Originally Posted By nemopoppins >>>And I wish they had included the question: How much of DCA should be flattened with a bulldozer? a.) 20% b.) 30% c.) 40% d.) 60% e.) over 60%<<< LOL. What about f.) all of the above?
Originally Posted By Park Hopper This survey is like telling someone, “We’re going to build you a house. We have a north wall, a south wall, an east wall, a west wall, a roof and a floor but you can only have three of them. Pick.†It sounds like Disney is looking for away around doing everything that needs to be done, figuring that if they do some of the things it will be enough. In essence, they will be building a very drafty house.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Gee, it didn't strike me that way at all. It read to me like they wanted the honest opinions from their guests. Don't forget I took the actual survey. There was a lot more to it than just the one question posed here. I also served in a focus group shortly after DCA opened. It was run by a marketing company in San Francisco. The questions in this survey were very similar to what we did in the group.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ <<It sounds like Disney is looking for away around doing everything that needs to be done, figuring that if they do some of the things it will be enough.>> It read to me like Disney was looking for a priority order. That everything was listed, says that they know these are problems. But what are the biggest problems in the eyes of the guest. You guys are always so negative!
Originally Posted By mstaft I'm curious as to how they set up this series of questions about DCA. Was it framed in "an effort to increse guest satisfaction with the park" or something else?
Originally Posted By oc_dean my top three: 3. More Family Rides 4. More or Better Themeing on existing Rides and Attractions 11. Better Atmosphere Also on my complete list: 8. Add a Fireworks Show (Luminaria 2.0) 9. Different Music 15. Change the Name of the Park 17. Longer Operating Hours 20. Better Quality for Food, Beverages and Merchandise 22. Transporation within the Park 25. Other (Fill in the Blank): Enclose parts of Grizzly River Run for some added "show" scenes and deminish the amount of water splashing into the rafts. -(It would be nice to take a ride any time of the year, any time of the day .. and not worry about getting very wet! That is something they never considered .. and seriously should! For a ride that consumes so much space within the park, this should be a crowning E Ticket piece that could be ridden any time - no matter what the weather conditions are.
Originally Posted By Park Hopper SuzieQ, I apologize for being negative but a priority order suggests that they will address some issues now and put the rest off until some unspecified time in the future. That strategy will not work. They need to address every problem on that list simultaneously. They've tried the patchwork approach before. It's never been effective. It never will be. And at the risk of sounding even more negative, that focus group you participated in couldn’t have been very effective if 5 years later DCA is still suffering the attendance numbers Al reported. It is my experience that marketing people have a way of telling a company what they want to hear and not what they need to hear. That way they get hired again.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig 11. Better Atmosphere (Especially do something about the main entry area and the hub (sun court), and densify and intensify the theming in some of the vast concrete wastelands that make up the areas between Grizzly peak, and Paradise Bay, aka the "performance corridor". And fix the miserably inadequate thematic mess that is Paradise Pier overall, as well as Route 66. And do something about the views of the hotels, powerlines, etc.) 3. More Family Rides (Other than Monster's, Inc., everything they've added since the park opened appeals either, and only, to the very young, or thrillseekers. That's mostly what this park is all about. They need to make more attractions that everyone can ride and enjoy all together at the same time.) 4. More or Better Themeing on existing Rides and Attractions (Most everything in Paradise Pier is inadequately themed, especially the queues, and this would extend to the whole area in front of TOT, which is very weak, and the outdoor "lobby" area of the Hyperion.) Most important choice: #11, Better Atmosphere. (hey, I'm an architect... what can I say?)
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I'm glad to see Disney conducting this survey. Since they are targeting AP'ers they are apparently trying to see what appeals most to the locals. Here are my top three: 3. More Family Rides 4. More or Better Themeing on existing Rides and Attractions 18. Lower Ticket Prices The one I would choose as most important is 3; more family rides (assuming that they mean something along the lines of Pirates or The Living Seas, not Winnie the Pooh or Monsters, Inc.).
Originally Posted By woody >>The fact that they have to do these surveys speaks volumes about the lack of creativity and instinct at the top.<< >>They could have just read the message boards for most of these decisions for that matter.<< I think it speaks volumes in other ways. They don't believe the Disney fans. They have to get a broad spectrum of the general public instead of the typical Disney fanatic. Then they will justify a rehab they only barely touches on the problems of the park. The surveys are designed to justify DCA's continual mediocrity.
Originally Posted By SuperDry While such a survey is useful to some extent, it's not the only answer. The problem is that especially with a place like a Disney park, the guest may not be aware of what makes the place special.
Originally Posted By pitapan16 3. More Family Rides- Needs more attractions period. But make them ALL rides for everyone. It caters to everyone. Example is Pirates/Huanted. But even Indy and Space Mountain carry a much broader appeal than say Screamin or Tower of Terror. 4. More or Better Themeing on existing Rides and Attractions- Mainstreams that are not going away like Grizzly and Screamin could definitely use better themeing and plussing. Where are the bears on Grizzly peak, where is the wolf that is part of Grizzly peaks story? And screamin could definitely be plussed to be on par with a new revived classic pier. 11. Better Atmosphere- In general, DCA lacks in atmosphere in comparison to what most people come to find and expect from Disneyland park next door. So DCA is a let down in comparison for many. I like certain aspects and directions of some areas of DCA quite a bit, BUT too many places are not even close to being on a similar playing field of quality like all of Paradise Pier for one. Other areas in DCA fall too short as well, like the street leading to Tower of Terror, or the Hyperion Theaters waiting area and the stairs that go to the balcony levels.
Originally Posted By Park Hopper I can’t believe how many people are conforming to the ridged structure of this survey. The only correct answer is, “all of the above.†But Disney doesn’t give, “all of the above†as an option because they don’t want to hear it. The truth is everything on that list needs to be addressed but Disney isn’t interested in the truth because it is too inconvenient. They are uncomfortable with the financial commitment that is necessary to get DCA on track. It seams to me that by surveying the guests they are desperately looking for any excuse not to do what needs to be done. They want the guests to give them permission to only address a few of the issues. That is why the survey limits you to only three choices. I’d like to see how the survey would come out if they didn’t limit the guests to only three choices. How many of the items on that list would be identified as problems that need to be immediately addressed. I don’t think Disney would dare ask that question because they know they wouldn’t like the answer.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< They are uncomfortable with the financial commitment that is necessary to get DCA on track. >>> Or perhaps there's STILL an influential faction within WDI and/or TDA that think some relatively minor fixes to DCA will solve its financial problems. If minor fixes would work, then that would definately be the way to go (why spend a lot when you can spend a little?) but I doubt at that this point that anything short of a major investment is going to be effective.
Originally Posted By berol >Disney doesn’t give, “all of the above†as an option because they don’t want to hear it. It lists most or all of the problems -- they've heard it. I suspect they want to get the problems prioritized from a population to see how well it matches what they've been talking about in the office. Maybe it'll be a small piece of the machinery that brings changes, maybe nothing will happen. We don't have a clue til our crystal balls get fixed.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ You can't address that many issues simultaneously. It's isn't realistic. Come on, you don't need to be a project engineer to understand that. You HAVE to prioritize projects. Even if they shut the park down to do everything at once (which is what would have to happen), the projects would have different timelines and would have to be prioritized. As for the 'targeting APs' comment, when I was asked if I wanted to participate in the survey I was never asked what kind of ticket media I used to enter the park. I was waiting for the question as an AP usually disqualifies you from the survey. And on the focus group... Actually, we did influence change. I saw a number of our suggestions carried out at the park and on the DLR web site. I was probably the only 'die hard' Disney fan in the group. The others were all folks who had been approached while vacationing at the resort. They were looking for the average guest pov.
Originally Posted By Park Hopper SuzieQ, I understand they can’t do everything simultaneously because of logistics and I would agree with you that their intent was to prioritize the changes if they had asked, “Which area of the park do you think needs to be fixed first.†But they didn’t. The types of things they are asking about need to be addressed park wide. They are questions about the “philosophy†of theme park design. They are not practical questions geared to help them create a construction plan. For example if those surveyed were to select improved atmosphere as their number one priority. It would still have to be addressed park wide and it would not be possible to do all the necessary construction simultaneously. But that’s not what they’re asking. They want the guest’s permission to put off adding a fireworks show because they say it’s not as important to them as an improved atmosphere, when, in fact, it is just as desperately needed. They are just not giving the guest the opportunity to tell them that in their survey, which in my mind renders the survey useless. Secondly, I am glad they implemented the changes advocated by your focus group. I am only sorry they did not help DCA’s main problem – lousy attendance. Your particular example would appear to be an argument against using marketing surveys and focus groups because they appear to be ineffective even when they act on what the guests tell them.
Originally Posted By hopemax > I can’t believe how many people are conforming to the ridged structure of this survey. The only correct answer is, “all of the above.†But Disney doesn’t give, “all of the above†as an option because they don’t want to hear it. On Disney's list "all of the above" was listed at #24. Darkbeer asked us not to use a couple of the answers, it was his structure people are following, not Disney's.
Originally Posted By berol 'I would agree with you that their intent was to prioritize the changes if they had asked, “Which area of the park do you think needs to be fixed first.â€' What I'd want fixed first would be #1 on my survey list, same difference.
Originally Posted By Park Hopper >>I doubt at that this point that anything short of a major investment is going to be effective.<< I have to agree with you.
