There are a lot of things coming back to Walt Disney's (DIS -0.04%) most visited theme park resort next month. Disney World in Florida is reopening a couple of restaurants and attractions in November including the Fantasmic nighttime show that is a popular way to cap off an evening at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Some of the highly anticipated eateries returning to Epcot for the first time since the pandemic closure more than two years ago include the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall character dining experience and foodie hotspot Takumi-Tei in the Japan pavilion.
Now there's an entire gated attraction coming back after a lengthy refurbishment. Blizzard Beach -- one of Disney World's two highly themed water parks -- will unlock its turnstiles on Nov. 13. The snow-themed park closed in January, just as sister park Typhoon Lagoon was reopening. The watery oases will be passing ships again, as Typhoon Lagoon will temporarily close with the return of Blizzard Beach.
Image source: Disney.
Taking on water
Disney has yet to open both water parks at the same time the way it routinely did before the pandemic-related closure. There were seasonal closures to spruce up the parks during the offseason in the past, but operating at 50% of the resort's water park capacity appears to be the new normal now.
It's an unusual strategy. Rival SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS -0.67%) keeps both of its water parks in Orlando -- the mainstream Aquatica attraction as well as the high-end Discovery Cove dolphins-anchored experience -- available. Comcast's (CMCSA 1.85%) Universal Orlando operates its Volcano Bay destination year-round, even marketing the high-tech water park as its third theme park.
Are staffing concerns or consumer demand an issue for Disney World? It really shouldn't take more than 10 months to refurbish a water park as was seen with Blizzard Beach since its Jan. 2 closure. Blizzard Beach is opening with at least one tweak in that Frozen characters have been added as water play features in the kid-friendly Tike's Peak section of the park. It's a nice touch, but it's still a bad look that Disney World isn't opening its water parks year-round the way its nearby rivals are doing.
It's not as if Disney World is hurting for business. Revenue for the segment has returned to pre-pandemic form, even if it's largely the handiwork of fewer visitors paying more. Disney revealed in an earnings call earlier this year that per-capita spending is 40% higher than it was in 2019. The resort keeps inching prices higher, so that figure is likely even greater than 40% by now.
Disney World will eventually get to operating Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon at the same time. It could -- and probably should -- happen next year by the time Spring Break and summertime crowds arrive. No one is going to argue about Disney World having just one water park open heading into the cooler months of the year, even if a Florida winter is still pool and beach weather for tourists and many locals. Disney continues to be a top bellwether for travel and tourism stocks, even as typhoons get swapped out for blizzards -- thematically speaking -- next month.
