Will Disney be closing parks in 2009?

MiceAce writes:

"There have been some contingency plans assembled, in case this fall looks more dicey than Disney had originally planned for. One major push that probably will see the light of day is the reduction of operating hours, starting right after the summer season. Parks will close an hour or two earlier, and some may even open an hour later… and this is on top of the usual shifting of operating hours that occurs every autumn. That saves Disney quite a bit of money on operating expenses, and they still reap the same income from ticket sales, at least theoretically. In the back of my mind I'm already grumbling about the Decline by Degrees (Disney saves money while you pay the same, but get a lessened experience).

"There are other plans afoot. One of them is to maybe offer the Free Dining program to Disney hotel guests even beyond the usual autumn time slot, perhaps even into the start of the winter months and the hallowed Christmas season. That's unheard of. Offering Free Dining is one of Disney's big guns, and usually brings stampedes of visitors to Disney's hotels (and to its parks). Will it work this time? Even if airline flights cost so darn much? (Not to mention the minivan fill-up!)

"The hope is that it works to bring a rush of visitors. Because otherwise, another contingency plan may be enacted - brace yourself - to close down one Disney World theme park at least one day per week. The Magic Kingdom (MK) appears safe (it's such a big draw) as Epcot (E) (it has so many corporate sponsors that would demand otherwise), but Disney's Animal Kingdom (DAK) and Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS) may well be dark, locked, and inaccessible one day a week, starting in early 2009 if attendance levels get bad enough. Obviously, the plan would be to take turns. Perhaps Monday would see DAK go dark, and more people would rush into MK, E, and DHS as a result. Then, on Tuesday, DHS would stay locked, and MK, E, and DAK would get increased traffic."

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