Main Street U.S.A. hub redevelopment at the Magic Kingdom

[cgulls]

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Lighting/speaker poles are poking up everywhere now.

In that first photo, are those shims for supporting the structures or maybe wedges of a delicious smoked gouda for the workers during breaks? Happy Cast Members (even subs) equals happy Guests!

 

[MissingDisney]

i hope this is sarcasm, if you've seen pics of how the parks use to be they were lush and shaded, not barren wastelands of concrete

an expansion of main street would of been more of a long term vision, with not only traffic control, but additional dining, retail, and entertainment opportunities

though right now they need to change the retail strategy before building more stores in the parks,

as others have said make items that are unique to each park, and the different attractions, having trully exclusive merchandise rather than everything being mass produced and generic

unfortunately probably true, but disney use to be the golden standard going up and beyond guest expectations

Sarcasm? Here? On this form? Heavens no!

The topic of trees in the MK/MS/hub area area can be found on literally thousands of pages of colorful debate, and not just because of the pictures!

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Wait, are there not going to be any trees in the new hub? Because the CGI render on youtube showed at least some trees...

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

We were in DLP at Christmastime. I think the arcades help quite a bit with guest flow. The place was packed for the evening show. It was much easier to navigate through Main Street having a choice between the arcades and the street itself.

 

[Fox&Hound]

That's because Disney made it into a "simple bypass". It could have been an expansion to Main Street.
That's what people really want.

Why would I want Disney to spend tons of money on a back alley that the majority of guests won't see? This is about moving people safely and efficiently through crowded areas and giving it a little bit of theming so it's not a parking lot. Save the money for new rides, please. Bravo Disney!

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Why would I want Disney to spend tons of money on a back alley that the majority of guests won't see? This is about moving people safely and efficiently through crowded areas and giving it a little bit of theming so it's not a parking lot. Save the money for new rides, please. Bravo Disney!

Better yet, use that money you would save on the theming the egress hallways to adequately staff and fund the Hub redevelopment project that is going to be approaching it's 1 year anniversary soon and is still no where near finished. Great show TDO.

Based on what I was told, the 2nd phase of the refurb (the Castle side) isn't going to kick into gear until April.

There's a good reason why the permits where issued to be valid through 2015.

Unfortunately, there's not a good reason why close to two years is needed to do this project.

 

[dstrawn9889]

Better yet, use that money you would save on the theming the egress hallways to adequately staff and fund the Hub redevelopment project that is going to be approaching it's 1 year anniversary soon and is still no where near finished. Great show TDO.

Based on what I was told, the 2nd phase of the refurb (the Castle side) isn't going to kick into gear until April.

There's a good reason why the permits where issued to be valid through 2015.

Unfortunately, there's not a good reason why close to two years is needed to do this project.

maybe not needed, but it was what was contracted upon. regardless of what seems slow or fast, the contractor and Disney have agreed upon this track. it will be done on time(reasonably enough) and on budget(not likely there though)

 

[dstrawn9889]

just because you can build a house in 7 days, does not mean that you should or are willing to pay the $$ for it.

 

[danlb_2000]

maybe not needed, but it was what was contracted upon. regardless of what seems slow or fast, the contractor and Disney have agreed upon this track. it will be done on time(reasonably enough) and on budget(not likely there though)

I don't think anyone is saying that the contractors are working slower then they should be, they question is whether Disney has chosen to dictate a slower pace the possible.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

maybe not needed, but it was what was contracted upon. regardless of what seems slow or fast, the contractor and Disney have agreed upon this track. it will be done on time(reasonably enough) and on budget(not likely there though)

Most definitely it's not an issue with contractors involved as WDW and Uni use many of the same ones. The issue is with TDO leadership. They have again chosen the least expensive path instead of choosing to get something done as quickly as possible. Again, exhibiting that "show quality" need not apply when it comes to the bottom line.

 

[DVCOwner]

Most definitely it's not an issue with contractors involved as WDW and Uni use many of the same ones. The issue is with TDO leadership. They have again chosen the least expensive path instead of choosing to get something done as quickly as possible. Again, exhibiting that "show quality" need not apply when it comes to the bottom line.

To do what you want, Disney would have had to close down the hub and make all guest go around the long way.

You would be one of the first to write negative things if Disney was working on this project 24 hours a day. You would be upset that there was to much noise and to much going on during times the park was open. You would also complain if they closed done the entire hub area and worked on it all at once.

I have had to work on road projects and keep them open to traffic at the same time. I can tell you that it is not a money issue to do the work only at night. Disney would save money by closing the area and doing work 24/7. I can see what they are doing is trying to find a good middle of the road between shutting down this major area and keeping as much open as possible.

 

[Kman101]

So that's why a simple bypass is also taking HOW long to be done?

 

[JediMasterMatt]

To do what you want, Disney would have had to close down the hub and make all guest go around the long way.

You would be one of the first to write negative things if Disney was working on this project 24 hours a day. You would be upset that there was to much noise and to much going on during times the park was open. You would also complain if they closed done the entire hub area and worked on it all at once.

I have had to work on road projects and keep them open to traffic at the same time. I can tell you that it is not a money issue to do the work only at night. Disney would save money by closing the area and doing work 24/7. I can see what they are doing is trying to find a good middle of the road between shutting down this major area and keeping as much open as possible.

Well, thank you for speaking on my behalf since you know me so well.

Wait... actually, you don't and I'm a very strong advocate in the opposite direction.

Disney Parks use to prize show quality as their second pillar to uphold after safety. What has been lacking under recent management is adherence to this tenant.

I believe that every wall or scrim that goes up is a sign of the positive. It's only when they don't come down or don't go up in the first place that they carry a negative connotation.

You've made the assumption that I would complain if walls went up blocking all of the Hub. That is far from the truth. I may not agree with the need to do this refurb and the reasons why it's being done (btw - the reason is that TDO believes it needs more pasture for FP+ cattle for fireworks/parades/Castle shows); but, that's not what is being debated here. What is my debate is the approach and speed at which the work is being completed and the impact that dragging this project out over what will be a year and half have on the quality of what is being experienced at the Magic Kingdom is.

Instead of using hypothetical examples of "what if they did this or that", let's use practical and current choices when it comes to major construction inside a Disney Park?

Let's use DCA as our case model.

DCA needed to redo their "opening stanza" in somewhat of a similar manner to what MK is doing with their Hub. The "main street" and its surroundings needed plussing. What DCA did is they temporarily closed down ALL of the entrance plaza and street and rerouted traffic though backstage access until the project was close enough to complete that the street could open while work continued on the details. They were willing to take an entire section of the park offline to get the project done as quickly as possible.

Now, DCA didn't have as significant of a parade or show on what is now Buena Vista as MK does at the Hub, so let's use another example of making "tough" choices to the work done - the upcoming work on World of Color 2.0. This January, DCA is going to take WoC offline for three months (along with likely periods of time where other attractions at Paradise Pier will go down as well). They are willing to inconvenience 3 months of guests to get the project done.

This is the difference between what WDW use to be willing to do versus what they aren't willing to do now. They aren't willing to make "tough" decisions. They are doing so under the guise of not wanting to inconveniencing the guest. They could close down the Hub and knock this project out in a matter of a month or so; but, they aren't willing to do it. Too many guests would complain they missed the MSEP or Dream Along with Mickey. This is the same excuse they use for not closing down attractions like Splash when part of the Mountain fell in on the loading platform and they put up netting instead until it could limp until the next scheduled refurb. The same was true of the Tree of Life and it's falling branches. The same is true of the current condition of Pirates. The same was true of why Space Mountain got quick patch job instead of an extended plussing that it needs.

The sad fact is that TDO is selling this lie under the idea that is for the best for us. In reality, it’s because of the costs to them. The don't want to pay to get it done quickly and they don't want to pay the "cost" of if they pull rides or attractions down - they don't have enough capacity to keep up with it.

What's going on with the Hub is analogous to what is going on with the Yeti, or the sad state at DHS or EPCOT.
What's even sadder is that guests have settled for this level of apathy.

Ultimately, if the Hub takes 1.5 years that will be ~ 27 million guests that will have that hole in the ground as its memory. The alternative would've been to have less than 4 million (assuming they could do the work in a quarter) be more inconvenienced by having parades and shows cancelled.

Your road construction analogy makes the assumption that the mandate is predetermined that things need to stay open and flowing. Disney Parks didn't use to put that as their driving factor. They use to care about the quality of what was left up and working versus the quantity. I miss a WDW where the quality of a guest's experience mattered and just being open wasn’t good enough.

 

[G00fyDad]

To do what you want, Disney would have had to close down the hub and make all guest go around the long way.

You would be one of the first to write negative things if Disney was working on this project 24 hours a day. You would be upset that there was to much noise and to much going on during times the park was open. You would also complain if they closed done the entire hub area and worked on it all at once.

I have had to work on road projects and keep them open to traffic at the same time. I can tell you that it is not a money issue to do the work only at night. Disney would save money by closing the area and doing work 24/7. I can see what they are doing is trying to find a good middle of the road between shutting down this major area and keeping as much open as possible.

Well, thank you for speaking on my behalf since you know me so well.

Wait... actually, you don't and I'm a very strong advocate in the opposite direction.

Disney Parks use to prize show quality as their second pillar to uphold after safety. What has been lacking under recent management is adherence to this tenant.

I believe that every wall or scrim that goes up is a sign of the positive. It's only when they don't come down or don't go up in the first place that they carry a negative connotation.

You've made the assumption that I would complain if walls went up blocking all of the Hub. That is far from the truth. I may not agree with the need to do this refurb and the reasons why it's being done (btw - the reason is that TDO believes it needs more pasture for FP+ cattle for fireworks/parades/Castle shows); but, that's not what is being debated here. What is my debate is the approach and speed at which the work is being completed and the impact that dragging this project out over what will be a year and half have on the quality of what is being experienced at the Magic Kingdom is.

Instead of using hypothetical examples of "what if they did this or that", let's use practical and current choices when it comes to major construction inside a Disney Park?

Let's use DCA as our case model.

DCA needed to redo their "opening stanza" in somewhat of a similar manner to what MK is doing with their Hub. The "main street" and its surroundings needed plussing. What DCA did is they temporarily closed down ALL of the entrance plaza and street and rerouted traffic though backstage access until the project was close enough to complete that the street could open while work continued on the details. They were willing to take an entire section of the park offline to get the project done as quickly as possible.

Now, DCA didn't have as significant of a parade or show on what is now Buena Vista as MK does at the Hub, so let's use another example of making "tough" choices to the work done - the upcoming work on World of Color 2.0. This January, DCA is going to take WoC offline for three months (along with likely periods of time where other attractions at Paradise Pier will go down as well). They are willing to inconvenience 3 months of guests to get the project done.

This is the difference between what WDW use to be willing to do versus what they aren't willing to do now. They aren't willing to make "tough" decisions. They are doing so under the guise of not wanting to inconveniencing the guest. They could close down the Hub and knock this project out in a matter of a month or so; but, they aren't willing to do it. Too many guests would complain they missed the MSEP or Dream Along with Mickey. This is the same excuse they use for not closing down attractions like Splash when part of the Mountain fell in on the loading platform and they put up netting instead until it could limp until the next scheduled refurb. The same was true of the Tree of Life and it's falling branches. The same is true of the current condition of Pirates. The same was true of why Space Mountain got quick patch job instead of an extended plussing that it needs.

The sad fact is that TDO is selling this lie under the idea that is for the best for us. In reality, it’s because of the costs to them. The don't want to pay to get it done quickly and they don't want to pay the "cost" of if they pull rides or attractions down - they don't have enough capacity to keep up with it.

What's going on with the Hub is analogous to what is going on with the Yeti, or the sad state at DHS or EPCOT.
What's even sadder is that guests have settled for this level of apathy.

Ultimately, if the Hub takes 1.5 years that will be ~ 27 million guests that will have that hole in the ground as its memory. The alternative would've been to have less than 4 million (assuming they could do the work in a quarter) be more inconvenienced by having parades and shows cancelled.

Your road construction analogy makes the assumption that the mandate is predetermined that things need to stay open and flowing. Disney Parks didn't use to put that as their driving factor. They use to care about the quality of what was left up and working versus the quantity. I miss a WDW where the quality of a guest's experience mattered and just being open wasn’t good enough.

 

[WDWtraveler]

Magic Kingdom Hub redevelopment photo update as of Thursday, Nov 27. The right side of Main Street taken from Tomorrowland Terrace.

The left side of Main Street taken from in front of Casey's and the Baby Care Center. Some of the street lights have been installed on the pedestals.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Really liking those new lamps. Between those and the new railings we've already seen, there's some really nice designs being incorporated into the new Hub.

C'mon Disney, finish this properly - don't skimp on the trees and landscaping.

 

[danlb_2000]

Really liking those new lamps. Between those and the new railings we've already seen, there's some really nice designs being incorporated into the new Hub.

C'mon Disney, finish this properly - don't skimp on the trees and landscaping.

They are interesting lamps, don't recall ever seeing a design like that.

 

[JoeCamel]

Do you think maybe those lamps will have colored LEDs inside so they can pulse with the glo with the show ears? Would not be surprised if they did.

 

[danlb_2000]

Do you think maybe those lamps will have colored LEDs inside so they can pulse with the glo with the show ears? Would not be surprised if they did.

That lamps in the seating area of World of Color change color along with the show, so it's not un-precedented.

 

[Sage of Time]

I would REALLY enjoy seeing the hub interact with shows, like Disneyland's does, during the Holidays. There are actually "Dreamlights" in the bushes this year for Christmas, so who knows. If all the lights were able to strobe and flicker and change color, it would really add a nice layer to the show.