How Much does it cost to operate Disneyland a day? - Answer enclosed

[Darkbeer1]

These are rough estimates and we are talking an average day in 2018, but the question is how much to operate Disneyland PARK (or in reality, any US Disney Park), and yes, that means the average is on the LOW side, while DCA is on the High side......

If you know the answer, don't answer for a couple of days, let's see how others do, Thanks.

 

[drizgirl]

Where's the corresponding thread asking how much DLR takes in every day?

 

[Touchdown]

Does an average day include fireworks? That’s a huge expense.

 

[VJ]

with all the budget-cutting disneyland's been doing lately, probably $20

 

[Darkbeer1]

Does an average day include fireworks? That’s a huge expense.

Yes, and that cost is about $50,000 not including crowd control

 

[PiratesMansion]

that means the average is on the LOW side, while DCA is on the High side......

So are you saying it costs MORE to operate DCA than it does Disneyland Park? If so, why is this the case?

 

[chadwpalm]

Where's the corresponding thread asking how much DLR takes in every day?

You mean from those people that don't understand the difference between net and gross?

 

[drizgirl]

You mean from those people that don't understand the difference between net and gross?

Did I miss the mention of net or gross?

 

[chadwpalm]

Did I mess the mention of net or gross?

No, but it's usually something that many people don't consider when talking about the massive amounts of money Disney rakes in every year. They consider gross income numbers only and ignore expenses, profit margins, etc.

 

[Damon7777]

Yes, and that cost is about $50,000 not including crowd control

Are you saying that Disney hires crowd control personnel solely for the fireworks? You mean these cats suit up, grab a flashlight and tape rolls and hit Main St and the hub and cut out 2 to 3 hours later? And here I thought that this guy barking at me to keep moving was manning that popcorn kiosk back in Frontierland or assigning rows on Space Mnt. 4 hours earlier.

 

[drizgirl]

No, but it's usually something that many people don't consider when talking about the massive amounts of money Disney rakes in every year. They consider gross income numbers only and ignore expenses, profit margins, etc.

I didn't think we were talking in terms of anything remotely precise.

And I doubt that Disney is struggling to maintain their profit margin. Last I heard it was quite healthy.

 

[Darkbeer1]

So are you saying it costs MORE to operate DCA than it does Disneyland Park? If so, why is this the case?

No, what I am saying is that the average park (And I won't to correct it is the 9 fully-owned Disney Parks, so add Paris, Hong Kong and China) is a certain amount. That "average" amount is on the LOW side for Disneyland Park, meaning its size and amount of attractions, plus California's costs of living should have costs Higher than average. So if the average cost per park was $5, that Disneyland's amount would be higher than that ($7). Therefore the average is LOW. Same with DCA, if the average is $5, the amount is too high, as the actual cost is $3.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Are you saying that Disney hires crowd control personnel solely for the fireworks? You mean these cats suit up, grab a flashlight and tape rolls and hit Main St and the hub and cut out 2 to 3 hours later? And here I thought that this guy barking at me to keep moving was manning that popcorn kiosk back in Frontierland or assigning rows on Space Mnt. 4 hours earlier.

No, but a CM hours are charged to the appropriate department, so a CM that is hired to be a ride operator, outdoor vending, etc. is pulled from its main job to crowd control, those hours are charged to the Entertainment Budget, not ODV.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Ok, let me reveil my source, then discuss it.

Running Disneyland for Just One Day Costs an Insane Amount of Money (Especially During a Pandemic)

It costs millions of dollars each day to operate the park.

finance.yahoo.com

This article was dated February 20th, 2019, so fairly recent, but still using numbers at least a year old...

First the Basic Overall Costs

>Disney owns and operates seven different parks and resort properties: the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida; the Disneyland Resort in California; Disneyland Paris; Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii; the Disney Vacation Club; the Disney Cruise Line; and Adventures by Disney. Disney also has effective ownership of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and the Shanghai Disney Resort.

Operating all of Disney’s parks and resorts costs $10.68 billion every year, according to the company’s annual report. If the cost to operate was split evenly per park, that would amount to $3.25 million per park per day. Operating costs for each park include employee pay, landscaping, ride maintenance, park cleaning and more.<<

Math using rounding - $10.68 billion per year is $29.26 Million per day. Divide it by 9 to get to $3.25 Million.

So re-reading this, we have 9 parks, 9 locations, and Apples and Oranges. On the lower cost end, we have Aulani and Adventures by Disney, on the high end you have WDW and DLR. How to split the overall expenses? Well, the writer gave a very simple answer.

We can state that WDW has more parks, Hotels, plus amenities like water parks, golf courses, etc.

DLR has higher operating costs in Labor (per CM), taxes, regulations, and the recent need to buy land for parking lots, etc.

Disneyland Park has the most attractions, plus the attractions needing the most refurbishments due to age.

So we could get around $5 to 6 Million for the DLR, and state that at least $3 Million is for Disneyland Park, and then the rest split between DCA, the Hotels and DtD, and sharing some costs like parking lots and security.

>Estimated Cost of Employee Pay Per Day: $396,000

Many cast members are paid hourly, with most making $10 to $12 per hour. Cast members that work at the attractions reported their salaries as $10 per hour, while character performers reported their income as $12 per hour, according to Glassdoor.<<

Well, in 2019, the pay is around $15 per CM, and that the DLR is looking to get to closer to 30,000 on the payroll. So we are now at about $500,000 per day, or over $180 Million per year

>Estimated Cost of Landscaping Per Day: $1.69 Million

Based on the number of acres and Disney’s location, it costs about $1.69 million to maintain Disney’s landscaping, according to Homewyse’s Lawn Maintenance Calculator. The horticulture team works every single day to make sure the flowers and landscapes look fresh, from the flowers in hanging pots along Main Street to the Mickey Mouse face made of flowers that greets guests as they enter the park.<<

No way is this number right, I can see maybe 5% of the budget, but NOT 50%.

>Estimated Cost of Roller Coaster Maintenance Per Day: $7,424

Roller coasters can cost over $20 million to build, according to Fast Company, and they continue incurring costs to keep them in good working order. The main expense is the personnel required to maintain the roller coasters, and the number of technicians involved per coaster depends on its size and complexity. The personnel required for a single coaster could include a mechanical technician, a carpenter, an electrical technician and a fiberglass specialist, according to Coaster101.<<

>Estimated Cost of Park Cleaning Per Day: $50,400

Disneyland spends most of its upkeep budget on the night shift, the Los Angeles Times reported. A custodial worker typically makes $10 to $11 per hour and horticulturists make $16 to $18 hourly. Additional cleaning costs include the costs of supplies: enough to clean all 41 of its restrooms.<<

>Estimated Cost of Fireworks Display Per Day: $50,000

The fireworks show is one of the most memorable parts of a visit to Disneyland, but it costs the park a lot to put it on each night. The daily cost of the fireworks display is about $50,000, according to former Disney employee Ben Suarez.<<

Now, fireworks are only offered about 2/3'rds of a year

So a basic look at the guessistments

 

[Jedi Stitch]

Another article says they average 6.2 Million in sales each day per park, as an average.