Walt Disney Company Stocks Downgraded Due to Concerns Over Long-Term COVID-19 Impact on Parks, Movies, and More

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With an empire revolving around travel, movies, and large crowds descending upon crowded theme park attraction openings, the Walt Disney Company has been among the most impacted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite initial Phase 1 reopenings taking place across Florida today, Walt Disney World remains shuttered with no reopening date in sight. As we … Read more

WDWNT Weekly Recap: Updates on Potential Walt Disney World Reopening, Disney’s Hollywood Studios 31st Anniversary, Galaxy’s Edge Coca-Cola Bottles in Alabama, and shopDisney Stocks Protective Face Masks

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Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from April 27 – May 3. If you’ve been following our news coverage throughout the Coronavirus … Read more

Orange County Mayor Extends Curfew, States “Considerable Amount of Time” Possibly Required for Theme Park Reopenings Due to Large-Scale Furloughs

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The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force met once again today to finalize parameters for each business sector in order to present to Mayor Demings, who then held a press conference to announce their findings. During the press conference, the Mayor announced that the existing curfew would be extended for another week. Given that Theme … Read more

PHOTOS: Character Dining Resumes at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Under New Social Distancing Guidelines

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As evidenced by ever-increasing testing of new queues, theater seating, and more, Disney Parks in Asia are now well on their way to reopening given the drop in COVID-19 cases throughout. While character dining reopened earlier at Shanghai Disneyland Hotel’s Lumiere’s Kitchen back in March, Mickey and friends have now returned to the Enchanted Garden Restaurant … Read more

Furloughed Walt Disney World Cast Members Experiencing Issues Securing Unemployment Benefits Despite Auto-Enrollment

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Company-wide furloughs for all U.S. based, non-essential Cast Members and employees (including Disney Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Store, and Walt Disney Studios) went into effect earlier this month on April 19. Disney has secured full health benefits for their employees during the temporary furlough, and while Cast Members were auto-enrolled into … Read more

Southwest Airlines CEO States “Disney World Needs To Open” For Travel To Resume

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Unless you travel for business, if you’re a Disney fan, chances are most of your flights end up at MCO (or LAX), and there’s a reason why the long-standing joke of calling MCO the “Mouse’s Corporate Office” still exists: families and groups traveling to Walt Disney World comprise a huge portion of flights. With passenger … Read more

Orange County Recovery Task Force Proposes That Walt Disney World Can Open At Their Own Discretion

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The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force met once again early today to discuss further parameters for each business sector, including a brief conversation on how to move forward with theme parks and large public facilities with Mayor Demings. The Mayor had previously commented on how Disney’s closure was responsibly done, given that no outbreaks … Read more

PHOTO: Hong Kong Disneyland Sets Up New Queues for Social Distancing

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Hong Kong Disneyland is now testing new queue setups just outside the park in order to promote social distancing. Previously, we’d only seen this sort of testing at Shanghai Disneyland, but it appears that the Disney Parks in Asia are now well on their way to reopening given the drop in COVID-19 cases throughout the … Read more

Orange County Task Force Establishes Initial Guidelines for Walt Disney World Reopening (Guest Spacing, Wiping Vehicles, etc.), Mayor Believes June Reopening Realistic

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The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force met early today to discuss the initial guidelines for reopening Orlando’s theme parks, including Walt Disney World Resort. Other industries covered include hotels, bars, and restaurants, with a distinction set up between smaller theme parks (like Gatorland, for example) and larger theme parks like Walt Disney World and … Read more

Disney’s Buena Vista Construction Co. Lays Off Majority of Contractors During Extended Parks Closure; Work Expected to Resume Before Year’s End

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With construction halted across Walt Disney World, Disney’s in-house construction firm, Buena Vista Construction Co., has laid off a majority of its contractors due to the ongoing COVID-related park closures. Those affected include bricklayers, carpenters, ironworkers, landscapers, painters, plumbers, and more. According to the Orlando Business Journal, Buena Vista Construction Co. informed the state that it … Read more

WDWNT Weekly Recap: Shanghai Disneyland Tests Social Distancing, shopDisney Faces Big Issues With Merchandise Releases, Re-Open Florida Task Force Meetings, and A “Frozen Ever After” Lawsuit

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Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from April 20-26. If you’ve been following our news coverage over the past few weeks, you’re … Read more

Registration Postponed for June Moonlight Magic DVC Events at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

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With all of Walt Disney World Resort, including its waterparks, still closed, events like the upcoming Moonlight Magic at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon are being shuffled around to accommodate for a delayed reopening. According to DVC News, registration for the events, which are scheduled to take place on June 17 and June 24 are currently on hold, … Read more

Walt Disney Company Credit Rating Downgraded Due to Concerns Over Delayed Reopening

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The Walt Disney Company has seen a whirlwind month within the market, getting out-performed by Netflix only to gain advantage shortly after with the White House’s announcement for a phased reopening of businesses to potentially begin in May. However, investors haven’t fully regained hope in the company, and more news coming out regarding the future … Read more

WDWNT Weekly Recap: Phased Reopening Hope, Cast Member Furloughs, Company Losses, and More

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Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from April 13-19! If you have been following our news coverage over the past few weeks, … Read more

Thousands of Furloughed Walt Disney World Cast Members Getting Auto-Enrolled Into Florida Unemployment System

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With Walt Disney World Resort furloughs going into effect on April 19, the State of Florida has agreed to allow Disney to automatically submit applications for furloughed Cast Members into the unemployment system. Furloughed Cast Members are receiving emails as confirmation notices of their auto-enrollment. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state is "open" to … Read more

Walt Disney Company Stock Rebounds In Light of New Phased Reopening Guidelines

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With Disney’s parks and resorts shuttered across the globe due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and movie theaters across the nation sharing a similar fate, the conglomerate’s revenue has been severely compromised, giving temporary leeway for companies like Netflix, which are focused on “stay-at-home” products like video streaming, to gain a financial advantage. In fact, just … Read more