Disney: Out of Order

DisneyDunn20

DisneyDunn
Joined
Jan 10, 2012
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6
Not sure if this is the correct area to post this thread...but this is the area where I always read up on so hopefully someone will move it if not!

So my family and I recently finished our 4th trip to the wonderful Disney World. By no means am I trying to ruin anyone's upcoming trip or anything like that. I am just trying to start a general discussion. I am 19 years old my DB is 15, and my DS is 12....of course there's my DD & DM. We had a blast on our trip, however we picked out a few things that got our minds stirring. Throughout our trip my DD, DB and I picked out many, many things that were not working or not how they should be. See, in any other amusement park we felt that it would not be a big deal to see a sprinkler broken or something minor down. However, since Disney advertises and prides itself on perfection in what the eyes in the parks see, we felt that 'perfection' is expected at Disney...as I am sure Walt expected and made sure that's how things were in Disneyland. I understand some things will go wrong, however it seemed too many things were wrong on our trip for what people expect. So what I'm getting at is a list of things that we found wrong on our trip...things that were "out of order." Hopefully some people join in and discuss this topic and share some things. Here's my list:


Magic Kingdom:
1. Ate at the fireworks desert party with our reservations. DS was ecstatic to see Tink fly right over us. She had three different cameras to make sure we got pictures. Only to get to the end of the show without a Tink appearance. (That was our main reason for the reservations)
2. The water that shoots back and forth over your head in Splash Mountain did not work the two days we were there. ( we rode over 10-15 times with EMH)
3. Splash Mountain itself was shutdown for half of one of the days we were there.
3. Ferris Wheel was broke in It's a Small World
4. The Genie did not come up out of his foat in the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate it Parade.
5. Many arcade games 'out of order" in the Space Mountain arcade.
6. Space Mountain was shutdown until about 7p.m one of the days we were there.

I will finish this list tomorrow...as it is getting late, and I need to ask my DB and DD about some other things that weren't "magical"..Thanks :)
 
Everytime we've seen Wishes! Tink has flew. There was no rain, no rain all day. The only inconvenience may have been the scorching temps? It's part of ths show!!!!
 
Everytime we've seen Wishes! Tink has flew. There was no rain, no rain all day. The only inconvenience may have been the scorching temps? It's part of ths show!!!!

I've never seen her fly. It could be any number of factors although wind is the most common culprit. Even though you can't feel the wind at ground level, it can put tink in danger.
 

I think that we have placed a lot of expectations on a Disney vacation. As you said in your post, you expect Disney to be "perfection" and while I agree that would be nice it is not a realistic expectation. It is a double-edged sword for Disney. They have a reputation for creating a magical setting with exceptional service and for the most part they achieve that goal. Issues that occur in another theme park and would probably be overlooked by patrons seem to be glaring black eyes for Disney.

I looked at your list and while I agree that not seeing Tink fly must have been a disappointment for your sister you know that there had to be a good reason. You have seen her fly every other time you saw Wishes so you know this was an anomaly. She flies unless the weather conditions are dangerous. Photo ops are nice but not worth risking a life.

Attractions close for refurbishment and they break down. I have never been on Dinosaur. That thing is down every time try. Things happen but in my big picture that is a small glitch.

I don't want to minimize your disappointment but I would suggest that there is no such thing as perfection. Not in WDW, not anywhere. If you set the bar so high that you let a missing character or a closed attraction detract from your trip you will always be searching for a better experience.
 
I don't want to minimize your disappointment but I would suggest that there is no such thing as perfection. Not in WDW, not anywhere. If you set the bar so high that you let a missing character or a closed attraction detract from your trip you will always be searching for a better experience.

I agree with this too! I have yet to see the Yeti in action and although it would be cool if we could see this effect at least once, it's not going to ruin the trip for us nor will we give it more than a seconds thought. I think the bigger WDW gets, the more the fixing of these little glitches will be delayed. It is what it is!!! Don't sweat the small stuff! :)
 
I agree with this too! I have yet to see the Yeti in action and although it would be cool if we could see this effect at least once, it's not going to ruin the trip for us nor will we give it more than a seconds thought. I think the bigger WDW gets, the more the fixing of these little glitches will be delayed. It is what it is!!! Don't sweat the small stuff! :)

I totally agree :worship:
 
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Mmmmm, you say you "picked" out several things that were not working or as they should be..........
Next trip why don't you maybe look for some hidden Mickeys since you are so good at spotting stuff that most people wouldn't think of looking for.....
 
Mmmmm, you say you "picked" out several things that were not working or as they should be..........
Next trip why don't you maybe look for some hidden Mickeys since you are so good at spotting stuff that most people wouldn't think of looking for.....

I think that people are entitled to notice areas for improvement while vacationing in Disney. The OP had expectations for her experience and honestly, Disney is well known for their high standards.

I agree that if one looks for issues one will find them and while I wonder if the OP set herself up for a less than stellar experience I can understand why she was disappointed. We all follow posts on the DIS that illustrate wonderful upgrades on resort accommodations, magical spontaneous character interactions, gorgeous photo ops, and pristine theme parks. The Op obviously had set her heart on meeting her little sister's desire to "see" Tink fly over head and when this did not happen she was upset. Rather than ridicule her for falling into the trap that we all are a part of setting perhaps explaining why her expectations were not met would serve a better purpose.

She was right about those Disney commercials that draw you into that magical world we all want for our family vacations. I love my family and we make magical memories in Disney but you have to admit, those images on the commercials are not reality. But they sure do look like they are ;)
 
We spend 3 - 4 weeks in Disney each year, and have only seen Tink fly once. If you take the Keys to the Kingdom tour, you will learn that it is very dangerous for Tink on the wire - she only flies if conditions are perfect. Every time that we visit Disney, multiple attractions are broken. It doesn't bother us a bit - we are there for the whole Disney experience, we don't let a few ride delays or broken things ruin our vacation.
 
Personally, even if things were "out of order" I really don't remember them after the trip was over; my memories are focused on the fun that I and my family did have.
 
I don't know if Disney truly has ever advertised "perfection" -- they do advertise and capitalize on "magic"

Hard to see the "magic" when you're busy committing all of the imperfections to memory.

Hopeful you were able to see some silver linings on your trip, OP! :thumbsup2
 
1. Ate at the fireworks desert party with our reservations. DS was ecstatic to see Tink fly right over us. She had three different cameras to make sure we got pictures. Only to get to the end of the show without a Tink appearance. (That was our main reason for the reservations)

Can't blame Disney for this. She won't fly if the weather conditions might make it dangerous for the performer. She will also not fly if all the qualified performers are unavailable for whatever reason, which apparently doesn't happen that often. Just because you've always seen her fly before doesn't mean it's a guarantee.

There are a few things on that list that are long-term and really should get repaired. Unless they've shut them down purposefully for some unfathomable reason. Like the water shooting overhead on Splash.

However, I don't get putting in a major complaint about some things being shut down for a few hours for mechanical issues. Stuff happens.

we felt that 'perfection' is expected at Disney

See, here's the problem. This is not a realistic expectation. There is NO person or company that is capable of delivering absolute perfection. I think at the point where your group decided to spend the vacation pointing out for each other every little thing that was "wrong" may have turned the tide and been the point when it became less enjoyable. I know I might have just said to myself "oops, the Ferris wheel in IASW is broken" and then forgotten about it.
 
I can understand the OP's point.

Disney markets itself as "magical", the utilidors were built so guests would not see garbage, employees are "cast members" that have to stay in character. They have raised the bar on themselves and now they are having a hard time keeping up.

My last visit was not bad by any means but I did see a lot of garbage and many little touches that were not working or missing. Our one day spent at MK there were many rides that broke down: HM, POTC, BTMR, and BL. One of those rides came back up when we were in the area, we did go back and ride POTC and BTMR later in the day but never made it back to HM to see if it came back up.

Like I said we had a great family vacation but it was because we were together, not because we were together in Disney. We have been going to Disney almost yearly since 1988 and I am afraid the value is not there anymore for us.
 
Rides break down. It's a fact of life. I would be extremely surprised to go on a Disney vacation (or to any other amusement park) and see everything working perfectly, especially since our good friend the Yetti hasn't been working (to my knowledge) for some time :sad1:. While I understand where you were going with your original post, it came off like you were poo-pooing on your recent vacation with all the things that weren't working quite right...and I feel like that probably wasn't your original intention. I think this post probably would have been better suited on the "Just for Fun" threads.

Anyway, there are some people that never get to see these rides on their vacations for one reason or another, so someone that's never been on Splash Mountain before probably never would have noticed the water feature not working just right, and would have enjoyed it just as much. There will probably almost always be some small details not working on most rides, but people will usually overlook them in the grand scheme of things. Hey, they're at Disney! What's not to be happy about?! People just need to remember that Disney can't control everything, so while it might be disappointing to not see Tink fly from the castle (something I never remember happening before 2007), it's probably for the safety of the cast member. If you go to Disney literally expecting perfection, you will most likely be disappointed, but if you go with the intention of having fun, spending time with family and friends, and experiencing the Disney atmosphere, you'll surely not be disappointed.
 
I'm sure everyone has noticed something that isn't 'magical' on their trip....just try to stay positive and remember that you are in Walt Disney World!!!! With loved ones, making memories that will surely last a lifetime. Not everyone gets a chance to do this. ;)

That being said...I've seen Tink get stuck on the wire while flying! So I'm sure if there is any chance of something going wrong, they try their best to avoid it or they skip it altogether. She was not a happy fairy!!!! :lol:
 
The jumping water features on Splash Mountain have been not working to full capacity for years, and the animatronics in there as well. Over 4 trips in two years I have only been on Splash ONCE where everything was working properly. I don't let it diminish my experience, I still love the story, but it would be neigh on impossible to keep every single little detail up and running at WDW all of the time. It would be a Herculean effort. Rides malfunction all of the time and need to be reset. Space Mountain was down for like 8 hours two of the days we were there last year, it broke early in the morning both days and took all day to be repaired. I'd much rather have a running Splash Mountain or Space Mountain, than have all of the details perfect.
 
The jumping water features on Splash Mountain have been not working to full capacity for years, and the animatronics in there as well. Over 4 trips in two years I have only been on Splash ONCE where everything was working properly.

:thumbsup2


I was so excited last summer when it was working on one of the days we were at MK--and it was during the parade with absolutely no line, so we rode 5 times in a row without getting off. It was awesome! :woohoo: They offered to let us keep riding, but we couldn't sit anymore. It was so empty that we probably could have gone a few more times before the lines returned.
 

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