Zip-a-dee-doo-BLAH, let's track its progress

[devoy1701]

Online discussions do encourage changes (I won't flatter myself and say they actually cause changes) as long as the arguments are sound.

You don't crazily attack everyone and everything; you point out issues with undeniable proof.

How is that WDW maintenance site coming along? We're going to need it now that Crofton is presiding over all the parks. :brick: Like so many other people in Florida, she's a perfect example of a genuinely nice person who simply isn't qualified or prepared for her position. I know Iger thinks she is, but spreadsheets and actual experiences tell two different stories.

Hi Tirian! We're up and running. I posted an update this morning here: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=761624&page=18.

I agree with everything you say...and we're doing this in multiple ways. Our issue tracker is presenting just the facts presented by fans and visitors and will include pictures when possible. Our Articles section is going to include some well written critiques and bring in some personality and opnion to the cause.

 

[Chriscampbell]

Oh and BTW is it true then that Christmas decor is still up on the 3rd and 4th both at resorts and parks? Music too?!?!:xmas:

Yeah Christmas decorations came down at Christmas about the 4th or the 5th. It gets quite funny because one day they are there and you sleep and next morning they are gone.

 

[Admiral01]

I have pictures of the Christmas Tree still up at DHS on January 7 from this year (I swear the EPCOT tree was still up too), and I think the decorations inside Beach Club were at least partially up through the 11th.

 

[Tinkwings]

Well that is awesome news....now I am geeked for an extended Christmas holiday season.....:animwink:

 

[BlackCauldron]

Does anyone know if Splash is working consistently now or are the AA's still on the fritz

 

[jjharvpro]

Just a few months ago, Splash Mountain was(from what I could tell) in fantastic condition!

 

[Clark Griswold]

Over the course of the past 15 years I've never seen Splash Mountain in worse shape than it was over the last 5 days on my most recent visit. We were in line at least 3 times when the queue had to be released because of technical issues. Even during EMH on Sunday the attraction was temporarily malfunctioning. Fortunately I was able to ride once during my trip and was stopped several times with the recording "looks like Brer Fox and Brer Bear are causin' some trouble upstream." The animatronics around the Laughin' Place have seen better days and the garden/top of the mountain needs a new paint job BADLY.

I really enjoy riding Splash Mountain but was a bit disappointed on this trip. Several attractions need a signficant upgrade/refurbishment. This expansion of Fantasyland better be worth the money being tossed into it because lots of attractions around the parks are in dismal shape. Understandably so, money can't just be thrown around these days but hopefully the return on the investment in Fantasyland is worth it.

 

[BlackCauldron]

I am going back in the middle of September for the Halloween party - hopefully most of the AA issues will be fixed. I can live with some faded paint. One would hope that, if you are paying extra money for a hard ticketed event that they would work a little harder to get things in better working order.

My hunch is that once the new Fantasyland attractions open and swallow large clusters of people, they will probably alternate closing Splash and BTM for a few months for much needed re-polishing.

 

[Kamikaze]

This expansion of Fantasyland better be worth the money being tossed into it because lots of attractions around the parks are in dismal shape. Understandably so, money can't just be thrown around these days but hopefully the return on the investment in Fantasyland is worth it.

Not. The. Same. Budget.

 

[Scuttle]

Are the water effects working? Didn't the water shoot over the logs as you went through. Just like the water effects outside of imagination. It's been so long since I've seen it working I'm not sure if it's a figment of my imagination or not.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Not. The. Same. Budget.

Still. The. Same. Company.

It's an extreme case but if you look at the money invested in DCA that limits in some capacity things going in Disney World. Budgets may technically be approved independent of one another but if funds aren't available due to another project then there's not much that can be done.

 

[Kamikaze]

Still. The. Same. Company.

It's an extreme case but if you look at the money invested in DCA that limits in some capacity things going in Disney World. Budgets may technically be approved independent of one another but if funds aren't available due to another project then there's not much that can be done.

Thats just simply not true at all.

 

[mm52200]

I still don't understand, Splash Mountain is almost the only WDW attraction that has a yearly refurbishment...what do they do during that if the attraction is in such bad shape???

 

[RSoxNo1]

Thats just simply not true at all.

There is an overall spending budget for any company, things have to be prioritized in some capacity.

While it may not be inherently clear that the money for DCA affected WDW in any way, I can't see how such a sizeable investment didn't have an effect. I think it's safe to say that Walt Disney World could have also used a similar investment spread out across DHS and DAK over the same period. I don't know if it was requested, nor do I think we will ever find out if it was.

However logic would indicate that since improvements to the parks have been far less since 2006 there very well may be something to my thought process.

Look at the reporting that came out over the last week, Parks and Resorts are being reported as a single entity - given the homogenization of Disney parks I certainly feel that one budget can affect another.

 

[Scuttle]

I still don't understand, Splash Mountain is almost the only WDW attraction that has a yearly refurbishment...what do they do during that if the attraction is in such bad shape???

I know! I'm starting to think they just shut it down every january to save
money.

 

[ToTBellHop]

There is an overall spending budget for any company, things have to be prioritized in some capacity.

While it may not be inherently clear that the money for DCA affected WDW in any way, I can't see how such a sizeable investment didn't have an effect. I think it's safe to say that Walt Disney World could have also used a similar investment spread out across DHS and DAK over the same period. I don't know if it was requested, nor do I think we will ever find out if it was.

However logic would indicate that since improvements to the parks have been far less since 2006 there very well may be something to my thought process.

Look at the reporting that came out over the last week, Parks and Resorts are being reported as a single entity - given the homogenization of Disney parks I certainly feel that one budget can affect another.

If I had to guess (and if TWDC works like other companies), both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World have separate operating budgets assigned for each fiscal year that are roughly fixed and pay for staffing, heat, a/c, day-to-day fixes, etc. Operating budgets have probably been reduced slightly the last several years, like most businesses have done--attempting to become more efficient.

More large-scale projects (e.g. new attractions, expansions, major refurbishments) are approved separately from separate budgets. Each property would need to argue for these projects and convince the bean counters that the long-term profit would pay for the short-term spending. DLR seems to have done a better job arguing for these investments of late, and they have data to support them--recent investments have caused attendance (and profits) to sky-rocket. At WDW, the effect is not as dramatic (us stupid tourists are just as happy to spend a fortune to see broken effects on our rides--whether or not there is a new ride). I would guess the main reason we got the FLE is the issue of capacity at the Magic Kingdom, which was too low. You can't keep building new resorts if there isn't extra space for people to stand in, eat in, and shop in (and throw in two rides that are being built at other resorts, anyway).

 

[MarkTwain]

I still don't understand, Splash Mountain is almost the only WDW attraction that has a yearly refurbishment...what do they do during that if the attraction is in such bad shape???

I was wondering that as well... anyone??

 

[MrMorrowTom]

If I had to guess (and if TWDC works like other companies), both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World have separate operating budgets assigned for each fiscal year that are roughly fixed and pay for staffing, heat, a/c, day-to-day fixes, etc. Operating budgets have probably been reduced slightly the last several years, like most businesses have done--attempting to become more efficient.

More large-scale projects (e.g. new attractions, expansions, major refurbishments) are approved separately from separate budgets. Each property would need to argue for these projects and convince the bean counters that the long-term profit would pay for the short-term spending..

This true to an extent, yea different sections of a company have different budgets but it is all the same company. If a company makes $100 dollars profit, spread it over 10 sections that's $10 each. Now if the company makes $90 dollars profit, spread that over the same 10 sections that's only $9 each.

Granted Operating Budget and Growth (expansion) budgets are two different sections; the money comes from the same place.

 

[juniorthomas]

I thought that, even though they do refurbish SM often, there are things that they simply had no intention of fixing. Weren't there some water effects/animatronics that they killed off long ago, but left everything in place, or am I just making that up?

 

[mimitchi33]

Splash Mountain is a lot worse now!

Bumping this up to tell you guys something!
Somebody rode Splash Mountain recently, and the animals on the Zip A Dee Doo Dah Lady weren't singing, although the boat was still rocking.
There's even a video to back up the evidence!