FYI: More Cuts Coming

[Angel Ariel]

That rumor is new to me (thoug, of course the concept is very old) Where can I read about that?

Source

Apparently this twitter account has had credible information in the past..there's posts about it on the increased ticket prices thread on the rumors board.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

This Board has been forecasting the demise of Disney being just around the corner at least since I joined! Hasn't happened yet -- they are doing incredibly well as a company overall. I think that success upsets some people here even more. And so it goes...

This is NOT to say that there might not be some sort of magic (!!) tipping point that Disney won't see coming and will walk right into, causing a decline in company fortunes. I posit only that this Board will NOT be a good predictor either way. My supporting evidence? All prior posts, I suppose.

I certainly don't love EVERY change Disney makes... and I understand a lot of the frustration. And I'll certainly complain here and there (hello... canceling SWW with so little notice?!?). I just don't assume that because I dislike something they've done that the company will/should tank. I don't think it will because of any temporary cutbacks either.

I've gotten pretty good at staying out of these things... gravitating to the oasis of the SWW threads, runDisney threads, and posts answering specific questions about actual trip planning. Every now and then I suppose I can't help but duck my head out... only to have it precipitously chopped off, usually by a familiar group. It is a message board, after all, so all to be expected! Gotta' love DIS!!

 

[anniemae]

what is the digital ticket booth rumor?

 

[pd1138]

After our next trip, hopefully in November of this year, I will start exploring elsewhere. But I am in the boat as where I could go and stay at a Disney resort and not have to enter Disney parks. And I may just do that. The Beach/Yatch Club resort can easily keep me entertained. As I think the Poly could too.

I will start exploring other parts of Orlando and Florida attractions! Maybe a new cruise line. Disney may be doing me a favor.

We just did this last November! We went for six nights and stayed at the yacht club. Except for the Christmas party one night we did not go into the parks. We explained this to the kids before we left and they were great. We did chef mickeys and cape may cafe so the kids saw characters. We explored Fort wilderness and did the free sing along with chip and dale. We watched movies under the stars and watched the fireworks from outside magic kingdom and Epcot. The kids swam in storm a long bay almost every day. We played mini golf which we had never done before. The kids saw magic shows at the boardwalk and roasted more marshmallows then I can count. We rode the monorail and the boats, explored Disney springs, and animal kingdom lodge!
We are going back this August and we are doing the parks, but I would be just as happy to do a non parks trip again!!

 

[Mac30188]

The license ownership of significantly popular artistic/creative properties is the pillar they have built their empire and it gives them power to be "untouchable". If Star Wars continues to be a success, nothing will prevent the massive inflow of people to see the new Star Wars land. IMHO, Universal's success scared Disney into grabbing all "threatening" creative properties to form a pseudo monopoly and distance themselves from Universal. The downfall of Disney will occur once they go into a dry spell with regard to their homegrown artistic properties (which seems to happen periodically). If they botch the Star Wars franchise, Avenger's franchise loses steam from its golden age, and deal out a few animated movie flops, they will risk a massive crash. If you don't keep up the value of the WDW experience but rely on the franchises to sell tickets, there will be little to draw people once the franchises do not command the same number of attendees.

 

[anniemae]

This Board has been forecasting the demise of Disney being just around the corner at least since I joined! Hasn't happened yet -- they are doing incredibly well as a company overall. I think that success upsets some people here even more. And so it goes...

This is NOT to say that there might not be some sort of magic (!!) tipping point that Disney won't see coming and will walk right into, causing a decline in company fortunes. I posit only that this Board will NOT be a good predictor either way. My supporting evidence? All prior posts, I suppose.

I certainly don't love EVERY change Disney makes... and I understand a lot of the frustration. And I'll certainly complain here and there (hello... canceling SWW with so little notice?!?). I just don't assume that because I dislike something they've done that the company will/should tank. I don't think it will because of any temporary cutbacks either.

I've gotten pretty good at staying out of these things... gravitating to the oasis of the SWW threads, runDisney threads, and posts answering specific questions about actual trip planning. Every now and then I suppose I can't help but duck my head out... only to have it precipitously chopped off, usually by a familiar group. It is a message board, after all, so all to be expected! Gotta' love DIS!!

This is what I have been saying. Just about everyone says they are disappointed, but still has multiple trips planned. I keep seeing over and over and over, "I don't like that, but I will not stop going to Disney." "I have 3 trips planned and will still go on all of them, even though I am upset by this" etc. Disney can do anything and the die hards will still go. The first and only timers will still go. Disney is doing just fine and will continue to do so.

 

[rteetz]

what is the digital ticket booth rumor?

Your ticket will only get you a certain number of experiences per day. In order to get more you must pay more to get more.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Your ticket will only get you a certain number of experiences per day. In order to get more you must pay more to get more.

Reminds me of the rumors that they were going to charge for more FP+...

 

[Ensusieasm]

Because of budget overruns with Shanghai Disney, domestic Disney Parks are going to see some cuts, especially in the labor department. Gone will be curbside greeters at the resorts and staffing will be reduced for a variety of other roles, like attractions and custodial.

Also, entertainment staffs will see some thinning in addition to only one Fantasmic! performance per night until Easter week. MSEP may also be running once per night through the end of March, despite the heavy crowds expected for spring break and Easter. These are still rumors but the changes seem to be reflected on the TA park hours calendars. This would also explain the surprising number of character greetings that have been axed since the start of the year.

Seems like they always run in to these types of situations when opening new international parks... Thoughts?

SOURCE: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/02/break...ncial-strangle-hold-on-domestic-disney-parks/

Since when are attractions "Non Profit" . The attractions are the reason for the profit. If Disney World was just profit making gift shops and food nobody would fly in from all over the world!

 

[larryz]

This Board has been forecasting the demise of Disney being just around the corner at least since I joined! Hasn't happened yet -- they are doing incredibly well as a company overall. I think that success upsets some people here even more. And so it goes...

I don't begrudge anyone success. And while the company is making enough money to pay their executives huge bonuses every year, I see the shift in the last few years from an entertainment company to an advertising sales company -- that's where I see their greatest vulnerability, as borne out by the street's assessment of their ESPN woes.

And I would not be surprised in the next few years to see WDW and DLR sold off to a management group, or spun off into its own corporation to insulate what is now their core business from the problems they're building into/dealing with in their entertainment and theme park brands.

 

[larryz]

Reminds me of the rumors that they were going to charge for more FP+...

Why does the concept seem so alien (other than it seems like it was designed by Stitch)?

It's a digital ticket booklet, a re-creation of their original ticketing paradigm.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

This is what I have been saying. Just about everyone says they are disappointed, but still has multiple trips planned. I keep seeing over and over and over, "I don't like that, but I will not stop going to Disney." "I have 3 trips planned and will still go on all of them, even though I am upset by this" etc. Disney can do anything and the die hards will still go. The first and only timers will still go. Disney is doing just fine and will continue to do so.

I agree with you. You might have misunderstood me a bit, though. There isn't a company out there where I love EVERY move they make. Not realistic to me. Any issues I've had wrt Disney are pretty minor in my mind, and don't even begin to outweigh what we continue to get out of our Disney vacations.

So I'm not personally in any camp saying this is awful!! Unconscionable!! Disney should tank for this!! And yet still go. But I do take your point that there does SEEM to be some of that going on, which certainly won't hurt their profitability.

 

[rteetz]

Reminds me of the rumors that they were going to charge for more FP+...

Essentially that's what it is except it's not a FP. In the old ticket book days you had a few tickets that didn't require a ticket. Then you had A,B,C,D,E tickets. You got a ticket for each but if you wanted more you had to pay for more. The rumor is your base ticket will include something like 9-10 experiences, then if you want to upgrade to let's say 12 or something it will be 49.99.

 

[anniemae]

I agree with you. You might have misunderstood me a bit, though. There isn't a company out there where I love EVERY move they make. Not realistic to me. Any issues I've had wrt Disney are pretty minor in my mind, and don't even begin to outweigh what we continue to get out of our Disney vacations.

So I'm not personally in any camp saying this is awful!! Unconscionable!! Disney should tank for this!! And yet still go. But I do take your point that there does SEEM to be some of that going on, which certainly won't hurt their profitability.

Right, and it's not a bad thing to be upset and still go to Disney. Like you said, no company is perfect, and it's okay to be upset about the changes, closures, ticket increases etc. I guess I just feel like nothing will change for Disney in terms of attendance. People will still go and spend their money there. Disney will continue to change and evolve. Some will like it, some wont but there will always be people who will go back again and again because of the things they DO like about Disney. I guess my point is that Disney will continue to prosper no matter what. And that is not a bad thing.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Essentially that's what it is except it's not a FP. In the old ticket book days you had a few tickets that didn't require a ticket. Then you had A,B,C,D,E tickets. You got a ticket for each but if you wanted more you had to pay for more. The rumor is your base ticket will include something like 9-10 experiences, then if you want to upgrade to let's say 12 or something it will be 49.99.

Look - nothing is impossible! I do know how the old tickets worked; I'd just be surprised if they made this move.

I think they've segmented successfully by having a ticket that gets you all the rides, etc, and ADDING a bunch of ticketed events and other ways that you can "upgrade" that experience. I don't think a move back toward the old ticket days would be a wise one, nor one that they'd follow through with, but honestly, who knows?! They have the data, they survey for EVERY LITTLE THING... if they made that move, I'd suspect they had some support for it.

 

[fairy oma]

DD and her family as well as my DH and I have determined that we are not going back to WDW for quite some time...it could very well be 2020 before we go back and then to see the Star Wars attractions. We enjoyed our time together there but with the kids all getting older we may very well opt for a Great Smoky Mtn. vacation, a beach vacation or even Universal. At some point we all need to take a step back and let Mr. Iger know that his way of doing business is being detrimental to the image of Walt Disney's concept of DL and WDW.

 

[anniemae]

Your ticket will only get you a certain number of experiences per day. In order to get more you must pay more to get more.

Ahhhhh I had not heard that! I must admit, it sounds awful!!! LOL. I can't see that happening, but who knows.

 

[starjazz]

The DIS doom and gloom threads.....blech.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Right, and it's not a bad thing to be upset and still go to Disney. Like you said, no company is perfect, and it's okay to be upset about the changes, closures, ticket increases etc. I guess I just feel like nothing will change for Disney in terms of attendance. People will still go and spend their money there. Disney will continue to change and evolve. Some will like it, some wont but there will always be people who will go back again and again because of the things they DO like about Disney. I guess my point is that Disney will continue to prosper no matter what. And that is not a bad thing.

I agree! Except that they will prosper "no matter what"... I think that's a bit strong. I think they aren't theoretically immune from making a MAJOR error that results in decline. I just don't think they're likely to based on their track record and results.

 

[mom2rtk]

Since when are attractions "Non Profit" . The attractions are the reason for the profit. If Disney World was just profit making gift shops and food nobody would fly in from all over the world!

I had the same thought when I read that line. What the heck? It's like Disney forgets that people even pay for admission!