"Quality Control" walk the sequel...

[TDLFAN]

Hmmm... where to begin..

I got in the car yesterday... got to MGM. The park was crowded and I was having visions of DLP last Sunday where walking in a straight (or gayly foward) line was simply impossible. Between dodging strollers and crazy brats running amock..it was tough getting anywhere in a hurry.

Anyways... The reason for my being there was to check out Paris' Motors, Action! stunt show which is currently on rehearsal performances, although I suspect that is as good as it will get. Was lucky to get a FP for the show (which I really didn't need after all) and couple of hours later, I got to see the show. First up...rude guests. You'd thing that a show this noisy, featuring screetching wheels and kaboom explosions, they would take the time to tell guests with small kids to be awared of those moments in the show... Well, as soon as the show started, the 4 or so yr old little girl in front of me went psycho and started crying asking mommy to take her away. After much debate, the kid was taken out. Then there was the baby in the back who would not stop crying for the duration of the show. So I was in top shape handing out nasty stares to young parents who did nothing to aliviate their child's concerns.. Then the lady next to me had the need to talk on her cellphone during one of the stunts as well, while the british family a few feet away thought it was politically correct and acceptable dress policy to have their young son playing in the steps without shirts and shoes, with only pajama style troussers on him.... HOW RUDE!!!

On the other hand...I can't blame them... It's obvious this show is not for the stroller set. Now about the show itself... it is just as impressive as the Paris version. In fact, I had intended to see the Paris show last Sunday at WDSP but got there too late to catch their 3pm performance, instead opting for their CineMagique show (Martin Short on his best role ever), so be it. It's amazing how well everything was reproduced here at MGM from the Paris show..the sets, the stands, the theater main entrance... it's like Paris deja-vue. MGM's queue seems a bit bigger and expansive, and even the distance between the theater and the stands appear to be more expansive, so I felt the show looked farther away than Paris'.

The only thing that bogs down the show are the constant blah blah blah...during the next scene setting up moments. Also the Herbie plug is shameless but this is Eisner's Disney, is it not? The show started with a DeeDee Magno look alike (New MMC mouseketeer) telling us all about the show..and such, then a Dave Coullier look-alike taking over as the "director". Mind you...they point our attention to the video clips showing on the jumbotrom up above the sets and tell us.. "this video was shot as the action unfolded in front of you..." however, I spotted sun light and shadows on the video, which looked ok, but, we happened to be having a very cloudy shadowless day yesterday... so HA! we were being tricked!

All in all, they did a good job. I won't go into details but the show does deliver thrills, and I recommend it. After all, we are getting the best France's studio park has to offer here. But I would have prefered Cinemagique instead.

Quick detour to EPCOT Center to ride 'Soarin' at The Land. Again... nothing new here from the DCA version,but the queue sure is nice. EPCOT? well packed to the gills as well.

Then on to MK... MK as usual was well attended and getting around quickly was impossible. Went into the newly re-worked Stitch. Disappointment sets in. There was discarded trash inside the main theater. Do I have to see an empty bottle of 7up and dirty discarded napkins on the theater steps? Why o why can't we go back to the days when NO ONE was allowed to enter queues with food/drinks in hand?? Anyways...the "new" Stitch. There is nothing new here really. The show remains as boring as before albeit it does feature a different finale which is somewhat funny. But still the end comes abruptly and it feels like Kirk telling Spock to abort abort abort!!!! I get off the show smelling like chilly dog.

Then to kill time I go over to Splash Mountain. gee...after so many repeated rides on TDL's Splash, the MK version seems so so dark at times. Anyways... many problems here... the hopping Brer Rabbit was out for the count. He wasn't even there. I noticed at least two AAs out of order just sitting there. The queue was trashed with discarded gargabe. etc etc etc...
Very sad, and I pity the ones who had to stand by for over 75 minutes to ride an attraction in this condition.

After a quick bite at the Pecos Bill Cafe (now known as Tall Tales Cafe, a name I dislike a lot) I headed over to the castle to put me once again thru the torture of watching Cinderellabration Lite on the castle's stage. This being the last show, and the crowd being as huge as it was... it was a bit difficult. I honestly wish they had benches in the castle area so people can sit and enjoy the show better. Instead, with those huge strollers around, fathers putting their kids on their shoulders and everyone standing, it can become a very frustrating thing to enjoy any show at Cinderella Castle's forecourt.

I still managed to enjoy the show while also enjoying people fighting in front of me, yelling at some others to sit down so they could see.. but this is not Tokyo. There is no regards for other's here. It's all about ME! ME! ME!
The show presented as night fell over Orlando, does look much nicer at night when the castle lighting takes over and strobes are better seen. The audience did give it an enthusiastic applause in the beginning and at the end. The comments I heard from people around me was positive for the most part.. Me? I was biting my tongue and thinking "Go see the TDL one!!! :bow: " But why bother??? Besides the TDL version has closed already and no longer plays. All in all, the show is better at night and I would only recommend you take a look during the night time hrs.

A quick stop at the newly reopened Plaza Pavillion to sample the asian style menu. The place now calls itself the Noodle Station. The portion of noodles I had was plentiful and quite tasty, but it doesn't taste the same way it does in Asia, but what the heck...this is a nice change from the dreaded hamburgers, fries and hotdogs du jour served everywhere else at the MK.
The lines here were short but there were lots of people were enjoying their food in the dining area, but it's too early to call this place a hit yet.

On other unrelated news, the HKDL kids seems to be doing quite well at the MK. Most of them here on training for their puny little park in Lantau are doing a decent job and most seem personable and eager to help out guests. It's obvious they are excited about the oportunities they are having. I just pray to the heavens they won't pick up the bad habits of CMs at WDW, such as chewing gum on stage and wearing white sneakers with their costumes, which are 'Disney Look' violations I saw a plenty yesterday in several areas... worst offender CM's? Monorails and Tomorrowland attractions.

As for the park itself.. it was not all that clean. I will comment no further since I have been critizised for beating on a dead horse. But there is room for improvement in the Custodial areas...which is sad to say since Disney once set the example in that dept. But now it's OLC doing the honors there in Tokyo.

After that... I left and came home. All in all, it was an enjoyable walk thru some areas of WDW. Sorry If I bored you to death :o

[BurningStroller]

Your entire first paragraph is like a carbon copy of what I deal with every time I go to Disney. I think my face is going to freeze into a look of disgust and displeasure because I find myself making it more and more often at just about everyone I come into contact with at the parks. I'm just waiting for the day I get kicked out of there for ... nevermind .. I dont think many would agree with what I was just about to type.

As for the british...dont get me wrong...very nice people. They do, however, seem to lack in the 'proper apparel' department. I think there is a bra shortage overseas. Mind you I would never complain about the lack of a bra, but it many of these cases...FOR GODS SAKE PUT ONE ON!

[TDLFAN]

It's not just WDW...I have seen the British walking around barefoot and shirtless in our Orlando malls, McDonald's and even at the Airport. It's just like they have this illusion that because we live in the sun and humidity, it is OK to go around without clothing. Yes, the brits are very nice people and I love their accent enough to give me the giggles, but for the love of the Queen... DRESS UP!

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

You can't really judge LMA yet because it is still in soft openings. As time goes by, the performers said they will cut down the time between stunts. Also, for uncontrollable reasons, the water stunts can't be done until May or June. Also, give the CMs a break. There is nowhere in the world you'll find nicer employees. 99% do their jobs perfectly and still have time to make magic for the guests. Are there bad CMs, yes, but they are few and far between. As for garbage, the CMs do the best they can, but they can't be everywhere all the time. For all you know, that trash could have been dropped 2 minutes prior. As for rude people...yes it does happen. People can be rude. But a lot of the times, the people may not even know what they are doing so what is rude to you, they might not even notice.

The comments I heard from people around me was positive for the most part.. Me? I was biting my tongue and thinking "Go see the TDL one!!

Why can't you stop comparing the two and apreaciate MK's for what it is. Would you say, "Don't bother going to Disneyland, go to Magic Kingdom in Florida?"
-Michael

[TDLFAN]

>>Why can't you stop comparing the two and apreaciate MK's for what it is<<

But I do! It's a cheap knockoff! But it sure looks pretty at night as seen in my photos...

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4079221&a=31686116&sp=65

>>As for garbage, the CMs do the best they can, but they can't be everywhere all the time<<

Well you sure are a great apologist for Disney! Concidering they do not have enough workers out there to meet the damand...yes, they do the best they can which by the so-called Disney "standards", it's not good enough. But that is just my opinion as a former CM at WDW.

[WDW1974]

You can't really judge LMA yet because it is still in soft openings. As time goes by, the performers said they will cut down the time between stunts. Also, for uncontrollable reasons, the water stunts can't be done until May or June. Also, give the CMs a break. There is nowhere in the world you'll find nicer employees. 99% do their jobs perfectly and still have time to make magic for the guests. Are there bad CMs, yes, but they are few and far between. As for garbage, the CMs do the best they can, but they can't be everywhere all the time. For all you know, that trash could have been dropped 2 minutes prior. As for rude people...yes it does happen. People can be rude. But a lot of the times, the people may not even know what they are doing so what is rude to you, they might not even notice.
Why can't you stop comparing the two and apreaciate MK's for what it is. Would you say, "Don't bother going to Disneyland, go to Magic Kingdom in Florida?"
-Michael

My first thought upon reading your post was 'When did things get so bad at WDW, that the company needed apologists?' ... My second thought was 'some people are willing to keep accepting a lower level of service at WDW and elsewhere and then criticize those who will not.'

I absolutely disagree with your contention that WDW has the nicest employees in the world. If this were 1974, definitely. 1984? Likely. 1994? Doubtful but I can see a rationalization. But today? Not even close. Some are still great. Some should likely be in cages. But the vast majority are average -- they view it as a job, no more, no less ... and they certainly don't believe in exceeding guest expectations.

As far as trash goes, it is ludicrous to say WDW is as clean as it used to be. There have been massive cutbacks in maintainance. Sometimes it's not noticeable -- upkeep on attractions and infrastructure is another matter -- but other times it is. As TDLFAN said, a MAJOR factor is that WDW now allows people to enter attractions with all manner of food and beverage. Naturally, this leads to trash all over the place, but it also likely adds to sales of Cokes, popcorn and ice cream. WDW was never a pristine place, but it was kept to an incredibly high level of cleanliness. That began to slide over a decade ago. You may not care about it, or even notice it, but others do.

As to the comparisons TDLFAN makes to TDL, I am amazed at how provincial and small-minded a lot of people are. The OLC runs its parks the Disney Way, while Disney no longer does. Some folks have a hard time dealing with this fact of life. I'm hoping that by pointing this out, Disney gives some good, long thought into running its parks to the standards its founders demanded.

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

I absolutely disagree with your contention that WDW has the nicest employees in the world. ...Some should likely be in cages. But the vast majority are average -- they view it as a job, no more, no less ... and they certainly don't believe in exceeding guest expectations.

I'm definatly going to have to disagree with this. In all my years going to Disney World, I've only seen one CM that wasn't superb (he worked at World of Disney and was kind of disgruntled). Most CMs go out of there way to do any sort of magic. There are websites (such as MousePlanet) who have weekly columns of such events. I challenge you to find one other company where the employees as a whole always smile and go over the top.

-Michael

[Diesel]

Bash Bash Bash..............

[TDLFAN]

>>I challenge you to find one other company where the employees as a whole always smile and go over the top.<<

Certainly not Delta Airlines...

Certainly there are a great majority of CMs who understnd and love what they do. However, there was a time when it was impossible to find someone at Disney who would be rude..but lately, that happens a little bit. Sadly, the facts.. and for Disney, a corporation snobbish enough to offer corporate courses on how to be "Disney-like", that is simply unacceptable. I personally have had two incidents with extremely rude CMs who got out of line with me in the last few months. These are the types who do not deserve to be there because they are there for the sorry paychecks more than to create magic. I am sorry but I have to see this without rosey glasses.

[ti2gr]

Ypi can't say that the garbage at Disney World is because of cut backs entirely. Obver the years it is the GUESTS that simply DO NOT put trash in the provided trash cans. I see it everyday, guests drop trash wherever they are. They simply don't care at all, unlike the Japanese that respect their surroundings. Here in the US I think guests have a mission to see how much they can dirty or destroy a place, whether it's Disney or not. It seems that if something isn't nailed r cememnted in the ground it's theirs for the taking.

[figment1986]

the photos were really nice... makes me want to see IASW sooner... (I might be there in 2 sundays from now..)

[BurningStroller]

I think it's pretty clear why we don't get the 'good rides' and why paint peeling and trash aren't a big issue to the suits at WDW. ITS US! It's the American people. We, on these message boards, are the minority. All the general park guests care about is a little 'whiz-bang' and not being at work for a week. This is what WDW provides them and this is why they come back. I dont think you're going to see a line at guest relations of people complaining about some chipped paint near a bathroom in tomorrowland. No, they're going to complain that their kid didnt see their favorite character.

Theme parks are created around their clientele. This is why Disneyland and WDW are so different. Disneyland is created for the people that go more than once a year, maybe once a week. They have almost 700,000 AP's. WDW is created for people that go once every one or two years. These are the people that are going to spend the majority of their time running from ride to ride, never stopping to notice that a planter is missing or a bathroom stall hasn't been cleaned.

You want to know why WDW is changing. Just look at Television, look at our movies, look at your local wal-mart.

It's disgusting and sad, but thats what's happening. You want changes? STOP SEEING BAD MOVIES, DONT SHOP AT MAJOR RETAILERS, AND FOR ***** sake don't watch reality shows! As soon as people start appreciating higher quality experiences in their own home, then they'll start demanding it on vacation too...then we'll see changes.

[nish221]

Actually, everytime I'm in a Disney Resort, when I see some trash that's really aggregious
(like being in a queue), I pick up trash since I know that it's REALLY hard for CM to see
it and to get to it. If it's in the attraction, I always let the CM know about it.

Used to be that I always saw Maintenance folks waiting in the queues themselves to pick up trash, but I rarely see that anymore. There are definitely fewer Maintenance folks than before (like in the 70s and 80s).

On the otherhand, it really is my perception that people seem to be more in the
"I paid to get in so I can make any mess that I want to" then before (like 20 years ago!),
but that's society wide.

I take the "I want to keep it clean, because it makes me and everyone else happier"
and "I want this place preserved for my kids" approach. But I take that approach
with almost anywhere public actually. Yeah, I do have a little bit of a ownership complex
with DL. :-)

[TDLFAN]

Like yourself^^ I used to bend down and pick up trash myself when I was at the parks, but don't do that anymore. I feel I am contributing to them *not seeing* there is a problem if I do their job.

[WDW1974]

I'm definatly going to have to disagree with this. In all my years going to Disney World, I've only seen one CM that wasn't superb (he worked at World of Disney and was kind of disgruntled). Most CMs go out of there way to do any sort of magic. There are websites (such as MousePlanet) who have weekly columns of such events. I challenge you to find one other company where the employees as a whole always smile and go over the top.

-Michael

All I can say is you must be VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY unbelievably lucky or just don't visit all that often. I spend many days at WDW every year, and have been there hundreds of times since 1974.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble but WDW CMs as a whole do not always (or even mostly) smile and most don't really care about much more than their paychecks. The average WDW CM today has more in common with a typical WalMart employee than the Disney ideal. Exceeding guest expectations is given lip service.

There are still great CMs, don't get me wrong, but they are exceptions (much like the awful ones) not the rule.

[WDW1974]

Ypi can't say that the garbage at Disney World is because of cut backs entirely. Obver the years it is the GUESTS that simply DO NOT put trash in the provided trash cans. I see it everyday, guests drop trash wherever they are. They simply don't care at all, unlike the Japanese that respect their surroundings. Here in the US I think guests have a mission to see how much they can dirty or destroy a place, whether it's Disney or not. It seems that if something isn't nailed r cememnted in the ground it's theirs for the taking.

Hey, I agree that many guests are complete pigs. I have seen cheeseburger basket remnants in the center of Main Street with trash cans on both sides mere feet away. I see folks that put their trash on top of a can or next to it, but not in it. You are absolutely correct that, unlike the Japanese, as a group Americans don't have respect for their surroundings or the property of others. If I get another dent in my car because some idiot decided to just swing his/her door wide open without looking/caring, I swear I might get involved in a parking lot rage incident!

But again, Disney has cutback in its maintainance workforce. the quality of the workers is also lower than what it once was.

Ultimately, it's Disney's responsibility to clean up after people, no matter how boorish their behavior is. Saying people are worse, which is true, than they were 20 years ago is no excuse for Disney letting its standards decline.

The worst parks, by far, for cleanliness are Disney-MGM (bathrooms are almost always dirty, sometimes filthy) and MK. Bad show all around.

[TDLFAN]

Disney has cutback in its maintainance workforce. the quality of the workers is also lower than what it once was.

The worst parks, by far, for cleanliness are Disney-MGM (bathrooms are almost always dirty, sometimes filthy) and MK. Bad show all around.

I agree about the restrooms too... Apart from DLRParis'.. they are in really bad condition by 11am.

As for the trash versus Custodial staffing... WDW itself made the problem much bigger since they have added so so so so many vending food/bev carts and counters all over the parks in addition to the restaurants that were there in the first place. As a matter of fact, many readily available food stands became avail after the closing of several places, such as the Adventureland Veranda and Odyssey at Epcot. The more food vending venues...the more trash output is there...and with less CM's doing custodial... the trash adds up! That is why in my assessment they can't keep up with it. Plus add to that the many people (especially kids) who have no manners and leave their trash everywhere for all to see and enjoy. People need to leave their bad habits home but in reality, this is a loosing battle now.

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

All I can say is you must be VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY unbelievably lucky or just don't visit all that often. I spend many days at WDW every year, and have been there hundreds of times since 1974.

I go there every summer. Maybe the CM's are different in the summer but I always see them smile. They are always willing to help and I've only heard one CM complain about there job. Maybe I'm extremely lucky or maybe you are just extremely unlucky.

-Michael

[Guest]

Ypi can't say that the garbage at Disney World is because of cut backs entirely. Obver the years it is the GUESTS that simply DO NOT put trash in the provided trash cans. I see it everyday, guests drop trash wherever they are. They simply don't care at all, unlike the Japanese that respect their surroundings. Here in the US I think guests have a mission to see how much they can dirty or destroy a place, whether it's Disney or not. It seems that if something isn't nailed r cememnted in the ground it's theirs for the taking.

See, I am inclined to agree here-- people have gotten to be PIGS most everywhere, not just WDW.......I am not sure why this has occurred...relaxing of most rules / dress codes/ etc / who knows...but anywhere you go is not as clean as it was 15-20 years ago....now cutting back of maintenance staff only exascerbates the problem

[WDW1974]

I go there every summer. Maybe the CM's are different in the summer but I always see them smile. They are always willing to help and I've only heard one CM complain about there job. Maybe I'm extremely lucky or maybe you are just extremely unlucky.

-Michael

I would say it's thr former (naturally), but you have given me some info that might help explain things. You say you visit only once a year and during the summer. The summer is when WDW has the most College Program CMs on property and they usually are pretty terrific because they are kids and they aren't doing it for the money. ... A big difference than some poor guy/gal working full-time for $16,000 a year and trying to raise a family.