Disney CEO Bob Iger Addresses Disney Parks Crowding and Pricing Concerns

1 day ago in "The Walt Disney Company"

Posted: Thursday March 20, 2025 2:00pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

During The Walt Disney Company Annual Meeting of Shareholders 2025, CEO Bob Iger addressed questions about rising attendance at Disney’s domestic theme parks and the impact of recent price increases on guest affordability.


Responding to concerns that Disney’s parks have struggled to keep pace with growing attendance, Iger acknowledged that demand remains strong. “In fact, I was just at Walt Disney World on a weekday in March, and the place was really busy — really across the whole property,” Iger said. He described high guest volumes at popular areas such as Pandora – The World of Avatar, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Toy Story Land, and Disney Springs.

Iger highlighted that demand for Disney’s parks and resorts remains strong despite rising prices. “Consumer demand for our parks and resorts product is extremely high,” he said. He added that Disney’s theme parks continue to offer strong value when compared to other entertainment options. “The value, in fact, is tremendous, particularly when you compare it with other forms of entertainment, like sporting events and concerts.”

To address capacity concerns, Iger pointed to recent expansions that have increased park capacity while adding new experiences. “The additions and expansions that we’ve made to our parks worldwide, like those that I just referenced, actually not only provide more capacity but they provide more value to our guests,” he said. Iger stressed that Disney’s expansion efforts are ongoing, adding, “We have more being designed, developed, and built today than at any other point in the 70 years since we’ve been in the theme park business.”

Iger also acknowledged concerns about rising prices and the affordability of Disney park visits. He said Disney continues to explore ways to improve accessibility for budget-conscious guests. “We provide several options for families looking to spend less, including our lowest price ticket to Disneyland, which we’ve kept at the same level since before the COVID pandemic,” Iger said. He also noted that since his return as CEO two years ago, Disney tripled the number of days that this lower-priced ticket is available.

Iger closed the question by saying that Disney parks continue to receive strong guest satisfaction ratings and positive intent-to-visit scores. “Our parks remain the most popular offering in the industry and a solid growth business for the company, as we continue to introduce new experiences,” he said.

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    Sirwalterraleigh26 minutes ago

    What a complete load of crap Blame the plague for decades of bad management long before and since

    MisterPenguin1 hour ago

    That high was an exuberant bubble fueled by speculators. The parks were kneecapped by COVID. Disney+ had giant deficits but Wall Street was only looking at the number of subs which were goosed by the pandemic. Disney's stocks shouldn't have jumped that high all at once. But speculators be speculating. When it was clear that Disney's five year outlook for Disney+ was actually a full five years, Wall Street abandoned Disney and it went back down to where it was before that bubble. Now, I will say this and say it clearly: Disney's stock has indeed been languishing. Wall Street gurus keep saying to their customers to buy. And valuate DIS at $130 even. But all for naught. Disney's *profiting* over $7B a year. And the outlook is growth. Myself and these gurus are stymied by Wall Street's reluctance. But when you take any stock's one-time high and compare it to now, it is a 'clever' way to make it look worse than it is. Go back 5 years and DIS is up 3%.

    Laketravis2 hours ago

    Right? DIS shares have lost more than 40% of their value since hitting a closing high back in March 2021, losing more than $160 billion in market cap. Pretty bad performance for what was once considered one of the best stocks in the world to own for three decades (1990-2020).

    Mr. Sullivan4 hours ago

    Well it would be lovely if people could stop trying to start stuff then LMAO

    Lilofan7 hours ago

    It hasn't stopped the Disney Board who were recently all reelected and sets up the CEO compensation package , keep Iger in charge

    Trauma12 hours ago

    In the immortal words of the Lil John radio edit - Don’t start no stuff, won’t be no stuff

    SynergyEnergy12 hours ago

    I have a gone to Disney year over year for a long time. My family and I skipping Disney after visiting Universal Orlando and being WOW’d by the value and and far more entertaining return. No renewals for this large family and and +100 friends. We’re all decided on #skipdisney252627 in lieu of newer, better, more valuable experiences. What can I say, Disney’s magic is a thing of history. Belonging to docuseries creators and such.

    mysto12 hours ago

    I heard it would be crowded so I didn't go.

    DonniePeverley12 hours ago

    Anything on banning locals with an absurd cheap annual pass ?

    Mr. Sullivan13 hours ago

    Can we not have just one thread of actual discussion without the usual suspects camping out just to pick fights with people and speak down to everyone for no reason

    HauntedPirate15 hours ago

    Do we want to look at 3 year stock performance?

    Sirwalterraleigh15 hours ago

    So a stock that’s been a dog for 10 years is how everyone becomes a billionaire, eh?

    Laketravis15 hours ago

    Regardless of any implied correlations, the fact remains DIS is an underperformer. Look beyond YTD for proof. The point that was being made was the disconnect between Iger's rosy current perspective and reality. "Good grief"

    Sirwalterraleigh15 hours ago

    A very “lightly” attended Epcot today on a Friday in March with a festival going… …can’t wait for some genius to respond and say “it’s not the busy season” 🙄