Comments from Josh D'Amaro on the reservations system from an interview with Robert Niles -
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Robert: But you also have to push for capacity, because you just talked about the the reservation issue. I feel, from observing this, that when people talk about or push back against the reservation issue, it's not necessarily [just about] getting the reservation. It's that the [parks'] capacity is not big enough to accommodate all the people who want reservations.
Josh: It's a guest experience issue. This all starts with guest experience, and having been in this business for as long as we have been, we know what constitutes a great guest experience. We know that there are certain attendance thresholds that can potentially deteriorate the experience. So the reservation system change that we've made is completely premised on wanting to deliver [you] the best experience I possibly can. And to do that, I'm asking my guests to make reservations, which is change. Change isn't easy, particularly for Disney, where everybody watches every single move that we make, and if you change something that's tradition, or the way that it's always been, it's hard.
Robert: Nostalgia is a big part of the branding.
Josh: It's a big part of it. So anytime we step into one of these areas, we know that there's going to be input, and we're going to take that input and listen, and we're going to react and adjust. But we will never sacrifice guest experience. I have these conversations with guests all the time in the theme parks - "Why do I have to make a reservation?" And the moment I sit down and talk to them about guest experience, and how we're continually trying to make that easier and more flexible, they completely get it and understand it. So we're going to keep pushing on that. If we're going to be pioneers, we're going to keep being pioneers to make that experience as great as it possibly can be.
Robert: I think that's an important point for a lot of people to understand - that it's not just necessarily what people are asking for, but what they intend. The classic example I always used from my days was when people would ask, 'What time is the three o'clock parade?' and I would tell them it's at 3:20 because that's when it got to where they were standing.
Josh: I love it.
Robert: You're just sussing that out. I think a big issue with the reservation program is that people are looking at it kind of superficially, 'I have to do this,' and they're not understanding, 'but I will get this in return.'
Josh: That's right. I think some of that's time. I think some of that is discussion. We see that changing right now. But we've always done this. We've always molded and adjusted with the intent always being the same: best stories in the world, best experiences in the world. And that will never never change
Robert: The situation in terms of capacity and demand is very different on the two coasts, obviously [now] with the change coming for the annual passholders in Florida.
Josh: Absolutely.
Robert: You look at California and I think the population is more than four times what it is in Central Florida. I'm assuming - I cannot get this information out of you but I will keep trying - that the number of annual pass holders in California is at least that much more than it is in Central Florida.
Josh: Well, I won't answer that question specifically, Robert, but what I will tell you is your premise is right. The businesses are so different - both the experiences that we're offering, the footprint of those experiences, [and] how guests visit, and so for each of them, we're looking specifically at how do we make sure that experience is as good as possible? So we'll manage things a little bit differently. We're going to try and make sure it's as simple as possible. We'll continue to evolve these experiences so that we can integrate things so it's very simple. You're just in the park, enjoying the things that are around you, and not worrying about things, etc. But yeah, they're very different. So we'll address the input a little bit differently as we move forward."
Here's the full interview talking about the operational changes made yesterday -