Is Disney REALLY that great to you guys?

This is why people love Disney:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/15953430/detail.html

Well, it's one reason anyway.

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Brian Noble said:
Here's an interesting factoid:

If you read the annual reports, Disney's operating margin for parks & resorts is lower than Cedar Fair's, on a percentage basis.

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That makes sense to me. On Space Mountain at WDW, I counted 14 workers on that ride. They have a parade, they have fireworks, they have Fantasmic, and so on. To me, they aren't stingy with having people per rides.

For Tower of Terror, they have 4 elevator people, 1 person in front of the line, 2 people to help you get out of the elevator, 1 person that tells you which room to go in, 1 person per each room (2 people). That's 10 people. I don't count the photo people, or the register people for the photos.

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Awhile ago, someone was complaing about Sheikra. I wrote something, and than I wasn't logged in so it got erased, and here I go again.

I don't think it's the cast members that make Disney do better than a Six Flags employee, or Cedar Fair. You said that Sheikra had a lot of seats, but the employee wasn't let the people go. They shouldn't have a person directing people to rows. Just let them go into rows to have every row have people in it. That's the person's fault.

Disney has high capacity on most of their rides. I don't believe that because the cast member at Big Thunder walked me to my row has anything to do with that ride having a short line. To me, it has more to do with them running 2 stations. It has more to do with them letting you take anything on the ride including cameras.

Disney doesn't have that many big stuffed animals, sports bottle people buy, or basketballs. They have a pouch in the cars to store small items which helps. You do your own work on that ride. They tell you to push down on the lapbar, so they don't personally have to check them. I think for the most part the run 3 trains on Big Thunder. They have 5, but they have extras for maintenance purposes.

Most of the bigger rides have huge platforms where they can load a lot of people at one time, or they have an exit, and loading platform. These means they can at least run 3 Rock N Roller coaster trains instead of the other clone ride called Xpress which has only 2 trains. They have a prestage, and two platforms (loading, and exiting). Without the exiting platform, they wouldn't be able to run so many trains.

On Sheikra, how many trains were they running? I noticed on that ride that they have 2 areas in the loading platform for trains. Were they using both areas? Were they using all the trains they could use for that ride? What's the most they have run for that ride? I'm thinking you can run 4. In my opinion, it's a 40 minute line, and why wouldn't you run all your trains? *** Edited 4/22/2008 3:39:20 PM UTC by Spinout***

I agree with a lot of what has been said. I've been a hardcore enthusiast for a long time (400+ coasters ridden...not that that really matters or means anything) but I'll still take a day at Disneyland over just about anywhere else. Hell...I'll take a week at Tokyo Disney over a 6 month trip of every non-Disneypark in America.

Disney World is the one place that as soon as I enter the complex, the outside world is gone for a week.

timmyk

Spinout, here are the real capacity and train capacity for the Disney coasters.

Every Big Thunder Mountain worldwide can and will usually run 5 trains/2 stations.

The 2 Rock n Roller Coaster got 5 trains, 1 in annual rehab and 4 on the ride, which can run at once.

Space Mountain at DLP used to run 5 trains/2 stations, for 2400 guests an hour. Ever since it had its Mission 2 rehab, they can run 4 trains/2 stations max on it for 1900 guests an hour.

Splash Mountain at DL uses "standard" log flume boats, run 40-50 and will push 1400 guests an hour through its turnstile. The other 2 Splash Mountain have the 4 rows/8 guests boats, run 40-50 and have 1800-2000 guests an hour.

Space Mountain at WDW will run 10-12 trains on each track and each track gets 1000-1200 guests an hour.

Space Mountain at DL and TDL run 12-13 trains, 2 rockets of 6 seats together and gets close to 2000 guests an hour on a 20 seconds interval (yes, as in one train is dispatched every 20 seconds!).

The 3 EMV dark rides run 12-14 cars at once for 1850 guests per hour.

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Jeff said:
If I could instantaneously go to Disney or any park not in Orlando, I'd take Disney every time.

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I agree totally. Disney is like going to a different country. You do not feel like you are in FL or CA!

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Absimilliard said:
Spinout, here are the real capacity and train capacity for the Disney coasters.

Every Big Thunder Mountain worldwide can and will usually run 5 trains/2 stations.

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When I go, it's usually the slower season and usually I see 3. I think one time I did see 4. I haven't seen 5 yet. How can you tell to the other people wondering? They all have phrases, and numbers on them.

I'm still curious about Sheikra's capacity if anyone knows.

^I can only give my best guess as to SheiKra. When they're *cranking out* trains (by Busch standards), I'll guess they send two trains out every....2.5 minutes. On average, it's probably MUCH closer to 3 minutes. But anyway, let's go with theoretical maximum, 48 trains/hour, 24 passengers/train = 1152pph.

Realistically, due to the lack of a "grouper", and the way guests are stopped at the top of the stairs, there are probably 3-4 empty seats/train on average. Add in that dispatches are really at/about 3 mins, and actual capacity runs...about 820-840pph.

YMMV. ;)

For me, the answer is yes and no. I went just before the end of the year in 1999 and was shocked at how I was assaulted by ways to part me from my money.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself a lot, and appreciated the ideals of moving large numbers of people through quickly to keep the lines moving, but Epcot soured my impressions of the whole place for several years until I could clearly think around the bad experience (the Innoventions House of the Future exhibit that bsically made me think I spent money to be forced into an infomercial that was a non-stop 30 minute assault of marketing. Yes, I could have left at any time, but I was bewildered that the DisneyWorld I had heard so much about over the years could really be so blunt about the marketing aspects that made even Six Flags look like angels.

Outside of that, there are quite a few good attractions, but they are spread out across the parks, so it doesn't feel to me as quite the value that it should, but overall, it does in fact deserve to be where it is. They truly created the theme park experience that we are used to now or that we expect, such as heavily themed rides, capacity a big priority, whole families together as opposed to thrill parks where the teens can go but the younger ones and parents can't go, stuff to do when you're not on the rides, and so on and on.

After the debacle of the 1990s, I see the changes slowly turning back to where they should be. Personally, I like IOA better, but it's still only one park with a limited number of rides (excellent as I may consider them to be, but very limited nonetheless), no parades or ongoing events for the younger ones to enjoy throughout the day (despite Seuss Landing's wonderful section), and the sheer number of familiar characters (old and new) that Disney can offer. Nobody else comes close.

When I was at Disneyland, I realised one thing:

If Matterhorn Bobsleds was at Cedar Point or any other park with a strict rain policy, it would NEVER run and be left SBNO!

You based you entire Epcot experience on Innovations?!? I have yet to set foot in that, ever.

You also have to remember what Epcot is: a permanent Worlds Fair. Worlds Fairs are designed to give you a look at the future (of which you need cooperate backing to do correctly since they are the ones doing the research) and also celebrate world culture (by letting countries celebrate their culture in a bid to get you to go there ;).) That said, I love Epcot, its just so different from any other park out there. World Showcase is just so much fun to simply walk around and take in all the entertainment, food, and shops. Its so relaxing. Not to mention every day at Epcot ends with Illuminations, which is the best firework show I have ever seen not associated with July 4th (Boston wins that one.)

I've found that Disney parks are either something you get or don't get. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

I don't blame the original poster for saying what he said. The name of this site is Coasterbuzz and it's pretty obvious Disney parks are not about coasters. That said, I regard the Disney experience as one that is unlike any other. I can't say I'd pick Magic Kingdom over a park like Knoebels, but I can't say I'd pick Knoebels over Magic Kingdom either. You're talking about two entirely different (yet extraordinary) experiences. To me, Disney is about an escape from the outside world. The recession, escalating price of gas and war in Iraq doesn't disappear, but it sure feels like it does and I see nothing wrong with that. There aren't that many coasters, but there aren't that many traditional rides in general. It's about being tossed into an environment unlike any other.

*** Edited 4/23/2008 7:59:24 PM UTC by Rob Ascough***

Well, I must say that I enjoy all of the WDW coasters. Everest might actually be my least favorite ride experience but the extensive theme is worth some time in line alone.

I don't think that Disney has any bad coasters. I enjoy them all for various reasons. WDW's Space Mountain is one of my favorite steel coasters.

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Rob Ascough said:
The name of this site is Coasterbuzz and it's pretty obvious Disney parks are not about coasters.

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So now you're dictating the tone of the site too? What's your deal today, man?

What on earth are you talking about? Did someone run over your dog?

I guess the name of this site isn't Coasterbuzz? And Disney parks are loaded with coasters? Seriously, I don't know what crawled up your you-know-what, but if you have some kind of personal issue with me, maybe you should tell me about it with that handy PM feature rather than coming across as if you have some kind of personal issue with me? Or do you just take issue with certain people disagreeing with you? I certainly didn't say anything controversial.

*** Edited 4/23/2008 8:55:04 PM UTC by Rob Ascough***

Personal issues? Ha! Says the guy who asks the professor about whether or not he knows what a debate is.

The beautiful thing about being a tenured faculty member at a major research university is that one is fully confident in one's place in the universe.

Whether that confidence is deserved or not, it is firmly in place.

-brian, hopefully not deadwood just yet.

http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2008/01/deadwood-end-of-era.html

Edited: forgot the tenured bit. That's important. :) *** Edited 4/24/2008 1:48:27 AM UTC by Brian Noble***

I am 23 years old and I still try to get down to Disney once a year. I love the place and I always get made fun of by my friends because they think I am a little kid. Who cares what they think I am so happy when I go down there, it is almost like a nostalgia experience when I enter onto property.

As a little kid my fondest memories are going down to Orlando and staying for the week on property with my family. The theming cannot be beat at any of their parks.

I recently went there, in the middle of March, and the magic is still not lost. Makes me feel like a little kid again. Anyways, that's my take on the happiest place on earth.

Touchdown,

I didn't base my whole experience at Epcot from Innoventions, but you have to admit that having that clearly labelled and near the front of the park made it an easy choice early in the visit, and it ruined a lot of the appeal of the park for me.

Granted: I enjoyed several of the attractions, and the World Showcase is unique, but for me, it wasn't enough to make me think of it as a great park. Partly because I live in NY and Chinatown and Little Italy are close together (across the street in one spot) so that the variety of cultures didn't have as big an impression on me. I did find it horribly offensive though that Future World closed on me at 6pm (with only Test Track at the time running) and the only food I could get was either sit down restaurants or fish and chips from England when Illuminations was on at 9pm. Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed with the park after dark outside of Illuminations.

I'm in the minority here, but I enjoyed Fantasmic more than Illuminations, too.