Rumor concerning Phil Holmes

[EPCOT Explorer]

That would match more with the long rumored full time NBC ride for Studios. that would solve both your suggestion and the 4 month changeover discussion issue.

BTW, never heard of a PM changeover for HM. POTC yes, but not HM. Just sharing ideas?

That actually was out there for a whiiile while HM was being refurbed.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

So the guy is still in his job? This thread has drifted so far off course we need captain jack to turn up on the black pearl to it or steve to close it might be the better option. Seems like a bit of a fest.

True, but you get thread drifts like this when there is nothing new to add to the original discussion and you get nothing more that the two opinions no longer listening to each other and just "shouting" their positions louder. Shame too, there are many good points brought up, but mixing them with extrapolated conclusions and personal opinions tends to sour things.

Not here to gain points, just trying to bring perspective and balance to a very one-sided, distorted viewpoint from some people

Good luck with that one!

 

[WDW1974]

Yes, it helped me with my people skills.

(Actually The Disney Way and the guest service lessons they teach are invaluable and somehow apply every day. But thats another story)

I just wish they still mattered at WDW, Dave!

74, we agree on a lot of things. I agree that rides/effects should be properly maintained. The maintenance is the last thing you want to cut back on. (Ask DLR how well that worked out for BTMRR :lookaroun )

So true. Let's not forget the Columbia death was needless as well. I am sure people had a magical Christmas watching a guest bleed out on the dock after suffering severe head trauma because training cast was no longer deemed crucial.

I agree that there's a lot better things they can be coming from the MouseHouse and that they can do things better especially for the egregious amount of money it costs to go anymore. I agree with the "WalMarting" observations that have been made and my personal pet peeve is Disney Dining and how that's been gutted like a catfish. (Whomever came up with 'free dining' is also an idiot but thats a different rant) I agree that the guest experience has been negatively effected based on the cuts over the past few years.

Dave, I am so in tune with the dumbing down of dining. Food is very important to me (part of why I had to drop 35 pounds!) ... Trips to WDW have revolved around great meals and resort experiences as much as attractions for the past few decades. I have ripped the DDP at every point. The menus are puny, the offerings dumbed down, the price points absurdly high and you need to plan a lunch three months in advance (was six months before the economy crashed) and that's all really 'ruined' it for me. I spent almost a week in O-Town last month and had two table serve meals on WDW property (one was a pal's treat, so I didn't complain). In the past, it might be two a day.

As to who came up with the free concept, I believe that came down from someone at the Travel Company (maybe either Randy Garfield or George Kalogridis) as a way of pushing up load levels at resorts during the peak of hurricane season. It worked. No doubt. I even took advantage the first two years.

But my beef isn't with Phil Holmes. He's just caught up in a management culture thats obsessed with numbers. Al Weiss, Jay Rasulo, Meg Crofton are all above him. They're more to blame for the current state of affairs IMO. Meg with her HR stance and lack of front line experience and Al & Jay with their lack of a stance for fighting to keep more money in Orlando.

What i fear is whom he would be replaced by. With Phil you know what you get. At least Phil has some front line experience and actually goes out into the park every now and again. You can't say that about Meg. And i fear that whomever she chooses to run MK would be of a similar, beancounting mindset.

I wish I had read this post before posting my last response to you. Could have saved a few minutes.

But I agree ... except for Meg handpicking the replacement.

 

[jt04]

That would match more with the long rumored full time NBC ride for Studios. that would solve both your suggestion and the 4 month changeover discussion issue.

BTW, never heard of a PM changeover for HM. POTC yes, but not HM. Just sharing ideas?

If they do the NBC ride I would rather see it in Epcot. Now before anyone starts throwing stuff, I just believe every park needs a scarey ride and it could be placed behind England (the millenium pad) or beside the American pavilion. Just a thought.

 

[WDW1974]

Is it? Because when Rasulo came in there were parties all across the land for getting rid of Pressler. So what says #3 will be any better? Don't mean to sound pessimistic but I think there's a certain art to being able to say "hey boss, look at how much money I saved you without losing attendance!" Sadly, I think that's what is really looked for these days.

Pressler was no doubt the devil and he single-handledly ruined Disneyland Park, but I wonder if Rasulo is simply doing as he's told.

Pressler was a wonderful exec, even for TWDC. He just had NO business running one theme park, let alone all of them.

Rasulo is as bad or worse. At least Paul Pressler seemed like a geuinely nice guy (yeah, I did know him a bit ... sorry, jake). I know he really enjoyed taking his son to DL.

Rasulo has NO use for the parks at all. Imagine (I am sure for some of you it is reality) having a job you don't like, selling a product you get no joy from (or don't even get) but you do it because it is a good job and it affords you a nice lifestyle. That is Jay.

He doesn't understand his product and he doesn't care to. Look at how much time he spends in the parks versus any of his predecessors.

Could the next guy be worse? There's always worse.

But I also know there's always better ... at the very least, you could put someone in the position who actually enjoys being in the parks when there is no media and no photo ops.

 

[WDW1974]

Quote:
Originally Posted by WDW1974
That's the PR, but I have seen areas that look like they haven't been cleaned in months at MK (food stains, bird waste, stains from OCV etc..) ... and I've been told DAK is not doing them nightly now under Val (they were before). Maybe they're doing them once every week or so or maybe they've stopped doing certain areas completely, but it's pretty obvious that they aren't keeping the place as clean as they were.

If you've got someone who will tell me they've seen DAK's walkways pressure cleaned recently then I'd love to hear them tell me.

Not PR, reality.

I verified the information with a contact before posting. They obviously arent going to come on here and talk, but I am passing on the information.

If you have someone you trust, who would know about DAK ops, and they can tell you that there hasn't been any change in cleaning walkways, I'll let the point go because I'm hearing the opposite ... so stalemate.

I wasn't in DAK on my last trip due to time issues, but on two prior visits since Val took over I noticed the place was significantly dirtier.

 

[WDW1974]

Quote:
Originally Posted by WDW1974

There's no logical way to leap to a conclusion that it wouldn't be hugely successful at WDW.

I can just see it now. WDW installs Nightmare and you then spin that around to be "Disney - always cloning attractions, why can't something be unique to a park?".

C'mon Steve ... now you're putting words in my mouth.

Whether I like cloning or not (and I have mixed feelings on the subject) isn't what we were talking about.

You are jumping to a conclusion that WDW guests wouldn't enjoy Mansion Holiday with nothing to back it up. Would every guest enjoy it? Of course not. But would the vast majority? I think so. People were up in arms over it in Anaheim too ... until it debuted.

You have a strange logic in understanding the Nightmare issues, so I'm not going to keep on at that. Hopefully the info as to why it's not here will help other people who are reading this thread to understand the issues involved.

Why not? I've got time. Rainy, lazy Sunday in SoFla ... I'm just sitting here watching tennis and looking at some info on Universal's new park in Singapore (which I will be visiting next year) so I got time to kill.

And saying my logic is 'strange' doesn't make it so just because you don't agree or like my underlying points.

You didn't touch the whole entitlement mentality idea (spread by the Internet Era no doubt) ... or the fact DL gets millions of tourists who aren't 'locals' (as do the other Disney resorts) just like WDW does.

All you're giving me is the Mansion -- and all major attractions -- must be open all the time at WDW because people expect them to be. And that you don't think WDW visitors will like the NBC version because they are somehow so different from people who go to other Disney resorts.

You're welcome to have them as opinions, but they make 'strange logic' for a discussion on the subject at hand.

 

[wdwmagic]

Whether I like cloning or not (and I have mixed feelings on the subject) isn't what we were talking about.

You are jumping to a conclusion that WDW guests wouldn't enjoy Mansion Holiday with nothing to back it up. Would every guest enjoy it? Of course not. But would the vast majority? I think so. People were up in arms over it in Anaheim too ... until it debuted.

You didn't touch the whole entitlement mentality idea (spread by the Internet Era no doubt) ... or the fact DL gets millions of tourists who aren't 'locals' (as do the other Disney resorts) just like WDW does.
.

Yes DL gets millions of tourists, but as a percentage, DL gets a much higher local visitor base than WDW does.

DL is primarily visited by locals. WDW is primarily visited by tourists. There lies the difference.

Yes I agree with you on the entitlement issue. Nothing Disney can do about that though. It's a sign of the times, but they are bowing down to the crazy attitude of a lot of guests.

 

[WDW1974]

Yep.
Like I posted in another thread, I have an ops manual for Pirates from the late 70s. In there it clearly states three situations that call for the attraction to be cleared out and go 101 until fixed:
-Auctioneer not working.
-Captain at well scene not working.
-Rope puller at well scene stopped in down position.

Now days....the freakin' yeti doesn't work...every day, and yet the ride is kept open. No good excuse for that.
(Not to mention the icy mist, blowing snow, train steam, vulture, and second waterfall, all of which either work seldom or not at all.)

Show quality standards? Where?
Oh, well. I guess someone got a nice bonus for not spending the extra money.

So true ... go ride Pirates in Anaheim or Paris (and Tokyo, even if I haven't yet) and then ride in MK.

The difference in show quality is a gap as large as the Grand Canyon most days. I was actually pleasantly surprised on my last visit as PoC was in better shape than it had been ... but maybe the fact I was the only rider on the attraction at the time played into that too.

The fact that fans defend the thinking that allows these great attractions to be run in the state they are in goes over my head ... but I also don't defend so much that is indefensible in the real world that the sheep seem willing to.

 

[WDW1974]

4 months? Where do people get these figures?:

"Haunted Mansion – closed September 2 to 25 to install the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay."

"Haunted Mansion – closed January 5 to February 14, 2009 to remove the holiday overlay."

From Mouseplanet last year. 23 days does not equal 2 months, and last time I checked the ride opened a few days early for soft openings. The extra time for removal includes a standard refurb which is why it takes the extra 2 weeks. Even still, 8-9 weeks is not 4 months and it's not in a row either. January is a slow month anyway and I'm sure they can find ways to shorten the downtime. It would be cheap to do too since they would just duplicate show elements from Tokyo and California and it gives the an excuse to sell more Nightmare merch.

If MK had a decent replacement for 20K there would be no problem in closing 1 E Ticket for a short time. However the park is so lacking in shows and attractions worth seeing I can understand the relectance, but it's there fault for running the park like that in the first place.

The MK suffers because so much has been lost, so when you close a major attraction in 2009 it does make a big wave in the pool than it would have in 1989.

So many attractions have left with no replacements ... from subs to skyway to canoes to keelboats to swanboats (someone hates watercraft in Fla of all places) to Diamond Horseshoe ... then add in the lack of live entertainment vs what the once offered ... there's no show at the Galaxy Palace because it's now a parking lot for whomever the VP is ... there's no show in Toontown anymore, just meet and greets ... there's only one foamhead show on castle stage ... that all adds up and then when you start closing major attractions it definitely hurts.

Again, it still doesn't justify letting attractions fall into disrepair or not adding seasonal overlays.

 

[WDW1974]

So the guy is still in his job?

Depends on who you ask. I'm not saying anything until I feel confident.

But that merf dude that everyone here seems to love said Phil's gone as well on anotherdisneyplace ... since I don't know him, I take it as just another voice.

This thread has drifted so far off course we need captain jack to turn up on the black pearl to it or steve to close it might be the better option. Seems like a bit of a fest.

People are having a discussion and you don't like the subject, so instead of doing the Big Boy thing and staying out of it, you believe the answer is shutting everyone else up. So open of you.

 

[dxwwf3]

The MK suffers because so much has been lost, so when you close a major attraction in 2009 it does make a big wave in the pool than it would have in 1989.

So many attractions have left with no replacements ... from subs to skyway to canoes to keelboats to swanboats (someone hates watercraft in Fla of all places) to Diamond Horseshoe ... then add in the lack of live entertainment vs what the once offered ... there's no show at the Galaxy Palace because it's now a parking lot for whomever the VP is ... there's no show in Toontown anymore, just meet and greets ... there's only one foamhead show on castle stage ... that all adds up and then when you start closing major attractions it definitely hurts.

Again, it still doesn't justify letting attractions fall into disrepair or not adding seasonal overlays.

Well said :sohappy:

For me, I also have to deal with the fact that replacements for things like the original Tiki Room, The Timekeeper, and yes Alien Encounter are attractions that are either atrocious (I'll let you guess which one ) or are mediocre in my mind and are not must see's every trip. In the late 90's I always spent the most time in the MK. Now, probably the least amount of my time spent in the parks is at the MK.

 

[unkadug]

I used to jump out all the time (pre mats), my feet are fine.


Seriously though, I do agree that new lap bars would be necessary.

You can't make everything idiot proof. There is nothing stopping people from jumping out of a lot of rides. Especially boats. I don't see those rides being shut off.

Wow. By your own admission, you are an idiot. :brick:

Sorry, but I have to call you out on this.

That's just not right, and your admission to doing so is an invitation to disaster.

I'm certain that this post will be deleted and I'm hoping that your's will be too.

 

[SirGoofy]

But that merf dude that everyone here seems to love said Phil's gone as well on anotherdisneyplace ... since I don't know him, I take it as just another voice.

Merf speaks!

 

[MissK]

I just have to delurk to say this thread is fascinating to me. As someone who hasn't been to WDW in 20 years (but planning to go back in 2011!) hearing about all of these issues ALMOST makes me not want to go back. You don't get this kind of info on other disney sites that's for sure

 

[wdwmagic]

But that merf dude that everyone here seems to love said Phil's gone as well on anotherdisneyplace ... since I don't know him, I take it as just another voice.

LOL totally off topic, but I just have to say merf loves himself. He was the most "reported to moderator" poster on WDWMAGIC of all time, and frequently totally incorrect with his information.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Merf speaks!

LOL totally off topic, but I just have to say merf loves himself. He was the most "reported to moderator" poster on WDWMAGIC of all time, and frequently totally incorrect with his information.

:ROFLOL::dazzle::ROFLOL:
The return of the Merf...Now why would we listen to him?:lol:

 

[DoctorPrius]

LOL totally off topic, but I just have to say merf loves himself. He was the most "reported to moderator" poster on WDWMAGIC of all time, and frequently totally incorrect with his information.

In my opinion, He was reported to moderator because people didn't like hearing that WDW had major problems. They want eveyone to say that WDW is a magical lala land of overpriced delights.

 

[unkadug]

Merf speaks!

I didn't realize that Merf was so "well loved" before he got booted. :zipit:

(Please see my last post on the infamous merf expulsion thread.)

Also I've never heard of anotherdisneyplace.com. I hope he enjoys his new found place on the interwebz!!1111one

 

[SirGoofy]

I didn't realize that Merf was so "well loved" before he got booted. :zipit:

(Please see my last post on the infamous merf expulsion thread.)

Also I've never heard of anotherdisneyplace.com. I hope he enjoys his new found place on the interwebz!!1111one

:lol:

Merf and I had a huge fight about SSE right before he got booted. Good times.