What's up with all the cutbacks?

[Ponderer]

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.

Fox will have some impact, but Comcast winning Sky might help Disney make up some of that purchase, as Disney will inherit a considerable stake in Sky that they'll probably sell at some point.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

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.

https://blog.touringplans.com/2018/02/12/crowd-calendar-4-1/

This article from February talks a bit about it... (Their archive feature is a bit cumbersome to use and I gave up looking for more ) I recall their data showing they were cutting back on staffing at attractions this past Feb and it completely backfired... people complained when the wait times went up... and then to compensate they went too far the other way... they ran all their attractions at full capacity end of Feb and March and deferred all of their ride maintenance until after hours and they had an astronomical number of breakdowns...

I'll keep hunting for that follow up article.

 

[lambdabeta]

I'm really confused now. If Disney's fiscal year ends Sept 30th then how does cutting things on those days help their bottom line? They won't realize savings until the beginning of the new quarter. Am I missing something? There has to be another reason they are making these cuts. These are the cuts we can see. There may be others behind the scenes we don't know about but it still doesn't seem to be because of this years bottom line. That is just one speculation here that doesn't make sense. It makes more sense that this is to try to free up money for some future purpose. I don't know what it is. It could be an acquisition, upgrades or some other reason. I can't tell you the answer because only the decision makers at Disney know them.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

I think the cuts are somehow tied into the projected earnings vs spending that they are required to give every so often as a public company. Projected earnings have almost as big an influence on share price as actual earnings... because they are a public company they have to be transparent about spending and expenses

 

[manning]

The bean counters are going wild.

 

[lambdabeta]

I think the cuts are somehow tied into the projected earnings vs spending that they are required to give every so often as a public company. Projected earnings have almost as big an influence on share price as actual earnings... because they are a public company they have to be transparent about spending and expenses

Thank you. I don't know if you're right or wrong but your answer makes the most sense of any other reason given here.

 

[Grim&Grinning]

Ehh...they cut some underperforming attractions. IMO this only makes room for something new.

 

[rteetz]

Ehh...they cut some underperforming attractions. IMO this only makes room for something new.

Yeah more dance parties.

 

[OSUZorba]

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.

The pirate Tutorial always seemed to draw a big crowd when I was around it.

 

[SaharanTea]

https://blog.touringplans.com/2018/02/12/crowd-calendar-4-1/

This article from February talks a bit about it... (Their archive feature is a bit cumbersome to use and I gave up looking for more ) I recall their data showing they were cutting back on staffing at attractions this past Feb and it completely backfired... people complained when the wait times went up... and then to compensate they went too far the other way... they ran all their attractions at full capacity end of Feb and March and deferred all of their ride maintenance until after hours and they had an astronomical number of breakdowns...

I'll keep hunting for that follow up article.

Thank you for posting. I'll check it out tomorrow.

 

[Upatnoon]

The pirate Tutorial always seemed to draw a big crowd when I was around it.

That crowd could have been in the gift shop! Magic Band tracking reveals guests who watched the show spent 5% less per day than those who missed it.

 

[firefly_ris]

Yeah more dance parties.

Um, hello? What about the amazing cardboard cutouts you can stand in front of for a picture?

 

[Planogirl]

These little extras add to the overall atmosphere of the parks and are part of what sets Disney apart. It isn't as simple as only keeping high-selling things because if it were they might as well get rid of the Main Street facades to save money on upkeep.

Besides it looks strange to see a company spending billions on IP while cutting a few small things here and there. They might not be directly related but it still feels wrong. Everything isn't only about shareholders after all.

 

[tnolan]

I know this is probably a small matter to some, but PizzeRizzo in Hollywood Studios does not show any hours past Oct 27. Possible closure, as has been rumored here and there.

 

[snappy]

These little extras add to the overall atmosphere of the parks and are part of what sets Disney apart. It isn't as simple as only keeping high-selling things because if it were they might as well get rid of the Main Street facades to save money on upkeep.

Besides it looks strange to see a company spending billions on IP while cutting a few small things here and there. They might not be directly related but it still feels wrong. Everything isn't only about shareholders after all.

I agree the atmosphere of the parks means something, especially for guests who don’t or can’t due to health ride many rides. I always catch any citizens of Hollywood sketch from a nearby bench. It’s why I go to that park.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

most of these are typical fall clearing of the weeds to make way for something new.

If anything, investing in the parks has gone up recently.

 

[nashjw58]

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?

Just returned from 12 days in Tokyo area with 4 spent in the 2 Disney parks. Like visiting WDW in the old days. Everything clean, smiling CMs, no broken animatronics, etc... Both now arguably the best parks in the portfolio, especially the unique Disneysea, and getting better with huge additions coming to both. And in one of the most expensive cities on the planet, their park tickets are half that of our parks on both coasts.

They certainly understand how to keep Walt's legacy alive in Japan and honor his memory by way they operate their parks.

 

[tlmadden73]

To me .. they are cutting now . .and then adding a bunch of stuff (probably temporary, but still) in 2019 to help boost attendance during a predicted slow time why most of us wait for SWGE to open (while I am doing the opposite and getting an AP .. lol).

While there are a few "dance parties" .. making Pixar Place into an Incredibles area seems pretty neat and creating a Lightning McQueen experience sounds really fun compared to the static cars they had sitting in the backlot of DHS all those years ago.

Poor Rafkiki's Planet Watch just never seemed to be what it could have been. More animals .. more animal conservation education .. just more. Instead it was a boring train ride where you face out .. but never saw anything that takes you to very small petting zoo and a couple of M&Gs. I am sure that attraction was one and done for most repeat guests or never even tried because it was hidden and just doesn't sound exciting to your average guest.
(I enjoyed the quiet, the petting zoo .. AK's version of Tom Sawyer Island).

 

[mco65]

To me .. they are cutting now . .and then adding a bunch of stuff (probably temporary, but still) in 2019 to help boost attendance during a predicted slow time why most of us wait for SWGE to open (while I am doing the opposite and getting an AP .. lol).

While there are a few "dance parties" .. making Pixar Place into an Incredibles area seems pretty neat and creating a Lightning McQueen experience sounds really fun compared to the static cars they had sitting in the backlot of DHS all those years ago.

Poor Rafkiki's Planet Watch just never seemed to be what it could have been. More animals .. more animal conservation education .. just more. Instead it was a boring train ride where you face out .. but never saw anything that takes you to very small petting zoo and a couple of M&Gs. I am sure that attraction was one and done for most repeat guests or never even tried because it was hidden and just doesn't sound exciting to your average guest.
(I enjoyed the quiet, the petting zoo .. AK's version of Tom Sawyer Island).

Tom Sawyer is a good comparison.. done it, don't need to do it again..

 

[HopperFan]

I know this is probably a small matter to some, but PizzeRizzo in Hollywood Studios does not show any hours past Oct 27. Possible closure, as has been rumored here and there.

Neither does Backlot Express, ABC Commissary ..... Disney has just been very slow to keep their calendars updated and times adjusted. Stinks since they want everyone else planning 6 months out and yet they wait until a month out sometimes to post correct times ... but it's their new way.

Honestly it may not be packed now but when SWL opens and folks can't get in or for sure can't eat in there .... they might find PizzeRizzo packed. It will be the closest INDOOR dining spot with lots of room to SWL.