Disappointed

[Beer Me]

I’m just a casual fan but I don’t think anyone working for the dis owes anyone here an explanation. We already know more than enough. One person made this mess. Wishing the best for everyone else.

 

[vmendezRN9]

I debated voicing anything but I am deeply affected by the shocking information. I have been watching the YT videos for many years and listening to the podcasts for a long time. I was a Patreon supporter and will come back when I can feel sure that things are improved for employee safety. I just really wanted to say that I am proud of Dustin and Sean for sharing their stories. That helps them mentally relieve their minds of heaviness for years and helps encourage others to come forward and relieve their stress and minds as well. I hope that you feel a massive weight has been lifted by allowing yourselves to share publicly and not have to hide your truths for whatever reasons you had/needed to in the past.
I also support the rest of the team working through these challenges and hope to see things move forward in a much more positive light. I have no judgements against those actively working on the team still. I do hope Pete reaches out to mental health experts for some deep help. It is clearly needed.
Watched the food and wine festival video finally this morning and it was by far one of the best in a long time. Keep up the excellent work Craig, Ryno, and Erika.

 

[ainswokp]

I watched Rynos private chat from the other night. I always thought it was weird on the other site that one person kept saying he’s not genuine, he’s not who he appears to be, and Ryno comes off as the most genuine person in this business. The explanation of why that person has such a negative take was a relief, even though I don’t think anyone would second guess whether or not Ryno is a good person. He added a lot of color that made sense.

 

[gillwall-E]

Hi Everyone,

For months, I’ve debated “coming out of the woodwork,” so to speak, and posting here. It’s been eight years since I last wrote for wdwinfo and the Unplugged blog and moderated this exact board. It’s been 10 since Julie and I recorded our shopping segment at the same studio (more footage with Dustin was recorded at that time but never made it to air). It’s been 12 since I attended someone’s wedding at his home. It’s been 14 since I was made into a flattie (do people still do those) and brought on what I believe was the first ever podcast cruise. I could go on and on. Hundreds of us battled it out on Toy Story Mania into the wee hours of the night; we volunteered at Give Kids the World, and for many years, raised thousands to help sustain its efforts; there were more cruises, trips to Disneyland, Adventures by Disney, and countless hours spent in the Florida parks. Friendships were formed, some for a lifetime, others only on the surface level.

One thing always held true during those years: as much as he may have wanted it to be, it was never all about him. He didn’t create that magic. The people did. They were the ones who were truly invested and, based on the replies I’ve read here, remain to be this day. Sure, many have come and gone, but the sentiment is still there even as fractured as it may be at the moment.

I too have a story. There’s not a person that doesn’t whether they were on-air talent, a writer, editor, producer, etc. With that being said, I think we need to give everyone some grace right now. They didn’t create the monster. Making demands or offering critiques is unwarranted. Let them have space to process and move forward in whatever capacity that is to come. This is a truly gut-wrenching situation. I have full faith that things are happening behind the scenes; give them a breather so things can be squared away. Adding onto an already toxic situation will not do anyone good.

I just want to add that I never felt Pete created the magic, he was just the face of it for many of us. But it was, to me anyway, abundantly clear that everyone on the team, in front of camera, behind, around, were so I credibly talented and dedicated. That’s why I have so much respect for everyone involved in the show and hope it continue

Dreams does not charge your credit card or take payment for any travel booked. Your credit card information is provided to the travel supplier (Royal, DCL, WDW, etc) and is charged by them. You can confirm this on your credit card statement, Dreams will never show as the payee. The payment portal is simply to collect the credit card information in a secure manner to then pass on.

ok thank you!

 

[gillwall-E]

Look at your credit card statement. That will tell you who is charging your card. It's not Dreams, it's the cruise line.

Thanks, very helpful!

 

[Alicenwonderment]

I wasn't sure I was going to add my voice to this conversation, but several other "old-timers" have turned up so I figured I would too. As you can see from my profile, I've been here for over 20 years. I have attended many DIS events and meets in Florida, PA, NJ, DE, MA, and VA. I've met and gotten to know all but a couple of the more recent additions to the team over the years and consider many of them to be friends. I've traveled with the team on a podcast cruise. I've been about as involved with the DIS as one can be.

Dustin and Sean, I am in awe of your inner strength coming forward with your stories. Thank you for that and I hope you are both in a much better place now and continue to heal and prosper going forward.

To the rest of the team, past and present, I have no doubt that you've all endured some level of abuse at Pete's hands, whether you even consciously acknowledge it or not. You can't spend years in a hostile workplace without being affected by those conditions. I also have no doubt that none of you are in any way responsible for this situation. That responsibility lies solely with Pete.

As others have said, the DIS has been an incredibly important part of our lives for over 2 decades now. We've made dozens of lifelong friends literally around the world (right @Princess Jes). The DIS introduced us to GKTW and we became volunteers there, which is challenging living in New Jersey but we've still managed to pick up shifts several times and look forward to doing more in the future. I hope that whatever comes next for the team, we never forget all the good that has come out of this. In absolutely no way does that excuse the horrific stuff that has happened, but I still greatly value the memories and relationships that have come from our association with the DIS.

We all want to know what happens next. I'm right there with you on that. But I totally understand that most likely nobody has those answers yet. I also understand that there are likely legal issues intertwined in all of this and people need to be careful about what they say. That doesn't mean they're being obtuse by choice. "I don't know" and "I'm not at liberty to say" are both perfectly valid answers to many of the questions currently being asked. I'm sure that when they have the answers and can share them, they will. Until then, I just want to express my support for everyone affected by this.

Welcome back! I'm glad to see many disfriends returning.

I actually had to go find my password as I somehow got signed off my account many months ago. This whole situation is sad but I don't fault any other members of the team. I can't imagine all the stress this puts them under. Let's give them some grace while they figure things out.

 

[disneysteve]

This whole situation is sad but I don't fault any other members of the team. I can't imagine all the stress this puts them under. Let's give them some grace while they figure things out.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Craig and Rino and the others all still work for the company. Their paychecks depend on the company. What an awful situation to be in. Many people have shared that they've cancelled their Patreon memberships, and understandably so, but that money doesn't all go into Pete's pocket. It's used, in part, to pay the staff. Rino shared that he gets a cut of that money. I would assume others do, too, so hearing that people are dropping that support means that income goes away. It's an awful conundrum. Nobody wants to keep supporting Pete but in doing so, that means you're withdrawing support from everyone else in the process. The whole situation sucks.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Another thing to keep in mind is that Craig and Rino and the others all still work for the company. Their paychecks depend on the company. What an awful situation to be in. Many people have shared that they've cancelled their Patreon memberships, and understandably so, but that money doesn't all go into Pete's pocket. It's used, in part, to pay the staff. Rino shared that he gets a cut of that money. I would assume others do, too, so hearing that people are dropping that support means that income goes away. It's an awful conundrum. Nobody wants to keep supporting Pete but in doing so, that means you're withdrawing support from everyone else in the process. The whole situation sucks.

Surely though they have some in reserve and Kevin and John must have some with all the trips they go on to support the business? Like any major business some years you have to support it and others reap the rewards.

 

[disneysteve]

Surely though they have some in reserve and Kevin and John must have some with all the trips they go on to support the business? Like any major business some years you have to support it and others reap the rewards.

True, but put yourself in Rino's shoes. He likely isn't privy to the finances of the company. He sees people pulling their support that helps pay his salary. He sees his employer being sued for 900K. He's got to be wondering how stable the finances are and how secure his income is and for how long. If it were me, I'd be pretty worried.

 

[tatoet]

I have been a viewer on YouTube for several years and have supported the team through Patreon and by booking vacations with Dreams Unlimited Travel. I met several members of the team at the DIS Family Reunion and by running into them on Disney property. It is devastating to hear the information that has come out in the past several days. I commend Sean and Dustin for having the courage to tell their stories. My love and support goes out to Craig, Ryno, Erica and the others affected by this.

 

[starfrenzy]

Another thing to keep in mind is that Craig and Rino and the others all still work for the company. Their paychecks depend on the company. What an awful situation to be in. Many people have shared that they've cancelled their Patreon memberships, and understandably so, but that money doesn't all go into Pete's pocket. It's used, in part, to pay the staff. Rino shared that he gets a cut of that money. I would assume others do, too, so hearing that people are dropping that support means that income goes away. It's an awful conundrum. Nobody wants to keep supporting Pete but in doing so, that means you're withdrawing support from everyone else in the process. The whole situation sucks.

If John were to put out a statement that says PW will no longer be involved with Dreams from this day forward and does not continue to profit off of Dreams bookings or Patreon subscribers, that could help ease concerns and maintain the financial support quite a bit.

 

[dina444444]

If John were to put out a statement that says PW will no longer be involved with Dreams from this day forward and does not continue to profit off of Dreams bookings or Patreon subscribers, that could help ease concerns and maintain the financial support quite a bit.

I’m not expecting to hear from him on here prior to a week from tomorrow at the earliest between the ABD trip that starts today and the event at the end of the week.

 

[wiihoo888]

True, but put yourself in Rino's shoes. He likely isn't privy to the finances of the company. He sees people pulling their support that helps pay his salary. He sees his employer being sued for 900K. He's got to be wondering how stable the finances are and how secure his income is and for how long. If it were me, I'd be pretty worried.

You’re hitting the nail on the head for me. I just want people to really think of what their end goal is in all of this. Is it to be sure their money isn’t going to a situation where Pete is in charge of his employees in any way again? Or is it to be sure that no money ever goes to Pete by any means through DIS or DU again? I mean, in reality, every post we do here contributes to these entities as well. How far do people usually look into their finances? Its an honest question.

I get that everyone’s decision is their personal choice. No judgment there. I just hate to see collateral damage happening for potentially reasons that aren’t thought all the way through. Is the end goal to not have Pete in a leadership position, and ensuring that contributions aren’t going there? Or is to hear Pete is gone from the businesses entirely before contributing again? Once again, no judgment.

And I do hate even bringing up the money in a time like this…like, at all. However, there are other livelihoods on the other side of this besides Pete and uggggh…its just all such a mess and my heart hurts for everyone

 

[Tonyz]

John really needs to put out a very detailed statement sooner rather than later. He’s the face of the company now.

 

[Allison]

John needs to follow the legal advice he is receiving, whatever that may be.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Totally off topic but one reason I left the boards is because the ads were intolerable. I see that hasn’t gotten any better. On my phone the ad scrolls down from the top blocking the navigation buttons. At least I’m not getting the “you’ve won whatever” pop ups yet.

I'm out of my element on this forum here, Steve, a regular CB guy myself. But was directed by others to stop by here and see what is going on here. To say the least, very sad. I do hope the boards and all who are and that is connected with them survive these issues. It would be very sad to see it all gone due to the indiscretions of a single individual.

The reason for quoting you on this part of your post, Steve, was to suggest downloading the Firefox browser to your phone and using it instead of what you are probably using on your phone, Chrome. And if you do, add the extension, or as Firefox calls them, the add-on, AdGuard AdBlocker.

I also use Android and the ads on Chrome are nauseating to say the least. Impossible to view and use the board with the amount of ads, and so many moving every which way, jumping, up, down, in and out. A poster on the CB, @Imzadi, had similar problems and suggested this as a solution. I added FF and it's been a dream, no ads. I have the FF icon on my phone home page and use it only for the dis. It's like my dis app. I click it, it goes to the dis, no ads, none. For every other Internet site, I use Chrome as I have for years. Hope this helps, Steve, and others if you have similar issues.

Getting back to the topic of this thread, as a 24+ years member of these boards, a former moderator for several years way back when, and generally a daily visitor to these boards, I also am disappointed. Disappointed? Yes. Surprised? No, not really. Saddened? Yes. Hopeful? Yes. It would be really a sad event if the founder of these boards 26 years ago was responsible for their demise. This place is quite unique on the Net. Over the past many years, as a Disney fan, I've seen many boards. Most come and go. Those that don't go have minimal variety and participation. The dis is unique, IMO. It really is like an extension of our homes to many of us. I too have made many acquaintances and friends over these many years. A good number, real life, lifetime friends.

From what I have tried to read here and learn some, I do feel the dis is in good hands and will traverse these sad, trying days successfully.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I've been a member here since 2006 and enjoyed watching the DIS Unplugged podcast over the years. I've met various members of the podcast team during our many family trips to WDW - Pete, Craig, Ryno, Steve, Charles, Jackie. I haven't been active on the boards much over the last several years but logged in to ....... I don't know. It's like when you get bad news and just want to be with other people that understand. If that makes sense? This whole situation just makes me so sad. To think something that brought so much joy, laughter, and help planning Disney trips was so toxic and unpleasant behind the scenes. I just feel so bad for everyone on the podcast team. I hope everyone comes out of this OK.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

If John were to put out a statement that says PW will no longer be involved with Dreams from this day forward and does not continue to profit off of Dreams bookings or Patreon subscribers, that could help ease concerns and maintain the financial support quite a bit.

A statement of that magnitude can't happen without Pete being bought out. Dreams Unlimited isn't a club- they can't just kick him out. While DU is a profitable company, not too many business owners can afford to buy out a partner at the drop of a hat with cash on hand.

 

[Bishdomette]

Craig is still pretending they were moving the show for Kevin’s mobility. Kevin hasn’t cared about the show in years. It was a nonsense story in the beginning and even more so now.

If Craig is gonna pretend everything was perfectly normal up until being SHOCKED by the news in the last few days… that says everything I’ll need to know, personally

 

[Bishdomette]

Craig was more than likely told to say that. He works for the company, has a family to support.