I think there will be a day when you enter the park and all it will be is just one big strobe light that you stare at for hours.
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What's the deal with Ariel?
- Thread starter pilka214
- Start date
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Strobes for humans are like laser pointers for cats...
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
No it didn't. I traveled to WDW every year since 1983 and every year there were minor, issues, nothing has changed, we just notice it differently.
I would have to say the customer service aspect has changed dramatically. And not for the better. Maintenance can't be far behind.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Well, sadly it does matter. Because it is not just a symptom of a change in philosophy of the company, but, also the change in the attitudes of the guests. Before, patience would have been exercised if a ride were down because of a mechanical problem. That patience does not exist any longer because priorities have changed on a over all level, not just Disney. Think about it, first time visitors don't even know if an element in the attractions isn't working, however, they sure as hell notice and complain about an attraction being closed that wasn't scheduled to be closed. If you had to field the complaints, what direction would you take? Would you 101 for something that was neither a safety hazard or totally absolute in the story or would you make the majority happy and let it run to be repaired later? If one is honest with themselves one would easily make that decision. I have never once said that I like to see an attraction with elements not functioning, but, I have enough reality to know why it is that way and not think of it as a cardinal sin.
How much anyone pays is totally irrelevant. If it isn't worth the money then the fastest way to get it fixed is to withhold ones participation. The price is based on what people are willing to pay, not what it may or may not be worth. That is totally under the control and discretion of the person paying. If it has sufficient quality for them, then that is what it is worth. Basic!
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
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.
AdventureHasAName
Well-Known Member
We're not talking about minor issues on a single attraction. We're talking about gigantic issues on every attraction. The frigging Yeti on Expedition Everest has not worked longer than it worked.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Yeti, is a major scar, but, it is also a massive error in engineering that doesn't have an easy fix. I rode it when it was working and didn't even see it. We rode past it so fast that I was either looking the other way or just missed it. It's the ride that is important in this case with or without the Yeti, it is the same ride. I have read enough about the situation to feel confident that it will require a major down time for the ride to repair, if it's even possible, in a park sadly lacking in things for people to do. Maybe, I don't know, after the blue glow land is opened they will be able to shut it down for an extended period of time. We will see how that one develops.
What are the gigantic issues on every attraction? Can you give us a list?
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
lets make this more about a single person then... if you had a reclining chair made that would fit perfectly into a section of your house, that is both ascetically pleasing and perfect in every way --- that had to be installed into your slab, and because it is so large that you have to install it BEFORE THE HOUSE WAS ERECTED, and it stopped reclining, due to a mechanism flaw buried 16 feet below the slab walking surface, and it would cost MORE to fix it that the whole house is worth to tear down and replace it... would you pull the whole house down? or would you look at it for what it is now, a large perfect fitting ascetically pleasing non-reclining piece of art?
luv
Well-Known Member
Don't forget cleanliness. The parks used to be clean. Those bathrooms were fantastic.
Now, they're building bathrooms to hide dirt rather than clean it.
They put in dark-tiled ceilings rather than keep them mold-free.
It's just a whole new ball game in the parks these days.
To: dstrawn If I knew I was supposed to have millions of friends over that I made hundreds of millions of dollars on from witnessing how awesome that chair was after I explained, advertised and intended to give them the most comfortable awesome chair described. Yes I would fix it. Because I would not feel right giving them that broken chair and still taking their money with a smile.
Buried20KLeague
Well-Known Member
I would absolutely choose to follow the path that got WDW to the top. I would absolutely 101 the ride. And that's coming from someone that's got 5 years as a ride ops foreman with a six flags park. I made these decisions. Real time. Have you? And that was at six flags, where they're far more lax when it comes to show. But guess what? Even at Six flags, I never once was reprimanded for sending a ride 101 for a show element. And when I encountered angry guests (which DID happen), I was easily able to make them happy with a simple front of the line pass to another ride, or if that didn't work, I told them to come find me when the ride reopened and I'd put them straight on. Never once did something like that not solve the situation, and in fact multiple times guests went to guest relations to file a COMPLIMENT form. If TDO doesn't 101 an attraction because they don't want to deal with guests (which I don't believe for a second), then they have a CM and PR issue and nothing more.
TDO sells their experience as "elite", and charge accordingly. That absolutely is a factor. If I'm paying for a Ferrari, I better damn well get a Ferrari and not a Fiero with an aftermarket body kit.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
I can see not taking attraction down during DAY because of the issues you mention but that leaves 8-12 hours at NIGHT when attraction to be repaired. Since that is NOT happening the only conclusion that can be drawn is the contempt TDO holds guests in. ie Rubes will never notice the difference and the trouble with a little deferred maintenance is it turns into a LOT of deferred maintenace.
And... @dstrawn9889 just got knocked the **** out
John
Well-Known Member
SO as most threads here they seem to devolve in to something personal....tsk ...tsk. Yes over the years things have changed...the guest have changed TDo's attitude toward those guest have changed....cost have changed.....admission has changed. But what has changed but shouldn't have changed is Disney's mission statement. These things that Walt truly believed in are posted everywhere on property. Have any of you stopand read the posters that are all over the construction walls every where? There is a philosophy that Walt had that he instilled in to his company.
It was about excellence and never settleing for less. There once were maintenance crews that were extremely experienced in fixing attractions. These guys knew what was wrong with the AA or the ride before they got there. They were veteran CM's that knew their jobs.....that cared about their jobs. That were and lived the embodiment of what it meant to be a Disney Cm. Disney no longer wants these guys. They cost to much money. Things were painted over night. PLEASE don't even give me that BS how in the 80's there were issues. Let me tell you something, if there was an issue and it was brought to the attention of a manager and something wasn't dome.....somebody would get fired....PERIOD! Don't give me that nnow its the internet age. BULL^SH*T!
What has gone wrong is the expectations of the guest. We now will settle for mediocre. Why because everything in life is that way now. Somehow we should expect to pay exorbitant admission prices and get less. Admission cost is equivalent to not its value but to what the market will bear.....EXACTLY. Quality doesn't matter anymore.....how much can we charge and how much will the customer accept while giving less and less. And we accept it!. This is the reasons why things have come to what they are in the parks....the resorts. Right now I am writing this from my resort room at CBR, I promised a dear friend I would bring her and her family to WDW next January. I swear that is my last trip for sometime. I am done, they win..... Even with a huge CM discount I am D.O.N.E.
It was about excellence and never settleing for less. There once were maintenance crews that were extremely experienced in fixing attractions. These guys knew what was wrong with the AA or the ride before they got there. They were veteran CM's that knew their jobs.....that cared about their jobs. That were and lived the embodiment of what it meant to be a Disney Cm. Disney no longer wants these guys. They cost to much money. Things were painted over night. PLEASE don't even give me that BS how in the 80's there were issues. Let me tell you something, if there was an issue and it was brought to the attention of a manager and something wasn't dome.....somebody would get fired....PERIOD! Don't give me that nnow its the internet age. BULL^SH*T!
What has gone wrong is the expectations of the guest. We now will settle for mediocre. Why because everything in life is that way now. Somehow we should expect to pay exorbitant admission prices and get less. Admission cost is equivalent to not its value but to what the market will bear.....EXACTLY. Quality doesn't matter anymore.....how much can we charge and how much will the customer accept while giving less and less. And we accept it!. This is the reasons why things have come to what they are in the parks....the resorts. Right now I am writing this from my resort room at CBR, I promised a dear friend I would bring her and her family to WDW next January. I swear that is my last trip for sometime. I am done, they win..... Even with a huge CM discount I am D.O.N.E.
Buried20KLeague
Well-Known Member
Great post. Heartfelt and honest. And something tells me you know of what you speak.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I never once said that WDW Maintenance in 2014 is as good as in 1989, I said that things change with the times. Things changed with the expansion of WDW, facts of life, not some dreamy thought that everything now 40 years later will not need more maintenance then when it was new. But, some feel that nothing changes over time except desire. Fair enough. Not real, but who am I to say what is actual and what isn't. I'm obviously blinded by the Pixie Dust.
@John , you just killed it. I'm writing this from La Cava De Tequila and we have one day left on our trip and I join you in saying, "I'm done, you win". I LOVE this frigging place (WDW), but I can't continue to support what these greedy, stupid, non-park visiting execs have turned this place into. (QUEUE the apologists)
JimboJones123
Well-Known Member
Disco Mermaid is the only solution.
And make sure she is stuck in the most awkward position possible.
And make sure she is stuck in the most awkward position possible.
Mr Bill
Well-Known Member
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.
Again, this is all just a theory.