What's the deal with Ariel?

[lazyboy97o]

My theory, and I don't have any particular info to back this up, is that the decision to send a ride 101 or not has less to do with fielding guest complaints and more to do with keeping guests moving. The New York Times article on the operational command center from a few years ago mentioned how they had managed to get the average number of attractions experienced by guests from 9 to 10. That seems small but the message is clear that getting people through as many attractions as possible is important. Send one ride, especially a high capacity omnimover like Mermaid, 101 for a while and it's going to have a ripple effect on the lines at other attractions. The result is that average of 10 attractions starts to dip. Guest complaints could usually be handled pretty easily by cast members without manager intervention so that's not necessarily a big concern for management. On the other hand, when the next level of management sees the park as a whole or a specific area was below their targets for the day, it's the manager who decided to shut the ride down who has to answer to that.

Again, this is all just a theory.

A few posters with insight and I believe even operation experience/familiarity have made statements very close to yours. Because Walt Disney World has not kept capacity at pace with crowd demands there is a greater emphasis on being open pumping people through. It is why refurbishments get held off as long as possible. It is why just recently, when such shows are supposedly no longer popular, The Country Bear Jamboree was cut down to ever so slightly increase its daily capacity.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

My theory, and I don't have any particular info to back this up, is that the decision to send a ride 101 or not has less to do with fielding guest complaints and more to do with keeping guests moving. The New York Times article on the operational command center from a few years ago mentioned how they had managed to get the average number of attractions experienced by guests from 9 to 10. That seems small but the message is clear that getting people through as many attractions as possible is important. Send one ride, especially a high capacity omnimover like Mermaid, 101 for a while and it's going to have a ripple effect on the lines at other attractions. The result is that average of 10 attractions starts to dip. Guest complaints could usually be handled pretty easily by cast members without manager intervention so that's not necessarily a big concern for management. On the other hand, when the next level of management sees the park as a whole or a specific area was below their targets for the day, it's the manager who decided to shut the ride down who has to answer to that.

Again, this is all just a theory.

You may be correct... But to me that would only add to the case that they've lost focus.

 

[wdisney9000]

A few posters with insight and I believe even operation experience/familiarity have made statements very close to yours. Because Walt Disney World has not kept capacity at pace with crowd demands there is a greater emphasis on being open pumping people through. It is why refurbishments get held off as long as possible. It is why just recently, when such shows are supposedly no longer popular, The Country Bear Jamboree was cut down to ever so slightly increase its daily capacity.

Take today at AK for example. EL went down for appx 2 hours and Dinosaur went down for 30 minutes also. It caused a nightmare of a traffic jam for most of that side of the park. There is no answer to a problem like that. Ride capacity reared it's ugly head at AK on a day like today (only for awhile). It was truly ugly though.

 

[Cesar R M]

My theory, and I don't have any particular info to back this up, is that the decision to send a ride 101 or not has less to do with fielding guest complaints and more to do with keeping guests moving. The New York Times article on the operational command center from a few years ago mentioned how they had managed to get the average number of attractions experienced by guests from 9 to 10. That seems small but the message is clear that getting people through as many attractions as possible is important. Send one ride, especially a high capacity omnimover like Mermaid, 101 for a while and it's going to have a ripple effect on the lines at other attractions. The result is that average of 10 attractions starts to dip. Guest complaints could usually be handled pretty easily by cast members without manager intervention so that's not necessarily a big concern for management. On the other hand, when the next level of management sees the park as a whole or a specific area was below their targets for the day, it's the manager who decided to shut the ride down who has to answer to that.

Again, this is all just a theory.

It all seems to go back to square one regarding ride capacity at WDW and the insane increase of hotel/DVC capacity.

 

[marni1971]

The attraction has....issues with certain things that is worrying for something so new.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I've seen the ride shut down when Sebastian's eyes weren't working right. They put stickers over it and it's not noticed by 99% of guests. Most of these things have B modes, like the Yeti. I'm just guessing that these are isolated incidents. I strongly encourage people to let Disney know of show issues and then ride again later in the day. If they're still issues then that's a problem.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

Its a shame they are already having problems with this ride It was so cute when I visited last Feb but it does get rode alot but I dont understand how per post above the beak of scuddle can chip? How is that possible?

 

[Wikkler]

And customer demands have escalated to beyond sane. Not the same world anymore. Used to be they could give out stuff at random in an effort to make the magic. Now the public won't stand for it if someone gets something and they don't. They are not dealing with the same customer. Some may be Disney's fault, but lets not ignore the huge part that, we, the guests have contributed to the decline. Entitlement has reigned supreme.

How come the kids with cancer get to stay inside the castle and I don't?

 

[Cesar R M]

How come the kids with cancer get to stay inside the castle and I don't?

yeah, shame on them! WHAT A LOAD OF BARNACLES!

 

[Goofyernmost]

A few posters with insight and I believe even operation experience/familiarity have made statements very close to yours. Because Walt Disney World has not kept capacity at pace with crowd demands there is a greater emphasis on being open pumping people through. It is why refurbishments get held off as long as possible. It is why just recently, when such shows are supposedly no longer popular, The Country Bear Jamboree was cut down to ever so slightly increase its daily capacity.

Just out of curiosity, why would they need to increase daily capacity on a ride that is no longer popular. All they do is increase the number of shows, not the numbers of people that want to see it. Wouldn't it help with popular show capacities to keep those people occupied longer, not less?

 

[discos]

Just out of curiosity, why would they need to increase daily capacity on a ride that is no longer popular. All they do is increase the number of shows, not the numbers of people that want to see it. Wouldn't it help with popular show capacities to keep those people occupied longer, not less?

I think that's done to get people out of the attraction quicker, in turn not having guests wait as long for the next show. They would rather have shorter shows that aren't full, then longer shows that still aren't full. Even though capacity isn't filled more people are able to experience the attraction that way.

 

[marni1971]

It's been popular all our last visits. And to think I didn't see it until 2008.

 

[ScoutN]

It's been popular all our last visits. And to think I didn't see it until 2008.

Full house for all 5/6 of my trips last year.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Just out of curiosity, why would they need to increase daily capacity on a ride that is no longer popular. All they do is increase the number of shows, not the numbers of people that want to see it. Wouldn't it help with popular show capacities to keep those people occupied longer, not less?

Not if the goal is 10 rides rather than 9. To shorten the length of rides (i.e. CBJ, Tiki Room, Imagination, etc) makes it possible to pump more people through more (albeit, shorter) rides.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It's been popular all our last visits. And to think I didn't see it until 2008.

If we are still talking about Country Bears, in the 80's there was always a wait. If you got there a few minutes late, you had to wait for the next show. Even when you could get into the waiting area it was always shoulder to shoulder. That, of course, was back when people appreciated animatronics and it was and still is a funny, albeit corny show. There also was a time in the early 2000's when there was a sort of cult following. If you went, you better hope you had seen it before because the noise, foot stomping and singing would drown out the show.

 

[marni1971]

If we are still talking about Country Bears,.

I am. And that's it's been popular each time we've been in the past 5 years. Pleasantly surprising. Even pits refurb.

 

[John]

Something some what related to said subject......rode Dinosaur yesterday.....HORRIBLE! So many effects just turned off or I guess broken. Most of the ride was just a ride in the dark.

 

[Glasgow]

At least the ride is not just shuttered and left to rot. WDW would never do that..

 

[Captain Chaos]

Something some what related to said subject......rode Dinosaur yesterday.....HORRIBLE! So many effects just turned off or I guess broken. Most of the ride was just a ride in the dark.

That's disappointing cause back in October, Dinosaur hadn't looked better... Most effects were working... Maybe I hit it lucky that day LOL...

 

[mm52200]

So odd about Mermaid, it's DCA counterpart seems to not have many problems but they're exactly the same ride and audio-anamatronics.