are you sure you're in the right line of work if you think your job is nothing but being "bitched at by the rudest people on earth...?"
I love how some people's knee-jerk reaction to something is just to say don't come here anymore, or don't ride it anymore.
Hi, Kettle
I am rarely bitched at and when I am, it doesn't bother me. My friends and roomies here do work in roles where they have to deal directly with guests. Resort front desks get it extremely bad. It's not just some grouchiness--not even close! Merch, GR, and turnstiles get it bad as well. I attribute it to traveling being stressful and people not used to the crowds, environment, and weather. So yah, people will be far worse than back at home. Doesn't bother me at all. My love for the monorails (love affair since I was knee-high to a ________ ant) far outweighs any of that mess. I do have fun with many guests, some make me smile as well.
As a former CM at Disneyland, I understand that I would not get to park in an area that's close and convenient. I wouldn't expect to.
Should also not expect it in a park that you know is across the lagoon because of Walt's vision. I like it, it's unique, and we all know about it.
I love the Disney Parks, but I'm not a complete yes-man for them.
I am far from that. Monorails and the SSL is Walt Disney the man, not TWDC. They would never have the vision to have done what Walt did. Okay, maybe not lacking vision, but lacking the ability to financially pull it off. The dreamers with the money are gone and have been replaced by those fattening their portfolios.
It's great that you're not a "yes man." They aren't looking out for you at all. If they had any decency, they would have done simple things such as replace the KTTW cards a long time ago with something that doesn't ________ off a good portion of guests.
If I see something I think could be improved, I'll say so. And I'm sorry, but I think it might be a bigger problem than you know. There were a lot of unhappy people in that "queue" I was stuck in that night. And it's definitely not the first time. If that's the last impression of Disney World people take home with them, then I think something is wrong. My friends certainly weren't thrilled, but when I assured them that there was no lake in front of the other Parks, they let it go.
There are ways for Disney to alleviate the situation, but they are not. At least not at a respectable speed. Many CMs in monorails can tell you how to make guests happier up there. It's not rocket science to simply make much wider platforms so people can have some personal space. Guests can easily forgive the 4 minute ride, but the platforms are poorly designed. However, Disney is not completely ignoring the problem. Expect Lime's car configuration to appear on all trains. It's a million times better for everyone. Would have been even better if it was possible to remove the center bench. Be closer to Japanese cabin design. The most ideal situation is wider express platforms w/ A/C would be extremely ideal. Just like at the Contemporary, no reason a monorail can't operate in an indoor station with air doors at the ramps and train ports. It's actually, a great idea.
Suggest it to Disney.
As for the TTC, it needs an overhaul. Many small ramps. A good example is the resort ramp which is two way. Another is the express which is divided in two small parts to allow CM access and also for switching over folks to resort when express goes one-way at night. Plus the south end of the express platform is very confined. To make things worse, every morning a temporary pole and rope queue is set up and not covered, along with most of the express ramp.
But personally, I find a lot more breathing room on the MK monorail ramp than in the tight confines of queues such as space mountain...ick
Ultimately, I just want the guest experience to be all that I know it could be. Another form of transportation is a good start. I'd even go for buses that drop you off where the other resort buses go near the entrance. Or, better yet, have trams that take you to a similar spot near the entrance.
If they would go that far as to build a massive peoplemover, then would it not be just as wise to build another express loop? It would be able to handle way more people.
Buses? c'mon. 30 people at best on a typical Disney bus, that's 1/10th a single monorail train.
Ideally, the monorail queue should constantly be moving, brining 300 people onto a platform causes a massive vacuum along the queue and by the time people situate themselves, the gates are closed and more are directed on the platform. trains should be in and out. That's why we yell "step on or step off, next train in 1 minute!"