A Spirited Perfect Ten

[WDW1974]

I heard rumors that there was a new DHS lounge and it was bad, but that's not even a lounge! That's just moving some benches and trashcans indoors to an abandoned building! Why don't they advertise it with free bubblegum, you just have to scrape it off the floor?

Honestly, it looks like after closing one night Danny Cockerell asked 2-3 CMs to ''throw something together, but I'm not paying for OT, so make it quick!''

 

[sshindel]

Why am I picturing Horseshack? (70s cultural reference for all the kiddies here)

Because that was the voice in my head when I typed it??

 

[WDW1974]

You must be confusing me with someone else. Only those with agendas or preconceived notions torture numbers. I can't recall having ever been accused of having an agenda, although I can think of a few on these threads who's been accused of exactly that.

We ALL have agendas. Even if it's just starting a conversation or attempting to teach people something. I've often thought you might be auditioning for a job myself (not that there's anything wrong with that ... if Disney -- or UNI -- operated smartly they'd have already placed you, I and about five others here under contract!)

I never torture numbers. I study them and then draw my conclusions only after I've contemplated what they mean.

WDW is more crowded than ever. It will be worse 10 years from now. Adding two popular IPs to a theme park that already draws 10 million annually is not going to reduce crowds.

Seriously, you want to argue Disney's numbers with me?

Not really. I don't disagree with your current projections. But that's all they are. I also feel like there are other ways to interpret those numbers and other ways to deal with crowding at WDW. ... Following your logic, Disney will just have to keep adding gates and we all know they don't have the blessing of size any more. So, where are Gates No. 6 and No. 7 going.

 

[Arthur Wellesley]

And we all know Disney NEVER lowers theme park prices ... sorta like people spending $600 a night at the Poly while it has been a construction site when other operators would have either shuttered it or been offering $99 rooms.

But for that, I cannot blame the greed of the Mouse, but rather the ignorance of the consumer.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm hearing F&F crowds took Uni Hollywood deeply by surprise. I hear there are some serious fears about preparing for the Potter peeps.
Also hearing the same about WOC. Though with enough egos involved it may last. Fortunately, that platform seems to be the easiest to change out that Disney has ever come up with.

I'm planning a visit this summer for the first time since 2007 when I lived out there part time ... it's going to be interesting since so much has changed in just the last 18-36 months.

 

[Nubs70]

Why am I picturing Horseshack? (70s cultural reference for all the kiddies here)

Welcome Back.....

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The new movies are floundering at the box office this weekend. Inside Out and Jurassic World look like they will be duking it out again for #1. Inside Out was actually #1 on Friday... it deserves a #1 weekend.

Leftovers seem to be the dish of choice at the Fourth of July box office picnic.

Inside Out and Jurassic World continue to dominate in their third and fourth weekends, respectively, while new entries Terminator: Genisys and Magic Mike XXL aren't living up to expectations after opening midweek.

From Pixar and Disney, Inside Out topped Friday with $12.5 million for a domestic total of $228.6 million. Box office observers have it earning $30 million for the three-day weekend, putting it narrowly ahead of Jurassic World, which grossed $11.8 million Friday for a projected $28.9 million weekend. On Friday, Jurassic World become the No. 4 film of all time domestically with $539 million, surpassing The Dark Knight ($534.9 million).

 

[Nubs70]

The issue on growth is based on one assumption (and that is all it is) and that is that central Florida tourism will simply continue to grow annually and at a decent clip and that ALL of those bodies will want to visit WDW and all its parks.

If you base things on that, then it is very easy to jump to 'we need a fifth gate yesterday' mindset.

Disney needs to spread its crowds out. Disney needs to build and rebuild infrastructure. Then ... it needs to think long and hard about what the future of the Swamp Kingdom Resort really should be.

In my opinion, it is not that a fifth gate is needed yesterday, but long term planning for a fifth gate needs to begin today. So when projections become clearer, plans will be on the shelf and ready to go. Rather than waiting until the situation becomes abismal and then starting the building cycle.

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

Oh my, I have missed a bit since my "cabin red Solo cup indulgences". Communicating via phone here. @ParentsOf4 , I do disagree on the need for a 5th gate. When times are good, vacation dollars get spread around. When times are bad, there is pent up demand.

Consistent development of the existing parks should have been a priority. Agreed. It wasn't. However, we cannot ignore a potential saturation point among the infrequent visitor and the number of other competing interests for the vacation dollar.

@WDW1974, thanks for popping in. I "get" your concerns re: over exuberance about announcements on your threads. I am a fact based poster ..well mostly and therefore post infrequently.

Happy Independance Day to all. I just hope you know what it is all about.

 

[Next Big Thing]

I feel the same way about custodial Cast making character water portraits.

As a former Custodian, our job was more than to "clean up sh*t" as most people think. On the uniform and internally, the job is referred to as Custodial Guest Services. It's every CM's job, no matter the role, to leave guests with a smile. Custodial CM's don't do water art in the middle of the busiest part of the day. They do it when they get approval from a supervisor because they've finished their job for the night/day (yes, if it happens mid-day, it's because that person is about to go home and is waiting to clock out). So great, you may think it's a waste of time, but really, it's just killing time after the job is done and making guests smile at the same time.

It should also be mentioned not just anyone can do water art, a tutorial/class must be taken to prove you can do it in front of an audience and be good at it. Most people fail.

 

[yoyoflamingo]

A very Happy July 4th to all in this MAGICal realm.

I admit I'm surprised there are no breathless phased closing threads. Summer and July 4th falling on a weekend. Nothing yesterday. Nothing today. As near as I can tell, nothing at UNI as well.

I'm going to start wondering about it being crazy busy in O-Town all the time now (it really isn't .... just compared to say 1985 or 1995 it's busier) if we can't even get capacity parks on the July 4th weekend!

Posted in another thread, but I'll even say I was there about 3-7 yesterday, and the Magic Kingdom was better than most summer days. Very manageable, and my wife and I were completely surprised by it.

 

[Funmeister]

As a former Custodian, our job was more than to "clean up sh*t" as most people think. On the uniform and internally, the job is referred to as Custodial Guest Services. It's every CM's job, no matter the role, to leave guests with a smile. Custodial CM's don't do water art in the middle of the busiest part of the day. They do it when they get approval from a supervisor because they've finished their job for the night/day (yes, if it happens mid-day, it's because that person is about to go home and is waiting to clock out). So great, you may think it's a waste of time, but really, it's just killing time after the job is done and making guests smile at the same time.

It should also be mentioned not just anyone can do water art, a tutorial/class must be taken to prove you can do it in front of an audience and be good at it. Most people fail.

Yeah. Still a waste of time. Sorry. Disney did not have it the first few decades of operation and those were the most "magical" experiences ever to be had at a Disney park in Florida.

No need for explanation of what it takes to be "certified" to be able to do the drawings. I am not questioning that and respect your ability. You can leave a guest with a smile without the art. DIsneyland did not have it when it first opened and I would say it turned out pretty good.

I also have to disagree that there are not too many GSM's that would allow CM's to do nothing (including water paintings) on the clock "waiting to go home." If they do then they are a poor leader and should be re-evaluated.

What good is it to refer someone as a Custodial Guest Services Cast Member if it is internal? If the guest does not know that is what you are (which you are not because that is why they have Guest Relations at each park) they would publicize it.

I looked and no mention of "Guest Services" here: http://parksjobs.disneycareers.com/careers/custodial-jobs

 

[TalkingHead]

A very Happy July 4th to all in this MAGICal realm.

I admit I'm surprised there are no breathless phased closing threads. Summer and July 4th falling on a weekend. Nothing yesterday. Nothing today. As near as I can tell, nothing at UNI as well.

I'm going to start wondering about it being crazy busy in O-Town all the time now (it really isn't .... just compared to say 1985 or 1995 it's busier) if we can't even get capacity parks on the July 4th weekend!

On the subject of summer crowds, Universal emailed some people an offer for a discounted Portofino Bay rate between now and mid-July ($145 wkday/$165 wknd - and, yep, I jumped at the chance). Doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would be offered if crowds were out of control.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yeah. Still a waste of time. Sorry. Disney did not have it the first few decades of operation and those were the most "magical" experiences ever to be had at a Disney park in Florida.

No need for explanation of what it takes to be "certified" to be able to do the drawings. I am not questioning that and respect your ability. You can leave a guest with a smile without the art. DIsneyland did not have it when it first opened and I would say it turned out pretty good.

I also have to disagree that there are not too many GSM's that would allow CM's to do nothing (including water paintings) on the clock "waiting to go home." If they do then they are a poor leader and should be re-evaluated.

What good is it to refer someone as a Custodial Guest Services Cast Member if it is internal? If the guest does not know that is what you are (which you are not because that is why they have Guest Relations at each park) they would publicize it.

I looked and no mention of "Guest Services" here: http://parksjobs.disneycareers.com/careers/custodial-jobs

Why does "stuck in a time warp" jump into my mind. And you guys talk about people making up reasons why Disney is right... seems like a whole lot silliness about why Disney is wrong as well. Nice try though!

 

[doctornick]

Yeah. Still a waste of time. Sorry. Disney did not have it the first few decades of operation and those were the most "magical" experiences ever to be had at a Disney park in Florida.

You can leave a guest with a smile without the art. DIsneyland did not have it when it first opened and I would say it turned out pretty good.

I'm sorry, but that's a stupid rationale. Using that logic, there will never be any "new" experiences at WDW because the good stuff was already developed. That actually seems to promote the over-reliance on nostalgia and cause stagnation that many on here complain about.

I think @Goofyernmost is absolutely correct on this issue. Most anything that is special and aspires towards the "Disney difference" is a "waste of time" when you boil it down. If people don't care for towel animals or water art, that's fine. Not everything has to appeal to all people. But it doesn't make any sense to pick and choose which "declining by degrees" are important just to due personal preferences.

 

[roj2323]

I also have to disagree that there are not too many GSM's that would allow CM's to do nothing (including water paintings) on the clock "waiting to go home." If they do then they are a poor leader and should be re-evaluated.

What good is it to refer someone as a Custodial Guest Services Cast Member if it is internal? If the guest does not know that is what you are (which you are not because that is why they have Guest Relations at each park) they would publicize it.

I looked and no mention of "Guest Services" here: http://parksjobs.disneycareers.com/careers/custodial-jobs

The guest service portion of the job is also mentioned multiple times in the operating guide. I should know, I was a custodial trainer for about a year. Additonally one of my trainees is now a coordinator and has also worked at least one temporary assignment as a leader as well.

Btw the photo is something I pulled from Google, it is not me.

 

[asianway]

Yeah. Still a waste of time. Sorry. Disney did not have it the first few decades of operation and those were the most "magical" experiences ever to be had at a Disney park in Florida.

No need for explanation of what it takes to be "certified" to be able to do the drawings. I am not questioning that and respect your ability. You can leave a guest with a smile without the art. DIsneyland did not have it when it first opened and I would say it turned out pretty good.

I also have to disagree that there are not too many GSM's that would allow CM's to do nothing (including water paintings) on the clock "waiting to go home." If they do then they are a poor leader and should be re-evaluated.

What good is it to refer someone as a Custodial Guest Services Cast Member if it is internal? If the guest does not know that is what you are (which you are not because that is why they have Guest Relations at each park) they would publicize it.

I looked and no mention of "Guest Services" here: http://parksjobs.disneycareers.com/careers/custodial-jobs

If a custodial CM is finished with their area, they should be going to another area to help. There's always something that needs cleaning up with the savages trekking through the parks nowadays rather than trying to take the place of the entertainment dept

 

[Funmeister]

View attachment 99662

The guest service portion of the job is also mentioned multiple times in the operating guide. I should know, I was a custodial trainer for about a year. Additonally one of my trainees is now a coordinator and has also worked at least one temporary assignment as a leader as well.

Btw the photo is something I pulled from Google, it is not me.

Right. Not debating it was used internally and on costumes of Custodial CM's. The point is that the position is not
"guest services." Sure they are there to help but they are not making dining reservations or comping tickets. Custodial "Guest Services" is NOT the same as WDW Guest Relations and should not be confused.

 

[Tigger1988]

"The small details are what used to make Disney great!"
"Ugh this small detail is a waste of time!!!!"

^^ why no one at TWDC takes fan opinions seriously. People will seriously complain about everything and anything, even if it's something they claim to lament about the past.

 

[Funmeister]

I'm sorry, but that's a stupid rationale. Using that logic, there will never be any "new" experiences at WDW because the good stuff was already developed. That actually seems to promote the over-reliance on nostalgia and cause stagnation that many on here complain about.

I think @Goofyernmost is absolutely correct on this issue. Most anything that is special and aspires towards the "Disney difference" is a "waste of time" when you boil it down. If people don't care for towel animals or water art, that's fine. Not everything has to appeal to all people. But it doesn't make any sense to pick and choose which "declining by degrees" are important just to due personal preferences.

That is fine. If you want to pay park admission to watch "cutting edge entertainment" draw water pictures on the ground then go ahead and spend your money. I wonder what the "Kids of the Kingdom" and "Future Corps" are doing these days? OH...doesn't matter I can look at a picture of Simba drawn with a bucket of water and a broom stick. TAKE MY MONEY NOW! smh

Like I said...not too many managers will keep their jobs allowing CM's to go draw water pictures in order to milk the clock waiting to go home. That is bad business in any company.