No New Star Tours or Mermaid

[HMF]

This whole thing has me a bit bothered. WDW could use a little new blood, especially in something as stale as Star Tours (which i wish now I'd added to my list of things needing work). And for real, we need the Little Mermaid ride.

Here's my thing. People seem to be more obsessed about the magic of DL over WDW. There's countless albums and collections documenting DL, whereas there is infinitely less for WDW, and I know DL has like 16 years on WDW, but come on. WDW has so much more to it, and I dunno. I feel like WDW could use the sttraction more. There is so much negativity aimed at WDW and it could really use the win. I don't believe that "management" has the power to permanantly WDW's needed growth. Sigh. I just....ugh.

I've been to WDW and DL. DL was magical, but the names say it all. Disneyland is a magical, beautiful "land." You can finish it up in 3-4 days (which is how I did everything in the two parks (excepting some of the kiddie stuff, and one or two things closed in DCA). Walt Disney World is just that - it's a massive, sprawling world of magic and fun and you can't hope to do everything in a week. I know that I just said it all - DL needs more to make it last longer, while WDW has a ton, but more people more frequently visit WDW, it needs new things, changes to make the average person want to come back.

Sigh. I hope Al Lutz is wrong. What's his usual accuracy rating?
-Nicholas

He is usually very accurate. WDW has been getting the short end of the stick because they don't have to spend 1.2 Billion Dollars to fix that disater known as Disney's California Adventure.

 

[KingdomHeart]

He is usually very accurate. WDW has been getting the short end of the stick because they don't have to spend 1.2 Billion Dollars to fix that disater known as Disney's California Adventure.

A lot higher than many WDW fanbois would like to believe.

Al gets it right the vast majority of the time.

Oh sad. Well, thank you for responding!
-Nicholas

 

[DoctorPrius]

If you have issues with WDW's more conservative than Sarah Palin management sitting on their hands instead of investing in their parks, then I feel your pain.

But don't take it out on DLR or any other Disney resort worldwide.

Blame the people who are letting the parks grow stale because they are the problem.

How can we as consumers (and in my case, shareholders) put pressure on the Walt Disney Company to change their management style and rethink the way they operate the Walt Disney World resort?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

How can we as consumers (and in my case, shareholders) put pressure on the Walt Disney Company to change their management style and rethink the way they operate the Walt Disney World resort?

Not give them money is the best bet.

 

[Orange Bird]

What Al Lutz says is basically correct, but to put all the blame on the “WDW managers” is unfair. Disneyland/DCA have multiple outspoken passionate supporters including John Lasseter and Tony Baxter. They have a very smart and capable creative executive in Bob Weis, and they have a local audience that cries foul whenever they take a step inconsistent with the standards Disney is known for. WDW has none of these things. It has people who have the same roles at WDW that Tony and Bob have at Disneyland, but these individuals are not passionate supporters of WDW.

Animal Kingdom has an outspoken passionate supporter in Joe Rohde, but the rest of WDW has been assigned to “creative executives” who do not really care that much. Within the current corporate culture of Disney, it is the job of the “WDW managers” to push back on WDI and demand that they make their case. Outside of Animal Kingdom there is no one making the case for WDW. I’m not saying this is the way it should work, but this is the way it does work today. If WDW had strong supporters in Glendale and Burbank, we wouldn’t be in this mess. If WDW fans cried foul more and made excuses for corporate Disney less, it might help too.

WDW will get Star Tours 2.0 after Disneyland. Like a year (or more) after Disneyland. WDW may get Little Mirmaid, but not until well after it opens at DCA in 2011. So we are looking at 2012 at the earliest before WDW gets anything big--like a new D or E ticket. I think 4 years without a new E or D ticket is a first for WDW, and I think it is a serious problem.

 

[jt04]

What Al Lutz says is basically correct, but to put all the blame on the “WDW managers” is unfair. Disneyland/DCA have multiple outspoken passionate supporters including John Lasseter and Tony Baxter. They have a very smart and capable creative executive in Bob Weis, and they have a local audience that cries foul whenever they take a step inconsistent with the standards Disney is known for. WDW has none of these things. It has people who have the same roles at WDW that Tony and Bob have at Disneyland, but these individuals are not passionate supporters of WDW.

Animal Kingdom has an outspoken passionate supporter in Joe Rohde, but the rest of WDW has been assigned to “creative executives” who do not really care that much. Within the current corporate culture of Disney, it is the job of the “WDW managers” to push back on WDI and demand that they make their case. Outside of Animal Kingdom there is no one making the case for WDW. I’m not saying this is the way it should work, but this is the way it does work today. If WDW had strong supporters in Glendale and Burbank, we wouldn’t be in this mess. If WDW fans cried foul more and made excuses for corporate Disney less, it might help too.

WDW will get Star Tours 2.0 after Disneyland. Like a year (or more) after Disneyland. WDW may get Little Mirmaid, but not until well after it opens at DCA in 2011. So we are looking at 2012 at the earliest before WDW gets anything big--like a new D or E ticket. I think 4 years without a new E or D ticket is a first for WDW, and I think it is a serious problem.

Hmmm, I wonder if this is one of the main reasons for the new "One Disney" concept and the announced retstructuring?:veryconfu

 

[KingdomHeart]

Hmmm, I wonder if this is one of the main reasons for the new "One Disney" concept and the announced retstructuring?:veryconfu

Let's hope! It would be amazing if WDW got the same love as DLR.
-Nicholas

 

[jt04]

Let's hope! It would be amazing if WDW got the same love as DLR.
-Nicholas

I am absolutely convinced it is going to but it will take time. And with the new economy it will take even longer. Especially if Disney acquires some "new" theme parks.

 

[WDW1974]

How can we as consumers (and in my case, shareholders) put pressure on the Walt Disney Company to change their management style and rethink the way they operate the Walt Disney World resort?

That's the trillion dollar question ...

I don't have an easy answer ... but I will say you need to make your voice heard when something displeases you.

And I always believe you should do so on the spot (example: you have a miserable experience at a restaurant -- Disney or anywhere -- you don't wait until you get home and take a couple of weeks to write) ... and then follow it up the food chain.

Most companies want to shield the decision-makers from the general public, and Disney is no exception. But to me if you have an issue with something at EPCOT, you go to the people who are responsible.

 

[WDW1974]

What Al Lutz says is basically correct, but to put all the blame on the “WDW managers” is unfair. Disneyland/DCA have multiple outspoken passionate supporters including John Lasseter and Tony Baxter. They have a very smart and capable creative executive in Bob Weis, and they have a local audience that cries foul whenever they take a step inconsistent with the standards Disney is known for. WDW has none of these things. It has people who have the same roles at WDW that Tony and Bob have at Disneyland, but these individuals are not passionate supporters of WDW.

Animal Kingdom has an outspoken passionate supporter in Joe Rohde, but the rest of WDW has been assigned to “creative executives” who do not really care that much. Within the current corporate culture of Disney, it is the job of the “WDW managers” to push back on WDI and demand that they make their case. Outside of Animal Kingdom there is no one making the case for WDW. I’m not saying this is the way it should work, but this is the way it does work today. If WDW had strong supporters in Glendale and Burbank, we wouldn’t be in this mess. If WDW fans cried foul more and made excuses for corporate Disney less, it might help too.

WDW will get Star Tours 2.0 after Disneyland. Like a year (or more) after Disneyland. WDW may get Little Mirmaid, but not until well after it opens at DCA in 2011. So we are looking at 2012 at the earliest before WDW gets anything big--like a new D or E ticket. I think 4 years without a new E or D ticket is a first for WDW, and I think it is a serious problem.

I agree 100% on all counts.

Summed up very, very well!

 

[DoctorPrius]

It is.

Everything in Florida, except what you can see happening right now (which ain't much) is on hold.

People can dance around this as much as they want because there are 'plans' for WDW ... and there are. The thing is none of those plans are being actively worked on with an 'install' date ... nothing.

And Star Tours 2.0 is ready to go. They could shut the attraction today and start doing some work tomorrow if they wanted.

But people can spin it anyway they like because Disney never announced it (even if people involved have been spilling for 18 months or longer).

I don't see this opening before 2011 ... and that is way behind what was planned.

And other projects that aren't so far along and haven't had so much spent on them?

I'd guess we'll see some of them ... at some point ... down the line ... but not in the near future.

Is that vague enough?

Because that's kind of how TDO is operating these days.

~Disney's New Best Kept Secret: $9.99 Stock Coming Soon!~

Does George Lucas have any say in the matter? If the ride film is done I can't see how Disney can sit on it without him coming down hard. Also theres alot of people like Baxter and Lasseter behind this project so I am really perplexed as to how the film and R&D is done for the attraction yet they are going to just sit on it? Wouldn't it make sense to open for Disneyland's 55th. next year in 2010?

Has the decision making capability of Disney's management become so poor that they would rather invest in DVC over a retooling of an attraction that is sure to draw a crowd????