Will Iger's "Alarm" At Price Increases Mean Anything?

 

 Last week, we wrote about the surprise ousting of Bob Chapek as Disney CEO, and the return of the prodigal son himself, Bob Iger, to his old position.  I made a note at the time saying that this isn't normally the type of content I talk about on this blog, but since it affected the company as a whole (which includes theme parks) and because it was such a major event, I felt that I had to talk about it.

Since that time, a lot more has been said about Iger's return, with details slowing leaking to various media outlets.  I didn't feel compelled to update the original story or write further, since the details were largely the same as the big picture - Iger and Chapek didn't get along, Disney's last investment call was a mess, the board of directors lost faith in Chapek and asked Iger to return.  Of course, these news tidbits all appear to have come from Iger's side, with Chapek being noticeably (and perhaps incentivized by an NDA) quiet.  Again, I hope this book is written in full one day but for now, this is the long and short of it.

Bob Chapek Out, Bob Iger Returns To Disney As CEO

In a shocking announcement late last night, Bob Iger is returning to The Walt Disney Company as CEO, effective immediately.  He replaces Bob Chapek, who had been in the position since Iger's resignation in February of 2020.  This post will talk about the timeline of what happened, and what it may mean for the future of the company.

This blog normally focuses exclusively on Walt Disney World, namely the parks and resorts that are encompassed within.  There is a ton of other Disney news beyond that scope, and I try to stay away from these things, as I like the focus to just be on the parks, specifically in Florida, where I have the most expertise.  But this story is so indelibly tied up into the parks, and creates such a ripple effect on the company in general, that I felt it was worth doing a dive to talk about how we ended up here.

Top Five Disney World Rides That Are Better At Night

I often go back and forth on what is my favorite time of day at the Disney parks.  We've discussed some of this in various posts here, and for many reasons, midday is the worst time to be at the parks (usually related to crowds and weather).  The best times of day are almost invariably early in the morning or late at night.

This got me thinking about different rides and whether there are some that are better at different times of day.  As much as I love early mornings at the parks, I don't know that I could say there are any rides in particular that are BETTER due to riding at that time of day.  Early mornings are the best for beating crowds, the general hum of anticipation in the air and some great photos as the sun crests the horizon.

How To Schedule Your Park Days

 

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be a large undertaking.  As much as I love to plan, I can understand why so many people don't want to worry about this kind of thing leading up to their vacation.  I often say something like this when asked about planning a trip - you can just show up and still have a good time, but Disney favors the planner.

And in the current environment, you can't just "show up" without doing at least a few things first.  We won't really talk about hotels or park tickets here (I've done that in plenty of other places) but with the continued use of the park reservation system, you have to at least know ahead of time which park you want to visit on which day.  There's always a chance that you can switch parks at the last minute, but I certainly wouldn't count on it - just make sure you have SOMETHING.

Disney FOMO - What To Do When You're Waiting For Your Next Trip

 

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise, but I spend a lot of time talking, thinking and writing about Disney.  That's why I started this blog, after all.  As I've always said, this blog represents my current life situation, which is someone who is not a local and can't visit the parks all the time, plus someone with a family of young (but getting older by the day) children.

As such, there is often a lag between Disney visits.  If it were up to me (as in, I was independently wealthy), I would be there ALL THE TIME.  At the very least, I would go regularly, even if I didn't spend most of my days there each week.  Things change and evolve at Disney all the time, and I'd like to be there to see these things play out in real time.