Disney just shared news about current theme park visitors and the future priorities for where the Disney theme parks and resorts are headed. This news comes after Disney appointed a new CEO who previously ran the Disney Experiences division, which includes the theme parks.
Today we have news about the success of the theme parks, news about the impact of higher gas prices on Disney, comments from Disney’s CEO and CFO about the future of the theme parks business, and more. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disney World testing a change to how new rides open and Disneyland license plates coming to California.
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Disney Theme Park Visitors and How This Impacts Disney Strategies
Disney shared its financial results for the second quarter (Q2) of fiscal year 2026, with a few key points related to Disney’s recent theme park attraction openings and how Disney views the future of its parks and resorts.
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Overall revenue for the entire Walt Disney Company increased by 7% compared to this same period in 2025.
For Disney Experiences, the company’s division that includes theme parks, cruises, and resorts, the second quarter concluded with the launch of a new cruise ship, the Disney Adventure, and the expansion and renaming of Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris to Disney Adventure World, complete with the new World of Frozen.
Global attendance across all Disney theme parks and cruise ships grew 2% in Q2 2026 compared to Q2 2025. Domestic attendance for Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World collectively declined by 1%, attributed to fewer international travelers visiting the United States at this time.
The call during which Disney shared its quarterly results was the first helmed by new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who replaced Bob Iger as head of the company in March.
Speaking to the domestic attendance decline, D’Amaro said, “While we acknowledge the potential impact of heightened global macro uncertainty on consumers, we are encouraged by current demand and expect year-over-year attendance at our domestic parks in Q3 to show improvement compared to Q2 results.”
Furthermore, if you just looked at American visitors to domestic Disney theme parks, attendance would be up. It is the reduction in international visitors to domestic theme parks that is impacting park attendance at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Disney does not share specific theme park attendance numbers, so we’ll have to wait until the annual data distributed by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) to see how many guests are visiting the parks. That report is usually released each fall.
Disney CFO Hugh Johnston shared the decrease in domestic attendance did not seem to be a result of increased gas prices in the U.S.
“We haven’t seen any change in consumer behavior from elevated gas prices thus far,” Johnston said, “and aren’t currently seeing a material impact on the remainder of the fiscal year based on forward bookings.” He also addressed what may happen if fuel prices continue to rise more than their current costs. “If that possibility were to occur, each business has levers in place to make adjustments in order to help offset those kinds of macro pressures.”
If demand for theme parks declines, we could see Disney offer additional discounts on theme park tickets to drive attendance. This summer there are already aggressive discounts on both coasts with a $50 child’s ticket offer at Disneyland and a $99-per-night hotel special at Walt Disney World. Disneyland is also offering nearly 50% more $104 ticket days this year than last year. We have previously seen Disney increase discounts during times when Americans faced economic pressures.
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Disney Experiences revenue increased by 7% in Q2 2026 compared to Q2 2025, totaling $9.49 billion. The division’s operating income grew 5%, totaling $2.62 billion. Both of these are quarterly records.
Per-capita domestic spending, or the amount of money each guest spends during a visit to Disneyland or Disney World, grew 5% this quarter compared to the same period last year. Disney attributes this increase to dining, merchandise, and “admissions,” which we can infer is in part due to higher Disney ticket prices at theme parks.
“The outperformance really came from core parks’ revenue, and it was broad-based,” Johnston explained. “Admissions were stronger, food and beverage, merch — really, everything came in a little bit stronger than expected, so revenue came in nicely.”
The Future of Disney
Regarding future theme park projects, the only ones D’Amaro mentioned in his formal remarks were the new theme park Disney plans to build in Abu Dhabi, still in early development, and the expansion of Disney Cruise Line’s fleet, including Disney’s first cruise ship in Japan. Concept art for the Abu Dhabi park is pictured above.
Disney Experiences has “more projects underway than at any time in our history,” D’Amaro remarked.
Not mentioned by D’Amaro specifically, but included in that ambitious slate of new projects, are major long-term expansions at Disney California Adventure with Coco, Avengers, and Avatar rides; Magic Kingdom with Villains Land and Cars rides, construction for which is pictured above; Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a new Monsters, Inc. land; Disney’s Animal Kingdom with Encanto and Indiana Jones rides; and Shanghai Disneyland with a new Spider-Man land.
“Disney’s unique competitive strength is our ability to create characters, stories, and franchises that form enduring relationships with audiences around the world,” D’Amaro said in his prepared remarks for the quarterly results. He continued, “Looking ahead, we see a significant opportunity to engage and entertain our fans more deeply in both digital and physical environments.”
In the short term for the current quarter, Disney’s biggest theme park projects include big changes to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland, the arrival of popular preschool character Bluey at Disneyland and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and a reimagining of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to include Muppets characters. These may or may not move the needle of revenue and attendance reported in the future.
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