FYI: More Cuts Coming

[rteetz]

And the cuts Disney is making don't even really make a blip on first-time visitor radars. They don't know any better! They just see the "magical" commercials and hear all the big news about Star Wars Land and the new Shanghai park (again, that 60th Anniversal special on ABC this weekend...!), and little things like characters being removed from Epcot and custodial staff begin diminished won't even register with them. Disney doesn't feel the need to compete with Universal at that level, because that's not what brings first-timers or twice-or-thrice-in-a-life-timers into the parks.

They don't know any better is exactly the Disney mentality unfortunately.

 

[cabanafrau]

I feel badly for the employees and this bothers me more than other issues because having enough employees is crucial to the trip being magical or not. Long wait at checkin, not magical. Trashcans full, not magical. And so on. The best moments I've had at Disney were always because of a CM.

I think saying I feel badly for the employees is saying a mouthful right there. It disgusts me immensely to know that hard working people are no doubt going to suffer very real hardships while attendance continues to break records and those at the top making obscene amounts of money focus on keeping revenue streams inflated, paying no attention to the real human parts of the equation, the cast memmbers and guests who are far more than pluses and minuses, dollars and cents -- of which those at the top have plenty.

 

[monorailrabbit]

Sorry to say, but it is now just called Chip meet and greet, Dale got cut.

I'm sorry, what? How did I miss this? What is the point of this? You can't have one without the other!

 

[MrKnight]

I'm sure the parks and the studio divisions are separate, with separate budgets. I don't think you can take from one to pay for the other!

I feel bad for the people who will lose hours/jobs though.

THIS.. The reality is that this is how corporate America works, especially in mega-corporations like Disney.. Walt Disney Parks & Resorts is a completely separate division from Walt Disney Studios, each division essentially operates as its own company within a company so no matter how much the other makes or looses it is irrelevant to their respective individual financial expectations set by Disney's board of directors and shareholders.

 

[KateP85]

I'm not so sure that the cuts at WDW are because of cost overruns in China. I suspect a lot of the cuts are being made because after doing a cost-benefit analysis, in many cases the hours and/or positions were unnecessary or redundant. The iPad greeters and the concierge and front desk CMs really come to mind. If the Magic Bands and MDE are working properly, the front desk personnel become largely obsolete, and most guests won't notice if there are CMs working at the desk or not. In most cases now, it is completely unnecessary for any guest to visit the check-in desk for their entire trip. Guest experiences won't be diminished because it was a service guests aren't using anyway. Yes, it absolutely sucks for the CMs that work at the front desks, but honestly it's technology that has taken those hours away, not Disney Shanghai. (By the way, if this is really a problem for you and you are really truly worried for the American worker, then I hope you always go to the grocery store clerk rather than the self check-out and you always go to the bank and have a teller process your transactions and never use the ATM. Same idea)

The limit to one Fantasmic per night is somewhat interesting. Is it because the Star Wars fireworks have become so popular that two Fantasmic showings per night are unneeded? Is the second showing of Fantasmic typically pretty empty during the times they are speaking of eliminating it? I guess I just see having only one MSEP showing for the next 5-6 weeks as not that different than usual for this time of year. Am I wrong? are there typically 2 MSEP in Febraury? (Sorry; I can never go this time of year, so I don't pay attention to how many times the nighttime shows are offered). As far as Wishes, Fantasmic, MSEP, and Illuminations in the future are concerned, I'd wait 'till summer is closer before worrying about them being offered on a limited basis. Also, they will be adding an entirely new nighttime experience with Rivers of Light starting soon, so I don't think the nighttime options are truly going to be limited long-term.

Yes, they have eliminated a few meet and greets. But just yesterday they added two, and one of them will be GIGANTIC! I assume that the Frozen presence will include another summer show, as they are adding Olaf and have moved the Frozen sing-a-long to a more permanent location. I'd guess we are going to have the Frozen Summer of Fun or similar experience again.

Yes, prices increase. Do I like it, no, but I think it is all the supply and demand. Universal just raised their prices and a one day ticket is equal to a one day Magic Kingdom ticket at $105. Is Universal competition? Sure. Is Universal also shuffling employees and shifting hours? Certainly.

As far as "paying more for a lesser experience" is concerned, I just don't think that is the case. I think of WDW as a fluid entity as Walt wanted...ever-changing and growing. Things close, get shut down, and moved. New areas are built. We lose Usborne lights, but gain Rivers of Light. We lose "Dream Along with Mickey," but will gain a different stage show. We lose Chip and Dale, but gain Mickey and Minnie on the Red Carpet. We lose check in at the front desk, but gain receiving our room number on our phone or at the guard tower. Relatively soon we'll have Pandora, followed by Star Wars land and Toy Story land.

Don't underestimate the logistical engineers at WDW. They know exactly what to expect from the Frozen ride opening, how much crowd it is expected to divert from the Magic Kingdom into Epcot, etc. They know they can pull crowds into Hollywood Studios using Olaf, etc. I think it's easy for us to blame China, but suspect there is far more to efficiency studies right there in Florida.

Shanghai is costing Disney a fortune every day it isn't open. I know a few people working out there who keep saying it's a disaster, and another one of my husband's coworkers just got told he's going out there for six months (which he's not thrilled about!) to try to help out. Pretty much every area of WDW (food and beverage, merchandise, entertainment, etc) are being told to find ways to cut spending and trim the budget; they're not being told to eliminate specific positions because they're not efficient or because some cost-benefit study has been done, they're just being told to cut spending somewhere.

 

[rteetz]

I'm sorry, what? How did I miss this? What is the point of this? You can't have one without the other!

That was a joke...

 

[Planogirl]

I think saying I feel badly for the employees is saying a mouthful right there. It disgusts me immensely to know that hard working people are no doubt going to suffer very real hardships while attendance continues to break records and those at the top making obscene amounts of money focus on keeping revenue streams inflated, paying no attention to the real human parts of the equation, the cast memmbers and guests who are far more than pluses and minuses, dollars and cents -- of which those at the top have plenty.

Plus you lose that famous Disney customer service. A message on a phone can never replace a live person available to answer questions. Those people at the top aren't going to greet anyone.

 

[monorailrabbit]

That was a joke...

Don't mess with me here, I'm fragile after all these cuts!

 

[Jennasis]

This just in...Disney announces cutting of all Meet & Greets to just "meets". Greets are out.

 

[ElizabethB]

DH and I went every year to the Food & Wine Festival for many years. We were annual passholders and often traveled to WDW 2-3 times per year.

In the last five years, we've been trying to find some reason (any reason) to go back. Instead, we just keep finding additional reasons not to go. This news adds more reason why we don't even bother going anymore.

 

[Accident]

In Sept, I met a lot of WDW cast members that were training for shanghai disney. Are these labor cuts just those employees being shifted early to shanghai for it's opening?

 

[spdGT]

I'm starting to think I picked a bad time to visit Disney for the first time. At least with it being my first time, I won't know what I'm missing. I'm sure my family will have a great time and the trip is more for my son anyway. It is disheartening to read about the cuts and changes, especially with what this trip is going to cost.

 

[MermaidMommy]

I'm not so sure that the cuts at WDW are because of cost overruns in China. I suspect a lot of the cuts are being made because after doing a cost-benefit analysis, in many cases the hours and/or positions were unnecessary or redundant. The iPad greeters and the concierge and front desk CMs really come to mind. If the Magic Bands and MDE are working properly, the front desk personnel become largely obsolete, and most guests won't notice if there are CMs working at the desk or not. In most cases now, it is completely unnecessary for any guest to visit the check-in desk for their entire trip. Guest experiences won't be diminished because it was a service guests aren't using anyway. Yes, it absolutely sucks for the CMs that work at the front desks, but honestly it's technology that has taken those hours away, not Disney Shanghai. (By the way, if this is really a problem for you and you are really truly worried for the American worker, then I hope you always go to the grocery store clerk rather than the self check-out and you always go to the bank and have a teller process your transactions and never use the ATM. Same idea)

The limit to one Fantasmic per night is somewhat interesting. Is it because the Star Wars fireworks have become so popular that two Fantasmic showings per night are unneeded? Is the second showing of Fantasmic typically pretty empty during the times they are speaking of eliminating it? I guess I just see having only one MSEP showing for the next 5-6 weeks as not that different than usual for this time of year. Am I wrong? are there typically 2 MSEP in Febraury? (Sorry; I can never go this time of year, so I don't pay attention to how many times the nighttime shows are offered). As far as Wishes, Fantasmic, MSEP, and Illuminations in the future are concerned, I'd wait 'till summer is closer before worrying about them being offered on a limited basis. Also, they will be adding an entirely new nighttime experience with Rivers of Light starting soon, so I don't think the nighttime options are truly going to be limited long-term.

Yes, they have eliminated a few meet and greets. But just yesterday they added two, and one of them will be GIGANTIC! I assume that the Frozen presence will include another summer show, as they are adding Olaf and have moved the Frozen sing-a-long to a more permanent location. I'd guess we are going to have the Frozen Summer of Fun or similar experience again.

Yes, prices increase. Do I like it, no, but I think it is all the supply and demand. Universal just raised their prices and a one day ticket is equal to a one day Magic Kingdom ticket at $105. Is Universal competition? Sure. Is Universal also shuffling employees and shifting hours? Certainly.

As far as "paying more for a lesser experience" is concerned, I just don't think that is the case. I think of WDW as a fluid entity as Walt wanted...ever-changing and growing. Things close, get shut down, and moved. New areas are built. We lose Usborne lights, but gain Rivers of Light. We lose "Dream Along with Mickey," but will gain a different stage show. We lose Chip and Dale, but gain Mickey and Minnie on the Red Carpet. We lose check in at the front desk, but gain receiving our room number on our phone or at the guard tower. Relatively soon we'll have Pandora, followed by Star Wars land and Toy Story land.

Don't underestimate the logistical engineers at WDW. They know exactly what to expect from the Frozen ride opening, how much crowd it is expected to divert from the Magic Kingdom into Epcot, etc. They know they can pull crowds into Hollywood Studios using Olaf, etc. I think it's easy for us to blame China, but suspect there is far more to efficiency studies right there in Florida.

Regarding MSEP, no, once a week is not at all common for March. Last year, there were 62 showings of MSEP in March. This March, there are 31 scheduled. Additionally, they've eliminated all of the 8am openings at MK for March - including during Easter. The parks aren't staying open as long as they normally do, either. And, the first Fantasmic! routinely gets filled to capacity, but without a second show, some people just won't be able to see it.

As for characters, they've eliminated Aurora, Chip and Dale, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, and Lady Tremaine. So, six characters cut, while they're going to be adding a grand total of -- one. Mickey and Minnie were already at HS, and are merely being relocated within the park. Olaf is the only new character, and who knows when he'll actually arrive.

So, for my March trip, I'll have reduced park hours, reduced -- in some cases by half -- entertainment offerings, and fewer characters. Crowds will be higher because the parks won't be open as long or as early, and cuts to attractions staff will likely make lines longer as well. We'll have to wait much longer for MSEP and F!, since there's only one show now. And, not a single one of the new shows or rides will be ready for my trip. There's no way to look at the empirical evidence and say that I'm not paying more and getting less.

 

[mom2rtk]

Don't mess with me here, I'm fragile after all these cuts!

I think it says something that someone on a Disney board would actually entertain the idea that eliminating half of the Chip/Dale duo was possible.

 

[epcotty]

Universal is working on building that nostalgia now for the future. Disney is almost coasting on it.

I have nostalgia for both as I went to both as a kid but I guess for now that's less common

 

[rteetz]

In Sept, I met a lot of WDW cast members that were training for shanghai disney. Are these labor cuts just those employees being shifted early to shanghai for it's opening?

No they are not.

 

[rteetz]

I'm starting to think I picked a bad time to visit Disney for the first time. At least with it being my first time, I won't know what I'm missing. I'm sure my family will have a great time and the trip is more for my son anyway. It is disheartening to read about the cuts and changes, especially with what this trip is going to cost.

Disney is still a great time and I think you will be fine. This really doesn't affect the guest much except for maybe taking away a little of extra magic or you might see some longer lines at less staffed areas.

 

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Disney is still a great time and I think you will be fine. This really doesn't affect the guest much except for maybe taking away a little of extra magic or you might see some longer lines at less staffed areas.

When Disney is decreasing park hours and decreasing the amount of shows per day like Fantasmic during busy times like Spring Break, it affects the guest.

 

[rteetz]

When Disney is decreasing park hours and decreasing the amount of shows per day like Fantasmic during busy times like Spring Break, it affects the guest.

As a first time guest I think they will still have a great time. Yes it affects everyone but really it's only going to increase the already large crowds. It's an unfortunate situation, all we can do is hope this has an end.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Because there is one Fantasmic or MSEP a night instead of two does not mean that a first time guest is going to have a bad time. They will have to do a bit of planning if they want to see a show, because there will be more guests trying to get to that show. It doesn't necessarily mean they won't get to see it. At least the poster knows if they really want to see Fantasmic to consider a dining package or lining up early. It is a pain compared to what they could have done (waited for the second show) but it does not necessarily mean they will have a bad time.