Trip Report Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

[Wild Ol' Dan]

Howdy Pards,

Ya know, there was a time when this never woulda happened...

In early October I visited Walt Disney World for two weeks...and, as I always try to do when I'm in Epcot, I visited The Land Pavilion more than once. Well, on my first visit I was a little surprised that the going up escalator was not working. Kinda unDisneylike...I thought. But, hey, things happen...it'll be fixed later today and all will once again be right with the world.

Two or three days later I visited again...and, it still wasn't fixed! Now, remember, huge crowds of people head down to the lower level for Soarin' and Listen to the Land and that Food Court. Why on earth wouldn't Disney fix that Escalator the very same day it broke? Here it is two or three days after I first visited and it ain't fixed yet? And who knows how long it had been broke before that? What...was Epcot's maintenance crew on vacation or something?

Well, three or four days later...you guessed it...it STILL wasn't fixed! There is just no excuse for that. None. Whatsoever!

During the Food and Wine Festival millions of people walk through those front gates spending millions of dollars...yet Disney can't afford to repair an escalator in one of the highest traffic areas in the Park?

I was there for more than two weeks...and that escalator was not moving once during my visits! There is simply no excuse for that...this isn't a local department store somewhere...this is Walt Disney World...and EPCOT...we are talking about...FUTURE WORLD! Is lack of maintenance and upkeep what we can expect in the future?

I know...it's just a detail. And a few miles away Disney just opened a magnificent NEW FANTASYLAND area...but, my gosh, wake up the maintenance crew at EPCOT! For all I know that escalator is STILL not working...

And...like I say...there was a time when this never woulda happened...

Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail.

Wild Ol' Dan

[mess98]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

There could have been something seriously wrong with the escalator... maybe it needed to be completely replaced. Fixing heavy machinery isn't like replacing a battery on your watch.

Please don't be so quick to judge.

[Wild Ol' Dan]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

Howdy mess98,

The Walt Disney Company has the connections, the money, and the ability to fix an escalator in a VERY timely manner. Certainly faster than TWO weeks plus. As I said I do not know if it has been fixed all these weeks later.

Millions of guests spend millions of dollars to visit Epcot. Disney has the resources, the materials, and the ability to deal with very complex breakdowns in all manner of machinery.
At the very least the "down" escalator should have been reversed to bring folks "up".

Two weeks plus of down time is hardly being "quick to judge". Not by previously established Disney standards anyway.

No, this is an issue of attention to detail...caring...or lack of it. It has nothing to do with the machinery found in a simple escalator. Any department store could get it repaired faster than two weeks plus...especially if they had millions of customers coming to the store...and a maintenance crew as large as Disney's... We are not talking about rocket science...audio-animatronics...or anything...we're talking about a common, ordinary escalator...in a company absolutely full of engineers and machine shops and working machines of all kinds...

Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail.

Wild Ol' Dan

[Barbaraann]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I recall my trip to Disney World in 2009. The very first day, I was riding the Ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon, and I was excited when the entrance to the Magic Kingdom became visible. As, I got closer and closer, something seemed a bit off. I glanced up at the Huge Clock, and realized that it had the wrong time. I figured, it probably just stopped that day, and surely it would be fixed before I left the park that evening. Surely, the Disney people wouldn't let such a visible mistake take place very long.

I posted about this in 2009 when I returned to posting on MiceChat, and I was not greeted kindly. MiceChatters didn't seem to understand my feelings on the matter. Of course, the incorrect time on that clock did not spoil my vacation. However, it left an image in my mind of how my vacation got off on the wrong foot. I noticed quite a lot of things on that trip that just wern't up to the standards that I expected at Disney World.

It took them days to fix that clock.

I have waited almost 4 years to return to the Magic Kingdom, and I want to return with the right attitude.

The escalator story makes me wonder...

[wiigirl]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

There could have been something seriously wrong with the escalator... maybe it needed to be completely replaced. Fixing heavy machinery isn't like replacing a battery on your watch.

Please don't be so quick to judge.

This...

[Wild Ol' Dan]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

There could have been something seriously wrong with the escalator...maybe it needed to be completely replaced. Fixing heavy machinery isn't like replacing a battery on your watch.

Please don't be so quick to judge.

This...

Howdy wiigirl,

This...

The Walt Disney Company has the connections, the money, and the ability to fix an escalator in a VERY timely manner. Certainly faster than TWO weeks plus. As I said I do not know if it has been fixed all these weeks later.

Millions of guests spend millions of dollars to visit Epcot. Disney has the resources, the materials, and the ability to deal with very complex breakdowns in all manner of machinery.
At the very least the "down" escalator should have been reversed to bring folks "up".

Two weeks plus of down time is hardly being "quick to judge". Not by previously established Disney standards anyway.

No, this is an issue of attention to detail...caring...or lack of it. It has nothing to do with the machinery found in a simple escalator. Any department store could get it repaired faster than two weeks plus...especially if they had millions of customers coming to the store...and a maintenance crew as large as Disney's... We are not talking about rocket science...audio-animatronics...or anything...we're talking about a common, ordinary escalator...in a company absolutely full of engineers and machine shops and working machines of all kinds...including common, ordinary, everyday department store escalators...

Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail.

Wild Ol' Dan

[Barbaraann]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I guess when we notice things like this, and we comment negatively, we are called nitpickers.

My first visit to Disney World wasn't until 1997, so I can only compare what I saw in 2009 to what I experienced in that 12 year span of visits.

I guess it's human nature to complain. It just feels that I have been given more reasons to do that very thing than I used to.

[aimster]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I visit Epcot on a monthly basis and the escalators at The Land pavilion seem to be broken or not working a lot. There was one time earlier this year when I actually saw a couple of maintenance guys working on fixing one of them. They had it all opened up (looked like one hot mess to me).

But... In the last year, I've seen these particular escalators NOT working more than they have been. I have no idea what the problem is, but it is something I've noticed.

[almandot]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

escalator was still broken in late october, around the 20th. It breaks often but usually it's back up in a day or so.

For those saying to be fair to Disney, I don't care so much that it broke again and it takes time to fix. I care that Soarin' is the -Number One- attraction at Walt Disney World and has had to handle massive crowd flow since 2005 and it all has to go down the tiny escalators to get to it and then up a tiny escalator fighting against people coming off the attraction, having just gotten a fastpass, getting off Living with the Land, finishing eating, etc.. They should have created a better traffic flow with new additional escalators or an entrance on the first floor or SOMETHING.

[buzz2001]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

It was still broke on 10/31 when we visited.

[mratigan]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

wild ol dan,
I understand what you are saying.
I agree 99%. Yes its Disney and they should get it fixed fast.Then there are times when there may be problems with the parts and may need to wait for custom parts....
but i still agree with you

At Universal Studios Hollywood on the Starway they 3 escalators.
Normally 2 are working ...........

[ttintagel]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

Surely the company that had the audacity, wherewithal, and technological savvy to get EPCOT built in the first place has what it takes to get an escalator repaired in a timely manner, even one with a major problem.

I do agree with almandot, though; the pavilion has needed better traffic solutions for a while. The last time I visited was in a wheelchair, and the bottleneck at the elevator was insane.

[Imagineer Meg]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I have a clarifying question. Were people allowed to walk up the non-moving escalator,or were there barriers to stop people from going on it?

Because stairs are ultimately quicker, they often turn off the escalators to allow for better crowd control. It gives an additional staircase for people to use and avoids the bottlenecks involved with standing on an escalator. We go to Disney every year between Christmas and New Years, and this is almost always the case during that time because of the crowd volume.

Furthermore, escalators are extremely complex machines. Proper maintenance workers are required to make sure that one will operate smoothly and safely. Very few maintenance workers/engineers/etc are qualified for this job. As an engineer, I would not want to be assigned to fix an escalator only to have something happen because I didn't have the proper knowledge. I am sure that the traffic engineers working at Disney are well aware of the situation and have analyzed the crowd flow to ensure that no major bottlenecks will occur.

[Wild Ol' Dan]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

Howdy Imagineer Meg,

Well, I gotta hand it to ya...it takes a great deal of imagination to think that breaking an escalator somehow improves traffic flow.

There is a reason those "up" escalators were installed in the first place...to improve traffic flow and to be a service to tired guests drained by the Florida sun, the heat, and miles of walking...

But...beyond the simple fact that when something is broke you oughta fix it... is the whole idea of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Do you seriously think that Walt Disney would have tolerated a broken escalator in a place designed to showcase the hope and promise of the future?

If the maintenance staff at Walt Disney World can no longer deal with something as complex as a common, ordinary, department store escalator in a timely manner...boy oh boy...has Disney lost ground!

The "traffic engineers" working at Disney appear to be on an extended lunch break or something...a break that has lasted apparently for far more than a month! Walt would have had the thing fixed the very next day...why...well, that's simple...Walt Disney cared about the guests and he wanted to project a positive image of the future and the Walt Disney Company.

But, you go on thinkin' that a busted escalator or elevator somehow "improves traffic flow." You go on thinkin' that... It's a great excuse... No wonder they ripped World of Motion out of Epcot...
no motion at all, as you say, improves traffic flow...

Talk about putting a positive spin on things...in spite of the obvious...

Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail.

Wild Ol' Dan

[Barbaraann]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I wanted to play the Walt card, but you do it so much better Dan, and I sincerely mean that as a compliment.

I was reminded of the video I watched of Walt's original vision of Epcot, and all the modes of transportation. The People Mover specifically. I doubt they would have stayed inoperable for long, if Mr. Disney were in charge, and they had broken down.

People don't like it when we speak of the past, or compare what was, with what is. However, the world today just seems to want to settle with what is, rather than what is right and should be.

[maddogjoe]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I agree with Imagineer Meg, could the escalator been turned off to help with traffic? I know my wife and mother in law both have a horrible time getting on an escalator, which backs up the lines of those trying to get on it. On top of that, most people can walk up the stairs faster than one can ride an escalator. Turning off an escalator and allowing people to use it as a stairway would move more people quicker, like when a show lets out, to clear the crowds quicker.

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

Escalators (or should I say speed ramps?) used to be out all the time in Disneyland, even back in the "good old days". I remember sometimes having to occasionally walk up the speed ramps at the exits of the HM and also SM. And I remember the speed ramps at the entrance of SM always seemed to be out.

So I don't see how this can be very "un-Disney" since I remember this happening back when you never had to put the un in there at all.

[Witches of Morva]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

ORDDU: My sisters and I have also noticed that the escalator at the Land is broken down quite a bit over the past few years. But, then, we've also noticed a lot of other things not working correctly across the property--attractions and rides that sit neglected for reasons we aren't privy too--such as the Carosel of Progress, Splash Mountain, The Great Movie Ride, etc. We agree with you, Dan, that there is no excuse to let these things go unrepaired for such lengthy periods and we're not afraid to complain just because certain others would prefer we remain silent. To pretend things are all right when they aren't is ludicrous and anyone who pays as much money as Disney is charging for everything has a right to complain!!!

[Barbaraann]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

When Disney World is marvelous, let the praises ring out.

When Disney World is not, don't be afraid to sound the alarm.

[DisCollector]

Re: Fixin' the Escalator in the Land Pavilion

I agree with Dan on the situation. Whether it's a minor mechanical problem, or a major one they should be able to fix it whether it's a short period of time, or it requires a lengthy period of time.

It's not only, because Disney has the people to complete such a task, but has the money and also is needed to control traffic as it has been brought up. The last time I was at EPCOT the traffic was ridiculous when it came to that pavillion. It was flooded with people.

If it is actually a really serious mechanical problem and don't want people to really see them operating on it, or do not want to create a hazard they can try to fix it during the time of which the park is closed. It would cause for more hours of course, but it should be done. What's the point of it being there if they're not going to try to fix it? They might as well make stairs. They have the people and the money to fix it, whether it's a minor problem in the system, or a major one.