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Send a dolphin some love

The Orlando Sentinel has a story recounting Marineland’s tale of woe. Once the pride of the Florida Marine Animal Attractions, the park has suffered for the last few decades. Finally, Hurricane Frances dealt it a death blow. Or so it seems. Now new investors are hoping to turn the park around and make it a… Read More »Send a dolphin some love

Disney World on $0.93 a day?

There is a small number of non-Disney hotels that Disney has allowed to operate on its property. Two were severely damaged by last years hurricanes, one is still closed for refurbishment, The Holiday Inn. It is preparing to reopen, however. So it has put special rates up on the internet. The only problem is the… Read More »Disney World on $0.93 a day?

Kissimmee-St. Cloud, where’s that?

The Osceola County Tourist Development Council wants you to know that the area just south and east of Walt Disney World is ready to receive your tourist dollars. As such, they’re launching an advertising campaign to draw tourists away from the higher end resorts of the Disney World and International Drive areas to their more… Read More »Kissimmee-St. Cloud, where’s that?

Themepark Attendance Up

Forbes reports the yearly tally of attendance at major Themeparks worldwide. The numbers are up with the hurricanes having hardly any affect at all on the final tally for Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Second Place is once again claimed by Disneyland.

avoid August and September?

The four hurricanes that hit Florida could hurt the tourism industry for years, as a fifth of potential summer visitors told researchers they would consider avoiding the state for fear of the storms, officials said today. That could translate into $2.7 billion in lost business for Florida’s biggest industry and $160 million in lost taxes… Read More »avoid August and September?

Will there be a strike?

Planning a vacation to Disney World soon and want to know if there will be a strike when you get there? You might want to call Disney and let them know you expect them to settle with the unions and preserve your vacacation.

At lot of the talk around the union is that why would someone working at the park making $7.00 an hour want to strike. Do they expect to earn a living working at Dumbo or the fast food counter. The reality is no. They do not. Most are part time employees, people who are supplimenting their income, or dedicated Disney fans of some sort. These employees probably didn’t even vote in the election, and if they did they were probably among the ‘yes’ votes as their income would be severly impacted by a strike.

My sense is the people who voted no on this contract are the people who have the highest skilled jobs (some require special training or licenses). These positions include Bus Drivers, Characters, Housekeeping. Their pay scales have been structured in such a manner that if you work 4-5 years in a position you’re now earning what could be a decent wage ($13-$15/hr). If you throw in a little overtime and have two wage earners in the household you could even do quite nicely in parts of Orlando/Kissimmee.

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Strike Authorized

So much for my prediction capabilities. Local news is reporting that not only have Disney Workers rejected the contract offer, but they’ve authorized a strike if the union leaders call for it. Union leaders have called in a federal mediator, so a strike is unlikely in the immediate future. The holidays are fast approaching with… Read More »Strike Authorized