Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Simple. Because Disney views CMs as completely interchangable these days.>> In this instance I don't think the CM are at fault. What it would take is giving the CM at the registers online access to an inventory system. Disney probably does not want to provide that because of the cost and the amount of time CM would have to spend answering "Where can I get this?" questions.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>Disney probably does not want to provide that because of the cost and the amount of time CM would have to spend answering "Where can I get this?" questions.<<< I remember the days when cast members would phone for you. Heck, even in DLP which gets a battering on line, Sarah fell in love with the cups and plates at Auberge de Cindrillon restaurant. each main TS used to have their own china, and it was also sold in the boutiques of Main Street and the finer hotels. well it was on close out one trip, and although we couldn't afford it at the time, I didn't want to miss out (plus there was a huge discount). So I decided to secretly buy six cups, saucers, the tea pot, sugar jar and creamer jug. The one shop I went into did not have everything I needed. so the cast member got on the phone and chased around the resort to put what I wanted together. Once he tracked it all down, he said he could have everything sent to that shop or the shop of our hotel or our room. I said our room would be great and explained it was a birthday present. When we returned that evening, there was a wicker basket with everything in it, a red bow and a birthday card signed by Mickey Mouse (no extra charge). Remember those days? No wonder I lament what Disney has become.
Originally Posted By Disney and beyond Maybe because I'm not a shop guy that what's in the shops don't bother me. I only go inside a shop at Disney if I'm looking for a new Disney Book or CD. I haven't been in anything in a while since I've bought all the newer CDs (though I will be looking out soon, cause Disney announced a Phineas and Ferb soundtrack) I love the WDW Fronteirland the most because I feel it captures the spirit of the American Frontier the best. IT being wide and open and long just makes it the Frontier we dreamed of. To me, the DL FL ends to quickly. As much as I love NOS, I just felt dissappointed with the suddeness of FL at DL. I guess I would end up ranking my parks like this. EPCOT> DL> DHS> MK> AK> DCA and I guess I'm going to tell my Jungle Cruise Castmember story. On my third Disney Trip of the year in April, me and my Disney fanatic friend decided to hit the Jungle Cruise during Wishes. We had a FP for Space Mountain since we wanted to do that one last time since it was going down for the refurb, but we didn't think it was a smart idea to get across MSUSA during Wishes, so Jungle Cruise was our stop. Our Jungle Cruise guide, Connie Ann, was a terrible guide. She was monotonus, she was never excited (during the EVERYBODY LEAN part, she was everybody lean.......everybody lean....we made it) and she was making fun of Disney, and not in the cool, fun way all the other guides do. But what she did toawrd the end was the kicker. After the cave part she said, and I quote "If you did not enjoy this Jungle Cruise, please tell my manager so I can have my soul back. Hell, tell him to fire me, I don't care." That set me off the edge. That was the first time I ever had to complain about a CM, and the CMs on the rest of the trips were great. But whatever happened to her, she had no right to use it as an excuse to ruin guest experiences.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>> I'll think about! ... These threads are certainly interesting and thought-provoking. I do feel EPCOT has more of its soul left by far than MK. So ... we'll see. I need to see if I can get a certain ex-Imagineer to post on this site/thread as I'd like to know his views. <<<< Ah...that would be interesting! And really!? Epcot, soul!?!? I beg to differ!
Originally Posted By leemac <<Didn't opening Disney-MGM result in not only increased attendance across the resort, but -- more importantly -- longer stays and higher guest spend? Didn't MK have some of its best years after Splash Mountain and the new Tomorrowland open? Didn't EPCOT see increases when major additions like TT and Soarin opened?>> The problem is that it is difficult to analyze the metrics. D/MGM undoubtedly allowed guests to spend longer on property as did DAK - but where is the ceiling? How much time can people realistically spend at WDW? Typically a new attraction won't add substantially to the overall attendance figure for WDW - it just shifts the numbers around. Epcot rebounded with Test Track through the Millennium and did add some numbers to the overall total but it meant that the other parks (and even other activities were affected). Management will point to concepts like Magic Your Way having the biggest impact on numbers over the past decade. Ultimately they will make the numbers work whatever way they want.
Originally Posted By leemac <<This is 1990s thinking all over again ... who is going to develop and build Shanghai?>> At this point Creative Development will still take the lead but I suspect you will have field imagineers who are consultants. They just isn't the resources any more - unless you count the ten zillion interns running around the place.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I am not a fan of Tom, I have always stated that. I've also said that I felt the way Tom and Tony Baxter had their cliques contributed to a toxic mix. Has Tom been neutured by the new structure? I thought he basically was sent to Paris after the restructuring.>> Being blunt Tony should have been shown the door a long time ago but it just isn't the WDI way. He is a poisonous influence within WDI who isn't working for the collective good. He is a tremendously talented individual but he is motivated solely by his own self-promotion. Successive ranks of management have tried to reform him but he refuses to change his ways. Instead he got given Disneyland in the restructuring to keep him quiet - and the fact that it is the smallest portfolio in the current 5YP by far. It is such a shame that he just can't work well with others. Tom is a far better collaborator - I think people tend to be critical as they don't view him as an imagineer as he comes from Show Writing at TPP but he is a smart guy who loves the product. He was a pretty decent manager when he ran WDI's creative efforts IMHO. He knew how to deal with Jay and WDP&R management - I just wish his successor had the same ability. Tom is responsible for the Disneyland Resort Paris portfolio now. He retained his EVP, Senior Creative Executive title in the reshuffle.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Tom seems to have done some great work over the years, but I really do not understand why he is pushing ahead with this Toy Story Playland concept or indeed why the tram tour has really been hashed up. I do love the fact though, that DLP is having a lot of the old broken effects fixed through the park (is Tom involved in that?)
Originally Posted By RoadTrip You guys are just too jaded. If MK has lost its soul, why are more people than ever going there? Sure, you can say it is marketing hype and the "Year of a Million Broken Promises" or whatever the current "Year of" is. But hype does not bring repeat visits, and the number of repeat visits to the MK continues to climb year after year. You pick at the periphery and forget what is still there... the very heart AND SOUL of the park. I'm sure that the quality of souvenir merchandise sold in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower has gone WAY DOWN over the past 30 years. I've read that American fast food chains now surround it. But is any of that a reason to stop visiting Paris? A reason to say Paris has "lost its soul"? Is live entertainment lacking in the MK? Well, our local Cedar Fair park has all the live entertainment you could ask for... <<Valleyfair has it all when it comes to entertainment with our sensational line up of music, magic, movies, and more. Laugh-out-loud with magic comedy and take in all the fantastic singing and dancing throughout the park. Rudy Coby Making his debut at Valleyfair, the “Coolest Magician on Planet Earth”, Rudy Coby brings a world of excitement to the Galaxy Theater. Rudy will perform daily, except for Tuesdays, June 13th through September 7, 2009. With show times at 2:30, 3:45, 5:00, and 6:15. SHOUT! Also new for this season, SHOUT! on the Gazebo stage. Our live band with sizzling horns and talented singer-dancers bring you a retro music review show; featuring dance, funk, disco, and pop hits from the past few decades. Performances of SHOUT! will be held weekends only from May 16th through 31st, with bonus performances on Memorial Day. Catch daily performances, excluding Thursdays, June 6th through August 30. Come back for more shout-out-loud fun weekends only September 5th through September 20, 2009, plus Labor Day. Daily show times are 12:30, 1:45, 3:00, 4:15, and 5:30. Squiggles Back this year by popular demand, the Squiggles! The Squiggles play music that gives you the giggles, for everyone little and biggles. So here’s your chance to sing and dance and play along with the Squiggles! Catch the Squiggles on the Kidworks Stage weekends only from May 16th through June 7th, with bonus performances on Memorial Day. Daily performances, excluding Wednesdays, June 13th through August 30. Come back for more giggle inducing fun weekends only September 5th through September 20, 2009, plus Labor Day. Daily show times are 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30. Benchwarmerz Back on the walkways for another season are the Benchwarmerz! This wild and whacky band combines crazy antics, audience participation and hot tunes to heat up the walkways! They might not have made the team, but they will make your day! You never know where they will be strolling next, so keep your eyes and ears open June 6 and 7, June 13-August 30 except for Fridays and weekends only September 5 through September 20th, 2009 with an end-of-season home show on Labor Day. Catch the first pitch throughout the day at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00.>> I've enjoyed Valleyfair; I've been to Valleyfair many times. But despite the live entertainment; Valleyfair, you are no Magic Kingdom. WDW still has its soul. The very concept of the Magic Kingdom is infused with soul and is something no non-Disney park on earth has been able to replicate. You maybe don't see it anymore. I think that says as much about you as it does about the Magic Kingdom.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Sorry Roadtrip, but that is poppycock from a Pollyanna. why is it we can see it in Disneyland, or Disneyland Paris, or in the Asian parks? Truth is, there are a lot of ignorant guests who either don't realise there are other Disney parks out there and still see it being better than non Disney offerings; there are those that never experienced the glory days and do not know what they are missing; there are those that are tied in to timeshares in the Orlando area; and for the UK, there are those that go for the whole US/hot weather thing where WDW is a part of the trip, like the Smithsonian is a part of the visit to DC or the Empire State building for NYC.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Heck, just a little tlc of the AA's, some more cleaning and better training would sort out most of my issues. Not a lot to ask. And agreed, the quality of souvenirs anywhere are not what they once were. everyone seems to want cheap things now (I am willing to pay for something to last). But companies like Apple, Audi, and Dyson show that quality and innovation succeed. GM has shown the other route (the trajectory Disney is on) does not. And this is why we raise these debates.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo And as for the entertainment, we are not talking county fair stuff (though some of the Epcot Garden Festival stuff could be described in this way), we are talking about high calibre, theme appropriate entertainment. Let's take a day I had in Disneyland Paris many years ago before it was dumbed down (and this could apply to most parks). We spent the day in MAin Street USA and Frontierland (that was it unless you count our train ride). We got up and had breakfast in the Plaza Gardens. Into Frontierland where we rode BTM and Phantom Manor a couple of times. I bought Sarah a mexican poncho and I bought a western shirt. We went back onto the hub and caught the horsedrawn street car to town square, and went shopping. I bought a CD of area music and a couple of imagineering books. We then watched a little Mary Poppins show in town square. And then proceeded down Main Street shopping and chatting to cast members. We did some pin trading, and looked at the details of the street (listened on the party line telephones etc.). we looked at the displays in Liberty Arcade and Discovery Arcade, as well as using the penny arcade machines in the Cable Car Bakery. In Harringtons, we druelled over the figurines, snow globes and table settings (all very unique) and enjoyed watching the glass blower. It was parade time which we enjoyed and then it was off to the barber shop for my shave and haircut, where the barber shop quartet came in and serenaded us (they no longer do that in Paris). We had an awesome time and then headed back into Frontierland for our dinner reservations at the Silver Spur. We had a kir cocktail and a 3 course meal (bug thunder salad, an ibone - fillet mignon/sirloin mix accompanied by a nice bottle of wine, and an apple crumble with a chocolate horseshoe) and had a great time. After dinner we hopped on a steamer around the rivers of america and then hopped the train for a trip around the park. As we arrived at Main Street, we did some character meet and greets (Mickey was in a Barbershop quartet outfit I have not seen in years), bumped into friends, and then went to the DLH to have a coctail with friends while we listened to the grand pianist. Now that is a park with soul. Yes, we did BTM and Phantom Manor, but those were the only e-tickets. we had a victorian themed day and felt like it was awesome. These are the only at a Disney park experiences that Disney has been taking away across the globe, but nowhere so more than the MK.
Originally Posted By barboy ///Our Jungle Cruise guide, Connie Ann, was a terrible guide. She was monotonus, she was never excited (during the EVERYBODY LEAN part, she was everybody lean.......everybody lean....we made it) and she was making fun of Disney, and not in the cool, fun way all the other guides do./// Just asking here: Is it possible that the guide actually was enthusiastic/serious about her role and that she was just using sarcasm and mockery via a low energy, bored delivery of lines----- some standup comedians rely on that lethargic victim approach and yet they take their craft seriously because that's their livelihood. What do you think..... is it possible?
Originally Posted By HMButler1979 ""He is a poisonous influence within WDI who isn't working for the collective good. He is a tremendously talented individual but he is motivated solely by his own self-promotion."" And Tom isn't? At least Tony has a better portfolio than Tom which gives him REASON to be full of himself. He is the George Lucas of WDI. The fanboy favorite. The man who gave us the second golden age of Disney parks and created more new memories. What did Tom give us? Oh yea, Esurance flash animation at SSE and autobiographical WDI/Burbank struggle in Tikis UNM.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I certainly don't want to take anything away from your experience. But I think much of the "soul" you experienced probably came from the people you were with and the pleasure you received from that companionship. Aside from that, I still think you could have a comparable experience in today's MK. <<Let's take a day I had in Disneyland Paris many years ago before it was dumbed down (and this could apply to most parks). We spent the day in MAin Street USA and Frontierland (that was it unless you count our train ride). We got up and had breakfast in the Plaza Gardens.>> We like starting our day at the Trail's End restaurant in Fort Wilderness. It is one of WDW's best breakfast buffets (no characters!!) and its least expensive. After breakfast we grab a launch across Bay Lake to the Magic Kingdom. We did this once when my mother was with us and she said that the boat trip to the MK was one of her best memories. The weather was gorgeous and it was the perfect start to a very memorable day. <<Into Frontierland where we rode BTM and Phantom Manor a couple of times. I bought Sarah a mexican poncho and I bought a western shirt.>> MK certainly has BTM and the Haunted Mansion. I've always felt that WDW's BTM was the best in the US parks. The Haunted Mansion has never looked better after it's recent renovation. You've got me on the shopping. We used to browse the Frontier Trading post before it became Pin Central. We never bought anything there though... the merchandise was just not something we would wear. <<We went back onto the hub and caught the horsedrawn street car to town square, and went shopping. I bought a CD of area music and a couple of imagineering books.>> Although we've not ridden the horse-drawn trolleys in a few years, they are still there making their trip up and down Main Street. They may not be active during peak times for safety reasons, but they are always there when we visit in January. <<We then watched a little Mary Poppins show in town square. And then proceeded down Main Street shopping and chatting to cast members. We did some pin trading, and looked at the details of the street (listened on the party line telephones etc.). we looked at the displays in Liberty Arcade and Discovery Arcade, as well as using the penny arcade machines in the Cable Car Bakery. In Harringtons, we druelled over the figurines, snow globes and table settings (all very unique) and enjoyed watching the glass blower.>> We like watching the character meet & greets in Town Square. I know you guys dismiss them as "Rubberheads", but the interaction between them and the kids (and adults) is probably at least as amusing as I can imagine any little Mary Poppins show being. Every once in a while we will go over to the Exposition Hall to look at the photography museum and watch Steamboat Willie and other vintage Mickey Toons. After our time in Town Square we head up Main Street. It is always fun to watch the peanut brittle being poured to cool at the Confectionery or the glassblowing at Crystal Arts. Of course your timing has to be lucky to watch the peanut brittle being made, but you can see the glassblowing just about anytime. Our weakness is the Art of Disney store. I wish we just drooled over the figurines and prints. Unfortunately we've gotten into the habit of buying a print at least every other trip, adding a fair amount to the cost of our vacation. <<It was parade time which we enjoyed and then it was off to the barber shop for my shave and haircut, where the barber shop quartet came in and serenaded us (they no longer do that in Paris).>> I've never been big on Disney parades, but the current 'Celebrate a Dream Come True' parade is really pretty good. I've never stopped in, but the Main Street Barbershop still exists at WDW and I'm quite certain the Barbershop Quarter still stops in occasionally. <<We had an awesome time and then headed back into Frontierland for our dinner reservations at the Silver Spur. We had a kir cocktail and a 3 course meal (bug thunder salad, an ibone - fillet mignon/sirloin mix accompanied by a nice bottle of wine, and an apple crumble with a chocolate horseshoe) and had a great time.>> Well, you have me on the food and liquor. The MK has NEVER been known for great food and liquor is not allowed. But all you have to do is hop the monorail over to the Contemporary for one of the best restaurants you'll ever find. <<After dinner we hopped on a steamer around the rivers of america and then hopped the train for a trip around the park. As we arrived at Main Street, we did some character meet and greets (Mickey was in a Barbershop quartet outfit I have not seen in years), bumped into friends, and then went to the DLH to have a coctail with friends while we listened to the grand pianist.>> Of course the steamship is still making the rounds at the MK and the WDW Railroad is an absolute favorite of mine. I'm a big railroad fan... a few years back I had gone to the far end of the platform and was taking photos of the steam engine. One of the uniformed Station CM noticed me and came over to talk. He asked it I was a rail-fan and I said yes. He said it was usually pretty easy to tell when a person looked as intently at the engine as I had been. He talked trains with me for a good five minutes and then gave me something that made my TRIP... a patch celebrating the October 21, 2003 rededication of the Roger E. Broggie - Engine No. 3. When we bump into friends it is usually Patti and Paul... we frequently schedule our trips to be there at the same time in January. We usually go back to the Belle Vue room in The Boardwalk where we stay. There bartender Allan takes care of us in the way that only he can. All things considered, I think our day was comparable to yours.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo With more travelling involved ;-) And more aimed at kids (the barbershop in WDW is aimed at kid's 1st haircuts and zanyness, the one in DLP is aimed at hot towels, old fashioned straight razor shave and real pampering). My point here, is the nuances and details are being taken away layer by layer in Florida (DLP too - they swap management).
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Or maybe it is the red necks, bible belters and the humidity that takes away from my enjoyment.
Originally Posted By Disney and beyond <<Is it possible that the guide actually was enthusiastic/serious about her role and that she was just using sarcasm and mockery via a low energy, bored delivery of lines----- some standup comedians rely on that lethargic victim approach and yet they take their craft seriously because that's their livelihood. What do you think..... is it possible?>> I would say slightly, but I don't think so. Its hard to describe how bad it was, but she definately did not seem to be enthusiastic about it at all. It felt like she was mocking the JC and trying to expose how stupid it was to the world. Unless I totally missed the joke. I didn't find it particularly funny, and no one in my boat did.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt <<Or maybe it is the red necks, bible belters and the humidity that takes away from my enjoyment.>> Add to that...bratty children, screaming parents & tourists!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>Add to that...bratty children, screaming parents & tourists!<<< They are a given in every Disney park around the globe.
