wouldn't this be the best time for construction on WDW?

[ghidorah97]

Would be amazing if they took the opportunity to perform badly needed maintenance throughout the parks (Haunted Mansion, PeopleMover, Space Mountain, Everest, etc.) and attempt to fast-track some of the new construction. Unfortunately, as effectively explained earlier in the thread, that is unlikely to happen.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Schools are still open in NYC. Most of the local politicians from the city council and borough president would prefer them closed. Individual schools have closed as cases are popping up in those schools. I hope that everyone remains healthy and safe!! Marie

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Schools are still open in NYC. Most of the local politicians from the city council and borough president would prefer them closed. Individual schools have closed as cases are popping up in those schools. I hope that everyone remains healthy and safe!! Marie

The governor of MA left it up to each district. Some near Boston have closed for two weeks or more. We're just outside of the Cape and many here have closed for the next two weeks.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Schools are still open in NYC. Most of the local politicians from the city council and borough president would prefer them closed. Individual schools have closed as cases are popping up in those schools. I hope that everyone remains healthy and safe!! Marie

That’s the hardest place in the country to close schools

Highest population density combined with the highest labor requirements...aka least able to accommodate the sudden need for childcare

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

The company is starting to haemorrhage money. I can see capex being pulled back.

Wouldn’t the business insurance cover their losses?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wouldn’t the business insurance cover their losses?

Insurance would cover certain things...but in this kind of a scenario every segment of Disney’s business is gonna suffer outside of maybe the streaming service and some tv...

They are hemorrhaging...for sure. It’s not a zero risk world

Things not selling can’t be recouped with an insurance claim

 

[Nubs70]

Every time it’s slow the first instinct from fans is “now they can build stuff cheap/more easily”

In practice...they practice austerity to service the stock lords and actually reduce investment.

Counterintuitive, but just the way it is.

If this is a temporary, but lengthy closure (by their standards - weeks)...who knows?

Wdw has had contingency plans for hurricane ride out/response...but those are different. We adapted those responses in 2001...which ended being a week long logistics problem and then extended slow after...but that was different as well as airline travel was the major disruption.

I have no idea where this goes and neither do they...so who the hell knows?

Makes me realise.

Completion of projects is.not to complete a project.

Completion of a project is to make money.

If a project will not make money, do not complete the project.

 

[Ojo4]

Anyone who thinks Disney is going to work on maintenance and construction during the shutdown is extremely naive. The parks are hemorrhaging money and any meaningful new capex investment in the parks is going to be nonexistent for years. They've already started the mass layoffs with the CP and I'm sure HR is working round the clock at the moment for the next round of layoffs. It is going to take a long time for parks to return to the level of investment and support from TWDC that we have enjoyed so much over the past decade

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

In whose world does anyone think this will be only 2 weeks?!

They are on about shutting schools in the UK for up to 3 months.

At least they could get a good start. Who really knows how long they will stay closed. If it stretches past 2 weeks then that would be great, wouldn't it? More time to do something. They obviously don't seem to be able to keep up with what needs done now. Wishful thinking, but..

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Anyone who thinks Disney is going to work on maintenance and construction during the shutdown is extremely naive. The parks are hemorrhaging money and any meaningful new capex investment in the parks is going to be nonexistent for years. They've already started the mass layoffs with the CP and I'm sure HR is working round the clock at the moment for the next round of layoffs. It is going to take a long time for parks to return to the level of investment and support from TWDC that we have enjoyed so much over the past decade

I wouldn’t be surprised.

At least they could get a good start. Who really knows how long they will stay closed. If it stretches past 2 weeks then that would be great, wouldn't it? More time to do something. They obviously don't seem to be able to keep up with what needs done now. Wishful thinking, but..

I’m not sure ANYONE Is going to be working for long except in their homes.

If half the world is restricting/locking things down...and Disney has ceased operations - which it will only do for a hurricane that flips cars when it’s on direct tract and 36 hours or less out - why on earth is there any idea that they’ll have maintenance guys changing lightbulbs and fixing details in splash mountain?

I think you’re being “too American” here. This is an entirely new playbook that hasn’t been written. The Chinese parks and japan have been completely locked down. Ghost towns. It’s not worse in Japan than it already is here. They just went straight to Maximum precautions.

Disneyland Paris was business as usual two days ago...now they are in accelerated shutdown. What happened since? France tracked 2000 new cases, 100 deaths and the whole country just banned public places.

If the French just shut all their restaurants...they got issues.

 

[mm121]

Would be great to see the epcot project escalated but I highly doubt that's possible for many reasons

Construction components such as the steel probably are still being fabricated or might not even be designed yet.

Plus they will be wanting to cut costs not increase them

Also the whole idea of the shutdown is to prevent a PR nightmare and headlines such as "Coronavirus spread linked to Disney World" the media wouldn't care if it was among guest, employees, or Construction workers it would be a nightmare

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I am firmly in the camp of thinking Disney is going to be desperately trying to contain costs wherever they can for the near future rather than lovingly tending to their attractions and ramping up new construction. This crisis close to wipes out almost all streams of revenue for Disney, from theme parks to box office revenue and merchandise.

The thing that keeps crossing my mind is the company's financial situation following the purchase of Fox. Hopefully it's solid, but I imagine the company has a lot of debt which was fine in normal circumstances, but suddenly it is both losing money and not worth so much. In these circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of projects costing tens if not hundreds of millions in the parks cancelled rather than accelerated.

 

[celluloid]

Rides do have to cycle to be in maintained working order, and technical teams for major theme parks do have to be there as a part of venues staying active. It has been said from Disney and Universal ones if they have to be there anyway, they are looking forward to fixing projects they never have time to. Being a business and those areas still getting paid, they will attempt certain projects if they are groups that the company is spending money on being there.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Rides do have to cycle to be in maintained working order, and technical teams for major theme parks do have to be there as a part of venues staying active. It has been said from Disney and Universal ones if they have to be there anyway, they are looking forward to fixing projects they never have time to. Being a business and those areas still getting paid, they will attempt certain projects if they are groups that the company is spending money on being there.

This is one thing I could see happening. If they're paying these people to be there anyway, hopefully some of the issues they have never got around to fixing suddenly get done when a lot of the usual day to day maintenance becomes less of an issue.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I am firmly in the camp of thinking Disney is going to be desperately trying to contain costs wherever they can for the near future rather than lovingly tending to their attractions and ramping up new construction. This crisis close to wipes out almost all streams of revenue for Disney, from theme parks to box office revenue and merchandise.

The thing that keeps crossing my mind is the company's financial situation following the purchase of Fox. Hopefully it's solid, but I imagine the company has a lot of debt which was fine in normal circumstances, but suddenly it is both losing money and not worth so much. In these circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of projects costing tens if not hundreds of millions in the parks cancelled rather than accelerated.

Disney is financially stable enough to come out of this fairly smoothly...but that’s assuming a system wide economic bounceback.

This is the first time in any of our lives...likely...where the “unknown” outweighs the known.

You are correct. Disney won’t be bringing people in to refresh rides. They will try to cut loss anywhere they can. As far as large capex goes...that’s a doozy. I bet igers “semi-retirement” has become more like his most stressful, overextended days.

Rides do have to cycle to be in maintained working order, and technical teams for major theme parks do have to be there as a part of venues staying active. It has been said from Disney and Universal ones if they have to be there anyway, they are looking forward to fixing projects they never have time to. Being a business and those areas still getting paid, they will attempt certain projects if they are groups that the company is spending money on being there.

It will be very limited. Just a guess

 

[LauraRose]

where in the uk u from?
i misspelled btw..how does that happen??

I’m in Liverpool!

 

[wannabeBelle]

That’s the hardest place in the country to close schools

Highest population density combined with the highest labor requirements...aka least able to accommodate the sudden need for childcare

Agreed. Also there is the issue that is being talked about as to feeding the kids who rely on schools for their most substantial meals of the day. The teachers and most parents at least in my borough are advocating for closure of the schools, and have the cafeterias be open with minimal staffing to accommodate any children with nutritional needs. The argument is that the children can go to school, pick up the virus and transmit it to an relative who is older or with a weakened immune system. At least 4 schools in my borough have been closed individually as a student or teacher has tested positive for COVID-19. I know of one family who is self quarantined as they had interaction with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. As of the last time I heard they have not shown any symptoms themselves, which is good. Marie

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Agreed. Also there is the issue that is being talked about as to feeding the kids who rely on schools for their most substantial meals of the day. The teachers and most parents at least in my borough are advocating for closure of the schools, and have the cafeterias be open with minimal staffing to accommodate any children with nutritional needs. The argument is that the children can go to school, pick up the virus and transmit it to an relative who is older or with a weakened immune system. At least 4 schools in my borough have been closed individually as a student or teacher has tested positive for COVID-19. I know of one family who is self quarantined as they had interaction with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. As of the last time I heard they have not shown any symptoms themselves, which is good. Marie

Our district's first closure day is Monday - they are actively working on making sure those students who depend on the school system for their meals daily will still be fed. My bestie in Delaware is working on rallying people to ensure that low-income students in her area don't want for meals and will personally be donating 25 meals per week as well as assembling them and getting them to where they need to go.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Our district's first closure day is Monday - they are actively working on making sure those students who depend on the school system for their meals daily will still be fed. My bestie in Delaware is working on rallying people to ensure that low-income students in her area don't want for meals and will personally be donating 25 meals per week as well as assembling them and getting them to where they need to go.

Bless you both for seeing to the needs of these kids, That is just awesome!!! The world needs more people like you!! Marie

 

[ImperfectPixie]

B

Bless you both for seeing to the needs of these kids, That is just awesome!!! The world needs more people like you!! Marie

Oh, I wish I could personally do more...and she is an AMAZING lady. I thought of offering babysitting for those whose kids are home but whose employers aren't being cooperative, but with hubby's job, he just comes into contact with too many random people and I'd hate to be the cause of more people being infected.