Disney plans hiring freeze, some jobs cut......

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I used to think this as well. But in Europe we’ve been through this phase at Disneyland Paris. That resort was in an awful state not too long ago. After years and years of mismanagement, budget cuts en literally no maintenance (some constructions on site were actually deemed unsafe) I thought things were about to go downhill. But that didn’t happen. Attendance at the parks in Paris remained high and grew. The brand was so strong, the resort survived a lot of bad experiences by guests. Even a lot of bad press. Ever since The Company took control over the Paris resort things started to look better, at the moment it is probably a better experience than WDW.

The difference being that Disney could not let paris fail as their foothold in Western Europe.

They tried to make it a kinda “Tokyo” arrangements for 25 years and when that was obviously gonna fail…they had to pay the piper.

Not the same with their domestic parks that have always been huge profit generators.

I love your perspective…Vive Le France…but I don’t think it quite holds.

They’ll hold the parks staff in the US for as long as the conditions make it convenient. The minute it doesn’t…lock down and slash. And nobody will blink beyond a board like this

 

[lazyboy97o]

For literally decades, they literally handled this problem without a park reservation system. They do not need the park reservation system to handle this problem.

They didn’t handle it, that’s the problem. They spent years and billions of dollars intentionally straining capacity.

 

[Disone]

When you buy a single, non-hop Universal Orlando ticket, will it work at either Islands or Studios, or is it park-specific? (Not rhetorical; I honestly don't know and am curious because the answer is relevant to Cap's point.)

I understand cap point, I just don't agree with it Disney is fixing a problem They didn't have. Or they're making a problem worse by the fix. There are more people unsatisfied now with the park reservation system than there ever were with . Periodic closings for capacity.

The park reservation system is almost universally hated. The phased closing I'm busy days was only a factor during a couple of weeks during spring break, a couple of weeks during December and the occasional July 4th weekend.

To answer your question, you do select a date because a Monday through Thursday is less expensive than a Friday which is less expensive than a Saturday at Universal studios. However, the ticket you purchase can be used at either Islands of adventure or Universal studios, your choice And you do not choose at the time of purchase.

 

[Disone]

They didn’t handle it, that’s the problem. They spent years and billions of dollars intentionally straining capacity.

And they haven't handled it now. The guest surveys clearly do not reflect that satisfaction is higher now than it was before.

Guests or not leaving the Walt Disney World theme parks feeling like they got a wonderful crowd limited experience.

How many times have you read on these boards that people feel like the parks are just as busy as they have ever been. They're not. But you would think the park reservation system would certainly make them feel like they are. And in that respect, the park reservation system has been a complete failure. The limited crowd doesn't feel limited at all.

 

[lazyboy97o]

And they haven't handled it now. The guest surveys clearly do not reflect that satisfaction is higher now than it was before.

Guests or not leaving the Walt Disney World theme parks feeling like they got a wonderful crowd limited experience.

How many times have you read on these boards that people feel like the parks are just as busy as they have ever been. They're not. But you would think the park reservation system would certainly make them feel like they are. And in that respect, the park reservation system has been a complete failure. The limited crowd doesn't feel limited at all.

The parks still feel crowded because crowding is relative. It’s heavily influenced by operational capacity, which was lacking before and is worse now. Letting more people in would only make that worse.

 

[wdisney9000]

Phased closings are a huge guest dissatisfier. Now people know ahead of time if they’re getting into a park or not.

But that "guest dissatisfier" typically only occurred on 2 or 3 major holidays per year and it was primarily MK, and every guest had a chance to enter MK on any of those given holidays if they arrived early enough.

Fast forward to the park reservation system and you have anywhere from 2-3 days per month that not only MK is fully reserved, but even Epcot, HS, and AK as well.

That same "guest dissatisfier" is happening MUCH more frequently and at all the parks, not just MK. Granted, the guest knows ahead of time, but it's just as dissatisfying to try and make park reservations line up with all the other reservations you'll need each day. And if one of the multiple reservations you make on a daily basis goes awry, it can be a nightmare.

IMO, the reservartions cause far more guest dissatisfiers than what was previously in place, (which was no reservations). Again, just my opinion from several trips after the system has been in place.

 

[wdisney9000]

The parks still feel crowded because crowding is relative. It’s heavily influenced by operational capacity, which was lacking before and is worse now. Letting more people in would only make that worse.

But just like MM+, the company wraps up their failure with a pretty bow on top and tells you (and sells you) that it's to "enhance your experience"

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Never heard of phased closings? People who hate the reservation system would also hate being in the parks without one.

Phased closings were very rare and never lasted the entire day anyways. I used to park hop in and out of MK on New Year’s Eve.

They're still in a post-COVID labor shortage.

Are they? What’s the major shortages in the parks, they seem to be close to pre-covid staffing from what I can tell but I’m not sure.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Are they? What’s the major shortages in the parks, they seem to be close to pre-covid staffing from what I can tell but I’m not sure.

It may not seem that way from the outside but they still are having labor shortages

 

[EeyoreFan#24]

Let’s not get functions confused with people/positions.

Business Functions = Tasks to complete
Business Functions ≠ people or positions

I thinks its pretty clear frontline functions need to go on, but they don’t need to go on like they do today with the same people they do today.

Not saying it’s right or what they are going to do, but I don’t see a thing to indicate where they won’t be effected.

But then again, people who really know either aren’t on here or arnt taking. Which is appropriate too.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Phased closings were very rare and never lasted the entire day anyways. I used to park hop in and out of MK on New Year’s Eve.

Are they? What’s the major shortages in the parks, they seem to be close to pre-covid staffing from what I can tell but I’m not sure.

Just look at things that are still not open or offered. A closed store reduces the capacity of the park. An understaffed quick service venue reduces the capacity of the park. All of those sorts of things add up.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Just look at things that are still not open or offered. A closed store reduces the capacity of the park. An understaffed quick service venue reduces the capacity of the park. All of those sorts of things add up.

I saw a couple of closed places at DAK and that was about it.

“Understaffed” isn’t as obvious because mobile order is supposed to reduce staffing anyways.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Are they? What’s the major shortages in the parks, they seem to be close to pre-covid staffing from what I can tell but I’m not sure.

Housekeeping, line cooks, bus drivers at a minimum.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

On one of the Imagineering story episodes Bob Weiss (iirc) said he never understood why they always do layoffs right before Christmas.

Seems to be a pattern for Disney.

Disney's fiscal year begins Oct 1, with the first quarter ending Dec 31. That's probably why the timing is like that.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Housekeeping, line cooks, bus drivers at a minimum.

Housekeeping wouldn’t have anything to do with park capacity.

The No park hopping until 2:00 does save a shift of bus drivers though.

If they have enough line cooks to keep alll those F&B kiosks running but not enough to let the parks operate at capacity then that’s a poor management decision imho.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Let’s not get functions confused with people/positions.

Business Functions = Tasks to complete
Business Functions ≠ people or positions

I thinks its pretty clear frontline functions need to go on, but they don’t need to go on like they do today with the same people they do today.

Not saying it’s right or what they are going to do, but I don’t see a thing to indicate where they won’t be effected.

But then again, people who really know either aren’t on here or arnt taking. Which is appropriate too.

We’re fans…and all decisions are made in one room in Southern California that only accepts calls from lower manhattan

 

[TP2000]

How do these looming layoffs impact any thought of restarting the Lake Nona mass migration of employees from SoCal to Florida, I wonder?

I'm not up on the latest Lake Nona developments, but didn't they put that all on hold six months ago? Or is it still moving forward and a new office campus is being built there for a few thousand California transplants?

I think it's safe to say that the bulk of cutbacks and layoffs will be coming to the Burbank side of the business; namely movie studios, marketing, Disney+, merchandising, the various Glendale n' Burbank cubicle farms, etc... But while the layoffs will likely be limited in the Parks division, what layoffs do happen will likely be focused on the army of white collar folks who work in the sterile office parks of Celebration and Lake Buena Vista.

Not to say that Anaheim won't see some fat cut and people get walked out to their cars in the next few months, as I'm sure that will also happen. But the bulk of the white collar support teams for the Parks are in Florida. What's the future hold for Celebration and Lake Nona?

 

[Magic Crush Drop]

It helped define and shape the "Disney Look" that made it a world famous, admired brand.

Just look at the Disneyland tour guides in the 60's and 70's where they (literally) did not have skirt sizes in double digits vs what you witness today.

I see more professional, fit, polished employees at the DMV. It's embarrassing for the brand.

The entire concept and image of the aspirational "Disney Look" has been obliterated.

If you see that as a benefit to the brand and parks, well, we just disagree.

What about the part of the Disney look that uphold white standards of beauty? Honestly this reads like a divorce dad post.

 

[Tha Realest]

I understand cap point, I just don't agree with it Disney is fixing a problem They didn't have. Or they're making a problem worse by the fix. There are more people unsatisfied now with the park reservation system than there ever were with . Periodic closings for capacity.

The park reservation system is almost universally hated. The phased closing I'm busy days was only a factor during a couple of weeks during spring break, a couple of weeks during December and the occasional July 4th weekend.

To answer your question, you do select a date because a Monday through Thursday is less expensive than a Friday which is less expensive than a Saturday at Universal studios. However, the ticket you purchase can be used at either Islands of adventure or Universal studios, your choice And you do not choose at the time of purchase.

Once or twice a year a handful of guests may have been stopped from entering their desired park on a given day.

This now happens every day, multiple times a day.

 

[JoeCamel]

Let’s not get functions confused with people/positions.

Business Functions = Tasks to complete
Business Functions ≠ people or positions

I thinks its pretty clear frontline functions need to go on, but they don’t need to go on like they do today with the same people they do today.

Not saying it’s right or what they are going to do, but I don’t see a thing to indicate where they won’t be effected.

But then again, people who really know either aren’t on here or arnt taking. Which is appropriate too.

Will the business be affected or effected? I hope the people are not affected from this RoF