Meet Joe Schott, the Jungle Cruise Skipper Now Running Walt Disney World
Joe Schott is president of Walt Disney World Resort, the largest single site employer in the United States, with roughly 80,000 cast members across four theme parks, two water parks, more than 25 resort hotels, a sports complex and Disney Springs. The Orlando native began his Disney career as a Jungle Cruise skipper and has since led Shanghai Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris operations and the division behind Disney Cruise Line.
Walt Disney World's new president started his Disney career steering boats through the Jungle Cruise. Joe Schott, a more than 40 year veteran who grew up in Orlando, now runs the largest single site employer in the United States after leading Disney resorts in Shanghai, Paris and Tokyo and the division that launched two cruise ships.
Key details
- Role: President, Walt Disney World Resort
- Career length: More than 40 years with Disney, beginning as a Jungle Cruise skipper in Florida
- Previous role: President of Disney Signature Experiences, which includes Disney Cruise Line and Disney Vacation Club
- Also led: Shanghai Disney Resort as president and general manager, Disneyland Paris as chief operating officer, and Tokyo support through Walt Disney Attractions Japan
- What he oversees now: Roughly 80,000 cast members, four theme parks, two water parks, more than 25 resort hotels, a sports complex and Disney Springs
- Source: https://disneyexperiences.com/profile/joe-schott/
From Jungle Cruise skipper to resort president
Schott grew up in Orlando and took his first Disney job in operations at Walt Disney World, working as a Jungle Cruise skipper. Running the resort he started at is unusual even by Disney standards, where long careers are common but the path normally leads away from the park you began in rather than back to it.
What came in between is a run through most of the company's international portfolio. He served as president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort, supported Tokyo Disney Resort through Walt Disney Attractions Japan, and worked on the revitalization of the Disneyland Paris parks and hotels as chief operating officer.
The cruise line years
Immediately before Florida, Schott was president of Disney Signature Experiences, the division that covers Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Aulani, Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions, Storyliving by Disney and Golden Oak. Disney Cruise Line grew through that stretch, including the launches of the Disney Destiny and the Disney Adventure, the brand's first ship based in Asia.
That matters for Walt Disney World more than it first appears. Disney Vacation Club members and cruise passengers overlap heavily with Florida resort guests, and a president who has run the ships understands how those bookings feed each other.
What he takes on in Florida
Walt Disney World employs roughly 80,000 cast members across four theme parks, two water parks, more than 25 resort hotels, a sports complex and a themed shopping, dining and entertainment district. It is also in the middle of the biggest construction cycle in its recent history, with new lands and attractions in development at Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom.
His stated priorities are cast members, the guest experience day to day, and delivering the projects already funded and under way.
Why this matters for guests
Resort presidents rarely make announcements themselves, but the job decides which of those construction projects opens on schedule, how the parks are staffed through the busy seasons, and how quickly guest complaints turn into changes. Schott arrives with more experience opening new things than almost anyone else Disney could have picked, which is the skill Walt Disney World needs for the next few years of building.