Cutbacks on shows - what's next????

[LT Hambone]

Just saw this in the Orlando Sentinel -

Disney World to cut back on shows (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/orl-bizdisney18101801oct18.story?coll=orl%2Dbusiness%2 Dheadlines)

So far, Disney has cut back on park hours, dropped e-nights, laid off employees, closed restaurants, delayed the opening of their new resort, and proposed closing parts of hotels during slow times. Now they are cutting back on shows to the point that you'll be missing shows on certain days!

What's next? Pretty soon, there won't be much to do in Disney World!

And let us not forget that Disney is still going ahead with plans to build Beastly Kingdom. Why can't Disney hold off on this project and use the money to keep the rest of the park going until things start to look brighter!

I'm going in less than four weeks, but I fear that all the planning that I did over the past year will have to be thrown out the window! Now I have to take in consideration all of these factors, and still try to have fun!

Sigh, I fear the magic may be slipping from Disney's grasp, and Walt is doing back flips in his grave.


:(

[Luvdisney]

Not to change the subject, but what is Beastly Kingdom? I havn't heard of this one yet.

[MermaidMom]

this really stinks :(
can you get the schedule on the Disney web site? I'm only planning a couple days at MGM and I have a bad feeling I will miss Beauty & the Beast all together. My DD is really looking forward to that one! I hate to wait until I get there on Saturday to find out. I've spent a LOT of time planning our daily park choices!!

[eeyore0062]

Actually, thanks for changing the subject;)

Beastly Kingdom was going to be the 3rd land in Animal Kingdom, and it was to be centered around mythological beasts such as unicorns, dragons, etc. It also was supposed to be the home to more thrill type rides From drawings, it was supposed to be located on the other side of Camp Minnie/Mickey. I don't know if it is still on the drawing board at this time.

[LT Hambone]

Beastly Kingdom was to be the main e-ticket area of Animal Kingdom, but for various and sundry reasons (read - money problems) was never fully developed.

Ever wonder why you see a dragon-shaped cave on the river boat ride?

After Disney scrapped plans, they let-go many of the imagineers who had worked on this land. Guess where they went to work? Universal Studios, and the new Islands of Adventure. Dueling Dragons was one of the concepts they took with them.

Anyway, here's the link to the article which mentions Disney may be starting construction on this new land -

Beastly rumors (http://orlando.bcentral.com/orlando/stories/2001/08/20/newscolumn1.html)

And here's a link to a Beastly Kingdom website -

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Beastly Kingdom (http://members.tripod.com/~SaitoNews/beastly.html)

[Kim&Chris]

Although I truly love all things Disney, I admit to becoming a little sick and tired of the cutbacks.

The cutback that I'm most upset about is the closing of Tony's Town Square for breakfast. It was definitely going to be one of the highlights of our trip (relaxing, non-character breakfast right on Main Street!).

[Eeyore2U]

I'm sure Walt isn't doing backflips. I'm sure he would be telling whomever that tough decisions have to be made to insure the longevity of his company. I'm sure he would tell those that get upset at the changes that they temporary until business picks up but to remember that the magic at WDW is made by you, the visitor and that he just gives you place to have it.

[Figaro30]

that they overextend themselves CONSTANTLY. I had a post on here a few weeks back regarding the cutbacks and a very sarcastic "what are they going to do about these cutbacks now? What's the next step....BUILD A NEW THEME PARK"?

They need to STOP overextending themselves and work on strengthening WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE!!!! I'd much prefer to have 3 parks that are 100% functional, then 5 parks that are functioning at 40%!!!

Hello....is anybody from Disney listening out there?

[Kim&Chris]

Figaro30.....I agree 100%.

Those of us that have planned vacations for a year or more now have a very good chance of missing things like Spectromagic because of the obvious cutbacks. AARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH

[eeyore0062]

Just to add fuel to the fire here, thought you might like to know that the park hours are being determined by the crowds in the individual parks on a daily basis, so you really can't go on the info published on the websites. Info obtained from 1-407-WDW-INFO this morning.

[Kaitysmom]

I have two trips planned, one in December and another in March. Are the cutbacks for their slow season or indefinitely? I saw that Tony's is closed for breakfast, what other restaurants have changed?

I guess I haven't noticed the other cutback threads, but was surprised about the shows. I didn't see anything about Spectromagic in the article. Does anyone have more info about all the cutbacks? Sorry if this has been posted a million times already!!!!

[AKASnowWhite]

I'm sure that it's very difficult for Disney exec's to make some of these decisions. Cutting back on hours, shows, parades and other perks may save a few bucks here and there, but attempting to maintain some semblence of balance is critical. I have always LOVED Disney World, and expect I always will, but not everyone out there feels the same way as I do.

If Disney takes away TOO much, I'm afraid they will find that people will being to choose to spend their vacation dollars elsewhere - some place that they feel they are getting a good value for their money.

I've said this in other threads as well....If you have an opinion, Disney should hear it for themselves. Let them make informed decisions based upon what the visitors want to see/do while on their vacations.

[LT Hambone]

Originally posted by AKASnowWhite
I've said this in other threads as well....If you have an opinion, Disney should hear it for themselves. Let them make informed decisions based upon what the visitors want to see/do while on their vacations.

AKA Snow White has a great point, but I don't think it will work.

Do a search on these boards for posts where people have written Disney about their feelings. The vast majority of people get a canned response back - Thank you for concerns, yada yada yada...

I too have written Disney with my concerns, and I too have received the same canned responses. In fact, on one occasion, I sent the same letter using two different emails, and received two identical responses!

I fear that Disney is turning a deaf ear to their guests, and that we maybe wasting our time raising our voices. Disney is more concerned these days with $$$ instead of Walt's vision.

I was in WDW two years ago this month, and it was perfect. The crowds were moderate, the lines pleasent, the service top-notch, and there was plenty to see and do. I wonder what I'll find in a few weeks?

It definitely won't b the same WDW.

[Heather]

Quite honestly, if we weren't leaving in just two weeks, I'd be tempted to cancel the trip. If it was a month out and there was no sign of things being brought back, I'd forget it. Of course, if it was TWO months out, I'd ride it out and hope that they return to "normal". I'm extremely disappointed in the allegations that they are cutting early entry. Quite honestly, I could even see them TRIMMING it (say, only doing it ONE day a week at Epcot/MGM and two at MK), but to get rid of it altogether will, in my opinion, cost them money -- fewer people will stay on site (maybe not THOUSANDS fewer, but even hundreds can affect profits in a time when not as many people are traveling) and every time I've been to EE (except at Epcot) there have been quite enough people to warrant having some of the employees report 1.5 hours earlier -- it's been well attended every time I've gone. Sorry, done venting. It IS really frustrating, though, as so many of us have spent months or even years planning the trips. Best of luck to everyone in being able to still enjoy the magic.

[eeyore0062]

The hours are determined by attendance on a day to day basis--if they have good attendance, the parks will stay open the stated hours. All of the daily afternoon parades in all 4 parks are running on schedule. Eticket nights have been put on hold, but EE mornings are still in effect--no official word on that being stopped, per Disney. Spectromagic and MK fireworks are on Saturday nights. The live shows have fewer showings, but I noticed the same thing in the Busch Gardens parks, as well. Fantasmic will run at least one show a night, and no changes have been noted as far as Illuminations. Hope this helps:)

[apagano]

I think it's important to remember a couple of things before we all go crazy bashing Disney. First, there have been a lot more rumors than truth about Disney cuts since the Sept. 11 attacks. If anyone was able to produce a list of ACTUAL cuts, you would see that they are pretty much in line with cuts that are being made across the board in the economy. Everybody is slicing and dicing now, and Disney has to make cuts to stay profitable. We can all disagree on the specific cuts that are being made, but I would rather lose couple of shows twice a week than closing entire parks.

Also, we should also remember that the people posting on DIS and other boards like RADP represent a small minority of actual Disney visitors. We are much more interested in Disney's day-to-day activities than the average visitor. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of Disney vacationers, I would say at least 90%, have no idea what things have been cut and probably wouldn't notice unless you told them. All they care about is seeing Mickey Mouse and riding Space Mountain. Will the average visitor's Disney experience be completely ruined because Pocahantas isn't running the day they go to AK? Maybe for a very small group of Pocahantas fans, but most people will just move on to the next attraction and not think much of it.

[PKK/MJK]

I think Apagano has a point. Because we are all very Disney-oriented, we notice what is missing. For example, a few weeks ago we were at Epcot to watch ToD. (our daughter is in that parade as a CM). She had called in to "pick up a shift" for the parade as a Sprite and was told they couldn't use her because it would be overtime pay--which she understood. When we all went to the parade that night, we were quite aware of the number of puppets "missing." For example, each parade section ordinarily runs with six Sprites, that night each section had three Sprites. Other puppets were lower in numbers too. Because we "know" the parade, we were aware of these missing characters--but most people wouldn't know the difference.

[Eeyore2U]

That's a great point. What we know determines the expectation we set. Sometimes too much knowledge is a bad thing!! :D :rolleyes: :D

[mazzarafe]

Ok, I understand that everyone is tightening their belts with the way the economy is right now. But I'm totally heartbroken at the fact that I've been waiting 4 years to return to Disney and know my vacation is falling apart at the seams! We were originally going in Jan'02 because DH was going to college, but he decided to stop and regroup himself a bit so having the chance to go back during the beautiful holiday season - I jumped on it!!! But now I'm going during Pop Warner time, Media Event time and Regis & Kelly at MGM. If I did not have airline tickets I paid to much for and MVMCP tickets I would have changed when I'm going or cancelled my trip all together because I probably should not be spending the $5k to go right now, but my kids know we are going and right now I feel like we really need the time away from reality.
It just seems so unfair with all these changes at a time when hours at the parks are normally less anyway that they are taking away even more...and it will still be costing everyone the amount of money to be there. I have 2 DD and only have 1 day planned at MGM so if they don't get to see Beauty and the Beast they will be crushed! Belle is my oldest DD's favorite character.
Well I'm not sure if I feel any better now that I vented, but at least I tried. :(

[Figaro30]

Originally posted by apagano
We can all disagree on the specific cuts that are being made, but I would rather lose couple of shows twice a week than closing entire parks.


I don't think anybody here will disagree with you on that. I think we'd all rather lose the parades and fireworks and have the parks still open.

My issue is that they will continue to make cuts AND build new attractions and parks at the same time. This from a business point of view makes NO sense to me.

[wdwguide]

Building attractions is exactly what they need to do - RIGHT NOW! And not just diversions and C-tickets, but major e-ticket rides. See my posts on the trip planning boards about this.

[HorizonsFan]

I was in WDW two years ago this month, and it was perfect. The crowds were moderate, the lines pleasent, the service top-notch, and there was plenty to see and do. I wonder what I'll find in a few weeks?
I believe you'll find the same things you found last time. I look at it this way, if there are fewer people in the park there will be fewer people at each show. If, for example B&tB plays 5 times a day to 20% capacity wouldn't it make sense to cut back to 3 shows a day at 100% capacity at each show? The same number of people can see the show with 2 fewer performances. The result? The same level of service and less waste. One may have to adjust his/her schedule to attend a different show, but the amount of total seats demanded will remain the same.
WDWGuide is right. When times are bad, build. When times get better, you're prepared to entice people back.

[vickyBaby]

A bad day in WDW is better than a good day in New Jersey -- no matter what the cutbacks!!!!

[mktiggerman]

Originally posted by PKK/MJK
I think Apagano has a point. Because we are all very Disney-oriented, we notice what is missing. For example, a few weeks ago we were at Epcot to watch ToD. (our daughter is in that parade as a CM). She had called in to "pick up a shift" for the parade as a Sprite and was told they couldn't use her because it would be overtime pay--which she understood. When we all went to the parade that night, we were quite aware of the number of puppets "missing." For example, each parade section ordinarily runs with six Sprites, that night each section had three Sprites. Other puppets were lower in numbers too. Because we "know" the parade, we were aware of these missing characters--but most people wouldn't know the difference.

disney is soooooo full of contradictions in that sense. Tonight I would've been on straight time, and there were 2 holes I could've done in the Halloween Party, but when I called I was told they didn't need me. 30 minutes later I found out that they had picked up 2 people on overtime just after I had called.

[nalasmom]

You don't want cutbacks!! Then tell people to stop hiding under their beds and GO TO DISNEYWORLD!!! GO TO VEGAS!! GO ANYWHERE!!! Spend the money, boost the economy!!Jeesh, quit whining and do something!!!

Sorry, just had to let this out, hope I did'nt tick anyone off, wait, maybe that's exactly what I DO want, to irritate some people into action!!!

Disney is doing its best in the face of some very tough times. If they don't cut back, we all run the risk of losing a very good thing in its ENTIRETY in the long run.

[Hayley]

I'm more at home on the debate board, so sorry if this comes out like I'm debating, but I have to second the opinion of nalasmom.

Let's direct our anger at the folks that brought us this mess - the terrorists. They can kiss my *** if they think they are going to make me too afraid to do the things I love to do. I'm gonna renew my AP and, God willing, make my plan trips in January and September. Maybe a little one in June, too.

Think of it as a "war effort"!! :D

[vickyBaby]

Whoa Nalasmom!!! I'm getting you an extra big soap box!!

You go Girl!!!! I'm going to take your advice and go plan a trip right now!!!

[Dizzy Pooh]

Thanks Nalasmom!! My sister & I have been sitting here reading all of this and thinking the same thing....if you want the same level of service you've had in the past, you need to spend some money at the parks!! We leave in 7 days and plan on having a great time - everyone needs to remember that if a business isnt' making money they don't stay in business. Also, please remember that the CM's are people - they have got to be under a great deal of stress wondering whether or not they'll have a job next week. Personally, I can do without EE and E-nights.

[susy]

I will still be there in 22 days, Lord willing.... My van is still in the shop (our only car) and my DS is coming down with a cold or something.... I read the article and I hope the Pocahontas show will be on the day we are at AK! My DS loves Pocahontas and has been looking forward to it. We will be there on Veteran's Day (mon), so hopefully the whole park will be up and running!!!

[lisapooh]

Well I'm still going even though I a ticked off about all the cuts. I think what rankles the most is the MGM cutbacks because they affect equal access. While the hearing will have 5 days that they can choose to see all the shows should they desire the deaf will have ZERO. That's right zero days where they can see all the shows with interpretation into ASL and fully participate. The cutbacks ensure this with one show dark Thur and Fri (Fri terped) and the other Monday and Tuesday (Tues terped). These are the only 2 days that interpreters are provided at MGM.
I could deal with Cyrano being cut at EPCOT as it is cut for all but MGM stinks.

[Kay1]

Well, those people must have come out from under their beds and gone to Universal and Island of Adventure because it's been pretty busy there lately.

[mudhen]

I wouldn't really have a problem with any of the cutbacks except
for the fact I don't see any cuts in ticket prices. They (disney) complain
about about attendance being low but don't seem to being
too much about enticing visitors to come.

If they are truly concerned with "company profitability", they should
start making good movies again (or shall I say "blockbusters") and
trim some of that corporate management salary. A decent tv
show on ABC would be helpful also (I believe the top ranked ABC
show came in at #16 on the last Nielson ratings).

There are too many other options out there for vacations nowadays
and frankly I'm not sure if I'd want to drop $1,000-$2,000 or more
at Disney if I know I'm not going to get the full "Disney Experience"

[HorizonsFan]

All the parks are doing pretty well on the weekends. During the week, they've reportedly been very slow.

[HorizonsFan]

My question is:
If the parks are less crowded (which is what is being reported), and the lines are short (which is what happens if the parks are less crowded), what are you missing by not having early entry and a few daily performances? Mind you, you can still see all the shows, just not at the same times as last week. And you can still get into a not-so-crowded park, just not two hours early. So what are you missing?
If attendance returns to normal levels and these cuts remain, I will join you in complaining to management. Until then, I'm going to support their decision and trust that it is made with the best interest in the future of WDW in mind.

[mktiggerman]

Originally posted by Kay1
Well, those people must have come out from under their beds and gone to Universal and Island of Adventure because it's been pretty busy there lately.

all the parks have been busy. Sea World has been beating WDW and USF/IOA in attendance lately (percentage, not actual numbers)

[ozmo19]

The thing is that things aren't wonderful, but companies such as Disney are continuing to use the events as a simple way of cost cutting. Look at the company, what do they have that is a success right now? ABC is simply terrible, their films tend to tank, their Disney Stores seem to be lost, etc. Just as they've done the past few years, tighten the belts at the place that makes them the $. Well, locals like us just have decided to stop renewing our passes. Some of us don't have our lives revolve around a company and refuse to go to a business that just looks at each on of our heads as a dollar sign. In recessions, weaker economies, etc, business is supposed to offer a great value for your money and better treatment in order to obtain business in a rough climate. Disney obviously doesn't know much of the 101's to business management. These companies are crying and moaning in the public to seem as they are bleeding dry because their profit is going to be less due to well, a truly devastating event. The Walt Disney Company no longer cares about us, their what "GUESTS". We've been getting better treatment at the Wal-Mart than at WDW as of late, that's really comforting. At least Wal-Mart is a sleezy company, but offers the consumer a product at almost the lower price you could find in the States.. One more thing, discounting. Besides the economic slowdown, the attacks, maybe a lot of people in this country are tired of paying fifty bucks a day to go to a theme park. Maybe all of their cutting, burnt out lightbulbs, and closed rides are something that even the casual fan notices. They are trying to entice people there with four new parades. Big deal to most visitors, you'd expect that they think a parade is part of the standard fare, not something of a basis to visit. Oh well, welcome to the new"er" Walt Disney Co. Since 1997 or so, it sure's had a wonderous decline.