Thursday, April 16, 2009

News from Around The World

Interpark is reporting that Disney will cut 1,900 jobs at it's U.S. theme parks, the vast majority (roughly 1,400) at Walt Disney World. This comes on the heels of last month's cut in management at Disney World. Disney has vowed that none of the cuts will adversely effect the guest experience but it's hard to imagine that losing almost 1,500, probably front line, cast members won't be noticeable, especially going into the summer season. It is also important to note that, as the article is worded, the JOBS are being cut...so this is not an instance where they are simply releasing higher paid employees to hire cheaper summer replacements. It means that there are going to be 15 servers at a restaurant instead of 20, 5 housekeepers instead of 10, etc. Expect much more to be made of this in the days to come as the news disseminates.

WDW Magic is reporting that The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will begin offering a campfire program for families, similar to the one already offered at Fort Wilderness. Ingredients for s'mores will be available for purchase on site. The program will also feature family movies projected on a big screen and a sing-a-long.

WDW Magic has new pictures of the rebuilt Treehouse Villas and new boat dock at Saratoga Springs.

Hidden in the latest Dateline Disney post to WDW News, Disney's official internet park news service, is confirmation that "The Rockettower Plaza Stage" is the official name for the new venue being built to house "Stitch's Supersonic Celebration."

It sounds like none of the theme parks or water parks hit capacity today, so the massive Easter crowds seem to have finally dissapated. Amazingly Blizzard Beach hit capacity yesterday, a week after the start of the rush...though this could have been related to Tuesday's tornado warnings and severe storms in Central Florida wreaking havoc on guest plans.

Don't forget that Saturday April 18 is the last day to register for WDW Celebrations' "Studio 20" event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Disney Studios theme park. The event is scheduled for May 1-2 at Walt Disney World.

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