A Spirited Perfect Ten

[ford91exploder]

I mean if a bunch of amateur them-park ops people on a message board can easily point out the fatal flaw and people inside didnt? You've got issues and You've clearly cultivated the wrong culture to support your park with.

Yep, The key problem is the DECISION MAKERS never visit the park and on the days they are there they have a herd of plaid's making sure their park experience is seamless. Not like the days when MDE wore fur and served QS meals.

 

[WDW1974]

Oh, I have a few notes asking if I'm going to comment further on Volcano Bay. The answer is why?

What UNI is doing (despite management in O-Town that gives Disney a run for its money in the competency department) speaks for itself. I look forward to experiencing the new park when it opens.

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm really not. Guest Relations doesn't deserve the abuse that is created by the actions (and inaction) of the P&R leadership team from Glendale.

The people who made the decisions and deserve to be blasted will never interact with a guest. EVER.

It's the Park OPS and GR CM's who will bear the brunt of the bad decisions made in Glendale.

 

[PhotoDave219]

@Katie G .... There are no low-attendance days anymore. So there's no point to a multi-tiered admission. Outside of Christmas/Spring Break? Crowds are pretty even and consistant througout the year, with the two exceptions: Week-10 days after Labor Day as well as Tues-Thurs of the weeks between New Years & MLK Day.

Everything else is a busy crowd, with those other times peaking.

 

[StageFrenzy]

I'm really not. Guest Relations doesn't deserve the abuse that is created by the actions (and inaction) of the P&R leadership team from Glendale.

The people who made the decisions and deserve to be blasted will never interact with a guest. EVER.

Yeah they don't deserve it but that is the position that leadership put them in, I hope they can figure out a way to make "it" flow upwards. Over/under ten twitter meltdowns?

 

[PhotoDave219]

They must have forgotten that one of the first post-9/11 moves that TDO made was to give EVERY APer a free three months on their existing passes. How quickly they forget ...

People with that kind of institutional operational knowledge have long been forced out of the company....

 

[WDW1974]

Isn't this basically the point. Sure, it is a Disney park being built. but China is controlling the discussion. Should this be a concern to shareholders going forward? I am guessing YES.

It is to this shareholder. It should be to all shareholders, but we're not all created equally ...

 

[ford91exploder]

Oh, I have a few notes asking if I'm going to comment further on Volcano Bay. The answer is why?

What UNI is doing (despite management in O-Town that gives Disney a run for its money in the competency department) speaks for itself. I look forward to experiencing the new park when it opens.

Yeah they don't deserve it but that is the position that leadership put them in, I hope they can figure out a way to make "it" flow upwards. Over/under ten twitter meltdowns?

Social Media is going to be aflame when 3/4 of the guests cannot do the Frozen attraction, I don't think even Zenia will be able to contain that tsunami of bad press.

 

[WDW1974]

If DCL follows WDW in ruining the product I am gone. Celebrity Cruise Line I'm looking at you.

I don't expect that to happen. And Celebrity has given me the only lousy cruise (and it was!) experience of my life.
I highly advise Princess or NCL if not DCL.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Yeah they don't deserve it but that is the position that leadership put them in, I hope they can figure out a way to make "it" flow upwards. Over/under ten twitter meltdowns?

No, no. These meltdowns go to Eleven.

 

[ford91exploder]

No, no. These meltdowns go to Eleven.

That one will go to 19 it will be EPIC. And that makes feel a bit down because that WILL ruin a lot of little kid's days and that's not what the Disney I grew up with was like.

 

[PhotoDave219]

That one will go to 19 it will be EPIC. And that makes feel a bit down because that WILL ruin a lot of little kid's days and that's not what the Disney I grew up with was like.

Spinal Tap joke.

Alas, we are watching the death of Disney's Guest Service much like how Nero fiddled while Rome Burned.

 

[WDW1974]

I personally feel that the current state of the resort still has a direct connection to the events of 9/11. What took place back then was the fear in Orlando being too much of a destination vacation resort and if travel was curtailed, it would be far too vulnerable if people couldn't commute. This fear caused the extreme caution and hesitation to move forward with any capital projects. What was unfortunately learned during this time by TDO was that they could get away with it. When travel picked back up without the corresponding increase in capital to entice the crowds to the resort - the mold was set. Newton's third law kicked in. Attendance is going up and a budget at rest continues to stay at rest.

Granted, the seeds for this malaise were already being sown in advance of 2001; but, the resulting bounce back in tourism with the minimal expenditures of the resort has simply emboldened them.

At this point, they are actively trying new ways to steer the demand for the resort around (MM+ and now perhaps tiered pricing) instead of embracing what should come naturally with an increase in demand - increasing the supply. Of course doing that would cost money.

9/11 did indeed have a profound effect on the DFBM (Disney Florida Business Model). Some things were already in the pipeline, others were approved by Michael Eisner in his last few years (LMA, Soarin, EE etc.) But Disney now operates WDW where it almost appears you're visiting a place that is about to go under, not one that sets quarterly records for profits. Yet, you don't see that money being pumped back into the parks in any major way ... NGE/MM+ aside and ...blah, blah and blah ... we've been down this road before.

Again, across four theme parks and two water parks, what new things are being offered to WDW Guests for Summer 2015?

 

[WDW1974]

That's what I'd do, RCCL. Oasis class.

Nope. Too damn big. Ships that seem like giant floating Lifestyle centers. You'd barely know you were at sea. And waaaay too many people with you... Besides, I hear a woman could blow eight grand in a spa in a week on one.

 

[WDW1974]

My long running theory is that was your first media gig too Local tv/film 'reporting'... graduating to entertainment/media reporting/coverage. Before shifting to a more PR-like role on contract to the overloads out east.

You got some of that right. One day we'll have a few drinks and I'll tell you all about my real life, which is a lot more interesting than this ranting, egotistical, but very knowledgeable online Spiritual persona.

 

[WDW1974]

Just do what we do. Every Tables blackout day, we go to a restaurant that is not part of the Tables crowd, and eat there. Yak & Yeti, Rainforest, T-Rex, or the offsite Carrabas, Longhorn, Bonefish Grill, etc. So they're saving their 20% and losing my $50. As 'more astute members say, pinching pennies and losing dollars.

I gave up my DDE (that's what it will always be to me) card many years ago. I just decided that even with 20% off that most WDW locales were insanely priced and too difficult to book much of the time ... it was hard as I was one of the first to have one back in 1995 when they first offered them for $25 for TWO cards (when food prices weren't outrageous and even popular places took walk-ins).

I only eat at WDW locations now when Angie is with me and I have no choice (she'll get Bucky to hurt me if I say no!) or when with CM pals with discounts of 40% off or more. I still dine at DD locations and Swan/Dolphin and Hotel Plaza locations that are on property, but not owned or operated by Disney and I do just fine.

 

[WDW1974]

I think one of the reasons a lot of TM's are a lot happier than their WDW counterparts is Universal does not put up with guest shenanigans. Disney has allowed guests to get away with abusing CM's for years now. Universal will toss you out the park in a heartbeat.

I joke that Disney would allow Guests to kill CMs if they reached a certain spending threshold ... I fear that I am not all that far off. Someone should ask Cupcake (my new nickname for Dr. Blondie) about that ...

 

[WDW1974]

I checked. My family 'only' has 22 theme park days and 28 water park days left on our no-expiration tickets.

With so little being added at WDW lately, that should be enough to last us through the opening of Star Wars Land.

In 5 years.

How much time did you spend at WDW/at UNI on this visit?

 

[WDW1974]

I'm in mild shock to hear Avatarland opens in 18 months. I hadn't been keeping track and assumed it was still 2+ years away. Wow. At this point in the Cars Land timetable (early 2011), coverage and excitement were reaching a fever pitch. The preview center in the park was about on the second of its four Cars Land updates on the project, etc., etc.

18 months til opening? Christmas 2016? Forget my Halloween tally of zero Pandora characters at my door each year, the lack of fan buzz this close to opening should be terrifying to TDO brass. I assume they'll display big models and such at D23 Expo in August, and if they do they had better be jaw-dropping.

Don't know if you saw my correction, but I was falling asleep when I posted that and zoned out. Earliest Pandora opens is November of 2017. I do hope we hear more about what will be in the land at D23 though.

Oh, you'll be fine. Would it help if I told you I wore shorts and an untucked shirt to Target this afternoon? SHOCK! However, if we meet for drinks at Carthay Circle or Napa Rose Lounge, let's hope those jorts are clean.

I really don't want to have to Google the word "jorts" to find out what they look like, but...

Okay, don't wear those to Carthay Circle.

I'm wearing cargo shorts and a Sequoia National Park tee as I type this. But, rest assured, that for Napa Rose I always dress. I've even been there in a tux, but that was post a TV Academy event. Carthay Circle I'm usually more casual for. I didn't feel so bad when I was at 1901 last spring and saw the way some people were dressed though.

I was just afraid you'd want to take me to Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza for a wardrobe makeover after you met me! (You are free to do so, you'll just have to pay for the new threads!)

Agreed. But something tells me by the end of this decade the activists will zero in on the horsedrawn streetcars on Disney's various Main Street USA's. I'll be fascinated to see how Disney corporate responds to that.

Disney, and Knott's, need to be strong and be out in front of this. Sea World bungled the whole Blackfish thing so badly. I could have helped them, but was never contacted. I still could because their current PR just isn't working. It's all defensive.

 

[WDW1974]

So I assume Roger Rabbit is just gone when Yoda moves in?

Obviously there are bigger things at stake with the company these days, but this would be a disappointing loss . . .

Yep. they have no plans for the character and he (very sadly as I am a huge fan) has no relevance today ... like Oswald, only he moves merchandise to crazy fanbois. He'll be around in Tokyo, though!