Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Bolna]

It's probably not fair but I see it like a coach who gets criticised for his player's actions. @WDW1974 is seen as the "face" of the anti-NGE crowd. Since it's about impossible to keep track of every user name that shares his opinions, it's natural (though you're right, unfair) to attribute most anti-NGE thoughts out there, especially the ones that pickup steam, to "@Wdw1974 and those who agree with him."

A coach picks his team - I understand that people here are free to post what they want when they want - without being told by @WDW1974. He might call them minions, but I always took that as a joke. So your analogy does not work.

And since you are always very angry every time someone makes some generalisation when they criticise anything financial, I would think you should use the same standard when you critcise others.

 

[Tim_4]

Nah. I wouldn't think someone like you is that. But I would say that the money syphoned from DAK for NG overruns can be put back now to allow planned projects to get back on schedule.

Maybe I misspoke. The pieces of NGE that they've done so far are over budget. The project overall WILL be over budget. All I'm saying is that they haven't yet written $1.whatever billion in checks. They're driving over the cliff and they know they can't brake in time, but they haven't gone over the edge yet.

 

[Nemo14]

No offense, but @WDW1974 is good at one thing: promoting himself. He's extremely negative and, from what I have seen, has as much real inside information as the rest of us

Then you don't really know him....

 

[devoy1701]

no absolutely they count... time = money... but I'm saying if NextGen is costing 1billion... that's not exactly 1billion out the door in terms of purchasing equipment

there would be A LOT more people time behind the scenes devoted to NextGen implementation then there would be (I would think) in building Snow White Coaster for example. Maybe not...

I believe if you continue to look back at '74s posts, you will see he has said the price tag has reached $2B. We all know it hasn't hit $3B yet (I think we all know that anyway), but we are all aware that the final price-tag is likely going to hit that number. If anyone is actually saying it's at $3B then they took some of our original comments and conversation out of context. But, if the BoD approved $1.2B and we know that costs have surpassed that (that's one of the facts that everyone seems to agree on, that it's over budget) I don't know why you and @Tim_4 keep honing back in on the $1B number.

 

[Tim_4]

A coach picks his team - I understand that people here are free to post what they want when they want - without being told by @WDW1974. He might call them minions, but I always took that as a joke. So your analogy does not work.

And since you are always very angry every time someone makes some generalisation when they criticise anything financial, I would think you should use the same standard when you critcise others.

Lol I wasn't criticizing him. I was thanking him for clearing up a misconception because I know a lot of people listen to what he has to say. My only error was not realizing that he he had already cleared up that misconception in previous posts.

 

[Lee]

Maybe I misspoke. The pieces of NGE that they've done so far are over budget. The project overall WILL be over budget. All I'm saying is that they haven't yet written $1.whatever billion in checks. They're driving over the cliff and they know they can't brake in time, but they haven't gone over the edge yet.

That meshes with the updates and clarifications that I'm hearing.
The actual spend at this point is over a billion, and soon (aleady has?) to exceed the original budget. The higher numbers ($2billion+) that I'm hearing are estimates (internal) of where the thing is going to end up. The original budget of $1.2-ish is toast, and they know it. Looking ahead at what they know is left to do...they are seeing $2billion minimum.

Question now is...where are they going to get that extra billion? BoD willing to write another check? Pull money from other projects? Be interesting to see....

 

[Tim_4]

I believe if you continue to look back at '74s posts, you will see he has said the price tag has reached $2B. We all know it hasn't hit $3B yet (I think we all know that anyway), but we are all aware that the final price-tag is likely going to hit that number. If anyone is actually saying it's at $3B then they took some of our original comments and conversation out of context. But, if the BoD approved $1.2B and we know that costs have surpassed that (that's one of the facts that everyone seems to agree on, that it's over budget) I don't know why you and @Tim_4 keep honing back in on the $1B number.

It's over budget for what they've done, it's not over the TOTAL approved amount (yet). They HAVE NOT spent over $1.2B. The WILL spend over the project's total to complete it, but they have not yet.

 

[Tim_4]

That meshes with the updates and clarifications that I'm hearing.
The actual spend at this point is over a billion, and soon (aleady has?) to exceed the original budget.

No. Close, but not yet.

The higher numbers ($2billion+) that I'm hearing are estimates (internal) of where the thing is going to end up. The original budget of $1.2-ish is toast, and they know it. Looking ahead at what they know is left to do...they are seeing $2billion minimum.

Yes.

 

[WDWDad13]

I believe if you continue to look back at '74s posts, you will see he has said the price tag has reached $2B. We all know it hasn't hit $3B yet (I think we all know that anyway), but we are all aware that the final price-tag is likely going to hit that number. If anyone is actually saying it's at $3B then they took some of our original comments and conversation out of context. But, if the BoD approved $1.2B and we know that costs have surpassed that (that's one of the facts that everyone seems to agree on, that it's over budget) I don't know why you and @Tim_4 keep honing back in on the $1B number.

an extra 1 billion (which is astronomical IMO) is likely man hours.... one way to look at it is they were going to get paid working on this project or working on something else either way - people can claim whatever they want as the cost... but honestly no one really knows other than the project manager(s) and the upper echelon which I'm pretty sure 74 isn't.

it's hard to explain but hard dollar vs soft dollar makes a BIG difference on the companies bottom line - a lot of NGE (including overrun) is soft

 

[WDWDad13]

That meshes with the updates and clarifications that I'm hearing.
The actual spend at this point is over a billion, and soon (aleady has?) to exceed the original budget. The higher numbers ($2billion+) that I'm hearing are estimates (internal) of where the thing is going to end up. The original budget of $1.2-ish is toast, and they know it. Looking ahead at what they know is left to do...they are seeing $2billion minimum.

Question now is...where are they going to get that extra billion? BoD willing to write another check? Pull money from other projects? Be interesting to see....

most of it is monopoly money... more juggling resource allocation (time) v/s writing checks out the door

big difference


I don't work for disney and I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night... but I have managed several 1mil+ IT related projects...

 

[devoy1701]

most of it is monopoly money... more juggling resource allocation (time) v/s writing checks out the door

big difference


I don't work for disney and I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night... but I have managed several 1mil+ IT related projects...

Whether it's time or actual checks written it doesn't matter, it's still hard costs put against a project. Time put against a project of this magnitude usually gets its own P&L account so it doesn't overrun the regular operating budgets of other departments. You're not the only one who's worked for big projects.

 

[scout68]

most of it is monopoly money... more juggling resource allocation (time) v/s writing checks out the door

big difference


I don't work for disney and I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night... but I have managed several 1mil+ IT related projects...

How many times do we have to pass "GO" to get something fresh and interesting in the parks?

 

[Lee]

most of it is monopoly money... more juggling resource allocation (time) v/s writing checks out the door

I kinda question that...
From what I hear, much (most) of the work being done is by outside contractors and not Disney's internal IT force. So it isn't just a matter of having their own people work on NGE instead of something else, it's teams of outside workers being brought in and paid.

 

[WDWDad13]

How many times do we have to pass "GO" to get something fresh and interesting in the parks?

we have to get out of jail first lol

 

[WDWFan_Boston]

Then you don't really know him....

Nope, I don't. Neither does almost anyone else posting here. I can only judge by his words. They are light on content, heavy on personal opinion, and dripping with negativity.

Look, that's his right and that's fine. Just don't make out like you are a deep WDW insider. You're just a passionate guy with an opinion, like the rest of us.

 

[WDWDad13]

I kinda question that...
From what I hear, much (most) of the work being done is by outside contractors and not Disney's internal IT force. So it isn't just a matter of having their own people work on NGE instead of something else, it's teams of outside workers being brought in and paid.

oh well that's interesting... if that's the case then it is hard $'s going out the door. I have a feeling not all of the additional overspend is because of bugs... my guess is there has been a lot of scope creep since the initial project plan(s) too

sounds like a very poorly run project IMO... all the way from planning/design, implementing, and to the simple marketing/communication/education of it

 

[devoy1701]

Nope, I don't. Neither does almost anyone else posting here. I can only judge by his words. They are light on content, heavy on personal opinion, and dripping with negativity.

Look, that's his right and that's fine. Just don't make out like you are a deep WDW insider. You're just a passionate guy with an opinion, like the rest of us.

Actually a lot of the regular posters on here know him fairly well. I don't...but a good amount do.

 

[WDWDad13]

How many times do we have to pass "GO" to get something fresh and interesting in the parks?

also I'll buy Boardwalk

 

[ford91exploder]

I agree...

somewhat related I honestly hate seeing families struggle at Disney World and not have a good time... or hear people when they return how miserable they were etc. I don't know how many times I've been sitting waiting on a parade to begin and see families with a lot of kids try to come in at the last minute to get a spot and then dad has to go off and stand in line to get them food somewhere and misses the parade or can't find them when he returns or something. I feel bad for the kids in that situation and that is why I usually always let them (the kids only) in front of me for parades even if I am there first...as long as my kid has a spot up front and I'm right behind her experiencing it with her I'm fine.

I actually hope that they massively promote the MyMagic+ thing the right way and also allow travel agents to have a way to help setup plans for clients who just don't get it or aren't tech savy, etc. I can honestly see a lot of benefits to it... IF... IF done correctly...so far the jury is out and it sounds like they are working through a lot of bugs (not surprising to be honest, this is a big paradigm change here). Hopefully more and more families down the road can plan or get help planning better so they and their kids can have a great vacation

If NGE had been designed with the guest experience as its primary goal, It probably would have made these peoples vacations better, Instead it was designed and implemented with the goal of reducing attraction loads and concomitant staffing requirements, Hence adding FP to rides which have NEVER needed them, CoP and PoTC being notable examples, 'experiences' being clustered in 4 hour windows being unable to park hop and use FP. 60 Day scheduling Goal of MM- was quite clearly to facilitate cost-cutting and the continuing degradation of the WDW experience. PLUS it was done on the cheap which in the IT world is the quickest way to spend 2-5 times what the system SHOULD have cost if it was done by a competent design and build team in the first place.

A 'Guest Centric' system still would have included a FP pre-visit schedule but it would have been on the order of 2-4 days prior,Onsite day-of FP and incorporated the ability to GIFT one of your FPs to a person of your choice ie Grandparent to Grandchild, Park hopping would have been a GIVEN. Instead of REQUIRING a smart phone the MM+ tags could have simply been tapped at the attraction and a display would suggest available times - A smartphone application could still be used but it is an alternate path to service delivery not the primary path, The tracking features could have been disabled by the customer for those who feel uncomfortable having themselves and their family tracked, With the understanding of course that some personalization would not work but once again up to the GUEST.

These could have eliminated the lost child problem, Right now a lot of parents are going to drop these in an altoids box between uses because they cannot disable tracking.

There are a large number of us who work in the IT field and we UNDERSTAND systems like these and many of us have a visceral dislike of NGE based entirely upon our professional experiences.


IF I visit the parks again my 'Magic Band' will be in one of these

http://www.ramayes.com/RF_Shielded_Pouch.htm

With the changes to the experience DW and I are giving serious thought to letting our PAP's expire this year

 

[crispy]

also I'll buy Boardwalk

Well, good luck trying to use your DVC points there....