A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Goofyernmost]

They dont even have an appropriate response prepared if guests ask why its down. According to some twitter feeds, Disney was telling guests that the system was down because they were doing
"magical upgrades". While Im sure that was just an explanation to make the situation sound better, it made Disney look foolish because everybody was asking "why would they do an upgrade on a busy Saturday morning"?

Question for any of the IT folks here- Is it common to take a an entire system offline to upgrade or could you just redirect traffic to a different server and wouldnt a better time of day be in the later hours?

Just a question here, but, why is it any of our business why something is down? If it isn't working, it isn't working and that is all that we need to know, unless we know how to fix it, then maybe we could get hired to do repairs. The question I assume that is being asked is how long will it be before it is usable again. There is a better then even chance that they don't know, in fact, I'd be surprised if they even knew it was down. When did society get so demanding and so far out of their element and power.

 

[willtravel]

Very cool. I went ghost hunting with the guys from The Ghost Hunters (I was with Grant, who is very nice btw). There were areas that felt creepy to me, and I had a couple "interesting" experiences, but overall I thought it felt welcoming. Haunted, but welcoming...if that's possible.

Was this ghost hunt with Grant before or after he left Ghost Hunters?

 

[bhg469]

hold the thing up...
you really were that girl in that episode?
I loved that episode!!

My friend was in an episode. It was in the buffalo central train terminal. They later did one of their live halloween episodes there.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Was this ghost hunt with Grant before or after he left Ghost Hunters?

Long before, it was 2007. He, Jason and Steve were all at the Stanley that weekend.

 

[doctornick]

Well, that's all very elitist, but whatever floats your boat. .

I don't really see how what I said was "elitist". It's just in the grand scheme of things, there are other activities I'd choose to pursue in France over going to DLP given limited vacation time. If I had countless days in the area, sure I'd love to check out DLP. But given that any trip I'm taking to Europe nowadays is likely to be 2 weeks or less, I'd personally find other things I'd rather spend my time on. If not in France, then heck, a bunch of other countries and cultures are a short train ride away if I were in Paris.

That doesn't mean that I consider DLP to be a waste of time or anything -- just that it ranks lower on my list of priorities than other things to do that are accessible when in the area. I'm not snubbing my nose at people who visit there or any other Disney park worldwide, just that it wouldn't be my priority. YMMV, which is cool.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I don't really see how what I said was "elitist". It's just in the grand scheme of things, there are other activities I'd choose to pursue in France over going to DLP given limited vacation time. If I had countless days in the area, sure I'd love to check out DLP. But given that any trip I'm taking to Europe nowadays is likely to be 2 weeks or less, I'd personally find other things I'd rather spend my time on. If not in France, then heck, a bunch of other countries and cultures are a short train ride away if I were in Paris.

That doesn't mean that I consider DLP to be a waste of time or anything -- just that it ranks lower on my list of priorities than other things to do that are accessible when in the area. I'm not snubbing my nose at people who visit there or any other Disney park worldwide, just that it wouldn't be my priority. YMMV, which is cool.

I posted the following two posts in an effort to explain what I meant. I worded it improperly and it was never intended to be an insult, just more of an explanation of how others might perceive it. Hopefully, it comes through more clearly in these posts.

Yes, I understand that, however, if someone goes to France because they want to see DLP, I do not see anything wrong with that. In fact, I do understand the other side of it. That is why I tend to mock those that go to Florida and sequester themselves in the property of WDW.

What it boils down to is more of a fear of the unknown. If you're raised in a relatively sheltered life or grew up with a family that could not afford to travel, then you chose your destinations based on cost and comfort. I have read so many posts here where people are afraid. They are afraid of the traffic, afraid of getting lost, afraid of the area and the real and imagined dangers that exist out there. Afraid to explore anything other then the safe, security blanket feeling of a Disney park. They can then go home and cross Florida off the bucket list because they indeed spent time in Florida. They can also go to DLP and stay under that imaginary blanket and be able to tell their friends and relatives... "Hey, I went to France". They were able to do that without having to worry excessively about language barriers and making huge mistakes culturally.

Most people are also not overly interested in anything that slightly resembles history. They live strictly in the now and have no real interest in what others do or what they did in the past. Perhaps, a somewhat narrow way to live, but, one can go their entire life without ever seeing anything other then the town that they were born in and die perfectly happy.

I couldn't think of a better word, but probably should have added "culturally elite". Things like what the most interesting man in the world might say. "I don't go to France often, but, when I do I don't spend any time in Disneyland Paris." I didn't mean it as an insult, just a way of describing an outlook that isn't necessarily universally recognized.

 

[doctornick]

I posted the following two posts in an effort to explain what I meant. I worded it improperly and it was never intended to be an insult, just more of an explanation of how others might perceive it. Hopefully, it comes through more clearly in these posts.

Yeah, I saw them after I posted and I think I get what you meant. And, hey, no offense taken by any means.

I will say that after thinking about it, I could easily see myself visiting a theme park as part of a European vacation, but would probably be more inclined to visit something like Europa Park or Tivoli Gardens than DLP. Not because they would be "better" but just because they would be something more different than what I'm used to.

 

[michmousefan]

Personally, I'd skip Petrified Forest NP. Instead, consider Page, AZ and the lower Utah NPs (Zion, Bryce Canyon). That would also likely mean the North Rim of Grand Canyon NP. I'd also add Canyonlands on the way out. I say this with the caveat that I have not yet done any of the Utah NPs, but they are high on my list, and I'm itching to get out to Zion ASAP.

With Zion, I'd highly recommend reading up on the permit system: http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/thesubway.htm

Thanks for the tips. Horseshoe Bend in Page looks great. Canyonlands makes sense due to its proximity to Arches.

 

[Cesar R M]

Just a question here, but, why is it any of our business why something is down? If it isn't working, it isn't working and that is all that we need to know, unless we know how to fix it, then maybe we could get hired to do repairs. The question I assume that is being asked is how long will it be before it is usable again. There is a better then even chance that they don't know, in fact, I'd be surprised if they even knew it was down. When did society get so demanding and so far out of their element and power.

I hope you're kidding with your comment.

System town = HELLO, CMS CANT LOGIN TO THE SYSTEM AND THE SYSTEM CANT FIND ME, SO THEY WONT LET ME CHECK OUT OF THE HOTEL.

Like my report on president's day weekend.. The system was down quite a few times in CORONADO SPRINGs, they had to change machines, magicband readers were not working..etc..
please tell me how it doesn't affect you?

 

[Cesar R M]

My friend was in an episode. It was in the buffalo central train terminal. They later did one of their live halloween episodes there.

I liked that episode, the terminal is pretty creepy.
So bad they found very little.

I think the best episodes of Ghost Hunters were before they were forced to make "specials" where they had to fake the findings by the producers.

 

[WDW1974]

I've thought about this a good deal, and while I agree that MM+ has certainly made this issue worse, I believe the actual culprit for this ride-and-dash trend is overcrowding, at least at the MK. It's impossible to feel immersed when you're being pushed along by a herd that could rival a wildebeest migration. It's hard to slow down and take in the details when the only details you can see over a sea of heads are the roof lines. (I am kind of a short chick, so maybe others don't have as much of a problem with this!) Compound that by removing features that invite people to explore or to simply observe (hello, benches), and you end up with the theme-park equivalent of the airport kiss-and-fly lane, where you are not welcome to linger.

The MK is absolutely not a theme park in any real sense, not the way it was 30 years ago or even 15 years ago. It is a place you go to run around and ride rides and meet foamheads and eat overpriced crap. I'd love to know what the stories of MSUSA, Adventureland, Tomorrowland etc are today. They don't exist. It's all part of the industrial experience family vacation ... just ride the six things you want at MK, meet the characters you want at Cindy's Royal Table and then go ride Soarin at EPCOT and maybe the Seas with Nemo and then have dinner at Le Cellier. Rinse and Repeat tomorrow etc etc etc.

It is a monumentally lesser product than what WDW offered in 1975 or 1985 or 1995. You can't even begin to compare what you get for your vacation dollars now versus then.

FP started the problem in 1999. It was compounded by the DDP. And MM+ has taken it to a whole nother level.

Forget about Walt or Roy ... or even Ron or Card ... this isn't how WDW was supposed to work, why it was.

But so long as Disney can sell land and sell timeshares and convert hotel inventory into it, things will continue.

Bob Iger is a cancer on WDW. As is his leadership team from Tom and Jay to Meg and Chappie and George and Jim and Phil and Danny etc etc

They don't even know what their business is and what it is supposed to be. They are just good at sucking whatever goodwill the Disney BRAND has and counting on the Lifestylers and addicts and first-timers to get them through. There schmucks don't get basic things like the importance of shade and benches in theme parks in subtropical Florida. Effing MAGICal.

 

[WDW1974]

Sorry could not get the quote part tomworkmon the iPad. But what effects were not working on Splash Mountain? When I was their in !arch everything was working. So what could of possibly changed in a few weeks.

I stopped counting after I hit double digits.

 

[WDW1974]

WDW is still operationally deciding to force Guests to MK, where they'll spend money, by keeping it open until 11 or midnight nightly the rest of April despite the fact that all Spring Breaks are long over, while closing all the other parks at 6-9 p.m.

I have to disagree that this is a bad thing. The MK is where I spend the most time, and it's beautiful at night. I've always thought it a bummer when it closes early. I wish it would stay open until midnight all the time.

Beautiful at night!?!

The lighting is godawful. Too bright in so many place. Different bulbs in the same areas giving off different hues. It's like they don't know basic lighting. UNI does. How tough is this for the world's largest entertainment company? Or is it that they just don't give a d@mn? Is the park nicer at night? That's like being at a pickup bar with low lighting. Everything looks better because the flaws are obscured.

 

[WDW1974]

All I'll say to that is I would place DLP circa summer 2013 squarely in last place. Marks for originality, beauty and "potential" aside, that was truly the ghetto kingdom. 90 minute waits to get walk up quick service while locations were shuttered, a kid actually fainting in line due to lack of AC, the place was covered in a thick smog of tobacco... Not to mention the general state of maintenance. Of course, Disney at the time was in the active process of running the place to the ground in order to buy it out...

Hopefully both it and MK change for the better sooner than later.

I had a similar experience in 2012, so depressing. But things were noticeably better in MANY ways in 2014 and that was before Disney got the control in ownership that it has been seeking for a decade now. There are still some uniquely Parisian problems, but the MK is absolutely the Ghetto Kingdom. Let the Lifestylers have it. Maybe when leadership changes, so will the the way the park is viewed and treated. Until then, it only stays above TPSTBFKaDHS among ALL O-Town major parks due to the sheer amount of attractions. If judged on true metrics now, it would rate very, very low.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

What I have not done is go to DLP which is just as much a part of the culture now as those dusty old buildings.

This! DLP is part of the Paris cultural landscape, just as much as WDW or DL are part and parcel of the Florida and LA experience.

It is not weirder to visit an American cultural import than it is to see an Italian painting in the Louvre, a German opera in the Opéra Garnier, or the very Algerian cancan danced in Montmarte. Although personally I consider the latter two acts of barbary.

 

[ford91exploder]

Just a question here, but, why is it any of our business why something is down? If it isn't working, it isn't working and that is all that we need to know, unless we know how to fix it, then maybe we could get hired to do repairs. The question I assume that is being asked is how long will it be before it is usable again. There is a better then even chance that they don't know, in fact, I'd be surprised if they even knew it was down. When did society get so demanding and so far out of their element and power.

As a stockholder with not inconsiderable holdings in DIS it's definitely MY BUSINESS when their online systems fail for days on end, Why and what they are doing to prevent similar failures is EVERY STOCKHOLDERS business,

Here's the thing about being a 'Public' company management is answerable to the shareholders whether they like it or not.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I hope you're kidding with your comment.

System town = HELLO, CMS CANT LOGIN TO THE SYSTEM AND THE SYSTEM CANT FIND ME, SO THEY WONT LET ME CHECK OUT OF THE HOTEL.

Like my report on president's day weekend.. The system was down quite a few times in CORONADO SPRINGs, they had to change machines, magicband readers were not working..etc..
please tell me how it doesn't affect you?

Actually I was talking about rides, but, even with your item, sure it's frustrating, but, the only thing that one can even remotely expect for an answer is an estimate of how long it will be down. Why it's down is of absolutely no relevance. I realize that you are an IT guy and therefore might better understand the problem if it were to be identified, but, reality has to say that a typical CM would have no idea why. All they would know is that it isn't working and try and be lighthearted and hopeful. Knowing the exact nature of the problem will not at all affect the mood of the typical Guest. I'm just saying that there is absolutely no reason for anyone, other then the people in charge, to know why is isn't working. It will make no difference in the experience at all. It still won't work until it's working!

 

[Goofyernmost]

As a stockholder with not inconsiderable holdings in DIS it's definitely MY BUSINESS when their online systems fail for days on end, Why and what they are doing to prevent similar failures is EVERY STOCKHOLDERS business,

Here's the thing about being a 'Public' company management is answerable to the shareholders whether they like it or not.

Why would you ask a CM that question? What you are talking about goes much deeper the front line CM's would ever be privy too! As a stockholder there should be avenues to explore your investment, however, it is likely that the considerable holdings that you have are nothing more then a drop in the ocean compared to all the pieces of it that are out there for public ownership. Stockholders, presumably elect a BOD, they might have a need to know, you do not. If your unhappy with how you think things are being run then it is your responsibility to sell off your interests, you don't have direct control.

Since the evil Mr. Bob seems to be producing more earnings then ever before my guess is that you don't want to sell it off.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

This is EXACTLY why Disney and Lucasfilm should never have shot parts of "The Force Awakens" in Abu Dhabi.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...rs-vii-and-fast-furious-7-20150415-story.html

 

[DisDan]

This is EXACTLY why Disney and Lucasfilm should never have shot parts of "The Force Awakens" in Abu Dhabi.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...rs-vii-and-fast-furious-7-20150415-story.html

I don't get it, what's the problem?