Norway Ride & Rivers Of Light (Disappointing Progress Updates)

Yeah, personally I worry more about the under-delivering trend. If the product is good enough, over budget is a problem that can right itself. Under delivery less so. Over budget, and under delivering? Yeah, no.

Let's face it the fact that RoL is late or that Frozen is late even though they haven't announced a date is something that affects very few people.

Whether these attractions are any good, that actually matters.
 
The opposite is also true. I have designed several roof-top observatories for colleges/universities. My experience with construction types is that no matter what is on the plans, they will build it the way they dang well please, likely the way they have "always done things".

Great observations ... no pun intended.

My old astronomy club was building an observatory and wanted it on a raised mound of earth. The members carefully surveyed and staked out the plot aligned to astronomical (true) north. So the bulldozer driver tried to help by checking the alignment with his compass ... pulled out the stakes and built the mound aligned to magnetic north. A difference of a few degrees and no biggie ... but a perfect example of what you're saying.

A builder on the other hand has told me that he's seen lots of whacky, unbuildable or ridiculously expensive plans come out of architects pens however. Not engineers mind you.
 
My old astronomy club was building an observatory and wanted it on a raised mound of earth. The members carefully surveyed and staked out the plot aligned to astronomical (true) north. So the bulldozer driver tried to help by checking the alignment with his compass ... pulled out the stakes and built the mound aligned to magnetic north. A difference of a few degrees and no biggie ... but a perfect example of what you're saying.

Great example, and one that happens ALL the time, both at amateur and professional observatories. A very expensive observatory built in South Korea some years back was built with the pier aligned to magnetic north instead of true. This was not a trivial fix. Imagine tons of concrete having to be "tooth extracted" out of a completed building and re-poured. But wait, there's more! Because there is a 4 inch or so gap between the observing floor and the pier, to prevent vibrations, the floor had to be changed too. I think heads might have literally rolled over that one.

A builder on the other hand has told me that he's seen lots of whacky, unbuildable or ridiculously expensive plans come out of architects pens however. Not engineers mind you.

Ahhh, architects. Don't get me started. But I'm off! On one project, I made a change to the plans, they noted it, and it showed up on the next revision of the plans. On the following revision of the plans, the feature disappeared. This cycle happened a couple of times before they got read the riot act.

Perhaps engineers and contractors alike can focus our ire on the architects :))
 
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Disney contracts out the majority of the real engineering performed for their projects. They do not have the staff or expertise to perform the entire design and build. As mentioned by others imagineers are not necessarily engineers, but more on the lines of conceptual designers who turn over the details to others when it is time to get down and dirty.
 
Don't waste your breath. The man is obsessed with peddling his Staggs conspiracy theory even though no one is buying.

I can appreciate your opinion and love for Disney. We are all enthusiast on this site. Unfortunately, this is how things can start to turn ugly and a line is crossed from an enthusiast to an apologist. When you ignore every single fact which disproves your opinion and you can no longer deny that you have no rational basis for your point of view, you start making personal attacks. It's the internet, that is to be expected but still uncalled for. I merely have presented factual and logical observations. I refrained from belittling your baseless beliefs even after you called me an idiot (even though the feeling is likewise) and you later reaffirmed that statement. Really, it's difficult to tell by your avatar picture, which one of you is making the comments on this page.
 
I can appreciate your opinion and love for Disney. We are all enthusiast on this site. Unfortunately, this is how things can start to turn ugly and a line is crossed from an enthusiast to an apologist. When you ignore every single fact which disproves your opinion and you can no longer deny that you have no rational basis for your point of view, you start making personal attacks. It's the internet, that is to be expected but still uncalled for. I merely have presented factual and logical observations. I refrained from belittling your baseless beliefs even after you called me an idiot (even though the feeling is likewise) and you later reaffirmed that statement. Really, it's difficult to tell by your avatar picture, which one of you is making the comments on this page.
Let's refrain from name calling please.

Anyways I have yet to see you present facts that Staggs left because of RoL.
 
Actually you don't have to go any further than Expedition Everest see a giant engineering mistake! Obviously somewhere in the calculations for the supports for the Yeti somebody made in engineering mistake in the force calculations that the movant would impart on the foundations! Thus we have a foundation that cannot support the moving Yeti!
 
Actually you don't have to go any further than Expedition Everest see a giant engineering mistake! Obviously somewhere in the calculations for the supports for the Yeti somebody made in engineering mistake in the force calculations that the movant would impart on the foundations! Thus we have a foundation that cannot support the moving Yeti!
From what I've heard they have plans to fix it but just don't want to shut down the ride because of how popular it is.
 
I don't think you can treat these equally. RoL is an attempt to use new technology in a fashion they haven't previously and in a situation which is very hard to simulate for testing purposes. Frozen Ever After on the other hand, well they did have a fire that's a legitimate delay, but otherwise it should be bread and butter construction for them.
I'm sure that other companies, even other themeparks have used new technology. I'm not saying that this doesn't add difficulties but continual delays become suspect, at least to me.
 
We must work for the same people as well.

January 1st, meetings are held, and we discuss the timeline for the project. If we hustle it can be done by May 16. We just need X decision and the go ahead asap to get started.
We get the answer and permission to proceed with it at the end of March, and they seem perplexed when we explain we can no longer have the project done by May 16.
They then proceed to tell us it's required by May 16th, and we then try to pull off the miracle knowing full well that it is next to impossible.
A whole lot of hurry up and wait.

Wow, that's the norm for us too. We had a project where we told management in August "We can have it up and running by Jan 31st." Management drags out the decision for 4 months into mid-December and then they are SHOCKED that we can't have it running by Jan 31st.

We are much closer to being on the same wave length now. The only thing I would urge you to rethink is the part about dysfunction being normal for F500 companies.

Well, I'll tell you I work for what is considered one of the top performing companies in the F500, and the level of dysfunction is absolutely incredible - top to bottom. They continue to perform by taking away our benefits and raises and get their bonuses.

In the end - the biggest problem though across most projects is communication. People just in general don't communiate well, even though we have more means than ever to communicate with eachother than say 25 years ago. (E-mail, Texts, Cell phones.)
 
There is a thread regarding the Staggs departure.
Yeah but is there a thread to argue and insult everyone and their family?

I could barely pull myself together for long enough to type that.
 
Yeah but is there a thread to argue and insult everyone and their family?

I could barely pull myself together for long enough to type that.
No insults are not allowed. If anyone feels they are being insulted they can use the report feature.
 












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