When Will the Dust Settle?

Fangorn;2478567 wrote: 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

The line I bolded is what I think is the heart of the matter. Back in the 1960's, Wall Street, while important, did not have the global power it does now. The parks division is the second largest money making division for Disney. Spending too much too fast could cause a drop in the stock price.

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.

I work in the construction industry in Florida and I can assure you that Disney has a lot of respect for what they accomplish in such a short time period. If you have Disney on your resume it carries a lot of weight.

ck32250;2478585 wrote: I work in the construction industry in Florida and I can assure you that Disney has a lot of respect for what they accomplish in such a short time period. If you have Disney on your resume it carries a lot of weight.

So it's a Florida vs California issue? I'm sorry, I don't understand...

Stu29573;2478586 wrote: So it's a Florida vs California issue? I'm sorry, I don't understand...

No, I'm saying Disney as a company is known for pulling off amazing feats in construction- both in speed and quality. They can do the impossible, in record time.

Ok, I know they can. I just wish they would, lol! Actually, if I had to point fingers, it probably wouldn't be at the construction crews. You're right, they do fantastic work. My finger tends to wave in the direction of Disney management and red tape. The crews can't make a single move until told to...and then each phase has to be greenlit. We need fewer chiefs and more braves...or at least fewer chiefs.

I remember when you never saw any of the construction going on. It was there, but , kept out of view. It's nice to know everything is built to a high, safe standard. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day!

Contrary to what was mentioned earlier, union crews were used to construct Disneyland and Walt Disney World. A strike by plumbers led to a choice for Disneyland opening day: bathrooms or water fountains. The choice was bathrooms.

PopPhan;2478549 wrote: 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.

While these probably account for some of the reasons it takes longer for projects to be completed, I'm afraid that I have to draw the inevitable comparison with Universal too. From conception to the finished product, it takes them a lot less time to complete a project, even working around the existing infrastructure and operating hours. I sometimes wonder if the bureaucracy at Disney has become so complex and top-heavy (like the government) that actually deciding what to do and getting it done gets bogged down in red tape.