Letter to WDW

[niteobsrvr]

I am just going to make a few simple comments here related to the letter.

1st - Monorails

Does anyone actually look at the distance you travel between locations at Disney World? To get from point A to point B in many cases you are talking 3 to 5 miles minimum. Some origin destination pairs are further. The current price for monorails being built around the world ranges from approx. 26 million to 78 million dollars per mile. To connect just a couple of more locations on the property would easily exceed 1 billion dollars. Is this money well spent for transportation instead of rides and entertainment?

Buses are not prone to disruption due to electical storms and are more flexible to meet changing demands during the day. You cant have 20 monorails line up at the magic kingdom at close to distribute people across property but you can have 50 buses or more cycling through. Monorails running property wide would not be as high capacity as the current trains because anyone can see that the buses, which hold about 70 passengers, arent close to full during most of the day.

2nd - Pins

They clearly state the batteries only last a couple of days. At least they told you upfront.

3rd - Food Prices

Does anyone have any idea what it cost to operate a park for the day and make a profit? Afterall, as shareholders, return on investment is what you are most cocerned about or you wouldn't have bought the stock. If you bought the stock for any other reason than investment purposes you clearly need to rethink your investment strategies.

Imagine parades that cost 10's of thousands of dollars to stage every day. Imagine Fireworks shows that run 10's of thousands of dollars everyday. Imagine the wonderful cast members you meet and help you enjoy your stay making 7 to 12 dollars an hour or more. Imagine 55, 000 cast members. Providing the most magical place on earth is not a discount operation.

Often people mention things in disrepair here or there. Think about the property and how big it is and ho many things can go wrong. Now imagine the number of maintenance workers that must be available to combat the constant problem of deterioration that is brought on both naturally and by the guests. Now imagine if there was even more maintenance staff available so that everything was absolutely perfect everyday. That is a tremendously costly proposition. The alternative would be to never have built the other hotels and parks and only concentrated on the original Magic KIngdom. Imagine how boring that would be for a week.

4th - Rides

Imagine if all the rides were still the same as 1971. No Space Mountain, no Splash Mountain, no Thunder Mountain, etc. No Epcot. No MGM. No Animal Kingdom. Would you all still be visiting the park? Probably not or at least not as often which might even mean Disney world and maybe even Disney the company would not be here today.

 

[Passport]

I go to a Disney park every week, (the perk for being unemployeed and living in Orlando) and I rarely have any problems or see rides shut down.
I find airport food to cost more then the parks food. And if I had $75.00 to spend on pins, I wouldn't be complaining about the price of food.
Now list all of the good things that happened that day. I bet that list would be a lot longer.

 

[tinkrbel]

Originally posted by Passport
I go to a Disney park every week, (the perk for being unemployeed and living in Orlando) and I rarely have any problems or see rides shut down.
I find airport food to cost more then the parks food. And if I had $75.00 to spend on pins, I wouldn't be complaining about the price of food.
Now list all of the good things that happened that day. I bet that list would be a lot longer.

standing ovation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dizpins14]

I was mad at Disney about my pins of course when they went out they didn't work once new batteries were put in, but also there is a rise in cost for pins then again these more expensive pins do more. I do think Disney is taking a slight advantage of us Disney fans because we'll do anything for the mouse. And I do say slight. I do agree that the parks should change but CoP should stay.

 

[McArcDes]

I have never had a vacation to Disney World and I have been about 10 times in the last 20 years. None of them have been perfect and all of them generated wonderful memories that we will never forget. If we go and dwell on the little things that go wrong with these trips then why go? Why not just stay at home and go to work and deal with all the day to day stuff we go the Disney World to escape.

As for the down time on rides I know for a fact (because I worked there) that they measure the down time in minutes, not hours or days, and the reports on these down times go to the upper level executives. All of these rides are very complex and we as the riding guests take it for granted how difficult it is to keep them up, running and have the best shape possible. Disney does fall down at times with in doing this like the time I went on Spaceship Earth (one of my favorite rides) and came off quite upset at its very poor condition. The next time I rode it was in much better condition though.

As for the prices of food. Yes it is expensive to eat there. That is a fact pure and simple. The thing we try to do is to bring in snacks and buy one meal (fast food) to 2 people. We eat every bite. I just dont understand how people can waste so much food and so much money spent on that food. Just a personal pet peave.

Security, if Disney put every guest through the security you have to go though at airports you would not get into the park until 3:00pm if you showed up at 8:00am and the guests would not stand for it. Can you imagine? Maybe it sounds nieve but we have to believe that they have more going on behind the scenes that what we see.

Rude cast members...we all have encounted them. It does put a damper on that moment but thats as far as it goes. The ones I remember most are the ones that plus your visit. Like the time when we took our daughter for her third birthday and took her our into the parade route before the parade and had everyone sing happy birthday to her and then told us to meet him at the Hall of Presidents before Spectro Magic. He gave her a gift and card signed by all the Pooh charicters and got us a great spot for the parade. On our way out of the park we stopped by City Hall and filed a report on how great he was.

This is turning into a book so I will end it here and end it this way. When doing something that is supposed to be enjoyable dont get hung up on the little things that go wrong. Concentrate on the things that go right. Take it from someone who knows..

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by foxfire
Furthermore, I would urge that the appropriate department consider expanding Monorail service to include Disney MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. This would benefit all guests, as well as ease the load on the long delays caused by using Bus transportation. I chose to do so on a previous visit and found the means of transportation inefficient, with travel times of up to one hour.

As a stock holder, I can assure you... a Monorail expansion would NEGATIVELY impact your stock.

*steps up on soap box*

Okay... Why does everyone just think that expanding the monorail would solve all of Disney's transportation issues? As a Disney Transportation cast member, both in Busses and Monorails... I know how things work. I can tell you right now that expanding the monorail would cause more headaches, and more hassles, and would not solve anything.

The fact of the matter is... The way Disney is set up... the way guest traffic flows... It would take you LONGER to get to your destination. I can tell you right now, you will wait in long lines for a train... When it gets there, there will be no seating room left, and you will have to stand. You will have to get off at a transfer location, and wait in another line, just to stand in another monorail.

It would be far too complicated, far too time consuming. As hard as it is to beleive... most guests have a hard time grasping the concept of changing trains to get to a final destination. Having them do it once or twice on a regular basis to get anywhere would just be bad.

Park Exits would be NIGHTMARES. Instead of half the people going to busses, and the other half being split between Monorails and Ferryboats... you'd have EVERYONE going for the monorail. So they'd wait in that long line... which could take an hour to get through... then they'd have to change trains and wait in another long line...

TRUST ME... no one would like to see a monorail expansion more than myself... I love these trains... *BUT* I know what would work and what wouldn't.


I know a lot of people don't like the Busses. I know a lot of people claim to wait "hours" for a bus. But I can tell you, those busses run quite well. In the morning, we run MOD - Magic On Demand. This system dispatches extra busses to places where the heavier crowds are. Busses can go via alternate routes and avoid traffic.

In the afternoon, we switch to routes... Busses will run in routes, and are on schedules. They *WILL* come approx every 12-17 mins apart. At night time, the routes are expanded. Downtown Disney to All Stars for example, will have TWELVE busses running at a 6min interval. Our busses run on schedules... and while I will admit once in a great moon... some extraneous circumstance will come up and delay a bus. But for the most part, 95% of the time, they will be on time.

Now, you stated "with travel times up to one hour" I'm assuming that your particular bus route had a few stops. For example's sake, I'll use Magic Kingdom to Epcot Resorts... During non busy times, that route will service MK to Swan, Dolphin, Yacht, Beach, and Boardwalk. So, if you're staying at the Boardwalk, yes, you will have a few stops.

But look at it this way:
If you were on a Monorail... you would STILL have to make those stops... and in fact, they'd be longer stops. With a bus... during busier times, the bus might only service Y/B/B, and another do S/D, thus saving time. The bus is more direct.

*steps down from soap box*

Okay, sorry... I just had to vent. Nothing personal to anyone. It just irks me when people think that Monorails will solve everything and that busses are evil.

 

[Disney4648]

2much2do How much are the pins? What type of battery do they take? I would much rather buy batteries for cheaper here at Walmart before we go than to have to buy replacement ones at the parks. Can anyone help me?

The pins cost $18.00 each and the metal regular pins cost anywhere from $6.50-12.50 depending on the size and they take those round small circular batteries.

 

[Mr. Toad]

I love the monorails but I would rather keep the buses and put the money into the parks. The buses are much nicer than the buses I used to commute into NYC on.

The longest I think I ever waited for a bus was 3 hours. OK it was really 20 minutes but between the afternoon sun and being exhausted it felt like 3 hours.

The only time I see the buses being troublesome is going from say the Wilderness Lodge to the Animal Kingdom Lodge after the parks have closed. Is there a better way than a bus to TTC or DTD and then transferring to a different bus? Of course, new monorails would not solve this.

 

[foxfire]

I'm still here-been busy with school. True, Disney probably doesn't care one bit...but it can't hurt to voice issues. I don't expect a resolution.

 

[foxfire]

Ok, on the topic of transportation --

I know how bad the lines for the monorail can be. Believe me, I waited over an hour on Grad Night for one. Granted, it was a special event, but still...

If the buses are going to "work" then something has to be done about efficiency. I was once @ the parks after having moderate surgery and standing in the hot sun watching 4 buses pass by before mine arrived wasn't so wonderful. Even for regular visits---the travel times border on absurd.

As far as monorails---I agree the money should go into the parks. Heck, maybe towards re-opening some of the seasonal attractions (cough cough Carousel of Progress). But that's another issue entirely. If I had my way I'd have Horizons open.

Regardless of how many shares one holds in the company, sadly the decisions lie in those with controlling shares. Not to mention that the stock has dropped $10 since I bought it. Thank goodness I'm not relying on the returns at the end of the year.

 

[mdelo]

I can't hold back any longer! Foxfire, I think it's time for an attitude adjustment. Start looking on the bright side of things. Do you always see all of this negativity in everything? Sorry, but I just had to say it.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by foxfire
If the buses are going to "work" then something has to be done about efficiency. I was once @ the parks after having moderate surgery and standing in the hot sun watching 4 buses pass by before mine arrived wasn't so wonderful. Even for regular visits---the travel times border on absurd.

The busses DO work. We run one of the largest transit systems in the country, and move hundreds of thousands of people PER DAY. And for the most part, we do it in a timely manner. I don't know about you, but I call that efficient.

I'm sorry that you saw 4 busses pass by before yours came, but keep in mind we service 21 (?) resorts... so there's bound to be a bus for another resort to come before yours arrives.

As for travel times... our longest route is 62 mins long. That's a round trip, including an internal shuttle. Which means the bus travels from the park to the resort, circles around twice, and then returns back to the theme park. So chances are, the longest you'd spend on a bus would be 30 mins. By comparison, if you were travelling from the Grand Floridian to Epcot... that trip could take 35 minutes via monorail.

Also... Please keep in mind... Walt Disney World is about TWICE the size of Manhattan... we are 47 square miles, give or take, and it's gonna take some time to get from one end of property to another. That's just life. *shrug*

 

[Hyperion93]

The pins are one thing they MIGHT care about....but everything else is just dumb ________ that only obsessed people like us would care about. So I doubt they'll do anything.

 

[foxfire]

Sorry if I sound 100% negative, I don't mean to. Of course I've had my share of postive experiences as well. I mean there are times when a CM won't let me use a Fastpass two minutes before it's valid, but it's not the end of the world. WDW has done a lot for me when things haven't gone right, including sending out some free 1 day passes and refunding the unused day on my Play 4 Days pass.

However, like ANY business, there's always room for improvement.

 

[Disney_Freak:oþ]

ok,you're not supposed to be able to go in 2 minutes early..thats why they have the time in the first place..the cm was just doing their job..if they let everyone in early,then there wouldn't be a need for the certain time...that's dumb...it's like the speed limit..you're not supposed to go two miles over..thats the reason for the speed limit in the first place

 

[2much2do]

Poor Foxfire. You really sound like a target for bad luck!

 

[Disney4648]

By Foxfire - However, like ANY business, there's always room for improvement.


Thats true and we all know that Disney does need some improvement right now but there doing a good job for the most part.

 

[tinkrbel]

Ok ..I am gonna get in trouble again .. but some of ya'll think you could do alot better then disney is doing at running things .. soo why aint ya on the payroll? .. you know for every nice CM story we have ..I bet the CM's have 20 for foul mouth, unreasonable guest. I will never forget right after test track open and they started the line for single riders ..this family got in the line ..and when they couldnt all ride in the same car they were throwing the most embarrasing fit. the CM's were trying so hard, and being so nice .. when I bet they would like to have said the things I was thinking .. like "why dont you shut up and go to Universal". We drive to WDW now that the girls are older .. we park our van and we use Disney's transportation ... we dont get back in the van till we have to go home. I have never waited very long for a bus ..in fact I gotta say I think its great they way they get you back to the resorts at closing .. they will have 2/3 buses, one right behind another.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by tinkrbel
you know for every nice CM story we have ..I bet the CM's have 20 for foul mouth, unreasonable guest.

You would not believe the abuse we take... *sigh* I mean, I understand that they've had a long day, and may be tired and frustrated, but we're humans too. Half of the time, the problem lies because the guest isn't listening, or doesn't want to listen.

Other times, they have a legitimate problem. The more polite and cooperative they are, the more likely that cast member is going to go above and beyond to rectify that situation and try and provide great "Guest Service Recovery"... however, if the guest starts to cause a scene, and verbally abuse us, most cast members will still remain professional, but will do the bare minimum to take care of the situation.

I do have to say though... for every rotten apple... I get at least a hundred smiling happy super fun guests And it is those guests that I get to have a lot of fun with, and totally makes my job the greatest in the world.

 

[2much2do]

I have to agree! I remember one time as a Disney Store CM a guest came in with an outfit that belonged to her little girl. The outfit was not a Disney Store one but it had Pooh on it. I think it may have been Sears or Penny's, but we couldn't tell. Anyway, the shirt embroidery was starting to unravel and she wanted a replacement. She said it was a gift and she assumed it was Disney Store because of Pooh (as if no ones else sells Disney merchandise but the Disney Store). Well, we were trying to be understanding and said ok, we'll take it back and you can pick out a nice embroidered T-shirt for your daughter. Well, she threw a MAJOR fit, yelling and cursing because her daughters outfit was a top and bottom, and we only were going to let her have a shirt. Mind you, those shirts were $12 and her outfit was very, very worn. But no, she wanted a $28 brnad new outfit for her kid for free! Amazing the nasty things she said to us. After she threw the outfit at us and stormed out, we all had to take a minute and chill. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that some people are just outrageous, and us CMs really were very nice to her anyway. 1,000's of CM are like this, maybe even nicer than we were. A bad seed is rare, but I say...ignore them or complain to their supervisors, but do it nicely. You get more bees with honey than vinegar!