The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[Rich T]

I didn't realize the Beauty and the Beast ride had already opened in Tokyo. After watching a ride through, as impressive as the craftsmanship is, it's so clear that WDI has no idea how to design a ride. I could not point to a better example of a "ride the movie" than this attraction as it just takes guests through their favorite musical numbers from the film. The animatronics and effects are stellar, but it's all science with no soul. I suppose that's a problem that plagues more than just WDI and the West as a whole at this moment in time, but I must say I hope this attraction doesn't come to California.

It’s not even “ride the movie.” It’s “ride the sing-along video”. And, as a great example of tech over soul, the ride’s beginning—with guests in giant cereal bowls blasting off through huge aircraft hangar doors—is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. Enchanted magical dreams, everyone!

 

[SplashGhost]

Are we really better off without Fastpasses? Especially if you knew how to use them? The wait times look like they re just as bad as they were when fast passes were around. Some wait times are a little shorter but not enough to make up for the loss of being able to fast pass a few E tickets and skip hour + long lines. So what gives? The Rat Chat update shows that all the walkways are pretty packed and at this point almost all the attractions are running again.

On another note, as I browse this forum read RatChat updates I realize my AP allowed me to put aside my issues with park/ company as it was such a cheap price for a quality product (even with the downward spiral the resort is going is in). When you re paying full price to go, those same issues you had as an AP are much more magnified. I wonder how many people feel like me. Will Disney be able to keep the parks packed with So Cal discounts and holiday offerings? I guess the new membership program will be telling.

As someone that was really good at using MaxPass, on a whole I think the lack of FastPass has made the park a worse overall experience since the crowd levels are still insanely high. On average, I probably went 2-3 times a month with my Signature AP. I am paying drastically more per visit with the SoCal Discount Ticket and getting a vastly inferior experience, and the crowds are like the ones that I would only experience on the very worst pre-COVID days.

 

[mickEblu]

As someone that was really good at using MaxPass, on a whole I think the lack of FastPass has made the park a worse overall experience since the crowd levels are still insanely high. On average, I probably went 2-3 times a month with my Signature AP. I am paying drastically more per visit with the SoCal Discount Ticket and getting a vastly inferior experience, and the crowds are like the ones that I would only experience on the very worst pre-COVID days.

I was all for paying more for more. Meaning higher cost / more restrictive APs for less crowds but as it stands we’re paying more for less.

 

[SplashGhost]

I was all for paying more for more. Meaning higher cost / more restrictive APs for less crowds but as it stands we’re paying more for less.

If I am going to pay a high price for something, I want a premium experience, and Disneyland is not currently giving a premium experience. If I am going to have to buy tickets instead of using an AP, the parks should be as nice as they were in the Summer of 2019.

 

[mickEblu]

If I am going to pay a high price for something, I want a premium experience, and Disneyland is not currently giving a premium experience. If I am going to have to buy tickets instead of using an AP, the parks should be as nice as they were in the Summer of 2019.

At like “2 days” out of the pandemic and as soon as the state Allowed they were packing us in like sardines again. Let this put to rest the idea that Disney wants less crowds or a better quality experience for guests.

 

[SplashGhost]

At like “2 days” out of the pandemic and as soon as the state Allowed they were packing us in like sardines again. Let this put to rest the idea that Disney wants less crowds or a better quality experience for guests.

Disney doesn't care about the guest experience, they only care about maximizing profit. Saying they are raising prices to give guests a better experience is just PR crap that people sadly believe.

I think the combination of continual rising prices and continual declining quality will likely lead me to my breaking point, especially with the rate that both of these things has increased since Chapek took over the Parks.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Disney doesn't care about the guest experience, they only care about maximizing profit. Saying they are raising prices to give guests a better experience is just PR crap that people sadly believe.

I think the combination of continual rising prices and continual declining quality will likely lead me to my breaking point, especially with the rate that both of these things has increased since Chapek took over the Parks.

I distinctly remember one day during my CM pre-training my trainer laughing and making jokes about the money the parks still made from guests after the free admission on your birthday promotion. No mentioning at all about how great it was to welcome guests in for free on their birthday. Just hee-hawing about being able to still make a large profit despite losing some money on admission tickets. I was very uncomfortable.

That’s when I first knew I was going to be working for a money hungry corporation and not the company that Walt Disney built.

 

[October82]

This would have been much preferred by me if true but a retheme of Monster inc would be kind of lame for a Marvel ride so it’s hard to believe that was in the running.

Somehow I struggle with the idea that it would have been worse than webslingers.

 

[SplashGhost]

I distinctly remember one day during my CM pre-training my trainer laughing and making jokes about the money the parks still made from guests after the free admission on your birthday promotion. No mentioning at all about how great it was to welcome guests in for free on their birthday. Just hee-hawing about being able to still make a large profit despite losing some money on admission tickets. I was very uncomfortable.

That’s when I first knew I was going to be working for a money hungry corporation and not the company that Walt Disney built.

That is really sad, but it is totally what I would expect from the current Disney company. I love Walt's Disney and what it stood for, but modern Disney is just a soulless corporation that cares for nothing other than maximizing profits.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That is really sad, but it is totally what I would expect from the current Disney company. I love Walt's Disney and what it stood for, but modern Disney is just a soulless corporation that cares for nothing other than maximizing profits.

Absolutely. When I started working for the company, I was completely unaware of the atmosphere. I was very naive. My uncle, who had worked for the company for decades, warned me that working for Disney was not what I was expecting and I told him that I had to see for myself. I did immediately.

 

[CaptinEO]

I distinctly remember one day during my CM pre-training my trainer laughing and making jokes about the money the parks still made from guests after the free admission on your birthday promotion. No mentioning at all about how great it was to welcome guests in for free on their birthday. Just hee-hawing about being able to still make a large profit despite losing some money on admission tickets. I was very uncomfortable.

That’s when I first knew I was going to be working for a money hungry corporation and not the company that Walt Disney built.

Friend of mine worked in DCA selling popcorn. One day a money bag his coworker turned in was a dollar short and they fired them on the spot.

Really? They think someone's going to steal one dollar?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Friend of mine worked in DCA selling popcorn. One day a money bag his coworker turned in was a dollar short and they fired them on the spot.

Really? They think someone's going to steal one dollar?

I absolutely believe that story. They fired an acquaintance of mine’s wife for leaving her post to vomit. She had called in sick that day and they told her that if she didn’t come in, she would be fired. So she came in and got fired anyway. She also worked at DCA selling snacks at a food cart.

Working for the Mouse is hell for some people. I’d never work for Disney again.

 

[CaptinEO]

I absolutely believe that story. They fired an acquaintance of mine’s wife for leaving her post to vomit. She had called in sick that day and they told her that if she didn’t come in, she would be fired. So she came in and got fired anyway. She also worked at DCA selling snacks at a food cart.

Working for the Mouse is hell for some people. I’d never work for Disney again.

That is so terrible. She could sue if she wants to, being fired for illness is against federal labor laws, but probably not worth the time or effort.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That is so terrible. She could sue if she wants to, being fired for illness is against federal labor laws, but probably not worth the time or effort.

I said the same thing when he told me that story. She should have sued, but at that point, a couple of years had already gone by and she had moved on.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I said the same thing when he told me that story. She should have sued, but at that point, a couple of years had already gone by and she had moved on.

Suing for something like that can also be hard. Just the attorney fees can make it a big upfront cost. Some attorneys won’t event bother unless it is something really big or they can put together a class. The employees at the Department of Labor can have a similar attitude as well.

 

[SplashGhost]

Working at Disneyland is sounding more and more like a late stage capitalism hellscape than even I had imagined. I'm glad that I never worked there, I could probably never look at the parks in the same way again.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Working at Disneyland is sounding more and more like a late stage capitalism hellscape than even I had imagined. I'm glad that I never worked there, I could probably never look at the parks in the same way again.

I once got a warning for going to the nurse for a sliced finger when my lunch hour was coming up. I think “hell” suits my experience working at the park perfectly.

It absolutely did change my view of both the park and the company. It took me nearly two years to return to the parks after I left.

 

[smooch]

This thread has helped me to not feel as sad about the DCP being cancelled from COVID when I was extremely far in the application process and felt there was a very strong chance I was gonna get in after a failed attempt the year before. I had a friend who did the DCP in WDW and she told me it was probably the hardest job she's done and she had texted me some times crying / upset but at the end of the day she was glad she did it and enjoyed her time there.

 

[mickEblu]

I absolutely believe that story. They fired an acquaintance of mine’s wife for leaving her post to vomit. She had called in sick that day and they told her that if she didn’t come in, she would be fired. So she came in and got fired anyway. She also worked at DCA selling snacks at a food cart.

Working for the Mouse is hell for some people. I’d never work for Disney again.

Wow are they that ruthless? Of course we don’t know if this person had a history of calling out sick last minute. It could be a case of “boy cries wolf.”

 

[Californian Elitist]

Wow are they that ruthless? Of course we don’t know if this person had a history of calling out sick last minute. It could be a case of “boy cries wolf.”

They can be pretty ruthless, yes. It is absolutely possible that she had a history of calling out.

I’ve met many people who have worked for Disney in some fashion or form, whether it’s the parks, education, somewhere in the entertainment sector, security, and even talent recruitment. I can count on one hand for how many of them actually enjoyed their experiences. For the most part, the common denominator was that we were all miserable during our time with Disney.