Anyone else less than thrilled with homecoming?

[MarkRG]

Yes, their writer of copy should have been shot for using the word decadent in the night before literature. There is no way anything you just listed would work at an event for 2000 people.
I already specified cream puffs as a no-no, white filling everywhere. And I could just imagine someone getting a chocolate bath from a fondue.

Now, something like that shoe in a plastic bag would have worked, but if they just gave out to everyone something like that, then we would be seeing complaints of no variety. Things like this are definitely a no win scenario, as they are never going to make everyone happy with the selection, no matter what they do.

I also think they were avoiding anything that required real plates or any kind of utensils, holding strictly to 'safe' finger foods.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

DVC definitely wants to hear from all members concerning these types of MH issues. They want to hear the pluses and minuses from event paticipants. And, they are also interested in hearing the reasons why so many members chose not to attend in the first place...resulting in a half-sold event.

Given the additional event descriptions from MH attendees, it sounds like Disney/DVC has room for improvement, especially in their field of expertise...crowd management. On our last trip, we saw the spectromagic late parade, and the next closest guest along the parade route was 10 ft away. I would have been really disappointed if I paid big bucks for a pseudo-private showing and had to have anyone blocking my view.

Didn't the rides run till midnight as stated in the invitation? Did they close the rides early to ensure everyone had to watch the parade, and be close to the exit?

 

[dcfromva]

There is no way anything you just listed would work at an event for 2000 people.

MarkRG,
You get to the crux of the problem. There should have never been 2000 + folks crammed into such a small space. If Disney were to have done it right, all the special viewing areas around the water should have been used. They should have catered to small groups--that way everyone could have had a wonderful up front view spot like you had and people could have moved about freely in a relaxed fashion. And decadent desserts could have been served. BTW, that list is from Disney Catering, so it is something that they do serve. I would think it would be up to them to figure out the logistics, not the guests.

-DC

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Originally posted by dcfromva
Here is another menu from a special event:
White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Caramel Fondues with an assortment of Angel Food Cakes, Pound Cakes, and Merigues to dip with
Assorted Petit Fours
Assorted Eclairs
Assorted Cream Puffs
Seasonal Fresh Fruit Tarts
Cheesecake with Assorted Toppings
Coffee bar with Coffees, Teas, and Decaf
Lemonade

-DC

dcfromva...That's more like it!!!

What....all of a sudden they don't they have disposable tableware at Epcot

 

[WDWLVR]

Two quick comments on the dessert issue:

1) decadant is in the eye of the beholder. I thought the white chocolate and macademia nut cookies were to die for!

2) The white chocolate shoe is wonderful. What is the size of the event this was held for? I think size (2100 people) had a lot to do with it. I think it was Terry S who had a dessert party the same night for her family with ice cream etc. Easy to do with 10 people - much harder with 2100.

I agree with Mark (no surprise there) that they wanted finger foods so they didn't have to deal with utensils.

While fondue would be wonderful in an intimate setting I would have hated for a pot to get knocked over on a small child in a stroller. No one every got hurt from a rice crispie treat.

 

[MrsToad]

Originally posted by Johnnie Fedora...
"Didn't the rides run till midnight as stated in the invitation? Did they close the rides early to ensure everyone had to watch the parade, and be close to the exit?"

Now that you mention it, there did seem to be bit of confusion at Space Mountain. DH wanted to ride SM a few more times while I stayed for the parade. After the parade, DH said that SM CMs wouldn't let riders on after 11:25 or 11:30. A DVC rep was trying to resolve the issue as the rep also thought SM was to be open until 12:00; however, according to the SM CMs, the CMs were only scheduled til 11:30.

A minor disappointment to DH since we had saved Tomorrowland for last (we knew other lands were to close at 11:00) but it was still a fabulous night.

 

[MarkRG]

Originally posted by dcfromva
MarkRG,
You get to the crux of the problem. There should have never been 2000 + folks crammed into such a small space. If Disney were to have done it right, all the special viewing areas around the water should have been used. They should have catered to small groups--that way everyone could have had a wonderful up front view spot like you had and people could have moved about freely in a relaxed fashion. And decadent desserts could have been served. BTW, that list is from Disney Catering, so it is something that they do serve. I would think it would be up to them to figure out the logistics, not the guests.

-DC

And that's where you run right into the crux of problem #2.
Keeping separate the regular Epcot guests from us.

Ok, once illuminations is over, how do you keep the groups
A) together and
B) in their areas until the regular Epcot staff gets the crowds out?

B would be the hardest as then you'd have people complaining about being held there. Eating only goes so far to keep the crowd occupied. Entertainment in each location? Not practical. Remember how dark the areas were.

Add that the badge lanyard was not that easily spotted that regular Epcot guests could have hung around and snuck in a lot easier if we were all spread out.

They needed one location to move us from Showcase Plaza to the Future World area. Remember all those people with flashlights directing us straight from one to the other? You'd have needed 5 times as many to get us all there if we were in separate areas.

I really like the idea someone else put forward that the Fantasmic area of Studios would have worked so much better for this. They have a separate stage there that could be used for the live entertainment after the show and everything.

 

[dcfromva]

And that's were you run right into the crux of problem #2. Keeping separate the regular Epcot guests from us. Ok, once illuminations is over, how do you keep the groups a) together and b) in their areas until the regular Epcot staff gets the crowds out? B would be the hardest as then you'd have people complaining about being held there

I don't see that as a problem (somehow they managed to sort us out for the MK event ). I will say that the entertainment provided was a nice segway, but I would have preferred to have a nicer experience during the event and nicer snacks since it was the event (Illuminations viewing and dessert party) that I was there to attend. I didn't have any idea as to how many people were going to attend this "exclusive" event, and I was surprised that at the tail end of the line, you could virtually not move an inch in that viewing space at first (Things relaxed a little bit when they opened up the area closest to the water). The organizers knew how many people were coming and normally, Disney does a world class job in organizing special event, which is why this came as a bit of a shock to me.

I will agree with you about the Fantasmic area might have been better for this number of people. Maybe next time.

-DC

 

[dcfromva]

The white chocolate shoe is wonderful. What is the size of the event this was held for?

WDWLVR,
The white chocolate shoe (the one that was wrapped), I believe the event size was somewhere around 700 people (edited to correct the number)

While fondue would be wonderful in an intimate setting I would have hated for a pot to get knocked over on a small child in a stroller.

No fear of that--the strollers couldn't get in!
Actually, our event had hot coffee urns set up all over the place (there were CMs attending to them). The desserts above (fondue, et'c) would probably need CMs attending to them as well.

-DC

 

[cgcw]

Originally posted by WDWLVR
I think it was Cindy who had her 4 year old with her. If memory serves me right she came to the DIS meet at 3pm alone while her kids rested/napped back at WL with her DH.

Yes, Mary, you are right. There was no way DS4 (or DS9 for that matter) could have made it to midnight - especially with the FL temperature what it was.

Tuesday AM we went to the MK and then the rest of my family went back to the WL while I went to the DIS meet. We dined at Epcot later and then went on to the MH events. Wednesday, the kids went on the Pirate Cruise from the GF and we went to SS. The rest of the day we spent napping in our room or swimming in the pool. The key for us was to make sure everyone was going to be ready for some late evenings.

Our family loved the MH events. We have absolutely no regrets or disappointments. We would do it again in a heartbeat!

DH & DS9 rode TT during the Epcot night. I strolled around with DS4 who thought he was Joe Cool in his light up glasses. After they rode, we all went into the exit of Mission Space and this is where we spent the rest of the night. The kids loved the interactive games in there. The crawling area was great for DS4.

We will never be able to repeat the memories we have of the MK night. As others have said, it was the highlight of all the MH events. DS4 & I rode Peter Pan 7 times in a row without exiting. DS9 & DH rode non-stop on BTMRR. They would get back to the platform and the CM's would ask if anyone wanted off. No one did so they went again. How magical was that?

We have an impromptu water fight through the MK. It was so hot still late at night and my DS9 started squirting DH. It all snowballed from there and we had an awesome time running through the MK from Adventureland to Tomorrowland. We only stopped to not get in the way of people taking pictures in front of the castle with Mickey & Walt (MarkRG & WDWLVR - Mary.....did you notice us running around as you were taking your pictures?). We will never be able to do repeat that memory and I can tell you my kids are still talking about that.

Other than the heat, we loved the actual homecoming for SS. We loved the Taste of Downtown Disney -- we ate after we went over to SS when the crowd had wound down. We swam over at SS where the kids loved the pool.

Just one other comment, how well, in the heat of the night, would the chocolate slipper (or any real chocolate) have held up? I'm certain it would have been liquid hot chocolate in no time? I would not have been happy with that type of mess to deal with. I'm certain this played into the type of desserts which were served. My family didn't have a problem finding something they enjoyed.

Scotthart, I am so sorry the event was not what you expected.

 

[dcfromva]

I believe bonzie1 summarized my thoughts the best.

I quote, "For those who had a great time... cherish it. For those who didn't, hang in there. Yes, there were many things which needed fixing."

I would definately like to have another opportunity to go to one of these events especially now that I have a better idea as to what to expect.

-DC

 

[scotthart]

Thanks for the sympathy cgcw, but no matter how big a disappointment the MH was, the time alone with DD was more than worth the price of entry.

The only strike you made there was not anticipating her exhaustion and doing so much during the day. A good long nap in the middle of the day would have made it so much better. Neither the mrs or I are much of night persons, but for this case prepartaion was half the battle.

Markrg

To the contrary, I am well aware of my daughters limits, this is her eighth trip to the World. As I said in a previous post we have done numerous Eride and MVMCP's and never had a problem. But we also do not stay until one o clock as we were forced to do in this case by having to wait for the rope drop and waiting in line 45 minutes to ride TT. As far as the heat, we live in Houston and the weather is no different here. We are acclimated to it. It certainly is not my first choice of climates, but we know how to deal with it.

As far as the invitation it clearly states"a DJ Party at FW, including exclusive access to MS and TT". The way I read this, FW is open meaning the attractions, and they are emphasizing the two Eticket attractions. It does not say that TT and MS will be the ONLY attractions open. To me this was pretty vague and I obviously made the mistake of assuming that other attractions would be open. Regardless, Disney knows what number of guests per hour these attractions can handle, and if this event was only half sold, I can only imagine what a disaster the Epcot night would have been had it sold out.

The MK portion of the invite says vaguely-"exclusive access to Disney attractions and entertainment." Now maybe someone, Markrg perhaps, can tell from that statement which and how many attractions will be open, but I certainly cannot. As I said DD woke up in time for us to still catch some of MK MH, but I did not want to risk wasting the entire next day on another poorly organized, under attraction filled evening. In hindsight this was a mistake, but I chose to err on the side of caution for DD sake. She did not know that she was missing anything, and we had a wonderful morning together at the AK the next day.

Had I received the literature that was in the "trinkets package" which was more specific about the Epcot night, I would have been a little better prepared for what was coming.

Patience was the real key to enjoying the evening. Rushing to the next step of each event and wait is just boring.

Markrg

You are very fortunate to not have to rush on an evening like this, we did not have that luxury as I wanted to get DD to bed as early as possible. I still cannot think of a reason for the wait between the end of ROE and opening MS and TT. From the time we reached the rope the area was clear of other guests and no one was exiting TT or MS. The one CM that was there could have very easliy have let guest in one at a time while checking for lanyards and passes. A CM at each roped off entrance to the area could have kept all non-invitees out and there would have been no need to keep everyone in a group together. Had this happened we would have gotten our 2 rides on TT by 10:15 at the latest, gotten two more hours of sleep, and my frustration level would have been dramatically lower.

I agree with the Fantasmic idea also the SRO areas could have been used and they are stepped in order to allow the people in the rear a clear line of sight.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by scotthart
To the contrary, I am well aware of my daughters limits, this is her eighth trip to the World. As I said in a previous post we have done numerous Eride and MVMCP's and never had a problem. But we also do not stay until one o clock as we were forced to do in this case by having to wait for the rope drop and waiting in line 45 minutes to ride TT.

I missed the part where guests were "forced" to remain at EPCOT until 1 a.m. We rode MS & TT, visited with the characters, had desserts & drinks, enjoyed much of the music, but we were not "forced" to do any of these things or to remain at EPCOT. We left EPCOT about 12:15 a.m. & were back at OKW in our room by 1 a.m. or so.

Originally posted by scotthart
As far as the invitation it clearly states"a DJ Party at FW, including exclusive access to MS and TT". The way I read this, FW is open meaning the attractions, and they are emphasizing the two Eticket attractions. It does not say that TT and MS will be the ONLY attractions open.

Interesting assumptions on everyone's part because I assumed from the original invitation that only these two attractions would be available .

Originally posted by scotthart
You are very fortunate to not have to rush on an evening like this, we did not have that luxury as I wanted to get DD to bed as early as possible.

Again, no one said guests had to "rush" to get trhough the evening. No one said we had to do everything. I know at the MK by the time we finished eating & riding a few rides, it was time for the stage show & Main Street activities. We only rode a handful of the rides at MK, but I'm not complaining.

Originally posted by scotthart
I still cannot think of a reason for the wait between the end of ROE and opening MS and TT.

I would think this is obvious for a few reasons. One, DVC wanted our attention & offered some entertainment (I know some liked DeeVeeCee & others did not). Two, I would suspect EPCOT wanted some crowd control. By keeping DVC guests together for a few moments after Illuminations, EPCOT CMs could get non-MH guests out of the park & outof our way.

 

[wdwstar]

All of us Neighbors that went to MH and Neighbors that didnt go, we all have our own opinion about MH, it came some of us had a great time some of us were dissapointed, its over and now what we can do as neighbors is to pull our ideas together and write emails to Mr. Lewis on how they can thrill us even more or improve on things that were a flop & unacceptable.
lets put a thread togther with suggest & ideas on the next MH.

instead of going back and forth whether it was or whether it wasnt

what do you think?

Ok my flame suit is on........ flame away.......

 

[WDWLVR]

Sue,

You are a smart woman! No flames here.

My letter is already in the mail to Mr. Lewis. I've also already posted a few suggestions for the next possible Member event. I hope others do as well.

 

[goofy4wdw59]

Thanks for your post scotthart...you're brave--not easy to express a not-so-happy opinion of this topic. Better to discuss it all out, rather than assume everything was OK with just a couple of vague hiccups.

I agree wdwstar , putting together some suggestions & ideas for improvement is a good idea.