New Main Street U.S.A bypass to be built to address entry and exit congestion at the Magic Kingdom

[ford91exploder]

"These days"? When wasn't it correct? Corporations always need to profit. Theme parks always need to profit.

Yet if one looks at @ParentsOf4 historical charts of gross profit margin WDW did far better financially when it was run as an integrated whole and you did not have various 'business units' competing on their individual contributions to the 'bottom line', It's only now with one park down to 5 rides and cuts in everything from maintenance to entertainment that WDW is even approaching the low end of the Miller/Eisner years.

Disney is an example in process of Warren Buffet's dictum, "If you manage for the bottom line, Sooner or later you WILL NOT have a bottom line".

Disney has decided it no longer wants it's most enthusiastic customers, it wants 'First Timers' who cannot see the declines in quality. However it will take only one severe downturn in travel to destroy the P&R unit now. After 9/11 it was the locals and hardcore fans who saved WDW. Disney has turned many of these people off when the next travel downturn hits - no amount of cost cutting is going to replace the turned off WDW fans. Perhaps we will see WDW go the way of River Country after all.

 

[bakntime]

Yet if one looks at @ParentsOf4 historical charts of gross profit margin WDW did far better financially when it was run as an integrated whole and you did not have various 'business units' competing on their individual contributions to the 'bottom line',

Al Lutz, is that you?

You're implying a cause and effect relationship based on coincidental/anecdotal evidence. You're one step away from superstition: "The last time I wore this shirt the weather was nice, so it must be the shirt." The problem with your argument is that it fails to address any other potential factors that might impact gross profit margin. Do you even know what other factors might do that? Such as, I don't know, a massive economic slump that took place in the 2000? Unemployment was up, minimum wage had stagnated, park attendance (across all US parks) wasn't growing... Universal felt the crunch, too. It's only recently under new ownership that they've turned up the burners. Islands of Adventure opened in 1999 and didn't open a single notable attraction for the next 11 years until Harry Potter showed up.

And you also ignore completely the Fantasyland expansion, Avatar Land, Rivers of light, the hub reconstruction... and you talk like you either don't know or don't want to admit that $3.5B has just been approved for massive construction around the resort, because all of that would go against your "Disney will soon be dead like River Country" argument. "DHS has only five rides, see how stupid Disney is?" It's a straw-man argument that blatantly ignores the facts on the table: They are spending several billion on projects in the pipeline (not the least of which will be a huge DHS re-branding, not to mention a reported $300M+ for each of MK and Epcot, and on top of that a probable Frontierland project that's on the table). Oh, and they have projects already in-progress (AK), and the parks are drawing massive crowds.

 

[NearTheEars]

We made a quick afternoon trip to the MK tonight, and used the bypass for the first time to, well, bypass the MSEP crowd.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of planters and small trees back there. They even had the fall and Halloween pumpkin Mickey decorations up on the lampposts throughout.

The bypass served it's purpose well, and we were in Town Square quite quickly.

I'd just recommended reserving your judgement until you actually see it. I was just expecting a small, ugly walled corridor after reading about it here.

 

[MinnieWaffles]

Finding negative things to say about the way Disney runs it's parks in Orlando is like shooting fish in a barrel. This entire Hub refurb projct has been an epitome of the way the entire resort has fallen into malaise.

When you love something, you can't just pile praise upon it. Real love is seeing the good and the bad in what you care about. WDW is an "A" student that has been coasting for far too long and is now getting failing grades. As guests, we should expect more out of the world's best amusement resort and stop settling for less and less. Disneyland Resort struggled for years and if it wasn't for the strong advocates for change, it would likely be in the same state. WDW needs people to call them out when they falter instead of just praising them when they succeed. I've been visiting the place often enough for long enough to know what they can do when they try. Disney in Anaheim found a way to make the ingress/egress for their bypass to look appropriate to the land, why should we except anything different in Florida?

As a DVC owner (your name) I would hope you would be an advocate for change as well since you are invested in the place.

They could put the prettiest billboard in the world up there on that wall; but, unless they alter the sightlines looking South - it won't solve the problem. Either block the view or theme out the back side of those buildings. If they start to work on that now... they may just have it finished by the 50th anniversary using the progress rate they've demonstrated in their efforts made at the Hub.

You are delusional. You are not important and nothing you say or do is going to make the slightest bit of difference to how they run the parks. You are far too invested in something completely unimportant. And yes, the running of a theme park is unimportant.

The amount of delusion by people who think they can run a set of theme parks better from their computer chairs is staggering.

 

[Matt_Black]

Certainly, whining on a message board isn't going to do it.

 

[SpaceMountain75]

Certainly, whining on a message board isn't going to do it.

Ssshhh! Logic isn't welcome here!

 

[JourneysEnd]

Ten times zero is still zero.

So is this open to visitors now?

 

[Jon81uk]

So is this open to visitors now?

If you are talking about the bypass, I think its been used most evenings throughout 2015.

 

[JourneysEnd]

If you are talking about the bypass, I think its been used most evenings throughout 2015.

Is it only being used for evening exits?

 

[BD-Anaheim]

Disneyland once had a vision to expand Main Street USA into a backstage area -- this never happened although much of the plan was adopted for Magic Kingdom in what is now Liberty Square. Given the immense crowds, I'd like to see something a little more than just an alleyway bypass built here -- something that can tie nicely into a transition from Main Street into Tomorrowland. Nothing too large, perhaps a backstreet that is tied to a Jazz Age / Steampunk theme.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Is it only being used for evening exits?

It has been used every single night in 2015 and even late 2014. It is normally open from 8-11 or 7-10 (depending on park hours).

It is a two way bypass as well. If you are entering the park and wish to skip crowds, you can use it to bypass main street, or more commonly, it is used for those wishing to skip the crowds while exiting the park.

 

[JourneysEnd]

It has been used every single night in 2015 and even late 2014. It is normally open from 8-11 or 7-10 (depending on park hours).

It is a two way bypass as well. If you are entering the park and wish to skip crowds, you can use it to bypass main street, or more commonly, it is used for those wishing to skip the crowds while exiting the park.

Thanks. Good to know!

 

[Cesar R M]

Al Lutz, is that you?

You're implying a cause and effect relationship based on coincidental/anecdotal evidence. You're one step away from superstition: "The last time I wore this shirt the weather was nice, so it must be the shirt." The problem with your argument is that it fails to address any other potential factors that might impact gross profit margin. Do you even know what other factors might do that? Such as, I don't know, a massive economic slump that took place in the 2000? Unemployment was up, minimum wage had stagnated, park attendance (across all US parks) wasn't growing... Universal felt the crunch, too. It's only recently under new ownership that they've turned up the burners. Islands of Adventure opened in 1999 and didn't open a single notable attraction for the next 11 years until Harry Potter showed up.

And you also ignore completely the Fantasyland expansion, Avatar Land, Rivers of light, the hub reconstruction... and you talk like you either don't know or don't want to admit that $3.5B has just been approved for massive construction around the resort, because all of that would go against your "Disney will soon be dead like River Country" argument. "DHS has only five rides, see how stupid Disney is?" It's a straw-man argument that blatantly ignores the facts on the table: They are spending several billion on projects in the pipeline (not the least of which will be a huge DHS re-branding, not to mention a reported $300M+ for each of MK and Epcot, and on top of that a probable Frontierland project that's on the table). Oh, and they have projects already in-progress (AK), and the parks are drawing massive crowds.

that still doesnt mean its worth visiting DHS for most visitors

 

[Cesar R M]

We made a quick afternoon trip to the MK tonight, and used the bypass for the first time to, well, bypass the MSEP crowd.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of planters and small trees back there. They even had the fall and Halloween pumpkin Mickey decorations up on the lampposts throughout.

The bypass served it's purpose well, and we were in Town Square quite quickly.

I'd just recommended reserving your judgement until you actually see it. I was just expecting a small, ugly walled corridor after reading about it here.

well, it used to be a really ugly walled corridor.
They started to improve it a lot by february onwards.
Looks way better now!

You are delusional. You are not important and nothing you say or do is going to make the slightest bit of difference to how they run the parks. You are far too invested in something completely unimportant. And yes, the running of a theme park is unimportant.

The amount of delusion by people who think they can run a set of theme parks better from their computer chairs is staggering.

give me the job, then well see

 

[DGracey]

Any sense of what is happening on the large side wall of the Plaza restaurant that faces the bypass entrance? It's been behind scrims for a long time and there doesn't seem to be an idea of what it's becoming.

Anyone have any info or updated pics?

 

[Bairstow]

It has been used every single night in 2015 and even late 2014. It is normally open from 8-11 or 7-10 (depending on park hours).

It is a two way bypass as well. If you are entering the park and wish to skip crowds, you can use it to bypass main street, or more commonly, it is used for those wishing to skip the crowds while exiting the park.

Yep.
It was very useful to us in July to enter the park as the first of two Main Street Electrical Parades was just starting.

 

[wogwog]

October 11 will mark the two year anniversary of the start of this thread by @wdwmagic. Soon the bypass will be completed I hear. Fast.

 

[marni1971]

It has been used every single night in 2015

Nope. Only when demand dictated it.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Nope. Only when demand dictated it.

You can't tell me that when I literally worked the area up until I got moved out of it. Maybed when Main St. Ops re-took over from Custodial in audust they stopped using it every day, but when I was there? It was EVERY DAY.

 

[marni1971]

You can't tell me that when I literally worked the area up until I got moved out of it. Maybed when Main St. Ops re-took over from Custodial in audust they stopped using it every day, but when I was there? It was EVERY DAY.

Ah. Every day in 2015 until August. Thats better. Thanks.