Cuts coming to every area of parks and resorts - thanks to Shanghai and Paris

[rob0519]

While they understaff most places, one place they may need more cast members after this will be guest relations

While they may need more CMs in Guest Relations, you can bet they will not be added. Last November the line at Guest Relations both outside the MK and inside at City Hall were dozens of people long. I think the idea is that if they make you wait long enough to make a complaint you may get frustrated and just walk away. For the most part, not all, Guest Relations has become a joke of it's former self.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

It's really interesting to see how a multinational corporation shortchanges some customers while pandering to others.

For more than a decade, the overseas parks (including TDL, which admittedly isn't owned by TWDC) have gotten the best and most innovative attractions; not to mention, guests generally pay less for more overseas.

The American parks, especially those at WDW, continue to operate as pay more for less.

I don't know about you, but it sorta makes me uninterested in patronizing any of the Disney parks anywhere.

Hi Talking Head! - If you wanna see some First Class pandering, you should check out the "travel channel" specials on American restaurants in foreign cities. Mcdonalds gives Americans 'pink slime burgers' with high school drop outs for servers. You should see Mcdonalds in India Or Japan...HOT, gourmet, custom products - served by polite, crisp uniformed employees - none of this business of greasy company t-shirts, dirty nails, and hair flopping around. There are a lot of American companies that are just using American customers for the old Cash Cow benefit, and putting their better efforts overseas !! Boo!! Hiss !!!

 

[rob0519]

It's a little ridiculous for a company with the most visited parks in the world to be cutting staffing. Look, I get that every bean counter wants to see the most profit possible, but with the sheer cost of going to Disney, you expect something special. Even in our visit during a "non peak" week in October, there were a few days that the Magic Kingdom was completely unbearable. Wall to wall people. Couldn't even walk around and sightsee. It was just a total mess. Lines for even a snack were ridiculous.

Now of course, I'm not saying Disney can help that the parks are crowded per se, but they can do things to make it run more smoothly. Less staffing is only going to increase the feeling of crowding, especially when waiting in line for shops, food, etc.

You're first mistake is continuing to expect something special at WDW despite the "sheer cost". Until profits and park attendance in Orlando drop considerably the only things you can expect are continued cuts, decreased customer service, decreased quality in all areas and increased prices. My family and I have been to WDW over 30 times and used to love the parks. There is still no other place like it on the planet. They have unfortunately put us in a position where the outrageous costs now override the return value on our dollars.

 

[CBOMB]

I haven't been to WDW since December of 2010, and for good reason as detailed by 74. I used to be a regular. Not anymore with the way it is being run. It very well could be another 5 years before I return. If ever.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Well, this is all just depressing to read. Only reinforces that I need not visit WDW until at least 2018 or later when there is something new to see (unless all that gets put on hold as well).

Best WDW fans can hope for is that all this self-inflicted financial cutting gets sorted out within the next year or so, and then maybe there will be a big push to get the resort ship shape in time for the 50th. (I can dream, right?)

Certainly un-MAGICAL times we live in...

 

[wogwog]

This would certainly explain the reduced operating hours of both WDW water parks this summer. I was real curious as to why they were cut back. And the EPCOT shops and attractions that had their hours cut back as well. Explains a lot...

But wait there is more coming.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Run for your lives... The Sky is Falling... The Sky is Falling!

 

[asianway]

The mouse gear thing is interesting-will the other 3 follow suit? We're not talking the "buy the book" shoppe in the back of the park. It's the main gift shop and while spirit hasn't, I've certainly cruised through it on my WS day waiting for it to open. One step forward ten back

 

[Disone]

See, that's the thing: if HKDL (and Paris) is financially hurting, then wouldn't it make sense to direct cuts more towards those resorts? If for no other reason than because the guest attendance levels better justify cutting back than WDW or DL where business is booming.



I think that's an important point. I wouldn't be surprised if these cuts are in anticipation of pouring a lot of money towards Shanghai in the next 3-6 months to get everything up and running properly for the opening and first few months; reducing expenses elsewhere can help to make the books seem acceptable during that timeframe. And then hopefully once SDL is up and running, it won't be as much of a monetary siphon and the cuts can be reversed elsewhere.

While cuts likes reduced hours and staffing suck for the guests visiting during that time (and I don't excuse them), I think that is "better" than cuts to long term projects (i.e. expansions and renovations). You can easily reverse changes in hours and staffing; but if you cut building a new attraction then it can have long term affects for years -- and WDW in particular is already suffering from a lack of major investment under Iger.

Iger or Eisner? I think WDW is very much enjoy a building boom second only to the 1990's, thank's to Iger. After DAK in 98, Eisner Treated WDW like it was now complete and there was no imagination left in the world. Five years after Iger took over and WDW again started to see major investments, during those first five years he oversaw the completion of DCA2.0 and DCL's long over due fleet expansion, while no doubt started the planning of all the projects now in play at WDW: Disney Springs, New Fantasyland, ToyStoryland, StarWarsland, Pandora, and others....

 

[Disone]

The mouse gear thing is interesting-will the other 3 follow suit? We're not talking the "buy the book" shoppe in the back of the park. It's the main gift shop and while spirit hasn't, I've certainly cruised through it on my WS day waiting for it to open. One step forward ten back

Mouse Gear is interesting. Though at park opening the vast majority of guests do seem to be heading directly to their first attraction. And those heading towards Soaring (yes I know its closed right now but normally....), Nemo, and Imagination (all six of you, lol) don't even see Mousegear. I am ok with it opening late. I am sure its sales during that first hour are nearly non existent and easy to make up one hour later after the park patrons have their first attraction under their belt.

 

[pmaljr]

I have never stepped inside Mousegear before 10 a.m., but the idea that they need to lop off an on paper savings of a few thousand dollars a day is insane. ... At the same time, I have been around long enough to recall when EPCOT Center was open from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight or 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, the entire park. Everything.

I have too, although I was a youngun at the time. I think it's by design, if anyone cares. They realize that if they kept open until 11pm every night that we'd be done with their parks by Wednesday and we could have a day or two to go to the other parks in the area such as Sea World or Universal.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

What's a ticket price increase without a few cuts here and there, amiright?

 

[HMF]

I haven't been to WDW since December of 2010, and for good reason as detailed by 74. I used to be a regular. Not anymore with the way it is being run. It very well could be another 5 years before I return. If ever.

Have not been there since 2008 and not planning on going back any time in the near future.

 

[PhilharMagician]

Iger or Eisner? I think WDW is very much enjoy a building boom second only to the 1990's, thank's to Iger. After DAK in 98, Eisner Treated WDW like it was now complete and there was no imagination left in the world. Five years after Iger took over and WDW again started to see major investments, during those first five years he oversaw the completion of DCA2.0 and DCL's long over due fleet expansion, while no doubt started the planning of all the projects now in play at WDW: Disney Springs, New Fantasyland, ToyStoryland, StarWarsland, Pandora, and others....

Eisner was also treated to near hostile takeovers and 9/11 to finish off his career with TWDC. Money was a little tight at the end of his reign.

Iger is still trying to cut and chop all of the "major investments" going into the theme parks. The only thing that did not seem to get the chop was next gen. Invest in soft goods like next gen because hard goods like rides and attractions require manpower and maintenance which in the end means less profit.

Both guys have done good and bad for the company. Looks like a rocky road ahead.

 

[Disone]

Eisner was also treated to near hostile takeovers and 9/11 to finish off his career with TWDC. Money was a little tight at the end of his reign.

Iger is still trying to cut and chop all of the "major investments" going into the theme parks. The only thing that did not seem to get the chop was next gen. Invest in soft goods like next gen because hard goods like rides and attractions require manpower and maintenance which in the end means less profit.

Both guys have done good and bad for the company. Looks like a rocky road ahead.

I disagree, Iger is not trying to cut and chop the major investments. He is the reason, along with Staggs, we are having major investments. Taking a major investment from Blue Sky to actual attraction is a natural process every major attraction goes through dating back to Walt and even prior to him. This is far from Cut and Chop. Examples of not cutting.... Under them Hyperion Wharf became Disney Springs, and Princess Meet and Greets became the 7 Dwarfs Mine Coaster and the Original World of Color, at Igers urging, had the theme song completely reworked from the original version which was more like the actual TV series, in which you still heard in the first few opening bars of the show.

 

[wsmith1978]

I will admit that I am a complete moron when it comes to the ins and outs of running a business but it just doesn't make any sense to me. Record attendance, record profits... so you cut budgets?? They should be constantly expanding, constantly improving, and offering more than ever. Is it as simple as that, or is there some sort of justifiable reason for this? I've been a die hard since my first trip in 2009 but I've seen a decline every year since (tried not to notice), and this year is my first time not going. I'd give anything to have that 2009 trip back, but I'm not sure if that was just because it was new and I wasn't trained to notice the not-so-magical moments, like I am now.

 

[hopemax]

Mouse Gear is interesting. Though at park opening the vast majority of guests do seem to be heading directly to their first attraction. And those heading towards Soaring (yes I know its closed right now but normally....), Nemo, and Imagination (all six of you, lol) don't even see Mousegear. I am ok with it opening late. I am sure its sales during that first hour are nearly non existent and easy to make up one hour later after the park patrons have their first attraction under their belt.

Not necessarily. I never have gotten the impression this board is filled with people who the merchandise is an important part of their Disney experience, so they don't "get it" to what the people for which it is, do. People who are motivated to shop in the first hour, are "shopping with a purpose," not just casual souvenir buyers. I've been in several shops during the first hour. If I was going to be buying something expensive (these days this would be for things like the Dooney purses, or Pandora Charms) I want to purchase them when I have the full attention of the person selling to me, not when they're trying to service multiple people at once. Or I'm looking for something specific. For MouseGear often this for Festival Merchandise, because the tents around WS don't open until later, and last year the Festival Center was only open during weekends (although in previous years when it has been open, we've found better selection still at MG in terms of things like clothing sizes), which left MouseGear as the only place to go at park opening on weekdays. I've also sent my Dad many times to pick up things for me. He used to go to Disney Springs, but the parking situation leaves him frustrated. So now he's been going to Epcot, ie MouseGear because it's easy to run in. Pins are released on Thursdays, so he hits up the pin store, circles into MouseGear and then out to the rest of his non-Disney day. And as annoying as the practices of the secondary sellers are, I am guessing that this is another group that wants to shop early, so they can get to their real jobs and not have to deal with the tourists who fill the store later in the day. There is also a type of buyer that does things like needing to look at the pattern on every bag to find the one they like best. Their transaction times can take a long time, and it's better to give them the opportunity to shop when they will have the least impact on other buyers.

 

[FrankLapidus]

Its all inexcusable and very disheartening.

Its sad to see Disney in the hands of such detestable people these days.

 

[Rodan75]

Wow. Lots of hostility on this. Ok, perspective. Paris is a factor, but not as large a factor as Shanghai. Hopefully once they get that open, the financial pressure will be relieved a bit. But there is a third pressure point that so far has not been mentioned on here. The Parks and Resort are one piece of a much larger puzzle, and right now ESPN has caused enough concern that stock has been going down for months now. Shame really, while ESPN is the larger revenue generator, Wall Street has failed to look at what the entirety of the company can produce even when it's largest piece is producing less of the profit.

That said, the cuts so far have not be "Deal Killers" in my mind. Closing most of Future World at 7pm? Have you been there at 7:30pm? Folks it's a ghost town. I prefer it NOT to happen, I get that, but this cut is ok. I am less okay with the reduced water park hours for this coming up summer. But again thats because I have always enjoy that last hour or two when you feel like you have then entire water park to yourself. Again, while not has ghost town like as Future World can be, definitely understandable that they are choose to cost save there.

I have yet to hear of specific cuts to operations of the attractions while they are operating. I have also been eyeing MK's scheduled operating hours and so far.... no cuts, at least for the few months you can see in advance.

There is a lot of doom and gloom here, but I am just not sure it's time to panic. All this time of cost cutting has happened before, and it will all happen again. I have not seen a cut yet that I feel was an example of Disney Cutting off its nose in spite of its face.

I agree. Cost reductions in general don't have to be negative to the guest experience, it is how those cost reductions are implemented. If as spirit mentions that they are looking to axe some VPs, this may be more of an effort to see which VPs can cut fat without cutting experience vs those that cut experience but protect the fat.

I believe that WDW service is better than it has been in 6-7 years, but I am more than a little weary of seeing things go back to 2007/08 levels of service.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I disagree, Iger is not trying to cut and chop the major investments. He is the reason, along with Staggs, we are having major investments. Taking a major investment from Blue Sky to actual attraction is a natural process every major attraction goes through dating back to Walt and even prior to him. This is far from Cut and Chop. Examples of not cutting.... Under them Hyperion Wharf became Disney Springs, and Princess Meet and Greets became the 7 Dwarfs Mine Coaster and the Original World of Color, at Igers urging, had the theme song completely reworked from the original version which was more like the actual TV series, in which you still heard in the first few opening bars of the show.

Ummm, they ply boarded up Pleasure Island 8 years ago, and it won't be fully open for another year. 9 years with the whole center section of DtD closed. And yet, you applaud.

WDW fans do get what they deserve.