On layoffs, very bad attendance, and Iger's legacy being one of disgrace

[celluloid]

Huge WDI and Creative layoffs happened this week.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

what's happening with the movie industry? We have already seen the Mulan mess and the live action push back, but what about movies like Black widow? Pixar? The reality is theaters will not be open for a very long time.

 

[TJJohn12]

WDPR will save an enormous amount of expense once they officially sever ties with Actors Equity.

And end up with WDC on the do not work list? Disney Theatrical can’t afford to have P&R pull a stunt like that.

 

[SoFloMagic]

I assume their income has been affected by the loss of foot traffic & they’ve figured out that the majority of their foot traffic won’t return until everyone is wearing a mask, apparently the Karen demographic doesn’t spend enough to make up for the customers they drive away.

This. Also, I think they're realizing the anti-mask crowd is actually very small, and they aren't losing any measurable business due to this (but, as you pointed out, stand to potentially gain a lot).

 

[SoFloMagic]

Maybe I’m missing something, but how is this a deal?

This ticket is $164 to go to either park for 5 months, and there’s no discounts on merch or parking.

An annual pass without parking is $269.99 for 15 months.

I’d rather stick with any of the annual pass options, tbh.

Honestly that $269 pass makes no sense either. If you go once a month you'll give them another $250 in parking and end up paying $500. The pass that includes parking and express pass is like $450. The more you use it, the more you pay...

 

[brianstl]

Didn’t he have an agreement with Rupert Murdoch to stay on till the end of his contract?

Word on the street is that at least a couple of the Murdochs have turned on Iger, but even all the Murdochs together though their trust don’t control enough stock to force anything one way or another on their own.

 

[Thelazer]

WDPR will save an enormous amount of expense once they officially sever ties with Actors Equity.

I don't like it one bit.... but I could see it happening.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

For a few weeks I was a captain on the Mike Fink Keelboats, until I was forced transfered to Tomorrowland due to a staffing shortage there.

"But even if there were a DOZEN captains on this river, I'd still be in the...top 10 or 12."

 

[mkt]

Frontline can largely be reduced through natural attrition without resorting to layoffs. Also lack of CP’s takes care of a large portion of any overage. Frontline also has union complications that don’t exist with corporate, WDI, management, and other support roles.

That's true. Disney's probably going to be extremely strict with discipline now. Expect reprimands for things that a year ago wouldn't have even raised an eyebrow.

 

[mkt]

And end up with WDC on the do not work list? Disney Theatrical can’t afford to have P&R pull a stunt like that.

Disney theatrical, TV networks, and the studios. SAG-Aftra will put their foot down if their friends and colleagues at AEA get cut out.

 

[bluetiedye]

Plus, there is no real need to layoff someone who is already furloughed. Just avoid the bad PR and say you intend to bring them all back as soon as business improves.

Disney is still paying for their benefits (e.g insurance). If they get laid off, Disney will save that money. No idea how many people are still furloughed though. I’d assume most are back now since the parks reopened.

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

Yes, but right now is not the time to be all "akshully its YoUr FaULt that you're struggling and about to be evicted!"

I think this is the perfect time to point it out, in a forum like this. Mean is doing it publicly to someone's face. If a job doesn't pay a living wage, then don't expect to make a living while working that job. Get a different job.

I love to watercolor, and I'm pretty good at it. I doubt I could support a family with it though, so I do something else for a living and watercolor when I can.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Below are some photo's from my son's trip July 19-23 (Sunday to Thursday).

Multiple headliner rides were walk-on. He experienced Flights of Passage 5 times (was even allowed to cut through the FP+ line at one point), Smuggler's Run 5 times, Test Track 3 times, Space Mountain 5 times, Rock n Roller Coaster 5 times, Expedition Everest 5 times. For most, it was a matter of his group simply getting bored with the attraction and deciding to move on.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Train was the longest line, followed by Slinky Dog Dash. (This last because it was down for most of the day.)

Crowds were light throughout the trip, with Disney Hollywood Studios feeling the most crowded, by far.

As his photos show, it was possible to encounter moments of modest crowds but also see the parks nearly empty, with many of his contrasting photos taken within an hour of each other.

These give you a sense of what it was like for my son during his weekday trip in mid-July.

Epcot Sunday Evening:

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Bridge to Pandora Monday Midday:

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Leaving Animal Kingdom Monday at 5:30 PM:

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Magic Kingdom Tuesday Opening:

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Walkway To Tomorrowland Tuesday Noon:

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Waiting for Rise Of The Resistance Wednesday at 1 PM:

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Galaxy's Edge Less than 1 Hour Later:

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Disney's Hollywood Studios Wednesday Afternoon:

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One of the more crowded images of Disney's Hollywood Studios:

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Our recent trip from July 12-22 was the same. I have a couple pics I took when walking into Liberty Square from FL. One each direction toward Frontier and Mansion. They were taken at noon and there’s barely anyone in the shots. One day the MK opened at 9. By 11 we rode Space, 7D, Pooh, Small World, Peter Pan, Mermaid, and HM. 2 hours flat.

Thanks for the posts...very informative.

Yeah...this place is gonna close. I’ll remind this is in the middle of the summer on the academic calendar.

WDPR will save an enormous amount of expense once they officially sever ties with Actors Equity.

No they won’t...but I applaud you for getting an opinion shot in under cloaking device

Huge WDI and Creative layoffs happened this week.

The undeniable first step in the plan where you build NOTHING for a very long time.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney is still paying for their benefits (e.g insurance). If they get laid off, Disney will save that money. No idea how many people are still furloughed though. I’d assume most are back now since the parks reopened.

If they received any covid bailout money (likely)...they are required to until 9/30...and not one second longer

10/1

 

[Polkadotdress]

Disney is still paying for their benefits (e.g insurance). If they get laid off, Disney will save that money. No idea how many people are still furloughed though. I’d assume most are back now since the parks reopened.

There are still many thousands furloughed. From
Just (1) Union alone, there are 12K still furloughed (as of earlier this week):

From the Orlando Sentinel:
Walt Disney World reopened July 11, recalling an undisclosed number of their furloughed 77,000 cast members.

Unite Here Local 737 represents more than 19,000 Walt Disney World workers.

“Only 7,000 have returned to work, leaving 12,000 workers and their families at the mercy of the broken unemployment system," the union said in a statement pushing for an extension to unemployment benefits.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

I know we love our cast members but most of them make horrible life decisions.

But it's ok for them to make them because otherwise who would do the work to provide you with the service you want, right?

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Disney needs to be expanding the CP model, not eliminating it. No grown *** adult should be running a theme park ride for a "career" but people are desperate to work for Disney.

Because full turnover and training every six months made up of a workforce primarily of 18-20somethings looking for a semester off school to party just screams consistently high quality service.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

Here I agree...cape May is DISGUSTING. Has been since day one. And never quite “fit” for my tastes.

Plus...seafood should never be mass produced. It’s not meant for it.

I can’t eat shrimp again, after eating there.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

Looks like it was pretty decent today based on pictures and wait times...curious to see what tomorrow holds.

 

[Rich T]

If WDW has been declining since the 1990s how does one explain the increasing levels of attendance year after year?

Because it’s still better than Six Flags. But even the most casual repeat visitors notice that they’re paying more for lesser quality each year.