Disney Just Dropped Major News…But Left Out One Important Thing

Did you hear the news?

The Walt Disney Company held its earnings call for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 on August 10th, 2023, at which point Disney executives commented on several key topics, and some big news was revealed. We got an update on the theme parks (and how hotel bookings and attendance have DECREASED at Disney World), Disney+ (and how Disney will be cracking down on password sharing soon), and more, but one key thing was MISSING from Disney’s big updates.

Park Updates

Though we did get a number of updates regarding how the Disney parks are doing financially around the world (and some less-than-ideal financial results for Disney at Walt Disney World), one big thing we did NOT hear about is the big park updates that have been revealed (or that some fans are waiting on).

For example, Disney had previously announced some changes would be coming to Genie+ in 2024 based on guest feedback about wanting to plan with Genie+ in advance. But during this earnings call, Disney executives didn’t mention anything about that upcoming change or share any more details about what it will involve exactly.

Disney also previously noted that Park Pass Reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets starting January 9th, 2024. Nothing about Park Passes was really discussed during this earnings call. Previously, they had been a big point for Disney to talk about — with executives constantly mentioning how they helped them control capacity and reportedly make things better for guests.

The only mention of Park Passes really seems to come in the earnings presentation, where the REMOVAL of most Park Passes in 2024 is actually now heralded as a business highlight.

One big question people have been wondering is if Park Hopping rules will change (and restrictions will be removed or altered) with the removal of Park Passes for date-based tickets in 2024. But that’s another topic Disney has been curiously silent on and one we did NOT hear about during the earnings call.

We’ll be very interested to see Disney reveal more park news as 2024 approaches and the timing for these Park Pass and Genie+ changes gets closer.

Click here to learn about a CONTROVERSIAL Genie+ change that has hit Disney World (and why we love it)

But Wait…There’s MORE

While those park-related updates might have been the one big thing missing from the earnings call, there are a number of other things Disney also didn’t mention which we find very interesting.

Moana Attraction Opening Date

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is a new attraction that is set to open in EPCOT in the fall of 2023. Disney still has not announced an opening date and unfortunately, no update on that came through the earnings call.

As part of the earnings call, Disney did share a chart with upcoming opening timelines for certain things, but it only confirmed what we already knew — that the attraction would open in fall 2023.

However, Cast Member previews might give us a better clue as to when the attraction could open. Cast Member preview sign-ups will become available on August 22nd. We’ll certainly be on the lookout for more news.

Click here to get a FIRST LOOK at Cast Member costumes for EPCOT’s new Moana attraction

Update on Lawsuits

Both Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board have filed lawsuits related to Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) and although Disney CEO Bob Iger commented on the issue during the last earnings call and commented on the issue on another occasion, he was quiet about it during the most recent call in August.

During the earnings call, Iger didn’t comment on the pending lawsuits in State or Federal Court in Florida or the current standing between Disney and the Board.

However, in Disney’s SEC filing of a quarterly report, the following warning was included: “In Florida, steps directed at the Company (including the passage of legislation) have been taken and future actions have been threatened, which collectively could negatively impact (and may have already impacted) our ability to execute on our business strategy, our costs and the profitability of our operations in Florida.” This is something we saw included in a previous filing as well.

Lately, we’ve seen a number of updates revealed about the pending lawsuits and the District, so we’ll continue to watch for more news there.

See why DeSantis has said he “Welcomes Disney’s Surrender” in Response to Reedy Creek Political Conflict

Disney Dining Plan

We found out earlier in the year that the Disney Dining Plan would return to Disney World on January 9th, 2024. Disney has since revealed the different package options and prices that’ll be available, and we’ve got a list of participating restaurants. Considering how big the return of this plan is for some, there was a possibility that Iger might have commented on the subject, but no such thing happened!

Mickey

Looks like we’ll just have to wait until 2024 gets closer for more details.

Click here to see 4 reasons why people say they are NOT using the Disney Dining Plan!

What Disney DID Say

While those are some of the big things Disney did NOT talk about, they did drop a bunch of big news. Here’s what you need to know:

As we mentioned above, hotel bookings and attendance have actually DROPPED at Disney World
We’ve got an updated look at the Disney+ subscriber numbers and how there has actually been a LOSS of 11.7 million subscribers for the service as a whole
Iger made some comments on the writers’ and actors’ strike
The date was revealed for the Disney+ price increase
Disney is going to start cracking down on password sharing with Disney+
A NEW Disney+ and Hulu bundle has been announced
Iger commented on the rumors that Disney could be sold to Apple
Disney is getting more involved in sports betting through ESPN — what does Iger think about that? We’ve got his comments here

Our mission is to cover all of the Disney news that could impact your theme park vacation or entertainment at home, so stay tuned to AllEars for more updates!