Bob Chapek Confirms Disney Will Overhaul Epcot

MrHorse

MrHorse

Active Member
tigerlight said:
Also, very very skeptical that Seimens ever offered free monorails. Those monorails would be worth A LOT of money... way more than Disney would have sought to charge for a sponsorship renewal.
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The following is completely anecdotal. That said:
A friend of mine was working with Siemens around that time. According to her, Siemens pulled their sponsorship (at least partially) because Disney declined a contract for new monorails.

I certainly have no proof or corroboration, but that seems a lot more realistic to me than Siemens pending over backward and offering free monorails just to keep their name on a ride. By the same token, I can't imagine Disney turning down such a one-sided offer. I dunno what it would cost to replace the monorails, but I'm sure it's far above the cost of sponsoring an attraction.
 
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DanielBB8

Well-Known Member
tigerlight said:
Most "rumors" are people on here who make stuff up and/or quote people who made stuff up.

Disney is a publicly traded, shareholder-owned, SEC-regulated company. What this means is that MANY decisions are regulated by the government to a large degree.... and most major expenditures are reported publicly (although this can be buried in documents most people never take the time to read.) Disney it literally owned by retirement funds!

Bottom line... Test Track didn't cost anywhere near $250M. I'm not sure where you are getting your information, but I'd suggest reading SEC filings as a place to find actual information. Also, very very skeptical that Seimens ever offered free monorails. Those monorails would be worth A LOT of money... way more than Disney would have sought to charge for a sponsorship renewal.
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SEC filing don’t necessarily breakdown the cost of each attraction. There’s certainly a number that cuts down on revenue that produces the income. SEC filing isn’t a tax return either. How much Disney actually pays for capitals costs is still as much as a mystery as it can be lumped with other expenses like employees that’s on a different line.

Let’s just say I’m using a large number. With the standard markups, sponsorships require a lot of cash.
 
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DanielBB8

Well-Known Member
tigerlight said:
The cost of big ticket capital improvements are routinely discussed by executives. There are interviews (you can find them) where people who would know (Paul Pressler back in the day) discussed cost figures for attractions like Mission Space (which was $100M or thereabouts, and that involved a whole new building from the ground up, and a completely new ride system). TT was neither of those things... The budget for Everest was also widely discussed. The budget for Star Wars ($1 BILLION per park) has also been revealed by executives...
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That’s different than chiding me for not reading the SEC filing. Discussing how much things cost is fun.
 
peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
tigerlight said:
The cost of big ticket capital improvements are routinely discussed by executives. There are interviews (you can find them) where people who would know (Paul Pressler back in the day) discussed cost figures for attractions like Mission Space (which was $100M or thereabouts, and that involved a whole new building from the ground up, and a completely new ride system). TT was neither of those things... The budget for Everest was also widely discussed. The budget for Star Wars ($1 BILLION per park) has also been revealed by executives...
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Agree with everything here except TT was a completely new ride system.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
MrHorse said:
The following is completely anecdotal. That said:
A friend of mine was working with Siemens around that time. According to her, Siemens pulled their sponsorship (at least partially) because Disney declined a contract for new monorails.

I certainly have no proof or corroboration, but that seems a lot more realistic to me than Siemens pending over backward and offering free monorails just to keep their name on a ride. By the same token, I can't imagine Disney turning down such a one-sided offer. I dunno what it would cost to replace the monorails, but I'm sure it's far above the cost of sponsoring an attraction.
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The big problem with this story is that it doesn’t really make sense. Siemens does not, nor have theymake an ALWEG-style monorail. Why would he larger company be so aggressive about building, for the first time, a somewhat niche product?
 
peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
tigerlight said:
No, TT was a derivative of the EMV ride system developed for Indiana Jones Adventure at DL.... as is Radiator Springs Racers and Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo.
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I am aware. I thought you meant it was not a new installation as in a repurposed side system.

Although honestly I wouldn’t really consider TT any less a new ride system than M:S. Both were derivatives of previous technology. Virtually every technology present in M:S was already developed for other ETC products. In the case of TT, the adaptations and advancements also needed to be handled mostly by Disney itself.
 
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Missing20K

Missing20K

Well-Known Member
SEC filings are infallible? Good info. Let me go tell the execs at Enron, Global Crossing, Madoff Securities, WaMu, Lehman Bros., etc., etc., etc......

Also, SEC definitely doesn't have a problem with false filings or anything:
Fake Warren Buffett filings shows the SEC still has a problem
Fake Avon filing puts spotlight on SEC
Former finance chief for Washington company charged with falsified SEC filings

The SEC puts an incredible amount of trust in the companies to report their numbers correctly. And even they don't catch every instance of false info.

Not saying DIS is, or is not, filing improperly, just pointing out the fact that relying on SEC filings for much of anything could potentially be a fool's errand. They are very, very much, "buyer beware."
 
MrHorse

MrHorse

Active Member
lazyboy97o said:
The big problem with this story is that it doesn’t really make sense. Siemens does not, nor have theymake an ALWEG-style monorail. Why would he larger company be so aggressive about building, for the first time, a somewhat niche product?
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You got me. Like I said, this is all second-hand info. Maybe Siemens wanted a deal for something more substantial, like bringing the monorail system up to whatever their current flagship tech is? I could see that being a legit point of disagreement. Siemens wants a big showpiece installation. Disney wants something cheaper or less dramatic. Maybe it's all just internal gossip that has traveled way too far.

Regardless, at this point, I'm just speculating about stuff that's off-topic anyway. Probably not much point carrying this thread any further.
 
mikejs78

mikejs78

Premium Member
Missing20K said:
SEC filings are infallible? Good info. Let me go tell the execs at Enron, Global Crossing, Madoff Securities, WaMu, Lehman Bros., etc., etc., etc......
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Many of whom faced legal trouble because of the false filings. It's illegal to report false information to the SEC. And yes, people break the law. But I put more credence in an SEC filing than a marketing blog post, for example. Generally you have to assume that they are accurate unless evidence dictates otherwise. It is a bit more than buyer beware.

Missing20K said:
Also, SEC definitely doesn't have a problem with false filings or anything:
Fake Warren Buffett filings shows the SEC still has a problem
Fake Avon filing puts spotlight on SEC
Former finance chief for Washington company charged with falsified SEC filings
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Sure. But those things tend to be caught pretty quickly. And aren't from the companies themselves.
 
tonymu

tonymu

Premium Member
I thought this was a project to fix the issue of the monorail exit dumping you into the unsecure area and making you go back through security to enter EPCOT. So I am guessing a support for either a bridge from the monorail platform over the ticket booths into the secure area or ramp down there and a segregated path into the secure area.
 
trainplane3

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
tonymu said:
I thought this was a project to fix the issue of the monorail exit dumping you into the unsecure area and making you go back through security to enter EPCOT. So I am guessing a support for either a bridge from the monorail platform over the ticket booths into the secure area or ramp down there and a segregated path into the secure area.
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Could be that too. Martin did say they had a solution for the monorail but he hasn't said if this is work is related. It's just not knowing what they're doing and so far all we have is a small hole after 4 months is the puzzling bit.
 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
trainplane3 said:
Kind of FW related? Just wanted to stick this in one of the Epcot threads.
Whatever they're doing, it sure has taken a long time to dig/open a hole.
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Someday the Leave A Legacy rocks will finally be gone.
legacy_leftentrance2007ww.jpg
'

Along with this
past_futureworld2008.jpg
 
DinoInstitute

DinoInstitute

Well-Known Member
trainplane3 said:
I'd pay for a "Smash a Legacy" experience. I've hated the tombstones since the day they were put in.

I don't mind the nets that much but I still want them gone.
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I’m the opposite, I’ve never minded Leave a Legacy too much, at least they’re aesthetically pleasing despite the location. The nets are just thrown in there though.

Either way, I’m just ready for a change, and for them to get going on something already.
 

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