Analysts are taking another look at the projected future of the Disney theme parks.
Magic Kingdom
The last year has had a lot of ups and downs for the Disney theme parks around the globe. The worldwide pandemic forced every single park to close and the road to a full reopening has been rocky at times. Some parks, Disneyland included, remain closed. Now, Wall Street analysts are forecasting an optimistic outlook for 2022.
USB analyst John Hodulik forecasts that the Disney theme parks will reach historical attendance levels by 2022 due to pent-up demand for travel and entertainment, according to the Orange County Register.
Disneyland
UBS financial analyst John Hodulik has made several predictions about The Walt Disney Company over the course of the pandemic, including noting last year that Disneyland would not reopen until 2021.
Disney World Gateway
With this latest forecast, he notes, “We believe the parks business has bottomed and we’ll see improved attendance/profitability as the vaccine becomes more widely distributed.” The analyst report also predicts that Disney’s theme parks sector will be the “beneficiary of vaccine availability and pent-up demand for leisure travel” in the second half of 2021 and beyond.
Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
Historical numbers would need an increase in attendance caps to be reached as well. The USB expects that vaccine distribution in the U.S. will allow the domestic theme parks to increase capacity to 70% by this fall and 100% by 2023.
Hollywood Studios
We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation with the vaccine and how it affects Disney parks as well as on analyst opinions going forward. Stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates!
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When do they predict fast pass to return? Do you see it coming back this year?
Thanks!
More interested in when will WDW return to normal as in when will I no longer have to wear the pointless mask and when will fireworks return
Thank you for the awesome content, as usual!
It’s so hard to imagine “normalcy” since we don’t know what that means in the future. We hope hope hope we can make it in June after two cancellations, but this vaccine roll out is not encouraging. We would take extra precautions anyway, like eating outdoors and driving instead of flying, but the vaccine is just another layer of protection that we feel we need right now, especially while rooming with our older relatives. Fingers crossed!
I hope those of you who are going are having safe and fun visits!
Maggie, I don’t have any guesses on that, but we’ll update as soon as information emerges!
It all sounds great, but when will the Florida’s resident annual pass be reinstated. Prior to this pandemic, my wife and I were at Disney several times during the month in one fashion or another, water parks, parks, dining, springs… we loved it there, and now our commitment as a DVC member until 2055 is questionable…
Any idea on when the fireworks and nightly shows will make a return?
Thanks
Ashley, unfortunately Disney hasn’t released this information yet. We are on the lookout for info!
Thanks for keeping us posted on all the Disney developments. I’m sure the events of this past year have required a different type of reporting than you anticipated when starting a Disney food blog, and I appreciated how you’ve adapted, while still keeping up with the fun food posts.
Sarah, thank you for your sweet words. I’ve shared them with the team. 🙂
Please bring back shows and fireworks 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️ By June 2021