Iger is back and Chapek is out...

[Brett Wyman]

I think it's some guilt in handpicking Chapek combined with a real love for the company- a rare sense of duty and responsibility.

Yup. He doesn't want handing off the company to the man who ruined it to be his legacy. He will right size the ship, select an appropriate leader, and move on.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

To quote Taylor Swift "we are never, ever, ever getting back together". We are priced out of onsite. I can live with this. I can't live with thousands of dollars in tickets plus paying for maybe a couple fast passes that I have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to try to obtain and then paying even more money for the rides that aren't on fast pass but maybe not getting any of those rides because my fat sausage fingers don't work well on my tiny phone. But let me stand in 2 hour plus lines so I maybe can ride 5 things in a day. Umm, nope.

 

[raidermatt]

Chapek is like taking the bad parts of Iger and amplifying them, and then removing most of the positives Iger brought to the table.

Most of Chapek's initiatives were started by Iger, but Chapek accelerated them and added his personal touch.

I am hoping we will get a few bones thrown our way. Changes to things like park reservations and park hopping limitations could certainly be on the table.

But overall I don't expect a lot of "rollbacks". Rather, the pace of decline will go back to more of a measured, chipping away process.

Perhaps the biggest positive will be to CM morale, which will definitely come through to guests.

 

[DCLMP]

I think it's some guilt in handpicking Chapek combined with a real love for the company- a rare sense of duty and responsibility.

..or maybe they offered him a boat load of money.

 

[mickeymom629]

Bob Iger left in 2020. Genie+ (which was announced in 2019) and many things we don't like were already in place before Chapek. Hopefully Iger will make things "better" with regards to the parks, but who knows? I'm glad Chapek is out and it will be curious what changes are made.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I believe that Chapek was brought on to be the hatchet man for a lot of the unpopular cost cutting that Iger knew would have to happen for the parks to survive the pandemic (and I don't think it's a coincidence that he retired precisely at that moment.) Whether or not Chapek understood that he was being used as fall guy is unclear, but I'm not weeping for him and his undoubtably multimillion dollar severance package. In the meantime, if we can create a pie-in-the-sky wishlist for Bob 1.0, mine would be the following:

- Return of Magical Express, some kind of paid version is fine, and/or return of Minnie Vans to the airport
- Paid version of Genie+ that is like regular Universal Express pass (not the unlimited). No app reservations required, price can vary by park/date
- Upfront payment for the most popular restaurant ADRs to hold the reservation, to discourage hoarding. Could be $20pp per meal or more if character/signature. If you cancel within 24 hours, full refund.
- A new storyline for the Galactic Starcruiser, to premiere May 2024
- Resume plans on the Mary Poppins ride in Epcot, and please have it be a carousel where the horses go off course like in the movie (using Peter Pan ride system). While we're there, build a tea room where you can get a proper high tea with scones and clotted cream.
- Replace 3 Caballeros with a boat ride inspired by Coco. If there is nowhere to put a physical queue, then VQ.

Pretty please with a cherry on top?

 

[Smugpugmug]

- Return of Magical Express, some kind of paid version is fine, and/or return of Minnie Vans to the airport

I like your list (doubtful any of these will happen) but I'm a little bit confused with this point. Mears Connect is a paid version of Magical Express without the Disney theming as Mears is the company that operated Magical Express. Would you want the Disney theming to return or something else?

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I like your list (doubtful any of these will happen) but I'm a little bit confused with this point. Mears Connect is a paid version of Magical Express without the Disney theming as Mears is the company that operated Magical Express. Would you want the Disney theming to return or something else?

Yes, the Disney theming, videos with the cartoons and quizzes, and also the ease of the whole experience. We keep our old Magic Bands so it was just scan and go. We rarely check bags and I doubt we would see the return of that perk but it was great for many guests too.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yes, the Disney theming, videos with the cartoons and quizzes, and also the ease of the whole experience. We keep our old Magic Bands so it was just scan and go. We rarely check bags and I doubt we would see the return of that perk but it was great for many guests too.

Gotcha. Then yeah, I agree. I never used it but I do think getting rid of Magical Express was one of the worst cost cutting measures that Disney implemented.

 

[gharter]

I suppose "Manageable" is a relative term and different for everyone. What dates were you there?

One trip was April and one was October.

 

[whiteness]

One trip was April and one was October.

Maybe this was during the height of COVID when attendance was way down, but we went in early October 2021, right at the start of the 50th, a few weeks before they started Genie+, and standby waits were NOT manageable at all. It was super crowded and frustrating and all the headliners had 60+ minute standby waits throughout most of the day. It was the least enjoyable trip we had had in years. I haven't been back since Genie+ was rolled out, so I can't judge first hand how it is now, but I vowed I wouldn't go back until there was some sort of FP system in place.

I agree that nobody likes to wait in line. When Fastpass was free in Disneyland, I used it every visit.

But, as a passholder, given the choice between:

1. A paid version of Fastpass that I cannot add onto my pass, but that half of the ticketed guests buy.
2. A very expensive version of Fastpass that most people don't buy.

I'll chose #2. Now, if Disney would allow Passholders upgrade their passes to one that included Fastpass for the duration of their pass, I would consider it depending on the cost.

Bottom line: if Fastpass is necessary to truly enjoy one's visit to the park, then why sell passes that don't include it bundled into the pass? It almost seems like you are just selling a pass that doesn't include rides and attractions. And maybe that is Disney's intention here: get people into the parks buying merchandise and food, but if they want to do something that was previously free, get them to pay for that, too.

So, perhaps Disney's goal is to put everything behind two paywalls: the main gate ticket or pass and then the additional payment for that specific thing (food, merch, parade, fireworks, rides, etc.) Very clever. I hate it, but it is very clever.

 

[Pyxie]

- Replace 3 Caballeros with a boat ride inspired by Coco. If there is nowhere to put a physical queue, then VQ.

I was with you until this.

 

[Bovril82]

I was with you until this.

Same!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I believe that Chapek was brought on to be the hatchet man for a lot of the unpopular cost cutting that Iger knew would have to happen for the parks to survive the pandemic (and I don't think it's a coincidence that he retired precisely at that moment.)

The parks weren't closed when Chapek came on. The pandemic at that point was nowhere near on the forefront of all the businesses out there. It wasn't even a pandemic at that point (as in labeled that). So unfortunately your thoughts about the pandemic are mis-attributed. It's entirely possible Chapek was brought on to be the face of decisions largely at the behest of Iger though.

 

[lorileahb]

I was with you until this.

Same - Three Caballeros one of our favorites!

 

[BigSkipper]

Yup. He doesn't want handing off the company to the man who ruined it to be his legacy. He will right size the ship, select an appropriate leader, and move on.

There is also the matter of the 1 million Disney stocks that Iger still owns (after selling half of his interest in 2021). With the stock price plummeting since 2021, he has a specific vested interest in getting the ship righted. So to speak.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

While it was a “sudden” to outsiders, Bob C’s departure had been being formulated since last summer. This article was just linked to on twitter. The article was in the Financial Times.

https://s0.2mdn.net/ads/richmedia/s...&topOffset=0&c=QVEW3SDWq1&t=1&renderingType=2

 

[jimim]

Yes, the Disney theming, videos with the cartoons and quizzes, and also the ease of the whole experience. We keep our old Magic Bands so it was just scan and go. We rarely check bags and I doubt we would see the return of that perk but it was great for many guests too.

Personally I would pay for magical express. It sucked getting my bags and just dealing with it all. Plus it got you READY for your trip to the property. Bit more it sucked getting bags again and is going to be even worse when going home. I was just so used to it for all those years.

Oh I forgot. I’m glad he is gone. Let’s see some change. We don’t need a lot. We just need a few things back and a few things tweaked.

But again so glad he is gone. Let’s start new.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

First firing under Bob Iger..

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022...a-lieutenant-of-bob-chapek-is-leaving-disney/

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

The parks weren't closed when Chapek came on. The pandemic at that point was nowhere near on the forefront of all the businesses out there. It wasn't even a pandemic at that point (as in labeled that). So unfortunately your thoughts about the pandemic are mis-attributed. It's entirely possible Chapek was brought on to be the face of decisions largely at the behest of Iger though.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan reported some 600 cases by February 20, 2020. Iger stepped down February 25, 2020. Many parts of China, including Shanghai Disney, was already closed in January 2020. Iger saw the ways the winds were blowing for the theme park/cruise/travel business and didn't want the end of his reign to be defined by it. He's no fool.