MK Upgrades

[darthjohnny]

If you're referring to Tom Sawyer Island when saying TSI, I'm still a bit skeptical. Al Lutz claims they will do an awful lot in a very short amount of time, which seems unreal to me.

Also, everyone says Al Lutz has "very good sources" but no one ever can say what his sources are. Plus Al Lutz never qualifies his statements much and say they are still "rumors." Instead, he just gives them to you as facts.

Also I find it funny that if Al Lutz didn't exist, and if Disneyland's rides were never renewed and "updated," I don't think anyone would be talking about how Magic Kingdom needs an update. Just my opinion.

 

[marni1971]

If Disneylands attractions wern`t updated and rehabbed after Pressler and Harris left, they`d be condemed by now - with WDWs not far behind. It came as a shock that pre-preventative maintainence can actually SAVE money in the long run. And that they don`t just maintain themselves.

In all fairness, Al Lutz is also forwarding the reports of there`s too much to do on TSI DLC in too little time. One other thing; of course he`ll never divulge his sources. Most people with contacts won`t.

 

[tirian]

It's not necessarily a contradiction. The Miceage guys are great but often can be viewed as being picky regarding what needs to be changed. Since the topic at hand is subjective, opinions can vary across a spectrum or sliding scale.

I don't want to speak for Tirian, but I took his post to mean "MK definitely needs work, but it's in better shape than the MiceAge guys tend to lead you to believe."

And you were correct.

That said, I'm glad that there are people like Al Lutz keeping a watchdog eye on Disney. Any large company that is supposed to provide a creatively produced escape for the public NEEDS to know what the public really thinks! Unfortunately, the Parks and Resorts division really does have many execs who don't understand that spending money on legitimate attractions will generate more income.

 

[mickey04]

If you're referring to Tom Sawyer Island when saying TSI, I'm still a bit skeptical. Al Lutz claims they will do an awful lot in a very short amount of time, which seems unreal to me.

Also, everyone says Al Lutz has "very good sources" but no one ever can say what his sources are. Plus Al Lutz never qualifies his statements much and say they are still "rumors." Instead, he just gives them to you as facts.

Also I find it funny that if Al Lutz didn't exist, and if Disneyland's rides were never renewed and "updated," I don't think anyone would be talking about how Magic Kingdom needs an update. Just my opinion.

Actually if you read his latest article, he talks about how the make-over for May will be minimal as there just isn't enough time, with a longer refurbishment hopefully coming later. Also, Lutz doesn't reveal his sources because if he did, he would no longer have any.

As for the last part, for the sake of argument I'll say you're right, had DL not received the attention it did with Lutz to cover and perhaps even instigate some of it, we probably wouldn't be focusing on MK as much. But the fact is Disney set the standard of what can be done to bring a park back to its former glory through proper care, maintainence, and general "plussing" of attractions. The attitude in FL seems to be "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" whereas in CA it's "Let's see what we can do to make this better."

And I understand the customer base is different (locals vs. tourists), and I don't expect the kind of frequent updates that DL gets, it's unrealistic. But the Jungle Cruise, HM, Space Mountain, they haven't changed in thirty five years! In addition to that, there are areas of the park that just look neglected, and there's no excuse for that. I'm not someone who goes around looking for peeling paint or burnt out lightbulbs, but sometimes it's hard to miss. Again, I love the MK and have a very enjoyable time when I'm there, but there are constant reminders that this park needs some serious TLC.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Sometimes I wonder if they wouldn't be better off just shutting down the park for a week and taking care of some stuff that is really necessary maintenance. It might make everything go fater, and the inconvenience of shutting at least an area down would certainly be worth the trouble if it jumpstarted the process.

 

[Buford]

If you're referring to Tom Sawyer Island when saying TSI, I'm still a bit skeptical. Al Lutz claims they will do an awful lot in a very short amount of time, which seems unreal to me.

Also, everyone says Al Lutz has "very good sources" but no one ever can say what his sources are. Plus Al Lutz never qualifies his statements much and say they are still "rumors." Instead, he just gives them to you as facts.

Also I find it funny that if Al Lutz didn't exist, and if Disneyland's rides were never renewed and "updated," I don't think anyone would be talking about how Magic Kingdom needs an update. Just my opinion.

look up his original PotC and HM articles which described in detail the changes that came to fruition many months later...

...also, when he describes things as facts, it could be a FACT that Disney is considering or planning on doing X or Y... whereas X or Y may not actually happen. that's just the nature of WDI and the WDC as a whole....

 

[Lee]

If Disneylands attractions wern`t updated and rehabbed after Pressler and Harris left, they`d be condemed by now -

Or, in the case of Space Mountain...there would likely be badly injured (if not worse) guests.....

 

[Ralphlaw]

Al Lutz, in his 1/9/07 Miceage.com update, talks about the run down condition of many MK rides like the JC, HM and Space Mt.

Look, would it kill the first person on the thread to write out the acronyms? After several minutes of circling the park in my head, I finally determined that JC means Jungle Cruise, and I have since calculated that HM probably means Haunted Mansion. I have spent at least 10 days at Magic Kingdom in the last 4 years, and rode Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion less than 2 months ago.

If you want to communcate, (which means saying something that other people actually understand), why not write out the names the first name. Use the abbreviations for subsequent comments.

After all, how happy would you be with a Doctor who said your BUN is causing HTL, so we'll keep an eye on your BSE? That Doctor is talking, but he's not communicating. As a lawyer, I speak to my colleagues by saying such things as, "The ADA is offering a plea of NC to a DC in light of the CHIPS, no PSI." But when I talk to a non'lawyer, I explain the shorthand. Please, everybody, let's do the same thing here.

 

[marni1971]

Look, would it kill the first person on the thread to write out the acronyms?

Did you try a thread search? They are all listed :wave:

Guess not, so look here http://www.wdwmagic.com/acronyms.htm - it`s a lot easier than saying before Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party we did Honey, I shrunk the Audience and missed Reflections of Eaeth. Glad we went to Epcot since Who Wants to be a Millionare - Play It was closed and the queue for Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was worse then MuppetVision 3D or The Great Movie Ride....

 

[JimboJones123]

SM is always a fun one ---

 

[Mr Disney]

Random food for thought... Does anybody remember that (I was on Yesterland reading last night) when they totally rehabbed Tomorrowland that severe mistakes were made to the land as a whole (PeopleMover, Rocket Rods, CircleVision)? It wasted a whole lot of time and money in the long run... Not to mention the old PM/RR track above Tomorrowland is just sitting there! Let's hope our Imagineers learned from experience if they're going to rehab DW's Magic Kingdom. :wave:

 

[mrtoad]

A lot of the MK needs updating... that's for certain. However, held up pretty well, given it's 70's pedigree

Tomorrowland (ALL of it), needs yet another makeover... not just Space Mountain.

I have to agree on both parts. On the first one though they did let a lot slide a while back and caused damage that could have been less like fixing rusty railings when they start to rust rather than wait until they are so far gone they need to be replaced.

On the Tomorrowland makeover, I do find it has been lacking for some time. I really like some of the stuff there but as a whole it kind of feels empty. I don't mind the look of it and think it does not need an upgrade there but needs more punch in terms of what there is to do there. It is such a large land yet not much to fill it's vast space.

 

[mrtoad]

If Disneylands attractions wern`t updated and rehabbed after Pressler and Harris left, they`d be condemed by now - with WDWs not far behind. It came as a shock that pre-preventative maintainence can actually SAVE money in the long run. And that they don`t just maintain themselves.

In all fairness, Al Lutz is also forwarding the reports of there`s too much to do on TSI DLC in too little time. One other thing; of course he`ll never divulge his sources. Most people with contacts won`t.

I agree by performing preventative maintainence on anything will save money in the end and quite a bit was neglected over time and so in the end costs way more to fix and takes way more time in the end.

 

[Donfan]

When?

Since everyone seems pretty convinced that there will be a rehab of MK, does anyone have any tentative dates for all this activity. Some of us will be visiting, and are hoping it won't be while we are there. Thanks.

 

[Buford]

Since everyone seems pretty convinced that there will be a rehab of MK, does anyone have any tentative dates for all this activity. Some of us will be visiting, and are hoping it won't be while we are there. Thanks.

well, it should be attraction by attraction.... rumors are that the Haunted Mansion should be going down first with Space Mountain and Jungle Cruise to follow..... (remember that it's a small world and Pirates of the Caribbean have already been given big rehabs)

 

[Lee]

well, it should be attraction by attraction.... rumors are that the Haunted Mansion should be going down first with Space Mountain and Jungle Cruise to follow)

Actually, it looks now like Jungle...then Mansion...then (maybe) Space.

 

[darthjohnny]

Look, would it kill the first person on the thread to write out the acronyms? After several minutes of circling the park in my head, I finally determined that JC means Jungle Cruise, and I have since calculated that HM probably means Haunted Mansion. I have spent at least 10 days at Magic Kingdom in the last 4 years, and rode Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion less than 2 months ago.

If you want to communcate, (which means saying something that other people actually understand), why not write out the names the first name. Use the abbreviations for subsequent comments.

After all, how happy would you be with a Doctor who said your BUN is causing HTL, so we'll keep an eye on your BSE? That Doctor is talking, but he's not communicating. As a lawyer, I speak to my colleagues by saying such things as, "The ADA is offering a plea of NC to a DC in light of the CHIPS, no PSI." But when I talk to a non'lawyer, I explain the shorthand. Please, everybody, let's do the same thing here.

I have to agree with you. I think it should be Thread Etiquette that when an attraction is first brought into the conversation, it should be written out fully, then can be abbreviated. This is for the consideration of newer members, people who aren't familiar with the rides, and even for some of the veterants. I had to sit for a while to figure out what TSI meant. Sometimes people will abbreviate the full name, like WWTBAMPI, really stands for Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Play It. It could be easier if everyone just said "Millionaire."

As for Al Lutz not revealing his "sources," a good reporter should always reveal his sources, so he/she can be legitimate to his/her readers and can show he is not simply making stuff up.

Why can't Al Lutz tell where he got his info? Does he or his "sources" have anything to hide? Does Al Lutz work out of his basement, keeping his dark secrets? Why not just say, "Imagineers are discussing this" or "the Walt Disney Company is thinking about adding that."

Until he reveals where he got his sources, I can only consider Al Lutz as recently getting lucky.

 

[TP2000]

Why can't Al Lutz tell where he got his info? Does he or his "sources" have anything to hide? Does Al Lutz work out of his basement, keeping his dark secrets? Why not just say, "Imagineers are discussing this" or "the Walt Disney Company is thinking about adding that."

Until he reveals where he got his sources, I can only consider Al Lutz as recently getting lucky.

It's clearly obvious where Lutz gets his sources from. He uses "TDA" or "WDI" a dozen or more times in each article as sources. (My apologies to the lawyer here who isn't up on standard Disney acronyms.)

Do you really, truly expect Al Lutz to say "Joe Smith in WDI is considering" instead of "WDI is considering" or "Mary Jones in TDA's Marketing department on the 3rd floor near the Xerox machine has stated" instead of "Buzz around TDA is"? If Al Lutz started naming his sources, his sources would be fired and go silent within days. And then all we would have to talk about is the new condiment bar at Tomorrowland Terrace or the different bedspreads recently installed at the Polynesian.

Personally, in my opinion, if WDW had an Al Lutz of their own their standards wouldn't have fallen as low as they have in the first place.

 

[MAF]

1970's embarassments? ???

 

[Scar Junior]

I
As for Al Lutz not revealing his "sources," a good reporter should always reveal his sources, so he/she can be legitimate to his/her readers and can show he is not simply making stuff up.

Why can't Al Lutz tell where he got his info? Does he or his "sources" have anything to hide? Does Al Lutz work out of his basement, keeping his dark secrets? Why not just say, "Imagineers are discussing this" or "the Walt Disney Company is thinking about adding that."

Until he reveals where he got his sources, I can only consider Al Lutz as recently getting lucky.

That's very naive. Ever hear of "Deep Throat"? I guess Water Gate was broken by "bad reporters" then, huh? You, nor I, nor anyone is in a position to question anyone's sources. If you don't belive them without a name, that that's your deal. Chances are you won't know who the source is anyway.

Edit: That applies to not just the Mice Age guys...