3 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

It's not just Disney either. 

I know first hand how other companies are using the current situation as an excuse to thin their ranks/cut services, in particular when it comes to higher paid employees. I totally get that when your business takes a big financial hit you need to make changes and get leaner to survive, but what I'm seeing myself is going beyond that to the point that the work/sales have rebounded considerably in the past couple of months, yet no staffing back up is taking place.  Instead the employees that are left are being expected to pick up the slack - sometimes by holes left by 2-3 other people that are now gone.  And not surprisingly it's the more senior (read: higher paid) employees being cut, and in some cases replaced by new hires with little to no experience.  But so goes the way of the corporate world these days...

Sadly I agree this is very true.

My oldest daughter works for an airline in the back offices dealing with employees schedules etc.

When all this started happening, she chose to stay on with a pay cut instead of being furloughed (some of them started making more on unemployment then her new pay rate).

Some retired and the furloughed ones haven't been brought back so she's been doing the work of at least 3 sometimes 4 people.

I know a lot of big companies are hurting (or not performing to their shareholders expectations more than likely), but they should have some sort of reserves to make it thru, or at least be able to work out deals with lenders for $$ to carry them thru.

It's the mom and pop/small businesses that are being devastated all around the country.

I'm starting to see more negative posts about the parks than positive, and some of the pictures from WDW, Busch, Sea World show packed areas and long lines.

Orange County Florida Mayor Calls Disney World Layoffs “Sobering, but not Unexpected”

In a recent press conference, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings called the announcement of Disney World layoffs “sobering” but said that the call from Disney was not unexpected. Demings noted that Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the country and while they have endeavoured to keep as many Cast Members employed as possible, it’s an undeniable fact that the economy isn’t going to support full staffing. Even Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro noted that Disney “cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while operating at such limited capacity”.

While we’re a Disney-focused blog, Disney is just the latest of the major theme parks to announce layoffs in the Central Florida area. While Disney World has officially laid off 6,700 Cast Members so far, that count is just the non-union layoffs that we know about. Disney is still negotiating with unions on both coasts to total up to 28,000 Cast Member layoffs.

On top of the Disney World announcement, Universal Orlando has laid off over 2,300 Team Members. SeaWorld has laid off 1,300. Other sectors of the tourism industry have laid off a collective 30,000 employees. When you add up all of the layoffs in the Central Florida area, it’s understandable why Demings would say that the layoffs were easy to foresee.

In total, Disney Parks will lay off nearly 30% off their domestic workforce, and Demings will be reopening the local CARES Act portal to assist those affected by the layoffs. Demings promised more details on Monday, October 5th. The last time the CARES Act portal was opened back in July, it was closed within 10 minutes after more than 10,000 applications were submitted. Orange County Florida has over $50 million in funding left to distribute, according to Demings.

45 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Unfortunately, TCD Twin #1 got the call last week that she is one of the 28,000. We are all gutted. Two college programs, both at WDW and DL, and three years of hard work since graduating from college, and she has been kicked to the curb so Disney can afford to pay their executives and shareholders and sit on billions of dollars of cash in hopes of buying up some bargains in the coming economic crisis.  

For now, Twin #2 remains employed in the Disney HR department, but she suspects that will only last as long as it takes to clean up the little messes caused by firing tens of thousands of employees. Then she will get kicked to the curb in another wave of layoffs.

They grew up foolishly believing that Disney would reward them for their love, hard work, and effort. 

It turns out that Disney is just another money grubbing heartless corporation. What a tough lesson to learn at 25. 

TCD

I've been meaning to check with you about the girls since the announcement last week.

That's always the way, the upper levels look out for themselves and their close knit minions,  and screw the real workers that keep their companies in business.

Hope when things rebound #1 can get her job back (if she wants it) and #2 weathers the storm and not get fired.

Didn’t they get rid of the Dapper Dans a while ago?

6,700 non-union Disney employees in Central Florida among those being laid off

Among the approximately 28,000 Disney employees being laid off are nearly 6,700 non-union workers located in Central Florida.

A notice sent to the state Tuesday is the first indication of the impact that Disney’s layoffs will have on Central Florida.

The biggest chunk of this layoff is almost 6,500 workers based at Disney World, but there are also layoffs at other Disney locations in Central Florida, including at Disney Vacation Club in Celebration, and at Orlando International Airport.

Disney’s notice to the state says the job losses will start Dec. 4.

The company said Tuesday it is planning to lay off 28,000 workers in its theme parks division in California and Florida.

The company has been squeezed by limits on attendance at its parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic.

Officials said Tuesday that two-thirds of the planned layoffs involve part-time workers but they ranged from salaried employees to hourly workers.

Disney’s parks closed last spring as the pandemic started spreading in the U.S. The Florida parks reopened this summer, but the California parks have yet to reopen as the company awaits guidance from the state of California.

Amy Thomson worked at the Disney reservation call center juggling pandemic-related cancellation calls from guests.

Tuesday afternoon, she was one of tens of thousands that received the email from Disney announcing layoffs in the United States.

“The email essentially says earlier this year, in response to the pandemic, we were forced to close our businesses around the world. Few of us could have imagined how significantly the pandemic would impact us — both at work and in our daily lives,” Thomson said. “It was extremely shocking. I mean, whenever I first got it and I was talking to some of my other fellow cast members, we had tears in our eyes, some of us were crying because I’m like, we’ve just been sitting here for six months just waiting and waiting.”

The Service Trades Council Unions represent 43,000 Cast Members at Walt Disney World, and says they’re disappointed about the layoffs, but that they’re beginning negotiations with the company.

The Actors’ Equity Association which represents actors and stage directors at the parks says they’re also talking with Disney. They add, “In Florida, laid off Disney workers can only receive $275 in unemployment benefits, which is unconscionable. The Senate must help these workers.”

Orlando Representative Val Demings doubled down on the call for a COVID-19 relief bill, noting anyone in her district that needs help can contact her office.

I think this was worthy of it's own post...

For 23 years, Yehaa Bob Jackson rocked the roost with wacky piano playing and singing at the River Roost Lounge in Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. Today, he announced that he will not be returning to his role.

A beloved staple at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, it is saddening to hear of his departure. This news comes shortly after the announcement that The Grand Floridian Society Orchestra will also not be returning to the their resort.

Grand Floridian Orchestra is going away, and so is Bob @ Riverside.

Check this site

https://glamperlife.com/campfires-in-disneys-fort-wilderness-campground/

According to the Walt Disney World refurbishment calendar, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat will both undergo an extensive refurbishment beginning October 5th.

While the nature of the work is not yet known, the refurbishment is listed through early 2021, which indicates that there will be an extensive amount of work.

If we had to speculate, the length of the work could signal a draining of the Rivers of America to access the track that the Liberty Square Riverboat runs along. We saw the Rivers of America drained back in August 2018 as crews worked on a section of the river. It’s possible that the refurbishment work could target a different section of the river from Splash Mountain past Big Thunder Mountain, which would cut off access to Tom Sawyer Island. Of course, this is just speculation based on the length of the refurbishment. Disney has not announced the nature of the work yet.

Construction walls are now installed in the Italy Pavilion at EPCOT. The walls surround the side of the Italy pavilion closest to The American Adventure, where there was an outdoor vending kiosk serving beer and soda as well as a pin cart. Both have been removed for the work.

Cast Members in the area weren’t sure what the work was for, but we noticed some pavement work nearby in the Italy pavilion.

Grand Floridian Reopening: Cleaning Up After the NBA, Magic Kingdom Walkway Not Open

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort reopened to guests today after being closed to house some of the NBA teams competing in the “bubble” season restart. With all of the teams now eliminated from the playoffs that were staying there, the resort is opening back up to guests today. We took an early morning stroll around the resort to take a look at some of the cleaning up that Disney has to do now that the NBA is gone as well as to check in on the Magic Kingdom walkway. Let’s take a look around!

We’ll start with the cleanup associated with the NBA bubble utilizing the resort. The biggest issues appear to be from the fencing that secured the bubble. Crews were actively tearing up grass that had died as a result of the fencing, and there were patch jobs around the walkways where the fencing was drilled into the pathway.

Some NBA related activity is still taking place in Boca Chica, where signage inside the building said “Welcome NBA Families”, and we saw personnel walking in and out of the building with NBA credentials. It is likely that this could be used for some overflow for anyone who would be on-site, but outside of the “bubble” as this is a guest accessible area now.

Magic Kingdom Walkway

Also of interest is the ongoing work for the Magic Kingdom walkway. While there was a possibility that the walkway could have opened today, it was still closed to guests and crews were actively working on it.

Reunion Station at Wilderness Lodge Now Closed

Despite multiple attempts to reinvent itself, Reunion Station at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge has now closed its doors. This news was confirmed by Cast Members working at the resort earlier this past weekend.

Servicing both Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek Villas, Reunion Station acted as a community hall for Disney Vacation Club members and their guests. Since its opening in April 2018, however, it has struggled to find an identity that attracted members to the space.

Reunion Station has offered guests over the years a variety of workshops, including wine tastings, photography classes, cake decorating, and more. Special member events have also been held at this location, including New Year’s Eve parties, and most recently, the ‘Game Day Lounge‘ for enjoying some tailgate food and catching the week’s best football match-ups. Members also had the opportunity to rent this space for parties or special occasions.

It is not immediately clear when this area will reopen or what it will be repurposed into. The most logical choice could be to expand upon the adjoining Geyser Point Bar and Grill and provide some indoor seating to this popular establishment.

Let us know in the comments if you ever visited Reunion Station at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and what you thought of this member exclusive area while it lasted!

Walt Disney Imagineering Files Permit for Graphics Installation at “it’s a small world” in Magic Kingdom

A new permit indicates that Walt Disney Imagineering will be replacing some graphics at “it’s a small world” in Magic Kingdom. The permit is to “remove and reinstall graphic” at 1460 Magic Kingdom Drive, the street address of the attraction.

Without more information, it’s unknown what exactly Imagineering is planning on replacing at the ride. It could be any signage, inside or out. The “it’s a small world” queue also recently received a complete refurbishment. As we reported on just last year, the attraction was slated or a character overlay (similar to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park) for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, but it’s unknown if these plans are still underway given the impacts of COVID-19.

Prep For New EPCOT Starbucks Officially Underway

Electric Umbrella, once a counter-service restaurant in EPCOT’s Future World area, officially closed over six months ago as part of the EPCOT theme park reimagining.

For quite some time, however, remnants of the building, including the umbrellas on top of it, remained visible to Guests at the Disney park. Now, demolition of the former Electric Umbrella space is underway.

A new EPCOT Starbucks location and another, as-yet unannounced quick service restaurant will occupy the area when the Future World reimagining is complete.

What else is happening in Future World?

Although certain EPCOT construction projects, including the Space 220 restaurant, have been put on-hold, many of the previously announced work in Future World is continuing.

The PLAY! Pavilion, for example, has seen a great deal of progress recently. Located in the new World Discovery area, the PLAY! Pavilion will house interactive experiences for the entire family, including a sketching academy with The Incredibles’ fashion icon, Edna Mode.

The upcoming Moana water attraction is also on-track for its scheduled opening in the new World Nature neighborhood.

2021 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and 2021 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Cancelled, Will be Hosted as Virtual Events

1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Thanks for mentioning The Princess Bride. I knew it was on Disney+, but I had never seen it. After you jogged my memory, I watched it for the first time ever (inconceivable) last night.  What a gem!

This is a perfect example of the value of Disney+ for me. The Princess Bride is a movie that was recommended to me by lots of people, but I never felt like making the effort to track down a copy.  Disney+ made it easy. After I watched it, they recommended the movie Willow- another movie I’ve never seen, but will now watch. This is great for someone like me who wouldn’t dream of seeing a princess or fantasy movie in the 80s or 90s, but now I can watch and appreciate them. 

TCD

Best movie ever!!

We do enjoy Disney+, I just thought we would use it more. 

I did enjoy the collector series and I've seen a couple of the new Muppet Show episodes.

1 hour ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Yep.  Didn't have to worry about a place for the dog (or my being on a ship)... after all.

I've got some kayaks and a canoe if you all want to take an adventure on the rivers of FL complete with gators, and snakes and spiders that drop from overhanging trees! 

This is the article some others have been talking about, with a little more information than the TV stations aired.

A guest at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was seen attempting to rally onlookers for support by incorrectly quoting the movie “A Bug’s Life,” while security escorted him out of the park for refusing to wear a face mask.

In a video originally posted to social media on Sept. 15 by Disney fan site WDWT, a man is seen screaming to onlookers about “A Bug’s Life,” in a last ditch effort to drum up support for not wearing his mask.
 

“Remember the movie that came out at Walt Disney World?,” yells the man. “It was called A Bug’s Life! Remember Hopper? If one guy stands up, one ant stands up, then they’ll all stand up and they’ll lose control.”

Of course, the quote he’s actually searching for is “You let one ant stand up to us, then they all might stand up.”

But apparently it doesn't appear that guests were swayed, as Walt Disney World, like most theme parks in Florida, currently requires guests to wear face masks in most public places right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The man in the clip is actually Christian musician, pastor and conspiracy theorist Roy Fields, known for a recently viral 9/11 currency manipulation video, and his Run With Fire Ministries out of Lakeland, Florida.

Fields later posted about getting booted from Disney on his Facebook page. "They got madder as I continue to inform the public information and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ," said Fields in the post. "Law Enforcement said that I did NOT break any laws at all. I just had to leave."

In Fields' version of the video, he can be seen screaming at guests to repent, and that COVID-19 deaths have been purposely inflated, which is incorrect.
 

3 hours ago, djsamuel said:

That reminds me.  When we were staying at the Fort a couple of weeks ago, they were actually checking magic bands at the pool. 

Only times I've seen any checking at the pool was 4th of July, and they were a separate band you had to get in the morning after showing ID and giving them your site #

11 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

I just saw yesterday they threw a guy out of the parks because he refused to wear a mask.

He got a trespass warning also, so he's banned from Disney property at the moment.

21 minutes ago, rjpete said:

I am very disappointed with Disney +, and my plan is to drop it when it is time to renew in November.

I signed up for the special 3 year discount price before it came on line so at this point it's a good deal for how much we watch it.

Come renewal time I'll have to make a decision if it's worth it.

No kids in the house so we don't watch a lot of the cartoons or movies, and what movies I'm interested in I have on disk.

I've watched a few of the series and they weren't too bad, but they definitely need to ramp up new original content if they are going to compete with the big boys.

Just having all of their old catalogs available isn't going to be enough to keep or gain new subscribers.

How often can you watch Marvel or Star Wars.

Kind of long article, interesting bits and pieces below

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/09/14/animal-kingdoms-disney-debut-might-be-a-sign-of-more-streaming-content-ahead-from-orlando-parks?utm_source=feature&utm_medium=home&utm_campaign=hpfeatures&utm_content=HomeTopFeature

At the same time, Disney has been looking to add more Disney Parks content to Disney+ with a new veterinarian focused reality show that shows the daily workings at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The show is surprisingly one only a handful on Disney+ that’s concentrated on Disney Parks. Produced by National Geographic, the new show, titled Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, brings a synergy to Disney+ that so far yet to be seen. Using the highly recognizable National Geographic branding to add a level of legitimacy to the show, Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is expected to showcase Disney’s award-winning animal care while also promoting the park, now the second most visited theme park in Florida. Despite the name, the show will also showcase the veterinarian care throughout Walt Disney World, including Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Epcot's Living Seas aquarium.

A lot of the infrastructure that allows these in-park live streams to take place is thanks to the Disney Stores that dot suburban malls across the nation. On May 2, 2015, Disney unveiled the next generation of Disney Stores at the Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord, CA. The store replaced the dated animatronics that the 1990s Disney Stores were known for; instead, this store relied heavily on projection mapping, ‘storytelling neighborhoods,’ and the Disney Store Theater. The theater was to broadcast live feeds from various Disney parks throughout the day. As guests shopped, they could stop and watch the parade from Disneyland or the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. By 2017, the idea was pushed even further when to help sell the experience, during the streams store employees would push snack and retail carts similar to those used at Disney Parks past guests who were enjoying the live streams.

The idea didn’t last long as it quickly became apparent that the live feeds became a focal point that distracted shoppers from shopping. Within a few years, the concept was all but abandoned, but the short-lived experiment did prove live feeds from the parks were possible.

At the 2019 D23 Expo, just as Disney was giving all attendees an introductory rate to sign up for Disney+, the company announced a massive multi-billion-dollar redo of Epcot. In the slew of concept art was one piece featuring what looks to be a television studio inside the EPCOT Garden Festival Center in the middle of World Celebration. In concept art revealing the studio, two hosts are seen seated behind a desk with Spaceship Earth behind them, large broadcast style cameras and lighting rigs can be seen, with visitors standing nearby watching.

While Disney has not confirmed details regarding the studio, the location within the festival center is telling. Epcot’s various festivals regularly see high-profile guests hosting special panels, events, or educational workshops. Some of the classes and events are already filmed and broadcast live on monitors to allow for larger classes. The location of the proposed studio is also nearly identical to where Disney already hosts many of its live streams from with Epcot’s World Showcase lagoon or Spaceship Earth already regularly featured as the backdrop.

Various content creators have already gained a following by live-streaming within Disney Parks. Attractions Magazine, a Central Florida based publication devoted to all aspects of the attractions industry, hosts a weekly live-stream that regularly sees thousands of viewers tune-in during the hour-long broadcasts.

Disney could potentially create its own in-house daily Disney Parks content if it had its own studio. Just as ViacomCBS has found success with its television-style live channel programming through the Pluto TV app, Disney could potentially run these programs live in a television channel style format similar to how it operates its ABC News Live channel on Hulu. At the same time, a constant stream of in-park content could be used to promote new events in Disney Parks.

15 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

OK. One was lucky enough to work in a department where remote work is possible. Disney sent her a laptop, docking station and two monitors, and she has been working full time for about a month. The other just attained status at City Hall prior to the shutdown. They have called those castmembers back by seniority, and she’s near the end of that list unfortunately.  They share an apartment and have been good with their money, so they will be okay for a while. It’s very hard and stressful on the one still furloughed.

TCD

Glad to hear they are doing semi ok.  Hope things get better for the furloughed one.

Another thing to remember, there is only 1 bathroom, and there are no nearby comfort stations (except if you are near the "quiet" pool.

So if you have family members that like long baths/showers, plan your potty visits ahead of time. 

And if you like cooking and are a gadget person (or just like decent knives) you may want to pack your own.

They supply the basics.

6 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I agree. 

And Disney has chosen to squeeze the passholders by charging them the same price despite reduced hours, no entertainment, no parades, no park hopping, and limited access to the parks. 

I don’t see them backing off on any of that. Instead I think we will see them double down with more schemes to try to lure in new money. 

They are not thinking about the future. They’re thinking about this one quarter at a time. Those in charge are all still getting paid their bloated compensation while hanging castmembers and passholders out to dry.  The shareholders are happy for now, but this plan isn’t sustainable.

TCD

Agree.  How are your girls doing?

3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

That makes sense. 

But you aren’t thinking like a cutthroat CEO running a billion dollar company solely focused on the bottom line. They don’t give a hoot about passholders-they have our money. They want new money, and will continue to do all they can to make room for those potential new customers by creating barriers to keep passholders from taking up space in the parks. 

That’s the path they have chosen, and they aren’t going to veer from it. 

TCD

But at the moment based on media reports, their plan seems to be loosing steam.  People are not blinded by pixie dust as much, and aren’t willing to spend the big bucks to get half or less of an experience.  In the long run, until the parks are back to normal, it’s the pass holders that will keep the lights on.

5 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

As they announce what will be available and not at WDW for the balance of this year, I am convinced that there will be no extension of park hours. The plan clearly is to limp along with the current reduced workforce avoiding all overtime and bringing back any more castmembers while charging full price for park admission and jacking up prices on food and merchandise. If they can finagle it where the guest revenue is 50% or more above normal while labor costs are about 30% of normal, the balance sheet won’t look so bad. It’s all a numbers game.

TCD

Since it seems like they aren’t getting the “big spenders” Chapek was kissing up to, maybe he should make nice to the scummy Passholders and open up more reservations and start cranking out the discounts and giveaways for us.  Passholders may be disappointed with the missing shows etc, but at least we’ve paid for our passes and are more apt to keep coming back and spending some $.

And the gingerbread houses have been cancelled!!!

Well the yellow had a pop out, and I guess the blue structure could be a pop up! 😂