WWYC? Tomorrowland Stitch Dance Party...in a parking lot?

PintoColvig

Active Member
unfortunately, there are alot of things that are unexplainable around here. like my inability to use proper english. :lol::lol:
And mine as well!

Now, i'm finally going to post my thoughts on the GPT (that's what this thread was originally about, wasn't it?!) I've always felt that I was stepping out of a Disney park and into a Six Flags park whenever I went in there. Maybe it was the bleacher seating that made it feel that way. Rarely is there any show going on in it that is a Disney production; it's often some outside group performing there. And I never, ever stop to listen to a non-Disney performance by some high school group. I can do that at home; why waste time doing so in WDW? I think TL will be better without the GPT unlike the stage area in DL's TL. I just hate to see the GPT become something that is for non-guest use. Once it is becomes CM parking, it will probably stay that way for a long, long time. Here's to seeing an E-ticket in that area in the not-too-distant future. I just hope they can find a way to spare CoP.

Okay, back to off-topic issues...
 

Figment632

New Member
I'd really love to see a highly themed full service restaurant in Tomorrowland personally. But hey, I can't complain about a new ride.

Thats is a great idea and I would rather see this and and updated COP and new ride where stich is than an e-ticket anyway!
 

Missing20K

Well-Known Member
There are three things that irk me about these forums: political trash talking, denigrating Southerners, and bashing religion. We've now covered the first two. Anybody open to a hat trick? :cool:

I wasn't denigrating Southerners. I was denigrating brain dead hicks. I grew up in rural PA before moving to Pittsburgh, and there were plenty of brain dead hicks who spoke just like I wrote. I didn't think it had anything to do with geography, rather a state of mind. I guess, technically, West Virginia is south of PA, but I would hardly consider them Southern, and that's how lots of people there talk, not to mention parts of rural PA, OH, Illinois. In my experience, having a "Southern Drawl" had much more to do with local geography (i.e. rural, suburban, urban) than a larger US geography.

I apologize if I offended, it was unintentional. I was merely trying to make fun of myself, as I was unable to find information so readily available.

I guess if we want to nit-pick, I may have offended those of you out in the world, who have southern drawls, are not brain dead hicks, and have no problems using the internet. For that, I apologize once more.
 

Maerj

Well-Known Member
I wasn't denigrating Southerners. I was denigrating brain dead hicks. I grew up in rural PA before moving to Pittsburgh, and there were plenty of brain dead hicks who spoke just like I wrote. I didn't think it had anything to do with geography, rather a state of mind. I guess, technically, West Virginia is south of PA, but I would hardly consider them Southern, and that's how lots of people there talk, not to mention parts of rural PA, OH, Illinois. In my experience, having a "Southern Drawl" had much more to do with local geography (i.e. rural, suburban, urban) than a larger US geography.

I apologize if I offended, it was unintentional. I was merely trying to make fun of myself, as I was unable to find information so readily available.

I guess if we want to nit-pick, I may have offended those of you out in the world, who have southern drawls, are not brain dead hicks, and have no problems using the internet. For that, I apologize once more.

Spend some time in rural PA and you will see that what he is saying here is true. Far too true... :( Although that doesn't apply to everyone, just the vocal majority.
 

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
In "Disneyland goes to the world's fair", Walt Disney said that all of the world's fair attractions "will have a permanent home at Disneyland".

Walt did expect the ford magic skyway to come to tomorrowland, it would have been where space mountain is at disneyland, however ford bailed out, and it became difficult to bring the whole ride back, so they had the famous diorama brought back instead.

The CoP was also expected to remain at Disneyland, even permanently. Early concepts involved a far more elaborate carousel building, and post show and endings that could always change with new GE campaigns.

On ebay a few years ago (and I wished I saved the pictures), there was a folder of GE documents to Burbank telling them the reasons and negotiations for bringing the CoP to Florida, and why it would do better for both the ride and GE in WDW rather than at Disneyland. It was quite a fascinating series of documents.

Other than the quote that the world's fair exhibits would be PERMANENT at disneyland, all we have is members of WED, those who worked for GE during the fair, and others, who were on hand when walt was working with them on the ride.

it's a small world was a rushed attraction and came out very quickly, but nicely thanks to the primary efforts of mary blair and roly crump.

Abe Lincoln and Magic Skyway were long term projects.

Walt appeared to have a special connection and devotion to the CoP, constantly going to Burbank to check on the show, and even create a film release for GE with the sherman brothers, and later on a progress report for GE, something he didn't do for pepsi, the state of illinois, or ford motors.

Walt even has in Disneyland's dedication that the park "is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America".

Walt had this idea for the CoP going way back to the Edison Square concept that should have opened in 1959.

Walt was also pleased with the revival of the Clade Coats carousel theater, and was also devoted to making sure the set pieces were detailed and authentic, as well as working with Harriet Burns on her carousel model she presented to GE, as well as the animatronic cats and dogs. He also spent more time with the AA's in the CoP than he did with Lincoln or the magic skyway, based on his work with the development of recording AA information onto reels. (the final product being his showcase of the machines during the disneyland goes to the world's fair program)

While there is no actual written piece that walt said he liked the CoP the most, I do believe from the combination of facts and blurbs from those at GE during the world's fair, as well the Imagineers, that walt did in fact have a keen interest and passion in the ride, more than he did in the other rides, and did intend for it to last forever so that all generations could see just how far we have come.
 

TinkSassy

Member
CoP needs to stay and be preserved as part of Walt's legacy. So many of the original attractions are being refurbished with new characters - Tiki Room, Pirates . . . It's nice to be able to visit the attractions that started it all. I understand they need to update for future generations - but attractions like CoP remind us of how the parks we love began and the genius of the man behind them.
 

TrojanUSC

Well-Known Member
Having parked in that lot backstage many times, I can tell you that it is always overcrowded and full. There is a secondary lot over near the MK called Pluto Park that is used for a similar purpose, but requires a bus ride (a different bus than the one normal costumed cast members use to get to MK).

As Pluto Park is essentially a temporary lot, they may be they have decided to either develop that land or just get rid of it all together. Even when I was there, Pluto Park would often get full.

Odds are they just need more spaces in that area.
 

PintoColvig

Active Member
Having parked in that lot backstage many times, I can tell you that it is always overcrowded and full. There is a secondary lot over near the MK called Pluto Park that is used for a similar purpose, but requires a bus ride (a different bus than the one normal costumed cast members use to get to MK).

As Pluto Park is essentially a temporary lot, they may be they have decided to either develop that land or just get rid of it all together. Even when I was there, Pluto Park would often get full.

Odds are they just need more spaces in that area.
The MK has been in operation for more than 37 years now. There have been no major expansions or e-tickets since 1992. Guest-access acreage was lost with the closure of 20K. I guess I'm curious to know why there is a now a need for additional parking CM parking right next to the MK when the operations of the park do not appear to have increased. Perhaps there is something going on behind the scenes that are not apparent to the guests. Have administrative positions increased at the MK? Again, just curious.

As far as it being "temporary", I hope you are right. I just hate to see guest acreage in the busiest theme park in the world given up non-guest areas. Just a little concern I have.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
The MK has been in operation for more than 37 years now. There have been no major expansions or e-tickets since 1992. Guest-access acreage was lost with the closure of 20K. I guess I'm curious to know why there is a now a need for additional parking CM parking right next to the MK when the operations of the park do not appear to have increased. Perhaps there is something going on behind the scenes that are not apparent to the guests. Have administrative positions increased at the MK? Again, just curious.

As far as it being "temporary", I hope you are right. I just hate to see guest acreage in the busiest theme park in the world given up non-guest areas. Just a little concern I have.

This is a great point. Not only did 20K close but many of the restaurants have closed or been scaled back. A few attractions have also closed or require fewer people to run and maintain. Seems like "more parking" is not the only thing going on here. :shrug:
 

Missing20K

Well-Known Member
The MK has been in operation for more than 37 years now. There have been no major expansions or e-tickets since 1992. Guest-access acreage was lost with the closure of 20K. I guess I'm curious to know why there is a now a need for additional parking CM parking right next to the MK when the operations of the park do not appear to have increased. Perhaps there is something going on behind the scenes that are not apparent to the guests. Have administrative positions increased at the MK? Again, just curious.

As far as it being "temporary", I hope you are right. I just hate to see guest acreage in the busiest theme park in the world given up non-guest areas. Just a little concern I have.

Could the extra parking possibly be needed for the extra cast members needed in recent times? :shrug:If I recall correctly, Disney recently changed some of its employment policies, namely, that there would be an increase in part-time CMs, and fewer full-time CMs. So, hypothetically, if the MK went from 100 full-time CMs to 50 full-time CMs, and 100 part-time CMs, you would need 50 extra parking spots. :shrug: Now take into consideration the much larger number of CMs that actually work at MK, and you could possibly need a lot more parking spots due to the increase in part-time employees versus full-time.

I have no evidence this is the case, just thought it was a possibility.
 

TrojanUSC

Well-Known Member
The answer to your question requires a little bit of knowledge from an MK operations perspective. Costumed, hourly cast members park about a mile north of the Magic Kingdom park in a lot unofficially called "West Clock." A shuttle bus drops cast members off at the entrance to the backstage "tunnels" just underneath Fantasyland. There are locker rooms and a number of other amenities right there that are helpful to hourly cast members. However, to 90% of the administrative cast members, this area is a long trek from their offices on Main Street and would add a solid 40 minutes to their journey to their desks.

Therefore, administrative and salaried cast members always parked over at the aforementioned "Pluto Park" or backstage "in-berm" behind Main Street or the theatre. Over the years, they have added a number of new administrative and salaried positions and these lots have become nearly full.

Now, it would be easy to say to some of the people who park there should go park with everyone else. This would be fine and dandy, except they recently removed about 1/4 of that lot to make the new wardrobe building back there. So that lot is nearly full, when it once was rarely ever even near being full.

Finally, there are a number of business guests who come to meetings at the MK Administrative offices only for an hour or two, it would be very annoying and pointless to have them park far away or to sit in their car in hopes somebody will leave their backstage parking space.

Therefore, it makes sense to add some additional spaces as there is clearly a need for more parking by MK. Granted, they probably could have found a better place to do it, but that's the way it rolls.
 

Missing20K

Well-Known Member
The answer to your question requires a little bit of knowledge from an MK operations perspective. Costumed, hourly cast members park about a mile north of the Magic Kingdom park in a lot unofficially called "West Clock." A shuttle bus drops cast members off at the entrance to the backstage "tunnels" just underneath Fantasyland. There are locker rooms and a number of other amenities right there that are helpful to hourly cast members. However, to 90% of the administrative cast members, this area is a long trek from their offices on Main Street and would add a solid 40 minutes to their journey to their desks.

Therefore, administrative and salaried cast members always parked over at the aforementioned "Pluto Park" or backstage "in-berm" behind Main Street or the theatre. Over the years, they have added a number of new administrative and salaried positions and these lots have become nearly full.

Now, it would be easy to say to some of the people who park there should go park with everyone else. This would be fine and dandy, except they recently removed about 1/4 of that lot to make the new wardrobe building back there. So that lot is nearly full, when it once was rarely ever even near being full.

Finally, there are a number of business guests who come to meetings at the MK Administrative offices only for an hour or two, it would be very annoying and pointless to have them park far away or to sit in their car in hopes somebody will leave their backstage parking space.

Therefore, it makes sense to add some additional spaces as there is clearly a need for more parking by MK. Granted, they probably could have found a better place to do it, but that's the way it rolls.


I see, interesting information. And I tend to agree that it seems they could have found a better place for more parking. With all the smart people they have working for them, you would think someone could have come up with a better idea. :shrug:
 

luckyeye13

New Member
I think that the parking issue may, to some extent, hinder the Magic Kingdom's ability to attract higher-level Cast Members to work there due to the perceived hassle of getting to work. When I was a Modified Work Coordinator at DAK and MK, I had backstage parking access at DAK and Pluto Parking at MK. Even while living in Lake Buena Vista, it was still easier to get to work quickly at DAK as, when I got there, I just drove backstage and up to Cast Services. At MK, I would get there, then wait up to 10 minutes for the bus and then take a five-minute ride to the MK. Of course, I enjoyed talking to the bus drivers during the ride and several of them made things easier by swinging by the bus stop again to pick up someone who entered Pluto Park after the bus had already left the stop. However, this was still extra time that had to be dedicated to getting to and from work. For me, this was really important on the way back from work because on four days of the week, I had to drive straight to the airport for my other job. Thus, it was much less stressful for me to be able to walk out of Cast Services and hop right into my car.

As for Pluto Parking and the MO-5/7 lot being very full, that is very true. Often, when I would take the Custodial/Modified Work van to drive over to DAK or another location, it would be very difficult to find a legal parking spot upon my return. At times, I would have to just use one of the 20-minute parking spots, since I knew that the van was unlikely to get towed from there. Keep in mind that this is a marked WDW company van, but it still took an act of God to find a spot without circling around. As for the Pluto Parking lot, it also has a nasty habit of filling up early in the morning, especially during the peak weeks. Also, if there was a special event going on at the MO-5/7 area, the supporting equipment would be placed at Pluto Park and that whole parking area would be relocated to a section of the TTC lot that would not be parked during that time. During those times, I was always so happy to be working at DAK.
 

CarlHS

New Member
Just when I thought they couldn't remove any more attractions from MK without replacing them, they find another.

Lets remove the Tiki Room next and put in a fountain, or no, better yet a talking garbage can and a DVC sales center.

If we take out space mountain's track, we could extend Goof's coaster in there and add a video screen of old bi-plane footage, and then call it the new E-Ticket for MK.
 

PintoColvig

Active Member
These quotes were from a few days back but since this thread popped up again...
The answer to your question requires a little bit of knowledge from an MK operations perspective. Costumed, hourly cast members park about a mile north of the Magic Kingdom park in a lot unofficially called "West Clock." A shuttle bus drops cast members off at the entrance to the backstage "tunnels" just underneath Fantasyland. There are locker rooms and a number of other amenities right there that are helpful to hourly cast members. However, to 90% of the administrative cast members, this area is a long trek from their offices on Main Street and would add a solid 40 minutes to their journey to their desks.

Therefore, administrative and salaried cast members always parked over at the aforementioned "Pluto Park" or backstage "in-berm" behind Main Street or the theatre. Over the years, they have added a number of new administrative and salaried positions and these lots have become nearly full.

Now, it would be easy to say to some of the people who park there should go park with everyone else. This would be fine and dandy, except they recently removed about 1/4 of that lot to make the new wardrobe building back there. So that lot is nearly full, when it once was rarely ever even near being full.

Finally, there are a number of business guests who come to meetings at the MK Administrative offices only for an hour or two, it would be very annoying and pointless to have them park far away or to sit in their car in hopes somebody will leave their backstage parking space.

Therefore, it makes sense to add some additional spaces as there is clearly a need for more parking by MK. Granted, they probably could have found a better place to do it, but that's the way it rolls.
I don't see why they don't just expand the lots to the north or build additional ones. There is plenty of expansion space up there. Then they could provide shuttles to the Pluto lot as well as the Fantasyland "tunnel" entrance. Surely it wouldn't take an additional 40 minutes to take a shuttle to the backstage of Main Street. This solution would also open up parking spaces for those who pop in to MK for a couple of hours.

I think that the parking issue may, to some extent, hinder the Magic Kingdom's ability to attract higher-level Cast Members to work there due to the perceived hassle of getting to work.

Many guests have to go through their own transportation hassles to get to the MK. Most on-property guests (MK resorts excluded) must wait for a MK bus (sometimes upwards of 20 min.), take at least a 10-minute ride, and then go through bag check and the turnstyles. Off-property guests have an even greater ordeal to go through because they have to park in the TTC lots, wait for and catch a tram to the TTC, wait for and catch a monorail or ferry to MK, and then go through bag check and turnstyles. After all of that, to know that a guest area in the MK is being taken away to provide convenient parking to CMs is a little puzzling. It's not a super gripe of mine but it raises the same thoughts in my mind that I get when I park at AK and as I walk to the gate and I notice that some of the closest parking spaces are reserved for CMs. It's sort of backwards from the way the rest of the service world works where you reserve your closest parking for paying customers. I'm must saying...:shrug:
 

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