75 mins for HM!?!?!? Time to fire current Disney parks MGMT

[999DoomBuggies]

I'd venture that if you add together every single reader of every blog/journal/messageboard/publication you listed, it would add to less than 10% of park visitors...probably far less.

Actually far less than 10%, per capita how many people in the U.S. that have or will visit disney parks write for some sort of media, have a blog devoted to disney, post on disney message boards, etc. This percentage is insignificant.

What many are missing is the core problem, Disney has upset the hardliners, imagine what they have done to those that occasionally enjoy going to the parks but do not find a disney vacation/visit much of a priority? I cannot imagine much retention.

 

[MamaBear58]

Can you give some specific examples of the negative PR they're getting from this? Negative opinions of the boards here are one thing but public negative PR I haven't seen too much if anything on personally and I'd be interested to read the articles.

This. I would also like to know OP's experience in either management or PR in general that would make him/her qualified or even knowledgeable enough make these statements.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Herein lies the problem with the discussion. The "hardline" fans no matter what you say are not the big picture that Disney is trying to attract. They've already got those people coming 1, 2, 3 times a year sometimes. They want new people to come, they want to impress them with the technology (when it works right), they want to create more guests that will come more than once every 5-10 years or so.

I imagine the guests they have "created" that have visited the last 3 months are severely impressed. Nothing like waiting 75 minutes for HM. I am sure there will be grand reviews given by those returning from recent trips.

I was on a sports message board and someone said they just got back from Disney and it should be renamed Waiting World, the disney bashing proceeded). Is this the target market Disney is attempting to acquire?

 

[999DoomBuggies]

This. I would also like to know OP's experience in either management or PR in general that would make him/her qualified or even knowledgeable enough make these statements.

I used to be the chairman of Universal Studios Theme Parks and Resorts.

Are you being serious, you want a resume from me after I stated the obvious? Do you really think any company that invested a billion dollars into a technology that has made the company worse than before is not going head hunting?

 

[gilltrooper]

[*]Arrive early [*]Tour like a commando from RD until lunch [*]Use your 3 FPs [*]Leave [*]Come back tomorrow [*]Wash. Rinse. Repeat. It's that simple.

That's our plan for October !!!!

 

[cfw213]

Fair enough. Disney will see in their year-end or quarterly reports whether or not people need to be fired--the numbers will tell them that. One number they won't be looking at, though, is the wait time for Haunted Mansion on a random Thursday in March.

Except it's not a random Thursday in March. It's Thursday afternoon in the Magic Kingdom during what could be the 2nd busiest time of the year

 

[Golf4283]

I used to be the chairman of Universal Studios Theme Parks and Resorts.

Are you being serious, you want a resume from me after I stated the obvious? Do you really think any company that invested a billion dollars into a technology that has made the company worse than before is not going head hunting?

You maybe meant to say stated your opinion on the matter? If by the obvious you meant your dislike for FP+ or anything they're doing in the parks currently then you mean to say your opinion of those things.

 

[daisy87]

At least it's not this busy! Just been googling wdw crowds and this article came up for this past New Year's Eve,5 hour wait for test track?!? That is crazy!!


http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1562901

 

[Angel Ariel]

My dad went to Disney two weeks ago for a week, with my sister's family (4 adults, four kids). Disney picked him to do a customer satisfaction survey for them after the trip.

He offered only one negative comment about his trip: He didn't like the way the park's maps were printed.


That's the average Disney World consumer.

I would also say my parents are the average Disney World consumer..the first time they'd been since 1995 was last year when my whole family went, and they weren't interested in planning anything then. (I planned the ADRs that we needed). When they heard about FP+ their reaction was pretty much "prescheduling rides? Really? Ridiculous". (not the exact quote, but that was the feeling).

I think there's a lot of variation in what the "average" Disney world consumer will have an opinion on.

 

[lilkimmyk]

According to the one app. I have it seems as though all the parks are very busy today. Epcot being the least out of all but still some way above averages waits. Just my opinion but it is spring break season I would expect this if I was there.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

I am so sorry that you had to wait 75 minutes. But at DL 75 minutes is pretty normal. They have long lines for many rides. Submarines 120, SM 120 Soaring120, Bobsleds 100
They don't have FP+.
This is the reason I don't go there in summer, spring break, Christmas. I usually go midweek off season so I don't get lines.
I went to a Mickey's Halloween party and when we got in at 4:00 all the FP were gone from any FP ride. We had to wait until they made the non party people leave to ride.
Then it was the lines for trick or treating that were 120.

 

[Minnie222]

The management will probably get a raise / big bonus because the parks are so busy. They are more than happy to see days like this. No one would get fired.

How come no one complain that the management has a headache on crowd level 2 days??

We have seen in late Jan / early Feb that crowds were much higher than the expected low crowd days. I think the management has been working hard to bring up the attendance of those slow days.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

I am so sorry that you had to wait 75 minutes. But at DL 75 minutes is pretty normal. They have long lines for many rides. Submarines 120, SM 120 Soaring120, Bobsleds 100
They don't have FP+.
This is the reason I don't go there in summer, spring break, Christmas. I usually go midweek off season so I don't get lines.
I went to a Mickey's Halloween party and when we got in at 4:00 all the FP were gone from any FP ride. We had to wait until they made the non party people leave to ride.
Then it was the lines for trick or treating that were 120.

Never waited for HM in DL for that long, never been during the holidays. Right now it is 35 minutes. I imagine the peak of spring break in DL will not reach the consistently bad times as WDW. BTMR just reopened in DL and its waits are on par with It's a Small World at WDW this week.

To clear the air, I am not at the parks this week, I have not been since January and I double dipped in January (guilty). Double dipping made the trip normal because MDE was a mess.

 

[sonofanarchy]

• Arrive early
• Tour like a commando from RD until lunch
• Use your 3 FPs
• Leave
• Come back tomorrow
• Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

It's that simple.

Or, do what I'm doing with a buddy of mine in 5 days:

Go to Universal, stay on-site, and have an absolute blast without waiting in any lines AT ALL!!!

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Or, do what I'm doing with a buddy of mine in 5 days:

Go to Universal, stay on-site, and have an absolute blast without waiting in any lines AT ALL!!!

Wait til you find out that the "front of the line pass" line is still 30 minutes for many rides.

 

[sonofanarchy]

Wait til you find out that the "front of the line pass" line is still 30 minutes for many rides.

Not sure if you're trying to scare me or just making nonsense up, but I've been a Universal AP holder now for several years, and have stayed on-site for the past 7 years. I think maybe 1 time, for Dudley Do Right, I waited maybe 15 minutes.

Try your silliness on someone who isn't a Universal vet.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Not sure if you're trying to scare me or just making nonsense up, but I've been a Universal AP holder now for several years, and have stayed on-site for the past 7 years. I think maybe 1 time, for Dudley Do Right, I waited maybe 15 minutes.

Try your silliness on someone who isn't a Universal vet.

I went last July. Despicable me ride was at least 30 minutes at 11am. Transformers too. We waited about 15 minutes for the Simpsons, and that was only about an hour after Rope Drop.

 

[prudence64]

Sounds like attendance is up and management will be thrilled.

 

[sonofanarchy]

I went last July. Despicable me ride was at least 30 minutes at 11am. Transformers too. We waited about 15 minutes for the Simpsons, and that was only about an hour after Rope Drop.

I go every July.

Despicable Me is longer (as is The Simpsons) because of their ridiculously long pre-shows. Same usually goes for Shrek, Disaster and T2. Transformers was long most likely because the ride kept breaking down.

BTW - Sorry if I came off as rude. Pet peeve of mine is when Disney apologists try to scare people away from Universal. I love both. Not sure if you're one or not, but I think Universal Express is the bomb!!!

 

[prudence64]

When I went to IOA in 2011 the front of the line side was well over 30 minutes for one of the Harry Potter roller coasters, but the main Harry Potter ride was down so the crowds were all there. The rest of the park was pretty empty, though. I did wait at least 30 minutes for this weird Neptune attraction that I hated.

Won't go back to IOA, but I'd like to give the regular US a try someday when my daughter is older.