Theme parks repainted nightly

[snopes]

Comment: The rumor is that Disney World is painted every night while the
park is closed because painting all the surfaces is cheaper than cleaning
them.

[Ariadne]

I don't see how this could possibly be even remotely true. Paint is pretty expensive, and the layers of paint would quickly build up, distorting surfaces and, I would imagine, interfering with the mechanics of the rides. Unless, of course, the surfaces are also sandblasted at regular intervals, which would certainly be more costly than simple cleaning. Honestly, this one is ridiculous.

[Johnny Slick]

Yeah... do Disney attractions look like they've been repainted 70,000 times? Even if they removed the paint every year or whatever for a real cleaning, you could tell pretty quickly whether something's genuinely clean or has 20 coats of whitewash on it.

Also, I'm not even going to begin to buy the "it's cheaper to paint" argument. One way has a team of people going over the place with brooms and scrubbers. The other has a team of people going over the place with paintbrushes. I'd have to think that if you're going to clean a place daily, the cost of labor's going to be about the same either way. And in the second scenario, you pay for the paint. Yeah... maybe if Disneyland et al weren't cleaned often at all it might be easier to paint over the grime than to work at it and scrub it off. But I've been to Disneyland/World two whole times (once each) in my life and I never saw anything approaching grimy there.

[Eddylizard]

Not to mention that applying paint over dirt just desn't work. It quickly peels or flakes off. I imagine that would go double for a surface that might get grease or oil on it, such as near the ride macinery.

There's a reason why you use sugar soap and sandpaper on your walls before painting them.

Would the paint even dry before the following morning?

[DemonWolf]

I would imagine that they repaint something every night, but not everything. It makes sense that they would repaint regularly.

Originally Posted by Johnny Slick

Also, I'm not even going to begin to buy the "it's cheaper to paint" argument. One way has a team of people going over the place with brooms and scrubbers. The other has a team of people going over the place with paintbrushes. I'd have to think that if you're going to clean a place daily, the cost of labor's going to be about the same either way. And in the second scenario, you pay for the paint. Yeah... maybe if Disneyland et al weren't cleaned often at all it might be easier to paint over the grime than to work at it and scrub it off. But I've been to Disneyland/World two whole times (once each) in my life and I never saw anything approaching grimy there.

Paining would be more expensive. You'd have to buy the paint, and then put down drop cloths to prevent spillage and tape to keep lines straight. Plius you'd have to layer it evenly and apply multiple coats. If it's not done right, it'll be obvios to visitors.

with cleaning, you could probably send a few guys out with buckets of soapy water and brushes and they could probably to twice as much or more - especially if they weren't thorough. Visitors probably wouldn't be able to tell a quick wash from a thorough cleansing, especially if a quick wash was done every night and was relatively clean to begin with.

[snopes]

I've heard this claim before, although it wasn't presented as "they paint everything because it's cheaper than cleaning." It was more that certain parts of the park (e.g., handrails in queueing areas) experienced so much wear that they had to be repainted every night to keep them looking clean.

[Ariadne]

Still, I'd imagine there are plenty of places that see crowds roughly equivalent to those at Disney World--large shopping malls, for instance. Would anyone think that handrails, stairs, or anything else in a mall, a large office building, a busy casino, or the Grand Canyon are repainted nightly? Why are people so willing to suspend their disbelief when Disney is involved?

[LyndaD]

Originally Posted by Ariadne

Why are people so willing to suspend their disbelief when Disney is involved?

That's funny!

[Ravenhull]

I notice that Mickey is a gyrl has not chimed in. The Disney conspiracy must have silenced her on this topic.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Ravenhull

I notice that Mickey is a gyrl has not chimed in. The Disney conspiracy must have silenced her on this topic.

Naaah. She's just busy painting the whole park.

[Ariadne]

Originally Posted by LyndaD

That's funny!

So it is. That's not exactly what I meant, though.

[Singing in the Drizzle]

I will buy that there is a small crew of people out every night. That has the job of repair and repainting things as required to keep them looking good. There is no way even large parts of the park are painted nightly, for reasons given above.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Ariadne

Still, I'd imagine there are plenty of places that see crowds roughly equivalent to those at Disney World -- large shopping malls, for instance. Would anyone think that handrails, stairs, or anything else in a mall, a large office building, a busy casino, or the Grand Canyon are repainted nightly? Why are people so willing to suspend their disbelief when Disney is involved?

That isn't quite an apt comparison. Disney theme parks have many places (particularly in the queueing areas for popular attractions) where thousands of people are standing around, running their hands over painted surfaces, all day long, every day. Although an alternative business such as a busy casino might attract as many visitors per day, it doesn't have comparable areas (except perhaps in the queueing area for the buffet).

[RivkahChaya]

Not to mention paint fumes would be noxious to customers. There may be a few things that need to be painted frequently, and are painted overnight instead of during the off-season, like the rails on the line gates, but I'm sure not every night.

Besides, how many freaking people would it takes to paint the whole park?

And there are cleaning things that can be done while customers are there, but not painting, since cleaning is done when it's done, but paint has to dry.

[Mickey is a gyrl]

Originally Posted by Ravenhull

I notice that Mickey is a gyrl has not chimed in. The Disney conspiracy must have silenced her on this topic.

Originally Posted by diddy

Naaah. She's just busy painting the whole park.

Nope, SO and I watched a movie last night, and we went to the farmer's market this morning, so I haven't been at the computer.

But no, they do not paint it every night. Otherwise the parks would smell like paint all the time. And if you're ever in line, take a look at the hand rails- they do show some wear, and people are more likely to rest their backs and tushes on the rails than their hands.

ETA: And when they *do* need to repaint/refurbish, they completely shut down the attraction for a period of time. Perfect example- The Hall of Presidents is currently under refurbishment until July 1 to add a new president.

[DesertRat]

Mickey, totally off topic, but have I ever mentioned how freaking cool it is to have our own Disney "insider" on the board to validate these ULs?

[Mickey is a gyrl]

Originally Posted by DesertRat

Mickey, totally off topic, but have I ever mentioned how freaking cool it is to have our own Disney "insider" on the board to validate these ULs?

Well, if people wanted to pay a little extra when they go to Walt Disney World, there are some behind-the-scenes tours (including one where you go into the more private spaces, like the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom).

Additional hijack...this reminds me- Snopes and Barbara, I still need to get you decent video of the natives in the Jungle Cruise. I'm going to WDW in June and will try then.

[RivkahChaya]

Well, if people wanted to pay a little extra when they go to Walt Disney World, there are some behind-the-scenes tours (including one where you go into the more private spaces, like the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom).

But do you get to use the cheap employee soda machines?

[moonfall]

Originally Posted by RivkahChaya

Not to mention paint fumes would be noxious to customers. There may be a few things that need to be painted frequently, and are painted overnight instead of during the off-season, like the rails on the line gates, but I'm sure not every night.

Besides, how many freaking people would it takes to paint the whole park?

And there are cleaning things that can be done while customers are there, but not painting, since cleaning is done when it's done, but paint has to dry.

I don't think Disney theme parks even have an off-season.

[Mickey is a gyrl]

Originally Posted by RivkahChaya

But do you get to use the cheap employee soda machines?

probably not. You wouldn't even get far enough to see our cafeteria backstage (which has some of the best rice pudding I've ever had)