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Promotions Shake Up Disney Parks & Resorts under Tom Staggs

In a long internal memo today, Tom Staggs made official the organizational shakeup everyone knew was coming after Staggs took over the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division. It’s nothing earth shattering, but it does flatten some of the levels of hierarchy that were said to have frustrated Staggs since he took over.

In short, current WDW president Meg Crofton expands to oversee all the domestic parks and the two parks in France. Karl Holtz, who a few years ago was rumored to be leaving Disney, is instead adding DVC to his DCL and Adventures by Disney responsibilities. Leslie Ferraro becomes executive vice president, Global Marketing and Sales combining those two closely related departments and Erin Wallace, executive vice president, Operations Integration also adds revenue management to her desk. The move also creates a new executive council under Staggs.

While Staggs’ reorganization did not cut any of the deadwood certain segments of Disney fans wanted to see go, I believe the general movement here is a good one. It will allow for efficiencies where they need to exist and independence, with oversight, as required for the parks. Combining marketing and sales is a no-duh in my book, they are both measured by the same final metrics (butts in beds and asses through the gates), so unifying them is good. The only move that looks questionable to me is giving the extra power of revenue management to operations. However, they are the yin and the yang of theme park operations. Having one person keep a close eye via her myriad of spreadsheets and minions (and I mean that in the nicest possible way), could be very positive.

Let’s keep a watch on this for the next 3-year planning cycle and see if there really is any improvement. Meanwhile, the pressure is kicked up a notch for these people to get things done or they too could be reorganized right out of a job.

The full text of Tom Staggs’ announcement is below the jump:

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Time-Lapse Disney Cruise through Alaska

Walt Disney World Photographer Matt Stroshane recently sailed on the Disney Wonder on its inaugural cruise to Alaska. Using over 10,000 still photographs he created this time-lapse video showing the cruise as it sailed past the panoramic Vancouver BC skyline, under the Lions Gate Bridge,… Read More »Time-Lapse Disney Cruise through Alaska

Disney Fantasy Announces Aladdin Stage Show

On Thursday, the Disney Parks blog announced that “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular” will run on the Disney Fantasy. As I wrote in a previous post, a full stage production of Aladdin is expected to open at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle this… Read More »Disney Fantasy Announces Aladdin Stage Show

Disney Cruise Line 2012 Ports

We’ve had the pleasure of a short journey on the Disney Dream. It’s already revolutionizing the Disney Cruise Line fan base running its shorter trips. Next year will bring the Disney Fantasy to Florida to take on the longer adventures. That, of course, raises the… Read More »Disney Cruise Line 2012 Ports