Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[OKW Lover]

Anyone know about how many domestic employees DCL has? I would think a very small percentage but I really have no clue.

No idea either but I'd guess those that work at the terminal and the call center would be included in such a count.

 

[hertamaniac]

I hope they raise the amount of unemployment very soon. This is heartbreaking for so many.

But if this layoff translates to a large percentage of the CM's that were furloughed and already receiving unemployment, I'm not sure an increase will help if the benefits have expired.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

They should try transparent aluminum. Oh, wait. Wrong sci-fi franchise.

You, uh, realize of course that if we give him the formula; we're altering the future.

I'm gonna a bigger boat!

 

[Mit88]

Not to be grim, but imagine the number of layoffs had the parks not opened until 2021 like some had predicted/wanted. This is just the cause of having to shut down, it’s unfortunate and I feel for those that had their jobs taken from them, but just because Disney is very wealthy, doesn’t mean they weren’t going to be affected by the shutdowns.

 

[rteetz]

Don’t forget timing too.... End of fiscal year...

 

[andyman8]

Just to put this in perspective:

Lay-off is 28,000 domestic employees across WDW, DLR, ABD, DCL, Aulani, Disney Store, WDI, and Licensing. This includes their associated businesses (like Walt Disney Travel for example). So far, this doesn’t seem to include international parks (which would really be just DLP since the others wouldn’t be fully Disney layoffs).

Roughly 22% of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products (DPEP) has been let go. DPEP is the Company’s largest division based on employment.

This accounts for just under 13% of Disney’s entire workforce across the world.

Other notes:

A number of Disney Stores closed yesterday.

Fiscal year is about to end.

These appear to be larger than the 2008/2009 layoffs.

 

[Vern60]

Disneyland Resort has something like 30,000 on furlough.

I'm so sorry, I liked the wrong comment,, Please forgive me!!!

 

[Vern60]

Disneyland Resort has something like 30,000 on furlough.

Sorry about that, I was able to change my accidental thumbs up to a frown. I didn't know you could do that.... Didn't want everyone mad at me thinking I thumbed up people being on furlough.

 

[anthony2k7]

Super unpopular opinion given that I am amongst not only Disney fans but people who have already gone back (some multiple times), I don’t think it’s terrible for a government to be ultra cautious right now although it is obviously horrible for those who are out of work. I can’t pretend I wouldn’t be relieved with preventing huge tourist attractions from opening if there were any where I live.

It is way way way more complex than just villifying the California government as the bad guys who won’t let DLR open.

Iv not kept up with CA numbers, but I thought I saw a headline a few days ago saying CA numbers were starting to rise again. That's not gonna help the decision on DLR if true.

 

[anthony2k7]

Not many, and while there will likely be layoffs amongst that small group, it will be small drop compared to how this will hit WDW, DL, and Disney Store. I’m hearing A LOT about Disney Store.

Not really surprising. Most retailers are rethinking how many stores they want going forward, if any at all.

 

[anthony2k7]

Yeah, like I said it’s an unpopular opinion.

Welcome to my world.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Iv not kept up with CA numbers, but I thought I saw a headline a few days ago saying CA numbers were starting to rise again. That's not gonna help the decision on DLR if true.

Orange county at least saw a bit of uptick today ... I don't think it is crazy bad but wrong direction to lead to parks opening/the county moving to next phase/color

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Man, I don't know what Disney is going to look like in a few years. I can see hotels between closed long-term.

We were waiting for a vaccine, but now it seems that isn't going to be good enough anymore - either will take too long, or people just won't get it, now everyone saying "oh end of 2021 we may start to see a hint of normalcy".
Every state is just following their own guidelines on who is quarantined, who can visit who, who actually enforces, you can come here but we can't go there.

How can any company in any kind of entertainment/food/beverage capacity survive this. No help in sight.

I'm buying a sailboat and taking off! With my cat!

Well, according to everyone on twitter Disney is a giant corporation and should just pay all their employees forever to not work

 

[Farro]

Well, according to everyone on twitter Disney is a giant corporation and should just pay all their employees forever to not work

That's logical.

 

[sullivan.kscott]

Not many, and while there will likely be layoffs amongst that small group, it will be small drop compared to how this will hit WDW, DL, and Disney Store. I’m hearing A LOT about Disney Store.

Were the CM in the friendly neighbor hotels in Orlando Disney employees, and were they previously furloughed or laid off when those closed?

As for Disney Store as a whole, I’d really be shocked to see it survive the pandemic and the current physical retail climate. Outside of some major markets like Chicago, NYC, and the Earports, traditional mall shopping is just a shell of the Stranger Things glory days.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Every major news outlet is running the story (it’s an eye catching number of people to lay off ). CNN said “The California governor's office did not immediately respond to request for comment.” Disney knows darn well what they are doing. And to break through the national news cycle on the evening of our first 2020 presidential debate? Yo dang. Disney PR is good... (scary good. This is horrible news. Slam dunk evil corporation type headline- and yet the egg is on CA’s face.)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Super unpopular opinion given that I am amongst not only Disney fans but people who have already gone back (some multiple times), I don’t think it’s terrible for a government to be ultra cautious right now although it is obviously horrible for those who are out of work. I can’t pretend I wouldn’t be relieved with preventing huge tourist attractions from opening if there were any where I live.

It is way way way more complex than just villifying the California government as the bad guys who won’t let DLR open.

I am all for safety and erring on the side of caution but the challenge is we don't know when it will be 100% safe or if it ever will. At some point we have to figure out how to live with it, safely, doing the things that are required. Now is FL moving to fast? Very likely ... Is CA moving to slow? In some areas I think so. Just expecting companies to pay their employees for doing nothing forever I don't think is reasonable

The alternative is expecting the government to pay people to not go to work - which most of our country isn't set up for. We are set up for work to provide for people. Now, maybe proper to shift in times like this but that is like trying to turn a giant cruise ship - doesn't happen quickly

 

[andyman8]

Every major news outlet is running the story (it’s an eye catching number of people to lay off ). CNN said “The California governor's office did not immediately respond to request for comment.” Disney knows darn well what they are doing. And to break through the national news cycle on the evening of our first 2020 presidential debate? Yo dang. Disney PR is good...

Given what the airlines are about to do, I’m curious if this news (plus the airlines) makes it into the debate this evening. COVID-19 and the economy are both topics for tonight, not to mention Florida is a swing state. We’ll see. That’s all I’m going to say.

 

[hertamaniac]

Every major news outlet is running the story (it’s an eye catching number of people to lay off ). CNN said “The California governor's office did not immediately respond to request for comment.” Disney knows darn well what they are doing. And to break through the national news cycle on the evening of our first 2020 presidential debate? Yo dang. Disney PR is good...

And most/all local Orlando TV news outlets "have reached out to WDW for comment", but they are probably under a tight-lipped-maintain-radio-silence-order.

 

[andyman8]

Were the CM in the friendly neighbor hotels in Orlando Disney employees, and were they previously furloughed or laid off when those closed?

I don’t know.