Disney World News: Statement on Shows, Layoffs Notice, More 2021 Hours
We’re back for another Walt Disney World news round-up! This one begins with an official statement from Disney on the recent cuts to entertainment, more park hours for November 2020 & January 2021, Thanksgiving menus, another update on changes to the Morocco pavilion at EPCOT, and more.
As we reported earlier this week, Massive Layoffs Have Hit Walt Disney World Entertainment. Per the Actors’ Equity Association that represents performers, about 780 Equity Cast Members were employed at Walt Disney World prior to the closure in March. About 60 are currently working or about to return to work in the park. About 720 Equity member workers have now been laid off.
This news made waves among Walt Disney World fans, understandably so as it means pretty much every stage show and live entertainment act that’s not currently performing won’t be back anytime soon. This resulted in a rare statement from Walt Disney World that (mostly indirectly) addresses the layoffs and cuts to entertainment:
“Walt Disney World Resort offers a treasure trove of experiences for guests of all ages. We recognize that part of the magic of visiting any Disney park is seeing favorite Disney friends and discovering one-of-a-kind shows and performances. Since reopening, we’ve continued to offer modified character experiences and entertainment throughout our resort, while also taking the appropriate steps for the health and safety of our guests and cast members.
Recently, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions to reduce our workforce as the business impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic have become more long-lasting than anyone could have predicted. As a result, we’ve had to pause many live shows and entertainment experiences at our resort for longer than originally anticipated.”
“While it’s impossible at this time to fully replace the incredible entertainment that existed throughout our parks before the pandemic, we are offering live entertainment in new ways wherever possible, including character cavalcades in all four parks and pop-up appearances, like discovering Joy from Inside Out frolicking on the lawn near the Imagination! pavilion in EPCOT.
Additionally, we’re featuring modified shows such as the popular “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and live musical performances like the Main Street Philharmonic in Magic Kingdom or the Discovery Island Drummers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
This extends to our seasonal offerings, with Halloween underway and the holidays right around the corner. In fact, the fan-favorite Voices of Liberty are set to make their return and join the JAMMitors and Mariachi Cobre at the American Gardens Theatre during the upcoming Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, beginning on November 27, 2020.”
“Determining which shows can return and when is a complex process. As with the rest of our phased reopening, we will also consider the guidance of health officials and government agencies in determining when the time will be right to adjust capacity, and as soon as it is appropriate, we will start to bring additional entertainment back.
Like most of our fans, we know that our beloved entertainment cast are an incredibly special and essential part of the Disney experience. We look forward to the day when we can welcome back more live entertainment to our parks, and we will share more news about these announcements as we’re able to do so.”
We’ve already offered commentary on the topic in our previous post, and don’t have a ton to add here. We do have difficulty taking Disney’s statement at face value, especially the last couple of paragraphs. Those crouch the cuts as being dictated by health safety guidance. That’s undoubtedly true for some (in unmodified form), but not all.
To the contrary, Walt Disney World undercuts its own position by acknowledging that they’ve already brought back an indoor sing-along. A higher-risk activity in a higher-risk venue. Moreover, Disney’s Hollywood Studios already debuted (and then cut) the Disney Society Orchestra & Friends in the Theater of the Stars, which is the venue normally home to Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage. Finally, Universal Orlando and countless other parks following the exact same health safety guidance have brought back plenty of live entertainment.
Accordingly, Disney’s statement discussing when shows “can return” is a bit disingenuous. There’s no denying it’s a “complex process” as Disney also claims. A big part of the complexity is what’s economically viable, pragmatic, and necessary to run while the parks are operating at a loss and are seeing fewer tourists and many more Annual Passholders.
We’re not naive enough to expect full transparency from a Disney press release, but we’re also not going to accept a statement that amounts to Disney effectively claiming its hands are tied. That’s simply untrue. Walt Disney World “can” bring back some of this live entertainment whenever they choose and do so in accordance with the guidance of health officials and government agencies. Whether that choice is the right one in the short-term or long-term is debatable, but it’s absolutely a choice.
On a related note, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts has sent the State of Florida a notice letter that 11,350 unionized Cast Members will be laid off as of December 31, 2020. Of these Cast Members, the overwhelming majority (10,903) have Walt Disney World listed as their work location. The remainder are mostly in Central Florida, including locations in Kissimmee, Orlando, Celebration, and the Orlando International Airport.
This follows an earlier announcement that approximately 6,700 non-union Cast Members would be laid off from Walt Disney World. That would bring Walt Disney World’s layoff total to roughly 18,000 of the 28,000 announced layoffs in the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division. That means the remaining 10,000 layoffs will occur in California, where Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, plus corporate and creative offices in Burbank and Glendale, are all located.
Today, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about how Disney is “more than a job” for some Cast Members, providing them with purpose and identity, plus the companionship of co-workers. That’s a good, albeit incredibly heart-wrenching read that helps humanize the closure/reopening debate.
That article also indicates that about 10,000 of those layoffs will soon hit the Disneyland Resort parks, hotels, and stores in Anaheim, per company sources. Notifications for those layoffs are expected to be sent to Disneyland Resort Cast Members this weekend.
Next, more hours were just posted to the calendar on DisneyWorld.com for January 10-16, 2021. Added hours are the same for all dates that week through January 16, 2021:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 6 pm
- EPCOT: 12 pm to 8 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 10 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 9 am to 5 pm
When it comes to these hours, note that Walt Disney World has returned to its normal, pre-closure practice of releasing boilerplate hours “far” in advance. Those hours are then later extended based on attendance and hotel occupancy projections closer to the dates.
In short, these initial “lorem ipsum” Walt Disney World park hours are a placeholder, and serve as a minimum baseline for what the ultimate hours will end up being, with hours only extended and not reduced. These will almost certainly end up being longer, but probably not as long as during the holiday season. Unlike the last several years, January 2021 should end up being actual off-season due to no runDisney races, youth sporting events at ESPN Wide World of Sports, conventions, and other events.
Additionally, Walt Disney World has extended hours at all four parks for the weekend following Veterans Day (November 13-15, 2020). With that holiday falling midweek, it’s unclear to us whether it’ll result in the normal crowd spike, but it appears Walt Disney World’s internal forecasts show an uptick in attendance over that weekend.
Interestingly, each of the parks is now opening an hour earlier than before: Magic Kingdom at 8 am, EPCOT at 10 am, Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 9 am, and Animal Kingdom at 7 am. Previously, all four parks had their closing time extended, so that weekend’s hours are now the longest of the holiday season–with some parks having longer hours than even Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks!
If you are visiting Walt Disney World over Thanksgiving, restaurants at Disney Springs have started to announce their turkey day menus. Maria & Enzo’s, The Edison, Enzo’s Hideaway, and Morimoto Asia all will offer special holiday prix-fixe menus on November 26, 2020.
At Maria & Enzo’s or Enzo’s Hideaway, you can enjoy a rustic Italian twist on Thanksgiving offerings via a gourmet meal starring their Roasted Turkey Breast and Pancetta. Stacked high with all of the fixings, enjoy the main course along with a plateful of Polenta Stuffing with mascarpone cream, Cranberry Squash Caponata, and green beans for $37 per adult and $19 per child.
The Edison offers a traditional prix-fixe Thanksgiving menu with all of the classic trimmings: slow oven-roasted turkey and creamy mashed potatoes with gravy, house-made stuffing, brown sugar honey glazed baby carrots, and fresh cranberry chutney. Guests can indulge in these dishes for $35 per person and $19 per child nine and under.
It’s unclear what Morimoto Asia will offer; they only list the Peking Duck and signature ramen. As much as we love both, those are not exactly quintessential Thanksgiving dishes. For other options & dining ideas, see our Tips for Thanksgiving 2020 at Walt Disney World.
On the topic of dining, it would appear that we’re already seeing the first change resulting from Walt Disney World’s takeover of the Morocco pavilion from operating participant Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant LLC. On the restaurant’s page on DisneyWorld.com, a banner reads: “Beginning December 10, 2020, we are unable to accommodate reservations for Spice Road Table at Epcot.”
We really hope this means Spice Road Table will become a walk-up only dining location, but we’re nervous that’s not what’s in store given the lack of restaurant hours. As we covered in our recent review, Spice Road Table has become our go-to table service restaurant in EPCOT, offering a great and ambitious menu, lovely waterfront setting, and outdoor dining. A rare trio at Walt Disney World!
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
Thoughts on any of this Walt Disney World news? Do you take Disney’s statement about the entertainment cuts at face value, or think they could’ve done more to retain some shows and atmospheric acts? Looking forward to extended holiday hours? Concerned about the future of Spice Road Table? 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!
Most people seem to not understand that businesses are NOT charities. No matter how friendly, benevolent and community oriented that business may be. A BUSINESS exists to make money. If it is not, it will cut unnecessary expenses. Sadly, if fewer people are in the parks, fewer staff are needed. For many people a trip to Disney is a massive expense, for some it is a once in a lifetime experience. They are not going to come for shortened hours, half shut rides and wearing a mask in the heat, and “almost” experience the Disney magic. Until people get their wits about them, and fear levels drop, this situation is likely to go on for some time.
We are huge Disney fans. We went in late August. We wore masks, washed hands often, took breaks when needed and had a blast!! I guess it just depends on your outlook and preferences. 🙂
It’s not about “being a charity,” its about good business practices. Disney would have had the money to keep their employees AT LEAST furloughed (and thus, able to retain their health benefits during a historic pandemic) if they hadn’t spent so much money on stock buybacks to inflate their stock prices. (You may not know, but stock buybacks were illegal until 1982 SPECIFICALLY to prevent stock price manipulation and prevent a second Depression). Absolving business leaders from acting morally means you personally believe that dollars are worth more than human lives.
We had a trip planned for early January 2021. I ended up moving it to May 2021 thinking that hopefully things would be back to normal. Now, I am feeling like I might cancel all together. Why pay thousands of dollars for half the experience. I can spend my $10k somewhere else. I pray things change soon and we can get all of these employees back to work.
The experience you have will be largely dependent on your outlook. If you truly love Disney, you can always find the magic. More importantly, if your lucky enough to go with family and have a positive outlook- your guaranteed a great time!
hahaha, obviously you can still “find the magic” if you want to and having a “positive outlook” always results in a better experience at anything, but that doesn’t change the fact that paying full price for less than a full experience is ridiculous. Maybe you don’t care about the decreased entertainment, lack of fireworks, having to wear a mask and adhere to other rules while on vacation, etc., but most people do, especially if they don’t have endless money to spend on visiting Disney World. Your statement is very naïve. I would love to visit Disney World again soon, but there is no way I would pay to do so right now.
I just don’t think it would be that much trouble and expense for them to have the nighttime water parade. People don’t gather for it like the regular parades. The people are all spread out. I don’t see how it can possibly be dangerous. They have everything so it can’t cost a lot.
Seats would be reduced to about 25% of what they have if they mark off seats like they have in the theaters. Then there is the problem of people gathering to enter the theater and the mad rush out afterwards. There is no social distancing leaving the attractions.
Tom, I just wrote to the email you gave us. I hope they will receive lots of mail.
Hi from the UK – not sure if this is ‘Breaking News” but we are back in total Lockdown from Thursday 5th November to 2nd December 2020 so no hope whatsoever of Christmas in Florida. Almost not the worst information in the World today, but for me, at an ever getting faster 74 it looks as if I may never get my Christmas Treat in Florida again! I think I knew this was probably going to happen, but as Disney implies Live the Dream, and I had!
I hope and am sure those of you who will get to Disney now and especially at Christmas give us a thought along with all those who have, will and are suffering the effects of this awful Pandemic – and to the doubters – yes, it does exist!.
Happy Holidays
My husband is 73 and I will soon be 71. We love disney (the old disney) and these delays and cut backs will affect us too. Soon I fear we will be too “old” to walk all those miles again. We want to get another few years in disney before we call it off and enjoy our wonderful memories. Now it is uncertain what will happen. Will our health hold up? We move slower now but find WDW manageable, but waiting to visit again would cut into our time. I know we have had many wonderful trips to WDW, but still hope we can do one or two more.
So, I know how you feel, because we feel the same way.
Missing from the Disney Company’s announcement: Disney executives quietly reinstated their multi-million dollar compensation plans in August after taking cuts earlier in the year. They have no intention of cutting their compensation at this time, and instead, shatter the lives of 28,000 dedicated “cast members.” Disney executives have ensured that they will be around for a long time to come and be more than well compensated for their “efforts.” BTW: I worked at Disneyland for 5 and 1/2 years while in college, including post graduate study. That was in the 70s. The company made great progress at diversity and inclusiveness, and financial growth, under Eisner and Iger. Apparently the value of a single share of stock is the moral compass guiding the current “team” of leaders. I can’t find any other explanation for Disney’s un-Disney-like actions.
If this is all true and accurate,, it figures that the wealthy take care of themselves at the expense of the lower class.. this has been shown time and time again,, even where I work it happens.. they just don’t realize that those people make Disney what it is, the magic, happy experiences, those once in a life time for families on a budget… if you cut someone off, layoff,, or salaries, I believe the bigwigs need to lose or cut their salaries as well or even for go there pay or compensations for the good of the company as they so call explain while their laying off all those employees,, furthermore,, jacking up prices and no dining plans , and only half the experiences,, what do they expect for low attendance.. a lot of people do not have that kind of money for a half of a so called experience with no shows or near no shows, and higher prices… if WDW wanted people to come,, give them a reason,, give better rates, and etc… people would come more even in this pandemic if WDW gave them a reason.. just saying
Nooooo! Spice Road Table can’t go!
So Disney is “cutting” the live experience. Does this mean they’ll be cutting the price of admission?
It’s economics. They’re cutting costs until guests return in larger numbers.
But apparently the bean counters aren’t taking into account that the more they cut back the less likely it is that those of us traveling from far away will return.
That’s what I’m thinking. A Disney vacation is too expensive to pay that money for a less than half experience. What comes first: adding shows et al bringing in crowds or get crowds then add shows. For me it’s the former. I don’t want to travel from CA for only rides. It’s only worth it to me with everything Disney is known for–shows, entertainment, M&G, parades, FW…magic
I don’t believe that Disney is being disingenuous in this statement: “Recently, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions to reduce our workforce as the business impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic have become more long-lasting than anyone could have predicted. As a result, we’ve had to pause many live shows and entertainment experiences at our resort for longer than originally anticipated.”
“Business impacts” clearly implies that this situation has cost them more money than they ever anticipated. I, too, love the shows and care about the cast members, but I don’t think it’s accurate to say that Disney is being disingenuous in its statement. It also stated that the sing-a-long is returning in modified form. Maybe they are doing something with it that is not possible with Festival of the Lion King.
The current science indicates that the most likely way the virus is being spread is via aerosol particles projected by people when they speak/cough/sneeze etc. (hence the emphasis on mask wearing to block those particles from reaching others). Singing, being a more forceful way of making noise, produces a large amount of these particles. So unless the modifications to the Frozen Singalong involve removing the Singalong part, the show is inherently more dangerous than something like Festival of the Lion King or Finding Nemo, where the audience passively watches and isn’t constantly producing sound.
The argument could be made that the performers singing creates its own set of risks, but again the fact the singalong is running with the live performers (one of the few casts that weren’t let go) indicates that Disney is not super concerned with that aspect of it.
I’d like to see the shows back. I’d like to see the parks operate at 50% capacity, minimum, but they can’t. The capacity limits undoubtedly drove this decision.
I don’t see why capacity can’t be raised to 50%. If you don’t feel safe to go, just don’t go. At least let them have a fighting chance. The Governor has put us in Phase 3 of the recovery…
Tom, just wanted to say thank you for keeping the focus on the CMs. Disney isn’t anything without them.
Agree!!
I have historically learned quite a bit from your many pre COVID posts, however many of your recent posts have frankly been very negative towards Disney, and a “downer” to read.
I hope you get your money back. You should complain to someone in charge.
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it and understand where you’re coming from.
I’ve tried to continue posting a balance of content (our MK report yesterday was positive, as was the news about the RotR virtual queue changes, for instance) but it’s a challenge when there’s a lot of news that skews negative. I’m not just going to ignore that or paint what I believe is bad in a favorable light just for the sake of positivity. My goal is being unbiased, at least to the greatest extent possible.
Hopefully there’s more good news soon–with Christmas starting next weekend, I’d imagine there will be!
Tom, around the time of your birth we honeymooned at Disney and for the decades since then have managed to believe the parks were a gathering place for people of imagination, good will, and children at heart. I now am forced to admit that the humane and generous ethos promoted by the company- loyalty, honesty, friendship etc,.- was largely a facade. I don’t see how I can ever return to believing in the benevolence of the Disney vision as something other than a colorful system cynically capitalizing on our emotions. Good luck holding on to your positive nature.
Dph-Tom reports with accuracy and truth. From what I have read, Tom is an avid Disney fan but refuses to sugar coat anything. I don’t believe this makes his articles negative but instead realistic. Tom is constantly advocating for CM’s and has raised both awareness and donations to assist them during the pandemic. Though the reality of the content may be “negative” at time, this accurate reporting makes it possible for all of us to do our best to support cast members and initiate change for the better! Our voices count!!
Blown away reading about the crowds and knowing WDW was making tons of money pre COVID and somehow now are hemorrhaging. I just don’t get it. I understand they are a business but come on stop being so greedy.
The way I interpreted the 2nd to last paragraph of the Disney release is that Disney will consult with Health Officials in regard to raising capacity at the Parks so that they can then make the BUSINESS decision on wether to bring back live entertainment, I think it’s pretty clear what they are saying is the current capacity doesn’t support adding back entertainment. I have to disagree you Tom that Disney is framing this as a “Public Health” issue, at least in this press release.
I don’t buy Disney’s statement, they are playing the victim but they definitely have more wiggle room than they let on. I know the Frozen singalong is staffed with Equity performers, so clearly the Union isn’t preventing them from performing provided safety measures are observed. If that can happen I don’t see why other entertainment couldn’t be brought back with reduced audience capacity, especially at the outdoor venues. They could run the shows less often to save costs, but you can’t claim safety reasons when you bring back a some shows and not others.
The problem isn’t in physically distancing guests while watching the shows or anything like that. I’d imagine it’s mostly an issue of being able to raise capacity to a point where it is financially viable for them to add more entertainment. Raising capacity is definitely a health issue where CDC guidelines are considered, and that affects the amount of money they can realistically spend on entertainment. I also see crowds exiting venues to be an issue if too many shows are going at once.
I have been really torn on how I feel regarding Disney since this announcement. On the one hand, I want to give Disney a clear signal that I don’t approve of these reductions when there are several easy fixes to keep cast members and to make entertainment safe. On the other hand, I want to quickly plan another trip and give them money so that they can hire these people back sooner. The more I hear about this, though…the more I’m leaning towards the former instead of the latter. I can’t really justify giving them money while they’re making decisions like this.
Yeah, if you are unhappy with the changes I wouldn’t plan another trip anytime soon, and contact guest services letting them know how much the entertainment means to you. Several cast members I know have encouraged this and recommended being as specific as possible about the shows that have been meaningful to you. If you keep booking trips, chances are Disney will take that as proof that ultimately, you are willing to pay no matter what the experience is like.
That’s a great idea Jared, thank you! I will do that.
Here’s the email if you want it: [email protected]
(I’d also second the recommendation of contacting WDW to politely voice your displeasure.)
Thanks for posting the link to guest relations. We have a family trip planned for March (already rescheduled once from this month) that includes my parents aged 82 and 81. My mom, a still working professional musician, has only been to Disney once, and I was looking forward to introducing her to Finding Nemo and Beauty and the Beast. I figured the shows would be a good way to entertain the grandparents (and get them off their feet) while the younger family members do roller coasters. But mostly I really love the shows. Disney was already cutting entertainment before COVID hit–my favorite memory from the first trip with Mom was dancing with her and a boatload of little kids to Burundika in Animal Kingdom, but they were cut in 2019. I keep wondering how those lovely people are paying their bills now. Sorry if discussing this brings people down, but there’s no getting around the fact that watching good people lose their jobs is depressing.
I agree with your comments on the actors/cast members and so sad about Morocco…it was one of our favorite places to eat in Epcot. Really bummed as I believe this will mean no food in Morocco for us in Dec.
Hoping that at some point, things will get better. No dark winter needed at all.