A Spirited Summer Special (AKA Phil Holmes Takes Anaheim!)

[ford91exploder]

If I was told by someone at WDI or maintenance that the ride is unsafe, I would take the appropriate action to notify the proper authorities of this. I would have an obligation to do so. It would be the right thing to do.

Trouble is in Florida there are no 'Proper Authorities' the ride operator is the one who certifies it's safe. How could that ever go wrong...

 

[Andrew C]

Trouble is in Florida there are no 'Proper Authorities' the ride operator is the one who certifies it's safe. How could that ever go wrong...

who cares if the ride operator is the one who certifies it to be safe...if you have inside information about unsafe conditions, you need to figure out who you can let know that will make a difference.

If anyone had this type of information, inside or outside of Disney...they should be ashamed if they are keeping it a secret. Especially, given DL's history.

Given the above is why I find it hard to believe that SM is unsafe to ride...and why I continue to ride it. Everything shared on here about it being unsafe is speculative.

 

[ford91exploder]

So yet again, you have no proof for your rantings. Go figure.

I do KNOW that the track/structure is being welded regularly to repair cracks, I also know when metal cracks it's been overstressed from a variety of factors not the least of which is 'cold working' where metal under impact loads becomes increasingly brittle over time. Take some engineering courses and learn how the world works.

 

[ford91exploder]

who cares if the ride operator is the one who certifies it to be safe...if you have inside information about unsafe conditions, you need to figure out who you can let know that will make a difference.

If anyone had this type of information, inside or outside of Disney...they should be ashamed if they are keeping it a secret. Especially, given DL's history.

Given the above is why I find it hard to believe that SM is unsafe to ride...and why I continue to ride it. Everything shared on here about it being unsafe is speculative.

Remember this is the same company that allowed safety to degrade so far in Disneyland that people were killed in MULTIPLE accidents, And why CA now has the toughest safety regulations in the country, Because once upon a time the rules were the same in CA as they are in FL.

No one in FL is going to listen even if you had X-rays and magneflux reports showing cracked tracks, It's going to take a tragedy to correct the course that WDW is on relative to safety issues.

 

[peter11435]

I do KNOW that the track/structure is being welded regularly to repair cracks, I also know when metal cracks it's been overstressed from a variety of factors not the least of which is 'cold working' where metal under impact loads becomes increasingly brittle over time. Take some engineering courses and learn how the world works.

You certainly "KNOW" a lot.....

 

[Horizons1]

In all my years of going to the parks I have never seen a kid **** in the bushes at the Magic Kingdom. Or had tourists that close to me In line.

Really? I got people up on me all the time. It's very uncomfortable.

 

[theRIOT]

The Declining by Degrees concept isn't a single thing, but rather a conflation of multiple things (a slow dying-off of several dozen intricate details in every visual sweep, stuff no one notices consciously, but given enough volume really makes it immersive). In exactly the same way, the CAUSES of declining by degrees is a conflation of multiple variables.

Are the WDW execs clueless? No, they are reasonably smart people who can play a political game. The reward structure in place is tilted toward doing more Declining by Degrees, frankly. Hit or beat your quarterly goals to get a personal financial reward. It's TOP leadership - CEO and parks guru - who can change that. And, at the end of the day, it's the messaging to Wall Street analysts that matter the most. If you weaned those guys off short-term growth year over year, we'd be having a whole different conversation. That starts and ends with the CEO (and maybe the CFO, not to mention corporate strategy), not the park vice presidents.

Culture. It's definitely true Disneyland has a culture WDW does not. There is pride in those who work in the park Walt built and oversaw, walking the same places he walked. This isn't a matter of "education" per se, though some of that would help (see below). In the meantime, culture change is extremely hard. Not for nothing are most business book bestsellers ultimately about culture change.

Worker education. For the first 30 years of its existence, Disneyland paid its employees a massive premium when compared to local competition and industries. This did two things. First, it made people want to stay and become "lifers"--guess where that aforementioned culture comes from? Second, it made the hiring extremely competitive. Only those who were super-friendly and super with-it actually got hired. It's true that DL no longer pays that much (comparatively), but the big thing that sticks out in the case of WDW is the source of workers. Giant herds of front line CMs are on the college program or the International program (especially in Epcot for the latter). Giant herds. On the one hand, this creates a lot of turnover that can actually be beneficial: when you've only been there for six months, you're less jaded and the smile is more likely to be real. This is someone who believes in the magic. On the other hand, the more experienced CPers and IPers around you ARE jaded, and eventually you feel it too. This, too, is part of where the culture comes from.

I'm tempted to say that WDI on both coasts is the only place firing on all cylinders, but that's not entirely true either. The place is VERY political, to the point where the project, the outcome, and the guest experience take backseats to ensuring effective politics within the halls of WDI, and that's a crying shame since the folks involved are so talented (and WDI folks really do care. I'm not sure I've even heard stories about those guys becoming jaded).

So can a visit to Anaheim fix things? Maybe it'll move the needle a little bit. Much more potent would be an adjustment of the reward structure for executives, and finding a way to create the right culture among hourly CMs. The old Disneyland formula worked well: pay so much in hourly wage that you definitely fall in line since you want to keep the job so badly. But that requires massive vision to bring about, and it involves the corporate suite in Burbank, not just the park presidents.

So glad to read this post from you Kevin. I've enjoyed your articles for years at MousePlanet and MiceAge, and then one day it seems like you were gone.
Do you still blog anywhere?

 

[theRIOT]

No dlh is losing a parking lot and will share

That's true, for now.
There has been a long-standing and long-rumored plan to replace the aging Disneyland Hotel. This new one will be the first step to that coming to fruition.

 

[theRIOT]

Before making the trip to Italy, swing by Cincinnati and get some Graeter's. . .

So glad I can get Graeter's here in Nebraska. Now If I could just do something about the lack of Skyline.

 

[tirian]

Space Mountain was already slated for closure and track replacement when the failure occurred.

You're right. I knew that and wrote how the refurb had been "accelerated," but didn't pay attention to the beginning of my own paragraph! Edited.

 

[Captain Neo]

I'm not sure if y'all have heard the news but Bob Iger, in his infinite wisdom and compassion, has decided to resurrect beloved Star Wars EU character, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn will be making his debut as the central villain in the upcoming third season of the hit tv series Star Wars Rebels as well getting his own stand alone novel written by the original creator coming Spring 2017.

As a huge Thrawn fan (see avatar) I can confidently say this is one of the best decisions Disney-Lucasfilm has ever made in the three years since the merger. Iger may bulldoze Disneyland in favor of Marvelland and sell Walt Disney World to china but we can all rest easy knowing that one of the greatest characters in Star Wars history is back and better than ever!

 

[asianway]

That's true, for now.
There has been a long-standing and long-rumored plan to replace the aging Disneyland Hotel. This new one will be the first step to that coming to fruition.

They just invested millions in renovations it's not going anywhere. Try paradise pier.

 

[TP2000]

They just invested millions in renovations it's not going anywhere. Try paradise pier.

The nicely done renovation of the Disneyland Hotel took place in 2009 to 2011. It's a five year old remodel at this point, and the hotel structure itself dates from 1961 to 1970.

In the world of SoCal deluxe hotels, it is barely hanging on to that 4 Star rating. Go try and order a cheeseburger at Tangaroa Terrace or be ignored by the valet staff for two minutes too long and you'll realize the alleged "4 Star" service is spotty at best.

It's not a stretch to imagine the Disneyland Hotel being downgraded to 3 Stars when the new 4 Star hotel opens next door in the early 2020's. And then it's even less of a stretch to imagine the hotel being demolished and rebuilt entirely by 2028 or 2030. My hunch is they'll implode the Paradise Pier Hotel first sometime in the 2020's, but the Disneyland Hotel is not long for this world in the grand scheme of things.

 

[mikenatcity1]

Visit the one in DL instead it's amazing!

It sure is! I ride it many more times in a trip than at WDW.

 

[mikenatcity1]

They just invested millions in renovations it's not going anywhere. Try paradise pier.

Last year I stayed at all 3 DL hotels in 1 trip...Paradise Pier was not in good shape, nor did it feel very "Disney-like". While the Grand Californian was grand and had the feel of a merged Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge, my favorite was the Disneyland Hotel. The rooms were by far the best on property and possibly my favorite between DL and WDW. I've been in so many properties at WDW that felt run down compared to the DL Hotel. I hope they do not do anything with it any time soon.

 

[FerretAfros]

In the world of SoCal deluxe hotels, it is barely hanging on to that 4 Star rating. Go try and order a cheeseburger at Tangaroa Terrace or be ignored by the valet staff for two minutes too long and you'll realize the alleged "4 Star" service is spotty at best.

I was shocked when I recently discovered that the DLH is on the AAA 4 Diamond list. It's not a bad hotel by any means, but it's hardly anything special. The rooms are larger than average (due to their age) but have unremarkable furnishings, the hotel grounds lost any potential charm during the latest refurb, Tangaroa Terrace is woefully undersized for a property with nearly 1,000 rooms, and the staff is hardly attentive.

For comparison, I stayed at a 4 Diamond hotel while skiing this spring (also a casual setting that skews toward families), and the rooms were huge and luxuriously appointed, the grounds were quiet and relaxing, dining was incomparable, and the staff were constantly tripping over themselves to help you. There were literally "ski valets" whose job was to buckle your boots for you; during the 2-minute walk from my room to the lobby to check out, I had no fewer than 4 employees offer me a hand with my bags. It was unreal, and truly deserving of the high marks.

I've never experienced any service that even approaches that at any Disney location, but especially not the DLH with it's "laid back" soCal kids shuffling around to meet the bare minimum expectations. I have no idea how the DLH got on the 4 Diamond list (or any domestic Disney hotel, really), but it simply doesn't belong there by a long shot. Maybe the DLH's eventual replacement will be better, but I have serious doubts that it will ever hit that level of service and surroundings

 

[Bocabear]

The Declining by Degrees concept isn't a single thing, but rather a conflation of multiple things (a slow dying-off of several dozen intricate details in every visual sweep, stuff no one notices consciously, but given enough volume really makes it immersive). In exactly the same way, the CAUSES of declining by degrees is a conflation of multiple variables.

Are the WDW execs clueless? No, they are reasonably smart people who can play a political game. The reward structure in place is tilted toward doing more Declining by Degrees, frankly. Hit or beat your quarterly goals to get a personal financial reward. It's TOP leadership - CEO and parks guru - who can change that. And, at the end of the day, it's the messaging to Wall Street analysts that matter the most. If you weaned those guys off short-term growth year over year, we'd be having a whole different conversation. That starts and ends with the CEO (and maybe the CFO, not to mention corporate strategy), not the park vice presidents.

Culture. It's definitely true Disneyland has a culture WDW does not. There is pride in those who work in the park Walt built and oversaw, walking the same places he walked. This isn't a matter of "education" per se, though some of that would help (see below). In the meantime, culture change is extremely hard. Not for nothing are most business book bestsellers ultimately about culture change.

Worker education. For the first 30 years of its existence, Disneyland paid its employees a massive premium when compared to local competition and industries. This did two things. First, it made people want to stay and become "lifers"--guess where that aforementioned culture comes from? Second, it made the hiring extremely competitive. Only those who were super-friendly and super with-it actually got hired. It's true that DL no longer pays that much (comparatively), but the big thing that sticks out in the case of WDW is the source of workers. Giant herds of front line CMs are on the college program or the International program (especially in Epcot for the latter). Giant herds. On the one hand, this creates a lot of turnover that can actually be beneficial: when you've only been there for six months, you're less jaded and the smile is more likely to be real. This is someone who believes in the magic. On the other hand, the more experienced CPers and IPers around you ARE jaded, and eventually you feel it too. This, too, is part of where the culture comes from.

I'm tempted to say that WDI on both coasts is the only place firing on all cylinders, but that's not entirely true either. The place is VERY political, to the point where the project, the outcome, and the guest experience take backseats to ensuring effective politics within the halls of WDI, and that's a crying shame since the folks involved are so talented (and WDI folks really do care. I'm not sure I've even heard stories about those guys becoming jaded).

So can a visit to Anaheim fix things? Maybe it'll move the needle a little bit. Much more potent would be an adjustment of the reward structure for executives, and finding a way to create the right culture among hourly CMs. The old Disneyland formula worked well: pay so much in hourly wage that you definitely fall in line since you want to keep the job so badly. But that requires massive vision to bring about, and it involves the corporate suite in Burbank, not just the park presidents.

I miss your posts Kevin!! We need Declining By Degrees back!

 

[Rteetz]

Miceage has a new article out

http://micechat.com/132030-disneyland-rumor-update-one-disney/

 

[MattM]

Yup. Look, the market can only supports so many upscale retailers and Millenia has plenty and Saks closed there... Nordstrom couldn't make it at The Florida Mall because O-Town is an outlet mall/Walmart type of market. These stores are in very pricey leases and I don't see half of them there in three years. Locals are not going to go there to shop when barely anything can be had that you can't get elsewhere without dealing with the typical Disney hassles like crowds.

Dining too is soon going to be too overbuilt. Right now you have two majors closed in Fulton's and PH and STK just opened. You may even get a bounce because DIS raised prices and because Flying Fish has been closed all year. But I just don't see all of those lasting. Splitsville is struggling quite a bit I'm told.

Let's just clarify that SAKS did not close at Millenia. And if it had even been there to begin with and closed, there are a list of more luxurious tenants licking their chops to take over that spot and any other that may open in that mall.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Miceage has a new article out

http://micechat.com/132030-disneyland-rumor-update-one-disney/

So that's what the beast in the concept art was for. Shame, a ride like that sounds fun.