Meg and Co. Head West ...

[TP2000]

All I know is that a 500 million dollar Carsland-esque expansion was announced for WDW after she got the promotion. I expect more to come. No wonder the DL fan community fears her. :lol:

When it was announced, the Disneyland fan boards were alarmed simply because many of them have visited WDW in recent years and know what has become of the showmanship and quality standards out there under Meg's executive leadership. That's where the fear comes from, but as months go by and Disneyland continues being, well, Disneyland, Crofton falls further and further off the radar out here.

As for Avatarland.... Oh, come on jt!

Al Weiss announced his pending retirement on June 22nd and remained on the job until this past week, and Staggs and Cameron announced Avatarland back on September 20th. Surely you don't think that Human Resources Guru Meg Crofton somehow pulled together this creative Hollywood concept of getting Cameron on board with WDI to create Avatar lands in multiple theme parks around the world as her little summer project, do you? :lol:

 

[WDW1974]

As I said, I can't pretend to have the inside scoop on this one. But I have been around the corporate world for a few decades and know what it takes and what it means to have a giant executive pow-wow at one property, pulling in execs from several different divsions and sites from across the country. That's not exclusive to Disney, and it's easy to see what it takes to make that type of major executive event happen. Staggs had to have put that together.

I'm not sure how 'giant' this is. I haven't asked anyone and not sure I feel any strong need to as usually my sources come to me with news.

But I'd wonder how many WDW execs are there? Did every top WDW Ops VP make the trek? Did any? Is my old pal Phil Holmes there? How about NEXT GEN leader Jim MacPhee? What about Resorts head VP Kevin Myers? And DAK VP Michael Colglazier? And whomever is EPCOT's VP of the month?

If she has a huge entourage it is one thing. If it's Meg and 2-3 others and executive assistants then I would question the use of the word 'major' to describe the event.

The Anaheim Cast Members posting on other sites who are leaking what Anaheim management is saying quite smugly about this latest visit by Meg and nearly her entire executive team is also pretty easy to decipher.

What sites and what are they saying? Are the people with reps? Or those who appeared six months ago and swear they know what is coming to Avatarland and Shanghai etc?

And, again, I know Georgie K and TDA leak stuff. They were blindsided when Meg was put in a position over George. So, I am sure they're looking to spin anything in as positive a light possible to Anaheim.

Overall, this should be good news for TDO and WDW. But, as Cosmic Commando pointed out, this isn't the first time TDO execs have seen first-hand the growing difference in showmanship between Anaheim and Orlando and then did absolutely nothing about it. See the Pirates of the Caribbean rehab of 2006 as an example.

Ironically, Disneyland's Pirates is in the last month of a three month rehab this fall. This is the second multi-month rehab Disneyland's Pirates has had since the big Johnny Depp one in '06. In that same time since '06, WDW's Pirates has had just one 12-day rehab back in 2008. And now it shows. It's stuff like that where TDO's business model needs to change ASAP, and more visits to Anaheim should help them see the light.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions at all. TDO execs always visit Anaheim and are amazed at higher show standards, general quality etc. ... And they wonder why things aren't like that in O-Town (even though they once were). But then they head back east and return to the old ways and start planning more timeshares and more discounting.

~GFC~

 

[WDWFigment]

I have never put anyone on 'ignore' and won't start now. We should all be adults or mature teens and capable of reading AND IGNORING anyone's opinions provided they aren't personal attacks.
...

~GFC~

Emphasis mine.

Should is the operative word. That isn't the case here. I have a bad habit of reading posts in a thread without much regard for who wrote them. When particular posters time and time again waste my time with pointless, off-topic, and nonsensical drivel, I see no reason to continue to read said drivel.

Obviously you're more tolerant than me!

 

[WDW1974]

Rightly or wrongly, Disney as a company see WDW and DL very differently. It has been said many times by Disney Imagineers and execs that DLR has a 70% local visitor base, who can tolerate long closures of signature attractions. WDW has the exact opposite, and the wider visitor base expect the signature attractions to be open on their trip. I don't think we'll ever see WDW have the same number of refurbs and overlays as DLR does.

Steve, that number is actually closer to 60% in Anaheim (a figure I got from the current resort prez himself). It covers the area roughly from the Mexican border north to Santa Barbara and east to Palm Springs.

But I HATE when someone respected as yourself trots it out as an excuse for WDW to be allowed to decay and bad show to go on. Sorry, that's not the Disney Way. It's what has been allowed to become that because of entitlement menatlity guests and, much more significantly, management that will use them as an excuse to improve the bottom line.

Attractions need regular downtime. That is a FACT.

Attractions need regular maintainance. That is a FACT.

Closing anything on any day is going to upset some people. That is a FACT.

But someone will have to 'splain to a simple-minded Spirit such as myself why letting attractions and show fall apart (which eventually leads to longer and unplanned closures) is somehow the answer. And why back in WDW's first 25 MAGICal years when there were only 1-2-3 parks, how it was that attractions regularly were closed to be given the TLC they require. But now in the massive BIGGER IS BETTER four-gated huge mega-resort where it isn't unusual to have folks visit two and even three parks on a given day, that you can't shut things down and have them in top show quality EVERY day -- you know, the Disney Way.

That's what we all pay for and it isn't what we all have been getting for years.

~GFC~

 

[WDW1974]

very well said!! So many forget this, Disneyland is a local based park/resort. Orlando is different, and most Guests expect everything to be open when they visit. They don't care nor want to hear it's down for refurbishment. This will never change with the Orlando resort, unless it becomes just a locals based attraction.

UGH!!!!

Why this? Again?!?!

DL definitely attracts more locals (look at the population base of SoCal vs. Central Florida), but it is NOT, NOT, NOT a locals park.

Tell that to people who travel from Japan or Italy or Mexico or Hawaii or Michigan or Texas or NY ... or even FLORIDA!!!

And guests in Anaheim would like everything open when they are there too. It's human nature.

People need to grow up. This idea that everything must be open in O-Town is arrested development (and not the great TV show, either) on the part of folks who need to plan around things.

These are the same folks who will justify making a lunch reservation for March 2nd at 2:15 at Le Cellier tomorrow, but can't check to make sure PoC or ToT or KS or whatever their favorite attraction(s) is will be scheduled to be closed?!?!

I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. Pretty soon people will be booking character greetings from home. If they can do that, then they can damn well check to make sure enough of why they visit WDW is supposed to be open (and understand if something mechanical happens and the attraction closes anyway that that is simply life and deal with it).

The way some folks whine you'd think having Test Track and BTMRR closed next year is akin to getting cancer or losing a home.

People need to grow up. It really is that simple.

~GFC~

 

[ScoutN]

These are the same folks who will justify making a lunch reservation for March 2nd at 2:15 at Le Cellier tomorrow, but can't check to make sure PoC or ToT or KS or whatever their favorite attraction(s) is will be scheduled to be closed?!?!

I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. Pretty soon people will be booking character greetings from home. If they can do that, then they can damn well check to make sure enough of why they visit WDW is supposed to be open (and understand if something mechanical happens and the attraction closes anyway that that is simply life and deal with it).

The way some folks whine you'd think having Test Track and BTMRR closed next year is akin to getting cancer or losing a home.

People need to grow up. It really is that simple.

~GFC~

While I agree with this statement, there is a reason why they don't. If you book a trip via WDW website with a promotion relating to ADRs, they call attention to making them, correct? (Inquisition as I would have no idea. We never book trips conventionally.) I would expect them to since it is a part of the package. If Disney did not do that then would you expect the individuals to make reservations like they do? I know I wouldn't when everyone has a reminder programmed in a phone or other electronic for everything. It boils down to Disney does not email the guest a list of rehabs (but more than likely do for ADRs). It requires extra work, extra work most people could careless about until they are there.

Does the average guest care about the quality you speak of? Mind you society has become akin to gimmicks such as Jersey Shore and the like. As long as they are able to do then they are happy. Sadly I am sure you could turn off every AA inside of SSE and they would still go home raving about it. The fact the masses as a whole have had their standards drop and never experience the quality heyday has surely affected upkeep. To the average guest it is all about being able to do it and not experience it.

Allow me to pose this question. If it is widely regarded at DLR that its higher recurring guest population attribute to more regular downtime of attractions; wouldn't it only be natural to assume the mass of DVC owners at WDW would eventually manifest the same mindset as they visit more often?

I am replying in the middle of studying for a Vector Calculus test. My apologies if some items seem repetitive.

 

[Magenta Panther]

UGH!!!!

Why this? Again?!?!

DL definitely attracts more locals (look at the population base of SoCal vs. Central Florida), but it is NOT, NOT, NOT a locals park.

Tell that to people who travel from Japan or Italy or Mexico or Hawaii or Michigan or Texas or NY ... or even FLORIDA!!!

And guests in Anaheim would like everything open when they are there too. It's human nature.

People need to grow up. This idea that everything must be open in O-Town is arrested development (and not the great TV show, either) on the part of folks who need to plan around things.

These are the same folks who will justify making a lunch reservation for March 2nd at 2:15 at Le Cellier tomorrow, but can't check to make sure PoC or ToT or KS or whatever their favorite attraction(s) is will be scheduled to be closed?!?!

I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. Pretty soon people will be booking character greetings from home. If they can do that, then they can damn well check to make sure enough of why they visit WDW is supposed to be open (and understand if something mechanical happens and the attraction closes anyway that that is simply life and deal with it).

The way some folks whine you'd think having Test Track and BTMRR closed next year is akin to getting cancer or losing a home.

People need to grow up. It really is that simple.

~GFC~

Here's my take on the matter: I visited WDW in 2005 and rode the Haunted Mansion. It was a MESS. Shabby, some of the figures didn't move and the sound in my Doom Buggy was full of static. It was a sad sad ride that insulted my childhood memory of the Mansion. When I later learned that the Mansion was going to be refurbished, I was overjoyed. And when I visited the World in October 2007, where did I go first? ZOOM - to the Mansion, to see what had been accomplished. I was soooooooooooooo PLEASED. My point is, had I visited the World again after 2005 and found the Mansion closed for refurb, I would totally have understood and applauded it. I understand that rides sometimes have to be refreshed and updated. When I was a kid and visited WDW for the first time, the Tiki Room was closed and so was the Crystal Palace. I was a little disappointed (especially about the Tiki Room) but even then, as a kid, I understood. Mickey was making the Tiki Room better. And there was lots of other stuff to see and do.

Nowadays, so MANY people have heard about the broken Yeti in Everest, and I think that most people would understand if the ride were closed to fix it. Again, Disney could pretend that the Yeti escaped and make a fun idea out of it. Might even be a great PR campaign. Anyway, I've ridden Everest 4 times and I was so bummed that there was no discernible Yeti. It killed the ride for me. It's still kinda cool and all, but ultimately pointless. What could have been a ride to rival the magnificent Tower of Terror is now rather lame. Lame rides should not exist in Disney parks. So I say: close it. Fix it. I'll wait. After experiencing the Mansion before and after refurb, I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

It's not the paint that has traces of lead at Disneyland, it's the queue switchback stanchions, some stained glass windows, and the brass fixtures on the Carousel and Mark Twain Riverboat. All of those same things exist at WDW parks, but in California you get a lot more enviro-legal wackos who can breed in the more liberal political landscape here compared to the more conservative and pro-business landscape in Florida.

The brass poles on the Carousel that have traces of lead in them also exist at WDW. Luckily, WDW isn't in their crosshairs on this one.

Just another reason your kids shouldn't be licking the light fixtures on the riverboat. If that's what has these people all worked up in CA, I really wonder what it's like to be inside their head.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Now see, I keep hearing figures like "70%" locals at Disneyland from pretty much everyone but someone who actually works for Disney. It's a topic that interests me, and in all my research on it I just can't find anyone going on record about the demographics skewing that high towards the SoCal locals living betweeen Santa Barbara and San Diego.

If you know of a web link to a quote from a Disney leader who recently stated such a thing, I would be forever thankful. Otherwise, I'll just have to fall back on my previous hunch that is quite different than 70% locals...

In my very amateur opinion after spending years at the Anaheim parks regularly and chatting with lots of folks in the queues and such, I would guess that no more than 50% of the people at Disneyland live within 150 miles of the place. At least 30% are Americans from states beyond California, 5% are from Canada, and 15% are from Europe or other Pacific Rim countries (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Southeast Asia, etc.).

The demographic differences between WDW and DLR are a fascinating way to excuse declining showmanship quality, though. Using that as an excuse, it would seem that WDW would never be able to close anything for a rehab ever. How did WDW survive that one summer when Haunted Mansion was closed for 3 months? Or the big Space Mountain closure? Somehow, they did, and the place is better for it. It would be nice if they kept that up, but it only seems to come in tiny bursts every few years at WDW. A very odd way to do business. :veryconfu

I, too, am skeptical of this 70/30, 30/70 split at DLR and WDW, but that is what Jason Surrell said it was at a recent presentation. So, I guess, there's your confirmation. He is definitely not one to toe the company line, so I think it's at least close to accurate.

With the increase in DVC members and Chicago/New York AP holders at Walt Disney World, and DLR's attempts at decreasing the AP population at DLR, plus DCA's (basically) grand reopening next year that is bound to draw more tourists, I think the gap could close substantially in the coming years.

Steve, that number is actually closer to 60% in Anaheim (a figure I got from the current resort prez himself). It covers the area roughly from the Mexican border north to Santa Barbara and east to Palm Springs.

I can't recall with absolute certainty that I heard a noteworthy Disney employee mention the difference in the "crowds" at Disney World and Disneyland, but my fuzzy recollection is that it was mentioned at D23. I had obviously heard it prior to then, but I feel that this was either mentioned by John Lasseter in the Carsland presentation, or someone in the Imagineering Legends presentation.

I highly doubt the percentages are inverses of one another - that math is far too simplified to be true. However, having toured Disneyland the crowds are certainly different as evident by the touring patterns. It picks up more at night in California whereas in Florida the crowds taper off.

Having said all that, whether it be Disneyland or Disney World, there is no defense in letting maintenance slip. Disneyland can operate much in the same way Tokyo operates with regards to attraction downtime - the attraction lineup is deeper from a per park basis that the crowds can be absorbed during a length refurbishment. Furthermore, the parks elsewhere in the world are closer than they are in Florida. If your day at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World is cut shorter because Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain are both under refurbishment it would take you 45 minutes to get to another park. In California you can walk from Paradise Pier to Mickey's Toontown in 15-20 minutes.

I know people have complained that they would rather see Disney fix what they have before expanding into new areas. The problem is that expansion is necessary to absorb crowds when other options aren't available. The lack of proper expansion is why why Expedition Everest sits with a $15 million stuff animal. The lack of proper expansion is why Splash Mountain only goes down for a month to fix issues. If Florida had things like Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Tours, Submarine Voyage, The Matterhorn or other D/E ticket level attractions in their lineup it would be a lot easier to take something offline for proper refurbishments.

 

[TP2000]

I can't recall with absolute certainty that I heard a noteworthy Disney employee mention the difference in the "crowds" at Disney World and Disneyland, but my fuzzy recollection is that it was mentioned at D23. I had obviously heard it prior to then, but I feel that this was either mentioned by John Lasseter in the Carsland presentation, or someone in the Imagineering Legends presentation.

I highly doubt the percentages are inverses of one another - that math is far too simplified to be true. However, having toured Disneyland the crowds are certainly different as evident by the touring patterns. It picks up more at night in California whereas in Florida the crowds taper off.

I've noticed the nightly crowd surge at Disneyland/DCA compared to the tapering off at WDW parks. But I don't think that has to do with demographics so much as it has to do with nightly entertainment rosters. At WDW each park has just one major nightly event in each park, or none at all at DAK. But in Anaheim you've got two parks crammed directly next to each other that each have two major nightly spectaculars, for a total of four major events and several smaller nightime-exclusive offerings.

At Disneyland/DCA on a busy night when Disneyland closes at Midnight (happening far more often than it does at Magic Kingdom Park) you've got the following nighttime events happening all within a 15 minute stroll of each other;

Fantasmic! at 9:00PM and 10:30PM
Disneyland fireworks at 9:30PM
World of Color at 9:00PM and 10:15PM
elecTRONica from 7:00PM to 10:00PM
plus
dancing to big band orchestras at Plaza Gardens 8:00PM to 11:30PM
dancing to live rock bands at Tomorrowland Terrace 8:00PM to 11:30PM
big-name concerts at House of Blues at Downtown Disney
various high-end restaurants and lounges at the hotels and Downtown Disney

That big list of mega-entertainment and smaller-scale entertainment all crammed within a 15 minute stroll of each other makes for surging crowds excitedly moving from one venue to another in Anaheim. You just don't get that at WDW.

You couldn't pair two or three parks at WDW and come up with the same nightly roster of major entertainment that Disneyland Resort has, let alone pair just two WDW parks that are literally within a few minutes stroll of each other. That only-in-Anaheim dynamic makes for very festive crowds at night, and directly relates to the old Disneyland slogan "Daytime is fun, but nighttime is magic!".

The problem is that expansion is necessary to absorb crowds when other options aren't available. The lack of proper expansion is why why Expedition Everest sits with a $15 million stuff animal. The lack of proper expansion is why Splash Mountain only goes down for a month to fix issues. If Florida had things like Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Tours, Submarine Voyage, The Matterhorn or other D/E ticket level attractions in their lineup it would be a lot easier to take something offline for proper refurbishments.

Quite true. There's still a stunning lack of attractions at Magic Kingdom Park compared to Disneyland. And now even DCA, especially by next summer, will have more attractions and more E Tickets than most WDW parks have. When you don't really have enough attractions to absorb the crowds you get each year, it's easy to see why they get so scared about rehabs at WDW.

And yet, you would think the answer to that problem would be to add more attractions to the WDW parks. A lot more. And FLE doesn't add much, it just replaces stuff that is already there or that was shut down without replacement back in the 1990's. :veryconfu

 

[thelookingglass]

UGH!!!!

Why this? Again?!?!

DL definitely attracts more locals (look at the population base of SoCal vs. Central Florida), but it is NOT, NOT, NOT a locals park.

Tell that to people who travel from Japan or Italy or Mexico or Hawaii or Michigan or Texas or NY ... or even FLORIDA!!!

And guests in Anaheim would like everything open when they are there too. It's human nature.

People need to grow up. This idea that everything must be open in O-Town is arrested development (and not the great TV show, either) on the part of folks who need to plan around things.

These are the same folks who will justify making a lunch reservation for March 2nd at 2:15 at Le Cellier tomorrow, but can't check to make sure PoC or ToT or KS or whatever their favorite attraction(s) is will be scheduled to be closed?!?!

I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. Pretty soon people will be booking character greetings from home. If they can do that, then they can damn well check to make sure enough of why they visit WDW is supposed to be open (and understand if something mechanical happens and the attraction closes anyway that that is simply life and deal with it).

The way some folks whine you'd think having Test Track and BTMRR closed next year is akin to getting cancer or losing a home.

People need to grow up. It really is that simple.

~GFC~

Well said!

"I don't care if every single one of the effects in Test Track is broken (which is pretty close to becoming true, mind you), I want it open when I'm there, dammit!!"

 

[lazyboy97o]

Operationally, Disneyland being a "locals" park creates a greater need for attractions to be open. Increased crowds and lack of space means that closed attractions are taking away capacity that is becoming more valuable with each day.

If it was discovered that the rides at the WDW Fantasyland contained traces of lead paint you can bet we would be hearing how bad TDO is and how heads should roll. But when it is Disneyland that has this problem we hear nothing from those same people.

The hypocrisy is sickening at times. :hurl:

It's not the paint that has traces of lead at Disneyland, it's the queue switchback stanchions, some stained glass windows, and the brass fixtures on the Carousel and Mark Twain Riverboat. All of those same things exist at WDW parks, but in California you get a lot more enviro-legal wackos who can breed in the more liberal political landscape here compared to the more conservative and pro-business landscape in Florida.

The brass poles on the Carousel that have traces of lead in them also exist at WDW. Luckily, WDW isn't in their crosshairs on this one.

The "group" (some evidence suggests it is a shell used by a single law firm) is trying to assert it a problem in Walt Disney World as well, noting the use of similar materials. The biggest difference is Proposition 65. The Mateel Environment Justice Foundation is all about suing large companies over Proposition 65 and its accusations regarding Disneyland have yet to independently verified.

 

[Neverland]

I'm not sure if anyone remembers, but around this time last year, the teacups, Pooh, and Small World were all closed. That's almost half the attractions in Fantasyland, and two of them are VERY famous.

Multiple rehabs do happen, and guests were irate. I can't tell you how many vacations were 'ruined'. "I only brought my child here so he could ride the teacups!" "The only reason I took this vacation was because I always wanted to see It's a Small World!!" "THIS IS RIDICULOUS. Winnie the Pooh is my favorite ride; I won't do anything else in the Magic Kingdom."

What's actually ridiculous is that these people didn't check to see if 'the only ride they came to WDW for' would be open...

Well said!

"I don't care if every single one of the effects in Test Track is broken (which is pretty close to becoming true, mind you), I want it open when I'm there, dammit!!"

Too true. When the teacups were getting their new roof last year, guests were actually asking if they could just go in through the refurb walls and ride. With the roof in shambles and under construction.

 

[Atomicmickey]

Fun aside that is somewhat pertinent here.

First time to Disneyland in 1972 as a kid--friends of mine who had been saying POTC is "the best ride ever!".

Closed for refurb.

Flash forward 10 years. College trip to WDW.

Pirates closed for refurb.

Finally, on my Honeymoon, got to ride Pirates in WDW. Hoorah!
(I have since been back to WDW umpteen times and been on it umpteen times three times, lol)

Many years later, got to go to Disneyland again. Pirates OPEN! Finally.
So I have been on it that one time.

And now--I just found out for work on Friday that I need to go to LA TODAY, and can probably take Tuesday of this week at Disneyland. I was so looking forward, mostly, to riding DL's Pirates--more elaborate, etc. and hoped to eat at the Blue Bayou.

Pirates CLOSED. Blue Bayou CLOSED.

I tell ya. It's a curse, arrrrr.

Oh, I suppose I'll find something else to do in Disneyland, but my vacation is RUINED! :lol:

 

[drew81]

Rightly or wrongly, Disney as a company see WDW and DL very differently. It has been said many times by Disney Imagineers and execs that DLR has a 70% local visitor base, who can tolerate long closures of signature attractions. WDW has the exact opposite, and the wider visitor base expect the signature attractions to be open on their trip. I don't think we'll ever see WDW have the same number of refurbs and overlays as DLR does.

Part of that thinking from TDO is why we get stuck with the same parade year after year. And then Disneyland gets new entertainment on a regular basis.

 

[Skipper03]

UGH!!!!

Why this? Again?!?!

DL definitely attracts more locals (look at the population base of SoCal vs. Central Florida), but it is NOT, NOT, NOT a locals park.


~GFC~

Well imagineering quotes guests at 70% locals & 30% out of area for DL. Versus the opposite numbers for WDW.

We all know that the intention/spirit of the park isn't just for locals, but just raw numbers show the reason for that generalization. Florida also pulls a ton of people from Europe... Look how Disney caters to APHolders in DL vs WDW.

 

[rob0519]

Does the average guest care about the quality you speak of? Mind you society has become akin to gimmicks such as Jersey Shore and the like. As long as they are able to do then they are happy. Sadly I am sure you could turn off every AA inside of SSE and they would still go home raving about it. The fact the masses as a whole have had their standards drop and never experience the quality heyday has surely affected upkeep. To the average guest it is all about being able to do it and not experience it.

I'm afraid this sadly has become the norm. The average guest, the first time guest, the guest that is making their one and only ever visit don't know nor care about the quality that used to be WDW.

It is such a marvelous place to them them, that they will accept it for what it is, burned out light bulbs, peeling paint, non-functioning animatronics, overpriced bland food, overpriced generic souvenirs and whatever other issues regular visitors and people who remember the old days complain about.

The parks are getting older, the attractions are getting older, the entire World needs to get back to a better maintenance schedule and standard. It's going to take a few executives with some courage to stand up to shareholders and tell them to bite the bullet while they fix what may be the greatest tourist destination for families on the planet.

 

[wdwmagic]

Now see, I keep hearing figures like "70%" locals at Disneyland from pretty much everyone but someone who actually works for Disney. It's a topic that interests me, and in all my research on it I just can't find anyone going on record about the demographics skewing that high towards the SoCal locals living betweeen Santa Barbara and San Diego.

If you know of a web link to a quote from a Disney leader who recently stated such a thing, I would be forever thankful. Otherwise, I'll just have to fall back on my previous hunch that is quite different than 70% locals...

You can hear it from Jason Surrell, Walt Disney Imagineering. Take note that this is not someone who is in operations, but someone in creative who obviously does not sugar coat operational issues. DLR is 70% locals, 30% outside. WDW is directly the opposite.

Here it is from the man himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZCNYdHZpPH4#t=737s

 

[asianway]

It's a nice sound bite - too nice actually. I don't think WDW could approach 30% local visitors with the Orlando population being what it is-unless they're lumping repeat visitors in somehow.

 

[wdwmagic]

Steve, that number is actually closer to 60% in Anaheim (a figure I got from the current resort prez himself). It covers the area roughly from the Mexican border north to Santa Barbara and east to Palm Springs.

But I HATE when someone respected as yourself trots it out as an excuse for WDW to be allowed to decay and bad show to go on. Sorry, that's not the Disney Way. It's what has been allowed to become that because of entitlement menatlity guests and, much more significantly, management that will use them as an excuse to improve the bottom line.

Attractions need regular downtime. That is a FACT.

Attractions need regular maintainance. That is a FACT.

Closing anything on any day is going to upset some people. That is a FACT.

But someone will have to 'splain to a simple-minded Spirit such as myself why letting attractions and show fall apart (which eventually leads to longer and unplanned closures) is somehow the answer. And why back in WDW's first 25 MAGICal years when there were only 1-2-3 parks, how it was that attractions regularly were closed to be given the TLC they require. But now in the massive BIGGER IS BETTER four-gated huge mega-resort where it isn't unusual to have folks visit two and even three parks on a given day, that you can't shut things down and have them in top show quality EVERY day -- you know, the Disney Way.

That's what we all pay for and it isn't what we all have been getting for years.

~GFC~

Despite why you, me, and others may think is the best way of operating, WDW management have determined that the way they want to run WDW is with as many attractions open at all times as possible. As has been said many times before, this is a distinct difference to how Disneyland operates, due to its mainly local guest base. I think if you were to survey the 6000 guests who saw Fantasmic the other night with no dragon, and no sorcerer Mickey, 5900 of them would have said they would rather see it operate like that than not at all.

Now before you say I'm making excuses, I reiterate, this is Disney's decision on how they run things. I'm not saying I think it is right, I would rather them close it and have everything running 100%. Unfortunately the vast majority, which is what Disney caters to, do not share this view. These guests have just spent an average of $7000 on their bi-annual Disney vacation (which is now the average spend, frequency), and they expect Fant to run, they expect Everest to run, and at the end of the day when they measure the enjoyment of their trip, those outages don't make an impact. We can complain, moan all we want, it isn't going to change when our view is not that of the masses.