Kali River Rapids reopens.... and guess what??

[The Empress Lilly]

The South Americans seem to avoid Southern California, at least for group tour packages.

Yes, the big Tour Group companies don't seem to offer Disneyland packages.

http://www.lagetur.com.br/disney_lagetur/index.html

Maybe plain (plane?) distance plays a role. If one flies from Rio to LA one flies almost directly over Florida, from where one would still have to cross the entire continent to get to LA.

Lucky California!

 

[Californian Elitist]

I don't think the Disneyland Resort promotes itself to really any international countries, except maybe Japan and Australia.

 

[WDW1974]

No thank you, sir. Tigers like water.

No more jumping water in the Laughing Place... it could fall on guests' heads!

Yes, they do. But there are ways of keeping them and guests separated ... not a hard illusion to pull off. Just not a cheap one.

Disney went Six Flags with the ride and let Rohde make the queue all exotic ... sorry, but the queue isn't the ride.

 

[WDW1974]

This, all day long.

And it wouldn't even take the whole six months to fix the yeti. The balance of the time could be spent...oh, I don't know...making sure the train steam always works, fixing the blowing snow effect on the mountain peak, returning the icy mist effect in the caves...that'll do for a start.
Hell, even make the crazy bird-on-a-pole work.

Get all that done and the ride will be show ready.
Until then...it's bad show every single time they dispatch a train.

Again, when did Disney decide to start caring about SHOW again?

I must have missed a memo. Did Georgie say it? ... didn't think so.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

sorry, but the queue isn't the ride.

Where have we seen that before...

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Again, when did Disney decide to start caring about SHOW again?

I must have missed a memo. Did Georgie say it? ... didn't think so.

Well that doesn't sound like it bodes well at all. So much for this so called "maintenance improvement" that was supposed to be ushered in with George Kalogridis' new leadership...

I'm getting myself out to Disneyland as soon as possible. Whether this year or next year, I intend to be there soon unless some crazy event happens to me to prevent it.

 

[WDW1974]

All the sentiments here really need to be shared directly with Disney as time consuming as it is. Its great to discuss and sound off on here about it but its not going to do an ounce of good unless letters are sent or more people walk into guest relations etc. Not that those methods will change anything either, but the more letters/complaints they get the better. Just sayin.

Letters can be succesful (although largely not) ... direct phone calls to execs are a better way. If you call the switchboard and ask to speak to ANY/ALL execs they will transfer you to their offices.

But another successful strategy is to bring it to their attention immediately. At the attraction, restaurant, resort, whatever ... get a lead/manager/area manager and give them a polite but firm earful and then if it takes an hour or two out of your vacation let them know that too because they should give you something for it even if it's just a free quick serve meal or dessert.

Generally, though, dealing with the problems when you are there is so much more effective (even if you can't see immediate results) than waiting to go home. I guarantee that if Guest Relations at DAK had a line of 20 folks all day long complaining about show quality for just a week straight, it would drive the point home. ... But that sadly won't happen.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I'm getting myself out to Disneyland as soon as possible. Whether this year or next year, I intend to be there soon unless some crazy event happens to me to prevent it.

The crazy event that happened to me was my bank account.

 

[WDW1974]

You encountered the typical modern Disneyland crowd, which I find to be a mixture of...

• SoCal Locals with respect for the park and Walt Disney who created it for them
• Affluent tourists from Western US states and Canadian provinces for whom a few days at Disneyland is just part of their broader family trip experiencing the great cultural and natural wonders of Southern California (these are smart people who live in stunning natural splendor already, and they know the best things to see in life don't require Fastpass, but Disneyland is a fun stop)
• Japanese/Taiwanese/Korean/Australian/New Zealand tourists who are tacking a day or two at Disneyland onto grand USA trips-of-a-lifetime.
• Plus a smattering of English and western European tourists, again on a grand "See The USA!" vacation package.

The South Americans seem to avoid Southern California, at least for group tour packages.

Just felt this was worth repeating.

I generally feel DLR has a far higher level clientele than ANY of the O-Town parks, but especially WDW does now.

I'd also add that the locals are folks living in the entertainment capital of the world and on the cutting edge of trends in food, fashion, music and theme park entertainment. It's why certain things that work at WDW will never work at DLR no matter how much they wish upon a star.

 

[WDW1974]

While you received a lot of flak for this, I'll rush to your defense!

WDW doesn't operate as a whole. No, DAK is operated as a seperate entity. With a vice-president solely responsible for DAK. If Michael Colglazier (DAK vice-president until last month) had closed Everest for six months in the three years he had been DAK vice-president, then indeed guests would've simply gone to the other WDW parks instead. BUT...DAK's attendance would've taken a major beating, and DAK would not have been the park that in a complete surprise move overtook DHS to become third park in Orlando - which it did under Michael Colglazier's watch. And he woudn't have been made president of the entire DL resort on account of this spectacular result.

This is why nonsense such as is the sorry state of Kali happens. The man responsible got rewarded for it. The other vice-presidents at WDW all have taken notice: TWDC promotes those who increase the numbers of their own unit, and do so in the short term. Unless you want to be the village idiot, a WDW manager knows: the good of the whole or of the long term be damned.

Michael would have had to get approval from higher-ups to close EE for any significant period of time. WDW VPs can't make that type of call on their own. They don't have that type of power.

 

[MickeyPeace]

Not that I ride Kali very often, but haven't seen any mist on the ride anywhere in quite some time. Definitely not early last summer. I remember when the lift and first part of the ride were shrouded in a thick cloud of mist. It looked very cool and at least kind of made up for the lack of props or theming.

The smoke smell and visible smoke clouds as seen in this video are still there. You can even see it from Everest sometimes. Just no fire. And there are significantly fewer trees on the ride now, especially the portion before the logging scene, than in that video. And, that was before this "refurbishment."

Ugh. And as you can see in the video, no steam on the lift hill.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It's why certain things that work at WDW will never work at DLR no matter how much they wish upon a star.

Like what, exactly?

 

[WDW1974]

Well that doesn't sound like it bodes well at all. So much for this so called "maintenance improvement" that was supposed to be ushered in with George Kalogridis' new leadership...

Can't blame George for this one. ... The guy is still waiting for his custom office chair to arrive and unpacking his stuff ... this is stuff that was budgeted and decided upon last year.

 

[WDW1974]

Like what, exactly?

Asking for specifics! ... sure off the top of my head: MM+! ;-)

 

[RSoxNo1]

Letters can be succesful (although largely not) ... direct phone calls to execs are a better way. If you call the switchboard and ask to speak to ANY/ALL execs they will transfer you to their offices.

But another successful strategy is to bring it to their attention immediately. At the attraction, restaurant, resort, whatever ... get a lead/manager/area manager and give them a polite but firm earful and then if it takes an hour or two out of your vacation let them know that too because they should give you something for it even if it's just a free quick serve meal or dessert.

Generally, though, dealing with the problems when you are there is so much more effective (even if you can't see immediate results) than waiting to go home. I guarantee that if Guest Relations at DAK had a line of 20 folks all day long complaining about show quality for just a week straight, it would drive the point home. ... But that sadly won't happen.

In the past I've done this if I see small show things that can be fixed fairly easily (mechanics visible after a scarf was moved on one of the Pirates as an example). Up until this trip I have never complained to a cast member about the image quality on Soarin'. However, after visiting on 1/22, there were legitimate vertical static lines that floated around the screen throughout the ride. I mentioned it at the desk by Soarin' and again at Guest Relations on my way out. I presented it as follows:
"I've been on this ride dozens of times, I know there are images with dust, but that's not what I saw this time. I have never seen the film look this bad, it looked staticky and I'm sure that people that are waiting the full standby wait are incredibly dissatisfied. Thankfully, I used Fastpass but the attraction isn't at an acceptable level for guests."
One cast member legitimately face palmed, and another told me that there was a cleaning of the film coming within the hour.

The way to do this is to be genuine about it. Don't ask for anything (not even another ride on the attraction), just present it to them as poor show quality issues and guess dissatisfaction.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Asking for specifics! ... sure off the top of my head: MM+! ;-)

Oh, why of course! Stupid me!

We need to hang out again.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Can't blame George for this one. ... The guy is still waiting for his custom office chair to arrive and unpacking his stuff ... this is stuff that was budgeted and decided upon last year.

I have a couple in my basement, George - one of them is all yours if you fix the Yeti.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Michael would have had to get approval from higher-ups to close EE for any significant period of time. WDW VPs can't make that type of call on their own. They don't have that type of power.

Yes, but the discretionary power of a park vice-president is stronger the other way round: a veep can decide to not close attractions for any significant amount of time, for which he does not need approval. Except for the rare instance where he is instructed to do so, that call they pretty much can make on their own.

 

[WDW1974]

^^Yep.

 

[MKCP 1985]

Generally, though, dealing with the problems when you are there is so much more effective (even if you can't see immediate results) than waiting to go home. I guarantee that if Guest Relations at DAK had a line of 20 folks all day long complaining about show quality for just a week straight, it would drive the point home. ... But that sadly won't happen.

Don't get carried away with rhetoric. It would truly be sad to see such a unending line of unhappy people. Most people are actually having a great time even if the park comes up short.

What is more effective: giving money and attendance but making a complaint, or just skipping the park? DAK is the only WDW park I consciously elect to skip each trip down. The broken yeti is a big deal to me but there is also Chester and Hester's tacky off the shelf land and reduced park hours. Plus the park is hot as hades most of the time.

I will welcome Avatarland but will be. Sure to get there during the magic window between opening it up to guests and before all the effects break or get turned off. After 15 years, we have figured out the way this park operates