Disney's Current Approach to Theme Parks

[Nick]

Why do I have a feeling this will turn into another MDX situation where the justification is that but in the end they won't be able to cut down as much as they thought and instead cuts will come from somewhere else.

I think they’ll be able to cut to a certain extent, but not as much as they probably want. Not as bad as MDX certainly bc the cost is much lower for one thing. The cost savings of taking even a few buses off the road here and there will be worth it it would seem from how much they probably spend in maintenance, labor and gas.

If they can change it to only two buses or so an hour for gondola resorts and maybe get away with not even run buses in the afternoons, they’re saving a decent amount of money there.

Of course that’s all a hypothetical though so we’ll see what they do.

 

[GAcoaster]

The problem is the same with the Monorails now. Any downtime means pulling buses off of one route and moving them to another and all of the transportation network suffers. Every time a thunderstorm rolls in the Skyliner will close and buses will be pulled from other routes to pickup the slack, just like every time Monorails break down now.

 

[UNIrd]

The problem is the same with the Monorails now. Any downtime means pulling buses off of one route and moving them to another and all of the transportation network suffers. Every time a thunderstorm rolls in the Skyliner will close and buses will be pulled from other routes to pickup the slack, just like every time Monorails break down now.

So every day around 4 o'clock then?

 

[tielo]

Still not sure why Disney never installed a light rail on the ground. It can travel in any type of weather and works in every large city. Theme them as an old fashion tram and it's a cheap, reliable and efficient system.

 

[GAcoaster]

Still not sure why Disney never installed a light rail on the ground. It can travel in any type of weather and works in every large city. Theme them as an old fashion tram and it's a cheap, reliable and efficient system.

Because Disney is run by bean counters and people brought in from the outside who ran massive fleets of buses. They don't understand monorails, boats, or anything but buses. One moron even wanted to diesel-ize the steam trains to save money. They understand buses and more buses. The Skyliner is a HUGE leap forward in thinking for them (must have been a fluke).

 

[Orlandofan12]

Because Disney is run by bean counters and people brought in from the outside who ran massive fleets of buses. They don't understand monorails, boats, or anything but buses. One moron even wanted to diesel-ize the steam trains to save money. They understand buses and more buses. The Skyliner is a HUGE leap forward in thinking for them (must have been a fluke).

New management is in charge of P&R that understands the old notion of "build it and they will come".

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Alan has posted a great piece on Parkscope about how we’re living in a golden age of themed attractions and amusement parks.

Worth a read in regards to this thread.

Parkscope: As Good As It Gets

 

[belloq87]

That's a well-argued piece, and I think the overall point being made is supported well.

Just as it relates specifically to Disney's domestic parks, though, I don't think a strong case could be made that - creatively - we're in their Golden Age.

 

[shiekra38]

Alan has posted a great piece on Parkscope about how we’re living in a golden age of themed attractions and amusement parks.

Worth a read in regards to this thread.

Parkscope: As Good As It Gets

I think we forget about things that have opened around the world as well

I think for Orlando, we're heading into another renaissance for themed entertainment

What 2000 should have been

 

[Nick]

Disney marketing turned up to 1000 while we still got nothing from Universal:

 

[UNIrd]

Disney marketing turned up to 1000 while we still got nothing from Universal:

What a slap in the face considering our current situation but.. that's how it's done.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Disney marketing turned up to 1000 while we still got nothing from Universal:

I mean they have soft bookings while I assume universal is doing a-ok with them.

 

[Nick]

I mean they have soft bookings while I assume universal is doing a-ok with them.

Universal also has roughly 18,000 less on-site rooms though.

 

[RevFreako]

Universal also has roughly 18,000 less on-site rooms though.

They also need far fewer guests to fill the parks.

 

[Nick]

They also need far fewer guests to fill the parks.

Yup, you bring up a good point. For instance, on slow days, UOR can be at 30,000 total between the two parks. A slow day at MK is 45-50k. MK and Epcot’s capacity are over 100,000.

The max IOA and USF can hold combined on the busiest of days is slightly over 100k. So it’s not apples to apples.

 

[GAcoaster]

A slow day at MK is (like today) about 35,000. Capacity for MK is 65-70,000.

 

[Honor_Knight]

30 years of the Studios but only ONE remaining attraction from opening day. Woohoo.

 

[Nick]

A slow day at MK is (like today) about 35,000. Capacity for MK is 65-70,000.

MK is far more than 70,000. I worked there on NYE 2014 and there was 100,000 in the park.

 

[GAcoaster]

They phase at 60,000, I don't know how they got 100,000 in in 2014 before the new hub was finished.

 

[Nick]

They phase at 60,000, I don't know how they got 100,000 in in 2014 before the new hub was finished.

It was almost impossible to move that night. Now I was a low level worker, but we always were given projections for each day and I remember that day in particular bc that’s the only day we were told we hit 6 figures while I was there. Could’ve been wrong, but we had a special meeting that day because of how worried they were about crowds and supervisors stressed the 100k number.