When Will the Dust Settle?

Late 2019 should be good.

Yuck. I guess I should look at it as being able to save a lot for the next trip...But, still, yuck.

I understand what you're saying, but Disney is always going to be evolving and adding new things. I don't know if I could actually do that kind of wait ..... I love seeing the new things. Of course HS will be virtually empty soon and the price for admission is not justified there .....the others I can still justify.

We went to AK a few weeks ago and I really didn't notice any construction except on the bus on the way in and the cranes in the skyline. It didn't affect our experience at all.
We thought it would strategically be a good time to see fantasmic this weekend because of the rain/construction/season but HS was packed.
We have little ones and honestly I would go even if half of every park was closed... we love it that much.

It's actually a good thing for the parks to be never completely finished.

Keep Moving Forward! :thumbsup:

Well, to each his (and her) own. I think the construction (which to me was hard not to notice...the walls were everywhere) made me keenly aware that I was in a theme park. The illusion was shot for me. BTW, the additional concrete in front of the castle at MK did the same thing. The space between the lands was blurred and it seemed artificial. I'm glad you guys will be going, and I hope, enjoying it. Somebody's gotta keep the lights on!
One of my main gripes in the amount of time all of this takes. I'll say it again; if they could go from orange groves to opening day in 1955 with ancient technology (they didn't even have fiberglass!) in LESS than a year, then there is no excuse for taking over five years on these projects. Period.

Stu29573;2478532 wrote: Well, to each his (and her) own. I think the construction (which to me was hard not to notice...the walls were everywhere) made me keenly aware that I was in a theme park. The illusion was shot for me. BTW, the additional concrete in front of the castle at MK did the same thing. The space between the lands was blurred and it seemed artificial. I'm glad you guys will be going, and I hope, enjoying it. Somebody's gotta keep the lights on!
One of my main gripes in the amount of time all of this takes. I'll say it again; if they could go from orange groves to opening day in 1955 with ancient technology (they didn't even have fiberglass!) in LESS than a year, then there is no excuse for taking over five years on these projects. Period.

Well, to be fair, the park wasn't open yet and they were able to go full bore on the construction for that entire time. They worked round the clock for that one year and barely finished in time. And then there were problems for weeks after opening.

But I agree with you in general. I'm in no hurry to go back to WDW. My husband asked me recently when we would go back and I said, "like 2019 or 2020?" He was kinda shocked, but I told him I wanted to wait for Toy story land, SW land, and whatever Nintendo land Universal has coming.

I have the same feeling, I would prefer the dust to settle down. I tend to look at a lot more than the average visitor, I'm more about all the details, architecture, theming etc. I think the walls do take away from the experience. As long as park attendance is still up, they will continue to build. My problem is that they have spent so much on the Euro parks, that Orlando falls away. I would be fine with only making one park expansion at a time, not working in multiple parks. We skipped our September trip for 2015, and possibly even our 2016 trip as well. I would prefer to see things as they are open, rather than behind a wall, scrim or a conception art drawing.

In the 25 straight years we've been going I cannot remember a time when there wasn't construction going on somewhere and construction walls up. If you wait for the dust to settle you could wait forever. I guarantee they will be working on something when you return.

Stu29573;2478532 wrote: One of my main gripes in the amount of time all of this takes. I'll say it again; if they could go from orange groves to opening day in 1955 with ancient technology (they didn't even have fiberglass!) in LESS than a year, then there is no excuse for taking over five years on these projects. Period.

1) No disrespect intended, but I don't think you understand what it takes to do construction on and around existing infrastructure. Building on a virgin lot/property is actually easier and quicker to accomplish.

2) There are a lot more regulations to deal with today than 1965/1966 (1954/1955 for DL). Also, unions have added to the length of many projects. I am not a union basher per se, but 8 hour shifts with breaks and lunch hour would not have flown in the days when the original parks were built.

3) Trying to do as much as possible without being a detriment to visitors enjoyment of the parks means a lot of the work has to be done in off hours or with a lot more care about noise and moving distractions. Try it sometime....It takes a lot more time to do it right.

4) Last on my list -- Construction technology might be better, but the infrastructure technologies - computer, electrical, mechanical, etc. - need to be handled more carefully and laid out more precisely.

Do I think (wish) that a lot of these projects could be completed more quickly? Yes, absolutely, but I also understand that there are underlying reasons for the time it takes.

Remember: Patience is a virtue. And.... Good things come to those who wait.

I agree that there is a lot involved, but Universal seems to work a whole lot faster. They are dealing with the same issues. Maybe if WDW hadn't been neglected for years this wouldn't be a problem. And I know there is always construction, but not at this level while shuttering attractions. Sorry, but I call "bad show" on this one. Will it be worth it? Who knows?

Absolutely agree that they could, if they really wanted to, move a whole lot faster.

Here's a bit of perspective, though. Even in the early days of Disneyland, major expansions were not quick. Construction for New Orleans Square actually began in 1961. It was paused a year or so later (after a giant hole had been dug and some obligatory gift shops opened in the area) as Walt and Imagineering focused all their efforts on the attractions for the 1964 worlds fair. Once those were completed, work resumed on New Orleans Square. The scope and plan for PotC changed because of the Fair, and it didn't open until October 1966. But only that one ride opened (and the Blue Bayou). The rest of New Orleans Square wasn't completed for nearly another year. The Haunted Mansion, part of New Orleans Square expansion, didn't open until 1969.

I remember vividly as a lad of 10 looking down into that hole from the top of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Not to mention waiting the better part of a decade for the Haunted Mansion to open.

So even back in the day, when they worked all night, and construction rules were less stringent, it still took a very long time to add a new land in the middle of an existing park. 1961-1969 to complete New Orleans Square. Even if you don't count the 2-3 year delay caused by the Fair and Walt's death, that's still 5+ years.

Steve

True enough, but you also had one year to do the Tomorrowland expansion of 1959...and they built the Matterhorn, the Monorail, and the Submarine ride. New Orleans Square was a victim of loss of focus due to the 1964 Worlds Fair, and it could be argued focus is still an issue. Also, Walt's death in 1966 slowed everything in the company to a crawl. I don't think they can use that excuse any more, though...

Stu29573;2478557 wrote: and it could be argued focus is still an issue. Also, Walt's death in 1966 slowed everything in the company to a crawl. I don't think they can use that excuse any more, though...

These two things may be at the real heart of the matter. The apparent focus now seems to be how much money can we rake in while making minimal investments. Walt's passion, on the other hand, was more about good show and constantly pushing the organization to up their game. The money would flow from that. That view doesn't hold much water with large, publicly traded companies, I'm afraid.

Appreciate your insights.

Steve