Temporary eh?

[HBK]

Take a look at Screamscape's update today....seems the "temporary" cuts at WDW are taking their show on the road to the left coast.

Now my question is this? Do you still think the hours & EE will be returned? Do you think any of the shows will return to a full schedule?

I'm saying no. These cutbacks will return right after 20K re-opens from it's refurb.

 

[Captain Crook]

HBK, I disagree. I think the hours & show times will alter as demand warrants. I'm afraid EE may be a dinosaur, although I would hope (for gcurlings sake) that EE to MK, at least is sometime reinstated. It just makes no sense to belive that it woldn't return to business as usual once the profit driver is once again evident.

 

[HBK]

Let me start with this

Happy Holiday's Captain....

Now back to our regularly schedule discussion!

It just makes no sense to belive that it woldn't return to business as usual once the profit driver is once again evident.

If the business comes back without EE, why would Disney cut into their new found profit? Why add cost for extended hours if the public has accepted the new, reduced ones?

 

[Captain Crook]

Happy Holidays to you, as well.

why add cost for for extended hours if the public has accepted the new, reduced hours?

Like I said, profit. There was money to be made in those extended hours and add to that that contiually full shows, Parks & events will force them to accomodate their guests. Even in these trying times Disney still does very well at this. We were there just last weekend and the Studios hours were extended an hour and an extra Fantasmic was added. They will respond to the numbers.

 

[HBK]

If EE & reduced hours were determined not to interfere too deeply into the profit margin, the must be a weak performer in the grand scheme of the budget.

Hours were cut in the past....they never came back. If anything, I can see EE replacing E-Nights as an addon to your park passes. That way the company can offer the early entry to respond to the complainers, and they find a way to add to the bottom line.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Happy Holidays!!!

My instinct says that EE will come back when Disney sees that they need to entice people to stay onsite AFTER attendance increases. It is why it came about in the first place. IT was enticing to someone who never stayed onsite to make that fisrt onsite visit.

From reports on this board, Disney is very tuned into the crowds and makes adjustments as needed on any given day. I think if they see increases in resort occupancy or number of people flying, they will react.

 

[Captain Crook]

Possibly, but they still have a "reasonableness" quotient to live up to, particularily when the Resorts are once again full. They are fully aware that enough hours must be on the table to satisfy the numbers of people visiting. Unfortuenately, since 9/11 it has been very schitzophrenic...Huge weekends, empty weekdays. Normal days followed by deserted ones, etc. Once things are normal (statistically) I still believe hours & shows will come back lest they risk dissatisfaction for a reason they do not want, which you are suggesting...

Eeyore & I were posting simultaneously...Obviously I agree with his sentiments & my above post was to you HBK...& Happy Holidays to you as well, Eeyore2U!

 

[HBK]

Possibly, but they still have a "reasonableness" quotient to live up to, particularily when the Resorts are once again full. They are fully aware that enough hours must be on the table to satisfy the numbers of people visiting.

I know I wasn't satisfied with the hours when I was there and that was in October....before the BIG cuts occured. I really don't know about them bringing the hours back on a permanant basis. As for EE, I think it's a thing of the past.....unless it turns into a pay option (a replacement for ENights?).

I really wonder if the company really cares about the experince anymore. I know the CMs do, I'm talking about upper management....where these decisions are made.

 

[Captain Crook]

Oh, I think they (management) have to care about the guest experience, otherwise I think it would be much worse than it is perceived (to be getting by some) already. I do think the focus could be screwed up due to, as AV points out, subordinate fear over superior fallout (too much micro-management), sheer size of the corporation and even reaction/overeaction to the economy, wall st. issues & the financials. But I (unlike Landbaron & maybe you?) don't think Eisner is inherently evil...Nor Presslar or anyone else. I'm sure they want the guests to have a great time but maybe have a little (lot) too much reliance on the "auto-pilot" mode and aren't realizing that the constant tinkering is making drastic policy change (without their even realizing the ramifications)...

As forthe BIG cuts. Most ofthem never rally occurred. The biggest change IMO is the cutback of shows (whic means better planning on the guests part) and shorter hours, from the beginning of the day mostly...

 

[HBK]

But I (unlike Landbaron & maybe you?) don't think Eisner is inherently evil...Nor Presslar or anyone else.

There are evil people in this world, but Eisner & Co don't fit into that mold. A certain person hiding in a cave does.

While I don't think they're evil, I also don't think they really care about people's magic moments from the company. At one point, AV had a post which really hit the nail on the head. The current management are more concerned with simple, college business managment prinipals...return on investment, projected spending per square foot, etc. It seems like the management has tried to give the least ammount of quality possible and still get our money. They rely on the brand too much.

The CMs are what cause the magic in WDW. I know some of that is the training, and Eisner's swung his axe in that direction before, but they seem to be the only one's who care about how the guest's experince is. I don't think upper management really worries about closing the parks early because they figure it will drive attendance to Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk, etc. I don't think they worry about having selective schedules...what the heck, you're spending a mild fortune on this trip anyway....now make sure you have your schedule micromanaged to make sure you have the possibility to see everything. Put it on the guest. Isn't the company supposed to be providing services to make the guest's vacation an easier experince? Why add another layer of complexity? Because the people making those types of decisions don't care.

They made a whole theme park and then bundled it into your park hopper....so even if you don't want to go to the new park, you still have to pay for it. Nice touch from the company who only cares about getting into your pocketbook.

So I don't think they're evil, I just think they view guests as dollar signs. They're businessmen, not showmen. They would probably be more succesful in different companies (let's face it, Six Flags has made better customer related decisions as of late).

 

[Another Voice]

One wonders what must qualify for a “big cut” these days.

Closing an entire resort, postponing for the second time a resort opening. Mothballing major sections in all the other resorts. Eliminating a major marketed perk for on-site resort guests allowing them early entry into the park. A cumulative cut of several hours of operation for each park. Major attractions opening late or closing early. Minor attractions and food facilities not even opening at all. Staff reductions, payroll cuts, cancelled shows and events. We won’t even go into all the show buildings and lagoons sitting empty for a decade.

And we haven’t even hit the slow time of the year yet…

 

[Bob O]

The cutbacks wont be restored. This will be used as a opportunity to make more money and siphon off theme park revenue to prop up over divisons of the company. Just more reasons to get rid of eisner and bring in some body who understands disney and what it used to stand for.