Disney: Out of Order

[larryz]

Seeing as its the number one attraction at DAK, if it was down it would financially cripple that park.

Are they now charging a separate admission fee for AK?

Don't kid yourself -- there are several other E-ticket attractions at AK; it isn't just a one-trick (EE) Yeti...

 

[crostorfer]

Are they now charging a separate admission fee for AK?

Don't kid yourself -- there are several other E-ticket attractions at AK; it isn't just a one-trick (EE) Yeti...

For us it is. Without EE, we would skip the Animal Kingdom completely. We go to eat, we ride Everest like 10 times in a row, and we leave. Sometimes we see the bird show, sometimes we ride Dinosaur, but more often than not it's Tusker House, EE, then back to the resort. There is nothing else in that park that would draw me over there to spend a half day if EE was down.

 

[eliza61]

In order to properly fix the Yeti and bring it back to its original glory, part of the mountain itself has to be taken apart. The ride would be down for months. Seeing as its the number one attraction at DAK, if it was down it would financially cripple that park. People, myself included, would skip it entirely. Disney execs know this, they aren't stupid. They aren't going to cut off their nose to spite their face. I'd rather have a working EE with a stationary Yeti than a lengthy extended refurb.

that's you. I know many folks who never ride EE especially folks who have litte kids. You are right they arent going to take the ride down now because the focus of disney executives are no longer interested in extraordinary quality now the focus is the botton line. If they would have handled the problem years ago it would have been a done dea.

The Yeti never worked correctly. I'e been annually since that thing open, some times 2X a year and yet to ever get the thing going. This is supposed to be the ride that was developed by a fortune 100 company with vast resources. once again I'm not talking "Sicklerville Putt-Putt golf and batting cage". We're talking about disney.

Lastly, as most visitors pay per day for the length of days they visit (maybe 1 day less) not per park, I'm not sure that taking EE down would cripple the park. very few visitors pay for ak admission only. what I mean is that if I get a 7 day magic your way ticket, disney gets there money up front generally in the first 2 days, that's why the price is so up front expensive. by the time you get to day 7 the price per day has gone down considerably.
so when I pay for my tickets whether I go to 1X, 2x or not at all, disney generally has gotten their money. Now of course they may lose revenue from food and extras but I doubt if that would plummet.

So let me ask you, if the new fantasyland has as many issues, will the same excuses work?

Sorry I'm just not buying that if a person actually expects rides to be working correctly, then that person must be expecting "perfection". How sad, that when you actually expect simple things like working rides & clean hotel rooms, you are not are told not to expect "perfection".

and no a broken ride does not "ruin" my trip, that's not what I'm saying at all

How sad when a broken ride is now perfectly acceptable. I wonder if you guys brought a car with broken power windows would you say "oh well I should complain because nothing is perfect". LOL.

 

[ctl]

I have noticed a decrease in serivce quality in the past 2 or 3 years at Disney. I happen to know a CM who actually told us they love the DP because "We automatically get a tip, so me and my friends don't have to work as hard to please the people who have the DP". That came straight from the horses mouth.
Disney lives off it's reputation of being the place that is higher quality with better service and great cast attitude. The more that reputation gets chipped away at by broken rides or poor service the less likely people are to go to WDW versus some other vacation. Eventually even Disneyphiles will become disenchanted if WDW starts to cut EMH and charge for fast passes while quality decreases.

 

[crostorfer]

that's you. You are right they arent going to take the ride down now because the focus of disney is no longer extraordinary quality it's now the botton line. If they would have handled the problem years ago it would have been a done dea.

The Yeti never worked correctly. This is supposed to be the ride that was developed by a fortune 100 company with vast resources.

So let me ask you, if the new fantasyland has as many issues, will the same excuses work?

I don't think it's an excuse, it's just a fact. A stationary Yeti doesn't bother me. Very little bothers me at Disney, after all, I'm on vacation.

To be perfectly honest, with the FLE there aren't going to be very many actual attractions to complain about. The Little Mermaid clam shell ride through and.....what? The Snow White mine train won't be done for another year. I'm sure even these brand new rides will have glitches, it's just the way it goes.

The Magic Kingdom is 40 years old, even with attraction refurbs, it's still a 40 year old park with 40 year old attractions. I imagine trying to maintain rides like Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain is a nightmare. I give Disney credit for doing the job that they DO do in keeping the rides in working order. I'm not trying to absolve Disney of short changing the guest experience, or reduce the standard they are held to, but I do cut them some slack when it comes to every teeny tiny detail of every ride being in perfect working order for 16 hours a day. I'd be livid if they took Splash Mountain offline once an hour in order to reset the frozen animatronics and check the water features to make sure the streams are jumping from lily pad to lily pad. I'd rather just ride the ride.

 

[crostorfer]

How sad when a broken ride is now perfectly acceptable. I wonder if you guys brought a car with broken power windows would you say "oh well I should complain because nothing is perfect". LOL.

Apples and oranges.

Who exactly are you planning on complaining to about the ride features on certain rides, and what do you expect said person to do to appease you? It's not like they are going to give you your money back for diminished guest experience if a ride breaks, or Jack Sparrow isn't moving in POTC. You can't return a vacation package and demand a full refund.

 

[webshark3]

I have noticed a decrease in serivce quality in the past 2 or 3 years at Disney. I happen to know a CM who actually told us they love the DP because "We automatically get a tip, so me and my friends don't have to work as hard to please the people who have the DP". That came straight from the horses mouth.

That would only be that 1 CM's opinion, and he/she wouldnt get away with it for long. I've never seen any change in service after the plan changed. Even so, they would need to work harder now since the tip isn't included anymore. So service levels should have gone up in the past 3 years, right? 2007 was the last year I knew the DP was all-inclusive. I know it was changed in 2009 when we did it again.

 

[webshark3]

Disneyworld is not supposed to be compared to six flags. anyone go to six flags for a week at a time? Plan on where they are going to eat 6 months ahead?

That's like comparing a fishing dingy to the queen Elizabeth. You can't

There was a time when it was just the Magic Kingdom. A theme park. But yes I agree I expect a lot more from Disney now.

And for the record, I do plan 6 months out where I'll eat when I go to Six Flags; ANYWHERE but Six Flags.

 

[webshark3]

Disney is now getting the reputation of having mediocre food. There is now a thread where disney just annouced the decrease in another service (all the while raising the prices)

Wait. Disney had great food at one time? I must have missed it.
As long as guide books have been written about Disney the food has always been described as mediocre, and reviewers recommend leaving the parks to eat outside DW. For us, it's always been a matter of location and atmosphere.

 

[silverhaze269]

Without EE, we would skip the Animal Kingdom completely. We go to eat, we ride Everest like 10 times in a row, and we leave. Sometimes we see the bird show, sometimes we ride Dinosaur, but more often than not it's Tusker House, EE, then back to the resort. There is nothing else in that park that would draw me over there to spend a half day if EE was down.

To each his(or her) own, but this makes me sad