You all know that the Walt Disney Company is a business. It is not all about building theme park attractions.
The thing that gets me is how many people complain on this message board about things. Now sure the way some things have been let go or have actually gotten worse is one thing, but there are tons of other things Disney has to worry about and spend money on than just adding new rides & attractions.
What about the improvements to the street gutters outside the restrooms on Sunset Blvd at Hollywood Studios so that when the wet summer season comes, the streets don't flood and people complain?
Everything can't be built and fixed at once, but Disney is constantly repainting, replacing concrete, replacing things, and updating infrastructure.
At Hollywood Studios alone in the past few months, things I can think of include:
-TONS of pavement replacement (Hollywood blvd, in front of Indy, in front of hat, curbs on Sunset, near Streets of America, near Hollywood & Vine, etc)
-Roof work to Tower of Terror
-Refurbishment of Studio Catering (with new facilities in back, new menu, new signs)
-Refurbishment of Catastrophe Canyon on the Backlot Tour
-New metal grates on Streets of America
-Automatic sensors for the urinals in Brown Derby male restroom.
-Updated billboards throughout back half of the park (Good Morning America, World News with Diane Sawyer, ShaqCactus, Honey, I Shrunk, Ponyo, Princess & Frog, etc)
-Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground reburbishments
-Great Movie Ride sign refurbishment (Remove Coca-Cola part)
-Little Mermaid sign update (backdrop, added characters, and refurbished sign)
-Painting of the Tower of Terror "Valet Parking" wall
-Painting inside Toy Story queue to repair damage
-New storm gutter grates on Sunset Blvd in places
-Princess & the Frog & Toy Story 3 updates to Magic of Disney Animation
-Refurbishment of fire hydrants on Streets of America
-Refurbishment of old traffic lights on Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd
-Trash can replacement
-Lots of landscaping changes (cold snap replacement, tree removal around hub, seasonal flower changes, landscaping pruning at Tower of Terror, new landscaping near Backlot Exit)
-American Idol Audition entrance changes
-New soap dispensers in the Rock n' Roller Coaster restrooms. (less waste through leaky soap)
-New paper towel dispensers in 50s Prime Time restrooms.
-Tower of Terror neon light replacement
-Sushi now being offered at Staring Rolls Cafe. (after hearing guest feedback)
-Upgrades Christmas lights for Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (updated technology, more energy efficient)
-Minor Little Mermaid queue changes
-Flooring replacement in Studio 1 Company Store near Muppet Vision.
-Christmas Carol life-size Christmas Card set up around Christmas
-Hannah Montana's Chicken Coop to Backlot Tour
-Luxo Jr. in Pixar Place completed
I can't even think of anymore, and this is doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. You have more I didn't mention, plus you have other parks and the resorts and transportation and marketing such as property entrance work, Space Mountain, pool refurbishments, Epcot additions, etc)
And for those of you arguing that Disney normally does all that and was still able to build new things, well, we are in a different economy these days and cuts have had to be made and Disney is not exempt from it all.
So next time you complain that things like Sounds Dangerous are sitting unused when Disney could add something there or that things are not taken care of as they used to, just remember that you are forget the little things. The money that is spent on supplies, behind the scenes work, little updates, labor, and goes to other aspects of the company and the resort.
