Disney: Out of Order

[DisneyDunn20]

Listen, you guys have the idea that we went down there looking for this stuff. However, that is not what happened at all. We enjoyed our trip, and didn't sweat the small stuff. When we saw these things, we just went on with our day and had fun and enjoyed ourselves. We also had some 'magical moments' Like Buzz Lightyear signing our Disney shirts we got made to wear the last day, with a pen instead of his stamp. OR the CM in Space Mountain talking my sister through the ride because she was crying.

I understand nothing, and no one is perfect, by all means. I understand the days of old are gone. I understand everything is about money these days. However, all I'm saying this park was started by a man who would've stayed up all night himself to make sure that ferris wheel was working for the morning, or to make sure that water was shooting in Splash Mountain. I understand rides breaking down (by the way it wasn't refurbishments, as there are virtually none in the summer, besides rare occasions.) However, I see no excuse for animatronics being broken in Disney...Walt wouldn't either.

 

[awilliams4]

Listen, you guys have the idea that we went down there looking for this stuff. However, that is not what happened at all. We enjoyed our trip, and didn't sweat the small stuff. When we saw these things, we just went on with our day and had fun and enjoyed ourselves. We also had some 'magical moments' Like Buzz Lightyear signing our Disney shirts we got made to wear the last day, with a pen instead of his stamp. OR the CM in Space Mountain talking my sister through the ride because she was crying.

I understand nothing, and no one is perfect, by all means. I understand the days of old are gone. I understand everything is about money these days. However, all I'm saying this park was started by a man who would've stayed up all night himself to make sure that ferris wheel was working for the morning, or to make sure that water was shooting in Splash Mountain. I understand rides breaking down (by the way it wasn't refurbishments, as there are virtually none in the summer, besides rare occasions.) However, I see no excuse for animatronics being broken in Disney...Walt wouldn't either.

Even in the days of old these things happened. I think your vision of how Disneyland was when Walt was alive is mistaken.

Google the 1st day DisneyLand was opened, you will find out that almost everything broke.

 

[minnie mum]

Sorry, OP, but I think your expectations were unrealistic and your views of yesteryear tinted by rose coloured glasses. Rides break down. Elements of the rides break down. It happens. Would we all love WDW and all of its parks to be perfect? Of course. Do we really expect it to be perfect? Of course not.

I highly doubt Walt spent any of his nights on park maintenance. When he was alive the park (singular- only DL was operating in his lifetime) was relatively new and wasn't subject to the age related problems that most of the parks suffer from today. I think the maintenance and engineering CMs do the best they can.

 

[juliebug1997]

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!!!!

But you can't ask Disney to put Tink's friend in jeopardy just because it's part of the show.

I went on KTTK last year and we asked about this. Our tour guide explained to us that if there are high winds or other weather phenomena that Tink won't fly. However, sometimes Tink's friend will go ahead and try. On those occasions, they have two ways to land her. One of the method's is just a mattress. Also, just because it's not windy on the ground doesn't mean that it might not be windy about 200 ft above ground.

 

[Cafeen]

• Arrive at MK for Rope Drop
• Finish Dinner and get ready for MSEP
• Eat a light lunch at The Plaza
• Flight into Orlando was delayed
• Cinnamon bun from MS Bakery
• Check to see if Tony's has dinner openings
• Complain about the yucky red sauce at Tony's
• Hopped onto ME for trip to MCO
• Rode the Ferry from TTC to MK gates
• Watched Wishes

See, that's Disney "Out of Order" Ignore the shifting tenses, I don't feel like fixing them!

While I agree with several of the detractors (hm. why does detractor mean what it means, and deplane mean something completely different) in the realm of setting proper expectations, I do understand and agree that complaints (valid ones, such as those listed) do need to be brought to the attention of the Disney powers that be (note: the ones listed are all valid, empirical issues, Tink* has some other bits to it though). If Disney does not know about, know the extent of, or know the guests' reaction to various issues within the parks, they aren't likely going to improve. If we get complacent and just let things slide without informing our displeasure, Disney will assume that it's not a big deal and more and more will slide. That doesn't mean firing off a 20 page rant when something isn't working, but pretty much how the OP (and several others have, yes, even the napkin OP!) always done it here: calm, rational, logical, etc.

*For Tink, there could be a myriad of reasons for her not flying. Wind, weight, illness, "friends" (those guys that help her fly across), flight "path" issues, etc. That is one position that is very strictly controlled (yup, Disney doesn't let Tink fly at will ) and with those types of things, just one small issue can cause the whole thing to not happen. So, I'm a little more understanding with Disney on this point (not to say it isn't valid, just more understandable).

(Ok, I may have written 2 paragraphs of semi-rational fluff in order to post my pun. But you gotta give me credit for effort right?)

 

[gator girl]

Listen, you guys have the idea that we went down there looking for this stuff. However, that is not what happened at all.

You posted a numbered list of problems that you said your family spent time during their vacation talking about and cataloguing, and assured us that that's not all & that you would be back later with additional complaints as soon as you could discuss it some more. I think it's fair that people assumed you were kind of focused on it.

I understand nothing, and no one is perfect, by all means. I understand the days of old are gone. I understand everything is about money these days. However, all I'm saying this park was started by a man who would've stayed up all night himself to make sure that ferris wheel was working for the morning, or to make sure that water was shooting in Splash Mountain. I understand rides breaking down (by the way it wasn't refurbishments, as there are virtually none in the summer, besides rare occasions.) However, I see no excuse for animatronics being broken in Disney...Walt wouldn't either.

Have you ever seen one of those behind-the-scenes shows about the Magic Kingdom overnight? It's not like they have 3 guys in there sweeping up, plus one lonely mechanic who barely gets anything done between his extended coffee breaks. There are teams of people swarming every inch of that place, and working from the second the last guest is out (literally! They lurk just out of sight of the guests as we are gently herded down Main Street & out of the gates!) until well after the sun is up. It's not like they don't work hard to have it show-ready every day. For every *one* thing you noticed that didn't work, I can guarantee you that someone fixed *five* things the night before.

As for "no excuse for animatronics being broken" how about maybe it's on the list to be fixed but there's only so much the workers can get done each night while guests aren't there. Maybe it's almost fixed but they just ran out of time before rope drop so they're going to finish repairing it the next night. Wouldn't it be less magical if you were floating through IASW and a dude with a tool belt was crouching over the ferris wheel with a socket wrench? Maybe a part has been ordered to fix it but isn't onsite yet. Maybe it broke down 30 seconds before you came into the room so there hasn't been a chance for anyone to look at it yet. Maybe the video games in Space Mountain are "classics" AKA "kind of old" & there were 6 tour groups in there banging on them all morning instead of treating them gently. Maybe the choice was to leave the animatronic in place until it could be fixed or to rip it out of the display and leave a gaping hole so they opted to leave it there even though it wasn't working properly. Maybe it's a complicated repair that would take a week full-time so they can only get part of it done each night. I can think of many, many reasons that something might not be completely perfectly operational. It seems that to jump right to "it's all on the downhill skids" is not the most likely scenario.

Anything mechanical, especially anything that you try to run nearly nonstop for decades at a time, is going to have breakdowns. You could have a separate maintenance guy with a toolbox crouching at the base of every single animatronic 24/7 and there are still going to be some downtimes.

I always wonder just what would satisfy people. They don't want anything to be less than perfectly operational. But they also don't want anything to be missing from the "show" or down for maintenance and repair. So... fix it. But not where I can see that you're fixing it or notice that it was ever broken. Oh, and you only have a few hours during the middle of the night to do this, when the people who are supplying you with tools and parts and maybe the necessary engineering knowledge are home sleeping. Something has to give.

I went to Disneyland on my first trip this spring. I was there for 4 nights, and the fireworks were cancelled completely on all 4 nights. I assumed that there was a reason for it, and that Disneyland would have preferred to make guests happy by seeing the show rather than sad because we missed it. I would never in a million years have thought that my complaint would have been "Disney's just not trying hard enough" rather than "oh, I'm sad that it didn't work out".

Now compare that to your Tinkerbell complaint. You saw the whole show, but for a very legitimate reason involving the health and safety of a live performer they cut a 5-second segment. I took the KTTK tour and they told us about all the things that have to be 100% perfect in order for Tink to fly - it's actually kind of remarkable that it *ever* works out! The weather, the wind (not at ground level but at the level of her wire), the weigh-in of the cast member (which cannot vary by any more than several ounces), the availability of her safety crew, the condition of her harness which has to be flawless, etc. That's a real person up there, who can actually be killed if something goes wrong. It's not a decision they take lightly. Put it this way... if you've seen Tink fly every other time you were there, you were LUCKY.

I just hope that your family did not rehash your list of disappointments in the presence of other guests who were trying to enjoy the parks, because overhearing negativity is a real downer.

 

[mesaboy2]

I always wonder just what would satisfy people. They don't want anything to be less than perfectly operational. But they also don't want anything to be missing from the "show" or down for maintenance and repair. So... fix it. But not where I can see that you're fixing it or notice that it was ever broken. Oh, and you only have a few hours during the middle of the night to do this, when the people who are supplying you with tools and parts and maybe the necessary engineering knowledge are home sleeping. Something has to give.

I went to Disneyland on my first trip this spring. I was there for 4 nights, and the fireworks were cancelled completely on all 4 nights. I assumed that there was a reason for it, and that Disneyland would have preferred to make guests happy by seeing the show rather than sad because we missed it. I would never in a million years have thought that my complaint would have been "Disney's just not trying hard enough" rather than "oh, I'm sad that it didn't work out".

Now compare that to your Tinkerbell complaint. You saw the whole show, but for a very legitimate reason involving the health and safety of a live performer they cut a 5-second segment. I took the KTTK tour and they told us about all the things that have to be 100% perfect in order for Tink to fly - it's actually kind of remarkable that it *ever* works out! The weather, the wind (not at ground level but at the level of her wire), the weigh-in of the cast member (which cannot vary by any more than several ounces), the availability of her safety crew, the condition of her harness which has to be flawless, etc. That's a real person up there, who can actually be killed if something goes wrong. It's not a decision they take lightly. Put it this way... if you've seen Tink fly every other time you were there, you were LUCKY.

I just hope that your family did not rehash your list of disappointments in the presence of other guests who were trying to enjoy the parks, because overhearing negativity is a real downer.

Agree. The OP set themselves up for disappointment by expecting "perfection", as stated in the first post. Then to make a list of imperfections, one being that Genie didn't appear during the parade?

Disappointment to me is learning that EEMH is losing an hour next year.

 

[modmama]

These little things are annoying, I get it. But I've gone to DL the last three falls and we've gotten stuck on rides every year, rides are down, one year we literally got stuck on 9 rides IN ONE DAY, each time for 2-8 minutes.

I think there are just SO MANY VARIABLES that no one person could possibly have a perfect experience. To me, things like rude CMs bother me much, much more than a ride being down.

 

[MoonFaerie]

Something else to consider about rides "breaking down" - don't the stop them if say someone is dumping ashes in POTC, standing up/climbing out of a car on HM or SM, etc? I've read numerous accounts on the Dis of people witnessing those things happening while they were on the ride. Or maybe someone dropped/threw something that could make the ride dangerous. I can't fault Disney for the stupidity and inconsiderate behavior of park guests. It's all a matter of perspective I suppose.

 

[JDUCKY]

They could at least fix:

* the "falling rocks" on BTMRR (the ride was closed for months for refurb...why not do it then???)

* The eagle at the top of Expedition Everest which no longer pops up when the train hits the end of the tracks (the sound effect still plays, though)

 

[mousebit]

Disappointment to me is learning that EEMH is losing an hour next year.

Exactly! Now that one has really rustled my jimmies this morning!

 

[funcinderella]

In the grand scheme of things , Disney is still better than a lot of other places. Some theme parks that "close" at 10 will stop letting you get in line at 9:45; or if it even look slike rain, will cancel their parade an hour ahead of time. I feel like at Disney, they do their best to try not to cancel things until the absolute last minute, or they just delay it instead, and make sure you have a good time. Not always possible, but a pretty good track record. I went to Atlantis (and we all know how ridculously expensive that is) and the conveyor belt that brings you and your tube up to the slides was broken. I thought oh well, what can you do. It was broken all week. I went back 9 months later and it was still broken, with what looked to be the same old sign and rope hanging there. And, BOTH of their hot tubs by the main pool were broken (i.e. water was room temp) the entire week we were there. It wouldnt surprise me if they are still that way. THAT is a place we ill never return to, because they obviously just dont care. Disney has slipped a bit, but still better than most!

 

[BigGreen73]

it came off like you were poo-pooing on your recent vacation with all the things that weren't working quite right.

LOL..Poo-pooing. Really!?

I'll throw a little support to OP because as usual, say anything bad about WDW and the excuses fly and folks have to go on defense of their beloved WDW. "But things can breakdown, stuff happens, find yourself lucky that you got to ride X etc etc."

The OP stated they had a great vacation and only picked out a few things along the way that caused some discussion in their family and thought to discuss it here to compare notes. That's it. They didn't go on a scavenger hunt looking for EVERY single possible bump and bruise along the way.

It happens. Even from my first trip in 2004 and my last one in 2010 I noticed the little things year over year and my DW and I discuss them. A little less detail, stuff not working, etc. Stuff does break down and things do happen, but DISNEY, WDW sets the high expectations for themselves not us.

WDW promotes exceptional customer service and a great Magical experience. WDW is THE place to go on vacation. And for how much you pay and w/ the price increases year over year, the expectations should be high and getting higher.

For those that go 1 - 2 times in a lifetime, it's not usually an issue, but those that go every year every other year, it's noticable for sure.

There are porbably quite a few people who have stopped going to WDW because everytime they go attraction X. Y, or Z is down.

 

[BigGreen73]

Exactly! Now that one has really rustled my jimmies this morning!

Didn't see that yet. Ah, the changes cont'

 

[gator girl]

LOL..Poo-pooing. Really!?

I'll throw a little support to OP because as usual, say anything bad about WDW and the excuses fly and folks have to go on defense of their beloved WDW. "But things can breakdown, stuff happens, find yourself lucky that you got to ride X etc etc."

I'm sorry, but blanket statements similar to "there's no excuse that animatronics aren't working at all times" are just not realistic. Things break down. I don't think it's being a Disney apologist to point that out.

 

[mefordis]

Sounds like a lot of the magic tricks aren't working.

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!

 

[Waltgirl]

Listen, you guys have the idea that we went down there looking for this stuff. However, that is not what happened at all. We enjoyed our trip, and didn't sweat the small stuff. When we saw these things, we just went on with our day and had fun and enjoyed ourselves. We also had some 'magical moments' Like Buzz Lightyear signing our Disney shirts we got made to wear the last day, with a pen instead of his stamp. OR the CM in Space Mountain talking my sister through the ride because she was crying.

I understand nothing, and no one is perfect, by all means. I understand the days of old are gone. I understand everything is about money these days. However, all I'm saying this park was started by a man who would've stayed up all night himself to make sure that ferris wheel was working for the morning, or to make sure that water was shooting in Splash Mountain. I understand rides breaking down (by the way it wasn't refurbishments, as there are virtually none in the summer, besides rare occasions.) However, I see no excuse for animatronics being broken in Disney...Walt wouldn't either.

You are absolutely correct. The problem is that when people make excuses and are accepting of mediocrity, quality suffers. Many people hold Disney to a higher standard because Disney used to hold themselves to a higher standard. Now they charge more and more money and see how many things are declining? As long as John Q. Public accepts it they will continue to let things go. I often wonder if the people that make excuses for Disney, the closed attractions, dirtier restrooms, less than stellar housekeeping-no one can be pefect-are attempting to justify the cost to themselves as well.

 

[TDC Nala]

Google the 1st day DisneyLand was opened, you will find out that almost everything broke.

Richard Attenborough: "All theme parks have delays. When Disneyland opened in 1952, nothing worked."

Jeff Goldblum: "Yeah, but when Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists."

Just made me think of that.

That eagle that was on top of Everest? I think it's completely gone, not just broken.

 

[Cafeen]

They didn't go on a scavenger hunt looking for EVERY single possible bump and bruise along the way.

In some strange, twisted way... this actually sounds like a fun thing to do.

 

[gator girl]

In some strange, twisted way... this actually sounds like a fun thing to do.

It sounds like a vacation I took with my ex in-laws.