GoofGoof
Premium Member
We have 1 more stroller trip left. We were thinking of going stroller free this time, but I think I would miss the drink holders more than my kids would miss riding in it.
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Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV
- Thread starter WDW1974
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We have 1 more stroller trip left. We were thinking of going stroller free this time, but I think I would miss the drink holders more than my kids would miss riding in it.
Midlife Mouse
Active Member
The stroller haters are gathering their torches and pitchforks as we type this!I think the novelty will wear off pretty fast for little kids. My kids will definitely want the bands, but after using them a few times they are probably going to want me to carry them. Add it to the list of things I'm lugging around.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
Midlife Mouse
Active Member
I thought about renting one for my wife this last trip. These people need to learn to keep up!
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
The last two points are fair. But FL wasn't for kids. None of the MK was. It was for families to enjoy together.
IASW was designed for the New York World's Fair, a most kid unfriendly fair. Snow White 1.0 scared the crap out of you - and originally didn't even spell that out in the title. In Toad you are a car hijacker who gets send to hell. 20k is a slow moving adult underwater adventure. The Teacups leave the tinniest ones quite sick. The Skyway is lethal for kids - today's ill-disciplined ADD brats would die by the dozen as they find out that disobeying CM instructions used to kill, before they had to remove all fun from Disney for exactly that reason.
The Bibbidi-Boppidi-'turn your girl into Miley Cyrus' boutique is recent, there used to be a shop selling mediaeval goods. Streetmosphere wasn't just cartoon m&g, but free-roaming mediaeval theater actors unrelated to cartoons. FL being the sole 'fantastic' land, it was here that there was a Christmas shop - because in LS they sold antiques and silverware. And because FL was the land with Disney cartoons, who were absent in the other lands' rides, FL housed the Disneyana shop.
The buildings had a more authentic look, more 'WS Germany' like. The fair tents were a tad more subdued, the signs much smaller and restrained. The signs applied old-fashioned fonts, instead of bubble-gum toon fonts. If I'm not mistaken, there was no magic toon beanstalk growing out of that lovely gothic building.
FL has been kiddiefied, cartoonified, imbecilified. It was originally more upscale, more sophisticated, more adult.
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Funmeister
Well-Known Member
Much cheaper actually. Take in consideration six different bags for six different theme parks. The numbers i used were for arguments sake and not exactly how many they order. It is probably a lot more than what I quoted. Thay probably save at least .05 to .10 per bag by only having one design. Do the math. Does not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things of a major corporation but combine that with plain napkins, generic basic "Disney Parks" cups and plates and all of a sudden you have cut out $1m out of an annual budget.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
I took this picture in DLP for exactly an occasion such as this. The pic shows, apart from white people all weighing less than 450lbs, the stroller parking area (note the sign) of Frontierland, in the middle of August. Not a single stroller parked!
There are two strollers visible on the left. These are tiny and compact, like European and Japanese cars, and are actually used for very small children.
It's a veritable time machine! America and WDW used to look like this in the 18th centur...no wait, as little as thirty years ago.
There are two strollers visible on the left. These are tiny and compact, like European and Japanese cars, and are actually used for very small children.
It's a veritable time machine! America and WDW used to look like this in the 18th centur...no wait, as little as thirty years ago.
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Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
I could count the number of wheelchairs on my hands over the four days I was there and all users were obviously elderly or disabled. I also think the only stroller users were the Brits who got into the habbit in Florida, but I can't confirm that.
Bottom line, the abuse is nonexistant in Europe (and Asia) when compared to the US (Florida in particular).If there's a "bad habbit" it's smoking wherever you feel like it (like in front of me in line where I can't avoid you), but even that isn't as obtrusive and doesn't force Disney to redesign their parks to accomodate it.
Very much agree with you. We see people rushing past us down the hall at Soarin only to get stopped when they hit the line and then we are right behind them, only we walked. We did however see issues when entering each park. There are two scanners at each station. Here is a picture of it.
My wife and I watched soooooo many people use the first scanner instead of stepping two steps forward to use the second one which would allow someone behind them to use the first scanner allowing the line to flow more smoothly. So what happens is there was always several scanners not being used. That in itself isnt a huge waste of time if the entrance isnt crowded but we watched the line steadily get longer and what was frustrating was that there were 2 CM's at each scanner station and they were doing very little to usher people through to use all scanners. They literally stood there and just watched as people continued to just use the first scanner. They only reacted when someone scanned the band wrong or didnt use their finger on the scanner. They watched people making mistakes and didnt say anything until the mickey head lit up blue (which means the scan failed). I didnt understand why they would watch someone doing it the wrong way and not correct them. One man had a family of four with him and took everyones band when they got to the scanner and was trying to scan all of them by himself while the family walked right through and waited on him. The CM standing there watched the family walk through and failed to tell the poor guy that each person would need to scan their finger as well. After the first band failed TWICE the CM finally told him he would need to have everyone scan their finger. It made NO sense at all. I could only chalk it up to a lack of training on the CM's behalf. The technology was working just fine, it was the human error causing delay and it could easily be fixed by the CM's doing more than standing there like zombies. The army of techs/CM's behind them armed with I-pads were just talking to each other and paying no attention as well.
The good thing about it was we just took advantage of the lack of supervision taking place and after a minute or two we walked around the line and went directly to a scanner not being used and got right in. We continued this strategy at the other parks as well. I am in no way complaining about the wait time, just pointing out that either the CM's dont care or havent been trained properly in regards to ushering people through using the rfid.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
I hear DLP is really nice. I've never been there. Perhaps the stroller hating crowd should just go there instead of WDW. Seems like a simple solution to the problem.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
wdisney9000, that about sums up exactly how I figured this would play out when I saw the first scanner setups.
This will save no labor costs and will make lines no more efficient. And the park entrances are no more "inviting" with these glowing Mickey orbs sticking out of the ground than they were with traditional turnstiles. That "more inviting" phrase is just tacky executive psychobabble cooked up to sell their concept to sell their career.
What a monumental waste of time, energy, resources and human capital.
This will save no labor costs and will make lines no more efficient. And the park entrances are no more "inviting" with these glowing Mickey orbs sticking out of the ground than they were with traditional turnstiles. That "more inviting" phrase is just tacky executive psychobabble cooked up to sell their concept to sell their career.
What a monumental waste of time, energy, resources and human capital.
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GoofGoof
Premium Member
Lets give it a chance before declaring it a failure. The system is only in testing. CMs are still learning and guests are too. Give it some time and I think it will increase efficiency. Not that it justifies the whole project.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I disagree. Having seen them, I do find them more inviting. I enjoyed using them.
That being said, I also noted the exact same behaviors that @wdisney9000 did.
nor'easter
Well-Known Member
Wonder how much they save by not replacing lightbulbs.
nor'easter
Well-Known Member
Glad someone else feels that way. It creeps me out seeing those little girls made up and paraded around as if auditioning for Toddlers and Tiaras.
Clever Name
Well-Known Member
That's the key! While others are fumbling about trying to figure out how things work, just walk right past them and go to the scanner. The same technique works in the counter service restaurants. Each cashier always works two lines yet many guests tend to play follow the leader and get behind an existing line. When I see that occur I am quick to go directly to the register and form a new line. Disney rookies must be taught by example.
CDavid
Well-Known Member
Five or ten cents isn't much cheaper - it's a dime or a nickel, and while it adds up to millions over the course of the year - it makes no real difference if added to individual purchase. Given the inflated prices we are already paying for food and merchandise in the parks, I think you can justify the added cost of non-generic items, on the basis that paying a premium price ought to yield a premium product - not a generic one. Don't scrimp on the details - like plain napkins - to save me ten cents on my lunch. Raise prices by ten cents to cover your additional costs if you must - it won't make a measurable difference in sales anyway.
But the bags and the like aren't really what's important. Rather, unique and attraction, resort, and park specific merchandise to go into those generic bags is what we're looking for, and unlike the bags, the additional cost to offer unique designs can directly be passed on to the consumer. My point is people will pay more for merchandise they really want than for the same generic items they're already seen in 83 other gift shops.
I agree. Didnt France just issue a ban on all underage beauty pageants to protect children? Good for them. I think the article was in the Washington Post titled "No Honey Boo-Boo's in France" LOL
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
Great post (as usual). Don't forget to add the significant reduction in live entertainment across property, especially live entertainment that is not foamheads. And those "dance parties" don't count as live entertainment.
While I dont think the new rfid entry saves any time, I will admit it isnt that bad. As I said, the technology works just fine. Its the people using it that are causing the issue. The CM's certainly arent making it any better. If people just took two seconds to look at the set up and used their brains they could figure it out on their own,..but thats obviously too much to ask of someone on vacation.
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