“Trust fall” gone awry 
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It is almost 12:30 am and I woke up briefly to use the bathroom to find out this news!
But I will not defend Chapek. What I will say, and has always said, is that Chapek was dumped into an impossible situation…between the mess Iger left him and the impacts from COVID. Which means it is hard to judge his actions fully. I was reserving judgment to see if some long term hope started to show up. I will also sai, however, that the showing of D23 this year destroyed much of what hope I had.
As for Iger…I think he can step in and basically do things that will make the general perception improve dramatically in the short term. But Disney needs a new visionary in the saddle. I don’t know how long it will be for Iger to find his replacement.
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I wish I could find it, but Iger wanted to stay longer to train Chapek, but Chapek refused to take any guidance from him (from what I’ve seen he chose to listen to no one). So, I don’t think you could say he trained Chapek.
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i know I said this won’t really impact the parks but ah….can we get a redo of the 50th now? Y’know…one where we might actually celebrate the 50th instead of…whatever the heck that was?
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Intriguing. I don’t recall hearing that before. If true, he doomed himself to failure. Unwillingness to learn and adapt is not a sign of a good leader.
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Its the reservation thing that I need gone like by January…
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If that goes, so too does the park hopping problem. So I’m good with that.
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Originally Iger and Chapek were going to tag team leading the company for 2 years as a transition period. Chapek said no way so Iger sat as Chairman for a bit until he finally had enough. Those 2 famously butted heads. Even over stupid shit like attending Igers retirement party.
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They would need a replacement for the reservation system. It serves as a replacement for Fast pass, which was the only tool Disney had (prior to the APR system) for managing and predicting crowd levels at parks.
So, to remove APRs, they will need a new tool to do this.
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I don’t think its all that accurate…and honestly I have been going to disney prior to fastness somehow they were able to handle it…
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hmm I remember reading something about that - specifically that it happened at a big wig meeting at Aulani
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Making difficult choices is something I can understand. Completely failing to understand the USP of an organisation and working against that ethos at every point is what sucks.
I don’t go to Disney because it’s good value for money. I go because it’s immersive - even though I may not have the VIP pass or Grand Flo suite, I don’t feel like I’m having a substandard holiday. I want that feeling back.
Oh, and some benches.
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How appropriate is it that Disney+ is broadcasting the Elton John concert while the Chapek news is spreading. Kind of like a pre-planned celebration! And two reasons I’m still up and will be very sleepy tomorrow!
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OMG these just keep getting funnier
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I agree with those who are skeptical about actual changes coming, but on the plus side, sending my husband one of these news articles resulted in him giving me permission to go ahead and book for next fall break!
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I agree, the whole Chapek departure seems odd, after the board extended his contract what, 4 months ago?
I have 3 theories:
- Palace coup by creative factions within Disney
- Chapek lied to the board or failed to keep a promise about Disney’s financial results
- Board is fickle and mediocre.
For fans #1 would be good news, #2 neutral, and #3 bad news.
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This. Ousting chapek assuages the butt hurt fans who are mad that pop is $300/n + $29 genie and $22 rise and I don’t even know how much a character breakfast runs now because who can keep up?
Right now they could change genie+ time to 5a and people might not notice.
I hope I’m just Debbie Downer-ing. Hopeful me wakes up tomorrow with fpp and HEA returning in 2023 and nonrefundable dining deposits and hopping restrictions a distant memory. Realistic me thinks this has absolutely nothing to do with the parks at all, and that Disney just gets the bonus of renewed fan love by axing the guy who put us unfavorables on a diet
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