Gran Fiesta debacle...

[juan]

You do realize Guest Relations function is to help guests currently in the parks, and that giving out their phone number is frowned upon by the company, right?

Good luck finding their number on any Disney publication directing you to call them with questions..

I was referring to general information like 407-939-6244
which is found on Disney.com
And if you are in the park, you can use a house phone to talk to guest relations

 

[EpcotServo]

All Epcot Times guides say it is closed.

Again, not really. It just said that the Gran Fiesta Tour reopens early April. And since it was a shared date with the first, everybody thought that just ment it was closed yesterday, and they didn't want the times guide to say it was open. It was VERY vauge. And again, why would myself, and everyone there, go to such work if there was no reason to doubt that it was closed. Plus, the sign outside was there covering up the base of the old sign. I (and I assume everyone else) assumed that it was just there so people would not trip over the base, and that the new sign just wasn't up yet. Another thing that confused guests is that all of the closed signs only mentioned El Rio, not Gran Fiesta. I think that also confused everyone. And I can't tell you how many Times Guides, A-Frames, and Cast Members have given me wrong information about new rides being closed. In fact, everytime there has been an A-Frame or Times guide saying a new ride will be closed, I've gotten on that ride. So they kind of get you coming and going.
:lol:

 

[Timmay]

I will say it again.

Why? You are only banging your head against the wall trying to discuss this with folks that already had their mind made up before there was even a "debacle".

Here are some facts:

Now you are just rying to confuse people...:animwink:

 

[mousermerf]

I was referring to general information like 407-939-6244
which is found on Disney.com
And if you are in the park, you can use a house phone to talk to guest relations

So.. I should trust the phone number that I'm directed to call from disneyworld.com but not the information it posts regarding openings/closings?

I'm supposed to be psychic and know that as a guest, right?

 

[JimboJones123]

I will say it again.
Disney.com, which had the wrong date that most people followed, is run by the Disney Internet Group, a separate entity from WDW. WDWCo has known for a while and knows exactly when it will open and have already planned accordingly.

Here are some facts:
The master list of refurbishments says the ride will not open until Saturday.
All Epcot Times guides say it is closed.
All CM's at WDW have a personal time's guide that says it won't open until Saturday.
There is a sign out front that says closed.
There are CM's all over the Mexico pavillion that could answer questions.
And if it is so important to check back everyday, maybe call guest services and find out before you make the trip.

If you have a gripe, take it up with Disney Internet Group. It is not WDWCo's fault that Disney.com did not update their site. WDWCo planned and updated their resources and made it known that the ride wouldn't be opening til later (Times Guides, sign out front, etc)
And as far as WDWCo knew, they thought the guests knew the ride wouldn't be open so they never saw a need to place a CM at the entrance.



And to say "ing on you to be lazy or mean" is just offensive and demeaning to all CM's

Not all CMs, just the ones responsible. Yes it was meant to be OFFENSIVE and DEMEANING -- that's why I said it!

 

[Kadee]

Wow..... this is quite the thread. :dazzle: I didn't read all 18 pages.... (I have a life ... well....sort of..:animwink: ) but I can not believe a week (or less) delay in an average ride opening created this much arguement.

It sounds as though some expect Disney to be perfect. They are not. Disney is run by humans, like every thing else on the planet. Humans are far from perfect, so you can't expect them to run everything perfectly. Things happen unexpectedly .... that's life. Life is too short and too precious to get upset over something like this. I don't think it comes from people being lazy, dumb, stupid or anything of the sort. It is because they (like us) are human. Relax.....it will open soon. It is NOT a big deal.

 

[askmike1]

It's a domino effect and it's like the growning of a little white lie.

What the heck are you talking about? Domino effect? Give me a break! This is a result of people going by internet dates, ignoring all the signs Disney was giving. This does not affect any other ride and causes no domino effect.

Why set themselves up for failure and announce a hard date so far out?

Again, statements like this that make it seem like its the end of the world.

Why not have a sign up as guests entered the park?

Okay, so let's just ignore the fact that the giant electronic screen in the front of the park would have told you it was closed. Let's ignore the fact that the times guide said it wasn't open. Let's just ignore the fact that there were a dozen CMs in and around the Mexico area that could have told you it was closed (or possibly why). Where else do you want them to put a sign up? Do you want a sign up before you enter the park? Because that would be rediculous. Just like those people a while back who said there should be a sign up saying if EE is temporarily down. Where else do you want a sign? And more importantly, what the heck is a sign going to do that a simple walk in the Mexico pavilion and saying "Hey look, its closed........ want to ride Maelstrom?" can't do?

I empathisize with those on vactation hoping to go every day and wasting their mornings every day.

I feel absolutely NO sympathy. Wasting their mornings? Are you freakin' kidding me? They are five steps away from riding Maelstrom? A 3 minute walk from going on SSE, Mission: Space, Universe of Energy and all the other attractions there. They have the distinct pleasure of seeing the monorail go by every few minutes. They have the wonderful priviledge of hearing Epcot's beautiful background music. Again, cry me a freakin' river.

Most the time if a ride doesn't make the deadline, they give at least a week or two notice. They didn't.

As stated many times, they were going by internet posted times, which are rarely accurate. All the official WDW publication published the date as Early April.... NOT April 2nd.

Well, WDW was too lazy to make sure their information was distributed properly and are hidng behind a "it's not our fault" excuse and blaming another section of their own company.

As I just posted, their information was more then properly distributed. Electronic times guide, paper times guide, CMs in an around the area, the actual visual that its closed. What else do you want? Don't blame Disney for you not taking these publications into account.

You do realize Guest Relations function is to help guests currently in the parks, and that giving out their phone number is frowned upon by the company, right?

Along with the aforementioned phone number, there is also the Guest Relations Number of 407-824-4321. And yes, there other number is given on their website. Before you talk about things being frowned upon, try actually taking a look at what your talking about.

It was VERY vauge.

Times Guides aren't often vague. They are updated every Sunday, so if the attraction is going to be closed for all (or most) of the week, it will say "Temporarily Closed", "Open Early April", etc. If the attraction is scheduled to be open that week, it changes to "(Sunday, Monday, Tuesday).... Temporarily Closed (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday).... 11am-9pm".

there was no reason to doubt that it was closed.

There was no reason to believe it was open either. All official WDW publication told it was Early April.

I (and I assume everyone else) assumed that it was just there so people would not trip over the base, and that the new sign just wasn't up yet.

So now your saying that it is logical that Disney would open an attraction that wasn't finished yet????

Another thing that confused guests is that all of the closed signs only mentioned El Rio, not Gran Fiesta.

Okay, so now there are "all of the closed signs." Earlier in this thread there were no signs whatsoever. Why on earth would Disney keep up "closed" signs if the new attraction was open? Do they still have "Horizons is closed" signs out?????

So.. I should trust the phone number that I'm directed to call from disneyworld.com but not the information it posts regarding openings/closings?

I'm supposed to be psychic and know that as a guest, right?

Mousermerf, you are starting to cross the line between "Mildly over the top" and "That Crazy guy who doesn't listen to anyone else." Phone numbers are a static thing. They don't change all that often (if ever). And does it really hurt to try a phone number? If it is Disney (which it will be 99.99% of the time), voice your comments.... if it isn't..... say "sorry, wrong phone number" and hang up. Difficult?

 

[EpcotServo]

So now your saying that it is logical that Disney would open an attraction that wasn't finished yet????

No, I'm talking about the sign outside of Mexico. The one that used to advertise the ride? It was just a stump covered by a sign that said enjoy Mexico's art inside. I don't know why you're jumpin' all over my case. Everything I've posted is from the guest's stand point, and from what I noticed of the guest's confusion. Once I saw it wasn't open, I knew what was up. There was alot of confusion for regular people who came to see it though.

Okay, so now there are "all of the closed signs." Earlier in this thread there were no signs whatsoever. Why on earth would Disney keep up "closed" signs if the new attraction was open? Do they still have "Horizons is closed" signs out?????

I'm talking about how wherever it was mentioned, it was mentioed as El Rio being closed. Nowhere did it say "Gran Fiesta Tour will not be operating today" as done in the past. I was just saying that the two names were getting the average guest confused.

And again, I don't know why everyone's so whiny on both sides. I was there, and for a little while there was some confusion. That's all that happened. It was just a minor problem, that could've been handled a bit better. It wasn't the end of the world, just some confused guests. That's all.

 

[JimboJones123]

What the heck are you talking about? Domino effect? Give me a break! This is a result of people going by internet dates, ignoring all the signs Disney was giving. This does not affect any other ride and causes no domino effect.

Again, statements like this that make it seem like its the end of the world.

Okay, so let's just ignore the fact that the giant electronic screen in the front of the park would have told you it was closed. Let's ignore the fact that the times guide said it wasn't open. Let's just ignore the fact that there were a dozen CMs in and around the Mexico area that could have told you it was closed (or possibly why). Where else do you want them to put a sign up? Do you want a sign up before you enter the park? Because that would be rediculous. Just like those people a while back who said there should be a sign up saying if EE is temporarily down. Where else do you want a sign? And more importantly, what the heck is a sign going to do that a simple walk in the Mexico pavilion and saying "Hey look, its closed........ want to ride Maelstrom?" can't do?

I feel absolutely NO sympathy. Wasting their mornings? Are you freakin' kidding me? They are five steps away from riding Maelstrom? A 3 minute walk from going on SSE, Mission: Space, Universe of Energy and all the other attractions there. They have the distinct pleasure of seeing the monorail go by every few minutes. They have the wonderful priviledge of hearing Epcot's beautiful background music. Again, cry me a freakin' river.


As stated many times, they were going by internet posted times, which are rarely accurate. All the official WDW publication published the date as Early April.... NOT April 2nd.


As I just posted, their information was more then properly distributed. Electronic times guide, paper times guide, CMs in an around the area, the actual visual that its closed. What else do you want? Don't blame Disney for you not taking these publications into account.


Along with the aforementioned phone number, there is also the Guest Relations Number of 407-824-4321. And yes, there other number is given on their website. Before you talk about things being frowned upon, try actually taking a look at what your talking about.


Times Guides aren't often vague. They are updated every Sunday, so if the attraction is going to be closed for all (or most) of the week, it will say "Temporarily Closed", "Open Early April", etc. If the attraction is scheduled to be open that week, it changes to "(Sunday, Monday, Tuesday).... Temporarily Closed (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday).... 11am-9pm".

There was no reason to believe it was open either. All official WDW publication told it was Early April.

So now your saying that it is logical that Disney would open an attraction that wasn't finished yet????

Okay, so now there are "all of the closed signs." Earlier in this thread there were no signs whatsoever. Why on earth would Disney keep up "closed" signs if the new attraction was open? Do they still have "Horizons is closed" signs out?????

Mousermerf, you are starting to cross the line between "Mildly over the top" and "That Crazy guy who doesn't listen to anyone else." Phone numbers are a static thing. They don't change all that often (if ever). And does it really hurt to try a phone number? If it is Disney (which it will be 99.99% of the time), voice your comments.... if it isn't..... say "sorry, wrong phone number" and hang up. Difficult?

In other words, Don't be angry, because I can be more angry than you???
WOWZERZ!

 

[The Mom]

IS THIS THING STILL GOING??? You guys are incredible. :lol:

 

[ToTBellHop]

IS THIS THING STILL GOING??? You guys are incredible. :lol:

by the time this thread ends, it will already be time to refurbish the ride again...

 

[Horizonstta]

Hold the fort guys...the attraction is in soft opening at the moment and was stated to be open full time either tomorrow or Saturday. I rode it this morning around 10:30 when a cast member in front of the pavillion pulled 30 guests and asked if they wanted to ride a new attraction and give some quick feedback.

I usually don't like any changes to existing rides, but this one was really good. A fair amount the original attraction remained and the changes that were made really enhanced the ride. What I didn't like, and was the only comment I gave on feedback, was the lack of the Fiesta Mexico song from the original attraction. To me, that really made the ride. In the new version, there isn't one piece of music that really grabs you, but some may feel different.

 

[JimboJones123]

Hold the fort guys...the attraction is in soft opening at the moment and was stated to be open full time either tomorrow or Saturday. I rode it this morning around 10:30 when a cast member in front of the pavillion pulled 30 guests and asked if they wanted to ride a new attraction and give some quick feedback.

I usually don't like any changes to existing rides, but this one was really good. A fair amount the original attraction remained and the changes that were made really enhanced the ride. What I didn't like, and was the only comment I gave on feedback, was the lack of the Fiesta Mexico song from the original attraction. To me, that really made the ride. In the new version, there isn't one piece of music that really grabs you, but some may feel different.

More please!

 

[Grim Grinner]

They need that music, even if its only subtlely played while I wait in the line.

 

[jmvd20]

Hold the fort guys...the attraction is in soft opening at the moment and was stated to be open full time either tomorrow or Saturday. I rode it this morning around 10:30 when a cast member in front of the pavillion pulled 30 guests and asked if they wanted to ride a new attraction and give some quick feedback.

I usually don't like any changes to existing rides, but this one was really good. A fair amount the original attraction remained and the changes that were made really enhanced the ride. What I didn't like, and was the only comment I gave on feedback, was the lack of the Fiesta Mexico song from the original attraction. To me, that really made the ride. In the new version, there isn't one piece of music that really grabs you, but some may feel different.

You have to give us more than that - were the fireworks still there, how bout the volcano?

And most importantly did the new hosts have on their traditional outfits?

 

[Figment82]

Oh boo - the song is the only thing I really wanted to stay in the new ride.

 

[grandmath]

No song... that's a disappointment

 

[JikoMarie]

The Conversation Thus Far

Oh my goodness, both sides of this argument sound like broken records (but I will defend your freedom to the death to sound like said records ). Let me recap the conversation so far:

Merf & Co.: There should have been a CM outside of the attraction to tell guests it wouldn't be opening.
HakunaMatata & Co.: No there shouldn't have been.
Merf & Co.: Yes there should have been.
HakunaMatata & Co.: No there shouldn't have been.
Merf & Co.: Yes there should have been.
HakunaMatata & Co.: No there shouldn't have been.

...to infinity...and beyond...

My Opinion

I'll bite. I do find it odd that there was no CM there. People would have undoubtedbly been confused, even for a moment, and Disney acted like nothing was out of the ordinary. I thought that a CM out front was a Disney policy for situations like this. It would have been a tad bit irritating for anyone who made a special trip to the park that day to see the new attraction (and I believe that some people did). However, I personally would not have been upset about the lack of explanation, certainly not enough to lodge a complaint. So I think that part of the OP is a little over the top.

The Website

I'm glad to hear that the soft opening has happened. Also, for those of you following the WDW website drama, Gran Fiesta is not listed as being under rehab any longer. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wd...lendarRefurbishmentsListingPage&date=20070401 If anything, I think that people should be getting upset about the inaccuracy and general "horribleness" of the official WDW website. We should be able to trust it and I think it's ridiculous to suggest that we shouldn't. I mean, why have it in the first place if we're not supposed to go by the information posted there?

Disney.com, which had the wrong date that most people followed, is run by the Disney Internet Group, a separate entity from WDW.

{snip}

If you have a gripe, take it up with Disney Internet Group. It is not WDWCo's fault that Disney.com did not update their site.

I don't care who Disney contracts out to run its site. The site has the WDC's trademark logo all over it. Of course they are ultimately responsible for its content.

A Fan of Gran Fiesta

I think the negativity around this ride (that only one person on this thread has actually ridden) is unfair.

Gran Fiesta... not so much. Just another boat ride. IMO, it's really no big deal they haven't opened it yet.

But again that is just your opinion. I, personally, can't wait for it to open. In fact, it is one of the attractions I am most looking forward to for our trip in August. (It will be open by then, right? ) So, it might not be a big deal to you but it obviously is for others.

I mean isn't closing Grand Feista or whatever its called on the same level as closing a restroom?

Ouch! Obviously, I disagree. I can't wait to see it. Why can't you just acknowlege that different people like different things? Just because it's not a must-see attraction for you doesn't mean that everyone thinks that GF is no more exciting than a restroom.

Random Comments

First off, I don't crave attention. ("I'm the god. I"M THE GOD!"-Dr.Forrester:lol: )

Why have their been so many personal attacks in this thread? It's not like we're talking about abortion or the Republican party. EpcotServo, I want you to know that I, for one, love your updates and I really don't see them as you "seeking attention" any more than anyone who starts any thread.

Still would be interested in knowing exactly how many of the hundreds, nay thousands of people who came to Epcot that day to experience this new attraction went straight to guest relations and lodged complaints. My guess is they probably had to put up Fast Pass machines at guest relations so you could come back at your alloted time to complain.

Hakunamatata, the reason that nobody answered your question is because it is silly to ask it here. Who here would actually be able to answer it? I don't see the point you are making by repeating it multiple times.

Finally, we can put this thread to bed....

This is hilarious. :ROFLOL: You are one of the key posters fuelling the fire thus keeping the thread alive. Surely the post isn't going to be "put to bed" (which I don't think it should be since I find it wildly entertaining and sincerely want to hear more about the attraction), then STOP posting to it.

 

[psifreek27]

im wayyyyy more excited about "Gran Fiesta" than i ever was about "Laugh" Floor...

I love the three cabs!

hopefully this will cause an influx in 3cab merch!!!

Cant wait!!!:sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[JikoMarie]

im wayyyyy more excited about "Gran Fiesta" than i ever was about "Laugh" Floor...

I love the three cabs!

hopefully this will cause an influx in 3cab merch!!!

Cant wait!!!:sohappy: :sohappy:

I think most of my excitement comes from the addition of Donald Duck! That and I liked the original ride a lot as well.