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PHOTO - 'it's A Small World' goes behind the scrim for exterior refurbishment
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
SpoonOfSugar
Member
Geez So much of the Magic Kingdom is behind tarps or closed for Refurbishment
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
double post
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
And by "geez", you of course mean "yay! so happy they are performing maintenance so the buildings don't all rot out in the Florida humidity! And yay for making expensive scrims--how classy of Disney to try and minimize the impact of necessary and appreciated refurbishments on my vacation!"
I was reading between the lines.
We are really lucky that we aren't getting an expansion the size of Carsland. Can you imagine? We'd be forced to look at construction walls and cranes for years! I'm sure many here would feel that wouldn't be worth it since it would ruin their vacation pictures and what's the benefit? A little $400,000,000 E^2 ticket? Pssshhh. Hardly worth it.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
Interesting that they are working on the Small World facade again, when it was just refurbished recently (last year I believe). There are many areas of the MK that need work way more than Small World does (most of Tomorrowland, for example).
And for all the wonderful work they have been doing on exterior building facades, unfortunately they still continue to neglect the insides. On a recent Small World visit a few months ago, it was noticeable that many of the show scenes, the queue, and the boats themselves could really used a thorough scrub down and refreshing.
It's always nice to see budgets finally being allocated to improving things (as they have clearly allocated lots of funds to refurb so many building facades in the the MK in the past couple years), but it's a shame that they continue to neglect the operating budgets of regular cleaning and maintenance.
And for all the wonderful work they have been doing on exterior building facades, unfortunately they still continue to neglect the insides. On a recent Small World visit a few months ago, it was noticeable that many of the show scenes, the queue, and the boats themselves could really used a thorough scrub down and refreshing.
It's always nice to see budgets finally being allocated to improving things (as they have clearly allocated lots of funds to refurb so many building facades in the the MK in the past couple years), but it's a shame that they continue to neglect the operating budgets of regular cleaning and maintenance.
MissM
Well-Known Member
Yeah, when I shared a pic of this last weekend (thread here) I too was confused because it seems like they just had a renovation recently. 
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
This! They cant even fix a flood of standing water in the Pirates queue that has been there for at least two weeks now and is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Someone is going to slip right through it if they havent already. But I agree its great to see so many exterior refurbs, but the insides of some of these attractions continue to be neglected. Pan, buzz, etc etc.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
Didn't hear about the standing water, but I'm sure there is a magical bright yellow caution sign in front of it.
I think the issue is, they want to keep their operating budget as small as possible. (I believe "lean and mean" is what those Wall-street types say...:hammer
This has led to the decline in staffing for the maintenance and custodial departments. Hence the reason that regular day to day maintenance, such as deep cleaning overnight, and small projects here and there (painting, refinishing wood, anything involving maintaining show quality) just don't get done. There simply aren't enough people to do the work, given the massive size and scope of keeping a place like the MK in tip to shape. It takes work and dedication, but primarily, the right amount of resources. Executives don't get bonuses for using too many resources on a regular basis.It seems likely the on a budget line item however, the funding for the external refurbs likely shows up as a capital improvement project, essentially slid in as a one-time thing.
Money is money, but this way Phil Holmes gets to tell his bosses (and their bosses), "Look how cheap we can run the MK for!" without consideration for the crappy product it results in and the long-term costs that will increase as a result.
Atomicmickey
Well-Known Member
Just thinking out loud, wondering if more texture and realism will be added to the existing attractions to make them more in line with what's being added.
Also wondering if eventually, all the pavement will be redone to make it more themed as well, variations on what's been laid down recently in the new area. I'd expect "inside the castle walls" to be neater, but still, a great opportunity to add some different color, texture, and mood to the existing area.
Also wondering if eventually, all the pavement will be redone to make it more themed as well, variations on what's been laid down recently in the new area. I'd expect "inside the castle walls" to be neater, but still, a great opportunity to add some different color, texture, and mood to the existing area.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
That would definitely be nice. So much more can be done besides concrete dyed pink! To some degree they have done this in the new circus area.
The Hammer
Banned
People should be happy about this. There was a lot of complaining about the facade to It's a Small World looking dirty. I can remember that fat guy from Intercot, that presumably posts here under a different name, complaining about it multiple times. Nice to see when Disney fixes the problems people complain about, they never get positive comments about it.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
I may be wrong but I thought I read complaints about the interior facade, not outside. (The white and gold pattern, with the smiley face clock at the back wall of the load/unload area -- that is looking quite grungy).
menamechris
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the tip. I think everyone is happy about it. It's always nice to see a corporation do their job and maintain standards...
nepalostparks
Well-Known Member
Was there on Saturday, went through both sides of the queue, and there was no standing water anywhere. So if it was there, it has been taken care of.
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
Great :wave:
jt04
Well-Known Member
^This.
Last year may have been an infamous 'prefurb' as I like to say. Throw on some paint do some necessary shoring up and most importantly, complete an engineering survey. Now I am just guessing here but scrims in this area of FL have been a regular occurance over the last few years so it seems a safe assumption that there is something more going on that routine touch-ups.
Frankly, this tent facades of the original FL will look extremely cheap and dated once the FLE opens and also compared to the aesthetics of the new pathway to Liberty Square. So, I think your assumptions are right on that we will get more texture and 'realism'.
PS- I think you might be right about the concrete too!
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
MK is pretty much 50% construction walls at this point, or at least it feels like it. I'm glad the work is being done, but I agree, I wish the same attention was given to the inside of the attractions.
jt04
Well-Known Member
See HM, HoP, Tiki Tiki Tiki Room and now BTMRR. My hunch is they had to save the exteriors of the MK first and that has been extremely expensive. It seems as if they may have been in very bad shape. With the opening of the FLE they will be able to concentrate their efforts on the interiors in a more comprehensive way and I think we will see more refurbs of the quality of HoP.
That is how I see it.
Cynics will not. COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
See HM, HoP, Tiki Tiki Tiki Room and now BTMRR. My hunch is they had to save the exteriors of the MK first and that has been extremely expensive. It seems as if they may have been in very bad shape. With the opening of the FLE they will be able to concentrate their efforts on the interiors in a more comprehensive way and I think we will see more refurbs of the quality of HoP.
That is how I see it.
See Space, Splash, Buzz, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Bears, Small World, Pan, Pooh, Philar, etc. All of which have many issues in terms of maintenance and show quality.
I'm not sure how failing to maintain attractions is part of some master plan, but I guess in your world it is.
I'm not a cynic at all, but the fact is the neglect of these attractions in terms of maintenance really has nothing to do with FLE. Folks working on FLE are primarily outside construction contractors, with Imagineering oversight. Folks who would be working to maintain effects, clean and repaint ride vehicles, fix lighting, and scrape mildew off the walls in Small World are all part of the MK's and TDO's ops crews and budgeted that way as well. The are not related in the slightest bit.