Disney Experiences segment operating income up 31% over previous year

How are those results reported? Is it year over year? WDW was up through the pandemic (and got some residual boost) because DeSantis kept/forced the state open when others were closed. Whether that was the right move from a public health perspective is debatable. There is no question it helped Florida from a fiscal perspective.

But, it would stand to reason that those highs could not (and would not) be sustained once the rest of the world started reopening.

Disney has a fiscal year that ends on/about September 30th of each year (ended September 30, 2023 this fiscal year and October 1, 2022 last fiscal year). Results were for quarter and fiscal year ending September 30, 2023.

Experiences operating income increased by over 30% versus the prior-year quarter, with year over year growth across all international sites, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club and Disneyland Resort. At Walt Disney World, we continue to manage against wage inflation and challenging comparisons to the prior year from the 50th anniversary celebration.

https://thewaltdisneycompan...scal-2023/

challenging comparisons to the prior year from the 50th anniversary celebration.

The other problem is the endless anniversaries, and over thinking how important they are.

Sharpel007:

The other problem is the endless anniversaries, and over thinking how important they are.

I don't think they overthink it at all. You should see the merchandise fly off the shelves for various events and anniversaries they do. Take a look at the reviews for Disney's new Jollywood Nights. The biggest criticism I read was about the availability of only one t-shirt design for the event and the long lines to purchase it. They do the events because they make money,

I have WDW 50th plates on my cars. They look a lot better than your standard FL plates.

That is funny - I cannot believe your governor allowed Disney plates.

The State gets a cut. It's fine.

I don't think they overthink it at all. You should see the merchandise fly off the shelves for various events and anniversaries they do.

For the locals and hardcore sure...

When the 50th is followed up immediately by the company 100th, I think its diminishing returns in sales and hype, and them acting like the 100th Company would help WDW seemed a stretch, everyone out of state and non-hardcore went back last year.

Some sales of a 100 anniversary shirt are better than no sales. I am guessing that particular shirt would not be very popular but somebody is going to buy it.

The 50th was the WDW 50th. The 100th Anniversary of Disney was celebrated globally, I'm sure. I think Sharpe is underestimating the spending power of the locals and hardcore. I don't know exactly how many pairs of Mickey ears my daughter has...or how many Lougefly backpacks she now owns. She needs organizers for the former.

How do you get the per cap spending up, particularly amongst passholders? Sell stuff.

Now that we are in a world where people are spending money on NFTs...I don't think we can question anyone spending on "stuff" anymore.

Sharpel007:

I think its diminishing returns in sales and hype, and them acting like the 100th Company would help WDW seemed a stretch, everyone out of state and non-hardcore went back last year.

So the people coming next year buy the next celebration's stuff. By acting like all of these celebrations matter, the casual, once-in-a-while visitor is more likely to purchase whatever it is thinking it's a limited or more special item it really is. They get to go back to Podunk, Indiana and show off not only the Mickey ears, Frozen shirt and branded flip flops that everyone gets, but also the whole sack of <insert current name of never-ending celebration here> merch that's only available until the end of the year! Good thing they ended up visiting when they did!

And this is after we've already incorrectly dismissed the value of having a hardcore and devoted audience.

That thought ran through my head earlier. The same thing applies to the casual fan and the endless run of festivals at Epcot. There's a good chance that casual fans are visiting during the festivals and then go home thinking they visited during a special time not knowing that they run them almost year round.

They do run year 'round, but the experiences are different enough. I really enjoy Food & Wine, but the Festival of the Arts is pretty great...and typically much less crowded. I don't care for Flower and Garden as much as others do.

Sharpel007:

When the 50th is followed up immediately by the company 100th, I think its diminishing returns in sales and hype...

I feel like you don't really understand the Disney theme park machine. It doesn't matter what the event is, the custom merch always sells. I think it was during Flower & Garden this year that they sold a bunch of stuff with some little bird on it, and they sold it in a specialty shop in the Odyssey building. The mugs in particular flew off the shelves. Almost all special merchandise, including anniversary stuff, sells well. Sometimes they have to enforce quantity limits.

Did you just refer to Orange Bird as 'some little bird' ?

Them's fightin' words

I rest my case. 🙂

Orange Bird is akin to the Figment popcorn bucket.

Dopey bird merch.