"Trash" Mountain at the MK - Yuck

[bornandraised]

Well what they are doing is saving money. They are laying off high level management employees which require high salaries and in turn, are taking the money saved to hire cheaper CM's. REally they are still saving money but have done so at the expense of management levels. They claim they are being more "efficient" but anyone who knows business will tell you that is a bunch of business policits BULL!

Yeah I know, my mom actually just told me they are laying off people in her department and she was kind of scared until she heard it was MANAGEMENT that was being sacked. Which I don't feel sorry for at all cause all her managers are jerks and prats anyways and they deserve it!

 

[flyball]

What concerns me about this "mess," is that I often think that a well maintained attraction is a safe attraction. That's one of the reasons we visit Disney in lieu of other "amusement parks" (and I do realize that DW is not merely an amusement park)!!! I don't know that I'd like to get on an airplane that had noticeable fabric tears, strewn garbage, and chewing gum walls, as I'd be wondering how well the inner workings were being maintained!!

 

[Sherrilatte]

We've all got to expect the best when we are shelling out an average of around $450 a day to visit Disney World. This figure was calculated for a family of 4 in the UG book. This figure DOES NOT include your hotel stay people!!!! Think about it. Disney offers the best theme parks in the world for a reason. They have the budget and attendance to support a pristine environment and, typically, do a darn good job of that. Furthermore, Disney guests consistently expect the best when visiting the parks given the money that has to be spent to get there. I don't think expecting just that is unreasonable...at all.

The attention you get when writing guest relations is proof positive that they do care about their guests and their experiences in the parks. Everyone needs some help staying on the ball now and then.

As far as the public acting like pigs, we aren't going to change the ills of society. Those are here to stay. Disney needs to be prepared, and usually are, for the messes that rude people leave behind. I haven't talked to one person that doesn't have the word CLEAN on their list of things they like about Disney. That reputation needs to be closely monitored by Disney because it is one of the largest attractors for guests.

Here's a treat from me like your good food for thought

 

[tinkssister]

I don't want the public to see the world they live in while they're in the Park. I want to feel they're in another world.--Walt Disney

Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, keep it friendly.--Walt Disney

 

[civileng68]

I used to be the most critical of Disney. I used to criticize them to the 10th degree.

however, what you all don't realize is that to think that an attraction, of headliner status is going to be clean of any gum or anything is rediculous.

Have you ever tried to remove gum off of something? It's not easy. It doesnt take 10 minutes. It would take a whole crew an entire shift to get ride of it.

Also I've worked for a large amusement park before and can tell you that Disney is sparkling compared to others. I walked backstage at Disney one night and was amazed at the cleanliness compared to other parks.

To think that because you are at Disney and wont see the "real" world, you are asking too much.

 

[SCOTTOHIOCPA]

The comment about parents not disciplining their kids was right. One time I was riding SM, a girl around 10 yrs old was riding the log in front of me. The little girl kept standing up and leaning way out of the log to try to touch the walls and characters. The ride suddenly came to a stop, and the loudspeaker said "parents! please make sure your children's arms are inside the vehicle". The dad did nothing, but the ride restarted. It stopped again as she continued to do this. The announcement came on again. Finally, the third time, the announcement came on saying "voilators would be ejected from the park". Finally, the dad decided he should tell his daughter to sit down. Total time wasted by this jerk = 2400? people on the ride and in line x 10 minutes = 400 hours!

If I were the MK police, I would sentence this guy to 400 hours of community service.....let's see.....how about having HIM clean up gum from the wall. That would be fair.

 

[tigerlilly]

Gosh I am really wondering if I should spend roughly $6000 for a trip to WDW in December? We have not been in 6 years....it is just too much money for some and I have to say reading posts like this make me very apprehensive about doing it at all.
You know I think part of the Park problem is a combination of decreased maintenance and increased vistors. You know sometimes I think people think they are shelling out $450 per day to be there so "why should I have to use a trash can?" I think this mind set has started to take over our country as a whole....if they are paying for something they should get to act however they want whenever they want. It is sad actually.

 

[disneyaggie]

Gosh I am really wondering if I should spend roughly $6000 for a trip to WDW in December? We have not been in 6 years....it is just too much money for some and I have to say reading posts like this make me very apprehensive about doing it at all.
You know I think part of the Park problem is a combination of decreased maintenance and increased vistors. You know sometimes I think people think they are shelling out $450 per day to be there so "why should I have to use a trash can?" I think this mind set has started to take over our country as a whole....if they are paying for something they should get to act however they want whenever they want. It is sad actually.

Wow, tigerlilly! I am from the Dallas area too, and I think I just dropped my teeth -- did you hear them rattle? Roughly $6000? Wow! I would have to sell a kidney to fork out those dollars!

But kidding aside, you will LOVE WDW! It will all be worth it when you step into the Magic Kingdom and see the Castle. Ahhh!

 

[crazyj4488]

Again, NO we aren't asking too much here and I'm not being too critical of Disney. I don't freaking care if it takes 4 people dressed like goofy all night to clean that freakin gum off the wall or to patch a gaping hole plainly seen on the ride's grand finale. For that "gum tree" to be there for months on end and to have children touching it and then jamming their fingers into their mouths is ridiculous and has no place at Disney World. Mix this up with Splash being one of the most sought after attractions in the park and it makes this one a no-brainer. If you are selling a product or using something to market a product or service, you make it look good and allow it to positively represent the very thing you are selling...period.

Do you think one of the top executives at Disney would put up with their child rubbing their hands on the "gum tree" while visiting the park? I don't think so.

I don't expect a complete escape from the real world when I goto WDW and I display grand amounts of patience while vacationing at the World. I think we all do or we would go nuts in the heat and crowds. The real world is, obviously, evident to me when I walk into the parks and have to share it with 12,000 other guests during the course of the day. It's like riding the subway in New York or London during rush hour. To be honest, you get a healthier dose of reality at Disney dealing with the crowds than you do on a quiet Sunday spent at home. I can deal with large slices of reality. I cannot deal with Disney leaving one of their headliner attractions in that deplorable condition for all the wide-eyed children to see and touch.

-J

 

[civileng68]

Again, NO we aren't asking too much here and I'm not being too critical of Disney. I don't freaking care if it takes 4 people dressed like goofy all night to clean that freakin gum off the wall or to patch a gaping hole plainly seen on the ride's grand finale. For that "gum tree" to be there for months on end and to have children touching it and then jamming their fingers into their mouths is ridiculous and has no place at Disney World. Mix this up with Splash being one of the most sought after attractions in the park and it makes this one a no-brainer. If you are selling a product or using something to market a product or service, you make it look good and allow it to positively represent the very thing you are selling...period.

Do you think one of the top executives at Disney would put up with their child rubbing their hands on the "gum tree" while visiting the park? I don't think so.

I don't expect a complete escape from the real world when I goto WDW and I display grand amounts of patience while vacationing at the World. I think we all do or we would go nuts in the heat and crowds. The real world is, obviously, evident to me when I walk into the parks and have to share it with 12,000 other guests during the course of the day. It's like riding the subway in New York or London during rush hour. To be honest, you get a healthier dose of reality at Disney dealing with the crowds than you do on a quiet Sunday spent at home. I can deal with large slices of reality. I cannot deal with Disney leaving one of their headliner attractions in that deplorable condition for all the wide-eyed children to see and touch.

-J

Again, this is just unrealistic. You dont understand finances. Disney is not a money machine that they once were. They have shareholders that are all over their case (of which I'm one). Unfortunately, the way the WORLD (not just Disney) works today and can afford to do ANYTHING today is by pleasing stock shareholders. To please shareholders you have to report a certain profit. Profit estimations are made before each year and quarter. Those predictions are meant to drive stock buyers to buy more Disney stock, and if those predictions are NOT met, many sell and Disney loses MORE money than even the lack of profits they made to keep them from reaching their estimated profits.

Disney doesnt make financial decisions so that you and I, Mr. and Mrs. Park Enthusiast are happy. Sure that has SOMETHING to do with it, but they have to try to make us happy AND the share holder happy (read my article on at www.supremedisney.com) and that is VERY difficult. If Disney upsets shareholders and they all bail, you wont have a Disney to enjoy, at least not even close to where it is right now.

If you have a solution I'm sure they'd love to hear it, but you are looking specifically through the eyes of an enthusiast, and unfortunately, unlike in Walt's days, the world today doesn't work like that.

 

[disneyaggie]

Again, this is just unrealistic. You dont understand finances. Disney is not a money machine that they once were. They have shareholders that are all over their case (of which I'm one). Unfortunately, the way the WORLD (not just Disney) works today and can afford to do ANYTHING today is by pleasing stock shareholders. To please shareholders you have to report a certain profit. Profit estimations are made before each year and quarter. Those predictions are meant to drive stock buyers to buy more Disney stock, and if those predictions are NOT met, many sell and Disney loses MORE money than even the lack of profits they made to keep them from reaching their estimated profits.

Disney doesnt make financial decisions so that you and I, Mr. and Mrs. Park Enthusiast are happy. Sure that has SOMETHING to do with it, but they have to try to make us happy AND the share holder happy (read my article on at www.supremedisney.com) and that is VERY difficult. If Disney upsets shareholders and they all bail, you wont have a Disney to enjoy, at least not even close to where it is right now.

If you have a solution I'm sure they'd love to hear it, but you are looking specifically through the eyes of an enthusiast, and unfortunately, unlike in Walt's days, the world today doesn't work like that.

I can understand the whole shareholder thing . . . but I still think they could scrape up (no pun intended) some CMs to clean a tree.

 

[tar heel]

I love Splash Mountain, but it's been ages since I've seen the birds in the houses outside singing and the last couple times we've ridden it some of the fur looked dingy. It's overdue for a rehab.

 

[jeana]

Okay, call me crazy, but for what we pay to get in and stay on their property, they can pick up the trash. Plain and simple. I am a DVC member who has been going to disney world since 1976, and in the past ten years there has been a steady decline in customer service and cleanliness, but a major, major, mojor increase in price. Sorry doesn't add up to me. Don't get me wrong, I still go, and am going in 30 days, but it is VERY disappointing to see the steady decline. Oh and by the way, I was at Universal and Disney last June and December, and I must say that as far as cleanliness and customer service, Universal blew disney away. It just did.

 

[civileng68]

Okay, call me crazy, but for what we pay to get in and stay on their property, they can pick up the trash. Plain and simple. I am a DVC member who has been going to disney world since 1976, and in the past ten years there has been a steady decline in customer service and cleanliness, but a major, major, mojor increase in price. Sorry doesn't add up to me. Don't get me wrong, I still go, and am going in 30 days, but it is VERY disappointing to see the steady decline. Oh and by the way, I was at Universal and Disney last June and December, and I must say that as far as cleanliness and customer service, Universal blew disney away. It just did.

Well you all are complaining but yet, not really paying attention to things around you. As an annual pass holder, I'm in the parks a good bit compared to most visitors.

They do a great job on trash. Watch after a parade, they are out immediatley with machines sucking up trash. Can they keep up with it all? no way. Nobody can possibly be there to pick up every single thing dropped.

have you ever been in the park at opening? If you have, dont even say it's dirty. It's swept very clean. Is there gum? Im sure there is, but to say they dont pick up trash is just not true.

Besides, instead of complaining, look to see what they are doing. They are laying off full time, high paying jobs to replace them with a new army of CM's to place around the park. Complaining is fine, but think about the reality of it and what is being done to fix it. They are doing a great job and trying to fix it.

Again, if people would stop throwing trash around everyone, you wouldnt have this problem.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

No quote, but to the person who suggested to someone that he/she doesn't understand finances...

My dh is in marketing, and he agrees that while you (meaning WDW in this case) might not be able to do EVERYTHING perfectly during hard economic times, it is patent stupidity not to keep up one of your SUPER HEADLINERS!!! Yes, even if they have to pay someone full-time JUST to scrape gum off the walls of Splash Mountain, it would be worth it from a marketing perspective! Your only other option is to let the public think you don't care that your "attraction" has become a filthy, disgusting, poorly maintained ride. Some people won't mind much, but many will be put off by this and it hurts the bottom line, period!! Even if it means 1/10th of the visitors spend 1 hour less each in the park, that is a huge economic loss in terms of food, souvenirs, etc. Don't underestimate the value of a well-placed time/effort investment! Country Bear Jamboree might have gum under the seats, and The Tiki Room might have a couple of birds on the fritz, but it's silly to think that SPLASH MOUNTAIN of all things should be allowed to get so run-down. JMO!
P.S. I am now a SAHM but was in the psychology field before my son was born, and I agree with the people who said our society is full of spoiled brats and those who feel they should be able to act however they want with no repercussions. It is sickening and sad.

 

[civileng68]

I am a DVC member who has been going to disney world since 1976, and in the past ten years there has been a steady decline in customer service and cleanliness

You are right, but then again, most of the decline in the last ten years has occurred in the last 4 years. 9-11 created a financial nightmare for WDW. That coupled with a poor CEO, and had to put a complete hiring freeze on for the CM"s and still to this day they are trying to recover from that. The problem is that back then you really didnt notice the drop in CM"s because the attenance dropped as well. Now you notice it because the attendance is back up and the CM numbers are still down. I expect this to change soon.

 

[crazyj4488]

Again, this is just unrealistic. You dont understand finances. Disney is not a money machine that they once were. They have shareholders that are all over their case (of which I'm one). Unfortunately, the way the WORLD (not just Disney) works today and can afford to do ANYTHING today is by pleasing stock shareholders. To please shareholders you have to report a certain profit. Profit estimations are made before each year and quarter. Those predictions are meant to drive stock buyers to buy more Disney stock, and if those predictions are NOT met, many sell and Disney loses MORE money than even the lack of profits they made to keep them from reaching their estimated profits.

Disney doesnt make financial decisions so that you and I, Mr. and Mrs. Park Enthusiast are happy. Sure that has SOMETHING to do with it, but they have to try to make us happy AND the share holder happy (read my article on at www.supremedisney.com) and that is VERY difficult. If Disney upsets shareholders and they all bail, you wont have a Disney to enjoy, at least not even close to where it is right now.

If you have a solution I'm sure they'd love to hear it, but you are looking specifically through the eyes of an enthusiast, and unfortunately, unlike in Walt's days, the world today doesn't work like that.

First, I am very aware of finance as it relates to the operation of a business...even multinationals. I have a degree (double major) in business management from a very respectable private university and I have, successfully, been running my own small business for 3 and a half years now instead of punching a clock and making money for someone else as I once did.

You saying that cleaning up some of their rides will lead to them closing their doors is ridiculous! We are talking about SMALL things that need taken care of here. Existing resources can be used to make some of these small positive changes that are needed. I'm not speaking of making changes that will create cost deficits. Hiring a new executive, opening a new department, dumping $100 million into a new headliner attraction, or buying a new media outlet are the types of things that will cause small shifts in stock valuations.

We are talking about applying some management to their existing resources in order to take some nasty gum off a cement wall. We are talking about more efficient upkeep of the very attractions that draw paying guests into their parks. If you allow one of the attractors of your profit centers to become a shabby representation of your operation as a whole, you will certainly have a negative effect on that source of revenue. Take a look back at the potential guest within this very thread that was questioning a $6000 investment in the Disney Parks after hearing about the disrepair some of the attractions were in. That, right there, is a solid example of the negative effect not keeping up with the standard you have set within your business model, in the first place, can cause.

Again, small requests of upkeep from paying guests is NOT an unrealistic thing to ask for. As far as theme parks go, Disney does one of the best jobs in their market of doing this...they just need to keep on the ball. I would say that cleanliness is definitely on just about EVERYONE'S top 5 favorite things about Disney parks list.

-J

 

[minnie61650]

Okay, call me crazy, but for what we pay to get in and stay on their property, they can pick up the trash. Plain and simple. I am a DVC member who has been going to disney world since 1976, and in the past ten years there has been a steady decline in customer service and cleanliness, but a major, major, mojor increase in price. Sorry doesn't add up to me. Don't get me wrong, I still go, and am going in 30 days, but it is VERY disappointing to see the steady decline. Oh and by the way, I was at Universal and Disney last June and December, and I must say that as far as cleanliness and customer service, Universal blew disney away. It just did.

I understand your concern for the conditions of the attractions.
First we must remember that 9/11 hit Disney especially hard. A number of things affected their operating budget. The cost of security went way and attendance dropped. Also every time our threat level was increased Disney had to implement more measures to protect their guests. That along with poor management and it looks like refurbishment along with much needed repairs were put by the wayside. Now that Disney has a new CEO and a 50 year celebration I'm hoping the attractions will get a lot of TLC and the Magic will return.
Linda

 

[pooh2001]

My polite letter to WDW complaints:
wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Dear WDW,
We love visiting you.
Splash Mountain has become Trash Mountain,

Just a few suggestions:
1) post signs - no gum or candy on the ride and have a trash receptacle for guests
2) Empty all your trash here not on splash - again trash receptacle for guests
3) post sign - camera's are watching you - litter and you will loose park privileges (maybe a bit too bold)

Again - your Parks have always been clean. Your staff is wonderful. We love your resorts.
Just some guests on Splash Mountain need a lesson in manors.

 

[crazyj4488]

I was out there during the last week of May and they had, finally, cleaned the ride up (no more insane gum...YAY). It was, however, still in disrepair. A lot of the AA's weren't working properly and, one day, all the water pumps in the "flood" scene were off. Brer Rabitt's mouth wasn't moving very well in a lot of the scenes and his fur looks nappy. The gash in the fabric has been patched but is still visible.

I believe D-troops will be doing an article on the condition of Splash Mountain very soon and it will feature the photo I took of the fabric gash.

This month in Wired Magazine:

Wired = Space Mountain 2 (DL Paris)
Tired = BTM
EXPIRED = SPLASH Mountain

Funny how the older ride, BTM, is in better condition than Splash. I enjoyed BTM much more than Splash on my last two trips and Splash has been one of my favs all along. Oh well.