TDO light maintenance becoming a joke!

[yensid67]

For whatever reason(s), the lights are not being replaced which equals BAD SHOW! I would hope they get this and just turn them off! Why have BAD SHOW when you can avoid it!? If you think about it hard enough, WHAT WOULD WALT DO in this case? I think he would say, "Until we have a chance of fixing them without injuries, just turn them off!"

BUT if they do get turned off, you can bet there will be complaints at WDW and on here. So as I always say, SHOW TRUMPS COMPLAINTS!

:xmas:MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!:xmas:

 

[HMF]

Unfortunately we see in this thread why Disney feels no pressure to return to their previous standards - all the fanboys who line up to defend bad show and shoddy maintenance because the commercials tell them it's the Place Where Dreams Come True (TM).

If peeling paint or burned out lightbulbs don't bother you, where do you draw the line? Dry rot? Moldy carpet? Bolts falling off the ride track? Feces smeared on the walls? Hey, ONLY NERDS WOULD CARE!!!1! My kids still enjoy the teacups!!

^
this

 

[ght]

:sohappy:

Going to WDW and then to Disneyland in just a few days time you clearly see the difference in the maintenence. Yes I know Disneyland is a smaller resort, but that's still not an excuse for WDW. In many years past I never remember seeing all of these animatronic issues and lighting issues. It seems in the last five years or so it's gotten bad down here. Such a shame. The most expensive theme parks in the world with super expensive resorts SHOULD be held to a higher standard....them also being Disney resorts...even higher.

Disneyland is smaller but there are a lot of attractions jammed into a small space and they don't seem to have these problems.

It isn't just bulbs, compare the kind of treatment you get in a deluxe resort now to what you got even five years ago. Compare how things like birthdays for the kids are done now to even five years ago. It isn't a horrible experience now but just a lesser one and all of this is indicitive of the chipping away of guest experience. All one has to do is go to California and it will give you an idea of how things have changed in Florida.

 

[the-reason14]

If it's such a big deal, all the more reason to stop shelling out money to support a declining company.

 

[TP2000]

Going to WDW and then to Disneyland in just a few days time you clearly see the difference in the maintenence. Yes I know Disneyland is a smaller resort, but that's still not an excuse for WDW. In many years past I never remember seeing all of these animatronic issues and lighting issues. It seems in the last five years or so it's gotten bad down here.

AND

Disneyland is smaller but there are a lot of attractions jammed into a small space and they don't seem to have these problems....
All one has to do is go to California and it will give you an idea of how things have changed in Florida.

The funny thing is, for many of us Disney fans the statment is easily flipped by saying All one has to do is go to Florida and it will give you an idea of how things have changed (for the better) in California.

There was a period, roughly 1998-2003, when the tables were turned and Disneyland was allowed to get shabby by Paul Pressler and Cynthia Harriss. It changed dramatically and thoroughly during the 2004-05 timeframe, and TDA has kept up on that extreme turnaround, and even built off of it and strengthened the standards so that the Anaheim property is better maintained in 2011 than it was even in 2005 and the place just has never looked better.

The same can happen inside the halls of TDO and out in the parks at WDW. What it's going to take to make that change, I don't know, as it took some sudden and very radical executive shakeups in the fall of 2003 at Disneyland.

It would take the equivalent of Meg Crofton suddenly leaving her job immediately "to spend more time with family" and replaced with a brilliant showman, and then in quick succesion over a period of 30 days several key new VP's were brought in to replace the old ones left from Crofton's era, and then TDO would need to get a huge infusion of extra cash and capital from Burbank to beef up the maintenance budgets for multiple fiscal years going forward.

At least that's how the turnaround happened at Disneyland, just with different names and faces. It will be interesting to see how it plays out for WDW and TDO, but change has to come sooner or later. I simply have to believe that. :wave:

 

[dreamfinder]

Oh wow. Looks like my upcoming trip in late Dec will be completely ruined if they don't fix this. How can I enjoy my time knowing those bulbs are out? And ToT looks almost unrideable. Having 100% working light bulbs is what makes or breaks the trip for my family, and sadly it looks like the kids will be heartbroken.

And this is exactly why they continue to make small changes.

For me however, my bigger concern is the things we don't see. Many publicly traded companies have changed their mindset in recent years. Switching from long terms growth and stability, to a quick short term boom. Real estate, banking, etc. The same thought process even carried over to health care. Lots of people not spending the $10 on co pay, to save a few bucks now, end up having to spend thousands later when something small exploded into something big. So now lots of companies are pushing their employees to fix the small things, to avoid having a bigger health care issue down the road. WDW needs to get on a wellness plan instead of a health plan. By cutting maintenance and repairs on seemingly small things like light bulbs, odds are it also happens on bigger things that you don't see. So the figures in Splash not working, it's cause they decided to cut back on the routine maintenance. So instead of spending $10 a month on grease, they let it run til it breaks, and then spend thousands to rebuild it (eventually). If they go back to a method of pre-emptive care, it may cost a little more now, but in the long run it saves money. And helps keep the guest happier. Because now all the rides work like they should, and don't break down nearly as often. But the lightbulbs are just the tip of the iceburg.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

I'm surprised there hasn't been any threads complaining about too much or too little ice in the cups when you order a soda.

Aww man you ruined my thread i Was going to start!!:ROFLOL:

 

[epcot85]

Oh wow. Looks like my upcoming trip in late Dec will be completely ruined if they don't fix this. How can I enjoy my time knowing those bulbs are out? And ToT looks almost unrideable. Having 100% working light bulbs is what makes or breaks the trip for my family, and sadly it looks like the kids will be heartbroken.

You may joke about that but what if they start treating ride maintenance like they are treating light bulb maintenance? ToT could give you a very realistic ride in that case...:wave:

 

[GenerationX]

You may joke about that but what if they start treating ride maintenance like they are treating light bulb maintenance? ToT could give you a very realistic ride in that case...:wave:

Excellent point. And what about Disney pool maintenance? They could stop filtering the water and let the pools become swampy alligator feeding grounds. And if maintenance is going down the toilet, what about hiring? They could lower their bus driver requirements to allow for blind people. That would be truly terrifying. And what about that rule against dropping anvils on guest heads? Easing up on that standard could have a devastating impact on guest satisfaction. Just a couple of simple light bulbs out? I think not.

 

[WDW1974]

Is it a big job? Sure.

But, here's the thing.
Once upon a time, like the resorts first 20 years or so, they had a schedule.
All onstage lights were replaced when they reached 80% of the manifacturer's estimated lifespan. Yep, they changed them before they burned out. This guaranteed that situations like at GFC would never happen. It was a point of pride with the company.

It lasted until a bean counter killed it in the name of running the resort cheaper.
That's the Disney of today.

You just HATE Disney so much, so why do you go? Just stay home and the lines will be shorter for the rest of us who love Disney unconditionally and know it can never do any wrong and have better things to do then look for burned out lightbulbs because we are enveloped in MAGIC and pixie dust?

You know ... Disney could let 80% of its bulbs burn out, do no maintainance for the next year and quadruple prices and I'd still go and love the place ... signed another Disney webmaster. :wave:

 

[WDW1974]

:sohappy:

Going to WDW and then to Disneyland in just a few days time you clearly see the difference in the maintenence. Yes I know Disneyland is a smaller resort, but that's still not an excuse for WDW. In many years past I never remember seeing all of these animatronic issues and lighting issues. It seems in the last five years or so it's gotten bad down here. Such a shame. The most expensive theme parks in the world with super expensive resorts SHOULD be held to a higher standard....them also being Disney resorts...even higher.

I have done so in the past. And almost wound up at WDW today after spending some time at DL last week. ... But you can go months (or even years!) between visits and notice the differences immediately.

WDW cares about selling timeshares and dining plans and making sure every CM coddles every brat while telling Mommy and Daddy to 'have a MAGICal day!' ... DL still cares about quality show.

DL isn't perfect (you need to head to Tokyo for that!), but it sure attempts to attain it. WDW doesn't. Plain and simple. It did for a good 20-25 years. It's not part of today's business model.

At DL, I noticed two effects not working in PoC. They didn't ruin my experience, but seeing them immediately showed the difference between resorts as MK's PoC on any given day has dozens of show issues as do headliner attractions like EE, CTX ... any of the MK mountains etc. ... A few effects not working stand out at DL (as they should) because everything else is in perfect shape. At WDW, it's hard to pick on a couple of show effects when the whole attraction is decrepit and running on chewing gum and duct tape.:xmas:

Oh, and anyone who would make excuses for the GF lights (which have been THAT bad for years now), really needs to take a look in the mirror because even if I believed that, I'd never state something so dumb in a public forum. But that's just me!:wave:

 

[ChristianG]

Disney needs to step up their game! Seriously.

 

[LoriMistress]

MFW reading this thread.

 

[Scuttle]

I have done so in the past. And almost wound up at WDW today after spending some time at DL last week. ... But you can go months (or even years!) between visits and notice the differences immediately.

WDW cares about selling timeshares and dining plans and making sure every CM coddles every brat while telling Mommy and Daddy to 'have a MAGICal day!' ... DL still cares about quality show.

DL isn't perfect (you need to head to Tokyo for that!), but it sure attempts to attain it. WDW doesn't. Plain and simple. It did for a good 20-25 years. It's not part of today's business model.

At DL, I noticed two effects not working in PoC. They didn't ruin my experience, but seeing them immediately showed the difference between resorts as MK's PoC on any given day has dozens of show issues as do headliner attractions like EE, CTX ... any of the MK mountains etc. ... A few effects not working stand out at DL (as they should) because everything else is in perfect shape. At WDW, it's hard to pick on a couple of show effects when the whole attraction is decrepit and running on chewing gum and duct tape.:xmas:

Oh, and anyone who would make excuses for the GF lights (which have been THAT bad for years now), really needs to take a look in the mirror because even if I believed that, I'd never state something so dumb in a public forum. But that's just me!:wave:

Well said. I can't believe people would defend TDO on this.

 

[PyroKinesis]

Decided to wait for a while to see what the general consensus is around here. As a Cedar Point fan (it IS my home park), it upsets me when lights are out, no matter on what. It's rather shocking and upsetting that Disney, the greatest media conglomerate on earth, is skimping out on lights.

 

[TP2000]

DL isn't perfect (you need to head to Tokyo for that!), but it sure attempts to attain it. WDW doesn't. Plain and simple. It did for a good 20-25 years. It's not part of today's business model.

Ain't that the truth!

And yet with this whole One Disney that everyone was panicking over a few years ago, you would think the two American properties would become more alike; either Disneyland becomes more like WDW, or vice versa. But that hasn't happened.

Here we are on the cusp of 2012 and the operation of Disneyland and WDW is still noticeably different, and it appears to be getting more different as time goes by. So what happened to the One Disney stuff that Rasulo launched a few years ago? Was One Disney just administrative behind-the-scenes stuff and shared marketing campaigns?

When it comes to ride maintenance and theme park upkeep, the One Disney thing hasn't seemed to do anything as the two American resorts seemingly grow more different by the month.

 

[Silver Figment]

[youtube]QMz_RQuTBlI[/youtube]

I lol'd :ROFLOL:

 

[dhoywdw20x]

I think what is being forgot here is that the Incandescent light bulbs used by Disney in popcorn lighting are being manufactured in less and less quantities (recall, Congress passing law that all bulbs must be florescent or other by yr 20xx, not sure exactly when). But the decreased manufacturing of these bulbs probably has had some effect on Disney's supply line and they are using the bulbs they can get for popcorn lighting in the places where they would be seen most - in the parks. Epcot, Magic Kingdom and DHS ( i don't recall any popcorn lighting in AK) Once they finish replacing bulbs there I imagine, with their decreased number of bulbs (which are also more expensive, as quantity supplied decreases, price increases) they replace in order of need.

At some point Disney will need to convert their popcorn lighting to LED, that point will definately happen. It's just a matter of waiting for cost-efficient products.

I think what is being seen here with the lights in all honesty is not decisions based in upper management but an effect in the supply line caused by Federal Law.

 

[COProgressFan]

I think what is being forgot here is that the Incandescent light bulbs used by Disney in popcorn lighting are being manufactured in less and less quantities (recall, Congress passing law that all bulbs must be florescent or other by yr 20xx, not sure exactly when). But the decreased manufacturing of these bulbs probably has had some effect on Disney's supply line and they are using the bulbs they can get for popcorn lighting in the places where they would be seen most - in the parks. Epcot, Magic Kingdom and DHS ( i don't recall any popcorn lighting in AK) Once they finish replacing bulbs there I imagine, with their decreased number of bulbs (which are also more expensive, as quantity supplied decreases, price increases) they replace in order of need.

At some point Disney will need to convert their popcorn lighting to LED, that point will definately happen. It's just a matter of waiting for cost-efficient products.

I think what is being seen here with the lights in all honesty is not decisions based in upper management but an effect in the supply line caused by Federal Law.

The light bulb issue has been going on for YEARS. It has nothing to do with any planned changeover to LED's. In addition, the lights that are used for popcorn lighting I do not believe are involved in any manufacturer phase-out, as their wattage is too low, and they may be considered stage or show lighting which isn't being regulated.

No need to make excuses for Disney's poor upkeep....they make plenty of excuses on their own.

 

[COProgressFan]

Actually WDI has all of these resources available to them. It's just a matter of TDO footing the bill for it.

Maintenence has to wait for a work order to be able to fix something. It's not as simple as seeing a bulb out and changing it. They have to wait for permission to do it. It's just the way these things are ran anymore.

The problem is, the popcorn lights at the GF have been in horrible shape for years. No one -- not a manager, maintenance person, or VP for that matter has noticed the problem an put in a work order in all that time?! If that is the case, then we have a bigger problem than we thought. More likely, they just don't think it's worth the time/expense to get lifts and pay a crew to go up and do it themselves.

If I was the general manager of the GF, I would actually be embarrassed to the leave them in the state they are in. I actually heard a grandmotherly type on one of the GF/Poly boats a while back mention to her husband how so many lights were out. Regular guests notice, certainly those paying $500+ a night. It looks awful - I honestly think they should just shut them off rather than leave them how they are.