Why does Disney take so long to build everything?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I feel like DTD has been under construction forever. They're just putting in restaurants and stores, not a roller coaster. What gives? And how long did it take to build that parking garage?

Again, they could go faster if they were so inclined...but

That parking garage is apparently an environmental dream. Not sure how that contributed to its build time.

 

[CarolynU]

Because the bulk of Disney's money in Florida was spent on MDE not spending on attractions and construction costs????
However, the real answer is who knows!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

[QUOTE="WillAustin, post:



I think a nice example is Under the Sea, a ride that easily could have been built 30 years ago and took longer than it should have. Disney is slow.



AKK:

However Under the sea was part of the over all massive NFL project, if which much of the projest was with the MK. It opened with other parts when those parts, walks, etc.

AKK

 

[WillAustin]

[QUOTE="WillAustin, post:



I think a nice example is Under the Sea, a ride that easily could have been built 30 years ago and took longer than it should have. Disney is slow.



AKK:

However Under the sea was part of the over all massive NFL project, if which much of the projest was with the MK. It opened with other parts when those parts, walks, etc.

AKK

Yes, but the Fantasyland expansion was still very slow and has ended up pretty underwhelming in my opinion.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I guess long is based on your perspective. Road work often lasts a decade to complete. Also, these aren't basic Ferris Wheels or Twisters, these are complex theme rides/attractions. It takes time to get the detail right.

 

[Halltulsa]

I feel like DTD has been under construction forever. They're just putting in restaurants and stores, not a roller coaster. What gives? And how long did it take to build that parking garage?

Again, they could go faster if they were so inclined...but

[/QUOTE
I believe that Disney likes build in stages rather than complete a project all at once. One of the reasons is for accessibility. If the entire project were under construction at once, the majority of DTD would need to be closed, which would cause financial losses to existing tenants. The second reason (I believe) is for anticipation. If we knew that the Disney Springs renovation would be completely finished by 2017, we may wait until they have it finished so we can go and experience new things. By opening things in stages, we will keep going back to see things as they open individually, so that increases the tourism.

 

[Halltulsa]

The reason, IMO: same as everything else, to maximize profits. I am of the opinion that, in general, only a certain amount of Capex is allowed per quarter, so divide the total cost by that capex limit, and that tells you how many quarters something will take to finish, and it will be scheduled that way. That's probably a simplification, but you know the old cliche, you can have things fast, quality, or cheap, pick two. IMO, Disney prioritizes cost over speed. Also, I suspect because Central Florida has a lot of non-Disney construction, it's not as easy as it used to be for Disney to get people to work with them, at the price Disney wants to pay. So they might have fewer, smaller teams working than what Disney really wants, but it's what they are willing to pay for.

The thing about the Disney parks--compared to most other theme/amusement parks--is that they insist on perfection, and they don't just erect a ride in the middle of a field. They go with visuals and how it will appear from a distance, how it will blend in with the landscape and other structures. In order to make this new attraction work, how are we going to have to alter the other attractions in order to make it visually appealing. We need trees over here, some foliage around the base, some hanging moss and some green algae to make it appear aged. The queue area has to keep the riders interest and the scenery has to build their anticipation. All of these things are considered in order to live up to the standard of quality that was set in motion by Walt Disney himself. Disney doesn't object to price when it comes to quality, they shouldn't, considering the 11 Disney parks brings in 45 billion revenue a year (123 mil per day). You could easily build several new attractions a year with that kind of money, but if the result of doing it fast depletes the quality, then it's not worth doing. It does make you wonder though, on renovations, such as the one that is underway with Maelstrom at Epcot, why is it taking so long for the new Frozen ride to be completed? All they really had to do to make that attraction more appealing was throw in a couple of mannequins and a new sountrack (it would definitely be better than the viking theme). I guess it goes back to the issue of quality. I am glad they are taking the time to think about this attraction, which is something they didn't do on the original Mexico Pavilion boat ride. Even with the Three Caballeros remodel, it is a boat ride to nowhere.

 

[DisneyOma]

Yes, I can understand that any construction in general takes a looong time. But, Universal had WWOHP open three years after it was announced. For comparison, Avatar Land was announced in 2011. Thats three years to build Hogsmeade, and a planned six years for Avatar Land.

Hogsmeade is a facade set up while Avatarland is a more walk around experience. For example, Hogswart has plenty of blank back building visible from inside the park - Disney rarely does that, especially with an icon attraction. The only one I can think of is the Soarin' building.

IDK.... Universal had the HP stuff up and running way faster than Disney managed a childs coaster ride in Fantasyland..... plus they added Transformers and Simpsons Land....all excellent quality detailed stuff that is likely to last over time (No one can deny they are hitting the mark on their new stuff) so the holdup with Disney? Who knows? It took forever to get that hat out of studios,and that was quite an eyesore.... they have construction walls up all over the place, with lots of noise and impacted touring for years, and don't seem to care much. I am looking forward to some Universal stuff in the next year or two,and kind of surprised at the lack of forward movement at Disney to match it.

We found Universal to be a bunch of block buildings without much theming at all - and lots of blank walls. Most of their 'new stuff' has been rebuilds/refacing. They have to, as they are pretty much landlocked now. WDW has room to grow, and takes their time doing it wisely. They've got to manage water/sinkholes, etc.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yes, but the Fantasyland expansion was still very slow and has ended up pretty underwhelming in my opinion.

I don't know, NFL is one of my favorite areas in all of the MK. I love to wander through the "streets" and enjoy all of the details that Disney has incorporated into that area. One of the things that I like best about a WDW trip is that for me, there is so much more than attractions that catch my eye.

 

[Nancyg56]

I also think that part of the time that has been spent is the reconstruction of stand by queues. I love all of the details that are there and am glad that Disney is spending time and money on them as well as on the attraction details. I am not going to say that I like the long construction times, but I do think that for the most part, the end result is worth the wait.

If Disney approached the parks in the same way they approach DVC construction there would be an uproar. I avoided DTD for a long time because O do not like construction, and those walls made me claustrophobic. The resorts that have been under construction cause a nightmare for many guests, from noise to inconvenience to just plain disruption. I would not pay to go into a park that was a jumble the way that I perceive some for those DVC resorts to be. While it is reasonable for Disney to discount rooms to compensate guests for their issues that occur while staying at a resort that is under construction, I rather doubt they want to deal with discounting tickets based on how guests react to the construction disruption.

 

[Micca]

Some of the parts are on back order.