Originally Posted By Yookeroo "As long as the buses are prompt and the air conditioning works, I don't really care what they look like." I'm with this. Better theming would be nice, but meh, not something I find all that important.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>As long as the buses are prompt and the air conditioning works, I don't really care what they look like.<<< <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lwJQ..._015.JPG" target="_blank">http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lwJQ..._015.JPG</a> By the looks of this picture from a few posts back. Clue...if the windows are open, there's a good chance that AC doesn't exist.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Sorry, I don't think the link is working for me. It's the one published by TP2000.
Originally Posted By TP2000 This picture from the 1980's? <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lwJQSGRYBQA/TXqB8H61sHI/AAAAAAAAA0c/qP9AoSYFzbM/s1600/3-11-2011_015.JPG" target="_blank">http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lwJQ..._015.JPG</a> Yeah, the windows are open. To be fair, it could have been taken on one of those rare Orlando days of the year when the weather is like SoCal; warm but dry and lovely. That happens about 30 or 45 days a year in Orlando, and this picture could have been taken on one of those days. Or not.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>>As long as the buses are prompt and the air conditioning works, I don't really care what they look like.<<< That is exactly the type of mentality Ferretafros was talking about before the and the of mentality to compel management at WDW not to try harder and exceed expectations. Why bother posting here if you are are going to send the wrong message to Disney management and making them believe that we are Ok with minimal standards on show? Thank God I have OLC to enjoy the standards that Disney should be about.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "Why bother posting here if you are are going to send the wrong message to Disney management and making them believe that we are Ok with minimal standards on show?" I am OK with minimal standards when it comes to the freaking buses. "Thank God I have OLC" We know. You mention TDL in every post. Are you on their payroll?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm also okay with a fairly utilitarian approach to transportation, as long as it works effectively. As much as we all love to hate the bus system, it's actually very efficient and does a good job of providing flexibility in the system when it's needed. There's no other mass transit system that would be able to accomodate the peak hour crowds (circa 9am and 9pm each day) that the buses can take, and allow a direct point-to-point route for nearly every single destination on property. If we had the cutesy buses from TDR, they would reduce the capacity on an already full bus system, which isn't really my idea of 'good show' (speaking of which, what ever happened to the tests using articulated buses?). There are always improvements that could be made to any aspect of your vacation, but I think that the bus system does quite well, all things considered. Safety, efficiency, courtsey, show. The current bus system does well on the first 3 (though there are plenty of improvements they could make, like signs saying how long it will be until the next bus arrives), so I'll let them by with a just-okay on the 4th. The new buses appear to be a slight step up from the old ones, so I'll take it. In the grand scheme of things I care about while at WDW, I think this is ever-so-slightly more important than seeing the houskeeping carts out in the hallways midday at the hotels. I see it as a nessecary evil, and recognize the practical reasons for doing it.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA When I was preaching the Disney message, it was Safety, Courtesy, Show, Efficiency. And that was the order of importance -- safety being most important. So the 'look' of the bus would trump the efficiency of the bus. I contend that the bus system is just as much a part of the overall show as everything else. Full disclosure -- I have not visited TDL nor am I on their payroll, but I do agree with TDLFAN.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip It is all a matter of personal taste anyway. I think the new design looks clean and is somewhat reminiscent of the DCL buses. In my opinion the TDL buses are overdone and more than a little "precious". You don't need to have Mickey Mouse pounded into your head every single minute you are on Disney property. Of course I've never seen the big deal about Hidden Mickeys either, so what do I know? I'm pretty sure if you asked guests riding the buses they would rank timeliness and cleanliness as being WAY more important than how they look.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<There are always improvements that could be made to any aspect of your vacation, but I think that the bus system does quite well, all things considered.>> I agree. Even when we have a rental car at WDW we almost always use the Disney transit to get to the parks. The car stays parked except for when we go to another hotel for dinner or go off-site.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan It'd be fun if, instead of characters, each bus was themed to a particular attraction. A Tiki bus, small world bus, pirates bus, etc. I'd especially want to ride the Omnibus themed transport bus.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I think some are being too hard on TDLFan. I agree with his general point which is that when you excuse one point in terms of quality it is just a small step to the next one and then the next. Kevin Yee calls it "Decline by Degree". A long journey begins with a lot of very small steps and you often don't realize where you are until you have taken a lot of steps. I have had good and bad experiences on the WDW bus system. Sometimes it is quite good, other times not so much.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I'm not being hard at all on TDLFan. I recognize his point of view even though I don't necessarily agree with it... at least not for WDW. My understanding is that The TDL buses are not called on to provide the heavy-duty transportation that the WDW buses are. They are more an attraction and less a method of transit. I think the design of the buses reflects that difference. Besides... there is so MUCH that I would like to see improved at WDW that bus design comes pretty far down my list of priorities.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I don't feel people are being hard on me but I am not going to refrain from pointing out, correctly, that maybe the japanese audience tend to be more discriminating about their Disney experience than your average midwestern or brazil/UK guest. They are into cute and fun which is something I find elevates the Disney quality to standard that match or exceeds the price of admission. And for the record.. NO I am not on OLC payroll, but if I was I'd be proud to say so, unlike other Disney stooges here who keep that info under wraps out of being embarrased for their lack of quality in their company and craft.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "When I was preaching the Disney message, it was Safety, Courtesy, Show, Efficiency. And that was the order of importance -- safety being most important." For the buses, I want: Safety Efficiency Courtesy . . . gap . . . Show
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA My point is that they were not interchange-able with whatever mood struck the Imagineers -- or the guests in this case
Originally Posted By sjhym333 Interesting that the two most popular things we are talking about on the WDW thread is bus paint and a new bathroom.
Originally Posted By TP2000 When I visit Tokyo Disneyland, I stay at the Tokyo Bay Hilton, an official 'good neighbor' hotel that is served by the fabulous-looking Disney Resort Cruiser buses. I have never thought of those buses cycling endlessly between the Tokyo parks and the 3,000 room mega-hotels of Tokyo Disney Resort as an "attraction". The Resort Cruiser buses are simply transportation, just like their counterparts at WDW. It boggles my mind that Americans are now so dumbed down, their standards are now so lowered and rounded off, that they are happy for a regular city bus that is hopefully on time and hopefully has working AC as part of their "Vacation Kingdom Of The World" experience. As if WDW doesn't charge exorbitant rates for that experience, and a diesel-belching city bus with the first new paint job in 20 years is now thought to be just fine for the WalMart crowd. So very, very sad. And at least I still have Tokyo to show me what true Disney standards are. LEGAL DISCLOSURE: This post was my own, and I receive no compensation from Tokyo Disney Resort or the Oriental Land Company.
Originally Posted By TP2000 >>"Interesting that the two most popular things we are talking about on the WDW thread is bus paint and a new bathroom."<< What else is there? Except for the D Ticket family coaster opening in 2014, the WDW Resort has absolutely nothing else going on worth commenting about, except for all the major animatronics and special effects that no longer work on signature E Ticket attractions in the parks. And a cloned Mermaid ride from DCA. It's not a very bright period in WDW history right now, so bathrooms and bus paint will have to do. ;-)
