What's up with all the cutbacks?

[mshanson3121]

I haven't been following that close lately since we canceled our trip for this fall. But getting caught up - wow, there's a lot of cutbacks going on. Why? Are they way over budget on SWL? Did TSL underperform? Aside from these two things, I'm sorry, they're not hurting for money, so what's their excuse?

 

[scottmel]

What cutbacks> My only gripe right now is the parking fee

 

[mshanson3121]

What cutbacks> My only gripe right now is the parking fee

- Permanently closing Rafiki's Planet Watch
- Cutting actors from ROL
- some Citizens of Hollywood being cut
- Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial being cut
- Some other character M&Gs
- Mickey's Backyard BBQ is rumored to be cut

That's just what I've seen recently. There may be more.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I haven't been following that close lately since we canceled our trip for this fall. But getting caught up - wow, there's a lot of cutbacks going on. Why? Are they way over budget on SWL? Did TSL underperform? Aside from these two things, I'm sorry, they're not hurting for money, so what's their excuse?

Excuse is Fox - cost more than they wanted and once again the parks have to make that up

Plus attendance has been low and they are anticipating it continuing to be low until Galaxy’s Edge opens

 

[mshanson3121]

Excuse is Fox - cost more than they wanted and once again the parks have to make that up

Plus attendance has been low and they are anticipating it continuing to be low until Galaxy’s Edge opens

I forgot about the Fox acquisition.

 

[scottmel]

Oh well I guess what they are cutting isn't what I am interested in so I didn't notice....not surprised though been around a loooooooong time the planet watch and bbq

 

[rteetz]

Excuse is Fox - cost more than they wanted and once again the parks have to make that up

Plus attendance has been low and they are anticipating it continuing to be low until Galaxy’s Edge opens

Fox and the end of the fiscal year. Every year in September they make cuts to help the bottom line.

 

[DrPhysics]

Most frustrating is when they deliberately reduce ride capacity during lower attendance times.

 

[Upatnoon]

I read the BBQ was cut because they are going to start construction nearby on a DVC resort.

Disney is just continuing to cut non-revenue producing items to improve their bottom line. Disney revenue has to improve every quarter, even if attendance slows or people spend a bit less. You do that by cutting.

None of these would move the needle to boost attendance and they don't sell merchandise. They all require the most expensive cast members -- entertainers.

This makes them easy pickings for the budget ax.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

Most frustrating is when they deliberately reduce ride capacity during lower attendance times.

Touring plans did some extensive research on this... it has more to do with ride maintanace and upkeep then saving money... they use slower times of year to fix attractions when they lower capacity.You arent in the park spending money when you are standing in line

 

[SaharanTea]

Touring plans did some extensive research on this... it has more to do with ride maintanace and upkeep then saving money... they use slower times of year to fix attractions when they lower capacity.You arent in the park spending money when you are standing in line

Do you have a link to that research?

How does loading every other boat in pirates allow them to do maintenance? Granted there is a very slight decrease in wear and tear, but that's the difference in loaded boats and empty ones. The boats are still going through.

 

[randumb0]

Do you have a link to that research?

How does loading every other boat in pirates allow them to do maintenance? Granted there is a very slight decrease in wear and tear, but that's the difference in loaded boats and empty ones. The boats are still going through.

They can pull boats off of the track and move them into the maintenance room. Its the same with coasters

 

[maxiesmom]

- Permanently closing Rafiki's Planet Watch
- Cutting actors from ROL
- some Citizens of Hollywood being cut
- Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial being cut
- Some other character M&Gs
- Mickey's Backyard BBQ is rumored to be cut

That's just what I've seen recently. There may be more.

Or maybe not enough people cared about any of that? The only thing I will slightly miss is Rafiki's Planet Watch, and I haven't made it a point to go back there in at least 4 trips.

 

[rteetz]

- Permanently closing Rafiki's Planet Watch
- Cutting actors from ROL
- some Citizens of Hollywood being cut
- Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial being cut
- Some other character M&Gs
- Mickey's Backyard BBQ is rumored to be cut

That's just what I've seen recently. There may be more.

The last one isn’t a cut it’s a closure at the end of the year due to pending DVC construction.

 

[HopperFan]

- Permanently closing Rafiki's Planet Watch
- Cutting actors from ROL
- some Citizens of Hollywood being cut
- Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial being cut
- Some other character M&Gs
- Mickey's Backyard BBQ is rumored to be cut

That's just what I've seen recently. There may be more.

Other than M's BBQ they are all non-cash generators. Chapek is not a parks person, he is a retail person ... and he will turn these parks into cookie cutter images eliminating many things that make them special and different from other parks. He's eliminating the Disney touches in hotel rooms and he'll continue to dilute across properties.

Mickey's has to go because of the construction. While it is being said it will return later at another location at some point in time ..... we will have to wait and see. If they add dining options at the new resort and they think it will generate more money than the BBQ, it might not come back. As with all things Disney, it absolutely doesn't matter what they say or what they promise ... until it is built AND operating it doesn't exist ... and even then it isn't always what was promised (ROL cough cough).

 

[shh]

The nice thing is that most things tend to go full circle. And every incoming leader wants to make their mark and shake things up - do things different from the last guy.

So it may not be this year or next couple of years, but eventually someone will take the leadership role at WDW who has a different vision - maybe to recapture some of what made WDW special. Or to move away from IP. Or to become more guest centered again. Maybe it'll take a deep 2009-style recession or economic crash to initiate it - when all the hard ticket events, parking fees and spiraling resort costs come back to bite them and there are far fewer takers.

One benefit from getting older is that you've seen so much come and go - and surprisingly come back around again. What's old is new, etc. I think WDW has a bright future - just maybe not in the next couple of years. Or maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist!


As far as all the recent cuts - WDW's fiscal year ends Oct 1st (or maybe Sept 30) - they likely need to do some quick trimming to keep profit up and stockholders happy. Some of that spending may return as the busier holiday season hits.

 

[HopperFan]

The nice thing is that most things tend to go full circle. And every incoming leader wants to make their mark and shake things up - do things different from the last guy.

So it may not be this year or next couple of years, but eventually someone will take the leadership role at WDW who has a different vision - maybe to recapture some of what made WDW special. Or to move away from IP. Or to become more guest centered again. Maybe it'll take a deep 2009-style recession or economic crash to initiate it - when all the hard ticket events, parking fees and spiraling resort costs come back to bite them and there are far fewer takers.

One benefit from getting older is that you've seen so much come and go - and surprisingly come back around again. What's old is new, etc. I think WDW has a bright future - just maybe not in the next couple of years. Or maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist!


As far as all the recent cuts - WDW's fiscal year ends Oct 1st (or maybe Sept 30) - they likely need to do some quick trimming to keep profit up and stockholders happy. Some of that spending may return as the busier holiday season hits.

Unless rumors of him succeeding Iger are true ............. then ...............

Yeah, I get that fanny packs are back in style again and I wore bell bottoms the first round .....
..... but he may do more damage than is fixable.

 

[rteetz]

Unless rumors of him succeeding Iger are true ............. then ...............

Yeah, I get that fanny packs are back in style again and I wore bell bottoms the first round .....
..... but he may do more damage than is fixable.

I can’t see him taking over. He doesn’t have the entertainment experience. Theme parks and consumer products only do so much. Now that Disney has Fox, lucasfilm, marvel, etc. they need someone that has some experience there.

 

[Polydweller]

Fox and the end of the fiscal year. Every year in September they make cuts to help the bottom line.

September 30 is the end of Disney’s fiscal year and we see this every year as contracts end and new one’s are written. So true cuts aren’t really clear until later. Some ‘cuts’ get replaced by other things later. There is already some talk about new things in 2019. Fox, though, could have some impact this year.

 

[SaharanTea]

They can pull boats off of the track and move them into the maintenance room. Its the same with coasters

I think we're talking about different things. They shut down half the loading area in pirates and have empty boats going into the water. It artificially inflates the wait times.

They also do it at medieval whirl and likely others. They take off cast members. I don't see where anything is being worked on in this time. It's purely cutting out staff hours.