Originally Posted By markymouse It sounds the opposite of safer. In this arrangement, you're directing cars past people getting out of their cars. You're walking past cars as they're being parked. In the normal arrangement, everyone you're walking past has already parked. It also seems less safe because of the number of drivers who are going to try to ignore you, and drive past you trying to get to the closest spot to their goal. Some do this out of stubbornness, but I bet some do it because it just makes so much more sense, they assume that there must be some misunderstanding, that surely they're really supposed to go up to the spot closer to their goal. Those people have to be dealt with, in a moving vehicle, and that seems less safe than simply parking from closest to the goal, and then on out. But there is no arguing with bureaucrats. The ones in the bright vests can't deviate from "That's how we were told to do it." and the ones with the desks can't deviate from "That's the right way to do it."
Originally Posted By markymouse But as for tour groups, they are obnoxious everywhere. Some thing about the group mentality. Also, I wonder if tour operators have a perspective different from a regular family. What works best for our tour group? What makes this a fun experience of a lifetime for our customers? A parent or youth group leader, I HOPE, might think their wards are being too loud, too obnoxious, and be concerned for their impact on others. A tour group guide's job is to make sure their group enjoys themselves. What tour guide would ever say "OK. Enough's enough. Do you notice no one else is singing at the tops of their voices right now? Let's tone it down."?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Interesting thoughts, Trippy. First, it seems like you had a good time, which is obviously the most important thing. But I can NOT state this enough that I would never accept a room (or studio villa?) in the shape you described. I wouldn't accept it for a night at an airport Marriott (although to be fair, I've never had a room that was unacceptable at a an airport Marriott!) let alone at a supposedly deluxe high-end resort that I am an 'owner' of. And OKW is indeed undergoing a much-needed rehab on its units now, but Disney does something that its totally unacceptable in my mind when they're about to do this: they stop almost any/all maintainance on the units before they're modernized. Why waste time/supplies/labor cleaning your carpet when it's about to be in a construction dumpster in a few months (my view would be that's fine, just stop renting out the units)? Again, without opening a big can of 'What's Wrong With WDW and How It's a Microcosm of What's Wrong With the USA in the 21st Century' thread ... a big problem is folks just accepting things and going with the flow. ''I'm on vacation, I don't want to have to change units or have a shouting match at the front desk.'' ... ''OK, it's bad, but it's cleaner than the bathrooms in my home most of the time.'' ... ''I'm at Disney, it's my happy place, so what if they take my money and don't give me what they should? It's magical here and I can shut my mind off and that (and my prescription meds) makes me happy!'' No, not saying the above pertains to you, Tripster. But in general, it is the 'tude of the typical Disney guest. Glad to hear Ann really liked DAK, (men aside ;-)) she appears to have great taste. Just walking around that place is a true escape. I'm sorry to hear about TPFKaTD-MGMS, but not surprised. That park is hurting badly and Disney's answer is to keep cutting entertainment and upkeep and hours and then they seem to believe an update of an ancient attraction (Star Tours) will suddenly bring in millions of new/return (who wouldn't have come otherwise) visitors. In honor of the situation in Egypt, we'll leave them in their denile. Every time I go there the attractions looks worse and let's not even talk about Fantasmic on the two nights they decide to show it. As for the western scene on GMR, I haven't seen it in operation for at LEAST a decade. I've often wondered (but never asked anyone) if they had some effect issues and just never fixed them. What else? Olivia's ... I enjoy it quite a bit, but it is what I would term comfort food. Basic, tasty and (for Disney) reasonable price points. Oh ... yes, you're still barking up the familiarity breeds loss of pixie dust tree. I could counter with a long diatribe on how you are wrong, but since I'm headed to WDW soon (OK, more Orlando for friends, business and Potter at IOA) and need to spend the day making preparations, I'll just be short (or try). This is the BK analogy. If all you've had for beef is a Whopper, then you probably think it's the greatest piece of dead cow you could ever chow down on. But if you've had a fine Kobe burger, a nice prime ribeye or an amazing filet (like say at the California Grill) than you well realize that the Whopper isn't the be all and end all of beef. And if you've visited WDW when they didn't try and pass of ground beef with filler as top quality steak, then you probably don't get filled with pixe dust as much as others who never visited back then. To say the problem with WDW is guests visit too frequently, so they notice all the ways Disney Walmarts itself is crazy. The problem is that Disney Walmarts the product to begin with so anyone with a discerning eye who has any experience traveling beyond their smalltown America or UK or Brazil hometown can tell many things aren't magical there. A dirty bathroom is dirty whether you have been to WDW once or 1,000 times. An attraction with half its effects inoperable is in bad shape whether you have been to WDW once or 1,000 times. A restaurant with overpriced low-quality grub at twice the price of what can be had a few miles away from the pixie dust is lousy whether you've been to WDW once or 1,000 times. Familiarity breeds contempt is a weak argument.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<As for the western scene on GMR, I haven't seen it in operation for at LEAST a decade. I've often wondered (but never asked anyone) if they had some effect issues and just never fixed them.>> I saw it 3 weeks ago, without having to ask. But seriously, you can just ask and they'll do it for you.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Interesting to know, Skipper. I would never ask. That's not magical. But it is very weird that in dozens of rides over the past decade or so that I haven't gotten that 'half' once.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper It's usually only done during peak times, or days when the park is unusually crowded.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Post 26 was for 24. I had only seen the scene with the fire up until this past trip. I was a little let down, but it was still cool to see something new.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>As for demanding that menus etc. being in English, that is pretty ethnocentric. I even took a French phrase book with me when visiting Quebec province in Canada so I could attempt to communicate in their language!<<< Don't let them kid you...except for a very few all Quebec people also speak English, probably better then we do. >>>they're unable to explain why the method they use is safer for the cast member than parking closer to the tram first, they just insist that it is.<<< This seems pretty simple to me. First off, they have always done it, far end first and work back to the trams. The reason is two fold. Number one is safety. When you do it from back to front, almost all the traffic is not going as far as you are, therefore, you can get out of your car, get your stuff and start walking toward the trams without meeting head on with oncoming cars. What doesn't drive by you can't hit you. Number two is...imagine that they start parking cars closer first and you are in line. The cars in front have to find and successfully position their vehicle in its spot. In the meantime, you are waiting so you can get by them. Not so much in the beginning of the row but as you progress down toward the end, you will be encountering literally hundreds of guest, adult and children, excitedly getting ready to go to the parks. Not paying attention and, in all likelihood walking in front of you as you try to drive past them. The way it is now since you are going one car at a time smoothly into a parking space, before they have had a chance to open doors or get in your way, and the car behind you just easily pulls in next to you. I may not have explained that clearly. I know I understood what I meant but really the only logical way to do it is they way that they do. It doesn't matter how they do it at some point you will either be up near the trams or all the way at the end. Timing is everything. BTW, glad you had a good time.
Originally Posted By avimagine <<As for demanding that menus etc. being in English, that is pretty ethnocentric. I even took a French phrase book with me when visiting Quebec province in Canada so I could attempt to communicate in their language!>> You mean you used the T word?
Originally Posted By HMButler79 Oh the tour groups, how ELSE do you think WDW is filling all those heads in bed?
Originally Posted By brotherdave Aside from the possible slow periods when the Western "bandit" scene is possibly not used, it's usually only "dumb luck" which scene you will see. If you have a preference to which scene you want to see, just ask the cast member who usually is staffing the doors from the queue theatre before the loading area. I've never had a problem with them accomodating us. You may have to wait for the next set of trams to approach, but they almost always will try to grant your wish (unless that particular scene may be down for maintenance).
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Oh ... yes, you're still barking up the familiarity breeds loss of pixie dust tree.>> No. In fact in my post I recognized the poor condition of my room, the effects not working on the Great Movie Ride, etc. But at least to me what most impacts overall excitement level is seeing/doing something you have never done before. The faults may still be there, but if it is your first time you are more likely to overlook them. It's like kissing a woman... after ten years together she may still kiss just as well (or better) than the first time, but nothing will ever give you that "first kiss" feeling again.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Number one is safety. When you do it from back to front, almost all the traffic is not going as far as you are, therefore, you can get out of your car, get your stuff and start walking toward the trams without meeting head on with oncoming cars.>> I don't get it. No matter what end you start at, you will have guests walking into incoming traffic. Of course I don't get geometry either!
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys I still want to know why Disney stopped giving us a golf ball after a round of mini golf at Fantasia Gardens!!! I guess they thought I'd be happy with the mini candy canes they were giving out last weekend while pretending like it was always that way. Really, Disney????
Originally Posted By leobloom >> I had actually only seen Bandit until this past trip, despite it supposedly being rarer. I greatly prefer it... FIRE! << Me, too. But I've probably seen the gangster version by a ratio of 3:1. Last time I rode, they were only using one tram, and gangster is apparently the default if only one tram is running.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> A dirty bathroom is dirty whether you have been to WDW once or 1,000 times. << That's an urban legend. Bathrooms can't be dirty at Disney, just in need of some extra pixie dust.
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys ^ Is it considered dirty when you go in and only one paper towel dispenser has paper in it? I found this to be the case several times last weekend.
Originally Posted By leobloom ^^No, that's called a magical moment of wonderful memories and childhood dreams. Hey, at least Mickey put paper towels in one of the dispensers. You expect so much from him, and he's just a poor wittle mouse.
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin Thank you for sharing. Sorry about the hotel. I saw the GMR bank burn up on 10/10/10. Our vehicle was only 25% full with NO wait. I appreciate your now "first kiss" theory, rt. I still don't understand how the current arrangement of parking loading is safer. And I don't think you have to have traveled lots or internationally to be able to judge magicalness.
