The World Report
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How to Survive the Cutback at WDW

Sign at Toll Plaza: Today’s Hours at EPCOT 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

If you’re a regular reader of LaughingPlace then you are already aware of the many cutbacks throughout the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW). The cutbacks have included reduced park hours, reduced entertainment, reduced hours for certain attractions and the closing of an entire hotel. The effects of those cutbacks have elicited responses from "I am never going back" to "Another sign of managements lack of respect for its guests" to "How can they do this during Walt’s Birthday Celebration" to "I understand the need to cutback in light of current circumstances." No matter where you fall in this discussion we all agree that one of the main reasons to go to any Disney theme Park is its quality of guest service. So I thought we would take a look at what some of the cutbacks are and how to make the most of your vacation at Walt Disney World.

Hotels
WDW has closed several wings and floors at several of its resorts throughout the property. But the biggest news came last week when they announced they were closing The French Quarter, part of Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, until business picks up. What does that mean? They are closing 1,008 rooms leaving 2,048 rooms open at Port Orleans Riverside in hopes of keeping the guests of the hotel in one area and consolidating guest services.

Port Orleans French Quarter during the holidays

The plus side of this for Disney is they can save money. The downside is they have to move guests with reservations to the other resort. What will help Disney explain this to guests? The name change of the hotels to Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter may help keep some guests from being mad since they may not notice the change. Disney will go out of its way to make guests who have been displaced to another resort happy. What works against Disney? Everyone still calls the hotels Dixie Landings and Ports Orleans and anyone who has their heart set on The French Quarter will not be happy.

In addition, the currently-under-construction Pop Century Hotel has postponed its opening. Construction will continue until the project is complete but the resort will not open until business picks up at the WDW Resort. Also, you should note that River Country is closed for the season. There is talk that River Country may be closed to the general public and used only for special events and conventions.

Disney's Pop Century Resort under construction

Theme Parks in General
The big news at the theme parks, besides the reduction of hours, was the elimination of the Surprise Mornings and E-Ride Night events. The Surprise Mornings program allowed WDW Resort guests the opportunity to enter the parks early on select mornings to enjoy certain attractions before the park opened to the general public. This was a nice perk for staying in one of the resorts hotels and has been one of the most controversial decisions by Disney. A friend in Guest Relations tells me that most of the complaints about the changes in the parks centers around the cancellation of Surprise Mornings. To appease resort guests, Disney has instituted Character Caravans that visit the resort hotels on select days. The Caravan drops off characters at each resort for a meet and greet with the hotel guests. Think Character Breakfast without the Breakfast. You will need to check with each resort to see what day the Character Caravan stops at your resort.

Another program that has been cancelled are the E-Ride Nights. Named after the famous E-Ticket from coupon book admission days, this event allowed guests to spend an extra several hours (at a cost) in the Magic Kingdom to ride the more popular (E-Ticket) attractions. Since only a certain number of tickets were sold, Disney was able to ensure that wait times were minimal. While the E-Ride nights were fun, the reason for their existence no longer is relevant since most attractions in the Magic Kingdom have minimal wait times during the days. Not to mention that in less than a month Disney will begin offering Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party which basically shuts down E-Ride Nights anyway.

Lets take a look at each of the theme parks and some of the recent changes at each. Also, I will offer my opinion on how best to visit the parks and how it affects the theme park experience.