Disney Chairman Bob Iger Leaves Governor Newsom’s Economic Recovery Task Force

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

In another string of rash news tonight, it seems Bob Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, has quit Governor Gavin Newsom’s economic recovery task force.

From The Sacramento Bee:

Walt Disney Co. Chairman Bob Iger has quit Gov. Gavin Newsom’s economic recovery task force, a Disney spokesperson confirmed Thursday evening.

The spokesperson would not say why or precisely when Iger left the task force, but the news comes as the Newsom administration is preparing to release guidance on theme park reopening that the industry is criticizing.

Earlier today, it was announced that California would be issuing theme park reopening guidelines sometime this week—Disneyland wasn’t as eager about the sudden announcement. The California Attractions and Parks Association, on behalf of Disneyland, has actually asked state officials to not finalize plans just yet—not before conferring with park operators and modifying certain protocols before officially issuing guidelines.

It seems the parks have been given a chance to overview a draft of the guidelines, and are not happy with what can only be assumed are strict or overly restrictive guidelines, considering the note about a “reasonable” reopening plan. Guidelines will reportedly vary between counties, possibly limiting who can visit the parks in order to discourage long-distance or out-of-state travel.

On Wednesday, Disney announced it would lay off 28,000 Cast Members across its Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment.

Minnie Van Service Retired at Walt Disney World

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Via wdwnt.com

In the wake of mass layoff announcements, it has been confirmed that all Minnie Van Cast Members were among those terminated at Walt Disney World. Despite early talks of the service’s demise ultimately brought on by the pandemic, Disney initially squashed rumors by including Minnie Vans in a resort transportation update that mentioned guests should “stay tuned” for return dates. There were no plans at that time to bring the service back, and the vehicles were already gone from the property.

It has been a tumultuous existence for the Minnie Van service at Walt Disney World, a point-to-point transportation option owned and operated by Disney that launched back in 2017. A pet-project of now-CEO Bob Chapek, Minnie Vans were Disney’s response to many of their guests choosing not to use the provided, complimentary (and honestly, often unreliable) transportation options Disney provides their guests and instead booking a Uber, Lyft, or similar transportation method to get around The Vacation Kingdom of the World. Minnie Vans were deemed overpriced by most guests, and they were also hard to get when you actually wanted them, like around park opening and closing times. After years of hemorrhaging money, Cast Members already believed the service was soon being brought to an end.

The Minnie Van fleet was leased through an agreement with Disney corporate partner Chevrolet, but it’s likely they were returned as these vehicles are no longer seen anywhere on property.

FULL POV Ride and Queue Tour of “The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast” at Tokyo Disneyland

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Via wdwnt.com

The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is finally open to Guests at Tokyo Disneyland, after three long years of waiting! And while Guests visiting must suffer through the painful Entry Request lottery system to ride the exciting E-ticket attraction, you can worry no more! We now present to you a full queue tour and ride-through of the beautiful attraction, right here on our YouTube channel! And it’s truly glorious, to be sure! Well what are you waiting for? Be our Guest and scroll on down!

Walt Disney World Layoffs Include 6,700 Non-Union Employees

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Disney Parks announced the layoffs of 28,000 domestic employees. We have learned now that roughly 6,700 Walt Disney World non-union employees are losing their jobs.

As shared by OrlandoSentinel: About 6,700 Walt Disney World non-union employees are losing their jobs because of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, according to an alert the Walt Disney Co. sent to the state. The layoffs will begin Dec. 4.

In all, Disney plans to lay off a total of 28,000 U.S. employees in a business division that includes theme parks, Imagineering and Disney Cruise Line.

“Due to the continuing business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce our workforce,” wrote Jim Bowden, Disney Vice President of employee relations, in a letter to the state that did not break down which positions would be affected.

“It will take time for all of us to process this information and its impact. We will be scheduling appointments with our affected salaried and non-union hourly employees over the next few days. Additionally, today we will begin the process of discussing next steps with unions,” D’Amaro wrote in a letter to employees Tuesday.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Entertainers Among Disney Layoffs

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

A sad week on the news front for numerous Disney Cast Members as Disney is laying off 28,000 domestic employees. Unfortunately, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort entertainers are among the Disney layoffs.

As shared on the Tikiman’s Unofficial Polynesian Resort Pages: “I had to reuse this graphic made by Joshua L Harris today after many of the Cast Members were told they won’t be back, including the entertainers at the resort.”

The page also posted the following picture with: “Let’s hope this even comes back.”

Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show has been a Disney fan favorite for years at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Disney’s Polynesian Resort remains closed (outside of the Disney Vacation Club portion) until Summer 2021.