What Should Disney Do About These 3 Theme Park Problems?
Three different theme park debates have arisen in recent days, and they’re all hot-button issues.
As the theme park industry leader, Disney’s approach to these matters sets the tone for everyone else.


Walt Disney Company
So, let’s talk about how Disney should approach some challenging issues.
About Scalping and ID


Shanghai Disney
Recently, Shanghai Disney introduced a new policy.
While Americans tend to ignore Disney’s international parks, longtime Disney analysts know to pay attention.


Photo: Disney
We do so because Disney often uses its international parks as trial balloons for policies it might bring to the United States.
For example, Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Paris offered a paid FastPass system years before Disneyland Resort added MaxPass.


Photo: Disney
So, when Shanghai Disney changes its ticket policy, we should all take note.
This park operates a bit differently in that guests had historically been able to purchase up to five tickets.


Photo: Getty
This led to scalping, as some tourists took advantage of the policy.
They’d buy five tickets at a discount and then sell them for a profit.


Photo: Disney
Shanghai Disneyland looked the other way over this loophole for eight years, but that will change later in 2024.
From now on, a person buying tickets must present their identification card.


Photo: Disney
Then, they must show the same card when they enter the park.
Anyone whose ID doesn’t match cannot enter Shanghai Disneyland.


Disneyland
You may wonder how this policy impacts the American parks, as many sales occur online.
I’d invite you to think back to July 2018.


Oogie Boogie Bash
For the second straight year, Disneyland Resort has threatened scalpers who purchase after hours event tickets.
Since Disney’s Oogie Boogie Bash sells out almost immediately, a secondary market has formed.


Photo: Disney
Some people purchase their tickets online and then sell them for up to five times face value.
Disney’s terms of service explicitly state not to do this, but nobody expects to incur Mickey Mouse’s wrath.


Photo:Rappler
Here’s the thing, though. Disney knows an exhaustive amount about anyone who purchases Disneyland tickets online.
When you pay with a credit card, you list a billing address connected to your name.
So, Disney knows who you are and where you live.
Historically, Disney has looked the other way, but it won’t now.
What Disney Might Do


Photo: Disney
Instead, Disney is voiding tickets when it knows that the person trying to use them isn’t the one who bought them.
Disney must take this step because some nefarious individuals have gone so far as to sell fake tickets.


Photo: Disney
This isn’t an isolated fall event, either. Disneyland Nights almost always sell out as well, with some like Sweethearts’ Nite selling out almost instantly.
We can safely expect Disneyland to crack down even harder. ID verifications, park bannings, and possibly even the cancellation of Magic Keys are possible.


Photo: Disney
Anecdotally, Disney already does these things with egregious offenders, but we shouldn’t be surprised if it becomes standard park policy.
There’s another glaring loophole that recently arose when a single mother tried to sneak her two young daughters into the parks.


(TikTok: @xavier_hart)
Obviously, children ages three and four won’t have identification. However, this woman’s arrest indicates that Disney knows the ages of her children.
It doesn’t exactly require lots of sleuthing to uncover such information, but I can’t help but wonder whether park officials will star cracking down on age verification as well.
Merchandise Abuse
Speaking of Disney After Hours events, the merchandising giant has recently gone into overdrive.
When you attend any After Hours event or something like an EPCOT festival, you’ll find merchandise that is otherwise unavailable at the parks.
People want it. So, some people have set up eBay and Etsy shops where they sell these theme park exclusives for hefty profits.
If Disney wanted to do that, it’d sell everything on the Disney Store, but that obviously defeats the purpose of exclusivity.
Here’s the thing. At this point, most people use credit cards to pay for park goods.
Some of the more reckless offenders even use Disney discounts from their annual passes or DVC memberships, making them particularly easy to track.


Food & Wine Festival merchandise
This is another instance where Disney has historically looked the other way, but it’s hinting at taking a new approach soon.
I’m genuinely curious how people feel about this one, because I know that I’m guilty of buying a couple of items off eBay when I wouldn’t be visiting the park anytime soon.


eBay
So, I’m part of the problem.
What Disney Might Do II
This issue has escalated in 2024 due to a handful of wildly popular items like the Figment Lug Bag and the Starspeeder 3000.
At one point, the Starspeeder 3000 was a D23 exclusive that sold out almost immediately.
On that date, you could find this item not just listing for $900 but also selling for that amount.
Even now, it’s listing for $650 or more.


Picture: Disney
This item is an exception in that it briefly sold on the Disney Store, which I know because I tried to buy it.
Alas, within five minutes of the item going live, it had already sold out.


Photo: Disney Store
Demand for these unique Disney items has skyrocketed, and that causes a problem for Disney.
In the past, Disney has quietly canceled the annual passes of egregious offenders, but we’ve probably reached the point where an escalation is necessary.
To maintain the exclusivity of these items, Disney must develop a punishment strong enough to discourage these shameless resellers.
Otherwise, Disney might as well offer everything on the Disney Store and keep all the money for themselves.


Photo: Disney
That’s a different way of killing the resale industry.
Adult Supervision
Finally, we have an issue that’s troubling Universal Studios officials.
During this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, guests have frequently complained – LOUDLY – that teenagers are ruining the event.


Photo: Discover Universal
When I hear that, I remember the message of the movie Footloose, which is that teens just want to dance.
Alas, as we get older, we forget the teachings of Kevin Bacon.


Photo: Discover Universal
Seriously, though, Universal has absorbed an online drubbing over this.
The worst offenders skip lines and loudly disrupt other guests with their conversations.


Universal
Yes, it’s just teens being teens, but when you’re paying hundreds of dollars for HHN, you expect a great night, not one where the real terrors are 16-year-olds.
You’re probably wondering what this has to do with Disney, a decidedly more family-friendly theme park. Notably, it does apply, though.
Disney Jollywood Nights doesn’t sell children’s priced tickets. That’s a strong hint that the primary market is adults.


Photo: Disney
Since Disney is family friendly, you’ll still notice this comment on the tickets page:
“Please note that children younger than age three don’t need a ticket.”


Photo: Disney
Whether a child under the age of three should be at Jollywood Nights, I’ll politely avoid.
The point is that Disney absolutely will not prevent guests under the age of 21 from attending an event that’s basically an open bar.


Photo: Disney
At Universal Studios, guests have called for the parks to require teenagers to have a chaperone, which is to say an adult to turn into a scapegoat.
So, the same question arises for Disney.
What Disney Might Do III
Should events like the Oogie Boogie Bash and Jollywood Nights require adult supervision?
I’m conflicted because I don’t think there’s an easy answer.


Photo: Disney
The whole point of a Disney vacation is for families to enjoy time together.
Also, at Disneyland, we’ve got Grad Nite, Pride Nite, and Star Wars Nite.
I would argue that these events should be open to anyone interested in attending.
Adult supervision on Sweethearts’ Nite in particular strikes me as interference.


Photo: Disney
I would have resented it when I was a teen, and I certainly wouldn’t like it as a parent if Disney dictated those terms to me.
The parents should decide whether their child needs a chaperone, not a theme park policy.


Photo: Disney
My belief is that the only two events where it could ever be an issue are Oogie Boogie Bash and Jollywood Nights.
Even then, I’ve never heard of serious complaints about underage behavior, so that strikes me as a policy without a purpose.


Photo: Disney
So, I think Disney should do nothing with this challenge. That might change if there’s ever inflammatory behavior that merits further consideration.
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