Disappointed

[nfreeman]

Anyone think it would be a bad idea to do any live streaming at the Disneyland event?

 

[Cfabar1]

I think there are two separate forces at play here: 1.) Raking in money; and 2.) Mismanaging finances.
Yes, I do believe that ownership in the second largest (by volume) Disneycentric travel agency coupled with YouTube ad money and Google ad money and Patreon subscription money meant that he was raking in money. Sean has suggested what he was earning, and it was significant. But a boorish, piggish lifestyle coupled with the possibility of vices can cause that money to evaporate quickly. Some of that we could see with our own eyes. Yes, he made good money, but not $400 Gucci shirts, $20,000 gold necklaces and Cruise Ship Presidential Suite money. And many of the first-hand accounts from Charles, Sean, JL, and others have told of lavish generosity, none of which appears to be contradicted. So yeah, I think he was raking in cash...and then spending it like a sailor on leave. Bad financial habits can overcome a healthy income in no time. Add in an apparent addiction to to DVC points and BAM! Hello poor house.

I’m sure it was a large gross number. But….

- hiring his team cost significant dollars
- DVC points and DUES aren’t cheap
- his lifestyle was obscenely expensive and the amount he was personally spending on Disney travel was probably eating into any profits and was a bit of a shell game.

We are also assuming others even had an accurate sense of his income. This guy exaggerates about everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if his income he inflated significantly. Are we really to believe a guy who insists on staying in the 30k royal suite on a cruise ship wouldn’t have had a more lavish home if he could have? In fact we learned, if the stories are true, he couldn’t even get approved for a new mortgage.

 

[JimmyV_2.0]

Anyone think it would be a bad idea to do any live streaming at the Disneyland event?

Yes. Not bringing up the issues that are occupying the DIS would be insulting to everyone who isn't on the trip, and bringing up the issues will be insulting to the people who are on the trip and don't want to be confronted by the issues while on vacation. A true no-win. But I am sure that they are going to do it, and I am sure that after it airs, people here are going to have things to say, none of which will likely be kind.

 

[mimijudy1975]

I've been a Disboards user for many years now. Have loved listening to/watching the weekly Tuesday podcast that entire time. It's been a really fun way for me for a very long time to keep the Disney fun/magic alive in between trips to Disneyland or WDW. I loved the Disneyland show. Loved the WDW show. REALLY love the Connecting With Walt show.

Back a couple of months ago (was it April?) when there was that totally off the rails mega-political Disunplugged podcast episode, though, that's when I thought, "Huh, something's off." An entire hour of people complaining about how much WDW sucks, how much Florida sucks, how much they all hate living in FL. Didn't understand why a travel agency that specializes in selling Disney travel packages would be bashing their market so much. Also didn't understand why they'd be doing so much political bashing of people who don't agree with them.

It was bad enough that I considered for awhile to switch to a totally different travel agency for whenever our next WDW trip is.

Around that same time, Pete was in rehab, I think? Or had just gotten back from rehab? I don't remember the timeline. Everybody on the show seemed mad, grumpy, not happy. The vibe was pretty much one of "I hate being here right now."

I have a dear friend who died from alcoholism. It was horrible. Addiction is a very real and serious disease and it can sometimes make you do some really insane stuff. Sometimes, addicts also will switch from 1 addiction to another, thus sort of perpetuating the problem, but it manifests itself in a different way. The end result is a long trail of pain, hurt, and heartache for both the friends, family, loved ones, coworkers of the addict, AND the addict him/herself. I'm not excusing any of the behavior and wrongs that Pete is alleged to have done against his former employees. If the allegations are true, it is gut wrenching and horrible. The victims need counseling, if they haven't gotten any yet. The alleged aggressor also needs treatment and therapy in order to deal with his issues, heal whatever is going on in side, prevent this from happening again to others, etc.

I don't think that we should automatically assume that all employees knew what was going on. We are all looking at this from our own individual points of view and making assumptions.

I am certain that some or all of what I'm saying will be perceived by some as defending the aggressor. That is not my intent.

I have been in work situations in the past which would be considered a hostile work environment...in which my boss kind of had it out for me and would change his mind on a whim multiple times a day...being praised one minute, and then horribly scolded in front of everyone an hour later. I really needed that job at the time, WAS looking for other employment, but sometimes it takes awhile to find a different job. AND I had to pay my bills, had kids to feed, etc., so I had to suck it up and do my best with a lousy situation.

Before anyone passes judgement on the DIS employees, consider maybe that some of them might have been in a similar situation.

It's easy to be an armchair quarterback from your living room, behind your computer screen. But if you've got rent to pay, then sometimes you don't really have a choice but to keep on going until you can figure out another employment solution.

I ALSO know that when I've worked with a hostile boss, the vibe in our entire team was "off," but many people couldn't really put their finger on it as to why. We were all afraid of saying ANYTHING to each other out of fear of retribution from the boss. But when the boss left the company, people started comparing notes and the facts started coming out. Maybe that's what's in the process of happening here, maybe not.

Like it or not, in the US courts' system, one is innocent until proven guilty. Pete & Dreams Unlimited Travel will need to defend themselves in the court system in the lawsuit against them by American Express. I will say that holy mother of God, $860,000 is a LOT of money to plow through.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the new Disunplugged studio looks like. I'll start watching the show again to try it out. I hope that they can try to return back to some of the fun & useful information that the show/podcast has been so great about all of these years.

IF the allegations against Pete by the former employees are all true, then it's a truly horrible abuse of power. And in some cases, it's criminal activity. Some of the worst examples of workplace sexual harassment I've heard about in a long time.

That's why you shouldn't poop where you eat. Don't date people at work. Don't date people who report to you.

I truly hope that all of the employees...both current and former...are able to heal from all of this.

Your post was very kind . I think we all have our our life we lead . I hope those who are hurting now , including Pete , have a wayyo heal from the hurt and deception . It wasn’t too long after I started watching that Dustin was gone . I’m pretty naive and didn’t think about anything being wrong . I never went to Disney a child , but when our daughters were 5 and 7 , along with my parents , we made the trip to Disney World . . At that time it was just the Magic Kingdom , Epcot came a few years later . There were a few trips after that with the last in 2018 with my daughter and with my almost 5 year old
granddaughter. Watching The Dis Unplugged was so helpful to helpful to watch . Since then, I have watched every episode and look so forward to. I think Craig and Ryno are doing an excellent job as hosts and the team members contribute so much . I pray you all can find peace and support one another.
I don’t feel the team has to come forth and talk about this to us as to what they knew or didn’t know . To get mad at them seems unfair. Although steps should have been taken and dealt with . I will definitely keep on watching and hope in time Disney can come back to what it used to be .

 

[DonMacGregor]

We are also assuming others even had an accurate sense of his income. This guy exaggerates about everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if his income he inflated significantly. Are we really to believe a guy who insists on staying in the 30k royal suite on a cruise ship wouldn’t have had a more lavish home if he could have? In fact we learned, if the stories are true, he couldn’t even get approved for a new mortgage.

Golden Oaks, or Doctor Phillips at the very least. Heck, he and Sean did a home listing review in Doctor Phillips on a new development right at +/- $1M, so even that price point would/should have been well within his reported means.

 

[TraderStitch]

While it was a place for Dustin and Sean to get their story out, just looking around the rest of the site it seems like the main point of that place is hate and speculation with little to no basis for it. I mean I certainly get tired of boards where no one is allowed to be critical of Disney even when they deserve it, but there is so much talk there that is just making fun of people for their weight, appearance, voice, etc. Some people talk there like they stalk these vloggers and have intimate knowledge of their personal lives off camera. That kind of talk can spiral out of control to a point where someone is suing the site for it. Also people who aren't haters on that site and tend to point out people being unfair tend to get banned. If it were a free forum people would be allowed to tell someone that fat shaming or other related things aren't ok. While we can verify Dustin and Sean there are many other people over there who just make stuff up to fuel hate.

I hate to tell you, but the rest of the internet is exactly like this. As someone in IT and security I myself find it hard to sleep at night with the things I run across sometimes.

The Mods here have done a fantastic job of preserving the "bubble" but as you venture further down the rabbit hole that is the internet you will find a majority of the people on it are not very nice people sadly. I do applaud the Mods for letting this thread continue so the truth can come out. I know it is disrupting the bubble but no one is making anyone read this thread. We have all come here to find out what is happening.

 

[khertz]

Anyone think it would be a bad idea to do any live streaming at the Disneyland event?

I don’t think they were ever planning a live stream, they have been promoting a live podcast recording, meaning in front of an audience. They did the same thing at the DIS Mega Meet in 2016

 

[wnwardii]

Anyone think it would be a bad idea to do any live streaming at the Disneyland event?

Yes, I do agree that it would be a bad idea. The comments would be bonkers. But I believe Mary Jo mentioned it earlier or in another thread that they don't live stream these "live" in-person recordings. I have been to several of the DIS events where they do a "live" recording. So those people that are in attendance it is "live". But then for others it will be released on a later date, typically the following Tuesday. When the DIS team travels to these other locations, even when local at a WDW Resort, they don't have all of the equipment and internet access to stream things "live".

 

[Mindy5767]

I know Sean was on this thread at one point, though I haven't seen him in the last day or so (he is on a cruise, so I'm guessing that's the reason). I think we've also seen Fiasco, though it's been a couple of days. I can't remember now if Dustin and Charles were here or on the other site (it's all blurring together, lol). But definitely some of them have been here following along.

Dustin has posted on this thread here, under his original screen name with his picture. Sean posted here on a new screen name, but hasn't posted in a couple days as he's on a cruise. He is posting cruise photos on his personal Facebook page though. I am so glad Sean is able to get away on that cruise and have a great time. He needs it. I believe it's his honeymoon.

 

[MonaMN]

Yes, I do agree that it would be a bad idea. The comments would be bonkers. But I believe Mary Jo mentioned it earlier or in another thread that they don't live stream these "live" in-person recordings. I have been to several of the DIS events where they do a "live" recording. So those people that are in attendance it is "live". But then for others it will be released on a later date, typically the following Tuesday. When the DIS team travels to these other locations, even when local at a WDW Resort, they don't have all of the equipment and internet access to stream things "live".

It is ridiculously expensive these days to get these services from hotels... even for regular A/V for a business meeting, the costs have skyrocketed in the last couple years. So yes, trying to live stream - in addition to the current situation making that unwise from a business perspective - is also likely cost-prohibitive to an already expensive to pull off event.

 

[take36]

It is ridiculously expensive these days to get these services from hotels... even for regular A/V for a business meeting, the costs have skyrocketed in the last couple years. So yes, trying to live stream - in addition to the current situation making that unwise from a business perspective - is also likely cost-prohibitive to an already expensive to pull off event.

and the security cost

 

[Skip Coffee for Rope Drop]

1

 

[LSUfan4444]

Everyone has their Pete Breaking Point. Mine was during the acknowledgment of Josh’s (from easyWDW) passing. Craig did a beautiful and respectful job of remembering him and expressing sympathy, but Pete more or less just brushed it off. Josh was a friend, and everyone in the blog/vlog community was sincere and sympathetic in their remembrances. Pete, not so much. Or not at all, really.

Okay...I've been out of the loop for a while and not really following the boards much (for multiple reasons) but I had no clue Josh passed. In a joking but serious manner..I will definitely enjoy some food atop a garbage can in his honor next month at F&W

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

The people on the show have the talent to spin off on their own. The main thing is Pete's health and we all are cheering him on. I did not go into the drama nor will investigate.....this board, podcast, youtube channel has made me an educated Disney consumer and I am grateful.

This is going on in all message boards and social media , not just Disney, as viewers are turning away from Youtube and discussions boards and people in their 30's, 40's and 50's are turning to TIK TOK now.

It is important to investigate before throwing support and cheering someone on without knowing the details.

 

[RedHead0186]

The people on the show have the talent to spin off on their own. The main thing is Pete's health and we all are cheering him on. I did not go into the drama nor will investigate.....this board, podcast, youtube channel has made me an educated Disney consumer and I am grateful.

This is going on in all message boards and social media , not just Disney, as viewers are turning away from Youtube and discussions boards and people in their 30's, 40's and 50's are turning to TIK TOK now.

It's your choice to not go into the drama or investigate. However, if you choose to remain ignorant then you might want to refrain from stating support for any specific people since you have no idea what is going on. And certainly don't speak for others.

 

[NYDisGuy]

The main thing is Pete's health and we all are cheering him on.

Speak for yourself

 

[khertz]

The people on the show have the talent to spin off on their own. The main thing is Pete's health and we all are cheering him on. I did not go into the drama nor will investigate.....this board, podcast, youtube channel has made me an educated Disney consumer and I am grateful.

This is going on in all message boards and social media , not just Disney, as viewers are turning away from Youtube and discussions boards and people in their 30's, 40's and 50's are turning to TIK TOK now.

Buddy you might be the ONLY one cheering Pete on. Best not to even comment while being wholly ignorant of the stories people are sharing about their personal interactions with him.

 

[gonzolady]

The people on the show have the talent to spin off on their own. The main thing is Pete's health and we all are cheering him on. I did not go into the drama nor will investigate.....this board, podcast, youtube channel has made me an educated Disney consumer and I am grateful.

This is going on in all message boards and social media , not just Disney, as viewers are turning away from Youtube and discussions boards and people in their 30's, 40's and 50's are turning to TIK TOK now.

I am not cheering on Pete’s health. WTH? He drugged & raped people. Why are we cheering him on.

 

[gmi3804]

Okay...I've been out of the loop for a while and not really following the boards much (for multiple reasons) but I had no clue Josh passed. In a joking but serious manner..I will definitely enjoy some food atop a garbage can in his honor next month at F&W

Careful - it SEEMS crowded!

 

[DonMacGregor]

The main thing is Pete's health and we all are cheering him on.

No. No we're not.