Disney World News: Layoff Thoughts, Annual Pass Sales Resume, Expo Delayed
We’re back with another Walt Disney World news round-up, plus commentary on a variety of stories. This one is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, with upbeat stories on progress and positive changes…plus thoughts on the heart-wrenching layoffs that are sweeping through Florida and California.
Let’s start with the bad: fallout and aftermath of the announcement that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are laying off 28,000 Cast Members. It has since become clearer which areas, unions, teams, etc. are most impacted and in what numbers, via filings and other info. If you’re really curious, the Orlando Sentinel and OC Register have done a good job breaking this down, as have other Disney-centric sites.
The last few days have been heartbreaking. Hearing from Cast Member friends and seeing acquaintances post that they “got the call.” Every time we open social media, there are more people who have received the devastating news. Some of these people are Disney lifers who have been with the company for decades. Some have opened multiple new parks. Some were truly living their dream in working for this company. Some uprooted their families and lives to move to Florida or California and be magic-makers. All were ambassadors for Disney, worthy stewards of Walt’s legacy, and vital assets for the company. We truly cannot fathom Disney without all of these people. They were what makes Disney, Disney.
This is not hyperbole or exaggeration. If anything, it’s understating the tragedy of this. We knew layoffs were a foregone conclusion months ago, and have seen past rounds of job losses and restructuring during and after the Great Recession. That pales in comparison to what has happened and is happening now. The number of great people, knowledge, and passion vanishing right now–I don’t even know what to say.
I think a lot of Walt Disney World and Disneyland fans understand the scale of this and the importance of Cast Members, but perhaps as more of an abstraction. You may not personally know any or many Cast Members. If you’re on social media, I’d encourage you to seek out groups on Facebook, threads on Reddit, posts on Twitter or Instagram from impacted Cast Members. Not for the sake of rubbernecking, but to drive home the gravity of this and the dedication these Cast Members brought to their jobs, plus the grace and gratitude many have even in departing. Our hope is that the hospitality industry recovers swiftly so that as many as possible can be rehired, and more losses do not occur.
We don’t have any interest in offering deep insight into what the layoffs “mean” or forward-looking analysis about the future of the parks right now. Nor will we be offering critique of Florida, California, or the Walt Disney Company over these difficult decisions. Again, we do not envy anyone tasked with making these cuts or phone calls. The only choices right now are a range of “least-bad” ones. It’s devastating for everyone involved.
That includes the Cast Members who are still employed by the Walt Disney Company. There are still many (many, many) great Cast Members in the parks and resorts. It’s worth reiterating yet again that lingering uncertainty remains and no Cast Member is truly unaffected. Everyone will be losing friends and colleagues, will be asked to shoulder more of the weight, and will probably have a form of survivor’s guilt.
Please have empathy and courtesy when interacting with Cast Members in the coming days, weeks, and months. This should go without saying…but is also worth saying. Just because your vacation “cost a lot of money” doesn’t give free rein to treat others poorly. Go out of your way to be kinder than normal. Say hello, smile (with your eyes), give thanks more, etc. For other ways to assist, please see our Help Give Back to Disney Cast Members & Community post, which offers a range of options.
Now to switch gears completely…
D23 effectively cancelled the 2021 event and announced that the next D23 Expo would be held September 9-11, 2022 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The 2022 D23 Expo will be a “celebration unlike any other…[and] first look at the incredible plans for the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.”
No press release was issued nor has an update to the info on the D23 website been made, so you might’ve missed this postponement if you’re not on Twitter. Or it could’ve been overshadowed by all of the other recent news.
This is disappointing but unsurprising. In talking to people who have worked on planning and organizing past D23 Expos, the work takes over a year. There’s simply too much uncertainty about how things will look a few weeks from now, let alone a full calendar year.
There’s no way Disney was going to spend so much time and money planning an event that could end up being cancelled or having attendance significantly limited. There’s also the reality that with so much shut down over the last several months, and more being scaled back, it would be a pretty meager showing.
On a related note, this should underscore the reality that conventions and events are going to take years to return, and probably never return to their pre-March levels. Many people forced to learn virtual meetings by circumstance will now be comfortable with that, and with the monetary savings of not holding in-person events.
This certainly does not mean all business and events travel is forever gone–to the contrary, some groups will probably be even more eager to hold events in a ‘revenge travel‘ sort of scenario–but much of that will take years to return, and some percentage never will. That presents a challenge for Walt Disney World/Orlando and Disneyland/Anaheim, which have bet big on catering to special events in recent years.
It is unfortunate that there won’t be another big event or splashy reveal of what’s planned for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. We expected this at the last D23 Expo, but instead there was just a quick teaser with a potential logo, plus concept photos of sample food and merchandise. Since that was never released on Disney Parks Blog, it probably did not showcase final designs.
Even with all of the latest cuts and woes, there are plans for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. Whether or not those are “big” plans remains to be seen. We make the case for Why Walt Disney World Should Go All Out for Its 50th Anniversary. We’ve since heard unconfirmed rumors about new and ‘imported’ entertainment, which should please fans. However, much could still change.
Turning to Disney Park Pass availability, we once again have seen availability replenished for Annual Passholders on some dates and for some parks in early to mid-October.
The most glaring example is the weekend of October 16-18, 2020. Despite more hours being added for the next two weekends, we haven’t seen the same for those dates…yet. This refill suggests that an extension of hours is likely imminent. At this point, it’s fairly safe to assume that weekend hours will be longer for most (if not all) dates through the end of the year.
Next, a minor construction update…which is really more just a single photo I forgot to share in this week’s EPCOT Photo Report: Stay Away on Weekends.
More progress has been made on both the renovation/gutting of Electric Umbrella and the new roof on the former Wonders of Life pavilion and future Play Pavilion. We still don’t have precise details on the replacement for Electric Umbrella, but it’s good to see work resume on EPCOT in earnest. Here’s hoping this continues to move forward at a steady pace.
Finally, Walt Disney World has quietly resumed selling new Annual Passes to those who had previously canceled or had their APs expire after March 16, 2020. The new passes are not available online and the sales are being done on a “case by case” basis, but it’s our understanding that there’s really no criteria or magic language other than a post-closure cancellation.
To make the purchase, call V.I.P. Passholder Support at (407)-WDW-PASS (407-939-7277) or in-person. As phone waits can still be long, it’s best to visit Guest Services at Disney Springs or one of the theme parks.
For those wondering when totally new Annual Passes will be available for purchase, which has become one of the most common reader questions in the last few weeks…we still don’t know. Truly, your guess is as good as ours at this point. On the one hand, park capacity is increasing and tourists still are not returning in droves. On the other, Walt Disney World may still be hoping people will start booking vacation packages, and will want to allocate as much capacity to that more lucrative demographic as possible. Ultimately, I’d be surprised if Annual Pass sales have not resumed to some further degree by mid-January 2021. That’s a total guess–not based on any rumors or credible insight whatsoever.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the Walt Disney Company’s layoffs? Disappointed that the D23 Expo being postponed until 2022, or think that’s probably for the best? Happy to see Annual Pass sales resume, albeit to a limited degree? Thoughts on Disney Park Pass refills or park hours changes? Do you agree or disagree with our advice and commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We are all hoping for things to return to norm. Just wish they thought about those of us that still have passes and still only make efforts to go here nowhere else. Bring us more later evening hours. Like at least until 9 or 10 to start. Florida is way too hot still to be doing mid day early eve only. Those would have been more suitable for winter. Why give us 1 hr later but you remove the prior hr and then tell us it is more hours. I am sorry to say but we are n ot idiots.
I am sorry for all the lay offs of cast members. I hope they will be able to get back to work soon. Like many people My family and I always had good experiences with every cast member we met. The cast members are a vital part of how great your Disney experience is. Sad that many people didn’t listen to the scientists that have studied infectious diseases for many years that said wear a mask! The virus has no political party and after 210,000 deaths and the President now having been infected I hope everyone wears a mask so we can stop the virus.
Tom,
Could you elaborate on “passes expired after March 16th”? Do you mean if AP holders let their passes expire now they would be able to renew them next year? Or do you mean, since mentioning March 16, letting AP holders renew when they expired when WDW was closed?
Thanks!
More pictures of Sarah!! She is so photogenic and beautiful!!
Ours were renewed. They were 7 months expired. We called ticketing got a no, emailed guest services got a no, emailed VIPassholder and were told to “call”. I guess they have a service team who makes the decision.
We got our old passes at last years price with 15% renewal price. I can’t be too mad about any entertainment cuts because that’s more than fair.
Devastated by the CMs that have been let go. There are not enough Service Industry jobs to absorb them in the area. Unemployment is a joke it’s common for payment for part time employees to be under $200 a week. The moratorium on rent is expiring. This is truly a grim time.
Do you think the annual passes might be sold a a discount cost to get more people coming to Disney?
I think that is the discount. They didn’t go up in price. They are letting people renew late. Considering the cost has gone up once or twice every previous year I think this is the “discount”.
I don’t think they will get any cheaper because annual passholders are not typically big spenders per day like tourists.
We have a trip coming up in November, but we may have to cancel it. HWS is booked the entire week for resort guests (but not passholders, ours expired in December). Cant take the kids to disney without toy story land. Hopefully availability will open up before then. Or if they open up annual pass sales again I can just go that route.
This is just so heartbreaking for all of the CM’s. We will be visiting a couple of times over the next few months, and trust we will be going out of our way to make sure the CM’s know how much we appreciate them. I do hope Disney doesn’t completely close the door on the cast members. I’m thinking especially of the long-term people and their wealth of knowledge.
The truth : This entire year, as a CM, has been gut wrenching. It is one wait after the other. Each uncertainty has left me up and pacing, all hours, with clenched fists wondering what is next for this oasis I have always adored. My heart just can’t take it. I turned in my ID, voluntarily, and gave in to the pandemic, but it isn’t over for me. I am invested in the family I’ve made there and I’m watching as their worlds fall apart and this nightmare continues. I wasn’t afraid to go to work when I returned. They’re doing everything they can. But so many things are out of Disney’s control right now. I don’t know if I’ll return to this job or not, in the future, but it was a pleasure serving you Mr. Bricker. I opened a resort, twice, this past year. It’s a labor of love I will always hold dear. My thoughts on this, as a CM: we have an amazing executive staff, I wish that magic were real enough to have protected everyone from this, and I hope that nobody gives up on our Disney family. Everyone there is married to their jobs and we truly love all of you. You are in our hearts everyday, even beyond our blue IDs.
Sorry to hear this, but I admire your attitude. It says volumes about Cast Members that this the type of sentiment you and so many others are sharing. Kudos, truly.
I sincerely hope that you are able to rejoin the Disney family at some point, sooner rather than later, if that’s what you want. As you point out, so much of this is out of Disney’s control, and the impact has been devastating on the travel industry as a whole. Hopefully the bounce-back is as quick as the drop, and by mid-2021 a lot will have returned to normal.
I can’t begin to express how special cast members are. Some of the happiest times in my life have taken place at Disney World with my kids and grandkids. And cast members played an integral part. Everyone from the ladies that tried their best to keep the bathrooms clean with a never ending heard of hot, irritable women traipsing in and out – to that special photographer that caught that special moment when my youngest (35 at the time) had picked up and hugged a Kermit stuffy at the Christmas Shoppe at Magic Kingdom. You guys are special. You are in my family’s heart and prayers.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your thoughts, family. Travel is my biggest passion. I throw every bit of enchantment it’s way with the hope it recovers quickly. Enjoy life and play hard, just be a little bit more careful than before. It’s not goodbye. It’s just see ya real soon.
We live in Sweden so even without the restriction to travel, we wouldn’t take an unnecessary trip trip to avoid spreading Covid 19. However we feel sympathy for all the cast members who have lost their jobs and hope to travel safely in the future back to Disney Does anyone know a way a way for those outside the us to contribute to those in need
Tom listed some great non-profits in a different post earlier this week. Maybe that would be helpful? Thank you for thinking about those in need all the way across the “pond”!
Disney has done as much or more than any other major corporation to restrict the spread of this virus. Assuming Disney would replicate the stringent measures used at DW in DL there should be no reason not to allow DL to reopen to the same extent as DW. Where is the evidence that DW’s measures are not working? That Iger resigned from the California Coronavirus Response Task Force speaks volumes.
Disney has done as much or more than any other major corporation to restrict the spread of this virus. Assuming Disney would replicate the stringent measures used at DW in DL there should be no reason not to allow DL to reopen to the same extent as DW. Where is the evidence that DW’s measures are not working? That Igar resigned from the California Coronavirus Response Task Force speaks volumes.
The layoffs are truly sad. I know job losses around the world are hardly unique to Disney, but many cast members were recognisable (and recognised me). Disney without the cast members is just a collection of art and architecture, and the culture comes from the cast community, not from the leadership. Small thing, but I hope as people are rehired they retain their previously earned blue cast name badges.
I agree with not handing out blame, but would mention that were it not for the ban on EU to US travel, still in force 8 months in, I’d be supporting Disney in Florida already. I’m not in a position to judge whether the proclamation is necessary, but I’d like to think it’s remaining in force (as opposed to eg pre-departure testing) for sound reasons.
As a former cast member, it is a good company to work for, but it really all depends on your direct supervisor and your co-workers. It’s just like any other company. Once you start working there, the magic is spoiled for awhile, as you know all the behind the scenes, etc. It took a little bit of time, after I left, for me to get that same excitement/magic back. (And I’ve been going to DL since I was 5. Then solo since I was 11). Worked there for 3 years. And it runs in my family — other members are or have been cast members too.
We are going to DisneyWorld next week for my daughter’s fifth birthday.
Hopefully everything will be going smoothly.
This is my daughter’s first time at a Disney park, so she’ll be stoked either way, but I’ve been to Disneyland dozens of times, just not to DisneyWorld.
Best wishes to all Disney family members, past & present.
I am seriously puzzled. I have family working for Disney right now. We are currently and have been for 9nyears pass holders and we live inside of Florida. So the state of Florida has lifted all restrictions so why is Disney at least in Florida not bringing back more hours. And why all the cuts. We also held passes for seaworld. They did way too many cuts. We are letting our passes age out and not renewing. That place was so disgusting and dirty due to lack of staff. They worried about social distancing??? Not at all, why because there was not enough staff. Not going back there. So my thoughts are you will.make more money if you present more hours not just shift them around and let out of state come now.
Even though Florida lifted restrictions, Disney has not followed suit.
Even if they did, there would still be a huge percentage of the population (over 70% surveyed, last I saw) who are unwilling to travel and visit a theme park.
A lot of people (is included) will only go with enhanced safety in place. We did vote with our dollars. In the last round table Florida tourism wanted to get the word out that Florida was SAFE. Unfortunately, Florida went in the other direction making it the Wild West for any type of restrictions.
The other theme parks lowered prices but we still stuck with Disney even with the cuts. Even paying full price. Even with the park passes filling up. We believe in the safety protocols they have in place. We hardly spend our money anywhere else. We don’t go to movies, we don’t go to restaurants, we don’t go to bars, we don’t travel, etc etc.
I never asked about lifting the mask or safety measure. Just why they ( if hurting so bad) aren’t trying to put more actual hours rather than just shifting hours around. For example. As pass holders generally we went in afternoons and avoided early day to avoid those with kids. Not that we don’t love kids because we do but with my disability I am scared to be around so many due to those whom have no respect to others as far as controlling their kids. So we Avoid the hours when most people are there with kids before they become too exhausted. With all the hours being only afternoon the family that are bringing kids are bringing already exhausted kids in just to get to go. This makes for frustration for all around. If all the pass holders give up they are losing another means to income. As they have lost already. In my past business experience you want to find ways to make the revenue regenerate not keep canceling. Becauae facts are facts Disney is no different, you lose to much revenue the business goes under. No matter how great you once were. I guess we are all just waiting for disney to put themselves out of business. It seems they are headed that way. It is just a matter of time before dinsney becomes a thing of the past. Based on my knowledge and belief they are swiftly moving to closing. Sorry but the facts are right there in front of a of us.
I don’t believe that statistic is accurate. Statistics often aren’t. I know many people who are fearful, but many who would gladly return to Disney BUT for the mask and lack of extras. I also believe many more would return even having to wear the mask if Disney were making it worth their while. It seems to me Disney has chosen deliberately, for whatever reason, not to increase crowd capacity. Also, this is pure speculation but I got the impression that when company positions/titles switched around not long ago, that Disney May be gearing up to change direction and vision to an extent. This is not something I want to see happen; it does make me wonder if some of these layoffs would have happened with or without a pandemic. After all, the effects on the economy are probably not worse than they were during the recession, and there is most certainly a good chance of some normalcy coming back as we learn more about the virus/get a vaccine. Just like cutting out the boat parade, perhaps it’s a convenient time for “hard decisions”? I could be completely off base here. In any case, I am very, very sad that we have at least temporarily lost Disney as we know it and broken-hearted for the CM’s who are taking it hard. I can imagine how they might feel! They are a very special part of the Disney Magic, and I wish each of them the best, whatever the future holds!
I agree that the long-term effects will be a complete hold on any new, large-scale projects. If it isn’t in the “hopper” then I doubt anything of significance (e.g., new lands, e-ticket attractions, etc.) will be introduced for several years. On another note, I heard from reliable sources that Joe Rohde will be leaving Disney too, perhaps an early retirement package. Although his creativity will certainly be missed, I am not surprised given the circumstances.
I’m just glad Disney has so many projects expected to be competed within the next 12 months. A little magic is on the horizon. In the meantime, thanks Tom for raising awareness of the job insecurities of Cast Members and providing information in prior posts as to how others can help.
Very sad about the layoffs, but figured they were coming. Especially with no new opening date in Disneyland and the restrictions in Florida, along with so many hotels not planning to open until next year sometime. As sad as I am to see this, as a customer who is coming in November, I’d rather keep the parks at the lower capacity they are right now with the mask mandates. I was hopeful that all of that would be gone by the time we were planning to come. But, I don’t think enough is known about this virus yet and we should still stay pretty cautious and “play it safe”. Numbers are dropping in certain areas, but in other areas they are increasing. I think it’s going to end up being ever present, kind of like the common cold or flu, but with a vaccine to maybe lessen the impact and severity of it (like the flu shots typically do). But until more is know and a vaccine is proven to be effective, I don’t think increasing shoulder to shoulder crowds is in anyone’s best interest. And I think the Disney bubble needs to be that safe place, even if the rest of Florida isn’t following it anymore.
I do think that they should extend the hours of the parks to disperse people more, especially if they will be letting more people in (Plus, I LOVE the parks so late at night and closing down MK at midnight or 1am).
I think postponing the D23 expo to next year is a smart idea, considering the state of everything right now. And hopefully by then, they can have a fully developed plan to rehire so many that were laid off and have a good strategic plan for going forward. So many changes will need to be made, but like they say in Meet The Robinsons, “Keep Moving Forward”
I read today that Iger resigned from reopening task force position in CA. Has this rift been publicized at all within Disney publications or on the west coast? WDW has been a success story so far, so is there something else causing the delay of reopening Disneyland? Curious what percentage of CMs will be from that area vs FL. Also wondering how Disney is handling the severance packages.
Yes Ash. The news has been disclosed here on the West Coast.
There are no more restrictions in florida. They are from what we found out laying off permanently then hiring new cheaper staff. Seriously sad. DISNEY IN IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.
My thoughts go out to all the wonderful CMs who have last their jobs over the past several days. These CMs are certainly what makes Disney so magical and what has us go back year after year.
I’m an annual pass holder and was at Disney World last week with my 3 year old son. I previously planned to purchase an AP for him for this trip (and future trips we have planned for this winter and next spring). Obviously, I was not able to purchase an AP for him so I bought a regular 6 day ticket. I visited guest relations at the MK and they were able to upgrade his ticket to an AP. The CM who assisted me said they are selling APs to younger children as an exception. I’m not sure what qualifies as a “younger child” but I did have to provide his birthday to confirm when he turned 3. I was pleased (and a little surprised, quite frankly) we were able to do this.
They did the same for us for my daughter’s birthday. It was a nice little bit of pixie dust.
At least I won’t have to worry about getting a new annual pass until May.
Hi DebC,
My understanding is if you have an AP now and it runs out in May then you will be able to renew it at that time.
Best wishes
We had a Disney trip planned this past June, which obviously was canceled. I naively thought that by next June everything at Disney would be “back to normal.” (We go to Disney every 2 – 3 years.) Now it seems evident it will take years for Disney to get back where it was, if it fully comes back at all.
I think that from a guest-facing, single-visit perspective, things will largely be back to “normal” by next fall.
The bigger issue with all of this is the long-term ramifications: projects cancelled, knowledge lost, way being a Cast Member is viewed, etc. Things that you won’t directly be able to see, necessarily, but that will have a tremendous invisible impact.
Tom -what do you mean by “way being a Cast Member is viewed”? That it’s a less desirable/stable role than it once was? More likely to hire young folks thinking of it as a temporary gig rather than “lifers”?
“That it’s a less desirable/stable role than it once was? More likely to hire young folks thinking of it as a temporary gig rather than “lifers”?”
Correct on both fronts. It’s been a dream for many to be part of the Disney “family” and help make the magic. There has been the perception that Disney isn’t like a normal corporation.
That hasn’t been true for a while (if it ever was), but this will be an eye-opener for a lot of prospective Cast Members.