Welcome back to an inside look at the Disney Comeback Index that friend of the Crescent Lake Club Matt Petolicchio has developed! If you are not aware of the project, Matt essentially evaluates the current Walt Disney World experience and compares it to what we had in March 2020 before the pandemic changed the world. So, lets dive into his latest update on what the current state of Walt Disney World is!
As of August 31st, the Disney Comeback Index is at an overall 69.68%.
Just a quick category overview:
Attractions: 96.29%
- Overall: we are pushing the bar closer to fully operational status.
- Typhoon Lagoon holds the lion’s share of closed attractions. If this opens next Summer as expected (even if Blizzard Beach closed for refurbishment), this should approach 100%
- Enchanted Tales with Belle is the most notable attraction missing from the theme parks.
Entertainment: 38.85%
- Overall: This category got a significant bump with fireworks returning in July. With some Union vaccinated deal, I expect things to really drum up in 2022.
- Still some heavy hitters are missing:
- 3 fireworks shows (Rivers of Light RIP, Fantasmic! and Star Wars Galactic Spectacular)
- A Flagship parade. (And fortunately parades are still part of the WDW brand, a popular one returns in the After Hours Very Merriest party)
- All Meets & Greets – I expect to fully return post Delta.
- Some of the Theater Shows (Finding Nemo – The Musical, Indiana Jones: Epic Stunt Spectacular and Voyager of the Little Mermaid)
- Streetmosphere items are still way down.
Dining (Parks and Resorts): 75.86%
- Overall: this continues to climb slowly as more dining continues to get added.
- A good portion of the closed restaurants are signatures (Monsieur Paul, Flying Fish, Victoria & Alberts, Jiko, Takumi-Tei)
- Initial article on unopened restaurants and predictions: https://crescentlakeclub.com/disney-comeback-index-what-does-dining-at-walt-disney-world-look-like-right-now/
Resorts: 71.21%
- Overall: All WDW resorts are opened or have scheduled reopening dates.
- Club Level for resorts are slowly being phased-in
- Remember that Bubble Perks are also nested within the Resorts category:
- Paid Genie+ service will replace FP+. We will add a small bonus for resort guests since they have the ability to purchase Individual Attraction Selections before offsite guests.
- The Dining Plan Option seems to be close and may return before the end of the year.
- Early Park Access will be a bonus that replaces Extra Magic Hours
- Evening Deluxe hours will be a bonus
- The final missing transportation option: the Disney Springs Boats from resorts should be returning when Port Orleans reopens.
Paid Events: 37.48%
- Overall: The After Hours Christmas and Halloween parties have helped this category as Bonuses.
- Still missing things like Dessert Parties, traditional After Hours events and things like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Disney Springs: 89.61%
- Overall: This category is somewhat like Attractions. It’s in a great spot, but it’s plateaued over a long period of time.
- Still missing Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique as well.
- Missing some entertainment like NBA Experience (RIP), Stargazers and Paradiso 37 Live Entertainment
So where are we headed?
Over the next month, the Disney Comeback Index will get some power-ups due to the 50th anniversary:
- Harmonious will replace Epcot Forever, which was considered a temporary show. (Note: Disney Enchantment will replace Happily Ever After with no change. Successors to original experiences will not impact the value, unless the difference is considered significant)
- Remy’s Ratatouille will give Attractions an e-Ticket boost
- KiteTails, the new daytime show from Animal Kingdom
- Some Bubble Perks return (see Resort section above)
- Space 220 and La Creperie should open
I expect to hit in the mid 70’s for DCI before the end of October. But to really hit a Pre-Pandemic Walt Disney World experience, we still have ways to go. Some of it will depend on the impacts of Delta and some will depend on how fast Disney will want to rev up their engines and how they want to spend their pocketbooks.
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