"Budget Cuts" - Now Showing at Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Movielover]

All the construction is not an expansion of the park.

Well there's one opinion that makes no sense...

 

[MisterPenguin]

Should theme parks only have quick service restaurants open from 12:00 - 6:00? That would capture the super majority of their business while drastically saving on labor when percentages of overall sales are lowest.

PizzeRizzo is only open 11:00a-4:00p.

Indeed, many food service outlets are not open in the early morning and many close before the parks close, especially the carts. With a few exceptions, World Showcase doesn't open until 11 AM.

For years and years certain services and attractions have not been open the entire time the park is open. That's a fact.

It's only when one of those attractions gets its hours cut that people notice and complain. It's been happening all this time and people seem to accept it... until they notice it.

 

[Kman101]

All the construction is not an expansion of the park.

Toy Story Land going behind Mania isn't an expansion? I think it is. Star Wars Land is not. TRON using space BEHIND Speedway is an expansion. The new theater at Magic Kingdom sort of is.

 

[GoofGoof]

PizzeRizzo is only open 11:00a-4:00p.

Is the pizza the same as when it was Pizza Planet? If so that's a blessing not an issue

Having 1 less popular QS restaurant close early is not a problem for me. The park only having 4 rides...that's disturbing.

They have been doing seasonal openings for places like Tortuga at MK for years. If it gets to the point where I can't find a place with an open table to eat at I get frustrated for sure. My guess is that's not the case with DHS now since a lot of people have hopped on by night time.

 

[GoofGoof]

Both are symptoms of the mindless drive 'To Improve Margins at the Parks' thats thing from last earnings call which sticks in my head in point of fact it makes my head vibrate like Wile E Coyote with his head stuck in a bell.

There are two ways to improve margin one is by cost cutting, MK closing at 10 during peak vacation season, GMR closure all the 'little' cuts which add ip. This is what TDO has chosen,

The other is increase top line revenue but that involves RISK in that initiatives/products fail.

I think the biggest problem is that Burbank is afraid of risk taking and even worse how to take both creative and calculated financial risk.

This explains everything from Gasparillas running out of snacks by 7pm (because manager will be dinged if unsold), Restaurants not taking walkups to purchasing IP's to the Stock Buybacks. Everything TWDC does has to be 'A sure thing' when that strategy fails things fail fast as management is paralyzed because suddenly all the choices involve risk which because of earlier avoidance behavior they are unable to evaluate properly.

The worst thing about the cost cutting mentality is it's not Iger and his henchmen chortling about how they are cutting back on what they are delivering,

Its become institutionalized and somewhere there is a team of data scientists creating algorithms to analyze everything and decide what can be cut today and pushing those orders to park operations.

I doubt very much if there is a strategic look at whats being cut more likely its algorithmic because it makes senior leadership feel 'data driven' and sciency.

GMR is closing and will be replaced by a new ride. It's not just cost cutting.

I'm sure you will disagree, but they actually did take some risk with Avatar and some of these other additions. SWL has zero risk IMHO. It's guaranteed to succeed. If you want to talk about the last 10 to 15 years it's hard to argue about lack of investment but for the next 5 years they are putting significant money in. There's plenty of room to argue whether specific moves are good, bad or neutral but you can't really argue that they are doing nothing.

 

[Kman101]

It's the same argument he always has.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Well there's one opinion that makes no sense...

Will the borders of the park expand? No. The dimensions of the park will not change. Therefore, it's not "an expansion of the park". Repurposing some of the land inside the park is not "an expansion of the park". It's semantics, granted, but it is important. It's the same as NFL not being "an expansion of MK", it just took up the same land formerly occupied by 20K Leagues within the park.

 

[jakeman]

That is some grade A hair splitting right there.

 

[Polydweller]

Until they realize they are in the SERVICE industry...

Imagine going up to a shop during regular hours and finding they are closed... because no one was there before you. You might be miffed a bit.. but then would go find another shop.

Now realize you were paying for that shop to be open.. and they weren't.

Do you really emphasize the same with the vendor when it's against expectation and your dollar they just kept?

Well, your arguments would have more credibility if you knew your industries. They are NOT in the SERVICE industry they are in the HOSPITALITY industry.

 

[flynnibus]

Well, your arguments would have more credibility if you knew your industries. They are NOT in the SERVICE industry they are in the HOSPITALITY industry.

You can nit pick the label and ignore the message... says more about you than me.
I was referring to the angle of CUSTOMER SERVICE - not VERTICALS. But hey, keep thinking customer attitude towards you is unfloppable.

 

[ford91exploder]

GMR is closing and will be replaced by a new ride. It's not just cost cutting.

I'm sure you will disagree, but they actually did take some risk with Avatar and some of these other additions. SWL has zero risk IMHO. It's guaranteed to succeed. If you want to talk about the last 10 to 15 years it's hard to argue about lack of investment but for the next 5 years they are putting significant money in. There's plenty of room to argue whether specific moves are good, bad or neutral but you can't really argue that they are doing nothing.

DHS needs capacity until new lands built, GMR provided capacity

Now the closed GMR will sit closed till what 2020-2021, If the new ride were scheduled for 2018 different story, but under the current schedule its impossible to characterize as anything other than a budget cut.

 

[ford91exploder]

You can nit pick the label and ignore the message... says more about you than me.
I was referring to the angle of CUSTOMER SERVICE - not VERTICALS. But hey, keep thinking customer attitude towards you is unfloppable.

What is this customer service you speak of at WDW, Home of "what do you expect me to do about It". Customer service went away about 2005 and has not been seen since

 

[Kman101]

DHS needs capacity until new lands built, GMR provided capacity

Now the closed GMR will sit closed till what 2020-2021, If the new ride were scheduled for 2018 different story, but under the current schedule its impossible to characterize as anything other than a budget cut.

The new ride opens in 2019

 

[jt04]

The new ride opens in 2019

With him there can't possibly be anything new opening before the "2020's".

 

[ford91exploder]

The new ride opens in 2019

So 2 years of NOTHING, not to mention the inevitable 1-2 year schedule slip seen on all disney projects under Iger.

 

[Kman101]

With him there can't possibly be anything new opening before the "2020's".

Clearly, he ignores facts yet again

 

[FrankLapidus]

What is this customer service you speak of at WDW, Home of "what do you expect me to do about It". Customer service went away about 2005 and has not been seen since

We must go to very different resorts as I can count on one hand the amount of times I have experienced what I would deem to be subpar customer service in 20+ years of holidaying at WDW and still have fingers to spare.

I was there last year, as I will be there next month, and the customer service, in my experience, has always been exceptional.

 

[durangojim]

We must go to very different resorts as I can count on one hand the amount of times I have experienced what I would deem to be subpar customer service in 20+ years of holidaying at WDW and still have fingers to spare.

I was there last year, as I will be there next month, and the customer service, in my experience, has always been exceptional.

In my experience (~50 visits in the past 20 years always staying at one of WDW's hotels) the quality of the interactions with CM's has declined on average. There still have been exceptions and exceptional service, but on average it is less. This is not to say it's bad but when considering the cost paid at the deluxes I would expect better. I realize we're mostly paying for location but at the hotels the service from the CMs has definitely declined.

 

[FrankLapidus]

In my experience (~50 visits in the past 20 years always staying at one of WDW's hotels) the quality of the interactions with CM's has decline on average. There still have been exceptions and exceptional service, but on average it is less. This is not to say it's bad but when considering the cost paid at the deluxes I would expect better. I realize we're mostly paying for location but at the hotels the service from the CMs has definitely declined.

I regularly stay at French Quarter and the customer service is outstanding in every aspect. I've stayed at all of the All Star resorts, Caribbean Beach and Wilderness Lodge and can think of two examples, one at All Star Music and one at CB, where I've been unhappy with the customer service that I and my family received.

 

[MisterPenguin]

So 2 years of NOTHING, not to mention the inevitable 1-2 year schedule slip seen on all disney projects under Iger.

Two new rides open in seven to eight months, maybe even sooner.

We've been watching the construction of TSL and both SWLs and there is no slippage visible. In fact, all evidence points to TSL being ahead of schedule.

There is nothing to suggest that there will slippage except for the inextinguishable hatred you hold for Disney and post about obsessively on a Disney fan site.