Pirates Queue

[jt04]

With regard to maintenance people, it's a little bit of everything.

SOME of them do a fantastic job, and really care.
SOME of them are entrenched, a little bored, and not held to much accountability (there are things in the system that encourage wastefulness, actually)

On the whole, it's not their fault. I think they do see what needs fixing. There just isn't manpower or budget to fix everything.

I really hope you can flesh this out at some point. I have a sense this is a much more complicated issue than just management needing to open up the checkbook. Are some union and some not? Are they 'tenured' in a manner of speaking? Do some attractions get maintained better than others? Do different parks have different management structures and maintenance contracts? Are some maintainers insiders and some outside vendors?

I mean I get the feeling we are not seeing behind the curtain and getting the full story here. Just wondering because I have worked with maintainers who are not happy unless things are breaking and I wonder if that mindset exists at all within the theme parks at WDW or DL.

Worth researching I think.

 

[KevinYee]

Yes to all of the above except the inside/outside question. They are all "inside". Well, actually - that may not be true any more with Garner Holt Productions running animatronics. I need to check on that.

yes, there's seniority and tenure. Some managers care and follow up; others don't. some mechanics care and do all they can do in 8 hours; others do just the minimum (and are not put in trouble because of their sloth). Attractions definitely wax and wane; all we can do from the outside is yelp when they do a poor job.

 

[jt04]

Yes to all of the above except the inside/outside question. They are all "inside". Well, actually - that may not be true any more with Garner Holt Productions running animatronics. I need to check on that.

yes, there's seniority and tenure. Some managers care and follow up; others don't. some mechanics care and do all they can do in 8 hours; others do just the minimum (and are not put in trouble because of their sloth). Attractions definitely wax and wane; all we can do from the outside is yelp when they do a poor job.

The problem in some cases may be middle managers who do not properly motivate others. I know they probably make less generally speaking but it is possible that is the general rule in the theme park industry. There may also be a lack of qualified technicians. I imagine this is a very complicated story.

We know things like LED lights are designed to last 5, 10 or more times longer than traditional lights. Also things like digitizing films can allow for decreased downtime. I would imagine these type changes are a high priority in designing new attractions simply because of the increased demand on such systems and fewer technicians available.

All in all, I think the trend lines are moving in the right direction. Automation plays an increasingly important role and the technology continues to evolve rapidly. Before we know it robots will be changing the light bulbs and fixing the animatronics.

Machines fixing machines. There's a thought. :lookaroun

 

[Glasgow]

My guess is that they've analyzed the situation and found it to be the most cost effective solution to a problem. Park attendance continues to grow every year, consequently wait times for the existing attractions will continue to grow unless they add capacity (meaning more new attractions). Adding the interactive elements to the queues makes a longer wait time more tolerable, and its much cheaper than building a new attraction with a high capacity and having the ongoing costs of staffing it and maintaining it. And we know how much they like to pinch pennies.

As one of those guys thats over 40 (GASP), I don't really mind the new elements and don't see how they're ruining anything. If you don't like 'em, don't look at 'em. Seems pretty easy to me :shrug:

How dare you bring logic into the discussion?? lol

Whenever I see these new or next gen style threads it always ends up being an old school vs new school argument. I myself end up thinking "What would Walt do?" Walt was a "dreamer and a doer" and I am convinced that he did not want the parks to end up as "museums".

So the trick is, how do you modify the parks without tampering with the originality and charm? Plus, how do you do all of this within budget constraints and answering to share holders?

Such questions are not generally the concerns of daily website viewers and armchair imagineers. I can only hope that they tastefully upgrade my favorite WDW queue in PoTC (IJA is a gem as well) because I for one do not want to be experiencing all of the exact same attractions in 10 years time.

 

[Minnie1976]

I haven't heard about this. If this is true, then all I can say is congrats Disney. Congratulations on ruining the best "classic" queue.

Seriously, they already screwed with the original ride by adding the movie characters. Now I guess they have to finish the job by destroying the charm of the queue as well. :fork:

I have to agree with you. I like it the way it was and miss the parrot outside. Why did they get rid of the parrot??? Why can't they leave the classics alone?

 

[alissafalco]

I have to agree with you. I like it the way it was and miss the parrot outside. Why did they get rid of the parrot??? Why can't they leave the classics alone?

 

[Skyway]

Nobody's bothered to mention the reason for these new queues at HM, POTC, and elsewhere is that the "Standby" line is about to become a "Standstill" line with the addition of X-Pass.

The need for X-Pass is a different debate for a different thread.

But seeing as Disney is committed to doing it, I'd rather have the interactive queues.

And I'm sorry, with or without X-Pass, I don't buy the arguments that adding theme-specific interactive elements "ruins the mood". The mood you speak of is already ruined by putrid summer-in-Orlando body odor, children climbing on the chains, loud-mouthed parents, and every kind of electronic device imaginable. I'm not "inside a Spanish fortress". I never was. Not even in 1973. I'm in a line for a theme park ride. And if they're gonna try to make that more fun and distract me from the long wait and Stinky Bob with the armpit stains in front of me, I'm all for it. It's not like they're putting in Six Flags style TV monitors running cartoons. Everything thus far has been as detailed - or more detailed - than the rides themselves.

 

[Magenta Panther]

My guess is that they've analyzed the situation and found it to be the most cost effective solution to a problem. Park attendance continues to grow every year, consequently wait times for the existing attractions will continue to grow unless they add capacity (meaning more new attractions). Adding the interactive elements to the queues makes a longer wait time more tolerable, and its much cheaper than building a new attraction with a high capacity and having the ongoing costs of staffing it and maintaining it. And we know how much they like to pinch pennies.

As one of those guys thats over 40 (GASP), I don't really mind the new elements and don't see how they're ruining anything. If you don't like 'em, don't look at 'em. Seems pretty easy to me :shrug:

I have never experienced a serious wait time for ANY WDW ride with the exceptions of Soarin' and Toy Story Midway Mania. Certainly I have never experienced a wait time for HM, OR Pirates. Of course, I usually visit WDW in the fall, during September, October, November and last year, December. Still, I have a feeling that the interactive queue concept is not so much directed at mollifying impatient guests, but is actually TDO's idea of "plussing" the ride experience. Some may find it so. The interactive HM queue has some clever stuff in it. But did the Mansion NEED that clever stuff? Does it make it a better ride experience? I don't think so. And I doubt it draws more visitors to the ride. Some of it actually seems pretty pointless; the busts of the twins and other new ghosts don't even seem to serve any purpose. I see people pushing on them all of the time, as if they're expecting them to light up or talk or something.

Still, since it looks like the Pirates interactive queue is a done deal, I hope that it WILL become possible to ignore it. At the HM, you're confronted with the new queue, which has split the once-expansive corridor in half, and your only escape is that narrow little corridor that completely ruins the outside ambience of the Mansion IMO. Plus you can't help hearing the interactive noises. So anyway...we'll just have to wait and see and hope for the best...:shrug:

 

[KevinYee]

Nobody's bothered to mention the reason for these new queues at HM, POTC, and elsewhere is that the "Standby" line is about to become a "Standstill" line with the addition of X-Pass.

I did! In post 13!

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I did! In post 13!

As did I! I even bolded it in my post. So there. Beat you.

Which, by the way, is proof there are more rides lined up for this FPP than they have announced so far. I'm not going to be surprised if its on everything C or higher. Which will not be cool, to put it politely.

 

[djkidkaz]

I have never experienced a serious wait time for ANY WDW ride with the exceptions of Soarin' and Toy Story Midway Mania. Certainly I have never experienced a wait time for HM, OR Pirates. Of course, I usually visit WDW in the fall, during September, October, November and last year, December. Still, I have a feeling that the interactive queue concept is not so much directed at mollifying impatient guests, but is actually TDO's idea of "plussing" the ride experience. Some may find it so. The interactive HM queue has some clever stuff in it. But did the Mansion NEED that clever stuff? Does it make it a better ride experience? I don't think so. And I doubt it draws more visitors to the ride. Some of it actually seems pretty pointless; the busts of the twins and other new ghosts don't even seem to serve any purpose. I see people pushing on them all of the time, as if they're expecting them to light up or talk or something.

Still, since it looks like the Pirates interactive queue is a done deal, I hope that it WILL become possible to ignore it. At the HM, you're confronted with the new queue, which has split the once-expansive corridor in half, and your only escape is that narrow little corridor that completely ruins the outside ambience of the Mansion IMO. Plus you can't help hearing the interactive noises. So anyway...we'll just have to wait and see and hope for the best...:shrug:

Im guessing that eventually there will no longer be a split at HM. It seems the insiders are telling us that one line will be standby and the other will be Fastpass+. So obviously at HM, the graveyard would be the standby line and FP would skip it.

 

[wdwfan100]

I think the Space Mountain queue is one of least inspired of the marque WDW rides. I mean, they have some kinda cool windows that look out in to space but the video game screen they added is pretty lame.

I'd like to see more printed material added. Maybe some futuristic advertisements. Or something similar to the videos that play at Star Tours. Or some sort of led light show on the walls and ceiling.

I used to love the XS-Tech theme in space mountain.

 

[Texas84]

I'm 40+ and I embrace change. It's the tearing-down that bothers me.

I'm looking forward to this. Maybe have some subtle elements that you have to find, such as the rope pull at Indiana Jones. What they DON'T need is a pirate ship shooting game with big glowing buttons.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Im guessing that eventually there will no longer be a split at HM. It seems the insiders are telling us that one line will be standby and the other will be Fastpass+. So obviously at HM, the graveyard would be the standby line and FP would skip it.

Hasn't this been the case during the recent tests of the FastPass Plus system?

 

[Flip83]

I'm never against these new interactive areas. But Pirates, I admit I am very against unless done in a suitable way. I wasn't against the adding movie things to it. The movies are very popular and I feel they didn't over do it. But an interactive area... Not very pleased. We'll see

 

[Flip83]

I'm 40+ and I embrace change. It's the tearing-down that bothers me.

I'm looking forward to this. Maybe have some subtle elements that you have to find, such as the rope pull at Indiana Jones. What they DON'T need is a pirate ship shooting game with big glowing buttons.

This i can agree with. All of it.

 

[erasure fan1]

This is my feeling. While I dont think that pirates needs an interactive queue, I am not against it either. The fear I have is not of them doing it, but the possibility of it going wrong. Once its done there is no going back. The queue is awesome the way it is but that doesnt mean it cant be better. Disney has been hit or miss with this kind of stuff lately. (IMO) So thats why Im not jumping for joy until I see the end result. Although my feeling may be seen as "doom & gloom", I call it wait and see.

 

[Lee]

I did! In post 13!

As did I! I even bolded it in my post. So there. Beat you.

And you were both correct. I think Jungle will be next after Pirates. Thunder is getting this treatment now.

BTW, Kevin....great article today. Should be required reading.

 

[The Duck]

Once again, why don't we wait and see exactly what's going to happen before the -fest begins. Who knows? It might not be that bad.

 

[Brian_B]

I'm a die hard old-school disney fan.

I think the interactive queues are great.

Why?

Because they're fun, everyone seems to love them, and they break up the monotony - in a decisively "Disney" way - of standing in a line that, while immersive, can be quite boring - especially on a hot day with the mega-martian-death crowd sizes.

I went to the new HM queue this past holiday break expecting a whizz-bang funhouse of inappropriate nonsense, based on the collective whining from the lot of you people. Instead, I found a tastefully-done, neat little experience very befitting to the tone of the overall piece. I honestly suspect that if these things - with MAYBE the exception of the SM video game, which needs its brightness turned down and the buttons dampened to reduce noise - were 1971 vintage, you all would be drooling into your government cheese over any and all alterations or changes that would ever come to them.

Seriously, you people have got to stop acting like The Man peed into your cheerios every time something in life changes, or you're going to have a very hard and unpleasant experience on this earth. It's the petty, back-and-forth, picayune bullyragging that makes me truly embarrassed to call myself a Disney fan sometimes...to the point in which if I ever actually met an imagineer - who definitely read these boards by the way - I'd be very hesitant to mention the fact that I sometimes post here. "Sometimes" is rapidly turning into "never", except on rare occasions such as this where the stupid rages out of control and I can't help but say something about it.

Sorry to be negative norman...I know the majority of you honestly love the spirit of the place and are just trying to uphold what the magic means to you...but every time one of you goes off on a prematurely-senile rant about how a ride should be held in a time-bubble and preserved (possibly for the sake of space-faring races that will find earth long after we've all killed each other off) and how "profits don't matter", a little part of my brain dies.

You are all killing my brain*. Stop it.

I said STOP IT.


(*With the exception of Lee and others)
(quick edit for irritating spelling mistake)