FYI: More Cuts Coming

[rteetz]

We've visited regularly for 36 years. I never thought it would get this bad and the hits keep coming.. The difference is unbelievable. The cuts, increases, etc. have enticed us to vacation elsewhere, especially Europe. It's cheaper and get way more bang for my buck.

See now I've only been visiting since 1999 and I don't even remember that trip because I was so young. Now I have visited six flags recently and WDW while yes things have decreased six flags is still worse in terms of staff and cleanliness in my opinion.

 

[EricInPA]

See now I've only been visiting since 1999 and I don't even remember that trip because I was so young. Now I have visited six flags recently and WDW while yes things have decreased six flags is still worse in terms of staff and cleanliness in my opinion.

I started traveling to Disney as an adult, but did (and still do) travel annually to Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Palace Ent. properties for most of my life. If the current state of Disney Parks is bad, then it would have to become apocalyptic to reach the level of the other places.

 

[jpeden]

Nice work! Let us know what they say!

It looks like it wasn't George's assistant - the email I got was from Guest Services. He forwarded the email over to them. Regardless, I'll let you know what they say after I speak with her later this afternoon. Although, the part about the incident at the Poly was highlighted which I'm assuming he did or someone else, because I did not highlight it in my original email.

 

[Budshark]

I disagree with your foundational premise in bold. I agree that WS did not open up in a manner consistent with Walt's original vision. But I disagree that what they created "didn't work out." I simply don't see any evidence of that. Now, if you want to argue that Future World "didn't work out", you'd get far less resistance. But WS is immensely popular and seems to be growing in popularity rather than waning. And of all the pavilions that deserved a do over, Norway would have been toward the bottom of that list.....until Frozen Incorporated came along. Norway (along with Japan as you correctly noted), was one of the few pavilions that actually contained some semblance of history and culture. And add to that, it had a popular ride. A good argument could be made that the combination of the Stave Church, the Viking Ship, the ride, the store featuring gorgeous Helly Hansen clothing, and a popular restaurant made Norway the single best example of what the rest of WS should have strived to become. There is/was no other pavilion that had the critical combination of history, food, culture and a ride. It simply cannot be credibly argued that WS "didn't work out", or that Norway was at the bottom of the WS pack and was in dire need of being plowed under. Frankly, if Norway deserved that treatment, then each and every other pavilion should receive the same treatment with a Disney movie serving as the base for re-do. Can't wait for "Brother Bear Land" to take over Canada and "Mulan Land" to take over China.

Everybody has their buttons don't they.

The criteria for what is a success or isn't obviously varies. So, I'll give my reasons for why I make the statements I do.

I don't think it has been successful because it was originally designed to be larger than it is (empty pavilions), more dynamic than it is (as we agree, with few exceptions it is stale), have more sponsorship than it does (an Epcot as a whole bane). All those items "didn't work out" and Disney hasn't been able or wanted to address.

There does not appear to be a future for WS other than more pop-up festivals. Disney has never laid out a plan or strategy as we all know. New pavilions? Next country? Plans to update?

Lastly as a matter of fact (version opinion or observation), Epcot has the lowest attendance growth in the past 6 years of the 4 parks. Why? Future World, Nighttime shows, World Showcase? I'm not saying World Showcase is the reason, but clearly it isn't "adding". The park isn't working out as has been observed by many. Its not bad, its just not what it should be.

And I never said Norway should be plowed over. I simply said I don't disagree with what Disney is trying. Nor do I think of the World Showcase pavilions as some historical accurate depiction. They are "representative" of a cultural view that Western culture and the country both agree upon. Its kinda like the food. Its at best "representative". In the end its still a mass produced cafeteria version of a type of food. Its not the real thing.

Now if you asked me if I thought the unload area of Maelstrom should be plowed over and the movie taken along with it - that I would've said yes to.

 

[mshanson3121]

So, I sent this email to a whole host of Disney execs this morning:

Good Morning,

I want to start this email out by saying that both my wife and I love Walt Disney World. In fact, we went to Walt Disney World three times last year, spending a total of ten days in all four of the theme parks. We spent our anniversary last year at Animal Kingdom Lodge and for our Christmas present to each other, we took a trip the week after Thanksgiving to Walt Disney World to see the Osborne Lights one last time, where we stayed at the Polynesian. I say this to show that I am no novice when it comes to visiting the Walt Disney World Resort.

While over the years there have been a number of exciting things that have happened to improve guest experiences at Walt Disney World (including the additions in New Fantsyland, the expansion of the Food and Wine Festival, and My Magic Plus), it has come to the attention of not only myself, but also of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of other Disney fans that recently Parks and Resorts has decided to implement massive staff reductions, layoffs, and a significant reduction in entertainment options in the theme parks in Florida. The removal of characters such as Chip and Dale, Pooh and Tigger, and Aurora in EPCOT was a shock to many people. And while they're rumored to be replaced with other characters, these are timeless, classic Disney standards that people expect to see when they visit. On top of that, we have seen the removal of the Wicked Stepmother in the Magic Kingdom, and a large reduction in front-of-the-line staff throughout the resorts and the park itself. On top of all of this, we have seen a reduction in the number of Main Street Electrical Parades that are to be run this spring and summer in the parks, along with the elimination for the time being of the 2nd showing of Fantasmic! All of this at a time when the Walt Disney Company has recorded record profits, and has had substantial growth in revenue and profit in the Parks and Resorts Division.

It is disheartening to see that the executives of Disney believe that as guests, we should continually pay more and receive less service. For example, on our trip in November, we had an issue where a package that was supposed to be delivered to our resort did not arrive on time. Due to the fact that we were scheduled to depart the next morning, the manager on duty at the Polynesian said that they would have the package sent to our room. When we arrived back from the Christmas Party that night, the package was not there. I spent the next hour (well past 1:00AM) discussing this with the front desk staff at the Polynesian. When I asked to speak with the manager on duty, I was told that there was no night manager on duty - a fact that I know to be not true, because I turned around and called Guest Services. The wonderful Cast Member at Guest Services offered to call the hotel and have the night manager come speak with me, but at that point I just wanted to go to bed. We did discuss this issue at length with the manager on duty the next morning before we left, but in no way would I ever have been expected to be told that I could not speak to a manager about an issue at a Disney Resort.

The reality of the matter is that as repeat visitors of Walt Disney World, we have come to feel not valued by the Walt Disney Company. Sure, our hard-earned vacation money goes into your company's bottom line and onto the P&L sheets, but the reality is that we are no longer the demographic that you concern yourselves with - as repeat customers, you know we will most likely come back. Disney is now focused on the "one-and-done" or "once-in-a-lifetime" customer who comes once, has a great time, and never comes again. These types of guest don't know or notice that a parade has been cut from the Magic Kingdom, or that the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios used to have daily parades. This guest doesn't realize when the bathrooms in the park are not as clean as they used to be, because Disney has reduced custodial staff. They don't know that gift shops used to open when the park opened, allowing guests to have a quieter and more relaxed time to shop and send items back to their hotel. They don't realize that we wait longer in lines, pay more for food and tickets, and get less and less service and "magic" from staying on property - because they have no baseline to compare their stay with.

These staffing reductions and entertainment cuts have concerned me and my family so much, that we have decided that we will not be visiting Walt Disney World this year, and we cancelled our planning for a vacation to Disney in the first quarter of 2017. In all honesty, I am not comfortable in expending my hard earned capital, just so that Disney can keep more of theirs and provide me with a lesser experience. All of this coming on (and I emphasize this again, even though you are all aware of the fact) that The Walt Disney Company (including Parks and Resorts) broke record revenue and profit margins last year, while CEO Bob Iger received $44.9 Million in 2015, with a $22.3 Million dollar bonus. Let me be clear, I do not begrudge Mr. Iger or his compensation package - as a free market fundamentalist, I believe that if the market demands he get paid that, then so be it. He has a highly complicated and stressful job. But, that is not the point. The point to be made is a company that can afford a $22.3 million dollar bonus (whether in cash, or stock options, or a mix of those and any other benefits) can afford to not cut labor by 20% when most of those are making close to minimum wage in Central Florida. Meanwhile, Mr. Iger, with total combined compensation, brings home over $860,000.00 - a week.

There have been a number of rumors floated that these cuts are due to budget overruns at Shanghai Disneyland and due to the loss of money because of the closing of Disneyland Paris after the attacks in Paris earlier this year, along with attempts to re-coup some of the estimated $2 billion + spent on My Magic Plus (which by the way, is pretty awesome - kudos to you guys for coming up with that one - seriously). Regardless of the reasons, it plays out with longtime Disney loyalist as nothing more than corporate greed. It is hard to justify these extreme measures to guests when Disney has made record profits, along with consistent price increases. For example, a four-day park hopper in 1995 when I first visited as a child would have cost my parents $137.00 for each adult. Adjusted for inflation, that ticket would now cost $212.98. In 2016, a four-day park hopper for an adult now costs $392.99 - which is almost double the rate of inflation. While we may not be the target audience for Disney World vacations anymore, we notice these type of things, and we do not feel as if Disney cares anymore.

I have gone on in this email for long enough, and I could continue but I believe that I have tried to explain my concerns in a respectful, but firm tone. While I'm not expecting a response or any action to occur from this email, I would be greatly appreciative if a response was received. Until we see how all of these new actions by Disney level out, we most likely will not be returning to the parks. I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney, which I think this company needs to take to heart more often:

"I knew if this business was ever to get anywhere, if this business was ever to grow, it could never do it by having to answer to someone unsympathetic to its possibilities, by having to answer to someone with only one thought or interest, namely profits. For my idea of how to make profits has differed greatly from those who generally control businesses such as ours. I have blind faith in the policy that quality, tempered with good judgment and showmanship, will win against all odds."

Sincerely,
Jared

While I don't know what will come of it, I've already received a phone call (and voice-mail) from George Kalogridis' assistant. I plan on calling her back in a few minutes. I'll be interested to see what she has to say. I was honestly shocked that I received a response, much less a phone call within five hours of sending that email.

Awesome!~

 

[NH-to-FL]

So, I sent this email to a whole host of Disney execs this morning:

Good Morning,

I want to start this email out by saying that both my wife and I love Walt Disney World. In fact,

An excellent email! I look forward to hearing about the conversations you have with Disney.

 

[JimmyV]

Nowhere do we have an actual confirmation that FP+ has been eliminated as a service from shows and parades. It could be happening but we'll need to see people on the ground confirm that it has been eliminated in the coming months.

??? Here is the confirmation. http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=835236

March is next week. Do you think that they are tinkering with the schedule in the background and all of a sudden, next week, FPs are going to be available for parades and fireworks shows? I see nothing to support that level of optimism.

 

[NH-to-FL]

This thread was on my mind yesterday morning at the Magic Kingdom. There was no Welcome Show. Just a brief welcome announcement over the speakers followed by a countdown to the rope drop. I overheard numerous disappointed conversations as we made our way through the tunnel. Including one couple who made a specific point to get up extra early because their family had told them they must see the Welcome Show.

I know that the MK Welcome Show has a number of variations but I have never experienced a completely cast member-less welcome.

Was it connected to the recent cut back announcement? Who knows?

The rest of our morning at the MK was fine but it started off with a bit of disappointment.

 

[JimmyV]

All those items "didn't work out" and Disney hasn't been able or wanted to address.

I think those are all "Epcot as a whole" problems and not "World Showcase problems". Indeed, it can be argued that WS is the only thing keeping Epcot afloat. I think you place far too much blame on WS when that area is more of the cure than the cancer. I agree that World Showcase is a series of McCountries. Is it smaller than originally intended? Perhaps. But only by one or two pavilions. Is it less dynamic than it should be? Sure. The museum in Japan is the only truly dynamic area of the park. But is that lack of dynamics more fatal to Epcot's overall strategy than say, Ellen's Universe of Energy? (Look Ellen!! Solar Energy. The power of the future!!) I think not. Any lack of attendance growth can be tied directly to FW and not the fact that the pastries in France are not as precise as ones found in Dijon.

 

[Robo]

I know that the MK Welcome Show has a number of variations but I have never experienced a completely cast member-less welcome.

Was it connected to the recent cut back announcement? Who knows?

The rest of our morning at the MK was fine but it started off with a bit of disappointment.

That has been one of the options for years, and I have seen it numerous times.
When discussing the MK Welcome show the following info has been included in many of my posts for the last 5 years, or so…

MK still offers an actual Rope Drop SHOW along with an inside-the-gates holding area.
MK Gates open approx. 20-30 minutes "early."
But, the Rope Drop show starts about 8:45AM.


MK's Rope Drop Ceremony is called "Magic Kingdom Welcome"

The ceremony lasts 6-7 minutes, or so, and starts about 15 minutes before the scheduled MK opening time.

There is also a "mini" version (far less "hoopla") that lasts about 2-3 minutes.
There is also an "AUDIO ONLY" version (no characters at all) that lasts under minute.
That one starts about 2-3 minutes before the top of the hour.
Which one you will see can be tough to guess.
----------------------------------

The situation is that nobody knows in advance which version will be used on a given morning.

 

[mom2rtk]

That has been one of the options for years, and I have seen it numerous times.
When discussing the MK Welcome show the following info has been included in many of my posts for the last 5 years, or so…

MK still offers an actual Rope Drop SHOW along with an inside-the-gates holding area.
MK Gates open approx. 20-30 minutes "early."
But, the Rope Drop show starts about 8:45AM.


MK's Rope Drop Ceremony is called "Magic Kingdom Welcome"

The ceremony lasts 6-7 minutes, or so, and starts about 15 minutes before the scheduled MK opening time.

There is also a "mini" version (far less "hoopla") that lasts about 2-3 minutes.
There is also an "AUDIO ONLY" version (no characters at all) that lasts under minute.
That one starts about 2-3 minutes before the top of the hour.
Which one you will see can be tough to guess.
----------------------------------

The situation is that nobody knows in advance which version will be used on a given morning.

Still, it will be interesting to see if that "no cast member" option will be more common now.

 

[JimmyV]

Still, it will be interesting to see if that "no cast member" option will be more common now.

I think they still need a cast member to hit "PLAY" on the audio system. But Imagineerng is probably hard at work figuring out how to do away with the need for a human finger push.

 

[Robo]

Still, it will be interesting to see if that "no cast member" option will be more common now.

I wouldn't be surprised.

If so, since it was never actually promoted as an "event" by Disney, there is no need for them to apologize regarding (or even mention) the reduction in number of (or even delete) its performances.

 

[Robo]

I think they still need a cast member to hit "PLAY" on the audio system. But Imagineerng is probably hard at work figuring out how to do away with the need for a human finger push.

It's called an "auto-start based on real time."
(Must people call it an "alarm clock" function.)

 

[norjack]

No....cast welcome? Edit: Yes, I've read the thread. I am just still in shock. Before this reading this thread, that was news to me. How did I not catch that? I've been to WDW numerous times, and never experienced a time without the cast.

Makes me wonder what other daily cm's are expendable, and expected on a daily basis. Has there been a cutback on photographers? I could easily see that as something next to go. Either that or starting to refuse using your own camera or phone to take a pic.

 

[Robo]

No....cast welcome?

Please read this same thread starting at post #590.

 

[JimmyV]

It's called an "auto-start based on real time."
(Must people call it an "alarm clock" function.)

Sure. That's what "most people" call it. Disney, no doubt, is searching for the Rube Goldberg solution that involves RFID and plastic wristbands.

 

[Robo]

Sure. That's what "most people" call it. Disney, no doubt, is searching for the Rube Goldberg solution that involves RFID and plastic wristbands.

And, a copyrightable "catchy name."

 

[Robo]

And, a copyrightable "catchy name."

Which I have just coined…

"AudioAnimatroniCM"

 

[larryz]

I think they still need a cast member to hit "PLAY" on the audio system. But Imagineerng is probably hard at work figuring out how to do away with the need for a human finger push.

http://www.timer-tab.com/