How is/was Guest Control for WOC?

Originally Posted By juicer

How is/was the guest control for World of Color?
Was it total mayhem?
Or did they have it under control?

 

Originally Posted By calgrl2490

I wondered about this too. Like how do they get stars like Terri Hatcher out of there fast when they sit close to the front or in those special seats. I mean even if they have a plan for celebrities it must still be chaos.

 

Originally Posted By Itsanonymouse

Speaking of Teri Hatcher, where's the post WOC pics? She was so glamorous in the carpet, but after the show she and her daughter were soaking wet. That's a pretty big concern.

But back to the question, how did CMs keep people out. The Disney crowd isn't as respectful to the park as they used to be so once those lights go out what's to stop them from jumping the short fence, trampling the flowers and claiming their unassigned spot? (It happens all the time at fantastic. 5min before showtime people spot a square of open cement and they climb in with their 3 kids and push the people waiting 3hrs right out)

 

Originally Posted By TMICHAEL

I was at the first show tonight, yellow section wet zone, and thought GC was actually very good. For the amount of people they herd in and out of the viewing section, I felt we moved in and out with minimal delay and bottle necks. Also, was very surprised on how quickly paradise park empties after the show.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

There were no civilians to speak of on Thursday night, so Guest Control was easier.

Tonight (Friday) they did a fantastic job. The planning really paid off. I watched as the first guests surged into Paradise Park, and it went very smoothly.

 

Originally Posted By Westsider

The dousing Teri Hatcher got wasn't due to normal procedures. A fountain went haywire and doused a big swath of a section during the show. Teri just happened to be in the section that got doused by the wayward fountain. TDA CM's attending to those VIP's in that area were horrified, but the regular Operations CM's there for the party just chuckled.

It happens. There are some fountains that have been going haywire lately and aiming themselves incorrectly at the audience. Teri Hatcher experienced that issue first hand. ;-)

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

So in the Preferred or Reserved sections, does it matter what time you show up? (I assume you have a 1-hour window as shown on the FastPass Doug posted.) Can you "pick your spot" or do you just stand wherever you end up, as the crowds file in?

 

Originally Posted By LOVE-DCA

it wasnt too bad *asi looked through my bright green beer cup* lol lol

no seriuosuly it was pretty well maintained

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

>>A fountain went haywire...<<

No, not really. It was... the wind. There was a lot of speculation as to whether the show would be pulled back due to the wind. The decision was to make it as spectacular as possible. There are a set of fountains that spray quite high, and when left on for longer periods (which they do a couple of times), they break up into a mist. Even a slight wind will carry that mist a short distance before it drops.

The dousing that got Teri Hatcher hit a lot of us-- me (and the LP camera!) included. It was funny in a way, because there was this spectacular column of water during the scene, then a crowd reaction down front. As it began to ripple, we (the media) began looking to see what we were missing (you can't see the "mist" settling in the dark). Suddenly, it was as if someone had turned a sprayer on us-- water just dumped down, then it was over in an instant. But every cameraman that I could see was hovering over their equipment, or quickly drying it off with towels.

The show can be "dialed down," based on the wind. I was later told that the tech crew was literally lowering the show incrementally as it was playing out.

I believe that the slight dousing will be a lot of fun during the hot Summer months. It was no more than an inconvenience on Thursday.

 

Originally Posted By Itsanonymouse

Thanks for the explanation DlandDoug. I read fountain control is variable due to winds and I figured they were simulcasting on Ustream so they may have cranked it higher to ensure the best visuals.

As for Teri Hatcher and the rest of the soakies. Why aren't there post-show pics or reaction interviews. Were celebs rushed right out to dry off? I know it's a bit mean to want to see some wet celebs and execs but cmon, it's harmless water and pretty darn funny.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

>>So in the Preferred or Reserved sections, does it matter what time you show up?<<
For reserved I would show up 60-90 minutes ahead for the first few weeks. The crowd is let in in the order they arrive.

Preferred Reserved is the best! There is a separate line, much smaller, that files in about 10-15 minutes before the show. The area is very good (upper blue) and is uncrowded.

>>Can you "pick your spot" or do you just stand wherever you end up, as the crowds file in?<<
You can sort of choose, but the prime locations (along the fences) fill in quickly. Get as close to the front of the line as possible. Unless you are Preferred Reserved.

NOTE: "Blue" is near the bridge, "yellow" at the center, and "red" at the end by the Golden Zephyr. "Orange" is on the bridge.

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

Isn't there a green (Mike) section too?

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

Awesome info Doug, THANKS! I'm going to repost it under my dedicated topic to make it easy for folks to find.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I thought that the guest control last night went fairly well, but still could have been improved. We were in the Orange section, which is back near the lighthouse tower thing and on the bridge to Ariel's Grotto. I had noticed that there were no signs ahead of time telling us where each colored section was, and where we should go to claim our spots. If they had something up during the day, I think this would help alleviate some of the chaos around showtime.

The FP's said to be there at 7:30, and we would be let in. Knowing that it would be a mess, we got there about 20 minutes early, which ended up being right when they opened the section. There was a huge swarm of people pushing to get in, since there was only one CM taking FP's for the bridge area, and nobody had been able to line up in a logical way before the show. We got in fairly quickly, but there were lots of people who were struggling to keep their parties (including parents with kids) from getting separated. After a few uncomfortable/scary minutes, we were in our places, and nothing much happend after that.

If you needed to get out to go to the bathroom, you had to go past the entrance CM (which was a pain in the Orange section, which was about 5 or 6 feet wide, but stretched the entire length of the bridge, so if you we at the far end, it was a hike through a dense crowd), and get a FP back. Then, when you returned, they would take it back from you. A guy near us didn't know this (since they never told anybody), and he just ducked under the rope behind us. When he came back, a CM asked him what he was doing, and everybody around us confirmed that he was there before, so it wasn't an issue, but it was just a bit of a hassle.

After the show, we stayed to watch the fountain during the exit music, before trying to leave. By that point, most of the people in our section had already started heading out, so it was easy to just follow the crowd. We were routed through the Paficic Wharf, which worked fairly well. The Performance Corridor worked really well for getting everybody out of there quickly, and it didn't seem like anybody was having issues like what you see after Fantasmic!. I don't know how the flow between the shows worked (clearing out one set of people, plus everybody around the back of the lagoon, and bringing new folks), but it was easy enough for us to exit.

The lamps in Paradise Park changed to the color of the section they were in, which would have helped, but nobody knew that ahead of time. We told the people around us, and everybody agreed that it was a really cool way to do it, but they would have not had any idea unless we told them (and we wouldn't have known except a CM friend had told us just moments earlier). The Orange and Yellow sections' lights looked nearly identical, so they might want to switch Orange to be purple or green in the future, but it wasn't a huge deal.

Also, since we were a little more removed from the action, we noticed that there were a TON of empty spaces in the park. Apparently the Orange section was not only the bridge, but the top level in front of the lighthouse tower thing, as well as the ramp down toward the blue section. Nobody seemed to know this, and those two areas were almost completely empty (the ramp only had about 20 people on it, which was enough for each person to have a spot on the fence and only cover half the length of it). Once again, having signs up with a map during the day would really help with this, and eliminate the crush to get on the bridge when they opened it up. The blue area near us on every level was also very empty. We don't know if they did that on purpose for safety reasons, of if they just didn't know how much space people could fill up, but it looked like they could have fit a significant number of people in the empty spots.

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

I don't think it's right that they say you won't be admitted if you come early, then those people get the best spots. I guess they did it to avoid congestion, but it's not right.

>>The blue area near us on every level was also very empty.<<

The dining CM did tell me that they're purposely leaving lots of space for the dining package buyers, who I guess are blue.

 

Originally Posted By mickeymorris1234

I saw it yesterday and we had prefurred viewing - crowd control was actually very impressive. They kept the pathways moving very quickly and the load in and out of Paradise Park took 30 min. tops for load in and like 10 to drain it. The show is AMAZING and is worth the 40.00 meal but if you are on a tight budget, the 10.00 meal you still get a great seat. We saw it in PP and behind and both locations are great. It is a totally different show watching from behind and you can still see the projections clearly.

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

"A fountain went haywire and doused a big swath of a section during the show. Teri just happened to be in the section that got doused by the wayward fountain."

Anyone familiar with her accident prone character on Desperate Housewives would get a kick out of that story.

 

Originally Posted By Manfried

Westsider do you know the fountains go haywire for a fact? Or are you just putting words into people's mouths like Al does?
How do you know the wind didn't shift?

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

I saw WoC on the 1st show on the 11th, and the 3rd show on the 12th. I thought guest control was handled rather well, although not everyone will be happy. But considering the number of people they have viewing the show, and how quickly they empty one show and load the next (especially between the 2nd and 3rd shows), it was just about as orderly as it could be.

Especially by the 12th, it seemed well organized enough that CMs knew where and when to direct you if you asked. Also, there were enough CMs to maintain order and they spieled an appropriate amount.

For people with non-preferred (i.e. regular) FPs in one of the colored sections, I'd reiterate Doug's and others' advice: arrive maybe 15-20 minutes before the posted return window on the FP (which itself is an hour long), and you'll have no problem getting any tier within your color section you want. This does mean that you'll spend an hour cooling your heels in line, but I think it's worth it.

The colors are divided from side to side, not front to back. So, your color section determines how far from the left or right of the viewing area sides you are (at least for Red, Yellow, and Blue). Within each color area, it's first come, first served as far as which tier you're on and where within the tier you are. It seems to mostly fill from front to back, except for the boardwalk. So, the boardwalk and the very back (which is not even in the PPk area but part of the performance corridor) fill up last.

And, don't be afraid of the boardwalk. "You Will Get Wet" as they say, but not soaked like on a log ride. You just get a lot of mist in most cases. If you're willing to put up with this, then the very front of Blue or Yellow is a very good spot to see it from.

 

Originally Posted By ADMIN

<font color="#FF0000">Message removed by an administrator. <a href="MsgBoard-Rules.asp" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the LaughingPlace.com Community Standards.</font>