No more tour guide on Living with the Land?

[Sledge]

You can just as easily jump out of iasw, PotC, or SM. They could easily put in video cameras (assuming they don't have some already).

Pirates, Small World, EL Rio del Tiempo, etc do not have restraints and move just as slowly.

So me saying it is less credible? :lol: Just joking.

 

[brertigger]

You can just as easily jump out of iasw, PotC, or SM. They could easily put in video cameras (assuming they don't have some already).

They could also install an intrusion system (like TTA) pretty easily.

 

[planet7]

(talking points and "education" from the green house staff would make it easier to get interested and into it?

I think that would be a good idea, but it wouldn't work within the existing context of reading a canned script verbatim. It would work well if they did something along the lines of Busch's Rhino Rally, where spielers are allowed to develop their own routine based on the talking points.

G7

 

[planet7]

Pirates, Small World, EL Rio del Tiempo, etc do not have restraints and move just as slowly.

They're also more isolated from "dry land" than Land Boats is. It's very, very easy to step out of a Land Boat (been there, done that--for official business, of course).

G7

 

[planet7]

They could also install an intrusion system (like TTA) pretty easily.

Not really. The only place that they could have functional intrusion mats would be on the edge of the flume (and that might be affected by the water). Everything else is soil. Not only would it be difficult/ineffective to do the intrusion mats in the soil, they'd be going off all the time with greenhouse workers there.

They could do infrared like they did in Spaceship, but that could be tricky, too.

G7

 

[dxwwf3]

Seriously, though- I too am a former Living With the Land CM, and I am quite torn on this. (Not to sound big-headed but,) I know I always gave a very fun, personal, and enthusiastic spiel. Regardless of how I felt that day, I am a Disney CM, and people expect a certain standard from us---so regardless of how my day is going, you will never get anything less than a 110% performance from me, but that's just my work ethic... I strive to give each and every guest the best possible experience.

I seriously hope you are our safari driver next week

About this topic, I would have to say I'm sort of indifferent on this. I do enjoy the live CM there, but if they went to a prerecorded spiel that matches the first half of the ride, I wouldn't be against it. I love that voice in the current attraction and if she was in the full attraction, it would be pretty nice, IMO. But don't get me wrong, I would prefer the attraction the way it currently is. Either way, Living With The Land is one attraction that I enjoy more and more the older I get. It's very relaxing and fun.

 

[imagineersrock]

I seriously hope you are our safari driver next week

About this topic, I would have to say I'm sort of indifferent on this. I do enjoy the live CM there, but if they went to a prerecorded spiel that matches the first half of the ride, I wouldn't be against it. I love that voice in the current attraction and if she was in the full attraction, it would be pretty nice, IMO. But don't get me wrong, I would prefer the attraction the way it currently is. Either way, Living With The Land is one attraction that I enjoy more and more the older I get. It's very relaxing and fun.

What day are you planning on visiting? If I'm working, just tell them you want to ride with Alex and the folks on the dock will do everything they can do to get you on. :wave:

 

[dxwwf3]

What day are you planning on visiting? If I'm working, just tell them you want to ride with Alex and the folks on the dock will do everything they can do to get you on. :wave:

I think we'll be going to the AK next Saturday, but as always changes are possible. We hardly ever stick to our plans when we actually get there. But out of the 9 days of our vacation, I'd say I'll be in the AK on more than one occasion. I wouldn't miss Extra Magic Evening Hours at the AK for ANYTHING. It is now in my top 5 favorite things to do at WDW. That park is so unbelievable at night, it's almost unfair that most people never get to see it after the sun goes down.

 

[imagineersrock]

I think we'll be going to the AK next Saturday, but as always changes are possible. We hardly ever stick to our plans when we actually get there. But out of the 9 days of our vacation, I'd say I'll be in the AK on more than one occasion. I wouldn't miss Extra Magic Evening Hours at the AK for ANYTHING. It is now in my top 5 favorite things to do at WDW. That park is so unbelievable at night, it's almost unfair that most people never get to see it after the sun goes down.

I usually work Sun-Thurs, but have often been picking up 6th day here and there lately, so we'll see. Again, never hurts to ask!

Also, I completely agree... The park is stunning at night. Even Dino-Rama looks great at night. I highly recommend Evening EMH at AK (Don't miss Everest!) Sure it's a great ride during the day---but after the sun sets... WOW. You'll almost never want to ride it any other way again, it's as if that was how it was made to be experienced.

 

[Enderikari]

By contrast, I've never had this problem on Kilimanjaro Safari. I usually get great performances from the drivers there. The best I ever had was a CM named Barbara who was, without a doubt, the most fun, enthusiastic CM I've ever encountered at WDW. She made the experience fun for all and acted like it was her first time ever seeing these animals. Now that was a great safari!

-p.b.

I agree... Barbara is the best Safari Driver in KSR, she's fun, enthusiastic, and loves her job... By far, the best safari I have ever had, and I have been on it more than a few times.

 

[DMC-12]

The "tour guides" have been so awful the past few times I have rode this in the past couple of years.

They could seem to care less about being there. They are monotone. They screw up.

I do hope they are replaced with computers and automation. :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[polarboi]

I agree... Barbara is the best Safari Driver in KSR, she's fun, enthusiastic, and loves her job... By far, the best safari I have ever had, and I have been on it more than a few times.

Is she still there? It's been months since the trip I rode with her, and I never did write that complimentary letter I meant to...

-p.b.

 

[speck76]

it would be a good move.....although I have had 1 or 2 good guides...most are rather drab

 

[KumbaRider]

If they can use the same voice that's used in the first half of the ride I would support it.

 

[TinkerBell9988]

I am not too enthused about this rumor because I enjoy being 'guided' like it was a real tour around the plant and fish farms. Even if I had a monotonous tour guide, it was still amusing :animwink:.

Once, I had a tour guide named Tom who wasn't so bad to look at, either. :lol: Nice eye candy for the tourists, at least, and he was a great tour guide.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Most of the time the tour guides on LwtL are so mechanical that they sound like they are prerecorded. While I like the human interaction there, I don't really think it will make much of a difference for the ride.

 

[uklad79]

I was at The Land on the 18th and a boat in front of us came round empty, it had no seat and mic at the front and it went off empty and we got in the next one. The boat wasn't taken out as it was back in the load when we were at the unload and set off again empty. Now it's funny reading this thread as we said that maybe they are planning to scrap the guides when we discussed it after being on LwtL. I can see it must be mind numbing saying the same stuff over and over esp that cheesy Nestle plus at the end. I love LwtL and feel that they should add on board auto narration the bit at the beginning bugs me as the audio played off board is often out of time with the boat. Then in the greenhouses they could have a prerecorded loop that can be changed and sometimes they could switch that off and have one of the staff in the greenhouse wear a cordless headmic so they can talk from the shore side to everyone in the greenhouse maybe. As for the sensors, well these could be turned off in the greenhouse areas when people are working in them or doing behind the seeds tours and then in the evenings they could be switched back on.
I can see Disney doing this as it means less staff and more boats can be added in when there is demand. This will reduce the crowds in Th Land as the ride can soak more people up. As it goes at the moment the lines are long because it can be hard to forecast numbers of riders in advance when staff rotas are done. Without the guides the lines will be shorter and the Fastpass could be removed allowing people to only get one fastpass in The Land therefore removing some of the crowds maybe?
If someone working on the ride could confirm what that boat with no guide seat is going round for? I couldn't hear a prerecorded audio on it when it came into the load.

 

[Main Street USA]

I think the best parts of Living with the Land are currently already pre-recorded speils. That familiar woman's voice is so soothing, and fits right in. As much as I would generally be against replacing guides in any attraction, a consistant, informative, easy to understand narrator would be awfully nice.

 

[KaliSplash]

I'm always in favor of keeping live guides in the boat. And letting them think and speak. And requiring that they do so.

(Meaning, let's get some good guides, give them some flexibility and insist that they use it)

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I don't have a problem with recorded narration at all...but I kind of like having a live tourguide just for the "show" aspect of the ride, which is quite antiseptic as it is...on the other hand, my last guide was a pleasant young Bolivian man whose accent was so thick you couldn't understand a thing he was saying. I am sure that he would have done a nice job thinking and speaking had he not had to do so in English. Who makes these casting decisions??