Interesting Disney Article in Boston Globe

[Bob O]

In the Boston Globe on 9/6/01 they had a interesting article about Disney Calif. Adventure. Not very flattering to disney. What do you think about it? If you have been there do you agree or disagree, I will try to post he link-www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/249/li

 

[Bob O]

I'll try to post the link again, if it doesnt work maybe somebody more computer literate can help me out.
www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/249/li...nia_Touring_Disney_s_Golden_StateP.shtml
www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/249/li

 

[wdwguide]

Try this:

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/249/living/Hotel_California_Touring_Disney_s_Golden_State+.shtml

Quite funny... the author complains that he couldn't figure out how to use FastPass, calls Disneyland Disney World, but then complains about the intelligence of Disney cast members.

 

[hopemax]

I don't understand why that is funny. Cast Members are expected to be able to answer questions about the place they work, average Joe guests should not be expected to know the ins and the outs of Disney theme parks, they don't live and breathe it like we do.

 

[Another Voice]

The Boston Globe article is actually one of the less negative articles that have been printed. The usually polite Orange County Register has even been getting in a few good licks recently and even the travel publications are starting to be not-so-positive. Disney has been running a new television commercial, filled with stirring music and pull quotes from newspapers like it was an ad for a movie. They even ran a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times to remind everyone that DCA is a Disney theme park. This whole thing just gets weirder every single day.

As for the article itself, I think his comment about FastPass is valid and I have seen more people confused by the system than people who know how to use it. Disneyland gets mostly day visitors who don’t get the week-long period that typical WDW guest has to learn the program. I can’t find where he really called DCA “Disney World”, although he it looks like he used a phrase that should have been “Disney’s world” when referring to wine sales. As for the Mondavi employees having a higher IQ than Disney cast members, well Disney will soon have a chance to hire all those people and bump up average intelligence of their cast.

As for his rumor that “ediger fare” is on the way – that’s completely wrong. Any attempts at “hip”, “edgy”, “cutting-edge” and “twenty-first century” were dead and all those past public statements about California Adventure are being quickly erased from computers throughout the company. It’s all about The Brand now and unless you can tie it to Mickey or ABC you can just about forget getting it in California Adventure. By the way, one of the funniest attempts to rewrite history is Disney trying to claim that there was never a projection for seven millions guests the first year and the “real” number is much lower. It’s a complete lie, but it’s amusing watching the Mouse scramble for cover before Wall Street slams them hard next year when the real attendance figures get leaked.

Attendance is still far below expectations and projections for Fall are being cut. No one wants to contemplate what’s going to happen between New Year’s and Spring Break but speculation is that DCA will have the lowest attendance ever recorded for a Disney park. After the opening of DisneySea, corporate plans for additional carny rides and more WDW clones are being greeted very coolly in Anaheim. There is a growing feeling that cheap rides and copies are reason for the park’s failure and adding more of both is not going to solve that problem. No one knows if Burbank understands that yet.

 

[wdwguide]

I think i will have to withdraw my above statement. I assumed that FastPass is marketed similarly at Disneyland, and considering the percentage of local visitors, who tend to return more frequently, it seemed fair to derive that pretty much everyopne knows how the system works.
I simply don't understand why they don't market it like they do here - big ads with detailed instructions in each guide map, cast members assisting on location, etc, so that really nobody who is able to read or ask for help is left out.

I apologize for using wrong logic in my somewhat cynical statement made above. That is my standard reaction for people who publically try to bash Disney without any idea what they are talking about whatsoever (and look at me now). I think I'll stick with writing about WDW...

 

[swinginevilmike]

All the author had to do was ask a dumb CM about the Fastpass system. I agree California Adventure is a waste of space but at least I went in with a positive view. Apparently all he did was drink wine watched Tortillas being made and did Muppetvision 3-D. No mention of GRR Soarin, gave up on Screamin...

Cast Members are expected to be able to answer questions about the place they work

Yeah but it didn't even seem like he didn't asked a CM about Fastpass. "I don't know how it works so I won't bother figuring it out or asking for help..."

 

[Dan Murfman]

Don't worry about Alex Beam. This is his typical drivel. He thinks he's very amusing. He's on a local radio station here in Connecticut about once a month with his buddy and I always reach for that dial. What does concern me is what Is Bob doing reading tis rag of a paper anyways?

 

[JeffJewell]

Don't worry about Alex Beam. This is his typical drivel.

...how this board generally tends to equate the merit of an author's position with how pro-Disney it is.

Jim Hill prints one article regurgitating old ride rumors (that he admits may or may not be announced "sometime"), and suddenly everyone forgets that last week he was a total Disney basher with an ulterior motive.

"What have you sucked-up-to for me lately," I guess...

Jeff

 

[All Aboard]

JJ, a couple of things...

First, I can't speak for Murphman but I'm guessing that the author of the story rarely (or perhaps never) writes anything about Disney. I think Murphman's opinion of the guy is based on whatever else he does.

Second, Jim Hill knows what he's doing here. He's setting up Disney for a big fall just like he did with many other attractions. Beef it up to be something amazing (perhaps even something it was never intended to be) and then when it plays out differently, bash it for cutbacks, failures, etc.

 

[Dan Murfman]

Sorry I shouldn't have written anything. He just irritates me. To me it would be drivel whether he was pro-Disney or anti-Disney. I can honestly say everything I've ever read by him or listened to him he always pokes fun and relishes in putting people down.

And finally I don't post much here but read it everyday and JJ I enjoy reading your take on all things Disney.

 

[Another Voice]

There’s no reason to apologize Mr. Guide. There are a lot of subtle, but important, differences between the two resorts. And many of these differences aren’t even understood by the higher management. FastPass has never been advertised in California other than a brief mention in ads selling special events. And the FastPass locations themselves are either unstaffed or only has one harried cast member, so there’s often no one to ask for assistance. Most people around here won’t bother with FastPass anyway – everyone has their own set of tricks and habits to keep from waiting in line and the idea of having to wait for a time to get in line and following all the rules just comes off as just another hustle to deal with.

As for just drinking wine and watching the tortillas, that’s actually pretty close to the average guest experience this summer. The capacity of the attractions at DCA is extremely low and the park generates significant lines at only 10,000 in park. Two hour waits for Soaring and Screaming are not uncommon when the park is at only half capacity. The ferries wheel commonly has a 90+ minute line and even the dreaded ‘SuperStar Limo’ can generate 30 minutes. The only attractions without lines are the films, but that’s because these shows just don’t bring in any crowds, not because they’re high capacity attractions. All of the major attractions (save ‘Muppets’) have kid unfriendly height restrictions and they severely limit the number of rides a family can enjoy. Faced with these lines and restrictions, most guests simply chose to ignore the attractions and hop to Disneyland in the afternoon.

This is the reason that Disney is so scarred about the future of this park – its problems reach down to the very core of its design. It’s major attractions are not appealing enough to have people come back later in the day to see them, there aren’t enough minor attractions or other activities to keep them occupied, and the overall design does not encourage people to linger and “enjoy the atmosphere”. Allowing park hopping to Disneyland has made the problem infinitely worse but there’s no way to but that genie back in the bottle. The re-visit value of the park is extremely limited for the average out-of-town guest and is non-existent for the locals (rabid annual passholders excluded – they’re another difference between the coasts by the way).

 

[JeffJewell]

Sorry I shouldn't have written anything.

...not at all, you did fine; I just happened to use your comment as a jumping off point for something that'd been on my mind. Opinions are always good. I didn't mean to imply that anyone in particular was using a double standard; just commenting on the overall tendency of the general board population.

It has a lot more to do with me than with you, actually. I consider myself a Disney lover, but I don't let that get in my eyes if I see something "wrong" with Disney. I try to get in a shot here and there to suggest that we do away with the "positive Disney comment = fine journalism, negative Disney comment = basher with an agenda" mind-set that seems to pop up. 'Cause otherwise, I'm just going to end up as a "basher with an agenda" a lot of the time...

Glad to see gcurling staying the course on the Jim Hill hardline.

Jeff

PS - Greg, you may have noticed a whiny post from me about trying to book IllumiNations Cruises on one of the other boards. No luck so far, two last shots coming this weekend. I'll let you know...

 

[KnightsQwn]

I spoke to someone here at work that went to DCA this past year and he said they got it all done in one day, and didn't want to go back.

I hope D does something....It's not jsut the "critics" that are saying lukewarm things about the park.

 

[larworth]

We all have different opinions of Mr Hill's work, but the set-up angle never crossed my mind. I was more surprised he presented these rumors as fact-like. If anyone knows how plans change with the winds it should be him, he has docu-dramaed enough of them. I don't think anybody's credability is helped by being the reporter of erroneous information no matter how they spin the retraction.

This discussion probably fits better on the other post, but I'm surprised you find this scenario "beefed-up". Given the drought we are in now it seems more like a return to normalcy. They all seem pretty reasonable and hardly over the top.

 

[All Aboard]

Perhaps this is not the best example, but I wouldn't be suprised (especially in the case of Figment) that we read yet another "what could have been" article from Jim on one of these attractions in the future.

What he describes in that article is every Figment lover's dream. He makes it sound like the entire attraction will be ripped out and replaced with a "finding Figment" attraction. If that's not what we get, Jim has set the stage for ripping into Disney for not giving it to us.

As for over the top, he did point out "plans" for the largest animatronic ever in Reign of Fire. Ditto to previous paragraph.

 

[larworth]

I guess the animatronic reference didn't hit me as outrageous as I thought a huge animatronic dragon was part of the original ride concept.

Who knows what the biggest animatronic figure currently is? I know when MIB opened there was some reference about the big bug at the end being the biggest animatronic something or other?

 

[YoHo]

That's why I value Another Voice. His percentages in the other thread put Jim's article in perspective. I have no Doubt in my mind that Hill has an agenda. At the same time, its an interesting and informative read. For better or for worse, Another Voice has made it quite clear that nothing is a done deal until the queue opens up.

 

[HorizonsFan]

gcurling, you hit the nail on the head.
Many of Jim Hill's articles are of the "what might have been" and "look what you didn't get" genre. That doesn't make him a "basher" but it does suggest a pattern and an agenda. AV got it right when he says that plans change on a daily basis. Jim Hill tends to take advantage of that and compares and contrasts the original concept with the final outcome. It's an unfair comparison but it serves his purpose.

 

[YoHo]

The next Jim Hill Article, What could have been if Walt hadn't destroyed Pirates of the Caribbean by putting Water in it.