3 Reasons Disney World's Latest Move Should Make Shareholders Happy
The end of virtual queues at Disney's largest theme park resort also opens virtual opportunities that weren't there before.
It might seem like a small tweak to its theme park operations, but a change at Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) iconic Florida resort this week could be bigger than you think. On Tuesday, Disney World eliminated virtual queues for the last two rides using the online reservation system -- Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Before diving into how a seemingly minor move can radically improve the media giant's bottom line, let's take a page out of the Marvel playbook by offering up an origin story.
Disney World introduced an app-based virtual queue platform when it opened Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at the resort's Disney's Hollywood Studios in late 2019. That was initially a way to allocate access to its now-defunct FastPass+ system that would allow guests a free way to secure access to expedited queues. It was also a logical way to handle limited space for waiting riders on new, bar-raising experiences.
