The Walt Disney Company revealed it has recently eliminated 1900 positions through a combination of layoffs, severance, and the closing of open positions at its Disney theme park locations (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and a few other suppot locations). That works out to be about 2% of the total workforce, but since the cuts occurred mainly in management and executive levels, the percentage of salaried positions cut is much higher and felt much deeper.

Cuts in Florida include 900 layoffs and buyouts while California had 200 layoffs or buyouts. Those affected in Florida have even started a Facebook group for support.

The move comes as the Walt Disney Company attempts to reorganize much of its domestic operations into a central management. No longer will there be a menu committee for both the west coast and the east coast, now there is just one group. Other divisions hit hard were marketing, training, and human resources. Cuts in entertainment have been going on for a long time, but that division was hit hard too.

(Via the Orlando Sentinel)

Last week I roamed through Downtown Disney on a Thursday night and marveled at how amazingly crowded it was. What was also amazing was that despite warnings of doom and gloom last year not one vendor has closed their doors due to the economy.

Yes, Disney has closed the clubs in the Pleasure Island area without any work being done to replace them. The rumor is they haven’t been able to sign a single vendor to take over those spaces. Another less likely rumor is that Disney is auditioning for new casts for the two most popular of those clubs. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Disneyland’s Downtown Disney has not fared as well with four retail locations closing at the mall. Starabilias was one of those in Anaheim, but here in Orlando it’s open and busy.

Over on the Marketplace side there was one location that has closed, but it was just to make room for a new Disney operated boutique that will be called Tren-D (pronounced tren-dee). Tren-D (which I’ve also seen written as TrenD) will feature chic and, you guessed it, trendy fashion items and exclusive Disney items from designers.

click to visit Disney’s preview of the new shop.

It’s going to have a lot of exclusive merchandise not available elsewhere at Walt Disney World. What it is not is ‘Vault 28′. But that’s okay, I’m guessing the market surveys showed Disney needed a different type of store on the East Coast. I’m hoping they find somewhere in the Downtown Disney area to showcase some of the great stuff they do have at Vault 28 as well as some of the furniture lines that have licensed the Disney look recently. Tren-D opens in March 2009.

It’s not a new shop, but it is great show. Downtown Disney’s Guest Relations has been remodelled into a beautiful Craftsman style area. I actually felt like I had been magically transported back to Disney’s Grand Californian hotel in Anaheim. Disney’s welcome to come to my house and redo it in this style anytime.

Finally, I saw the construction for the  “Characters in the Sky” platform. It will be a hot air balloon ride that will take guests 300 feet into the sky for a breathtaking view of the area.

It’s much bigger than I thought it would be. It’s also far enough away from the Downtown Disney Hotels so that your view shouldn’t be obstructed by them too much. Not that there’s much to see in Central Florida. It’s pretty flat. But you will get a great view of the Walt Disney World property, with Typhoon Lagoon and Epcot being the closest.

There is plenty of change afoot at Downtown Disney. Just not what was predicted a few years ago. We’ll revisit in March when the newest store opens.

One of the comments that was made in the 1Q results conference call was that Disney’s theme parks had seen a larger drop off in visits from locals than had been expected. Also mentioned was the expectation that  further admission discounts would be coming. Well, here’s the first one. Florida residents can get two parks for two days for $99 ($83 for ages 3-9).

Tickets must be purchased before May 20th and the last day to use the tickets is May 21st. They are “Magic Your Way” base tickets, which means they must be used within 14 days of first use as well.

Details below the cut or visit DisneyWorld/99.
[Read more →]

Central Florida theme-park attractions must report incidents and injuries to guests at their theme parks every quarter. The latest report is out and there are 10 incidents added to the list as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. Again it’s your usual assortment of broken bones, chest pains, and dizziness that could be related to anything, and not necessarily the fault of the theme park in question. If anything the trend is that guests over a certain age need to be more careful as to which attractions they experience, especially if they have pre-existing conditions.

Check the Sentinel’s database of incidents online.

Happy Birthday to Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney… and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney’s dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place… a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn — together. Dedicated this 25th day of October, 1971. Roy O. Disney

Happy Birthday to EPCOT Center.

To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope and Friendship—Welcome. EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney’s creative vision. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man’s ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere in the world.
—E. Cardon Walker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Walt Disney Productions, October 24, 1982

37 years ago today Walt Disney World opened to the public, the first step in implementing what was Walt Disney’s dream for a new type of community, his gift to the world. Sadly, I have to report we are only baby steps closer to making that dream a reality. Disney fans, we have a lot of work to do.

While the thoughts of everyone here at The Disney Blog are with those who are in the path of Hurricane Gustav, it’s also important for those in Florida or planning a trip to the area, to know that the whole state, including the attractions area of Central Florida, is in the cone of potential for Tropical Storm Hanna.

As you can see in the above 5-day forcast, Hanna is set to become a Hurricane. While the predicted path does take the storm up the coast and not onto land, as we all know storms like this can sometimes have a mind of their own. Add Gustav into the mix and predictions become even more dangerous.

Keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center for updates. And please be safe and evacuate when told if you’re in the path of any major storm.

Meet Tropical Storm Hanna. Judging by the 5-day forcast above, she’s got her eye set on Florida. If she follows the straight ahead, she’ll be paying central Florida’s attractions a visit in about 7 days. If that’s when you’re planning on visiting Orlando, don’t get worried yet. Some computer models put Hanna on a much more northerly course and back out in the Atlantic. But she deserves watching.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Gustav is still dancing around in the Caribbean. Like Fay before him, Gustav is proving to be unpredictable as a major storm. Between now and when he enters the Gulf of Mexico his potential targets include anywhere in Mexico from the Yucatan north, Texas, Louisiana, the Florida Panhandle, and even the rest of the Florida west coast.

We should know more about both storms in the next few days. Meanwhile keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) and this blog. If you have a trip booked to Walt Disney World between now and November, you might want to familiarize yourself with the Walt Disney World Tropical Weather Policy.

The Walt Disney World Resort worked behind the scenes to carve itself an exemption to the recently passed Florida law that allows employees to bring a concealed weapon to work with them as long as it remains in the car. That exception was for employers who have explosive permits, which Disney does since they deal with fireworks nightly.

Not everyone was happy with Disney building in a loophole, not former cast member Edwin Sotomayor who is challenging the case in court, not the legislators who passed it, and not even the Attorney General who was taking his time deciding if Disney overstepped its bounds. Well, now you can count the Attorney General in the Disney column.

Disney just changed their internal policy so that the no-guns rule only applies to the Walt Disney World parks and resort property. Other Disney properties in the state, such as at Celebration, don’t regularly deal with fireworks and Disney will no longer prevent employees from bringing a gun to work as long as it remains locked away and out of site unless used in a lawful manner (which in Florida is a pretty liberal meaning).

Scott Powers at the Orlando Sentinel has more. But I will say that with the Attorney General taking Disney’s side, things aren’t looking good for former Animal Kingdom security guard Edwin Sotomayor. I hope he’s found a new job somewhere.