Wish I was starting a thread to reveal a new Mary Poppins ride, commenting on Galaxy's Edge, or even talking about spending cuts at Disneyland. Unfortunately, the information I'm breaking today is significantly negative for Disney Parks due to the growing issue of the Coronavirus in Asia. Before continuing with this report about how the Walt Disney Company is handling the situation, you need to understand that official reports by the Chinese government are known behind the scenes to not be fully accurate. The situation is significantly more severe. Furthermore, in the past week it has been determined that Coronavirus has reached North Korea (although their dictatorship denies it), and may greatly escalate the situation. While the hope is that the virus will be decimated by summer heat and sunshine, there are no guarantees just yet. With all of that said, here are the current changes within the Walt Disney Parks division as a result of unprecedented park closures and resulting losses:
- Nearly every American employee from the Asian parks who wishes to return to America has returned or is preparing to return. They have been or are being cleared by the State Department, and have already completed their quarantine requirements in other Asian countries (mostly South Korea).
- Asian parks are currently being run by skeleton crews while they are down. These crews are maintaining the parks such that they can be reopened when possible. Attractions are being cycled every couple of days to keep them in working condition.
- Almost all part-time cast members at the Asian parks have been released from the company.
- Full-time cast members who are remaining in the area are being paid as if they were continuing to work full-time. There are no public plans at this time to change that situation, nor are plans cemented behind the scenes as of yet.
- Multiple current projects at Disneyland are now on hold. These are evident in that work crews have either ceased or will soon cease to be observed working on these projects. There currently are a few exceptions, but I won't list those as things can quickly change. Work on the Marvel area is not currently a negotiable for work-stoppage, so that one is safe to continue.
- No projects at Walt Disney World are yet canceled or stopped. However, several planned refurbishments have been downsized greatly. These include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover. Whereas these previously included significant changes, they are now standard maintenance refurbishments. Mary Poppins in Epcot may be headed towards the chopping block shot-term, though, if closures continue.
- Should the Asian parks continue to be closed, Typhoon Lagoon is planned to stay closed in an "extended refurbishment" through May. I hesitate to release this information, as it can alter the company's stance on the water park given that the label "extended refurbishment" is intended to be a public relations move to diminish the perceived effects of Asian parks being closed.
- Labor cutbacks are planned. I'm working on getting solid information on this, and don't want to give premature information given that it could panic individuals working for Disney. That said, labor costs can be cut outside of Disneyland, where cutbacks have already pushed that park to its limit since summer.
Best regards, and I'll try to keep this thread updated as more information comes in. Please avoid speculation, as accurate info is important. If Martin or other insiders have additional intel, please feel free to message me and I'll get it in the OP with credit.
