Big tarp on Main Street - Is it still there?

[Diegosmom]

This makes me sad. I have been planning for almost a year for out trip of a lifetime...as we might never make it back. We have watched the travels videos provided by Disney and some of the things DS was most excited about arent even going to be open. He talked about 4 things at MK, Dumbo, the castle, BTMR and Splash. At least Splash should be open but I am sad that the first view of the castle will have this eye sore.

We expected a few things to be down in Jan but not to this extent...we go in 2 weeks, hopefully they will be done with this on Main Street.

 

[hakepb]

Awesome! Occupy Disney World now has a "home" on Main Street!

 

[brunette8706]

OMG...Run down??? Have you ever even seen run down properties? There is nothing about WDW that is run down. Aging, yes! But why not take it a bit further and say that it is crumbling and about ready to collapse? If "routine maintenance were done often wouldn't that mean that you would be confronted with covers more then now? The covers are to prevent people from being exposed to the construction areas that usually contain dangerous elements. The more "frequent" the work the more disruption there is.



And would that time be when the park was brand new? When everything had just been built? When millions of people hadn't already touched, rammed strollers into it or when it had only been exposed to a few months of Florida heat and Florida storms. Would that be when the buses and monorails were brand new, without literally millions of miles on them? Would that have been when none of that stuff was necessary because it was all still new?

So we have a group of people that insist that the parks be open from dawn to the early hours of the next morning, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and still expect upkeep (from the run down conditions) to happen by magic when it won't offend the super sensitive eyes of the dedicated Disney fan. I dont know the reason for the "box" cover but I would guess that is will be very short lived. A long planned repair would come with the "special" covers. Since it appears to be covering about a 20 foot length of Main Street, I personally think I can get around it and if I don't look back it will not be a problem for more than 4 minutes. I'm sorry if that sounds like "defending" the imagined shoddy conditions that exist there, but I like to activate the logical part of my mind once in awhile.

*
Wow, not sure why you are getting so defensive? Personally, I and many others have seen things that are in dire need of repair at Disney. I have seen buckets in the Lobby at the Poly to catch the rain that was coming down hard. There has also been maintenance issues with some Deluxe resorts also. I have seen buildings that are in major need of paint and repair and those green little like bus stops in front of the castle that is in dire need of paint. I would say about 7 years and beyond you as a guest would have never see such things in repair.

You keep making excuses for Disney as to why things are in need of repair. Disney has this motto called the "Disney Difference". They set themselves to a very high standard. Along with the standard is a price you pay to visit the theme parks at WDW. When I go to WDW I expect to see things in very nice order. I don't want to see a big, huge, brown tarp right smack in the middle of Main Street USA. I am not sure why they didn't try to paint the tarp to blend in with the building. They have done that before on tarps as of last year on Main Street. Remember Main Street USA is the epitomy of Walt Disney World and to have a huge, brown ugly tarp in the middle of it, is attrocious to say the least.

 

[TLSnell1981]

OMG...Run down??? Have you ever even seen run down properties? There is nothing about WDW that is run down. Aging, yes! But why not take it a bit further and say that it is crumbling and about ready to collapse? If "routine maintenance were done often wouldn't that mean that you would be confronted with covers more then now? The covers are to prevent people from being exposed to the construction areas that usually contain dangerous elements. The more "frequent" the work the more disruption there is.

I guess, our definition of run down, may be different. I think, more in the way of "worn" due to lack of regular/normal maintenance. There was, actually, less disruption because many things were done at night and kept in tip-top shape. Disney was "maintained", not "fixed" AFTER it was broken..

And would that time be when the park was brand new? When everything had just been built? When millions of people hadn't already touched, rammed strollers into it or when it had only been exposed to a few months of Florida heat and Florida storms. Would that be when the buses and monorails were brand new, without literally millions of miles on them? Would that have been when none of that stuff was necessary because it was all still new?

Again, maintenance was done on a regular basis...

So we have a group of people that insist that the parks be open from dawn to the early hours of the next morning, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and still expect upkeep (from the run down conditions) to happen by magic when it won't offend the super sensitive eyes of the dedicated Disney fan. I dont know the reason for the "box" cover but I would guess that is will be very short lived. A long planned repair would come with the "special" covers. Since it appears to be covering about a 20 foot length of Main Street, I personally think I can get around it and if I don't look back it will not be a problem for more than 4 minutes. I'm sorry if that sounds like "defending" the imagined shoddy conditions that exist there, but I like to activate the logical part of my mind once in awhile.

I still disagree, this isn't very "Disneylike" and not a good first impression. Although, the current regime doesn't seem to care, nor have the same vision, as Walt.

 

[lugnut33]

I have noticed that Disneyland seems to do a better job of maintenance than WDW. It's like they know that Walt's park has to be taken care of.

 

[KGK]

Still have no idea what they are doing. Is it a short term project? Are they rebuilding or painting?

I want to jump on the "boy is that ugly and doesn't belong" bandwagon but first I'd like to get info. If it is a short term mnx issue, no reason to get upset (unless you are in the park now...)

So does anyone know what they are doing and how long the tarp will be up?

 

[tinkerbell1984]

Oh, I haven't heard there were more of these, too! UGH!

Have any pics to share?

easywdw has some pics of the one at the Chapeau store on Main Street.

http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorized/2012-disney-world-merchandise-tarps-chicken-noodle-soup-dinner-at-boma-back-in-black-january-8-2012-part-uno/#more-6674

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Spot on my friend, spot on. My family has a run a business in a touristy part of the country for four going on five generations . . .

1) You have a true and valid point.
2) Your family business has prospered well in a touristy environment.
3) But, in such an environment,
. . . did you put a HUGE, ugly tarp in front of your business?
. . . did you make the tarp go from the ground to your roof?
. . . did the tarp block the entire sidewalk with the tarp?
. . . did you make most people walk around the tarp to get past you?
4) If you did the above, did the fifth generation still have the business?

 

[TurkA77]

I have seen lots of complaints so far, but so far I haven't seen anybody post a better idea. Someone explain how refurbs, updates and makeovers could be done to all the buildings on Main Street without bothering you just a little bit. What if all of Main Street was closed on your trip? What if they took away Extra Magic Hours at all the parks in order to do better maintenance at those hours? What if ticket prices went up a lot more in order to pay employees the extra overtime needed?

For the old timers that use to go in the 70's, there use to be only 1 park and a couple hotels. The World has grown exponentially in 40+ years. Everything gets dated, and everything gets old. The company has had to make many adjustments in order to deal with this. Its not just one park anymore, its many parks, water parks, hotels, restaurants etc. The days of a clean up a crew coming in during the night and washing things off for the next morning are over. The parks and resorts get used and abused 24/7, 365 days a year. If anyone has better ideas on how to do this without costing a lot more money, Im all ears.

 

[Finally08]

You know what, that's actually a really good thought.

On real "main streets" in smalltown USA, it's not unusual to see a painter hanging from a building on the street.

I think I'd rather see some scaffolding and tools and carpenters and painters than the "Box of Brown."

I totally agree. Put the guys in cute retro construction worker costumes and let 'em work in front of everyone.

 

[brunette8706]

1) You have a true and valid point.
2) Your family business has prospered well in a touristy environment.
3) But, in such an environment,
. . . did you put a HUGE, ugly tarp in front of your business?
. . . did you make the tarp go from the ground to your roof?
. . . did the tarp block the entire sidewalk with the tarp?
. . . did you make most people walk around the tarp to get past you?
4) If you did the above, did the fifth generation still have the business?

*
Exactly!

(love your writing style)

 

[TurkA77]

1) You have a true and valid point.
2) Your family business has prospered well in a touristy environment.
3) But, in such an environment,
. . . did you put a HUGE, ugly tarp in front of your business?
. . . did you make the tarp go from the ground to your roof?
. . . did the tarp block the entire sidewalk with the tarp?
. . . did you make most people walk around the tarp to get past you?
4) If you did the above, did the fifth generation still have the business?

Seasonal business, we have the luxury of closing down for a few months every year in order to do these things. Disney does not.

 

[Colleen27]

I have noticed that Disneyland seems to do a better job of maintenance than WDW. It's like they know that Walt's park has to be taken care of.

I don't think it is anything as sentimental as all that... Disneyland is a park that counts on locals, passholders, and frequent visitors to a much, much higher degree than Disney World. As such, the experience needs to be of consistent quality to keep people coming back. Disney World, on the other hand, seems to be running these days on the assumption that it is such an iconic childhood destination/experience that they don't need to cultivate repeat guests; as long as Americans keep having kids they have an endless supply of people looking for that "once in a lifetime" Disney experience.

 

[Finally08]

I don't think it is anything as sentimental as all that... Disneyland is a park that counts on locals, passholders, and frequent visitors to a much, much higher degree than Disney World. As such, the experience needs to be of consistent quality to keep people coming back. Disney World, on the other hand, seems to be running these days on the assumption that it is such an iconic childhood destination/experience that they don't need to cultivate repeat guests; as long as Americans keep having kids they have an endless supply of people looking for that "once in a lifetime" Disney experience.

Yep, that sums it up.
We even had a long chat with a CM who said Disney doesn't care about repeat guests...most people who come will never come again, or if they do so much time has passed it doesn't matter what they've taken away (we were all having a gripe fest about the removal of Flynn Rider, lol).

 

[hakepb]

I totally agree. Put the guys in cute retro construction worker costumes and let 'em work in front of everyone.

That would be fun. But I wonder if they are currently dealing with lead paint or asbestos or ...?

Plus OHSA would require additional personal safety items... I'm not sure if they could pull it off.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Threads like this are interesting because people are complaining about something being done to upgrade and maintain the parks. In so many other threads it's all criticism about how Disney isn't maintaining the parks. Sheesh, which do folks want. I guess they could never do maintenance because scrims and walls ARE eyesores. But then things would really get rundown.

and for everyone complaining about Meg, you and I cannot even know an 1/8 of the information necessary to make accusations about her and her management skills.

Disney like many successful companies keep as much information private as possible, for the good and safeguard of the company brand.

Disney's number one concern has always been safety. Safety before appearance.

So should Disney never upgrade or maintain any of the buildings on Main Street because it will ruin people's vacations by partially blocking the view down the street?

I saw it in person and it is a big eyesore. But this is a good time for them to do it since there are fewer visitors. The fact is, we all want the buildings and rides to be maintained, we just want it done when someone else is on vacation.

Amazing how much people complain without ANY info about WHY this monstrously hideous, unbelievable ugly, magic-killing barrier is there. Geez people.

That said, I hope it's not there on our next trip.

 

[cheerful chickadee]

I haven't read all the posts but has it been determined what they're working on at the Main Str. Bakery? is it a long term refurb or short term? I know soon the Ice Cream Parlor will be going into refurb too. Looks like the right side of Main Street is going to be a mess

 

[KellyNY]

1) You have a true and valid point.
2) Your family business has prospered well in a touristy environment.
3) But, in such an environment,
. . . did you put a HUGE, ugly tarp in front of your business?
. . . did you make the tarp go from the ground to your roof?
. . . did the tarp block the entire sidewalk with the tarp?
. . . did you make most people walk around the tarp to get past you?
4) If you did the above, did the fifth generation still have the business?

But unlike his business, tarp does not block the whole Disney. It is definitely ugly and I do not know why don't they paint it but it is not the end of the world and does not really affect anyones vacation or decision for future visits.

 

[TurkA77]

I have noticed that Disneyland seems to do a better job of maintenance than WDW. It's like they know that Walt's park has to be taken care of.

I wonder if it has to do with the fact that Disneyland is a little over 400 acres and Disney World is somewhere around 30,000 acres?

 

[goofyredraider]

You know what, that's actually a really good thought.

On real "main streets" in smalltown USA, it's not unusual to see a painter hanging from a building on the street.

I think I'd rather see some scaffolding and tools and carpenters and painters than the "Box of Brown."

Yeah, and it could even be done with a "theme" as well...Disney-style, of course.