This may be a harsh article but.... AK Rivers of Light problem.

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

I found this article on an investment website...
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/06/disney-world-delays-its-5000-seat-mistake.aspx

"Just don't click -- Just don't click -- Just don't click -- Just don't click..."

 

[Jadyreen1282]

There's nothing new in this article. They still get my money and my heart...

 

[BeerMe]

Good grief

 

[Babs Johnson]

they disappointed many guests who had planned to see the show in late April and May, but if it's not ready, it's not ready. Many a Broadway show has not opened ontime due to technical difficulties and I see this as akin to that.

I consider announcing a definite start date before all the kinks were worked out to be a big failure on Disney's part. Should have said "Coming Spring (or Summer) 2016" instead.

Perhaps ROL will be akin to the Broadway Spiderman debacle of a few years ago.

 

[Bon1423]

That assumption is based on an incorrect premise that Operations and Capital budgets affect each other. They do not. Any Fortune 500 businessperson will tell you that the two budgets are kept very, very separate. Cutting hours of a worker in operations budget will have zero impact on large-scale improvements in capital. It's just not how businesses work. There may be a reason, but we can't blame Shanghai for this one.

It's very rare that topics on this forum hit on my area of expertise, but at the head of budgeting and financial planning at a fortune 50 company, I will say that in my experience, it depends. My boss is the CFO of a product line (I would say like AK the park likely has a CFO, who reports to CFO of the parks "division") that while we manage the Op ex budget and someone else manages the cap ex budget, ultimately he and I are responsible for the P&L for our product line (aka AK park). So we would directly manage (through operations directors) our human capital budget, if we find it unrealistic to expect to be on budget for that we may look to cut elsewhere in indirect costs, such as an allocation from a cap ex expense like construction in process from a cap ex acct. Either way, expenses for cap ex and op ex are hitting my P&L. If the op ex expense mentioned was discussing an expense at Shanghai, not my park, it could be that th CFO of all Parks is making this determination. Either way at some point, cap ex and op ex are hitting the same budget.

Sorry if that was way too much detail, I was overexcited to see my area of expertise come up on here

 

[MrsDuck]

All of these problems would hurt less if imagineering could stay on budget...

AK couldn't build Beastly Kingdom for the opening because they were too far over budget. Avatar right now is also over budget. Shanghai is over budget. MyMagic+ is over budget.

Just wishful thinking in jest...

 

[Huggups]

There's a part of me that doesn't feel too bad. We used to love when this park was opened later in the evenings. It was so beautiful! It was a quiet and relaxing experience while most everyone else was packed in at MK and EPCOT. That will no longer be the case once ROL and NS roll out.

 

[Robo]

I consider announcing a definite start date before all the kinks were worked out to be a big failure on Disney's part. Should have said "Coming Spring (or Summer) 2016" instead.

Perhaps ROL will be akin to the Broadway Spiderman debacle of a few years ago.

Broadway Spiderman, notwithstanding,
folks need look no farther than the
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...

 

[inevitablyaustin]

I'm not too concerned about the 5,000 seat "problem."
Doesn't the viewing area for World of Color hold around the same amount of people? I've been able to see WoC every time I've gone to DLR with no problem, especially with the second showing almost always being a lot less packed. So if there are actually going to be three showings for RoL, I don't really see why there would be a problem.

 

[mesaboy2]

Broadway Spiderman, notwithstanding,
folks need look no farther than the
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...
Test Track opening...

I can just see the TT singers belting out this chorus.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Omgoodness!!! I am officially a stalker...
Color me cray cray, I'm far too gone down the RoL rabbit hole and my dates aren't even until December.
The powers that be at Disney must think we're all nuts, although I'm absolutely positive that many of you have struck the nail on the head as to what's really happening. I would absolutely love to be a fly on the wall at the Disney corporate offices!

 

[sunshinemelody]

Omgoodness!!! I am officially a stalker...
Color me cray cray, I'm far to gone down the RoL rabbit hole and my dates aren't even until December.
The powers that be at Disney must think we're all nuts, although I'm absolutely positive that many of you have struck the nail on the head as to what's really happening. I would absolutely love to be a fly on the wall at the Disney corporate offices!

~~Rumors of Light 2016!~~

Oh man, RoL has been such a headache, eh? I'll laugh all the way from the airport to MCO in September if it's still not done by then; that'd be insane.