This article is about improving the Disney parks experience for seniors at the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Yet, many of the suggestions can be applied for the Disney theme parks at the 4 other Disney Resorts across the world.
It’s simple; many older adults and seniors want a different experience when they go to a Disney theme park, a Disney resort or on a Disney cruise than young families or teens. Just ask them; they’ll tell you.
We asked over 10,000 Disney loving seniors how their experience at a Disney park, resort or Cruise could be improved; and, they told us volumes
Where did we find 10,000 Disney loving seniors to ask? There is a new Facebook group called Disney for Seniors a community of seniors with a passion for all things Disney. Back in the late summer there were just over 10,000 members. Today, in just the past few months since the survey, membership in the Disney for Seniors Facebook Group has increased more than 600% to over 65,000!
This article is a summary of the video which was published in mid-September 2024. To better understand what these seniors had to say, you may wish to watch the full video on how seniors believe the Disney parks experience for seniors can be improved. The video is only about 9 minutes long. Here is the link for you to the video:
What is a Senior?
First what is a senior and why does it matter?
AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons, defines a senior as anyone 50 years old or older. We used that for our discussions in the video.
As far as why does it matter, first, the number of seniors 50 years old and older in the United States exceeds 125 million people. That’s a lot of consumers. It continues to be a growing market segment that Disney, like any business, should not ignore. Rather, Disney should nurture and support as its consumers.
Second, as senior’s age they will have more time to spend on leisure activities; something called retirement. The more leisure time seniors have the more time they have to spend on Disney’s leisure consumer offerings; it’s theme parks, resorts and cruises.
Third, respect. Seniors have earned it. They were the ones paying all that money to Disney to take their families to Disney movies over the decades, to Disneyland since 1958, to Walt Disney Word, buying all those Disney souvenirs for their children and themselves, paying the premium pricing to say at a Disney resort, and so on.
As seniors, this huge consumer group is to be celebrated and cherished.
How Would You Improve the Disney Parks Experience For Seniors?
This is what we asked them:
“If you were to have five minutes with a Disney executive, let’s call him Josh D., what one suggestion would you tell him to make Disney theme parks a better experience for seniors?”
We received a ton of responses. They are discussed in the accompanying video and in future articles and videos. This article summarizes the suggestions and ideas submitted by seniors into five categories.
