Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Spectromagic might not be as great as the Electrical Parade, IMO but I would never consider myself being "stuck" watching it. What's wrong with those people?>> <<I've had one guest get right in my face and say "I paid to go on rides, not watch some dumb parade.">> Why is it hard to sympathyze with a guest who is being unwillingly detained? Are either of you suggesting that it is perfectly acceptable for the Park to immobilize a guest for 15 minutes? Do you not think that person has the right to chose how to spend his or her time in the Park?
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 You are right, but then again people know when the parade will be, and maybe they should plan ahead.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder FWIW, when we were at WDW right after Thanksgiving and the MK was having those Mickey Christmas parties, we ran into countless people who didn't pay the extra charge and just stayed in the park when it was tme to "leave". Not having a hard close for these things is a sorry way to run a business.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom To my knowledge WDW has never had a hard close for any of the Extra Magic Hours, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. At least none of the events or EMHs that I have attended. All I can say was that on this ocassion I felt like I ( and every other day guest ) was being thrown out of the park. This being the first time that has EVER happened to me in the years of going to WDW and attending EMHs and after hour partys. Coupled with the mess of thousands of people trying to leave down Main Street meanwhile thousands of guests are trying to enter the park for the after hours party that night. I just found the whole experience to be poorly managed. And I definately left the MK on a sour note that night as a result of that experience.
Originally Posted By WolvesTwilight Actually, I do sympathize with a guest who doesn't want to watch a parade.. But at the same time when my hands are tied and nothing the company can do for him is obvious, all I can do is try to make him comfortable and happy. It's not like I had the authority to take him and his family back stage. So yes I can sympathize, I was just giving an example of when a guest did not want to watch Spectro.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<But at the same time when my hands are tied and nothing the company can do for him is obvious, all I can do is try to make him comfortable and happy.>> WolvesTwilight, it sounds as though you're a cast member who's truly dedicated to providing guests with a great experience. THANK YOU for that! I hope you receive acknowledgement from both guests and the company for the work you do. But I think "hands are tied" is key here. As caring a cast member as you are, you don't have the power to make it right for a guest when the company has consciously decided to implement practices that predictably result in him being trapped against his will. <<You are right, but then again people know when the parade will be, and maybe they should plan ahead.>> I've visited the parks with Disney park experts -- fellow LP'ers who know the little secrets to navigating -- and we've STILL found that parade/show roadblocks have made it impossible for us to: (a) cross the blockage and make it to a dining reservation on time; (b) meet a group of friends as planned; (c) simply LEAVE THE PARK. Think of what it must be like for the family from Montana who are visiting for the first time. They should just "plan ahead" for the gridlock and unpleasantness that occurs due to parades and shows and special-ticket functions? I've reviewed guide maps for EVERY Disney park. In them I've seen photos and happy descriptions of spectacular parades, and time schedules, and ads exhorting one to capture the magic on Kodak film, but I have never seen an announcement/tip/warning that "from 20 before the parade until 20 minutes after, you will not be able to travel from the east side of the park to the west" or anything of the sort. Sorry. The brochure that lists parade start times doesn't inform the visitor of the huge inconveniences/impossibilities that accompany the parades.
Originally Posted By dlkozy >>"All I can say was that on this ocassion I felt like I ( and every other day guest ) was being thrown out of the park..."<< This is the part of your complaint that I have a hard time understanding. If the park closes at 7, and you hear the announcement saying that they are now closed and would you please exit the park-how do you feel that you are being "thrown out"? Do you also feel that at the end of a movie at the theatre that you are being "thrown out"? I certainly can understand how unpleasant it is to feel herded out. I fail to understand why you are mad at Disney for making you leave for something that you did not pay to attend.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I don't understand how the parades make people get stuck in a spot for 20 minutes. Sure, you may not be able to cross the path of it to get where you want to be, but you can certainly do things on your side of the parade. Part of what I remember about parades as a kid is that is when the lines practically disappear. So, you may not be able to get from Adventureland to Tomorrowland then, but you can hit a ton of attractons in a really small ammount of time. I would hardly consider that being stuck with no other options.
Originally Posted By Labuda "DL is much smaller, yet I've never seen them move guests out thru backstage." When I was there for the 50th, I got the option (that I took) to go backstage on Main St for a little while to get towards the exit of the park.
Originally Posted By cinderella143also >>All I can say was that on this ocassion I felt like I ( and every other day guest ) was being thrown out of the park.<< It is not being thrown out of the park. It is closed. People need to leave. Everyone knew what time it closed at! If a guest chose to stay and watch the fireworks, they knew they would be dealing with closing time and a lot of people exiting the park at the same time. I guess I see it as if it closes at 7 I need to leave---not "I'm being kicked out."
Originally Posted By cinderella143also ""When I was there for the 50th, I got the option (that I took) to go backstage on Main St for a little while to get towards the exit of the park."" How funny! I go many times a year and some of them on days that they close the park due to max. capacity! and I have never been asked to exit back stage and have never seen anyone do that!!! I guess I have bad timing!!
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> When I was there for the 50th, I got the option (that I took) to go backstage on Main St for a little while to get towards the exit of the park.<< Exactly. How differently people perceive things! Some have brought this up as a negative. I on the other hand have paid money on a number of occasions to take a backstage tour and walk past the same things.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Think of what it must be like for the family from Montana who are visiting for the first time. >>> What do you have against people from Montana?
Originally Posted By Tiggirl <<DL is much smaller, yet I've never seen them move guests out thru backstage.>> This happens a lot at Disneyland, actually. I see it happen most often during Believe in Holiday Magic. I remember when I worked there a few years ago they did it so frequently that during the busiest weeks at Christmas and Easter they put up semi-permenet white latice fences around the CM smoking areas so guests didn't see them. ~Beth
Originally Posted By MPierce I really believe the OP has a legitimate complaint. Never have I ever been hearded out of a park at closing time. I think everyone else can say the same thing, unless there is a special event that night. I always have a good (over priced) beer waiting for crowds to thin out at Epcot when it closes. So if WDW wants to make all that extra money, and that's really the reason they have events like this, they should respect the people who paid good money to attend the park that day.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Make that a hot dog, coke and fries at Casey's at midnight, while watching the crowds leave. Then shop the Emporium, nice way to end the evening.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>But Walt himself is responsible for this mess. I'm as grateful for his genious and high standards as anyone else here, but let's face it... It was a design defect to build a huge theme park that has only one narrow means of egress.<< I don't think we could place blame on Walt for something he probably never anticipated as a problem, but for those in charge now (aka the ones capable of effecting change) YES, I do place blame for not fixing the situation.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> But Walt himself is responsible for this mess. << I do notice that there are "side" paths available in Tokyo Disneyland that take you directly from their "Main Street" into Tomorrowland on one side, and Adventureland on the other. You don't have to go all the way to the hub first.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> I don't think we could place blame on Walt for something he probably never anticipated as a problem << Exactly. As I recall, Walt's original plan had everyone going back to the hub whenever they wanted to change lands. Early on it became apparent that other, more direct paths would be necessasry to reduce congestion at the hub.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey But you can still pass from land to land without going back to the hub once you're in the lands at WDW.
