Kevin Yee Reports - All the missing curtains

HMF

Well-Known Member
I am concerned that WDW may be getting close to a point it cannot recover from. How many more cutbacks, broken AAs, removals, quality reductions with a price increase, dumbed down menus, etc before the WDW just won't be able to recover it once heralded level of quality and service?

.....or have we already reached that mark?

Well, Things were apparently much worse at Disneyland about a decade ago. (I think) and they were able to almost completely turn things around for the 50th Anniversary. You just have to hope some Matt Ouimet-type Executive to come to power in WDW. Sadly people like Ouimet are rare in corporate America.
 

ChrisFL

Premium Member
Yep ... you do get it quite well now that you traveled beyond ... Pennsylvania :D

We need to get you to Anaheim ... and then Asia.

You may never want to return to The Timeshare Kingdom of the World unless you are visiting that other place up I-4.

~Fanbois always get the point ... ~

I only go to WDW because its so close....however I'm seriously looking forward to visiting the Tokyo parks again in April :cool:
 

DisneyWales

Member
I have to say, i have noticed the decline myself. My first trip was in 2002, since then i have been fortunate enough to visit WDW 13 times. Been to Paris Three times and this Fall past went to DL for the first time, and while the size thing was bugging me at first for DL, I was blown away by DL.

The place making at WDW is far better, the size and scale and freedom of space at WDW is its crown Gem, but then thats why Walt set out to build WDW. However EVERY single attraction at DL blew its Florida Counterpart out of the water. Everything was running at peak, or just off peak condition. Thing have not been at peak condition at WDW for a long time.

My last trip was to WDW was xmas 2010 and I was so disappointed with so many things, even my mother noticed that it wasn't as magical as the years prior. She her self said that it felt tired. She noticed that the fireworks and Fant! didn't have that "WOW" factor like the used to.

Recently refurbished attractions had missing or broken effects, Splash Mountain almost had me in tear at how sorry a state it had become, it is by far my favourite attraction, but not its no better than any other Flume ride at a fringe theme park, and thats the bigger picture for me, WDW is currently setting its targets a being just as good as every other Theme Park.

Disney created the theme park industry, so they should be the hight of it, not the standard.

Case and Point, EE is a mediocre roller-coaster as a ride its self, the track isn't very thrilling nor does it do anything special. It does however go through one of the most impressive ride buildings ever made, but that doesn't make it a Hallmark attraction, however almost being grabbed by a Ginormous Yeti escalates it to one of the greatest coaster experiences ever, even time that Yeti swiped at me I literally lost my stuff as I honesty thought that this time was the time he would finally get me.

Now, he's a sideshow act, a stationary figure who's headline act is making you blink during is Disco, not enough to make me want to may £2,000 (for me alone) to travel 5000 miles across the world when an experience of that calibre can be found at any run of the mill theme park.

I know we have all lamented over the Yeti, but he really is the shining example of how bad things have gotten. Why do stellar, when a patch job will still sell Vinylmations and Vacation Club time.
 

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
Disney is one of the cheapest companies I've ever had dealings with ... they don't seem to quite understand that there is something called the cost of doing business.

Since I don't have any professional dealings with TWDC I'll have to bow to your knowledge on the subject, and assume you are right and they are cheap.

However, It seems to me that there is a major mismanagement of resources going on. Why is FLE costing more then Potter? Why do all new Disney attractions cost 3 times more to build then they should?

This gross misuse of funds is IMO just as big of a problem as budget cutting in the parks. And quite possibly the main cause of it.

It is time to trim the fat at WED, and in upper management. This would allow some more of the budget to be repurposed towards updates and maintenance.

And don't forget the 1 point whatever billion $ bill that NEXTGEN has run up.
 

DznyRktekt

Well-Known Member
Two declines I cannot fathom are glaring shuttered locations in the Magic Kingdom, one in Frontierland and one in Tomorrowland. The Golden Horseshoe and Tomorrowland Noodle Station are areas that could be used to generate $ (the most important thing in the eyes of management) by being signature dining locations, both with dinner shows. The Noodle station could be remodeled/enclosed adding high end finishes and service with views of the fireworks. The Golden Horseshoe is an empty shell closed to guests so often. God forbid a talented cast would be kept on staff and paid to put on a show. How many have been cut? The Golden Horseshoe, Mainstreet performers, Adventurers Club, Future Corps..etc. :(
 

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
Two declines I cannot fathom are glaring shuttered locations in the Magic Kingdom, one in Frontierland and one in Tomorrowland. The Golden Horseshoe and Tomorrowland Noodle Station are areas that could be used to generate $ (the most important thing in the eyes of management) by being signature dining locations, both with dinner shows. The Noodle station could be remodeled/enclosed adding high end finishes and service with views of the fireworks. The Golden Horseshoe is an empty shell closed to guests so often. God forbid a talented cast would be kept on staff and paid to put on a show. How many have been cut? The Golden Horseshoe, Mainstreet performers, Adventurers Club, Future Corps..etc. :(

Agree its pathetic. Two very useable locations, yet lines surge at the other few options there are and they refuse to use them. Its like they want to create hordes of cattle drives in one location or two on purpose no matter how awful the lines and bottlenecks become. Granted the Horseshoe is used seasonal but still.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Missing curtains...schmurtains.

The real issue with Energy is missing Radoc cubes. The real missing reveal is not curtains opening to reveal a wider screen, but curtains opening to reveal giant mirrors to create a full 360 degree theater. What's missing from Energy is dazzling show, great songs, laser show. Missing is the 'spirit of EPCOT' which meant innovation all around: a theater that moves, the largest moving vehicles of any ride anywhere, solar power, guided tracks.

That's what missing. What's really missing. Malfuntioning curtains is merely declining by degrees. Turning Universe of Energy into Ellen is where Mickey turned into Rizzo. :fork:

Amen.
 

Bolna

Well-Known Member
That isn't surprising. Disney's MBAs have all been pushing everything outside the company since they rose to prominence in the mid/late 90s.

I've seen 4-star resorts have pool issues and Bubba from St. Cloud or Davenport drives his pickup up to the place (BW was where I saw this) to fix it. And you're thinking (or I was) that with hundreds of pools and spas on property they shouldn't need to call someone outside the company, this is what happens when beancounters decide 'we don't need to do this crap inhouse' ... it's why if you're one of the less than .005% of WDW guests who are awake at 1:30 a.m. and walk thru a lobby you'll see some outside company coming in and attempting to clean ... love watching people using buckets of water on the wood floors of the WL:rolleyes:.

That might be a good column ... what WDW outsources in 2012 that it didn't in 1992 and how it might just lead to those pesky Declines by Degrees.

~The Tix are free? OK, I'm in!~

That is interesting - especially since Disney is so much living on that notion of providing a level of quality which is exceptional. In the end you don't get the Disney difference, but the outsourced product from company X.

I think that outsourcing does not in all cases have to lead to less quality, but I think it makes whole "only at Disney" rather meaningless. Or maybe even more meaningless since we know that in many regards Disney is no longer top in the industry anyway - there is a reason why they got the Four Seasons on property.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Since we're on the subject... Lifted from another thread:

This current DL Fantasmic! rehab is plussing up the lasers and adding more digital projections to the stage, plus tackling plenty of stagecraft maintenance and technical upgrading for the entire show, in addition to a big cosmetic rehab for the Sailing Ship Columbia that is used as Captain Hook’s pirate ship.
 

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
....and over in Florida, guests can sit down on a bench and watch the nails slowly rust themselves out over at the abandoned Mike Fink Keelboat station or count the spider webs on the shuttered Aunt Polly quick service location.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
....and over in Florida, guests can sit down on a bench and watch the nails slowly rust themselves out over at the abandoned Mike Fink Keelboat station or count the spider webs on the shuttered Aunt Polly quick service location.
...and, lest we forget, buy a Diet Coke from a magical (and period appropriate) soda machine. One of my favorite scenes in Tom Sawyer is when Tom and Huck visit the soda machine and it eats their dollar bill.
auntpolly_bldgsmall.jpg


Let the memories begin.
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Two declines I cannot fathom are glaring shuttered locations in the Magic Kingdom, one in Frontierland and one in Tomorrowland. The Golden Horseshoe and Tomorrowland Noodle Station are areas that could be used to generate $ (the most important thing in the eyes of management) by being signature dining locations, both with dinner shows. The Noodle station could be remodeled/enclosed adding high end finishes and service with views of the fireworks. The Golden Horseshoe is an empty shell closed to guests so often. God forbid a talented cast would be kept on staff and paid to put on a show. How many have been cut? The Golden Horseshoe, Mainstreet performers, Adventurers Club, Future Corps..etc. :(

And Ben Franklin in the Hall of Presidents. When my brother was a CP in 1999, he really liked the CM who was "friends" with Ben. Poor guy was the victim of budget cuts just a few years later.
 

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