The Spirited Back Nine ...

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Livestream is still up though...let's see how long they'll keep it going.

...yeah I have it on too, lol the Xmas thing is sold out... I wonder how many tickets they sell for that "private" show.


Aww, it just went offline. Pooh.


I was using their YouTube link, the nChromeCast to put it on the tv. Now I'm gonna watch some mystic manor videos.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I am sure @ParentsOf4 would love to come in and take apart the numbers, most especially in P&R where almost all gains were attributable to increasing prices (in other words, the same tired tale we've all heard before).

Yes, I provided a quick analysis of the numbers here.

As you suggest, it was more of the same:

The increase in guest spending was primarily due to higher average ticket prices for theme park admissions and for sailings at our cruise line and increased food, beverage and merchandise spending.​

In other words, 'Guests' are paying more for the same old product.

No, that's not fair for guests.

As anyone who as been paying attention recently will notice, WDW continues to cut corners where ever possible, meaning guests pay more for less.

I feel sorry for the CMs on the front lines. Corporate is squeezing both product and consumer, leaving CMs caught squarely in the middle.

CMs, that's not a 'Guest' sense of entitlement you're dealing with; it's 'Guest' anger that corporate Disney sold them one level of expectations and then failed to deliver on its promise of a "place where dreams come true". Those of us who remember WDW as adults in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s really thought it was back then.

Guests are frustrated at the thousands of dollars spent, only to be forced into one long line after another because corporate needed to add FastPass+ to any and everything in order to justify the $2 billion spent. Only to be ordered about like cattle by CMs trying to manage crowds at increasingly overcrowded theme parks because corporate Disney continues to delay significant investments in WDW expansion despite record attendance. Only to pay outrageous prices for increasingly mediocre food. Only to have sensors installed on soda machines because Disney doesn't want to eat the cost of the few extra cents of coke guests take after coughing up $14.99 for 3 days of 'unlimited' soda. Only to ... Well, you know, the list goes on-and-on.

It's corporate Disney continuing to squeeze everyone else so that senior leadership can collect their tens-of-millions in bonuses and stock options. The same senior leadership that largely is absent from the theme parks.

I wish I could be more positive on this fine Friday evening. Eventually, someday, years from now, we should see some very nice, perhaps even wonderful additions at WDW. For now though, I guess I'm tired of being told, "Hey, there is some great stuff coming years from now."

 

[Kman101]

Let's not act like Disney is the only corporation who treats their employees bad. Yes, one person can have a great experience in one role, a crappy one in another, or no bad experiences, it doesn't discount the fact that there ARE managers and co-workers who treat each other and their employees like dirt.

Just because it's Disney it shouldn't be all THAT shocking (as sad as that is to say). When you have a company that has so many cooks in the kitchen, that's run by corporate who pushes to meet quotas, etc. you lose touch with what made that company work in the first place.

So for those defending the poor treatment, it's OK that I spit on you, scream at you and threaten your job? Or how about your manager? Or boss? That's A-OK because it's Disney? I'm not quite understanding the rose colored views but I guess it has it's own thread and I'm rambling.

And to catch up on Spirit mentioning the Holiday parties, I laughed when I saw what they were offering for the Christmas party. People are paying for less, probably (likely not 'probably') cuts in the parade over the years, a well-done production show being cut, and DANCE PARTIES? Believe me, I love Disney at Christmas and have attended MVMCP and MNSSHP several times, but they are as stale as can be. It's actually sad what they offer and call a party.

 

[FloridaRes]

Crackpot? Excuse me? I don't like your tone, little girl.....

You're the kind of cast member that's 100% completely out of touch, spending your entire career backstage at a resort. You haven't a clue about guest interaction nor the poison culture that permeates management at the MK.

This is starting to get to be fun.
For a journalist, you missed major clues, I am far from being a little girl, young man.
And don't bother trying to find out who I am. I am just a middle management person, not one of interest to you or anyone.
And I would agree that I don't have any idea about MK. but I do know about other parts of the company.

By the way, just because this is timely, there are cast surveys every couple of years. These are taken very seriously by management. Feedback and action planning sessions are required, with updates on progress.
My husband was partially measured on these surveys.

PS: Sorry, I meant to say Crackerjack, not Crackpot, LOL.

 

[Kman101]

I've had to do surveys in a retail/big box store job. They go nowhere and lead to nothing. Maybe Disney is different but it doesn't seem likely. JMO, not based on actual facts so no one get into a tizzy over me saying that.

 

[ford91exploder]

Social Darwinism is not a core component of capitalism.

No it is not, It's just ugly and happens when there are no checks and balances on business

 

[Smiddimizer]

"Capitalism explained" - spot on for Canada....unfortunately

Really? I'd say it's basically American capitalism with moose....and Tim Hortons.

 

[ford91exploder]

Let's not act like Disney is the only corporation who treats their employees bad. Yes, one person can have a great experience in one role, a crappy one in another, or no bad experiences, it doesn't discount the fact that there ARE managers and co-workers who treat each other and their employees like dirt.

Just because it's Disney it shouldn't be all THAT shocking (as sad as that is to say). When you have a company that has so many cooks in the kitchen, that's run by corporate who pushes to meet quotas, etc. you lose touch with what made that company work in the first place.

So for those defending the poor treatment, it's OK that I spit on you, scream at you and threaten your job? Or how about your manager? Or boss? That's A-OK because it's Disney? I'm not quite understanding the rose colored views but I guess it has it's own thread and I'm rambling.

And to catch up on Spirit mentioning the Holiday parties, I laughed when I saw what they were offering for the Christmas party. People are paying for less, probably (likely not 'probably') cuts in the parade over the years, a well-done production show being cut, and DANCE PARTIES? Believe me, I love Disney at Christmas and have attended MVMCP and MNSSHP several times, but they are as stale as can be. It's actually sad what they offer and call a party.

No Disney is not the only company that treats employees poorly, The outrage stems from the fact that this was not the case during it's most profitable as measured by ROI period, And during same period Guests were treated better as well and had a far higher quality of experience than they do today.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I know what Dave had for dinner tonight.

Hahahahahaha. Where did you see the photo?

 

[Kman101]

And on the note of surveys being taken seriously. LOL. I was part of a panel at my past retail job in terms of making things better and we did care but let's see where it all went. Nowhere. Companies are so far out of touch with what really goes on. And a lot of management is too. Yes, there is some GREAT management. I had a manager I went to all of the time who was fantastic to me and went to bat for me when necessary. Thankfully that person was rewarded with his own store, but that being said, I've been lucky. To anyone who HASN'T worked directly with the public, or on the "front lines" it's ... something. And I don't even have to work for Disney to know any of this. It's everywhere.

 

[Kman101]

No Disney is not the only company that treats employees poorly, The outrage stems from the fact that this was not the case during it's most profitable as measured by ROI period, And during same period Guests were treated better as well and had a far higher quality of experience than they do today.

Thank you for explaining (and how sad I have to say that I'm being serious in thanking you).

 

[StageFrenzy]

People can choose to be any weight they want to be. Yeah it's totally unhealthy but it's on them. I'm not sure I understand this fascination with the size of people who work or go to WDW. Who cares if they are plus 1000? I know that sounds mean but really.

And on that note, it's hardly an exaggeration. Obesity is a problem in this country. It's not just someone's opinion. You seem to want to 'correct' everyone and sure do defend the brand a lot. It doesn't need the defense.

I care because we all pay for it and they take up more room.

 

[BrerJon]

They pulled the plug

Did you at least get to see the Food Truck schedule before they did so? (That's a joke for any Apple fans out there).

 

[BrerJon]

I've had to do surveys in a retail/big box store job. They go nowhere and lead to nothing. Maybe Disney is different but it doesn't seem likely. JMO, not based on actual facts so no one get into a tizzy over me saying that.

Disney loves surveys, but they're always written with leading questions so that they can ensure the correct answers. So a Cast Member survey won't ask 'would you like more support from your managers', it will ask 'would you like more independence in your role'. It's like the guest surveys that ask if people want shorter lines and more space on the walkways, instead of asking the real question, if they'd like less attractions and an entertainment cut.

 

[thehowiet]

Focusing on that last part, what makes you think that anyone else who would take over in George's spot would be able to do anything different. During my last 2 visits, you could tell a noticeable improvement in the CM interactions with guests, cleanliness and attraction maintenance. I'm not saying it is perfect by any means, but it is certainly a vast improvement from 3-4 years ago.

I've actually noticed the exact opposite so I personally have not seen this vast improvement you speak of. Not trying to be argumentative or anything, just pointing out that not everyone agrees that there has been a clear improvement in all of those areas over the past few years. Again, just my observations and experiences.

 

[Kman101]

I care because we all pay for it and they take up more room.

I'm not saying I don't care about people being unhealthy and obese but you really look at it that way? And sometimes weight gain is medical and can't be helped. So you never know. I don't see why it matters and why it matters what Tammy Sue and Bob are doing on their vacation.

 

[Siren]

Social Darwinism is not a core component of capitalism.

I totally agree & very well said. And, I will add that Social Darwinism refuses to acknowledge *nepotism* and bizarre theories such as innate inferiority and cultural inferiority place emphasis upon solely blaming the victim (the poor). It's utter & complete nonsense, so I will just stop there.

Monopolistic capitalism is immensely fueled by corporate welfare to the tune of $154 Billion dollars for transnational corporations. This is money, free & clear w/no strings attached, free land, tax breaks and subsidies all allocated by tax payer dollars -- to use for whatever. Robotics, outsourcing, space shrinkage and all the other various types of technologies that fall under the guise of "researching" new & emerging technologies and markets. Simply put, our tax dollars are being used to undermine and displace us at some point. The middle, working, poor and underclass are burdened with taxes, while other tax brackets pay *zero* under slick capital gains tax laws and investment loopholes.

I am shocked that Disney even has a union -- how can people afford to pay dues making $9 bucks an hour? Clearly, the power of organized labor has declined. So, what we have here is an increase of surplus labor that goes on to exacerbate the growth of contingent and perma-temp employment, that becomes the norm -- this is devastating to the American worker.

Not to mention, there is also Marx's theory on the "alienation of the worker" from boring, repetitive jobs that stifle any creativity, intelligence or passion. As a result, the workforce becomes hopeless and fatalistic because they are deemed as nothing more than automatons -- where they adopt the notion that nothing in life can ever achieved that's not carefully outlined in the instruction manual. With that said, this is not a *Disney* thing -- it's entirely across the board.

 

[Kman101]

I've actually noticed the exact opposite so I personally have not seen this vast improvement you speak of. Not trying to be argumentative or anything, just pointing out that not everyone agrees that there has been a clear improvement in all of those areas over the past few years. Again, just my observations and experiences.

I've seen both. I think very very recently there seems to be an uptick in maintenance and some improvements, but there's still a lot of improvements to make.

Everyone's experiences are going to be different. Someone can enter a queue and see it full of trash and another person can come in right after it's clean and say it was spotless.

They clearly still have a lack of maintenance and upkeep but having been in the parks recently over the last several months, its' not as bad as some make it out to be but the bar has clearly been set lower (and on that note, I remembered I actually saw a security officer, during the hordes and hordes of people in Frontierland following the Festival of Fantasy parade, bend down and pick up a bottle of water and trash that someone decided to let the ground have). It was more brave than anything because of the hordes of people.

And the same goes for a restaurant. A woman at Cosmic Rays was desperately trying to clean but she rarely had a second before a table was snatched up. Not to mention the person who took my tray and emptied it for me. I saw a bunch of people during the lunch rush ready to clean. (And on that same note, one could argue the area was filthy and they were doing nothing but it's subjective. You can't see everything all of the time).

So, just an example.

 

[thehowiet]

I've seen both. I think very very recently there seems to be an uptick in maintenance and some improvements, but there's still a lot of improvements to make.

Everyone's experiences are going to be different. Someone can enter a queue and see it full of trash and another person can come in right after it's clean and say it was spotless.

They clearly still have a lack of maintenance and upkeep but having been in the parks recently over the last several months, its' not as bad as some make it out to be but the bar has clearly been set lower.

Again, just sharing my observations and experiences and pointing out that not everyone feels that there's been a vast improvement over the past few years. Like I said, I've personally witnessed the exact opposite. I'm pretty confident my experiences weren't just a fluke or a case of "wrong place, wrong time."

If things have improved over the last several months, I think that's great and I'm happy to hear it. I have not visited during this timeframe as I've decided to stay away from WDW because of my experiences.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Some Spirited Quick Hits:

First, since we all seem to love talking about capitalism and how amazing and MAGICal it can be, something a friend sent me this morning that put a giant smile on my face (and put me in the mood to go eat some Chik-Fil-A):
http://www.tickld.com/x/capitalism-explained-this-is-so-accurate-it-hurts

Nice to see @Kuhio back. I'm very good at summoning Spirits and I look forward to more of his Asian observations as well as those from @WDWFigment. To be fair about your 'clapping like a seal' when you rode MM, I see you do that regularly at restaurants when your food arrives at the table! As to your comments on the attraction, I know folks who built Gringotts and the Hogwarts Express who share your opinion of the attraction. And I am going to be one nasty Spirit if I don't get back to HKDL soon to experience it.

No, despite a thread (haven't read one post) on it, the newest Toy Story film isn't behind the flat rides coming to TPFKaTD-MGMS and TPSTFBKaDHS.

I hear that the fanboi brigade on the Twit feed are all upset about a fourth TS film and my response would be why? The characters are beloved. The three prior films have all been great. Why complain about this? I get the angst about Pirates 5. I even get it about Frozen 2. But John Lasseter and Pixar love these characters and have done them proud and I don't see that changing.

You want something unique? Big Hero 6 opens today. You want something unique from Pixar? They have three films in the pipeline that aren't sequels.

The London Paramount Park? Like the Spanish Paramount Park, I'll believe it's happening when it is at least 30% built. I certainly hope it does happen. The market exists in both nations and, yes, it will only push others like Disney to better things.

Back to capitalism because I just find it so amazing, so scary and so American for ants (and that is what we are) who feel the need to stand up for corporations and their right to make as much as possible at any cost and to treat workers in any way to get there. Yes, that is one sign of a former great society that doesn't have much left in the tank. Apparently, no lessons were learned in 2008 except the economic collapse was caused by those former neighbors that you hated buying a home for $569,000 when they could only afford a $210,000 home and then having them run up $75,000 in credit card debt that they defaulted on.

Responsibility is a two way street to my 'friends' and, yes, I use that term lightly, on the right. If individuals need to show it and live by it in your view of the perfect America, then so also do corporations. $9 an hour and providing no benefits (free theme park admission and 60% off $400 a night hotels don't count) isn't doing so.

Now ... I must run ... I just heard that Black Friday was starting today because why even wait until 6 a.m. on (blanking) Thanksgiving Day to mindlessly spend.

Someone on my commute into work showed me that picture and oddly enough I thought the Spirit would like it. I forgot to post it though, glad you ended up seeing it anyway. While I work in that evil industry I by no means think capitalism is bad and by no means think the current american financial system is good. It's good if everyone had a genius IQ and could comprehend what they were getting into and they don't and therein lies half the problem. Many people simply don't understand the deals they get involved in, CEOs included and they get burned and taken advantage of by the counterparty.