I worked at WDW, Universal, and SeaWorld. Ask away.

[disneybirds]

Oh, you worked with PP, I have a question!

Me and my sister are going to WDW for the first time. I have a nikon d3100 that I could bring, but it's so heavy (in my opinion)... So I was wondering if the Memory Maker would be worth it.

We are going to character breakfast buffets, and would like to take pictures in other restaurants we are going, etc... Would Memory Maker help in this situation? Or is just character meetings on parks, ride photos, and around parks? I could also take my iPad to the parks (was planning to leave it on the resort at first and only use it on our terribly long flights), but I'm afraid the photo quality will be... subpar.

So, suck it up, take my camera, pay for the ride pictures and ask to the CMs to take our pics with the characters/around the parks or get MM? ):

Sorry, this is a bit of a personalized question orz

Also!!! I do admit that watching Blackfish made me not want to set foot on Seaworld/any place with mammals that live on the water really (which broke my heart a bit because I visited the Vancouver aquarium twice before watching the movie and the beluga tank looked so small but I ever thought about it -I didn't see the dolphins-), but I also really don't enjoy zoos that much. I am excited to go to AK, but are the animals there really comfortable? Do they get enough mental/physical stimulation? Have you ever noticed uncommon behaviour from them? (aka constantly walking in circles, interacting with the bars -do they even have bars around the facilities?-, self-mutilation, head-bobbing, etc)

Thank you and sorry for the long super questions!

We just returned from Disney where we had a complimentary Memory Maker for our visit. We enjoyed it for the ride photos and a few other photos. Of the 70+ photos that were taken, only one set of the staged photos was really great. I wish that I had taken my Canon Rebel into the parks. I usually carry it with me everyday.

 

[disneybirds]

ChanaC - Thanks for all your information about the parks and the various programs. I loved hearing your info on the Seaworld camp! Did you ever have any experience with the Disney Youth Education Series where they take groups of kids around on the tours?

 

[ChanaC]

Love all of your info....I have. 2 quick questions.

1. We are headed to AK on Tuesday, Sept 16. Any tips or advise for us? I have not been to AK since before Everest opened.

2. How are the crowds at Sea World in Sept? We will not have a full day at the park but my boys want to hit the main rides...would you recommend quick que? Any tips for 10 year old boys?

Thanks so much!

Sandy

1. I would get in and go directly to the safari. The animals are more active in the morning since they just woke up and it's not to hot. Not enough people walk through the animal trails in Africa and Asia which is really interesting. Save Dinoland until the end of the day since it's less crowded and the lights look cool when they light up. Also check out the Lion King and the Finding Nemo show. They are both great.

Fun fact: Do you know who wrote all the music in the Finding Nemo musical? Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. You may know them for writing all the songs in Frozen. Also, Robert Lopez is the youngest person to ever EGOT, which means he won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. So yeah, it's a good show.

2. All the parks get the same ebb and flow of tourists, so that time is usually when schools start so its not generally too busy. I would go without Quick Que because the parks should be relatively slow. Do try starting at Antarctica since it has the largest line. See above for some more advice. At ten they should like pretty much anything except Shamu's Happy Harbor with it's kiddy rides.

 

[ChanaC]

ChanaC - Thanks for all your information about the parks and the various programs. I loved hearing your info on the Seaworld camp! Did you ever have any experience with the Disney Youth Education Series where they take groups of kids around on the tours?

I "auditioned" once to be a facilitator for YES but didn't get it. Camp is a lot of fun. A lot of info is on the website and I think it's well worth the money. It's a week long. In the week each kid gets to go on the rides, see the shows, feed the animals, and see the animals with us as their personal tour guides lecturing on the them and answering all their questions. They also get to do things average guests don't like touch a penguin, touch a shark, and go behind the scenes and see the rescue animals. Some of the camps get to talk with trainers and other animal staff. Plus they get lunch, snack, and do lots of arts and crafts.

 

[mguilford1]

We are taking our 8 yo granddaughter to Disney for 2 weeks. This will be her first trip. The first week we rented a house, the second week we are staying AKL. She is tall and loves all thrill rides. She does have ADHD and sensory issues. She loves to be on the go, but sometimes I worry if it is too much. I am debating getting a 10 day Disney ticket plus we have 1 day waterpark ticket. That leaves 3 "other" days. In your opinion should we get a 3 day pass to Universal? We dont care about Harry Potter stuff never even watched the movies! Or should we just leave 3 random days to do whatever? Are the rides at Universal and the experience that different from Disney? Or is it just really more of the same with different characters? The 3 day tickets to Universal will cost almost $600 more which I dont mind spending if it is worth it? Any information you can give would be appreciated!

 

[Luvchefmic]

We are taking our 8 yo granddaughter to Disney for 2 weeks. This will be her first trip. The first week we rented a house, the second week we are staying AKL. She is tall and loves all thrill rides. She does have ADHD and sensory issues. She loves to be on the go, but sometimes I worry if it is too much. I am debating getting a 10 day Disney ticket plus we have 1 day waterpark ticket. That leaves 3 "other" days. In your opinion should we get a 3 day pass to Universal? We dont care about Harry Potter stuff never even watched the movies! Or should we just leave 3 random days to do whatever? Are the rides at Universal and the experience that different from Disney? Or is it just really more of the same with different characters? The 3 day tickets to Universal will cost almost $600 more which I dont mind spending if it is worth it? Any information you can give would be appreciated!

I think I would leave the 3 days for down time. Time at the resort or at the house you rented could be very nice. I would also maybe post this question in the Universal thread or the Disabilities thread. Have you looked at Universals website too? Bottom line only you are going to know what is too much. Probably not even until the trip happens.

 

[Goofyuk]

two more questions if I may.

When a guest leaves a commendation or otherwise give positive feedback to your managers at the different parks, how did they handle it and did you get any tangible benefits from it?

How much autonomy or power do you have to correct mistakes as far as replacing merchandise, giving FPs, etc?

 

[ChanaC]

We are taking our 8 yo granddaughter to Disney for 2 weeks. This will be her first trip. The first week we rented a house, the second week we are staying AKL. She is tall and loves all thrill rides. She does have ADHD and sensory issues. She loves to be on the go, but sometimes I worry if it is too much. I am debating getting a 10 day Disney ticket plus we have 1 day waterpark ticket. That leaves 3 "other" days. In your opinion should we get a 3 day pass to Universal? We dont care about Harry Potter stuff never even watched the movies! Or should we just leave 3 random days to do whatever? Are the rides at Universal and the experience that different from Disney? Or is it just really more of the same with different characters? The 3 day tickets to Universal will cost almost $600 more which I dont mind spending if it is worth it? Any information you can give would be appreciated!

Hmmm that is a tough question. There are some rides at Disney and Universal that are similar. For example, Popeye's at Islands is similar to Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom and E.T. at Universal is similar to Peter Pan at Magic Kingdom. However, there are some pretty unique rides and shows.

There are also some free things to do at Disney to do. You can take a monorail or boat around to see the other resorts. Check out Ft. Wilderness because they have horse back riding and some other outdoor activities. AKL will have a lot to do also. There is a cool pool with a water slide and animals to look at. They also have some children's activities there.

I guess everything depends on how much stimulation she needs. If she needs to be constantly moving and activated Universal might be best. However, if she likes taking a break to relax and can entertain herself then maybe take those days off.

 

[ChanaC]

two more questions if I may.

When a guest leaves a commendation or otherwise give positive feedback to your managers at the different parks, how did they handle it and did you get any tangible benefits from it?

How much autonomy or power do you have to correct mistakes as far as replacing merchandise, giving FPs, etc?

It depends if you talk directly to a manager or leave one of those comment cards at guest relations or do something online. If you talk to a manager they will be able to do something directly, especially if there was a problem with a cast memeber. Besides that, I'm not sure. No one has ever complained about me. I think if multiple people complain about something they will act but if just one person complains they probably ignore it.

However, if a CM does something awesome and you want to mention it, go to guest relations and fill out a card. They can get a prize for a good comment plus it makes them feel good!

 

[agavegirl1]

Hi Chana,

There is a post on the Attractions and Strategies board right now about photography. I don't know the answer. Do you? The poster wants to know about the number of pictures taken and whether or not the photographer suggests the poses or can you do your own.

Just thought this was the perfect question for you. Love your contributions BTW.

 

[Orph]

Hey, thank you for the awesome insight and the responses.

If you dont mind, I have 3 questions Im hoping you can answer.

1) Can guest tip CMs? They are so hardworking, and I feel like the CMs are such an under-appreciated bunch.

2) What do you feel is THE souvenir to buy at WDW?

3) What is WDW's best kept secret that CMS know about, but guests are rarely told of?

THANK YOU!

 

[AustinB]

I love this thread. It's like Reddit but only things I'm interested in haha.

 

[ebtbmom]

Cool thread, thanks for the insight!

I have a personal question that you might can assist with. My son wants to work with animals in the zoo setting as his career. He went to zookeeper camp at Busch Gardens this summer and had a blast! What are the various jobs available to work directly with the animals? What kind of degrees and previous experience are required? Is there a high level of job satisfaction? I know keepers and trainers don't make a lot so they must do it for the love of animals!

 

[the_princess]

About Blackfish - the problem with it is it's goal is to entertain and to make you feel, not to inform. There is a document SW made of 17ish pages that breaks down the movie minute by minute and explains every flaw in it. I can post it later. If it makes you feel better, I entered SW neutral on the subnect and never found anything to complain about.
.

This is a great thread. Thank you for sharing your experience. I would like to read the document from SW if you have a link