I have heard a rumor from elsewhere about how the coronavirus is going to have an impact on Disney far beyond the Chinese parks being closed, which, of course, is going to mean a huge financial loss for the parks division as a whole. Most of what is listed below relates to WDW, but #5 pertains to
Disneyland:
1. Nearly every American employee from the Asian parks who wishes to return to America has returned or is preparing to return. They have been or are being cleared by the State Department, and have already completed their quarantine requirements in other Asian countries (mostly South Korea).
2. Asian parks are currently being run by skeleton crews while they are down. These crews are maintaining the parks such that they can be reopened when possible. Attractions are being cycled every couple of days to keep them in working condition.
3. Almost all part-time cast members at the Asian parks have been released from the company.
4. Full-time cast members who are remaining in the area are being paid as if they were continuing to work full-time. There are no public plans at this time to change that situation, nor are plans cemented behind the scenes as of yet.
5. Many projects at Disneyland are now on hold. These are evident in that work crews have either ceased or will soon cease to be observed working on these projects. There currently are a few exceptions, but I won't list those as things can quickly change. Work on the Marvel area is not currently a negotiable for work-stoppage, so that one is safe to continue (for now, at least).
6. No projects at Walt Disney World are yet canceled or stopped. However, several planned refurbishments have been downsized greatly. These include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover. Whereas these previously included significant changes, they are now standard maintenance refurbishments. The Mary Poppins ride in Epcot may be headed towards the chopping block shot-term, though, if closures continue.
7. Should the Asian parks continue to be closed, Typhoon Lagoon is planned to stay closed in an "extended refurbishment" through May. I hesitate to release this information, as it can alter the company's stance on the water park given that the label "extended refurbishment" is intended to be a public relations move to diminish the perceived effects of Asian parks being closed.
8. Labor cutbacks are planned. I'm working on getting solid information on this, and don't want to give premature information given that it could panic individuals working for Disney. That said, labor costs can be cut outside of Disneyland, where cutbacks have already pushed that park to its limit since summer.
Mind you, they haven't released anything officially yet, and I haven't seen anything about it in the news (I did a Google search, to no avail), but still, this is going to very disheartening, particularly the stuff for Disneyland. I'm guessing that means that the Mickey Mouse ride coming to Toontown is done for now (at least for the time being).
At this point, considering how much the coronavirus has intensified, I'm guessing that the alleged two months that the Chinese parks will remain closed is too optimistic.
