Wonders of Life Pavilion cutting back on hours???

[KNWVIKING]

**"--the theme park business was started with Walt wondering why there could not be an enterprise, or a place where parents and children could deliver growth and shareholder value together."***

I thought he started the parks because he couldn't stand taking his daughters to the park anymore because they were boring him to tears.

 

[Another Voice]

Actually, Walt hated the fact that his daughters wanted him to go on all the rides. He figured out that there must be a way to keep families apart so that old people would be forced to wait on benches and young children could be locked into nearby McDonalds playgrounds while the high profit margin types (teenagers and adults 18-39) were being spun about at great speed. The idea families could enjoy the same attraction together was a silly and preposterous notion.


By the way, from the other thread:

Theme park attendance was up 11 percent in the first quarter so far compared with a year ago, per capita spending has been in line with last year and hotel room reservations for the current quarter at the parks have been 9 percent ahead of last year, he (Disney CFO Tom Staggs )said.

Yup - attendance is up, bookings are up and spending is level with last year. Too bad such horrendous economic news is forcing Disney to shut major sections of their theme parks.

Make all the excuse you want to about 'Wonders of Life'. It's simple greed.

 

[hopemax]

And here I thought it was because Met Life pulled out.

 

[Bob O]

k-viking, from reading your posts i find no outrage or that you are upset at all aqbout the reduction of even more magic/attractions at wdw!!!!!!!!!!!!
So i guess we should just close as much as possible until another clone arrives?????

 

[KNWVIKING]

**"from reading your posts i find no outrage or that you are upset at all aqbout the reduction of even more magic/attractions at wdw!!!!!!!!!!!!"**

Then you misinterprete my posts. I do not like to see anything close, BUT I know that people like me are part of the blame. I don't go into WoL. I don't eat there. I don't buy gifts or plush there. The same came be said for LS. We went there in Oct for the first time in a long time and were very disappointed. I'm not outraged that that WoL is cutting back, I'm outraged that it has to because people don't enjoy it enough to keep the place busy. Epcot is lacking in a lot of areas. M:S and Soarin' are a great step in the right direction, but WoL and LS need a major overhaul if they want the people traffic to return. Why keep a bad pavillion open ?

 

[Bob O]

When a park is open, be it a disney park or a Six Flags park all attractions should be open and not closed just in a attempt to save a few dollars!!!!!!! If they are going to close attractions then they should reduce the price of admission as they guest is getting less for there money. By closing now whole pavilions they are making wiats for other attractions that much longer and are reducing the enjoyment of the guests!!!!!If a pavilion has reduced attendance the answer isnt to just let it be a blight in the park and sit empty but to improve it so more people will visit it!!!!
The only reason a ride/attraction/pavilion should be closed is for maintence issues/remodeling and not some crass attempt to save a few dollars at the guests expense!!!!
And by people saying they understand this they are giving the company cover when next time they decide to close 2 or 3 pavilions or maybe open test track half a day and MS the other half!!!

 

[raidermatt]

Why keep a bad pavillion open ?

Because its worse SHOW to close it.

And in the long run, that will hurt the park more than the slightly lower margins due to the pavilion being open.

Again, it does need updating, but closing it for portions of the year without that major updating makes things worse, not better.

 

[Another Voice]

"Why keep a bad pavilion open?

• Because it's not bad.

• Because there's still a lot of good work in that pavilion.

• Because Disney is once again taking the easy, greedy way out of a problem - walking away.

• Because a lot of people still enjoy the pavilion.

• Because millions of first time visitors each year might enjoy the pavilion.

• Because Disney is constantly demanding we pay more for less.

• Because "we'd like something fresh" is not the same as "we hate the place".

• Because the last thing WDW needs right now is another empty building.

• Because the attendance is supposed to be picking up.

• Because the cost savings won’t be used at Epcot or even WDW - it goes to pay off a media***** bimbo's pink wedding.

• Because I'm sick and tired of Disney worrying about cutting costs instead about increasing revenues.

• Because Disney seem intent on driving out all the wit & charm from the parks and replacing it with cheap & easy thrills.

• Because if they can't make money selling ten cents worth of yogurt for $4.99 or slave-made plush for $29.99 than their accounts are as bad as their executives.

• Because "Blink blink, breathe breathe. Never a thank you, never a job well done…" has supported the fragile morale inside WDI for a decade against the incessant attack of Eisner and friends.

• Because the pavilion displays real science - and because that is more and more important as this world slides deeper into the shadows of superstition.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by Another Voice
"Why keep a bad pavilion open?

• Because the cost savings won’t be used at Epcot or even WDW - it goes to pay off a media***** bimbo's pink wedding.

Good points, most. With one exception .... wasn't the big ol' foofy wedding paid for by ad revenues for same? You were spot-on with everything else (except maybe the "slave-made plush" slam), that I just had to comment on the one obvious discrepancy.

Carry on.

 

[cristen]

I agree with Bob. I also agree (big surprise) with AV again. I am going for the first time in April, and every time I turn around, something else is not being offered for me to experience. It may be different if I had already seen the place, but know I will never know what the place truly has to offer.

"Did you like Epcot?"
"I might have, if half the place wasn't shut down."

I am going to see Epcot, like Scoop saw Tommorland at DL, all boarded up. That's a shame, I am paying a ton of money to go. And I want to see EVERYTHING the world has to offer, not what "they" decide I should see.

 

[crusader]

I was thinking the same thing as Viking: that I inadvertantly contributed to this because I skipped WoL entirely on my recent visit except to use the bathroom enroute to Mission Space.

It's not because it needs an overhaul. It's because there's only so much time to do what we want and choice prevails 99.99% of the time.

You see, upon entering the pavilion, I was reminded how great this venue is and had every intention of returning but just never managed it.

Unless you give yourself 10-14 days it is inconceivable that an individual would be able to experience everything Walt Disneyworld has to offer its' guests.

 

[Bob O]

Bravo to AV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How can some one enjoy a unique attraction like Cranium Command if they have no ability to see it????????????? Or Making of Me??? Or wonder why they made a ride like Body Wars in the first palce???

 

[crusader]

The embellishment surrounding the rumour mill needs a serious attitude adjustment.

For once, can't someone rise above the platform and cease and dismiss with the exaggeration here!

There is no shuttered EPCOT.

The World is not crumbling.

Get real.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Why don't they shutdown Test Track. Gotta save a bundle doing that. Oh wait, the lines are too long. They could reduce costs by closing M:S every other day. Oh wait, it's that line problem again. Why bother going to Epcot,everything is closed, or is the reality that only WoL is ? Close WoL, cut the admission price. Open M:S, better raise it. Open Soarin'- cha ching- raise t again. Actually, a discount should be given for closing WoL, but only to those who truely planned on spending the proper amount of time it takes to fully appriciate the amazing science portrayed there...you know, sticking your hand in the hole and figuring out your touching the Statue of Liberty.

If WoL was drawing anywhere near a crowd I doubt it would be closing.

Everyone here laments how terrible it is that CoP is "seasonal". Last two trip it was open. We did CoP three times. I think our Theater had a max crowd of eight people. Why wasn't it packed ?? After all, it was finally open, and if you pro rate the "millions of new guests" to the MK as well as all of us who are outraged it would ever close, then why wasn't FastPass required ?

 

[hopemax]

If WoL was drawing anywhere near a crowd I doubt it would be closing.

There might have been a time I believe this, but I don't. When was the last time all the pavilions on that side of the park were open for an extended period of time? 1994-ish. (Horizons closed, then WoM, then Horizons again)

I think this has less to do with traffic, and more to do with that the park has been operating for a decade with one of those pavilions closed. A new pavilion is open, so that means another has to be shut down, the budget won't allow for anything else.

WoL might have been the least attended pavilion, we don't know. But I know it didn't have a sponsor, and it takes a lot of labor to run it compared to the other choices. I do think this was less about traffic, and more about money.

 

[bretsyboo]

I cannot even believe that anyone could defend this move in anyway.

Look, it's very very simple. If you have anything, ANYTHING that can be offered to guests at maximum show then you do it. It's what guests pay for, it's what guests expect. You simply do not close anything that does not need to be closed.

Choices, it's all about choices, because some of you didn't choose to go into Wonders of Life, and because some of you may never choose it doesn't mean it's existance was beneficial to you. Now I'm not in live at cranium command, I'm in front of YOU at mission space. Now the line for everything is longer. Now you can actually see less of the park. Now Epcot isn't worth the price of admission.

I have 3 musts at WoL.
1.Cranium Command
2.the hot and cold pipes
3.the hidden mickey above body wars

You know what? I have always been able to walk right up to all 3 of those. I never have had to wait, and that added to my happiness a great deal. But Disney doesn't care about the idividuals happiness do they? Nooo, because I can't have that happiness anymore unless I happen to visit at a peak time...never mind that I never go at a peak time because of the crowds. And they don't care about your happiness either do they? Because regardless if there was something you liked in WoL you can't experience it or build memorys. And no matter what you think of 45 minute lines, you'll think less of 50 minute lines. Now you can't find seating at another counter restaurant place. Now the stores are a little more crowded. Now your amount of choices has been reduced greatly. How is that for your happiness?

And to say that guests are to blame is ASENINE. First of all the entertainment is what Disney provides, if people don't show then it is THERE fault, and if people don't show then you replace it with something. My mom taught me many years ago in my teen years that you don't quit a job if you don't have another lined up. She was right, because doing so is stupid.

Sure there are silver linings for Disney, they save money on cm's and utilities...and that is it.

They lose everything else. They lose people loving the attractions, playing around with the vast educational materials (my poor poor pipes!) they lose guest satisfaction and they lose someone making a post on the internet someday saying that 3 of their musts on any trip to Epcot are:
1.Cranium Command
2.Hot and cold pipes
3.Hidden Mickey above body wars

Instead they get an empty building. What does that help? I mean jeez, not that Epcot ever became what it was supposed to become, but the city was to have no dark corners, everything was to be in use and working...

If the budgets that are handed down are not even enough to keep the attractions open, then the budjets are not big enough. How is it that only in recent years has Disney not had enough cash to spend on opening their own things? In the beginning DL closed on days diring the winter...fine, fact is over time they rectified that problem, but now with Disney as a media giant they:
Cut hours
closed rides with no replacements
made attractions seasonal
cut hours in specific lands
cut hours with specific rides
made Epcots hours absolutly disgusting
raised or kept ticket prices the same

There is no justification for this. None of you should understand, accept, or agree with anything of the sort.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by cristen
I am going to see Epcot, like Scoop saw Tommorland at DL, all boarded up. That's a shame, I am paying a ton of money to go. And I want to see EVERYTHING the world has to offer, not what "they" decide I should see.

Oh, come on. Wonders of Life will be seasonal and, perhaps, not available when you visit. Nothing else at Epcot is scheduled to be closed, except for whatever normal maintenance is done. Epcot is hardly "all boarded up." And if not seeing WoL is causing you to think that the tons of money you're spending is being wasted, then perhaps you should either reschedule to a time when WoL will be open, or choose a different vacation destination where you won't feel cheated.

I don't like the fact that a pavilion is closing at Epcot any more than I like the fact that the shows don't use live musicians any more. But one pavilion closed does not a boarded-up park make.

 

[Peter Pirate]

I can't believe anyone thinks there is anyone defending this move...Viking & crusader have fallen into the trap that always has gotten me in trouble...Trying to explain and understand why Disney might be doing this, perhaps to understand current goings on a bit better. But around here understanding something is often equated with defending it.

WOL might have been the least attended pavillion, we don't know.

Oh, I'm quite certain we know...

...You simply do not close anything that does not need to be closed.

Even with a grand total of 3 people per hour riding Body Wars. 7 folks watching CC and 4 attending The Making of Me Disney should keep it open? Yeah thats fiscal responsibility and now that I think of it its great show too. It looks really good to have TT jammed, M:S jammed, Universe of Energy quite full, SE steady and then WoL where the CM's always outnumber the guest...

You know what? I have been able to walk right up to all three of those. I have never had to wait and that added to my happiness a great deal.

Mr. Voice, you want to jump in here? This is exactly the logic I have used when discussing the good aspects of DCA but you know what? According to the threepers my families personal enjoyment just wasn't significant...Does it go both ways Mr. Voice?

And to say the guests are to blame is ASININE.

Aside from Viking & crusader (and now me) saying that "perhaps" it is our fault because we don't make time for WoL (because it is way to yesterday) that it is closing. But the guests to blame sentiment has certainly never been used seriously, has it?

Instead they get an empty building. What does this help?

BINGO! We all agree. There is no cause for the empty building. Disney has dropped the ball in not keeping WoL fresh and it has now become irrelevent. The biggest crime is the irrelevence followed by the closing. There is no crime in trying to understand why Disney is closing it.

None of us is happy or endorses the closing of WoL but we understand it. No one is going to the pavillion. Does this make me happy? Not at all. But crying about the shutting of WoL will get us nowhere. At the most they just open it again to appease the crowds or the complainers and we still have the main problem which (again) is the irrelevence of WoL. We need to complain about the staleness of Wol & LS to force a change before it comes to this...

Savvy?

 

[Planogirl]

Epcot is a mess. It's just a shadow of its former self and this closing is just one symptom of the disease. Journey Into Imagination is ruined, the Living Seas is awful and the jury is out on Mission Space. What about Innoventions? Does anyone bother with those displays any more? At one time, I remember people exploring those buildings but they've never been kept fresh and new.

The closing of WoL is far from the only problem but symptomatic. I'm tired of losing good attractions when they could have been updated.

And you know something else? I don't like Space Mountain. There's nothing particularly wrong with it but it's just not my thing. Plus as good as ToT is, I don't ride it because falls scare me. So let's close Space Mountain and give ToT seasonal hours to save money. I realize that it's not exactly the same since the lines are long for these two attractions but comments often come across as "I don't like it so it's OK to close it". I still believe that refurbishment is the answer, not closing or replacing.

Because the pavilion displays real science - and because that is more and more important as this world slides deeper into the shadows of superstition.

Interesting comment.

 

[airlarry!]

M. Pirate, I've come to understand your sincere motivations in explaining (not defending) some of Disney's moves.

But you are wrong on this one. IMO, Crusader is defending these moves.

And they stink.

Crusader said the park is hardly crumbling. Have any of you been to Epcot recently? Hate to brag but I have. Just last week.

The left side of the park (as you exit) is a crumbling mess. Imagination is a half-hearted effort. The Land is still The Land. The Living Seas should be renamed (insert appropriate joke about Dead Seas or whatever--too easy).

M:S is (or will be soon) a flop. Test Track and Energy still seem to draw crowds, and even when we went in the offseason, WoL had decent or at least appropraite crowds.

M. Bretsyboo was right, Cranium Command is an absolute gem and a classic not to be missed part of Epcot. You just cannot justify shutting this pavilion down, not with the half-hearted efforts on the other side of FW, and the fact that there has been no additions to the World Showcase since the Hannibal stormed around the Mediterranean.

To compare WoL with CoP is disingenous. CoP, by all accounts, is one of those attractions that Disneyphiles who want to see a glimpse of what Walt had his hands on back in the heydey of the Worlds Fair efforts. CoP IMO is not for Jeaux Tourist and his family who have one day to see the entire MK.

WoL is part (albeit a small one) of what is advertised as part and parcel of the Epcot Ticket.

Newspeople like to talk of Slippery Slopes. Seasonal closures of WHOLE PAVILIONS has to send off some kind of red flags, M. Pirate. I know in my heart that you think so too.