Disney Synergy on Display with Disney+ and Resorts News

by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 5, 2022

 

Back to the days of Walt Disney, synergy has been a big thing for The Walt Disney Company, even before the word “synergy” was used. The latest example of Disney synergy was the company’s announcement earlier today (April 5) that Disney+ subscribers will get savings on stays at select Walt Disney World resorts.

What is synergy? Quite simply, it’s about bringing together two or more products or services with the result generating more value than what would have been achieved separately.

 

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner often talked about Disney synergy. For example, Eisner observed, “The term synergy may be the object of ridicule throughout the world, but not at Disney. This concept of cross-promotion and transformation of popular products into new media is an engine that helps drive our company. Synergy, for us, goes with creativity – which rhymes with selectivity – which means keeping one’s eye on the ball.”

 

Indeed, it’s kind of hard to miss Disney synergy. Disney has long done cross promotions on brands, merchandise, movies, television shows, theme parks, hotels and resorts, stage shows, music, sports, and other undertakings, all working together to create added value, whether it be at one location, such as at Disney World, online, or around the globe.

 

And now the company seeks added synergy between Disney+ and its resorts. That’s not surprising given the emphasis that Disney is placing on streaming as its anchor for growth going forward. Indeed, I noted this in a January 22, 2022, article: “Disney differs from Netflix in that it is not only a streaming play. While CEO Bob Chapek has made it clear that Disney’s main emphasis moving forward will in fact be direct-to-consumer, streaming efforts, that doesn’t mean that the rest of this vast entertainment company, such as theme parks, the cruise line, resorts, merchandise, and so on, will somehow be neglected. Indeed, since the days of Walt Disney himself, Disney has been known for brand synergy, with one part of the company fueling growth and revenues in other parts.”

 

Regarding this latest example of Disney synergy, the company noted that Disney+ subscribers could save up to 25 percent on stays at certain Disney World resorts during most nights between July 8 and September 30 of this year. According to Disney, the 25 percent savings will apply to “select Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts,” while “lower savings may be available at other select Resorts.” (Get more information here.)

 

This is just the beginning, one would presume, in terms of the company seeking to delve deeper into synergistic efforts related to Disney+.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

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Disney Offers Additional Discounts for Fall Magic

by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 3, 2020

If you’ve been following the news lately, including here and here at DisneyBizJournal, you are aware of the fact that Disney not only has been adhering to reduced attendance capacities during their COVID-19 reopenings, but on many days, the parks are not even filling to those limited capacities.  It should come as no surprise then that Disney is offering several new incentive packages to woo back their guests.

The first of the Magic is Here offerings helps guest save up to $500 on a 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney room-and-ticket package at select Disney Resort hotels, valid for stays most nights September 4 through December 25, 2020. (Longer stays are also available.) Packages can be booked through December 25, 2020, and Disney is also extending their current cancellation fee policy to give guests more confidence in booking, should their plans (or COVID’s plans) change the landscape. Any Disney-imposed change and cancellation fees will be waived up to the date of check-in for reservations with arrivals through December 31, 2020.   

Advance reservations are required, and the discounts cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. (The offer excludes the following room types: 3-bedroom villas, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.)  Don’t forget theme park tickets and park reservations are necessary to enter the parks.

Here’s the link to the offer. 

If you live a bit more locally, within driving distance of Disney World, there’s a second, special Magic is Here offer for you.  It’s an up-to-30% discount, room-only offer for select Disney World Resort rooms for residents of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. To take advantage of the offer, your travel dates must include: Most nights September 4 – December 25, 2020 and be booked by December 25, 2020. You will need to provide proof of residency on arrival. Link here to find the full details.

Military members are also offered both ticket and room discounts through December 18th, with details here.

In addition to the new discounts, Disney World has also announced the reopening of several dining options at the Parks this fall, including the reopening of Cinderella's Royal Table on September 24th, albeit with some new modifications. While guests will once again be able to dine inside Cinderella Castle, they will not be able to meet and greet with the princesses at this time. (The restaurant is usually home to a welcome by Cinderella herself in the foyer of the castle, while a variety of princesses circulate throughout the room while your meal is served upstairs in the banquet room with its lovely stained glass windows and royal banners.) Reservations open on September 11th. 

If you are craving those giant cinnamon rolls, Gaston’s Tavern will be reopening at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow (September 4th). 

In Hollywood Studios, Minnie's Seasonal Dining returns with a Halloween Dine at Hollywood & Vine, beginning September 25th, also as a modified dining experience.  Rather than Hollywood & Vine’s usual buffet, guests will be served their “monsterous” feast at their table.  Minnie, Mickey and friends will be present at the restaurant in their special holiday attire amidst seasonal decorations, but while you will be able to take socially distanced pictures, the usual tableside autograph/greet the guests structure will not be taking place at this time. Reservations open on September 11th.  

The quick serve ABC Commissary at Hollywood Studios is slated to open for lunch on October 8th.

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

Disney Experience Updated: Parks Reopening and What It Will Look Like

by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 8, 2020

The process of a phased-in reopening of Walt Disney World is under way, and it promises to be a slow endeavor.

It began on May 20 with Disney Springs. Next week, on June 15, reopening will start at Disney Vacation Club properties in Vero Beach, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. A week later, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground are scheduled to open for members and guests.

The Disney Deluxe Resorts reopening are:

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village

• Disney’s Beach Club Villas

• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas

• Disney’s Old Key West Resort

• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

• Disney’s Riviera Resort

• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

Regarding hotel stays, among the points Disney spells out, here are a few worth highlighting:

• “Complimentary airport transportation via Disney’s Magical Express service will be available for Guests arriving and departing from Orlando International Airport.”

• Inside rooms there will be: individually wrapped glassware, double-cased pillows, and “additional items that have been cleaned and wrapped in single-use packaging.”

• And during stays, rooms “will receive a light cleaning service every other day,” including trash and used towel removal, replenishment of towels and other amenities, “wiping and cleaning of the vanity and counter surfaces,” and if needed, vacuuming. (Unless guests prefer not to have their room serviced as frequently, and they can then decline if they wish.)

• “Feature pools may operate with reduced hours; leisure pools will be open 24 hours a day.” (Except for Stormalong Bay at the Yacht Club, which will not be operational.)

This all points to reopenings starting at the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11, followed by EPCOT and Hollywood Studios on July 15.

We still have no word on when Disneyland in California, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, and Hong Kong Disneyland might be reopening. Shanghai Disneyland began reopening on May 11. 

Regarding Disneyland in California, under the state’s four-stage plan for reopening, Disneyland originally seemed to fall under Stage 4: “Gradually open larger gathering venues at a pace consistent with public health and safety, such as nightclubs, concert venues, and live audience sports.” However, at the end of last month, state officials said that theme parks would fall into Stage 3 as long as the rate of COVID-19 spreading and hospital rates remained steady. The state currently is in Stage 2, and Stage 3 is scheduled to begin on June 12.

Disneyland has pushed back reservation dates at its three hotels to afterJuly 15. Meanwhile, Legoland California and SeaWorld San Diego have targeted July 1 for reopening to start.

As for how things will be working at Walt Disney World, following are a few bits of information courtesy of here and elsewhere:

• “Initially, park attendance will be managed through a new park reservation system. To enter a park, both a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date is required.”

• “At this time, new ticket sales are temporarily paused. Existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders will be able to make reservation requests in phases before new tickets are sold.”

• “At this time, new reservations at Disney Resort hotels are temporarily paused so we can focus on Guests with existing reservations (Disney Vacation Club Members can still make new reservations).”

• Disney is also beginning the process of contacting guests who have upcoming reservations between June 22 and July 4^th with an “action required” email, asking them to indicate whether they would like to confirm, modify, or cancel an existing reservation.

• Disney has also updated the wording of the cancellation policy that was announced just a short time ago as well, and the new cancellation fee policy states that Disney is “waiving Disney-imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in for reservations with arrivals through October 3, 2020.”

• “Upon reopening, theme parks, Disney Resort hotels, restaurants, attractions, experiences and other offerings may be modified and will be limited in capacity and subject to limited availability or closure, based on direction from health experts and government officials to promote physical distancing. Additionally, attractions, experiences (such as shows, parades and fireworks), services and amenities may have limited availability or may remain closed.” Sadly, this also includes the Electrical Water Pageant.

• While Magical Express will be able to get you to and from the airport, Minnie Vans will not be available in the short term. Valet parking will only be available to guests with disabilities. Disney busses will run from your resort hotel to Disney Springs, and once they open, to the theme parks themselves, but be aware that social distancing and reduced capacity will be in place, so transportation may take a bit longer than usual. Pack your patience.

• “Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) and Cast Members; temperature screenings are required in some location.”

• As DisneyBizJournal.com already reported, dining reservations; offerings and experience bookings such as behind-the-scenes tours; dining plans included in packages; and all FastPass+ selections have been cancelled.

• “We will also shift from a 180-day booking window to a 60-day booking window for dining and experience bookings going forward to allow Guests to make their plans closer to their visits.”

• “We will reopen dining and experience bookings with more limited numbers closer to when the parks reopen.”

• As for Annual Passholders who have paid in full, Annual Passes will be automatically extended for the number of days the parks are closed, or if seeking a partial refund, holders can contact Disney to do so (by contacting V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277). Monthly payments for Annual Passholders were automatically stopped and waived on April 5 due to park closures (and refunds made for March 14 through April 4), with payments resuming when the parks reopen.

• Locals in particular need to be aware that, when Disney first reopens, you will not be able to enter one of the resort hotels without either a room reservation or a dining reservation – no swing-bys to grab zebra domes or Dole Whips, at least in the beginning!

• Disney is encouraging the use of contactless/cashless forms of payment from guests, either with Magic Bands, credit cards, or prepaid Disney gift cards that can just be scanned to eliminate some of the points of contact.  Contactless menus have already begun at some Disney Springs restaurants, where guests can scan a QR code to call the menus up on their phones, or view menus on stationary signs at quick serve locations. Locations that previously had self-serve options, such as beverage fountains, will now be served by cast members. Guests are being encouraged to use mobile order as well to reduce time spent in lines.

• Sadly, character dining is on hiatus as well – except for a modified experience at Topolino’s Terrace at the Riviera Resort. Details are expected shortly as to what we can expect for the new arrangements. Dinner shows are not being offered at the moment, either, and private dining and in room delivery have been temporarily halted.

• Regarding merchandise shops, a favorite service of our family will be halted: “Package delivery to the front of our theme parks or to Disney Resort hotels will be suspended. However, shipping merchandise to Guests’ homes continues to be available.”

But in case you were unaware, you can still play golf at Walt Disney World on a regular schedule. Stay out of the Mickey Mouse bunker. However, hula lessons will be suspended. So, golf, yes; hula, no.

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See related...

“Disney World Gets Official Go Ahead to Open, But Disney Has Cancelled Your Dining Plans and More”

“Disney Announces Reopening Dates for Walt Disney World”

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“Disney and the Economy: Uncertainty and a Call for Walt’s Realistic Optimism”

“The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World”

“Disney and Its Brand Face Increasing Uncertainty in China”

See notable...

“Theme Parks: Pandemic, Disney and the Little Guys”

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.