Disappointed

[sparks19]

ITA! Safety first but once the situation is resolved the OP shouldn't have to wait in line again. A FP is the least Disney could do.

right. It's not like they were demanding they open the ride again and let them ride and made a scene. they were just surprised they didn't get a FP or something even for a different ride the same way disney does for just about every other issue that crops up. that's one of the many reasons I love Disney. They do customer service like no one else and they usually go above and beyond to make up for disappointing moments. They are so good at that

 

[jimmysmom74]

If I were you, mention it to guest services. Be polite and express your disappointment in the fact that it was a long wait and you were really looking forward to riding it. Maybe they will be able to assist you in returning with a fastpass.
However, swift and organized exiting of an attraction is difficult. CM can not be concerned with FP distribution when safety is the top priority.
Can you imagine the outrage if someone was injured because they didn't get people out fast enough due to stopping and giving each guest a FP.

 

[Barnhill9586]

I agree Jimmysmom but no one is suggesting that the CMs put safety second here from what I read.

 

[snykymom]

The problem is logistics.

When a ride breaks down the line moves out slower because everyone is lining up to one or two people to get handed a fast pass. But this isn't a big deal because the ride is just broken, the person standing in line or in the exit lane is still perfectly safe.

If there is a possibility of an emergency (where people in line are still in danger) I would hope they wouldn't slow the exit so everyone can get fast passes. The priority is to get everyone out NOW! Then once they are all outside you don't know who was standing in line since we just merged into the park. I think this is just one of those rare situations where you just have to say ok and move on with your day even though you lost some time.

Those who still say they should have gotten FPs - did you even read this post?? kamik86 has it right.

And in this case, it's even more problematic to give FPs - they evacuated the entire building which contains a heck of a lot more than Soarin'. Should they have given a FP to everyone whose lunch was interrupted at Sunshine Seasons? Or who were watching that movie with Simba?

If the evacuation route took the CMs somewhere other than the usual entrance/exit, where were they supposed to get these magical Fast Passes? Or perhaps the CMs should have stayed inside to get them, putting their own safety at risk?

C'mon, folks! Get real - they're Disney, not magicians! (Yeah, I know, that's over at Universal.)

 

[Praying Colonel]

Why wait an hour in standby to begin with?

 

[akhenaten]

The problem is logistics.

When a ride breaks down the line moves out slower because everyone is lining up to one or two people to get handed a fast pass. But this isn't a big deal because the ride is just broken, the person standing in line or in the exit lane is still perfectly safe.

If there is a possibility of an emergency (where people in line are still in danger) I would hope they wouldn't slow the exit so everyone can get fast passes. The priority is to get everyone out NOW! Then once they are all outside you don't know who was standing in line since we just merged into the park. I think this is just one of those rare situations where you just have to say ok and move on with your day even though you lost some time.

ITA I would not appreciate it if my family was stuck in a building being evacuated just so someone can get a pass to not wait on line again...
Come on people!!!!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I think people have unrealistic expecations of Disney and the perception that Disney should bend over backwards for them is becoming more and more popular. Rides break down, refurbs must take place, somtimes shows get cancelled, disney doesn't control the weather and emergencies happen, get over it and move on.

 

[Mrs D]

OP stated that they went over to guest relations after being evacuated. I would think FPs could be handed out there. I would also think that guests not affected by the evacuation would not be aware of the situation and therefore would not take advantage of the FPs.

 

[ssawka]

I understand getting people out safely is #1 priority, but I can also see how frustrating to wait an hour in line and just have to leave. Its a shame they couldn't do a fast pass like they do for rides they shut down. But I am sure there is a reason they didn't.

And how exactly would they do this fairly? If it was a safety issue, their priority (as you stated) was to get everyone out of the building. If they were then to offer fast passes to those that were in line, how would they know who was in line? Pretty soon everyone would find out about the fast passes and I'm sure there would be quite a number of dishonest people claiming that they had been in line. I understand it's frustrating but stuff happens, even at Disney.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm surprised so many people would willingly give up waiting in line for an hour and just walk away with a "oh, that's life".

As far as I could tell from the OP, the ONLY information available at the time was they had to leave the line/building. If I had waited for an hour and simply told "you must leave now", yes, I'd be upset too. I'd be thinking (because it's more common) "oh, ride broke down". What has Disney done in the past if a ride breaks down... give out FP, right? Why is it so hard to make the jump from "you must leave the line" to "can we have FP"?

kamik explained it very well, but that information wasn't available at the time this happened to the OP. Those who have criticized the OP seem to have taken the safety factor into consideration... the OP didn't know that.

I personally would have probably gone to GR (since nothing was handed out-- information included-- at the site) and complained about losing an hour of park time.

 

[Rip]

I think people think that way because that's how Disney has always presented itself. if something goes wrong they compensate you for it normally. Disney is the one that has set up this expectation. I can't blame people for looking for their compensation when something goes wrong like disney normally does

Well, it's because ultimately they do deserve some sort of compensation for their troubles. Disney is selling them, in part, the opportunity to enjoy the rides. When someone waits in line, and then has to evacuate after having wasted their time, it's absolutely proper to be offered something in return. And saying "it isn't Disney's fault" is crazy. How many of you would pay for a movie, have to evacuate before the movie ended due to some sort of safety issue, and not expect to get a voucher for another showing? The principle is exactly the same, Disney is selling the opportunity to enjoy its attractions. Therefore, when someone invests a not insignificant part of their day - which is in reality a portion of the money Disney charged them - and for whatever reason Disney has to shut it down, then it only makes logical business sense to provide the guest some sort of compensation for their trouble.

Seriously, time wasted = money wasted on the part of the guest.

 

[juliebug1997]

How can they give you (or anyone else) a FP if they're not sure when it's going to re-open?

This reminds me of when I was waiting to see Rabbit and the line was extremely long. The family behind me complained the whole time about having to wait to meet characters. It's Disney, there's a line for nearly everything. You should never come to Disney and expect to be ushered through to the front of every line and not have some sort of a wait. It's ridiculous.

 

[danielle.st]

OP stated that they went over to guest relations after being evacuated. I would think FPs could be handed out there. I would also think that guests not affected by the evacuation would not be aware of the situation and therefore would not take advantage of the FPs.

agreed. And it wouldn't have to be a FP for a specific ride (in case they didn't know when it would be reopened), it could have been for any ride that accepts FP.

 

[sam_gordon]

How can they give you (or anyone else) a FP if they're not sure when it's going to re-open?

They do make "instant FP". You put the card in the machine and the FP that comes out is valid immediately. I wouldn't be looking for a FP that says you can ride 'Soarin' between 6:15p-7:15p. Because, as you said, they don't know when it will reopen.

 

[Baloo and Bagheera]

IMO, if the OP took the time to visit Guest Relations about the issue, the CM at Guest Relations should have helped them make up for their lost time by giving a fast pass to Soarin' or a different attraction. This would be a simple gesture without cost that would help the OP with the disappointment of spending an hour in line without the opportunity to enjoy the attraction. Some have said that they couldn't give a fast pass to everyone in the building, which would include those not even in a line for an attraction. I agree with this -- but all of those people didn't take the time to walk to Guest Relations to discuss.

I think when the word 'compensation' is used, some tend to equate that with the lawsuits about nacho cheese burns. That's not what this is about. The OP is looking for an opportunity to save 20-30 minutes at another attraction (or Soarin' if it was open again) and that request could have easily been granted.

 

[KellyNY]

They do make "instant FP". You put the card in the machine and the FP that comes out is valid immediately. I wouldn't be looking for a FP that says you can ride 'Soarin' between 6:15p-7:15p. Because, as you said, they don't know when it will reopen.

But you have to put card into fp machine and it is inside the building being evacuated. Moreover, instant fp is valid for a few days, I am looking at one right now, but they did not know what was the problem and maybe building will be closed for the next week or longer. It was a fire emergency after all. Very possible that guests relations also did not know about status of the building and therefore could not give fp and false promises. Also if ride breaks, they do not evacuate the whole building with many rides, it was obvious that something more serious happened.

 

[Rip]

IMO, if the OP took the time to visit Guest Relations about the issue, the CM at Guest Relations should have helped them make up for their lost time by giving a fast pass to Soarin' or a different attraction. This would be a simple gesture without cost that would help the OP with the disappointment of spending an hour in line without the opportunity to enjoy the attraction. Some have said that they couldn't give a fast pass to everyone in the building, which would include those not even in a line for an attraction. I agree with this -- but all of those people didn't take the time to walk to Guest Relations to discuss.

I think when the word 'compensation' is used, some tend to equate that with the lawsuits about nacho cheese burns. That's not what this is about. The OP is looking for an opportunity to save 20-30 minutes at another attraction (or Soarin' if it was open again) and that request could have easily been granted.

 

[sam_gordon]

But you have to put card into fp machine and it is inside the building being evacuated. Moreover, instant fp is valid for a few days, I am looking at one right now, but they did not know what was the problem and maybe building will be closed for the next week or longer. It was a fire emergency after all. Very possible that guests relations also did not know about status of the building and therefore could not give fp and false promises. Also if ride breaks, they do not evacuate the whole building with many rides, it was obvious that something more serious happened.

First: If you were in line for an hour (for any ride) and then you were told to leave the line, you would simply walk away thinking "that's life"?
Second: You're assuming the FP MUST be for Soarin. The point is the "compensation" has really nothing to do with Soarin. It's the fact that someone waited an hour in line with no "payoff". Yes, waiting in line is part of going to Disney. But 99.9% of the time, you'll get SOME kind of "payoff". Even a M&G where the characters swap out, you still get to meet a character. It might not be the character you wanted to meet, but it's still a character. IIRC, when a character is going to LEAVE (as in nobody is taking their place), they'll station a CM at the end of the line.
Third: IMO, it would have been a good PR move. As Baloo pointed out, the OP took the time to go to GR. FP could have been given out there. I highly doubt word would have spread that "you can get FP from GR, just say you were in line for Soarin!"

 

[snykymom]

OP stated that they went over to guest relations after being evacuated. I would think FPs could be handed out there. I would also think that guests not affected by the evacuation would not be aware of the situation and therefore would not take advantage of the FPs.

First: If you were in line for an hour (for any ride) and then you were told to leave the line, you would simply walk away thinking "that's life"?
Second: You're assuming the FP MUST be for Soarin. The point is the "compensation" has really nothing to do with Soarin. It's the fact that someone waited an hour in line with no "payoff". Yes, waiting in line is part of going to Disney. But 99.9% of the time, you'll get SOME kind of "payoff". Even a M&G where the characters swap out, you still get to meet a character. It might not be the character you wanted to meet, but it's still a character. IIRC, when a character is going to LEAVE (as in nobody is taking their place), they'll station a CM at the end of the line.

Why are you all assuming that Guest Relations even has the capacity to give out Fast Passes? All the promotions that give you a special Fast Pass (GAD, Birthday promotion) are over.

I personally would have probably gone to GR (since nothing was handed out-- information included-- at the site) and complained about losing an hour of park time.

I may have gone to get information, but to complain? And by doing so, lose another 20 minutes of park time?? Where's the sense in that?

Third: IMO, it would have been a good PR move. As Baloo pointed out, the OP took the time to go to GR. FP could have been given out there. I highly doubt word would have spread that "you can get FP from GR, just say you were in line for Soarin!"

(Sorry for splitting up your post, Sam!) I think this kind of information would spread faster than wildfire! People will all be standing around or in other lines asking, "What happened? Why did they close the Land?" You honestly think that no one will mention the fast passes at Guest Relations that they got as a compensation?

 

[Sugar Jones]

Aww I would have been totally bummed and disappointed to.


I know when we waited in line for 90 minutes for Kali Rapids, if they told us we couldn't ride and not given a reason I would have a little more than disappointed.

I mean that's a whole hour of your day wasted that you can't get back, and you all know how precious time is at Disney