A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Andrew C]

I totally understand being frustrated with the direction of the company and feeling like something you love is being changed for the worse. I understand having a negative slant and skeptical eye to most decisions.

But that poster in particular, basically trolls these boards (except I don't think he's trolling.) In the months that I've been here, I've seen nothing but complete criticism and anger about everything at the parks, every movie, every decision. I don't understand why, if something has changed so much that you hate literally every single aspect of it, why you would choose to spend every day living in that negativity online and continuing to book trips.

That is just who this poster is. Just learn to get used to his antics as it typically goes beyond just being critical of Disney (as many people are and rightfully so on certain issues).

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I'll put it this way:

Most of us have felt a shift in experiences from this company over the past few decades. Back in the 80s, 90s and arguably the very early 2000s, TWDC put a lot of time and effort in keeping their parks up-to-date, put a lot of time and effort into making lasting films, worked diligently to keep things in working order. Don't let things stagnate. We have competition, so let's do everything we can to make sure the customer chooses us. Make things that are beautiful and work properly. Keep things subtle. Keep it intelligent. Don't spell things out so the guest can learn and appreciate things.

At this point, TWDC focuses primarily on "How can we grab as much cash as possible?" "Will this movie generate retail value?" "Can we advertise the s*** out of this and drill it into people's heads?" "Let's do what we want with no regard to the effect on the customer's experience (what the parks used to be about)." "Take away wxyz attractions and instead turn the building into a line just to meet characters (that cuts out everyone about ages 11+)." "Let's just close xyz buildings down and do nothing with them for the foreseeable future."

TWDC, under its corporate leadership, has wildly lost sight of what their company USED to stand for and what they used to pursue and seek to accomplish. As people whom - for the most part - are simply fans of the place, maybe people who hold stock, or DVC/AP memberships, etcetera, we are frustrated that the quality experience we grew with has been left behind and for whatever reason, they (the suits in charge) are just fine with it

Hmm, I've been going to WDW since 1978, became a DVC member over a decade ago (wish we could have bought sooner), and completely disagree with you. I am not frustrated with the experience at all. To each his/her own.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Its well known among most CM's that the older long time CM's ( that were the ones who really created the Disney difference) were systematically squeezed out.....including my mother. They told her she had two choices. Retire or come back to work starting at base pay.

Many different Disney business units have engaged in this behavior for years. Former acquaintance of mine who worked at Pixar from the Point Richmond days was let go a few years back, when his position was "eliminated." Management said the position was no longer needed, but they wouldn't let my friend transfer to another job. They obviously wanted him gone: a few months after he left, his previous position was reinstated with a few minor tweaks to the job description, even though 95% of the duties remained the same. They hired someone else who was half my friend's age at less than half the salary.

Unbelievable how TWDC runs their units. Non-union Pixar remains one of the most expensive (if not THE most expensive) animation studios on the planet. Why? Who effn knows. But it's certainly not because their front line grunt employees are paid exceedingly well.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Unbelievable how TWDC runs their units. Non-union Pixar remains one of the most expensive (if not THE most expensive) animation studios on the planet. Why? Who effn knows. But it's certainly not because their front line grunt employees are paid exceedingly well.

Bay Area property tax increases caused by rising property values?

 

[DVC91]

Hmm, I've been going to WDW since 1978, became a DVC member over a decade ago (wish we could have bought sooner), and completely disagree with you. I am not frustrated with the experience at all. To each his/her own.

Don't get me wrong, I still go, I still enjoy myself, I'm still a DVC member and now that I'm living in Florida, I'll be starting my AP membership. I love being there, and I wouldn't be a (more frequent reader than poster) member of this forum if I didn't.

However, as seasoned as you are, I'd think you'd know it's more a matter of fact than opinion about the changes in mentality and the way they handle their business in these parks, as evidenced all over this forum.

We're frustrated BECAUSE we care so much. Take me being a fan of the Phillies. I'm so frustrated by how their organization was run after they won the World Series in 2008 and it took them nearly 7 years to start moving in the right direction. They're currently an awful team, but I still love them. I just expect the level-headedness and greatness that I know it's capable of, and has displayed in the past

 

[ParentsOf4]

Not disputing that; just hopeful that some of the existing Capex spend switches from Shanghai to Orlando, so we get a much higher than $800million spend domestically.

Although not explicitly stated, my impression is that this year's international Parks & Resorts capex will remain approximately the same as last year's. Shanghai Disneyland is a hungry beast and must be fed.

Domestically, last year's Parks & Resorts capital expenditure was $1.457B while depreciation was $1.169B. As I've documented in the past, Disney has indicated that maintenance capex roughly equals depreciation, without "special projects" included.

The difference between last year's numbers, $288M, provides a rough estimate of what Disney spent in 2015 on Pandora, Disney Springs, the Frozen attraction at the Norway Pavilion, TSM's third track, and Rivers of Light at DAK. (It could be about $100M light.)

Disney is clearly stating that they intend to spend $800M above that in 2016 on domestic projects that they've already announced.

What are these?

In addition to the previously mentioned projects, major capex projects are Star Wars Land on both coasts, Toy Story Land at DHS, and the new WL DVC. Unless I am missing something (help!), I believe other announced projects are relatively small from a capex perspective, practically a rounding error for Disney's enormous budget.

To me, the huge number beyond what was spent in 2015 implies an aggressive schedule for the DHS redo and SWL in CA.

Others are free to interpret it differently.

 

[wishiwere@wdw]

To me, the huge number beyond what was spent in 2015 implies an aggressive schedule for the DHS redo and SWL in CA.

Others are free to interpret it differently.

There is no possible way I'd ever be able to show evidence for obvious reasons but it is my understanding that timelines have been aggressively altered. This has nothing to do with Disney Springs or Animal Kingdom timelines. I'm sorry I can't (and won't) say more so take it for what it's worth. While I personally haven't been a huge fan of how things have been going since, well, 2002, I am genuinely excited about the next five years .

 

[PhotoDave219]

Don't get me wrong, I still go, I still enjoy myself, I'm still a DVC member and now that I'm living in Florida, I'll be starting my AP membership. I love being there, and I wouldn't be a (more frequent reader than poster) member of this forum if I didn't.

However, as seasoned as you are, I'd think you'd know it's more a matter of fact than opinion about the changes in mentality and the way they handle their business in these parks, as evidenced all over this forum.

We're frustrated BECAUSE we care so much. Take me being a fan of the Phillies. I'm so frustrated by how their organization was run after they won the World Series in 2008 and it took them nearly 7 years to start moving in the right direction. They're currently an awful team, but I still love them. I just expect the level-headedness and greatness that I know it's capable of, and has displayed in the past

2016 WFC. Book it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I used the Pop Century anecdote as just ONE example. My mother worked in many positions over her 20+ year career including working in all four parks. You are excusing the state of Pop as being that it is for the " less affluent". Which you know as well as I do not only was there a time where it didn't matter to Disney it shouldn't matter now and frankly pretty lame that you structured your answer that way. As in....who cares if it looks like crap...."those people" don't care or deserve better maintenance.

But I will give you credit where credit is due. Staffing is exactly the problem now and its effect on daily maintenance and cleanliness. Most staffs ie painting, electrical and maintenance has been reduced to very small crews. Most things like janitorial, painting and electrical are now mostly outsourced. These crews don't give a hoot about the Disney difference. Their job is to get it done as fast as they can and move on to the next attraction. You may have low expectations, but there really is a difference between "tidy" and the exemplary way the ENTIRE resort was once kempt. "Management isn't always the culprit in these things" HA! Again, you know as well as I do it ALWAYS starts at the top. Its well known among most CM's that the older long time CM's ( that were the ones who really created the Disney difference) were systematically squeezed out.....including my mother. They told her she had two choices. Retire or come back to work starting at base pay.

The ugly secret of it all is that during Iger's rein this was part of why and how they were showing such huge profits....not to mention price hikes. All of this has had an effect on day to day maintenance. Labor is always the number one thing to cut when you want to increase profits. There really is something to the year of a million cuts....it cut deeper then most people know.

I will also agree with you that the general attitude of guest has changed as well. Which makes the job even tougher. But again its no excuse, just staff the place better. Disney is also PARTIALLY to blame for not holding their guest responsible for their behavior. Guest will only behave to the standard in which you allow them to behave.

You think all is well in the parks as far as cleanliness and maintenance is concerned. Great! My experience and many others seem to differ from yours. And if you don't mind I will trust actual CM's and their experience and knowledge first.

I don't mind at all. I can only judge things that I see or have witnessed personally. I have never made a judgement based on what others have emphatically stated no matter what their particular status in the world of social media. I calls them as I see's them. I already stated that I have no experience with the resorts/hotels per se, I did accidentally omit that I stayed one time at POP and it was never the "shoddiness" of the place that bothered me (didn't notice), it was the cost for a room the size of my walk-in closet for that price, no matter how much cheaper then the upper levels it is. It wasn't worth even what I was spending. I realize that this all requires lower expectations, but, since I have no control over it to the extent that I stop going to the parks, then I feel that for my own good I just accept that it is what it is and stop trying to move clouds in the sky by staring at them.

Many different Disney business units have engaged in this behavior for years. Former acquaintance of mine who worked at Pixar from the Point Richmond days was let go a few years back, when his position was "eliminated." Management said the position was no longer needed, but they wouldn't let my friend transfer to another job. They obviously wanted him gone: a few months after he left, his previous position was reinstated with a few minor tweaks to the job description, even though 95% of the duties remained the same. They hired someone else who was half my friend's age at less than half the salary.

Unbelievable how TWDC runs their units. Non-union Pixar remains one of the most expensive (if not THE most expensive) animation studios on the planet. Why? Who effn knows. But it's certainly not because their front line grunt employees are paid exceedingly well.

I have to ask... does it take a baseball bat to the head to realize that when that happens it is because they ARE NOT wanted there. That might be for many reasons from attitude to actually not being worth their keep. It is a system that all companies have used for years to clean out "dead wood". The problem is that most of the dead wood do not accept that they are dead wood and therefore spin the story to be how incompetent management is to have let them go. There is usually a very good reason why something like that happens and I wouldn't count on your friend to tell you the whole story. Just know that it isn't something that is done to what they might consider to be a valuable employee. Sometimes the truth is much closer to home then most people are willing to accept.

 

[DVC91]

2016 WFC. Book it.

I was super pumped to have you reply to me haha. WFC as in World Food Championship?

 

[John]

I have to ask... does it take a baseball bat to the head to realize that when that happens it is because they ARE NOT wanted there. That might be for many reasons from attitude to actually not being worth their keep. It is a system that all companies have used for years to clean out "dead wood". The problem is that most of the dead wood do not accept that they are dead wood and therefore spin the story to be how incompetent management is to have let them go. There is usually a very good reason why something like that happens and I wouldn't count on your friend to tell you the whole story. Just know that it isn't something that is done to what they might consider to be a valuable employee. Sometimes the truth is much closer to home then most people are willing to accept.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr his post was in reference to what happened to my mother.....hence the reason for my retort to you. You are absolutely correct there could be multiple reasons why someone could be shown the door. At least admit one of them could also be that the company simply wants to cut labor to boost the bottom line.

As for my mother she worked there for 20+ years. If she was a bad employee as you are insinuating I highly doubt they would wait that long. Also I will tell you she was personally recognized by the company for raising CM moral for something she did ( wait, maybe that's the reason). Also as I said they offered her a job if she wanted to work for base pay. Seems to me if they wanted her gone she wouldn't have been offered anything.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Grrrrrrrrrrrr his post was in reference to what happened to my mother.....hence the reason for my retort to you. You are absolutely correct there could be multiple reasons why someone could be shown the door. At least admit one of them could also be that the company simply wants to cut labor to boost the bottom line.

As for my mother she worked there for 20+ years. If she was a bad employee as you are insinuating I highly doubt they would wait that long. Also I will tell you she was personally recognized by the company for raising CM moral for something she did ( wait, maybe that's the reason). Also as I said they offered her a job if she wanted to work for base pay. Seems to me if they wanted her gone she wouldn't have been offered anything.

So therefore the example used did not apply to your Mother. Believe me she was not even on my mind when I made that post. It was a completely different mind set for me. Sorry, you took it personally!

 

[Quinnmac000]

So analysts are coming out saying that TFA most likely won't surpass Avatar internationally...
1. Its being beaten out by other films in Japan, Korea, and also predictions it will be beaten out by other films in China
2. Foreign Currency isn't as strong against the dollar as it was when Avatar came out
3. Avatar came out in the newness of 3D and was easier to get people to see the film whereas with Star Wars non fans don't feel the need to see it in theatres or at all.
4. North America and Europe grew up and there is nostaglia while other emerging markets don't have those ties.


http://deadline.com/2016/01/star-wa...national-box-office-record-avatar-1201676082/

 

[thehowiet]

I was super pumped to have you reply to me haha. WFC as in World Food Championship?

Think Utley at the parade

That was such a fun day in the city.

 

[JoeCamel]

Although not explicitly stated, my impression is that this year's international Parks & Resorts capex will remain approximately the same as last year's. Shanghai Disneyland is a hungry beast and must be fed.

Domestically, last year's Parks & Resorts capital expenditure was $1.457B while depreciation was $1.169B. As I've documented in the past, Disney has indicated that maintenance capex roughly equals depreciation, without "special projects" included.

The difference between last year's numbers, $288M, provides a rough estimate of what Disney spent in 2015 on Pandora, Disney Springs, the Frozen attraction at the Norway Pavilion, TSM's third track, and Rivers of Light at DAK. (It's could be about $100M light.)

Disney is clearly stating that they intend to spend $800M above that in 2016 on domestic projects that they've already announced.

What are these?

In addition to the previously mentioned projects, major capex projects are Star Wars Land on both coasts, Toy Story Land at DHS, and the new WL DVC. Unless I am missing something (help!), I believe other announced projects are relatively small from a capex perspective, practically a rounding error for Disney's enormous budget.

To me, the huge number beyond what was spent in 2015 implies an aggressive schedule for the DHS redo and SWL in CA.

Others are free to interpret it differently.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I was super pumped to have you reply to me haha. WFC as in World Food Championship?

No. Its a Chase Utley Quote. "Word Champions! World....." and you know the rest. Phillies 2016 WFC. Gonna pull off a miracle LOL

 

[Kman101]

BS! Tell that to my mother ( 20 yr retired CM) as she broke in to tears upon seeing the state of what she calls "her resort" Pop Century. I respect your "opinion" but that doesn't mean your is correct either. Sorry, but she worked hard to maintain those standards that you call a product of marketing. She was/is extremely proud of her work at WDW. I am not letting you get away with spewing crap that I know is 100% crap! She will tell you about the change in culture among both management and among cm's. About the difference in how TWDC/TDO handles things like maintenance. You are just plain wrong.

While there has been a change in culture, that much is obvious, the resort and the parks are not in some decrepit falling apart state as some like to repeat. That's my obvservation as a frequent visitor. And yes, it sometimes is simply a moment you walk by and the trash can may be overflowing and spilling on the ground. I could walk by 30 seconds later and see two or three guys hanging around the trash can. I'm not saying the parks and resorts are perfect, but they're hardly in as poor of a shape as they once were.

People like to go on and on about how awful it is but it's really not. And I'm not a "pixie dust snorter defender". I'm not defending management, because the way TDO is run seems ... awful ... but the parks themselves aren't at all the mess some are trying to claim. Certain aspects, sure, but it's not "the sky is falling".

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Grrrrrrrrrrrr his post was in reference to what happened to my mother.....hence the reason for my retort to you. You are absolutely correct there could be multiple reasons why someone could be shown the door. At least admit one of them could also be that the company simply wants to cut labor to boost the bottom line.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

This is why my friend was cut. He had been with the company for over 15 years, hired long before the acquisition. Kept current with technology (conferences, continuing ed classes, etc). Stellar reviews every year with pay increases. And that's your main clue: his salary kept rising.

Ultimately, he was deemed too expensive to keep. So instead of giving him yet another smashing review with a small pay increase, they canned him in favor of a cheaper, less experienced worker. And this from a company now being sued by both former employees and their shareholders for illegal anti-poaching labor agreements with other studios, all brainstormed and negotiated by Dr Catmull.

Welcome to 21st Century Corporate Technology Business Practices™.

 

[AEfx]

Take Return of the Jedi for instance. The movie grossed half a billion dollars and David Prowse didn't get any % dough because it hasn't made money.

"I get these occasional letters from Lucasfilm saying that we regret to inform you that as Return of the Jedi has never gone into profit, we've got nothing to send you. Now here we're talking about one of the biggest releases of all time," said Prowse. "I don't want to look like I'm ******** about it," he said, "but on the other hand, if there's a pot of gold somewhere that I ought to be having a share of, I would like to see it."

You can't trust one single word that David Prowse says. He was long ago banned from participating in Star Wars in any official capacity because of the constant and various issues he has caused, all the way back to the filming of the OT.

 

[Andrew C]

Ding! Ding! Ding!

This is why my friend was cut. He had been with the company for over 15 years, hired long before the acquisition. Kept current with technology (conferences, continuing ed classes, etc). Stellar reviews every year with pay increases. And that's your main clue: his salary kept rising.

Ultimately, he was deemed too expensive to keep. So instead of giving him yet another smashing review with a small pay increase, they canned him in favor of a cheaper, less experienced worker. And this from a company now being sued by both former employees and their shareholders for illegal anti-poaching labor agreements with other studios, all brainstormed and negotiated by Dr Catmull.

Welcome to 21st Century Corporate Technology Business Practices™.

What did the NLRB tell your friend?