So of the things I said in my E-Mail to wdwmagic@yahoo.com is very pertinant to this section. So, here's a copy:
With everything that is flying back and forth on this board, I'm going to share a few observations from my trip last week.
I'll then follow with some comments on the cutbacks.
My family stayed at the Caribbean Beach from the 13th to the 20th. We flew in on Saturday from Denver. Airport security was higher, but quite frankly (and this is coming from someone who spent fifteen years working for national intelligence agencies) the security is merely for show. Unfortunately, I can think of several ways to bypass current security measures. But that is another issue. Overall, flying is still statistically safer (even after 9/11) then driving more then 200 miles. So, don't cancel your trip.
Park attendance was overall at a lower level then normal. I've been going in October for the last five years, and other then last year, park attendance appeared to be about 3/4's of what it should be. I don't remember having to wait more then 20 minutes for any attraction. And most attractions were walk-ons.
Magic Kingdom attractions:
- The Haunted Mansion is in serious need of rehab. I put myself through school working there, and it broke my heart to see the condition of the ride. The audio track was scratchy, and many of the special lighting effects were not as sharp as they should have been.
- Pirates of the Caribbean needs to have lighting effects fixed, especially at the beginning of the ride, and in certain places the water reeks.
- Jungle Cruise - several of the animals in the water were overgrown with algae. Doesn't anyone clean them at night anymore?
Also, problems with water quality.
- Splash Mountain - the ride was halted on the main life to the last drop. After spending fifteen minutes a CM came out and in broken English (she was Japanese) tried to instruct everyone to stay in their boats. This is a significant safety hazard if the CM's can't communicate with the guests. I found this occurring throughout all the parks, in that many CM's couldn't speak English and couldn't respond intelligently to simple questions or requests. This is what occurs when you don't pay a living wage.
- Thankfully I got into COB before it closed. It may be out-of-date, but I still see Walt's touch there.
- Why is the ball fountain in TomorrowLand still off when all other fountains have been turned back on?
Epcot attractions:
- Something is wrong is the garden train layout at Germany. It wasn't working any of the several times we visited the park.
- Tapestry of Dreams is a joke. Re-hashed costumes from Tapestry of Nations, and a poorly done soundtrack.
- Innovations East and West are lacking in exhibits (though I did like the Mission Space Exhibit), most of the exhibition space is empty. Disney really needs to try the fill some of the empty space.
- Living Seas has some really interesting exhibits on jellyfish. But the three times I visited nobody was doing any research in any of the public areas. Disney needs to maybe start bringing in research programs from around the world to liven things up a little bit. I did miss the reef display (where did it go?).
- JIYI is closed (thank god). Here's hoping something more interesting appears after the rehab.
Animal Kingdom:
- Went to see "A Bug's Life". 3D effects were poor due to us sitting done in front on the left side. For any 3D attraction make sure your at least 10 rows back, in the middle.
- They were sculpting the face of the dinosaur that will be in the new attraction area. Looks like Dino from the Flintstones to me.
Disney Studios:
- Went to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and had a blast. A must see attraction for anyone.
- Indy adventure show needs an update. I doubt that half the audience have seen the film. And it is getting really dated.
- Star Tours - When do we get to see the new show? After twenty or so times on this ride, it too is getting a little dated.
- Backstage Tour - Is Disney ever going to focus on getting some new productions there? Considering the political pull that Disney has with the state of Florida, there should be some way to make production costs attractive to producers of new or current shows.
- Seeing all the Walt memorabilia was great. The model of DisneySea's makes me hope that it will be the fifth park.
Overall observations:
- Routine maintenance is down at all the parks. Someone visiting for the first time may not notice a lot of the problems. But I've seen a steady decline in overall upkeep over the last two to three years.
- Prices are up across the board (rooms, food, keepsakes, etc.) anywhere from 10 to 30 percent higher then last year.
- Buses were pretty good. But, I can see there will be a problem when attendance picks up.
- Thank you to Tofer at the 50's Cafe for giving my friends and family such a great meal experience for the second time.
- Got a real big kick from some of the things our CM room attendant Michele did with my son's stuffed animals. The best was having them lined up to take a shower with the sign "Wait your turn!"
- I'm very concerned with the lack of skill and tact displayed by a lot of the CM's. The stress of all the cutbacks is really getting to them, and it shows.
Overall, a good experience, but a slightly problematic one. I won't be returning to the parks for a few years. Hopefully, by then the overall quality will improve, and more attractions will be on-line.
Cheers
:sohappy:
With everything that is flying back and forth on this board, I'm going to share a few observations from my trip last week.
I'll then follow with some comments on the cutbacks.
My family stayed at the Caribbean Beach from the 13th to the 20th. We flew in on Saturday from Denver. Airport security was higher, but quite frankly (and this is coming from someone who spent fifteen years working for national intelligence agencies) the security is merely for show. Unfortunately, I can think of several ways to bypass current security measures. But that is another issue. Overall, flying is still statistically safer (even after 9/11) then driving more then 200 miles. So, don't cancel your trip.
Park attendance was overall at a lower level then normal. I've been going in October for the last five years, and other then last year, park attendance appeared to be about 3/4's of what it should be. I don't remember having to wait more then 20 minutes for any attraction. And most attractions were walk-ons.
Magic Kingdom attractions:
- The Haunted Mansion is in serious need of rehab. I put myself through school working there, and it broke my heart to see the condition of the ride. The audio track was scratchy, and many of the special lighting effects were not as sharp as they should have been.
- Pirates of the Caribbean needs to have lighting effects fixed, especially at the beginning of the ride, and in certain places the water reeks.
- Jungle Cruise - several of the animals in the water were overgrown with algae. Doesn't anyone clean them at night anymore?
Also, problems with water quality.
- Splash Mountain - the ride was halted on the main life to the last drop. After spending fifteen minutes a CM came out and in broken English (she was Japanese) tried to instruct everyone to stay in their boats. This is a significant safety hazard if the CM's can't communicate with the guests. I found this occurring throughout all the parks, in that many CM's couldn't speak English and couldn't respond intelligently to simple questions or requests. This is what occurs when you don't pay a living wage.
- Thankfully I got into COB before it closed. It may be out-of-date, but I still see Walt's touch there.
- Why is the ball fountain in TomorrowLand still off when all other fountains have been turned back on?
Epcot attractions:
- Something is wrong is the garden train layout at Germany. It wasn't working any of the several times we visited the park.
- Tapestry of Dreams is a joke. Re-hashed costumes from Tapestry of Nations, and a poorly done soundtrack.
- Innovations East and West are lacking in exhibits (though I did like the Mission Space Exhibit), most of the exhibition space is empty. Disney really needs to try the fill some of the empty space.
- Living Seas has some really interesting exhibits on jellyfish. But the three times I visited nobody was doing any research in any of the public areas. Disney needs to maybe start bringing in research programs from around the world to liven things up a little bit. I did miss the reef display (where did it go?).
- JIYI is closed (thank god). Here's hoping something more interesting appears after the rehab.
Animal Kingdom:
- Went to see "A Bug's Life". 3D effects were poor due to us sitting done in front on the left side. For any 3D attraction make sure your at least 10 rows back, in the middle.
- They were sculpting the face of the dinosaur that will be in the new attraction area. Looks like Dino from the Flintstones to me.
Disney Studios:
- Went to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and had a blast. A must see attraction for anyone.
- Indy adventure show needs an update. I doubt that half the audience have seen the film. And it is getting really dated.
- Star Tours - When do we get to see the new show? After twenty or so times on this ride, it too is getting a little dated.
- Backstage Tour - Is Disney ever going to focus on getting some new productions there? Considering the political pull that Disney has with the state of Florida, there should be some way to make production costs attractive to producers of new or current shows.
- Seeing all the Walt memorabilia was great. The model of DisneySea's makes me hope that it will be the fifth park.
Overall observations:
- Routine maintenance is down at all the parks. Someone visiting for the first time may not notice a lot of the problems. But I've seen a steady decline in overall upkeep over the last two to three years.
- Prices are up across the board (rooms, food, keepsakes, etc.) anywhere from 10 to 30 percent higher then last year.
- Buses were pretty good. But, I can see there will be a problem when attendance picks up.
- Thank you to Tofer at the 50's Cafe for giving my friends and family such a great meal experience for the second time.
- Got a real big kick from some of the things our CM room attendant Michele did with my son's stuffed animals. The best was having them lined up to take a shower with the sign "Wait your turn!"
- I'm very concerned with the lack of skill and tact displayed by a lot of the CM's. The stress of all the cutbacks is really getting to them, and it shows.
Overall, a good experience, but a slightly problematic one. I won't be returning to the parks for a few years. Hopefully, by then the overall quality will improve, and more attractions will be on-line.
Cheers
:sohappy:
