Yep, another RSR rant

[DharmaLou]

If they comped EVERY PERSON in the park after the ride went down (which if you deserved to be comped, why shouldn't everyone else), it would cost a small fortune.

And that small fortune would translate into higher gate costs for all of us - and really, higher gate costs would be prohibitive for a lot of people planning DLR vacations.

 

[Rebekkap]

We have to come all the way from Australia to visit Disneyland - 14 hours on a plane and pretty expensive! Would I be sad if RSR was down when we get there (less than four weeks now!)? Yes. Would I expect compensation? No, I'd still get to ride Indy, Space Mountain, BTMRR, Pirates, HMH, the Jungle Cruise, TSMM, Soarin', etc etc etc - not to mention all the shows, Christmas decorations, and the magic - I'll still be happy!

 

[bcla]

We have to come all the way from Australia to visit Disneyland - 14 hours on a plane and pretty expensive! Would I be sad if RSR was down when we get there (less than four weeks now!)? Yes. Would I expect compensation? No, I'd still get to ride Indy, Space Mountain, BTMRR, Pirates, HMH, the Jungle Cruise, TSMM, Soarin', etc etc etc - not to mention all the shows, Christmas decorations, and the magic - I'll still be happy!

Is Indiana Jones going to be completed by the time you arrive. It's been closed for quite a while and not sure when they're going to be finished. I'm sure a lot of people were upset when the came last month and It's a Small World was closed because they were installing the Christmas theme.

Heck - I know someone who was on the medical staff at UC Irvine when the kid who lost part of his foot on Big Thunder. I don't remember how long they closed it until they figured out what to do. His description of what happened wasn't pleasant.

 

[junmatno]

Wow! I had a cruise flashback about someone complaining about a Port being cancelled and the ONLY REASON THEY CAME IN THE CRUISE WAS FOR THAT PORT!

It's disappointing, but just go and have fun. Why do people let this ruin their families vacations? Ridiculous! I also read something about " I never got a fast pass"! THEN WAIT IN LINE! Just get there in the morning one day and wait! Everybody is always looking for a "no wait" experience and sometimes you just can't be that spoiled because everyone else wants a chance too. I know it's been raining some in Anaheim this week and that affects this ride just like it affects its model, Test track, something about pesky electrics. Lol.

Point is you are at DL, came a long way and u should enjoy it. A

 

[sheetz]

Is Indiana Jones going to be completed by the time you arrive.

It's scheduled to reopen Dec 8.

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/indiana-379142-jones-disneyland.html

 

[Susannajean]

I feel like expecting compensation is just silly. I'd bet money that if Disney had called a week before the trip to tell anyone on here that RSR will be down, they wouldn't cancel their trip, they would go anyways (although for the sake of arguing they might say they would cancel the trip all because of one ride ). If RSR had never been built, we would all still be going to Disneyland, because its the happiest place on earth!

 

[danaesacto]

Anything at all to acknowledge that "yes, you spent loads of time and money to get here, and sorry, this thing just isn't working, and yes, it's our fault."

I completely agree- I didn't read your post as actually wanting anything more than a chance to ride the ride and a different attitude from Disney. The "oh well" attitude doesn't cut it with me- they should be apologetic. Especially when every 3 minutes there is another commercial of Mater flying thru the air telling everyone they need to get down there for the new CarsLand- this is not your average down every now and then issue that many new rides has- this is so frequent that there are whole threads on what to do if it is down when you are there- so if it is that commonplace- fix it Disney! I can't imagine booking a once-in-a-lifetime trip- I'm lucky enough to get to go every few years, but to come all that way and down the whole time must be frustrating, and to have spent thousands and thousands must be maddening... so no it is not unreasonable to get a FP for the next day automatically.

 

[doog71]

Bottom line folks - Disney has made Cars Land the center of an enormous push to get more people to their park. It worked. Unfortunately, many times the main selling point of that park doesn't a lot of the time. Business 101 says when you advertise an experience, you are making a promise to a consumer - your product will not only be good but will work. It is reasonable for a consumer to expect you will deliver consistently on that promise.

I understand Disney has such strong brand loyalty that they are one of the few companies in the world that can not only get away with having one of their core experiences broken much of the time, but also have people defending them as they do so. I just happen to not be one of those people.

BTW - "entitlement" is a fun word to throw around...just be sure you know what it means. It means getting something for nothing, or expecting better treatment than everybody else. I don't want either of those. Entitlement is not when you expect acknowledgement that the promise a company made to the consumer will be delivered upon. I could care less about a free churro, lol! I need to lost 10 pounds (OK, 20) anyway. I'm not talking about wanting dough from Disney here. It's simply wanting Disney to "man up" and own their failure to deliver consistently - and do that for everyone. Yes, they'd raise prices if that acknowledgement came as a refund or whatever, because heaven forbid they'd lose some money serving the consumer.

My mouth is full right now from people putting words in there I never said - I didn't say anything about "only coming here for one ride", thinking anyone had it any better or worse than me, etc. All I'm saying - if you advertise something to get people to your park, be sure it works consistently before you start selling it!

We'll have a great time regardless - it's being with family that makes vacation great, not a ride. I'd hope all our lives are bigger than whether a ride works! I'd just like to get what we paid for.

I'm not an angry dude, just one that likes to see what's fair (at least fair IMO) happen.

Hope you all have a great holiday season!

 

[Malcon10t]

Is Indiana Jones going to be completed by the time you arrive. It's been closed for quite a while and not sure when they're going to be finished.

Dec. 7th it is due to reopen.

 

[LizzyS]

Although it's understandable that people are frustrated when the new, most popular ride is down, there are SO MANY other GREAT rides at DL & CA, I don't think I'd consider it a tragedy or anything.

Honoring the same fastpasses the next day seems more than reasonable to me, which a previous poster said that Disney was already doing.

 

[Disney Dreams]

One of my all time favorite attractions at DL is/was The Country Bear Jamboree. In 2001, it closed. In October of 2008, DH and I went to WDW. Amongst other things, I was ecstatic about getting to see THE BEARS!!! We got there on our first day, I was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning as we approached the theatre for The Bears! And this is what I saw...

Seriously!?!!? Waited seven years to see them and --- closed?!?!! Was I bummed? More than you know. Was I disappointed? Oh yeah. Was I sad? A little, yeah, even as an adult. I LOVE The Bears. Did I expect anyone to do anything for me? Compensate me? Give me anything? Heck no. I was just bummed. And then I went and had an amazing rest of a vacation! By the way, four years later (as in 6 weeks ago), we returned to WDW. And wouldn't you know it, the gosh darn bears were closed on us again! Seriously.

And yes, we had an amazing 8 days at WDW despite those darn pesky hibernating bears. And no one owes us a thing. Nor did we ask for anything. Why? Well, because there are about 4,000 other things to enjoy and we did our best to do them all!

...My mouth is full right now from people putting words in there I never said - I didn't say anything about "only coming here for one ride", thinking anyone had it any better or worse than me, etc....

Ummm.... but.... you kinda did...

...Well, that's nice and all, but would it kill Disney to compensate park visitors in some way when the premiere ride of the resort is down this much? I know our family traveled from Arkansas in large part to experience this ride. We spent money to stay on onsite to get in early sometimes, and spent time in fastpass lines to even get a shot at the RSR lottery....

We have to come all the way from Australia to visit Disneyland - 14 hours on a plane and pretty expensive! Would I be sad if RSR was down when we get there (less than four weeks now!)? Yes. Would I expect compensation? No, I'd still get to ride Indy, Space Mountain, BTMRR, Pirates, HMH, the Jungle Cruise, TSMM, Soarin', etc etc etc - not to mention all the shows, Christmas decorations, and the magic - I'll still be happy!

Exactly.

- Dreams

 

[Rebekkap]

Is Indiana Jones going to be completed by the time you arrive. It's been closed for quite a while and not sure when they're going to be finished. I'm sure a lot of people were upset when the came last month and It's a Small World was closed because they were installing the Christmas theme.

I hope so, but if not, there are plenty of other rides!

 

[doog71]

One of my all time favorite attractions at DL is/was The Country Bear Jamboree. In 2001, it closed. In October of 2008, DH and I went to WDW. Amongst other things, I was ecstatic about getting to see THE BEARS!!! We got there on our first day, I was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning as we approached the theatre for The Bears! And this is what I saw...

Seriously!?!!? Waited seven years to see them and --- closed?!?!! Was I bummed? More than you know. Was I disappointed? Oh yeah. Was I sad? A little, yeah, even as an adult. I LOVE The Bears. Did I expect anyone to do anything for me? Compensate me? Give me anything? Heck no. I was just bummed. And then I went and had an amazing rest of a vacation! By the way, four years later (as in 6 weeks ago), we returned to WDW. And wouldn't you know it, the gosh darn bears were closed on us again! Seriously.

And yes, we had an amazing 8 days at WDW despite those darn pesky hibernating bears. And no one owes us a thing. Nor did we ask for anything. Why? Well, because there are about 4,000 other things to enjoy and we did our best to do them all!



Ummm.... but.... you kinda did...




Exactly.

- Dreams

Oh snap! Ummm..."in large part" isn't the same thing as it being the only reason. It was a big consideration in us coming here (that's what "in large part" means), but not the only one. I have a 7-year-old son with tons of health issues that has looked forward to Cars Land, and this ride, for some time. It would be nice if Disney included in their advertising that this ride fails a good percentage of the time.

I don't want compensation. Don't care about that. I want Disney to stand behind their product and admit their failure, that's all. Standing behind your product is what's expected in almost every other business universe.

 

[Malcon10t]

I get it. I know new and technically savvy rides will go down from time to time. But I cannot believe how often this ride has gone down in the last week.

In over a week, you were not able to get on it? My sister was there on Thursday only. While the standby line stated 60 mins, my sister got in it, and waited 35 mins with my BIL and their 2 boys. Loved it so much, they hopped back in and waited 30 mins and rode a second time. This was Thurs afternoon.

We were there on the 16-18th, and rode numerous times over the weekend. While it did go down a couple times, using Mobile Magic, we could check before we headed that direction to be sure it was up. When it went down when we were in the FP line, they let us carry it over to the next day.

 

[doog71]

In over a week, you were not able to get on it? My sister was there on Thursday only. While the standby line stated 60 mins, my sister got in it, and waited 35 mins with my BIL and their 2 boys. Loved it so much, they hopped back in and waited 30 mins and rode a second time. This was Thurs afternoon.

We were there on the 16-18th, and rode numerous times over the weekend. While it did go down a couple times, using Mobile Magic, we could check before we headed that direction to be sure it was up. When it went down when we were in the FP line, they let us carry it over to the next day.

We have been able to ride it, yes, and it's a great ride. I'm sure there are times it's running like clockwork!

 

[mysteriouspnai]

Oh snap! Ummm..."in large part" isn't the same thing as it being the only reason. It was a big consideration in us coming here (that's what "in large part" means), but not the only one. I have a 7-year-old son with tons of health issues that has looked forward to Cars Land, and this ride, for some time. It would be nice if Disney included in their advertising that this ride fails a good percentage of the time.

I don't want compensation. Don't care about that. I want Disney to stand behind their product and admit their failure, that's all. Standing behind your product is what's expected in almost every other business universe.

It's bad business practice for a company to advertise:

COME!! EXPERIENCE OUR NEW RIDE!!!*


*Note: You are not guaranteed to experience our ride. It fails 50% of the time

Disney stands behind their product in that they're continuing to fix the ride instead of completely shutting it down outright. Any new ride in a theme park experiences loads of technical difficulties throughout its first year. I'm sorry that you were unable to experience the ride, but in your first post you practically requested compensation.

Well, that's nice and all, but would it kill Disney to compensate park visitors in some way when the premiere ride of the resort is down this much? I know our family traveled from Arkansas in large part to experience this ride. We spent money to stay on onsite to get in early sometimes, and spent time in fastpass lines to even get a shot at the RSR lottery.

Let previous day's fastpasses carry over to the next? Add a day to a park pass free of charge? A free churro? Anything at all to acknowledge that "yes, you spent loads of time and money to get here, and sorry, this thing just isn't working, and yes, it's our fault."

And yes, people may have been putting words into your mouth, but if you say something like "we spent money to stay on onsite," someone is bound to think that you feel entitled to something. Do you believe there's a difference if a person from Northern California stays onsite as opposed to a person from Arkansas? Where is the dividing line?

Bottom line is, Disney's not going to admit that there's a failure unless the ride doesn't run within first year failure rates. You just happened to come at an unfortunate time and hopefully you can just take it as a lesson to wait for reviews next time .

 

[Malcon10t]

Well, that's nice and all, but would it kill Disney to compensate park visitors in some way when the premiere ride of the resort is down this much? I know our family traveled from Arkansas in large part to experience this ride. We spent money to stay on onsite to get in early sometimes, and spent time in fastpass lines to even get a shot at the RSR lottery.

We have been able to ride it, yes, and it's a great ride.

OK, from your earlier post, where you were wanting to be compensated, I was under the impression that in a week, you had been unable to ride it.

 

[mrswh]

I do not believe we deserve any compensation when a ride goes down, but it would be nice if fastpasses could be honored the next day. Surely the system could be adjusted.

We were in the parks over Labor Day weekend and foolishly saved our FPs to ride after dark. Well, of course it closed about 30 seconds after the sun set. We waited a while but our kids were falling asleep on their feet so we had to go back to the hotel. However, when I asked politely, they did agree to honor our FPs the next day. Still, I don't think that they can really publicize this or offer it on a large scale, because then they would have no handle on how many FPs are out there, and theoretically the FP line could at any given time be as long as the Standby line.

We have been to DLR twice since RSR opened (Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving weekend), and yes, it was down a LOT, but we managed to ride several times both weekends with very little wait, even though we only had a couple days in the parks. It just takes a bit of planning and patience.

 

[scrapshappen]

We just got back from six days in the park. Saturday, 11/24 to Thursday, 11/29. I only witnessed the ride being down once on Sunday and then heard it was down one other time on Wednesday when we were there. Now it rained most of the day on Thursday so it was probably down then, but we were in DL that day so I wouldn't know).

My family rode the ride 5 times in six days - twice on Sunday and Monday and then once on Wednesday. Four times with Fast Passes and once during EMH. We would have used the single rider line to ride it more, but DH finally said he was sick of riding it.

So I'm not trying to say it isn't frustrating when it is down when you want to ride it, but I am saying that we were there pretty much the same time as you and got more than our fair share of rides in. Frankly, after reading the boards here, I was surprised it wasn't down more often than it was and riding it twice was all I even imagined we would be able to do.

 

[furb & dez]

Still waiting to have "Disney should stand behind their product" defined in non-nebulous marketing speak by the OP. By "standing behind their product", what the heck are you talking about? The sentence literally means nothing in the context of the OP's post. To me it just sounds like they are expecting some kind of compensation.

Feel free to enlighten us in words with actual meaning.