It was late in the evening last Sunday when the Walt Disney Company dropped the bombshell that CEO Bob Chapek was out, and former CEO Bob Iger was back. In the week since then, a few more major moves have taken place, with some of Chapek’s top lieutenants following him out the door of the House of Mouse. But another hugely symbolic move has been taken at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, as Chepek’s name has been removed from the pump house.
If you go on a Disney Cruise Lines vacation in the Bahamas you’ll visit Castaway Cay, a private island owned by Disney where the ship’s dock so guests can enjoy the beach and a number of other shore based activities. The island is very much what’d you’d expect to see as far as theming from the company that brought you Disneyland, and includes signage that celebrates some members of the Walt Disney Company in thematically appropriate ways, similar to Main Street U.S.A. windows at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. A sign on a pump house (seen above) on the path from the boat previously celebrated “Master Shipbuilder” Bob Chapek, but as of one week after his firing, the sign, as shown by the DCLBlog, is now gone.
GONE, GONE, GONE#PumpHouse1Watch is OVER pic.twitter.com/p2nhkykyyvNovember 27, 2022
Prior to being the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Chapek was the head of the Parks, Experiences, and Products division of the company, which includes the Disney Cruise Line. The cruise line saw significant expansion under Chapek. The first of three new ships, the Disney Wish, hit the water earlier this year, a second ship, the Treasure, is currently under construction, and a third will follow that one in short order. The company also recently purchased a currently under construction ship from another company before Chapek left as CEO.
With Chapek no longer being part of the company, it seems the decision was made to remove references to him. Disney could have decided to leave the sign, as a testament to the contribution that Chapek did make during his time at the company, but it seems that ‘s not going to happen. For comparison, a different sign on the other side of the walkway which celebrated Bob Iger was always on display, even after he left the company two years ago.
Considering some recent reports that Bob Chapek may have made some questionable decisions during his time as CEO as it regards the P&L of Disney+, it’s possible that the company is looking to distance itself as far as possible from the man. Now in addition, to the Bob Iger sign, the only other major Disney name on display, is Josh D’Amaro, the current head of DPEP, considering hi sign is still around, it seems likely the man isn’t going anywhere either.
