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

[WEDWAY100]

If anyone on these forums knows my posts, I am typically a positive poster regarding WDW. I have no nostalgia coloring my impression of today's WDW as I only started visiting in 2009.

Well, this won't be that kind of post. We went to the MK today after the rain stopped and it was crowded, and it was filthy. It looked like a huge dumpster tipped over and trash just blew everywhere. The FP line for Buzz had trash and garbage all through the line. Tomorrowland was a mess in general to the point it was shameful. I would have been embarrassed if I had brought someone there for there first visit and saw this. Also, you could smell the bathrooms in Tommorowland from about 50 feet away. We were sitting at the Launching Pad having a drink and there was litter everywhere. The cast members with the dust pans that walk around were there but they were barely trying. You could also see guests just placing garbage on the ground - when there was a trash can 20 feet away,

Then we went to Frontierland and got on the FP line for BTMRR...
View attachment 152209
How's that look for the most magical place on Earth?

Oh, let us not forget what I found on the monorail for the trip back to the Poly...
View attachment 152210
Disgusting is all I can say.

It is a shame that the cleanest, most enjoyable part of our trip thus far has been our resort (Poly), and our time spent in DS. You can tell the parks are not staffed or managed appropriately for crowds. I hope that Chappie is serious about having this resort run better. This is supposed to be Disney's flagship resort, and the MK was appalling today. They need to get their act together in Orlando. We throw a lot of money around in the swamps, and we are also DVC members. But I will tell you this; I won't continue to if this is the state that the parks are in when I am visiting. It is a shame too, because as I said above, the deluxe resorts are still very nice. And what they have done in DS is tremendous. We spend so much time there now, and it is clean and the restaurants are excellent. I am also looking forward to the expansions and new lands and rides that are coming to all of the parks. But why should we keep coming if the parks end up looking like the MK did today? What a disappointment.

I owned DVC and have had an annual pass continuously since 1989. I sold the DVC and let the pass expire this past October. Bye-bye Disney. They will not get any more money from me until they create something new worth seeing, and run the parks commensurate with the prices they charge. And problems exist in DL as well - just different problems.

 

[tirian]

Not sure if its ever been discussed but does all the new Government regulations on taxes and employess with healthcare play a role in the cutbacks of CM's? Is Disney saving a few bucks on taxes or what not by cutting back staff?

Yes, Disney lost a massive percentage of CP alumni who returned to work shifts during busy periods to keep free admission.

 

[WDW1974]

Was going to start another thread because news tends to get buried, but this week another WDW big gun in the form of future President Danny Cockerell is out west in Anaheim getting his version of the dog and pony show put on for Phil Holmes.

This is all designed because Chappie really feels that TDA has its act together more than TDO. On many things they certainly do, but not all. A subject for another day.

But Chappie feels strongly that even in its construction (destruction to anyone not a huge Star Wars fan) state that it is getting far more right than its sibling in the swamps.

Cockerells's tour will differ slightly from Holmes, who he swapped jobs with a year ago this very week, but will still cover all the big bases.

After all, Danny will be running the resort in Fl come 2020 when the SWE is ready for opening, so he needs lots of big picture stuff.

No word on with the death of One Disney whether he'll sit through a bag and cup and napkin seminar.

BTW, enjoyed the Micechat update greatly. Is it just my ego here (and we all know it could be) or do I break news here, they wait a month or six weeks or more and then just repeat it with a bit of added detail and call it news?

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Was going to start another thread because news tends to get buried, but this week another WDW big gun in the form of future President Danny Cockerell is out west in Anaheim getting his version of the dog and pony show put on for Phil Holmes.

This is all designed because Chappie really feels that TDA has its act together more than TDO. On many things they certainly do, but not all. A subject for another day.

But Chappie feels strongly that even in its construction (destruction to anyone not a huge Star Wars fan) state that it is getting far more right than its sibling in the swamps.

Cockerells's tour will differ slightly from Holmes, who he swapped jobs with a year ago this very week, but will still cover all the big bases.

After all, Danny will be running the resort in Fl come 2020 when the SWE is ready for opening, so he needs lots of big picture stuff.

No word on with the death of One Disney whether he'll sit through a bag and cup and napkin seminar.

BTW, enjoyed the Micechat update greatly. Is it just my ego here (and we all know it could be) or do I break news here, they wait a month or six weeks or more and then just repeat it with a bit of added detail and call it news?

Micechat mimics what you've dropped for us, but only after a handful of weeks. It kinda feels like the word "moist"- makes ones skin crawl and shudder.

Can we please add benches to his "big picture stuff" because, last I checked, Floriduh is in great need of them.

Apparently Shanghai is too, but that's a different thread.

 

[aladdin2007]

Micechat mimics what you've dropped for us, but only after a handful of weeks. It kinda feels like the word "moist"- makes ones skin crawl and shudder.

Can we please add benches to his "big picture stuff" because, last I checked, Floriduh is in great need of them.

Apparently Shanghai is too, but that's a different thread.

were some added back on Main Street recently? Thought I saw some new photos were some benches had returned over on the guest relations side. not enough park wide of course but for awhile there were none.

and is danny good or bad spirit or just more of the same? just another shifting?

 

[Figments Friend]

If you love sitting on benches, Disneyland is the place for you.
Plenty of them....even in the Hub.

Shaded. Themed. Clean.
In places you want to be sitting, and / or in places that provide entertainment ( great people watching or Attraction watching ).

Yet another reason to head West.
Disneyland is where it's at.



-

 

[rael ramone]

were some added back on Main Street recently? Thought I saw some new photos were some benches had returned over on the guest relations side. not enough park wide of course but for awhile there were none.

and is danny good or bad spirit or just more of the same? just another shifting?

Danny's daddy brought 'Cockerell Fries' to the swamps...

 

[rael ramone]

If you love sitting on benches, Disneyland is the place for you.
Plenty of them....even in the Hub.

Shaded. Themed. Clean.
In places you want to be sitting, and / or in places that provide entertainment ( great people watching or Attraction watching ).

Yet another reason to head West.
Disneyland is where it's at.



-

Actually more reasons than that. Great weather. Diversity. Lee's Sandwiches. Tremendous Asian shopping markets. You can have a great trip out west even without stepping in Walt's park...

 

[COProgressFan]

Danny's daddy brought 'Cockerell Fries' to the swamps...

I have no insider information, but from what I can tell Danny does seem to "get it" in some instances, but on the other hand he knows how to play the internal politics game successfully to his own benefit as well, much like George K. Sort of a wild card to my understanding.

 

[BrianLo]

BTW, enjoyed the Micechat update greatly. Is it just my ego here (and we all know it could be) or do I break news here, they wait a month or six weeks or more and then just repeat it with a bit of added detail and call it news?

It was a week later actually (but who is counting). At least from when this thread was started on the previous Tuesday.

The difference between a rapid forum post and an editorial column.

I apologize for coming to their defence, but they get so much hatred, even from their homegrown fanbase. At least they have one or two lingering fans. Plus don't fret the ego, I defend you elsewhere! Mice Age still had some big breaks in the past year, they just are much, much less frequent with their articles than when you are on a posting spree.

 

[TP2000]

Phil Holmes goes to Disneyland one week, then Dan Cockerell goes the very next week.

That's beyond a coincidence. Something must be up.

 

[Nubs70]

Is that really the analogy you want to use? The proper reaction to a stall is to point the nose down and dive

From a P/E ratio perspective, YES. Your additional description.is perfect.

 

[wishiwere@wdw]

If anyone on these forums knows my posts, I am typically a positive poster regarding WDW. I have no nostalgia coloring my impression of today's WDW as I only started visiting in 2009.

Well, this won't be that kind of post. We went to the MK today after the rain stopped and it was crowded, and it was filthy. It looked like a huge dumpster tipped over and trash just blew everywhere. The FP line for Buzz had trash and garbage all through the line. Tomorrowland was a mess in general to the point it was shameful. I would have been embarrassed if I had brought someone there for there first visit and saw this. Also, you could smell the bathrooms in Tommorowland from about 50 feet away. We were sitting at the Launching Pad having a drink and there was litter everywhere. The cast members with the dust pans that walk around were there but they were barely trying. You could also see guests just placing garbage on the ground - when there was a trash can 20 feet away,

Then we went to Frontierland and got on the FP line for BTMRR...
View attachment 152209
How's that look for the most magical place on Earth?

Oh, let us not forget what I found on the monorail for the trip back to the Poly...
View attachment 152210
Disgusting is all I can say.

It is a shame that the cleanest, most enjoyable part of our trip thus far has been our resort (Poly), and our time spent in DS. You can tell the parks are not staffed or managed appropriately for crowds. I hope that Chappie is serious about having this resort run better. This is supposed to be Disney's flagship resort, and the MK was appalling today. They need to get their act together in Orlando. We throw a lot of money around in the swamps, and we are also DVC members. But I will tell you this; I won't continue to if this is the state that the parks are in when I am visiting. It is a shame too, because as I said above, the deluxe resorts are still very nice. And what they have done in DS is tremendous. We spend so much time there now, and it is clean and the restaurants are excellent. I am also looking forward to the expansions and new lands and rides that are coming to all of the parks. But why should we keep coming if the parks end up looking like the MK did today? What a disappointment.

I typically try to stay positive and avoid this type of discussion because honestly, I like to see things for myself. We just returned from two weeks of Orlando fun (not all of it at WDW!). Yes, it sucks to go this time of year but it's the only time of the year we can go. To that end, the crowds honestly weren't that bad.... Except for the MK which was a disaster zone. You couldn't be more spot on. I'm not kidding when I say that our local Six Flags seriously has cleaner bathrooms and trash cans that aren't overflowing. It was truly sad. Thank you for sharing the photos as well as they sum things up perfectly. Here's one more .

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I have very little hope for WDW at this point, but does anyone think that with "One Disney" dead, and TDO kinda left to fend for themselves, that they may make some smart decisions by realizing their poor decisions resulted in them being kicked out of the loop so to speak?

 

[wogwog]

I have very little hope for WDW at this point, but does anyone think that with "One Disney" dead, and TDO kinda left to fend for themselves, that they may make some smart decisions by realizing their poor decisions resulted in them being kicked out of the loop so to speak?

I vote no.

 

[Horizons1]

I have very little hope for WDW at this point, but does anyone think that with "One Disney" dead, and TDO kinda left to fend for themselves, that they may make some smart decisions by realizing their poor decisions resulted in them being kicked out of the loop so to speak?

No. Now it's pretty much inbreeding.