Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Nubs70]

OK....took a few days off posting to go back to lurking. I learned a lot by reading the posts, rereading my post, and reading responses to similar posts. So, while my approach will not change, who I choose to engage in meaningful exchange will be far different.

With that being said, I am going fishing. Here's the bait.....

Why is the team at WDW adding FPminus queues to attractions that previously had little wait before?

They are load balancing. If you look at a ride as a processing activity and the guest as material to be processed, WDW is trying to evenly spread out the material load across all available processing units. It's classic business process management.

 

[wdwmagic]

Why is the team at WDW adding FPminus queues to attractions that previously had little wait before?

It seems a simple question. Rhetorically, is or can that answer be as simple?

As an aside, I intentionally use the popularized FPminus as it reduces guest experience compared to the current "legacy" FastPass system.

End of line...

*1023*

Because FP+ is more about letting people make reservations for any of the key attractions, rather than those that have large waits.

 

[MattM]

Well, he was wrong.
He insisted that the entire project, not just WDW, was costing a billion, and that WDW alone was only a few hundred million. Entirely incorrect, but he wouldn't hear of it. In fact he's still sticking to that line in comments on Garcia's article.

Same way in the mine ride thread he insisted that there was going to be a log bridge and a mine entrance next to the first lift. Wouldn't be swayed...and was still wrong.

Well if being wrong is criteria for not being able to post here... (fluid situations not withstanding, of course)

 

[Darth Sidious]

OK....took a few days off posting to go back to lurking. I learned a lot by reading the posts, rereading my post, and reading responses to similar posts. So, while my approach will not change, who I choose to engage in meaningful exchange will be far different.

With that being said, I am going fishing. Here's the bait.....

Why is the team at WDW adding FPminus queues to attractions that previously had little wait before?

It seems a simple question. Rhetorically, is or can that answer be as simple?

As an aside, I intentionally use the popularized FPminus as it reduces guest experience compared to the current "legacy" FastPass system.

End of line...

*1023*

Crowd dispersement and management. If you can book people into other attractions you can make an attempt to send people from one part of the park to another. You can also allow guests to pre plan every ride which allows you in time the ability to within a margin of error predict crowd sizes and staffing needs on a more micro managed level.

 

[PeterAlt]

Does anyone know where the funds for NextGen came from? Was it from regular operating revenue capital spending accounts, or was it specially earmarked out of Burbank?

 

[Darth Sidious]

Does anyone know where the funds for NextGen came from? Was it from regular operating revenue capital spending accounts, or was it specially earmarked out of Burbank?

Earmarked and overrun costs are chipping away at WDW budgets now.

An extraordinary cost expenditure has special budget procedure and is not like the usual budget. As was the case with DCA spending the board has to approve a large expenditure. Word is Bob Iger is currently asking the board for more funds for theme park spending on the heels of DCA's overhaul success. Since that funding has not yet been approved they couldn't make a formal announcement for any new projects even though they will happen. They just don't know to what degree and when. @marni1971, @Lee and @WDW1974 can probably better answer this though. I am liable to have not gotten this response 100% accurate and I'm sure they can.

 

[MattM]

Does anyone know where the funds for NextGen came from? Was it from regular operating revenue capital spending accounts, or was it specially earmarked out of Burbank?

The federal government

 

[PeterAlt]

Earmarked and overrun costs are chipping away at WDW budgets now.

An extraordinary cost expenditure has special budget procedure and is not like the usual budget. As was the case with DCA spending the board has to approve a large expenditure. Word is Bob Iger is currently asking the board for more funds for theme park spending on the heels of DCA's overhaul success. Since that funding has not yet been approved they couldn't make a formal announcement for any new projects even though they will happen. They just don't know to what degree and when. @marni1971, @Lee and @WDW1974 can probably better answer this though. I am liable to have not gotten this response 100% accurate and I'm sure they can.

When is the BOD expected to vote on the theme park investments? Is it generally assumed the vote will be favorable? Or is there doubt? If there's doubt, then Bob Iger was wrong in saying that there are exciting announcements coming soon.

 

[WDWDad13]

The federal government

I think it was from all the Marvel souvis sold at Universal lol

 

[PeterAlt]

I think it was from all the Marvel souvis sold at Universal lol

Revenue gained from mining all those footers

 

[alphac2005]

Obviously theres huge difference in the data the govt can obtain from Microsoft, google, FB, etc and what they can obtain from your Disney vacation. What's the goal? Turkey leg consumption? Firework comparison study? How far the avg person walks in a day at a theme park?

Honest question to all: how many people considered it a possibility the govt was involved before the original poster planted that seed? I ask because its popularity is a recent phenomenon.

I'm not going into the conspiracy department, but there has been various stories for many years of the government and The Walt Disney Company working on various projects together. You don't even need to look recently, look at the government propaganda films that Walt had the studio create, which weren't just out patriotism, rather the studio needed funds with recession and war. So, it isn't too far fetched to see that in Disney's ancient IT infrastructure in ORL, maybe, some modern cooperation allows the company to upgrade tech and allows testing for the system, whether it's for a government agency or private company.

Here's my question: You scoff at @WDW1974 and his notion of what is going on here and then present yourself as having the insight that no one else has as to what the company is doing by tying in your Disney Infinity scenarios, so shouldn't you see that many people will look at you as skeptically as he? Yet, we're getting posts that are very condescending and on the verge of insulting when you reply to any and all that he or she doesn't understand what's really going on here. It seems like you both are saying the same thing, but coming from two different angles.

The bottom line that I would assume that nearly all can agree on is that whatever the motive, rollout, etc., the idea is that the Walt Disney Company sucks every last cent out of their fanbois. Plain and simple. Conspiracies and other issues aside, we're a speck on the spreadsheet and Disney wants every last blood out of that speck.

 

[alphac2005]

all of which has absolutely nothing to do with the line of posts you jumped into. So I have no idea what discussion you are trying to have.

Let's recap... the first post in the tangent...


You keep trying to tie this back into showing how expensive gaffs are going to lead to cutbacks or increased prices... when I have twice told you that wasn't the case back then. In fact, the size of the gaffs continued to increase! While your logic is practical -- it's not what happened because the company wasn't operating in a logic fashion. It was being lead by a defensive egomanic making irresponsible decisions.

These acquisitions and failures are examples of poor leadership and absolute disregard for the value of the company's dollar... not examples of cash drains impacting operations.

All of these "losses" end up having distinct tax advantages, so there isn't nearly the fiscal impact that people believe and one of the reasons that operational budgets shouldn't end up getting impacted much, if it all from a flop project here or there. But, that's not reality.... Been around too many medium and large businesses and they generally do exactly that, use a screwup as an excuse to cut operational budgets and go attrition crazy on the personnel side all the while most of the "losses" are all on paper due to a cozy tax code and numbers games on the finance side.

 

[alphac2005]

Remember just a few years ago when people used to whine 'why on earth doesn't disney offer free wifi in its hotels? or elsewhere?'

Disney has been woefully behind the times in offering free WiFi that nearly any fast food joint offers today, but, their reputation of sucking every last penny from their customer is a reason that many people are extraordinarily skeptical of them. When Disney gives you something for "free," they generally are looking for you to pay for it and more over in some other way.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Having come from those ivy covered buildings, Harvard College students are taught the art of manipulating others, The graduate students are taught hard sciences, the B-School people are taught the advanced version of the undergrad curriculum.

Thank goodness I have a graduate biology degree from Yale...

 

[lazyboy97o]

A CM and a travel agent who works exclusively Disney both told me around $2 billion. So $3B, yes, is an exaggeration, but the $2B is still a number they could have put elsewhere. Like, ya know, more rides, perhaps?

Not really. Walt Disney World needs both updated infrastructure (technological or otherwise) and refreshed experiences. This is not some either or scenario like people keep claiming. Several aspects of Walt Disney World need expensive work to make up for years of neglect. New rides, shows and attractions wouldn't end the need to update technology and further pushing it back would only increase the price. Any of these needed updates is likely to go over budget or be less than a good value due to how Disney works these days.

 

[Lee]

Well if being wrong is criteria for not being able to post here... (fluid situations not withstanding, of course)

Oh, it's ok to be wrong.
It's less ok to be wrong and refuse, despite all evidence to the contrary, to admit it.

 

[marni1971]

Because FP+ is more about letting people make reservations for any of the key attractions, rather than those that have large waits.

Fastpass messed up TSMM and Undersea Adventures, amongst others. But sticking FP+ on Spaceship Earth? Really? Its been fine for 30 years. So lets change it.

 

[articos]

Fastpass messed up TSMM and Undersea Adventures, amongst others. But sticking FP+ on Spaceship Earth? Really? Its been fine for 30 years. So lets change it.

Like Horiz....oh wait.

Funding for Next Gen is a separate allocation from Burbank. It is over the expected cost, but not $3B.

 

[MattM]

Oh, it's ok to be wrong.
It's less ok to be wrong and refuse, despite all evidence to the contrary, to admit it.

I know, I know. I was just bustin' your...wait I'm not sure we can say that here

 

[MattM]

I'm not going into the conspiracy department, but there has been various stories for many years of the government and The Walt Disney Company working on various projects together. You don't even need to look recently, look at the government propaganda films that Walt had the studio create, which weren't just out patriotism, rather the studio needed funds with recession and war. So, it isn't too far fetched to see that in Disney's ancient IT infrastructure in ORL, maybe, some modern cooperation allows the company to upgrade tech and allows testing for the system, whether it's for a government agency or private company.

Here's my question: You scoff at @WDW1974 and his notion of what is going on here and then present yourself as having the insight that no one else has as to what the company is doing by tying in your Disney Infinity scenarios, so shouldn't you see that many people will look at you as skeptically as he? Yet, we're getting posts that are very condescending and on the verge of insulting when you reply to any and all that he or she doesn't understand what's really going on here. It seems like you both are saying the same thing, but coming from two different angles.

The bottom line that I would assume that nearly all can agree on is that whatever the motive, rollout, etc., the idea is that the Walt Disney Company sucks every last cent out of their fanbois. Plain and simple. Conspiracies and other issues aside, we're a speck on the spreadsheet and Disney wants every last blood out of that speck.

Oh, I appreciate the compliment. I do not pretend to have all the insight regarding this project. I am not an "insider" (whatever that means). I do have affiliations with the company, with their Florida operations. As I do with Universal, and Legoland (SEAS went cheap). So while I don't pretend to know everything, I do know a lot. People should view me skeptically, this is the internet. Main difference between us? I really don't care if people believe me or not.

But I think trying to make a connection of propaganda films from WWII in the 40's to a small part of a massive domestic surveillance program is a bit far fetched. Could it happen? Sure. But we could also win the Powerball and be struck by lightning on the same day (or to take it further, an ACC team could win the National Championship this year - ha, chew on the Noles fans I KID I KID). Possible? Sure Likely? Almost 0% chance.

Dirty little secret: Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland, Busch Gardens, Coca Cola, GM, Apple, the United States Government, and every other business there has ever been tries to suck every last penny they can out of you.