Haunted Mansion Refurb to be dissapointing

[spaceghost]

Look, for as much crap as we give them, the powers that be aren't totally stupid. Its not like they're going to close down the ride for 3 months in the summer and NOT DO ANYTHING. If we were to use our x-ray specs this summer to peer inside the mansion, I'm pretty sure that we're not going to see 2 guys sitting there playing Go Fish (War maybe, but not Go Fish). If anything is evident in this, its that efficiency and profitability are 2 of management's key goals, so I'm sure whatever gets done is stuff that needed doing, with maybe some extra thrown in. I'm not really sure why this would be considered a bad thing...

 

[dopey]

Wouldn't it be cool if the Ghost Host were replaced by Eddie Murphy? :sohappy:

:lookaroun

 

[autumndawn1006]

Look, for as much crap as we give them, the powers that be aren't totally stupid. Its not like they're going to close down the ride for 3 months in the summer and NOT DO ANYTHING. If we were to use our x-ray specs this summer to peer inside the mansion, I'm pretty sure that we're not going to see 2 guys sitting there playing Go Fish (War maybe, but not Go Fish). If anything is evident in this, its that efficiency and profitability are 2 of management's key goals, so I'm sure whatever gets done is stuff that needed doing, with maybe some extra thrown in. I'm not really sure why this would be considered a bad thing...

Instead of x-rays specs maybe we could try a seance to ask Leota what's going on?

 

[Master__Gracey]

Wouldn't it be cool if the Ghost Host were replaced by Eddie Murphy? :sohappy:

:lookaroun

I sure hope you're joking!!! That would be the worst attraction change ever.:hurl:

 

[SeanC]

I don't understand the big rush to "enhance" rides as perfect as HM or POTC. I would love to see a technical refurb, new lighting, effect upgrades and doom buggy sound and NOTHING ELSE. I don't need new scenes, new characters, and I certainly don't want any of the old work removed. There's a reason these have been guest favorites for decades and I hope the guys in charge understand that.

Anyway, if they really have an itch to scratch with haunted attractions then get a bag of money for Tim Burton and Danny Elfman and go build a Nightmare Before Christmas ride at MGM.
:xmas:

Ummm....cheesy pop up ghouls in the attic with a bride with a red light in her chest or state of the art changing portraits in a creepy attic filled with props and a really cool morphing bride...

enhancements are essential for the life blood of any attraction

 

[ThumperDude]

Oh come on guys, them give a chance to at least start the rehab before we pan the thing. Perhaps someone will come up at the last minute with more cash to do all the updates they want. Like an eternal flame buring a copy of the DVD in the final scene.

 

[SeanC]

Lee seems pretty in the know about stuff like this...any thoughts you are comfortable sharing, Lee?

 

[cmatt]

rehab or rehash (as some would believe) is clearly needed. I think they will do an ok job tbh - but yes, i do believe wdw is a shadow of its former self (just in reference to my 1994 holiday video compared to 2006's)

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I think it's telling that you get so many WDW fans who are willing to shrug their shoulders and say "oh well, at least it's getting some care" or "it's already a good ride anyway". The expectations for WDW management are pretty low these days, and nobody seems to expect them to ever take the lead on improving any of their rides but instead would just be ecstatic if they brought them up to the standard that the other company-operated theme park complex in Anaheim maintains. How can it be that a park that's almost 36 years old looks older and more tired than a park that's almost 52 years old? How can a park with apparently lower attendence and less hotel and retail venues from which to draw revenue manage to both continue building new attractions at a higher standard and more often than MK and also continue to keep their older attractions at a higher standard than MK?

The mentality at WDW seems all wrong for running this sort of place. The attitude seems to be that if new promotions, attractions (at parks other than MK) and pricing keeps bringing guests to WDW and the park best positioned to benefit from that, MK, keeps producing good numbers then there's no need to improve anything. There's none of that idea that a show constantly needs to be kept fresh or the concern WDI shows for new attractions (and old ones at DL) keeping pace with new trends in entertainment and technology. If a ride like Pirates or Mansions keeps running and people keep going on it, why bother updating it from it's original 1971 state? The Small World rehab seemed like a sign this mentality was changing, but it so far hasn't been followed up as even Pirates had a less thorough rehab than DL after DL's already superior version had already received many technology upgrades over the years. We'll see whether things are looking different after the Mansion rehab.

Meanwhile, we keep hearing that DL is doing better numbers than WDW and will be the focus of US theme park development at Disney for the near future while WDW is a 'mature' resort with little potential for growth.

 

[marni1971]

Look, for as much crap as we give them, the powers that be aren't totally stupid. Its not like they're going to close down the ride for 3 months in the summer and NOT DO ANYTHING.

It`s not that they arn`t going to do anything. It`s the ammount they are going to do within the budget.

Thinking of the audio system alone, 160 Omnimovers. Say each one may have new speakers, wiring, and all 80 IR systems will be replaced. Say one team works on 2 cars a day. That`s 80 days alone - 2 1/2 months. Assuming they don`t get in the way of the (much needed) ride system work.

It soon adds up.

 

[christian31]

i wish it was open when i'm going, i like it with it's retro feel.............

 

[George]

It`s not that they arn`t going to do anything. It`s the ammount they are going to do within the budget.

Thinking of the audio system alone, 160 Omnimovers. Say each one may have new speakers, wiring, and all 80 IR systems will be replaced. Say one team works on 2 cars a day. That`s 80 days alone - 2 1/2 months. Assuming they don`t get in the way of the (much needed) ride system work.

It soon adds up.

That's a valid point. Time is only part of the equation. The other part is how many people or teams are going to be working on this? No matter what, this ride needs any TLC it can get. After my most recent trip (Jan/Feb of this year), I'm actually entertaining the idea of writing a letter to various Disney bigwigs expressing my concerns over MK. I will be sure to avoid inserting any ideas or original thoughts into the missive, cuz I now know that those thoughts will cause it to go unread.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

It`s not that they arn`t going to do anything. It`s the ammount they are going to do within the budget.

Thinking of the audio system alone, 160 Omnimovers. Say each one may have new speakers, wiring, and all 80 IR systems will be replaced. Say one team works on 2 cars a day. That`s 80 days alone - 2 1/2 months. Assuming they don`t get in the way of the (much needed) ride system work.

It soon adds up.

Plus... Are the workers Union?

That could get REALLY pricey. I know our foremen up here in Boston get $500+/day (that's including insurance and other dues but that's what it ends up costing)

 

[Lee]

Lee seems pretty in the know about stuff like this...any thoughts you are comfortable sharing, Lee?

Hopefully soon....but not yet.:wave:

 

[Thelazer]

Plus... Are the workers Union?

That could get REALLY pricey. I know our foremen up here in Boston get $500+/day (that's including insurance and other dues but that's what it ends up costing)

Lets not drag the old Pro VS Con union thing into this please.
Disney Management knows fully what costs are involved and I'm sure they have factored in what anyone working on the project will make.

BTW- It's NOT anything close to $500 a day. $500 a day is more like an outside contractor’s or consultants fee. As for the BVCC guys who will be doing the bulk of the work, maybe $20 an hour.

 

[dopey]

I sure hope you're joking!!! That would be the worst attraction change ever.:hurl:

:lol: Glad I thought of it! It would be funny, though... once.

 

[rwa2204]

Numbers game

All that management cares about is the all mighty dollar. They are a business afterall and a corporation just like any other. Lets not forget that. As long as attendance keeps going up in the parks. And more importantly the ride attendance they see no reason to make the needed changes that they did to the HM in DL. That is why 20K closed. Because attendance was down and it was too costly to maintain. The amount of money each land gets for improvements is based on attendance for each land as a whole not for a specific ride in that land.

Its just simply a numbers game. Why do you think Indiana Jones is still open after all these years. Because every show is always filled to the top.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

All that management cares about is the all mighty dollar. They are a business afterall and a corporation just like any other. Lets not forget that. As long as attendance keeps going up in the parks. And more importantly the ride attendance they see no reason to make the needed changes that they did to the HM in DL. That is why 20K closed. Because attendance was down and it was too costly to maintain. The amount of money each land gets for improvements is based on attendance for each land as a whole not for a specific ride in that land.

I'm sure you're right, but then why does Disneyland sink money into plussing still-popular old rides such as HM and Pirates from time to time? While a greater local audience does mean a more critical audience, the attendence generated by little generally unannounced improvements would be relatively insignificant. It just seems that DL management understands far better than WDW management that they're essentially running a show and any show, no matter how good it is, will need tweaks and adjustments to remain fresh. At DL they also seem to realise that there are a lot of intangibles in the entertainment business that won't necessarily show up in attendence or financial figures but which never-the-less contribute to the longterm health of a brand.

It's amazing that, what, more than a decade after Space Mountain at DL first got onboard audio the management at WDW still haven't bothered to add this relatively cheap upgrade to the WDW version because people are still queueing up for the old version with 1970s-level effects and theming. Giving guests a better experience doesn't even seem to enter into the equasion, yet ticket prices go up every year.

 

[jmvd20]

WDW has 4 parks, from what we have heard MGM and Epcot had dwindling attendance numbers while the MK stayed at the top in the early 90's. If you are in management what would you do, throw money at a park that is performing or try to give new life to the ones that are faltering?

Yes I know Disney has tons of money, but even a company with tons of money cannot fix everything at once - thus the need for budgets and future planning. It's just a part of business. WDW is much more than the theme parks and I can guarantee that management did indeed put thought into the decisions they made regarding the spending of funds.

Look at all of the work that has been done at Epcot in the last 10 years. This is the same time frame people are saying the MK has been "neglected". Add in Everest, new things at MGM, new resorts, water park, additions to Downtown Disney and you have a HUGE amount of improvements during that time for WDW as a whole.

Did the MK receive the same TLC during these years, no - however WDW has fixed or is currently fixing some of the problems that developed in the early 90's. Now it seems that the MK is starting to get the attention in terms of upgrades and repairs.

Just my opinion but I feel that people really ain't happy if they ain't complaining.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Lets not drag the old Pro VS Con union thing into this please.
Disney Management knows fully what costs are involved and I'm sure they have factored in what anyone working on the project will make.

BTW- It's NOT anything close to $500 a day. $500 a day is more like an outside contractor’s or consultants fee. As for the BVCC guys who will be doing the bulk of the work, maybe $20 an hour.

First off...I didn't mention anything about the Pro Vs. Con of a Union. I was just asking the question if Disney used Union workers.

Secondly...I was talking about BOSTON rates and I can surely fax you over the going rates for FOREMEN (not Journeymen) in the Boston area that are Union workers if you would like to PM me your number. (A foremen's current rate is roughly $68/hour (but, like I said, that includes insurance, and other things)... I'm not saying the guys take home $68/hour...I'm saying that's what it would cost a company to hire a Union Iron Worker. (I just used this as an example)

I'm sure Disney management does know the cost...I mean, who goes in and buys something without knowing the price of it? Of course they know the price. I was simply asking the question whether or not they use Union workers.