Spaceship Earth Rehab (Update)

[ursijam]

Unfortunately, I almost expect the next few years is going to see two and three ride closures a season if they actually do the maintenance and service that's REALLY required right now.

Knox

I agree with Knox. I fully expect to see a lot of major closings to get things a little better up to snuff. Instead of berating Disney for having things closed, I think that we need to encourage them to invest the record park profits back into the attractions.

I do feel bad that some people will miss out on these, but I don't think that HM can stand to not be refurbished for too much longer. We had waaaay too many times in March where rides stopped while we were on them (including HM).

 

[raidermatt]

I agree with Knox. I fully expect to see a lot of major closings to get things a little better up to snuff. Instead of berating Disney for having things closed, I think that we need to encourage them to invest the record park profits back into the attractions.

Some of us have been encouraging them to keep up with refurb schedules for years. Waiting until things are falling apart, as they did with HM, and then scheduling a refurb during peak season is not something that should be encouraged.

I understand the idea that doing it eventually is better than never doing it, but waiting so long that its necessary to take rides down in the summer peak is just not an acceptable policy, imo.

We had waaaay too many times in March where rides stopped while we were on them (including HM).

Just fyi, when the rides stop for a few minutes and start again, its usually to accomodate a guest who needs assistance getting on/off the ride, as opposed to there being a mechanical problem.

 

[ursijam]

Just fyi, when the rides stop for a few minutes and start again, its usually to accomodate a guest who needs assistance getting on/off the ride, as opposed to there being a mechanical problem.

That could be the case for some of the instances, but I know that wasn't the case on Maelstrom. Unless all of the maintenance guys with flashlights were the ones helping the guests get on the ride.

 

[Another Voice]

Instead of berating Disney for having things closed,...

Why?

Disney got themselves into this situation in the first place. They ignored basic maintenance because they wanted to take our park money and spend it making shows like Am I Hot? and investing in airplane leases for United Airlines. Had WDW been run as a real business, none of this would have been required.

And just to make things worse, they're still treating guests badly to save money. The reason rehabs are happening in the summer and other busy periods is because of budget cuts. It's cheaper to have a smaller maintenance department perform work year round than a have a larger maintenance staff working only during the off-times and a night.

I think everyone has a right to expect that Disney maintain their standards, that they live up to the reputation they say they have. I see no need to give them kindergarten gold stars for the simple act of not screwing up as much. It's time for Disney to get things right, not just "better than it used to be".

 

[ursijam]

Had WDW been run as a real business, none of this would have been required.

And just to make things worse, they're still treating guests badly to save money. The reason rehabs are happening in the summer and other busy periods is because of budget cuts. It's cheaper to have a smaller maintenance department perform work year round than a have a larger maintenance staff working only during the off-times and a night.

You cannot have it both ways. Disney is being run as a business, and the best use of their (admittedly) lowered maintenance budget is to perform the maintenance during the cheapest time possible. It isn't very Magic, but I hope that we will see more improvement possible as a result. I agree that they got themselves in this mess to begin with, but I am happy to see that they are taking measures to get out of it.

 

[mrsR123]

You cannot have it both ways. Disney is being run as a business, and the best use of their (admittedly) lowered maintenance budget is to perform the maintenance during the cheapest time possible. It isn't very Magic, but I hope that we will see more improvement possible as a result. I agree that they got themselves in this mess to begin with, but I am happy to see that they are taking measures to get out of it.

I think what AV was alluding to was the practice of taking nearly every dime of profit that the parks generate and throwing it at ABC. If the parks could be treated as a self-standing entity instead of a cash cow, things might be handled differently.

(He'll come along again soon to say if I'm right or not.)

 

[raidermatt]

You cannot have it both ways. Disney is being run as a business, and the best use of their (admittedly) lowered maintenance budget is to perform the maintenance during the cheapest time possible. It isn't very Magic, but I hope that we will see more improvement possible as a result. I agree that they got themselves in this mess to begin with, but I am happy to see that they are taking measures to get out of it.

That justification only holds up if you assume the maintenance budget has to be lowered to the point that refurbs can't happen during slow periods even when show elements are falling apart.

Not an assumption I'm willing to accept under any business plan.

 

[DisOrBust]

Just asking but does ABC still suck out so much cash? I would think the bleeding has improved with their lineup being popular.

 

[Another Voice]

I think what AV was alluding to was the practice of taking nearly every dime of profit that the parks generate and throwing it at ABC. If the parks could be treated as a self-standing entity instead of a cash cow, things might be handled differently.

Exaclty - I could not have said it better.

Corporate sees the parks as nothing but ATMs to fuel the other businesses in Disney. Where did the seven billion dollars to buy Pixar come from, sales of Cinderella 3?

Disney has forced financial burdens onto the parks that can not be sustained. The cash demands can only come from hurting the parks themselves - cutting expenses beyond what is prudent, delaying investment, setting prices and margins higher than what the market will accept. Worse, Disney's one recent failures in Attractions area has put further pressure on the numbers.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think what AV was alluding to was the practice of taking nearly every dime of profit that the parks generate and throwing it at ABC. If the parks could be treated as a self-standing entity instead of a cash cow, things might be handled differently.

(He'll come along again soon to say if I'm right or not.)

At least they aren't trying to persuade guests to spend part of their time at a theme park to watch upcoming TV shows like at Universal now...dang NBC taking over.

Both Disney and Universal are now suffering from TV execs in power, I dont know what we can do except stop watching TV

 

[Another Voice]

At least they aren't trying to persuade guests to spend part of their time at a theme park to watch upcoming TV shows like at Universal now

You don't remember that ABC Show they put in the old SuperStar Televsion theater a couple years ago - a place where guests could watch upcoming "highlights" on new ABC series?

 

[ChrisFL]

You don't remember that ABC Show they put in the old SuperStar Televsion theater a couple years ago - a place where guests could watch upcoming "highlights" on new ABC series?

No, must have missed that, I do miss SuperStar TV though, I was in it once as the millionaire on Gilligan's Island

 

[CanadianGuy]

You don't remember that ABC Show they put in the old SuperStar Televsion theater a couple years ago - a place where guests could watch upcoming "highlights" on new ABC series?

Right.. so in the Disney thinking .. they did it 'first' and 'better'... ?

Uh oh.. this is twice in two days we've agreed.

If you'll excuse I'm going to read up on signs of the apocolypse...

Knox

 

[mitros]

No, must have missed that, I do miss SuperStar TV though, I was in it once as the millionaire on Gilligan's Island

I got to be be a detective on the "Golden Girls". I could never understand why they eliminated that show and put in that ridiculous "ABC shows preview" in it's place. { I'm reasonably sure that was one of Ei$ners ideas} To the best of my recollection, the Superstar Theater seemed to always draw a huge crowd........

 

[Another Voice]

It was mostly cost. A large show staff to run the show, a technical staff to run the cameras and edit the film, royalties for the clips and shows they used, and the cost of updating the show - how many more years could they use "Golden Girls" footage. When the park first opened everywhere you turned there were clips featuring "big name" talent. All those people got paid. So when Disney went to nickel and dime everything to death after Euro Disney it was real easy to cut out Tom Selleck and Carol Burnett yucking it up while you waited for the tram tour.


And Mr. Guy - perhaps you're just beginning to sense the power of the dark side...

 

[CanadianGuy]

And Mr. Guy - perhaps you're just beginning to sense the power of the dark side...

Oh no.. I am familiar with the dark side of which you speak ...

I worked in the interactive group for network television for a period of time in the 90's.. I was hired and quit at ABC on the same day.. (Jake Weinstein was running BVIG at the time and was PISSED at 'wasting time' on me) I was hired to do the themepark websites and quit before I started because I decided to stay at the peacock network.

And a close personal friend was a production manager in Animation and he was part of the Katzenberg (spelling?) exodus to DreamWorks.

I have at least a passing acquaintance with the dark side. And yes.. I give in to it from time to time.

Knox

 

[mitros]

It was mostly cost. A large show staff to run the show, a technical staff to run the cameras and edit the film, royalties for the clips and shows they used, and the cost of updating the show - how many more years could they use "Golden Girls" footage. When the park first opened everywhere you turned there were clips featuring "big name" talent. All those people got paid. So when Disney went to nickel and dime everything to death after Euro Disney it was real easy to cut out Tom Selleck and Carol Burnett yucking it up while you waited for the tram tour.


And Mr. Guy - perhaps you're just beginning to sense the power of the dark side...

Sheeesh, and Lifetime, which I believe is a Disney owned channel, is STILL showing reruns of Golden Girls..................Although maybe they don't pay the cast as much any more?

 

[Another Voice]

because I decided to stay at the peacock network.

You have my deepest sympathies and condolences then.

The NBC people are easy to spot around town now; they’re the ones in the back booths of the used-to-be-so-trendy places, softly weeping to themselves with the occasional outburst of “Curse You Aaron Sorkin!!!” before they dive back into their Red Bull and Vodka.

Of course with the reboot of ‘Lost’ coming up (to kill off whatever fans they have left) and pilots like ‘Caveman’ (the pilot is actually worse than I had imagined when I heard the idea), they’ll have to make room for currently 3rd place ABC very soon.

 

[MJMcBride]

You have my deepest sympathies and condolences then.

The NBC people are easy to spot around town now; they’re the ones in the back booths of the used-to-be-so-trendy places, softly weeping to themselves with the occasional outburst of “Curse You Aaron Sorkin!!!” before they dive back into their Red Bull and Vodka.

Of course with the reboot of ‘Lost’ coming up (to kill off whatever fans they have left) and pilots like ‘Caveman’ (the pilot is actually worse than I had imagined when I heard the idea), they’ll have to make room for currently 3rd place ABC very soon.

Its not all bad. Hereos is a great show. And I still like Lost

 

[jeanylaser]

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