I don't know if Tom took a buyout. Karl Holz is back in charge as I mentioned.
Companies never announce, "so-and-so accepted a voluntary buyout offer." If a company announces anything at all, the normal explanation is along the lines of, "so-and-so left to pursue other interests."
Here's the announcement about Tom McAlpin leaving, as reported by the DIS (
not an official Disney announcement):
http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_Disney_News/Tom_McAlpin_leaves_as_head_of_Disney_Cruise_LIne.htm
As far as Adventures by Disney is concerned, it's a way for Disney to make money off people wishing to go to destinations where there's usually no Disney resort or
Disney cruise itinerary. It leverages Disney's reputation in family travel, without requiring and capital investments by Disney. One beauty of this product from Disney's perspective is that they can easily add or delete destinations and increase or decrease capacity.
Chances are that Adventures by Disney will scale back while bookings are soft due to the economy.
I would be surprised if ventures by Disney is in a "coast to a close" mode, but it's possible -- especially if the P&L for Adventures by Disney is in the red, with no indication of moving into the black any time soon.
Keep in mind that Disney Parks & Resorts has cancelled other ventures that didn't work out, such as Club Disney (which folded after opening a single location in Thousand Oaks, California) and Disney Quest (which was supposed to be a national chain, but is now just a single location at WDW).
