside Lodge.
• 🚀 Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened at Epcot on May 27th, with significant investment and high demand, including a substantial portion of its capacity sold via Individual Lightning Lane.
• 🎬 Pixar's Lightyear underperformed at the box office, costing $200 million to make and earning only $226 million worldwide.
• 🚢 Universal Orlando Resort announced the closure of five attractions in its Kids Zone area to make way for a new DreamWorks Animation themed land.
• 🍄 Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood is set to open on February 17th, 2023, with the Super Mario Brothers movie premiere party planned for the land.

Leadership and Corporate Changes

• 🏛️ In March, Bob Chapek stated Disney would not take a stand on Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, later regretting not speaking up more forcefully.
• ⚖️ Governor DeSantis signed a bill calling for the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District in response to Disney's stance.
• 📰 On November 14th, following a poorly received earnings call, Bob Chapek announced a hiring freeze and potential layoffs.
• 👑 Just two days later, Bob Chapek was removed as CEO, and Bob Iger was reinstated as the head of The Walt Disney Company.
• 🚢 Disney purchased the 70% complete Global Dream cruise ship for $41 million, significantly below its original budget.

Park Closures and Reopenings

• 🇨🇳 Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland experienced closures due to COVID-19 throughout 2022.
• 💨 Orlando theme parks closed due to Hurricane Ian in September, with the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Universal Orlando reportedly sustaining damage.
• ❄️ Blizzard Beach reopened in November with new Frozen-themed elements.
• 💧 The Walt Disney World version of Splash Mountain is scheduled to close on January 23rd, 2023, for its transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
• 📈 Admission prices to Walt Disney World increased for the second time in 2022, introducing variable park pricing based on the date.