Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[WDW1974]

I mentioned in an earlier post that well over half of IT infrastructure projects are considered at least partial failures. But they are only failures from the point of view of the end-user company. But the consultants (like ACN) always end up doing just fine, regardless.

Consultants always end up doing fine ... always ... maybe that's why so many Spirits are moving in that direction.

You can destroy a BRAND and walk away with millions. What's not to love?

 

[WDW1974]

Didn't know where to post so I guess this the place for observations, we spoke earlier about oz and word of mouth is the test screenings are a little below ok, but the movie Planes is testing thru the roof, better than either cars films, so keep an eye out they are test screening in the Midwest in the coming weeks and from the way things are looking this could be a hit, the film is testing higher than Ralph. So keep your eyes open for test screenings and look for a big push from disney

Yep. That's why Planes went from DVD to big screen. ... I think it will be big (not huge, but it doesn't have to be). ... Oz really worries me.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

That's not what your wife sez.

 

[John]

Personal post to myself: Leslie in the Hall of Fame ... seriously!!!!?! !??!

OK, back to whatever was being discussed ...

And Art Model is not....!

 

[John]

Yep.

That an LA gal ... (or boy for that matter!)

It just dropped below 70 again outside the Spirit Cave. My toes are cold.

Yea..... I heard Phil Mikelson just....Looooves SOCAL

 

[WDW1974]

You try bathing in 70+ degree weather for at least 300+ days of the year, then all of a sudden it's below 50. It's absolutely freezing, you guys can say what you want, but 60 and below is considered cold in SoCal.

Ah, but SoCal residents are the biggest weather wimps. ... I love going to DLR when it literally may sprinkle out. That's when Dallas Raines breathlessly talks about a 'WEATHER EVENT' and they start talking about how they might get a quarter of an inch of rain in Palmdale! ... I am LOLing because I live in a place where we can get six inches of rain in less than an hour during a normal afternoon thunderstorm.

Honestly, it's just another reason why I love LA!

 

[Dizmentia]

Didn't know where to post so I guess this the place for observations, we spoke earlier about oz and word of mouth is the test screenings are a little below ok, but the movie Planes is testing thru the roof, better than either cars films, so keep an eye out they are test screening in the Midwest in the coming weeks and from the way things are looking this could be a hit, the film is testing higher than Ralph. So keep your eyes open for test screenings and look for a big push from disney

Very interesting about Planes. If history repeats itself, it seems like this could be the start of big changes for stateside animators if Planes is a hit (I imagine it will be huge).

 

[WDW1974]

It's the inane conversations day in and day out. Yes, I love the mountains - could care less about the beach - but it takes forever to get anywhere, more than half the people are nuts and I actually like having a bit of weather. Call me crazy, too. There's lots to love about Southern California, but it's not my cup of tea. However, it is where my center of gravity is, so it's where I am. I couldn't live in SoFla either, though - too hot and humid.

I love the diversity in SoCal in everything from people to food to things to do. SoFl is mindnumbingly boring if you aren't into living on the beach and playing golf and tennis. I am never bored on the left coast. Here? ... well, there really is only so much time you can 'escape' to the MK (and we all know my feelings on that park).

 

[WDW1974]

Of the two, a World Showcase DVC seems a lot more feasable: it'd be like scaling up the dream suite in Cindy's castle to suite (or five) in each pavilion. I guess that the same could be done in FW by converting the upstairs areas/corporate lounges, but I can't see as much demand for that. Would they consider a FW resort at the entrance, like a scaled down version of the hotel in Paris?

I think they might have other plans for a corporate lounge or two, but can't get any confirmation on a working theory of mine.

 

[HenryMystic]

Edit: Iger interview with Brian Grazer (observations by LA Times reporter @benfritz)

Iger on the "magic band" technology being rolled out at parks: "kind of interesting, fairly risky, very expensive."
Iger recently heard pitch for a hotel with theme that "four great adventurers of the world got together to build one lodge."
Iger on the "magic band" technology being rolled out at parks: "kind of interesting, fairly risky, very expensive."
Iger: "In a way i’m a brand manager. I probably do that more than anything else."

 

[WDW1974]

We were there last week. Customer service was awful. I wrote a strongly worded email to guest services. Servers at the restaurant were rude, unhelpful. Even at BBB, which is supposed to be a ton of pixie dust, the women seemed tired, and like they were doing hair in the local mall. At downtown disney, we were ignored while cm's chatted loudly in groups of 3 or more in other languages. Almost every cm we encountered was not "disney". In fact, only 3 cm's in our week outside of the resort were good. The guest services people were concerned enough t contact me during our trip, but nothing can make up for a week of crappy service. I am in shock, honestly that service has gone to the dogs. Perhaps they should have saved some of that 1.5 billion for training and hiring- spending money so animatronics talk to me, but not for human employees to talk to me, doesn't work.

A lot of people who work at WDW view it as just a job. Considering how they are paid and treated, one really can't blame them. I didn't have any 'bad' CMs during my December visit. But I didn't have any exceptional ones either.

Largely, there were people going through the motions ... doing what they needed to in order to perform their jobs. They weren't rude. They weren't friendly. They just sorta were there.

But when you have so many temp workers and so many part timers and so many people not even trained for their jobs as they're just picking up a shift etc ... I just don't see how you can expect more.

You can't possibly deliver consistently high quality (let alone world class) guest service with Disney's current business model of using as much 'slave labor' as you possibly can.

 

[asianway]

All I can say is I don't think next week will be a particularly happy one for Nick Franklin, Jim MacPhee, George Kalogridis or Meg Crofton. ... From just a technology PoV, this system is failing with alarming regularity.

I just keep picturing the Emperor and Vader landing on the Death Star...

 

[WDW1974]

I wouldn't be shocked if there were wifi access points in either or both, but since they're on the fringe of both the guest areas and the usable backstage area, that may not be the case, either. Depending on where the server room(s) is/are, there might be repeaters up there.

I think it's no coincidence that practically every shop & restaurant has had a complete facelift in the last couple of years, and that every park seems to be getting some sort of interactive game that requires small bits of interactive technology be installed in most every corner of the park.

Yep. There's plenty of tech that's been installed that, rest assured, we aren't aware of and Disney doesn't want us aware of it.

Blondie was shilling the new Adventureland game today on the Blog. Looks noisy, intrusive and utterly unncessary. It's like Disney is saying 'we know our parks are stale and boring, but since we don't want to add anything truly new of substance, let's play with techonology' ... My reaction would be BLECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[WDW1974]

yup. wasn't that. I saw the college trainees, and understood when every ride we went on was backed up and confusing, since one cm would be loudly training 3-5 other "new" college cm's. That was obvious, but understandable.
Honestly, I was amazed at how many cm's were imported, as well. Most of the cm's we encountered were from venezuela or columbia, followed by korea and many others. much older than college program, too. 30's, 40's plus. I had to look hard to find cm's from florida! I wonder if this is part of the laying off, rehiring/ or doing mass outsourced hiring with other hiring firms?

Nope.

Just business as usual. WDW travels to every corner of the globe to bring in what is basically 'slave labor' ... because Wall Street won't allow them (that's the excuse anyway) to spend some of their record profits on Americans by paying better wages and hiring folks who are competent and might even speak English.

 

[WDW1974]

already being discussed (the second time..) here - http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/escape-from-tomorrow-guerilla-film-shot-inside-wdw.858808/

I have skimmed it, but I have no desire to join it. Too much of the same old.

I've brought up points here I find interesting and if folks want to discuss them they are free to do so.

While I want to see the film, I don't want to go back and forth about what Disney may or may not do or whether it's awful to oggle underage girls (no, I don't think it is ... so I'm a perv!)

I'd rather discuss larger points and I can do that here while the back and forth plays out on that other thread (it wouldn't be fun without Patty Melt anyway).

 

[WDW1974]

Apart from the legal points about that film, I think the more pertinent discussion would be about how the whole thing will/won't effect Disney's attitude about people using their IP for profit.
YouTube users who profit, Lange and others could find themselves in an uncomfortable position if the mouse (rightly, in my opinion) cracks down.

Maybe that would be a question to put to George...

I think that's a question above Georgie, but it will be interesting if next week he winds up doing an interview with Mongello (arranged by Celebration Place).

Disney has opened the barn door itself and trying to close it is going to be damn near impossible. But the first step wouldn't be going after this film or the folks behind it (it sorta smells like a Weinstein deal, doesn't it?) No, tke first step would be taking control over things it clearly has the right to ... like people selling DVDs and 'borrowing' IPs/copyrights etc.

 

[John]

Nope.

Just business as usual. WDW travels to every corner of the globe to bring in what is basically 'slave labor' ... because Wall Street won't allow them (that's the excuse anyway) to spend some of their record profits on Americans by paying better wages and hiring folks who are competent and might even speak English.

This just reinforces my theory that todays WDW guest only care about 90 second thrill rides. Most of them just need a CM to point them in the direction of RNR. I still cant get over how much the CM's have changed. Most of these guest have no idea that they are called CM's and why they are called this. More and more it is more obvious that what is talked about is no more then....singing to the choir. Look at TOT how cool were the CM's in the first five yrs of this rides opening? The CM's at FW or POR? What was it that Walt said about the people who worked in the parks?.....that without them they were just parks (paraphrased)? Well thats what they are becomming....just a park.

 

[WDW1974]

There is actually a very in depth article about how the whole thing works to be found here.

A LONG but incredibly detailed look at how Disney brings in so many of the CMs that people deal with daily (and wonder why they aren't happier!)

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Nope.

Just business as usual. WDW travels to every corner of the globe to bring in what is basically 'slave labor' ... because Wall Street won't allow them (that's the excuse anyway) to spend some of their record profits on Americans by paying better wages and hiring folks who are competent and might even speak English.

Don't forget the college program. That also helps drive down wages and bargaining power.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

This just reinforces my theory that todays WDW guest only care about 90 second thrill rides.

There's a really great joke here, but I'll let others read between the lines...