The Spirited Sixth Sense ...

[jlsHouston]

I just can't get my head around this sort of thinking, and you aren't the first person to have said something like this around here. Disney has always been praised for it's details. Details are really what sets Disney apart from other theme parks. People often don't consciously notice the details, but start taking them away and it diminishes the quality of the park and people will eventually start to notice. Note this is not about "steam on a train" this is about the loss of detail. If this is the only detail that has been lost it wouldn't be a big deal, but people see it as a symptom of a larger problem. Nobody who loves the Disney parks should be accepting of the loss of details.

I have to agree with what you are saying here. I don't want to be a huge complainer. But some details being changed/eliminated/lost forever within the parks and resorts does disturb me. Not to pick on @stevehousse for saying what's the big deal, what does it matter? I happen to be someone who does sweat the small stuff. And while many many details of WDW go unnoticed the ones I am aware of, I look for repeatedly on my visits and it's a neat aspect of returning to the resorts and parks.

Also not very knowledgeable about WDW history or Walt the man even, but I remember 35 years ago my first visit to DL and riding the train and it was a big deal about the history of the train and Walt Disney's love for them. The steam powered part was also what made Walt's railroad so unique.

I think I read somewhere every Disney park has a railroad. Not sure about that fact though.

 

[jlsHouston]

You have the correct general idea, It's just the clouds are smaller you need to think in terms of functions, POS for retail and F+B are separate systems, Why do you think they run all your charges last day? because systems have almost no integration, It would be better if TWDC hit your cards immediately but systems are designed around batch processing not tight integration.

OMG, I don't know I guess I thought maybe it was how they batched stuff, but that has to be the reason so the data has to be downloaded from one to the other!

 

[sshindel]

True,

But since the poster said 'details are not important' why not convert Space Mountain into an audtorium and just hand out Oculus RIft headsets instead of having a physical ride - much cheaper no maintenance no insurance far lower operating cost... It would increase capacity 20X over physical ride.

Hey details are not important...

I'm ok if they do this in DisneyQuest.

 

[Funmeister]

Why is everyone in such an uproar over them converting the trains? It's not like they are getting rid of that attraction?!?

"Why is everyone in such an uproar over them converting Santa's reindeer?"

"Mommy, mommy...I want to go ride the diesel trains!" said no one ever.

GREAT NEWS! Space Mountain is now a SIMULATOR!

See, It's part of the magic steve. Part of the history. Try to go back and find a picture of Walt riding a diesel train. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe he was a HUGE fan of diesel.

 

[ford91exploder]

OMG, I don't know I guess I thought maybe it was how they batched stuff, but that has to be the reason so the data has to be downloaded from one to the other!

Yep When I first heard aboun NGE I had high hopes for seamless integration across all platforms and interactive features at the park. Boy was I disappointed in the result!

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm ok if they do this in DisneyQuest.

So am I it would be cool especially if you could ride ALL the mountains. But as a additional attraction not as a replacement for the 'real thing'

 

[Rodan75]

The NGE 'Project' of course had it's own architecture group, Disney does not see IT as a 'core function' so it chooses to do things on a project basis so each system in effect stands alone and has it's own support structure.

Hopefully with the new addition to the BoD IT will get a higher profile and importance within Disney and they will constitute a core IT group who has charge of the overall direction of Disney IT.

@WDW1974 might have some more insight into the direction corporate IT is going.

that isn't unusual these days. You have many large companies outsourcing all of their IT functions. The industry is quickly moving to IT outsourcing experts. There is a line of thought that up to 80% of the Fortune 500 will not have any inhouse IT function by 2020. (which seems a little too optimistic in my view)

 

[Hakunamatata]

that isn't unusual these days. You have many large companies outsourcing all of their IT functions. The industry is quickly moving to IT outsourcing experts. There is a line of thought that up to 80% of the Fortune 500 will not have any inhouse IT function by 2020. (which seems a little too optimistic in my view)

Which is problematic in my mind ala the Target credit card fiasco.

 

[stevehousse]

Change is inevitable. Wether it's good or bad, or u agree or not. It seems more and more lately most posters on here just simply hate anything that changes, regardless if it's positive or not. I will admit, personally, I could give a rats a$$ if a train is diesel or steam, that's just my opinion and a detail I really don't care about, it's not worth my time arguing over steam LOL ...some of u seem very upset by it. What I was simply getting at was that there are far bigger things to complain about at Disney than some silly steam...I am not someone who defends Disney in all that they do, I guess I just pick my battles more wisely than letting every little thing that happens to wdw bother me.

 

[Rodan75]

You have the correct general idea, It's just the clouds are smaller you need to think in terms of functions, POS for retail and F+B are separate systems, Why do you think they run all your charges last day? because systems have almost no integration, It would be better if TWDC hit your cards immediately but systems are designed around batch processing not tight integration.

You may be right on some of the batch updates, but the payment processing example is not correct. They batch process those to reduce the fees they pay to their processing bank. This isn't unusual these days you have everyone from hotels to iTunes to Target trying to reduce their processing fees.

 

[Rodan75]

Which is problematic in my mind ala the Target credit card fiasco.

I don't disagree. But if you have folks who are experts vs. 'the best we could hire in-house' it could result in fewer breaches.

 

[spacemt354]

Change is inevitable. Wether it's good or bad, or u agree or not. It seems more and more lately most posters on here just simply hate anything that changes, regardless if it's positive or not.

I wouldn't say so.

I'd say Disney has taken away or value engineered a lot of areas of their parks that used to make them stand out above the rest of the competition. Yes, real steam is a big deal, because it's part of a bigger message that Disney truly pays attention to details. Now they are taking the details away to save a buck, or for another frivolous reason to most likely make the bottom line look better.

And in regards to change, I don't think people "hate" change. I'm pretty sure if Disney announced today that Chester and Hester's Dinorama was being demolished and a well themed Dinosaur dark ride was taking its place, people would be jumping for joy on these forums. People, including me, dislike the road Disney is taking with regard to the trains. It would probably be less of a deal if there weren't several other examples of this type of action over the last few years....it seems like cost cutting is Disney's MO now.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I don't disagree. But if you have folks who are experts vs. 'the best we could hire in-house' it could result in fewer breaches.

Right, but if use outsource that much the experts will end up hiring those same individuals.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Spent many nights in Montreal watching curling in the hotel bar...

Somehow, I can believe that sitting in a bar can help if forced to watch Curling.

 

[sshindel]

Outsourcing/Offshoring is a tool, just like a million others. As long as you use it correctly, provide proper oversight, mange expectations with them, etc, it's a good tool. If you don't, well, you get what you pay for.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Not Steam coming off the train but Steam actually moving the train.

Steam is still moving the train, the heat source is different and has been for a long time. It's still real steam. Even real functioning diesel driven trains use diesel engines to turn generators that run the electric motors that drive the train. If they do that... might take away some authentic, but, other wise, everyone has been riding in a diesel powered train around WDW for a long time and no one even knew it. That's why Disney never tells anyone what they are doing, everyone panics.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Outsourcing/Offshoring is a tool, just like a million others. As long as you use it correctly, provide proper oversight, mange expectations with them, etc, it's a good tool. If you don't, well, you get what you pay for.

* comment self moderated to avoid getting a spirit thread closed due to political comments.

 

[Gomer]

Yes, real steam is a big deal, because it's part of a bigger message that Disney truly pays attention to details. Now they are taking the details away to save a buck, or for another frivolous reason to most likely make the bottom line look better.

If the loss of the detail is seamless is it really a loss? If the engine still looks like a steam engine, and smoke still puffs out from the top, and it still goes "choo choo", does it matter whether it is running on steam or if just retains the illusion that it is? Do we care that castle isn't really made of rock, or that second story of main street isn't tall enough, or that presidents in the HoP aren't actually the resurrected bodies of dead presidents? Its all an illusion in a theme park, so if the effect is the same and they aren't actually letting guests run the engine and see the inner workings, does the fuel source really matter?

I'm not really in favor of the change. I have 3 train enthusiasts in my immediate family. They will be less impressed. But they also go to train museums and railroad excursions to get their fix of the real thing. They go to WDW for the overall illusion and fantasy. If the illusion is maintained and the downgrade isn't perceived, is it really a downgrade?

 

[sshindel]

* comment self moderated to avoid getting a spirit thread closed due to political comments.

True, I am speaking solely of the business / technical aspect of it, not the patriotic.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Well...I think once I told the grandkids we were riding on an old fashion steam powered engine....they still think some of the scenes we pass in Frontierland are real...hate to have given them a false detail about the trains..what if it is something they remember and repeat years later?

Just tell them that they were seen in a location that was front to back, side to side, top to bottom, based in fantasy. That should cover the mistake quite well.