Originally Posted By MPierce >> I've herard this is major and top to bottom. Everything from the theater itself to the film to the lights to the staging will be dealt with. And I've heard that the budget is a fair and reasonable one. << That sounds good. >> Word has it that it could open after a 6-9 month rehab (instead of an 18 month closure) and then have other details added slowly at night. I have no confirm of that whatsoever. << I guess that's better than nothing. I just am not a fan of the finish the job at night plan though. >> I still like hearing Michael Eisner's quote after riding version 2.0: 'Where did my (blanking) $58 million go?' << That was being polite. >> Think big ... lots of millions ... add a zero. << You have got to be kidding! >> Rational people? Where are they? I never see or hear from them. << I've herd about them, but sometimes I think that's only a myth.
Originally Posted By -em >>Disney can barely afford to keep the lights on doncha know?<< More true than ya know... cause my area "went green" today and turned off 95% of the lights and the escalators- it wasnt too bad for most of the day (skylights) until it started to get dark... -em
Originally Posted By blueharvest82 I didn;t read through all of the post, simply to many. As fae as space mountain goes...Screamscape pointed out that it is not on any of the promotional dvd's for the next year, so at this point they are probably planning on still doing it. As far as everything else goes, Disney is not recession proof. They hurt just like everyone else. Ues Universal has rip ride and rocket and seaworld has manta, but these projects were bought and paid for before things got really bad. Disney has some great ideas on the horizon, but they will simply have to wait until consumers are ready to pay for them. Its not field of dreams "if you build it, they will come" doesn't work when the families who come here are hurting financially. Locals and frequent annual passholders that have not been affected by the economy simply don't understand or forget what the cost of a full disney trip is for your typical family of four. and I can't stress enough what group disney is aiming to impress. That is the family that comes once a year on a budget and spends eveything in that budget once a year. As annual passholders and locals, you will continue to visit, thats what you do. Disney is not worried about annual passholders and locals who don't stay on property, eat on property, or shop on property. They need to invest in the traveling families, and they are not coming right now like they used too, not even the british. So relax, calm down, remember its the holdays, and stop worrying about evrything thats not there and be thankful for what is...this goes for disney and life in general. Everything will get better Happy Holidays
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <>> Where did the Norwegian Longboat go? I hope this is just temporary or they are building something new! << It's gone for good is what I was told Dave.< I'd really love to hear the spin on why ?
Originally Posted By SuperDry Having just come back from a two-day visit to WDW, even in my brief say, virtually every ride I went on had something noticeable that was not working properly: - BTMRR: the 'possums didn't flip over as the train went under them. - Splash Mountain: The rabbit didn't hop, and a bluebird that should have been animated was stuck motionless. - POTC: the donkey whose head and neck sticks out of that door on the left and sings along wasn't saying anything, even though he was going through the motions. Some of the things I think are a result of not doing the proper preventative maintenance (i.e. the "run until failure" mentality), along with not fixing them when they eventually break but leaving them until the next refurb. But the donkey thing is an artifact of them just not paying attention to what they're doing (or not caring). Assuming that the sound didn't break earlier that day, someone should have caught this on a ride-through and then taken the donkey off the set. I've certainly seen this done before when the donkey AA breaks: they take him off, close his door, and turn off his audio track so you don't hear him baying when he's not there. It's not any one of these things that's a problem: it's the fact that they are cumulative. If on every ride you see one or two things that aren't working properly, it gives off a certain impression, and things used to not be run like this.
Originally Posted By bayrr326 << Well, I would if you provided a link! ;-)>> Dude, I must have been off in La-La Land when I wrote that. Here is the link to the brochure. <a href="http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/archives/1922" target="_blank">http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/ar...ves/1922</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>It's not any one of these things that's a problem: it's the fact that they are cumulative. If on every ride you see one or two things that aren't working properly, it gives off a certain impression, and things used to not be run like this.<<< Sadly this was our experience in 2006, multifold: Tiki Room had broken birds Jungle Cruise - Hippos dd not emerge PotC - several pirates did not move Splash - a few broken effects including those 2 BTM - possums did not spin (this is also a problem at DLP) Country Bears - Melvin was broken Haunted Mansion - many Aa's in the graveyard were static - no pop up ghosts (despite the noise) IASW - just out of refurb, the hula girls were not moving CoP - we got stuck in the middle scene for 2 rotations Nemo - we went on a few weeks after opening - Angler Fish was static and one screen not working. Listen to the Land - some of the AA effects were not working Imagination - 2 figments did not move in the finale Spaceship Earth - the Chariot effect was not working, and the speaker was too quiet to hear the commentary UoE - the long necked Dino and the Ellen AA were static Test track - probably easier to list what worked rather than didn't - the hot room worked...and the mechanics of the car. DHS was in pretty good shape except: Great Movie Ride - Busby Berkley scene, no flames, tarzan static, and Ripley static. Expedition Everest - the key reason why we opted to return to WDW - the Yeti room was pitch black, not even just a strobe. 2 trips through and never saw the Yeti AA. And these reasons, plus the buses, substandard hotel service, filth of the MK pavements and tables, and the behaviour of guests is why I am not in a hurry to return. DLP has it's problems, as does disneyland, but not to this extent.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***But the donkey thing is an artifact of them just not paying attention to what they're doing (or not caring). Assuming that the sound didn't break earlier that day, someone should have caught this on a ride-through and then taken the donkey off the set. I've certainly seen this done before when the donkey AA breaks: they take him off, close his door, and turn off his audio track so you don't hear him baying when he's not there.*** You know WAY too much about what is and isn't supposed to happen on a Disney ride, bro. ;p Having said that, however, you make an excellent point. We used to talk about that even in entertainment (generally teaching the management about how things should be done lol), explaining how if a show can't be pulled of "magically" (in our case, without trash can lids flying off in the wind and hitting little kids...for example), it's better to just pull the show (or in the case of your example, a show element). It's all about show. Or...it should be.
Originally Posted By Mr X And my comment about knowing WAY too much goes triple for DavewasBaloo. ;p (I knew THAT, though, when you talked about how you were trying to get the waitress at the 50's diner to "play along" (ain't it the other way round? right?) by putting your elbows on the table and stuff) WAY too much. I thought it was funny as heck to read though, I had no idea about that or any of the other "tricks" that are part of that particular show. I'd only vaguely heard about what goes on in that dinner (sounded neat though), since I've never dined there. I always fancied myself a Disney "geek", but it appears I only possess the starter kit. Gotta say...and I appreciate the sentiment from you guys about quality and ALL of that and I agree BUT, knowing each and every detail of what is "supposed" to happen can spoil the magic in and of itself if you know what I mean. I would equate this to a magic fanatic watching a magician and getting pissed at every tiny detail that might go wrong...though missing the bigger picture which is that things DO go wrong in every act, just most people don't notice it...and this is just a comment on you guys being WAY informed and WAY observant (overly? ), NOT in any way making excuses for Disney skimping on quality!)
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Test track - probably easier to list what worked rather than didn't - the hot room worked...and the mechanics of the car.*** THIS is kinda scary though... I have to imagine that a not-so-well-maintained ride is not a good place to be, when said ride accelerates to 60mph! Yikes. I sure hope the "show" technicians are a different group from the "actual" technicians who maintain the rides and the safety checks, EVEN during tough economic times!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I have been told that safety on TT is excellent though, that that is THE no. 1 priority as it should be. But ya, as a kid, I could draw from memory the layout of every AA on PotC, HM and IASW. I wanted to work in imagineering. I even made some pepper ghost diorama, and reproduction of the Dino Diarama at DL. And at DLP it takes about 4 days to give people the detail tour. I can probably still draw very accurate maps of every shop, restaurant, attraction and restroom at DL, DLP, and the MK (ok, maybe not so much the shops anymore). Disney is the closest I have ever had to a religion. But come on, the angler fish and the Yeti were major disappointments. I know they did not do it on purpose, but still, very disappointing (yes, I know they are both 101 permanently now). But the difference between a magic trick and an AA show is AA's are supposed to be designed to be the same every time (that is why Walt designed the Jungle Cruise the way it is rather than opt for real animals like originally envisaged). But yes, I still want to work for WDI or parks management. I know how to run P&Ls and Multi Million Dollar programmes with 1000's of staff affecting millions of people, and yet I cannot seem to get an interview. I kid you not, I used to be super obsessive about Disney parks. Still am, but I find I seem to be disappointed more often than not
Originally Posted By Mr X Were you also told that one of the cars crashed into a wall in the testing phase? (true story...heard it from the imagineer in charge of THE WALL (and all its' themed elements of course)...as you might imagine he was a bit peeved) Not saying that means it's dangerous, I'm sure they worked out the bugs (hope so anyway!), BUT when I start to hear nasty stories of neglect in OTHER areas, I naturally start to become concerned about safety. This doesn't all occur in a vacuum, after all. Cutbacks here and there and everywhere eventually lead to things that should never have been cut back.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Indeed - look at the deadly accidents in DL with the Columbia and Big Thunder Mountain during the Pressler years! Scary stuff. This is why I get so POed when fans give WDW or DLP a pass. Disney used to have my undivided support and faith, but no longer. And yes, I think TT is amazing because we are letting a computer drive us in a car including towards a wall that may or may not open.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***But the difference between a magic trick and an AA show is AA's are supposed to be designed to be the same every time (that is why Walt designed the Jungle Cruise the way it is rather than opt for real animals like originally envisaged).*** Well, yes but no. Just like a magic trick, all of the Disney effects are SUPPOSED to work the same way every time..but reality sometimes interferes. Thus SuperDry's comments about taking away the donkey effect rather than leave it there working improperly is well taken (same, I would imagine, in a magic act if a prop weren't working properly pre-show).
Originally Posted By Mr X ***But yes, I still want to work for WDI or parks management. I know how to run P&Ls and Multi Million Dollar programmes with 1000's of staff affecting millions of people, and yet I cannot seem to get an interview.*** Be thankful of small blessings. Working for Disney will only disenchant you. I'm sure of it. (unless you go for the CEO gig...in THAT case, I'm sure you'd do a fantastic job and no, I'm not kidding!).
Originally Posted By Mr X ***And yes, I think TT is amazing because we are letting a computer drive us in a car including towards a wall that may or may not open.*** And on THAT note (thanks a lot ), methinks me shall never again step foot into a test track car! :0
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 <<<Gotta say...and I appreciate the sentiment from you guys about quality and ALL of that and I agree BUT, knowing each and every detail of what is "supposed" to happen can spoil the magic in and of itself if you know what I mean. >>> Amen. Although, I do mentally go through the entire spiel for HM.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Expedition Everest - the key reason why we opted to return to WDW - the Yeti room was pitch black, not even just a strobe. 2 trips through and never saw the Yeti AA. >>> One would think that an inactive Yeti, without even the "B show" with the stobelight, would be reason to take the ride offline until it gets fixed. After all, the ride is described as one where you "come face-to-face with the frightening Abominable Snowman." This is a great example of falling standards. It used to be that each attraction had a strict set of items that were considered "musts" in order for it to be in service. If any of them broke, then the attraction was down until it was fixed. I'm sure that these lists still must exist, but it seems that they've been greatly reduced over the years such that attractions are allowed to operate with significant items just not working properly or at all. I would guess that WDI comes up with a list of these when they develop an attraction. I wonder how much leeway the individual parks have in altering or ignoring these guidelines? <<< Test track - probably easier to list what worked rather than didn't - the hot room worked...and the mechanics of the car. >>> I haven't been on it recently, so it's hard for me to know just how much wasn't working. But, assuming that there were lots of effects not working, this is a great example. TT is much more than the final thrill of going on the high-speed loop. That's what sets Disney attractions apart from many at other parks. But when a bunch of the effects are broken, is it really that different?
Originally Posted By kennect OH CarolinaDisneyDad, A comment on something you said several dozens of posts above... About your Dad telling you a good movie doesn't need to be promoted...Well, your Dad is like a friend of mine here...They were or are both full of crap...Any movie needs to be promoted good or bad...The only catch is, the good movie will make money and the bad one won't...But still there is definitely a need to promote both...Sounds like your Dad has the same bad attitude my friend has towards the entertainment industry which is very unfair...Movie's are like anything else...Advertising helps sell a product and is necessary to do so whether it is good or bad....I just hear to such ignorance from people, including my good friend.....
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< You know WAY too much about what is and isn't supposed to happen on a Disney ride, bro. ;p >>> You say that as if there's something wrong with that. I've been an observant (some would say overly so) person ever since I can remember, and it's both a blessing and a curse. Regarding the donkey, I have to say that he's perhaps my single favorite part of POTC, and I always look forward to seeing him. One time at DL when he was gone, I noticed that his portion of the soundtrack was gone as well. That's one part of the Disney Difference: there's a tradition of corporate culture that you pay attention to what you're doing, and this is lacking in so many other companies these days. More and more, it seems that this quality is slipping away from Disney. A lot of it has to do with cost cutting, but sometimes it seems that there's more to it than that. Regarding this situation, I suppose it could be as simple as someone not wanting to pay for the labor hour that it would take to move him off stage, or perhaps they know that the speaker will not get repaired until the next refurb (again, how many labor hours can it take to fix the speaker?) and they don't want to have the set piece missing for months. I guess I've convinced myself that it may just come down to money in this case rather than just not paying attention or caring. I'd sure like to know.
