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yohomama212
07-29-2008, 09:18 AM
So there we were on POTC yesterday, enjoying the atmosphere and just glad to be sitting down for a bit when suddenly half a dozen cameras started going off. By the time we got to the tunnel right before the first drop, it was almost non-stop flashing and it was beginning to hurt my eyes. The guests in the two rows behind us were complaining too. I shouted "no flash photography" as politely as I could but it continued. A couple more gentle reminders of the policy on my part were met with profanity. Now at least I knew they understood English!

The whole ride, at least 6 cameras, non-stop flash photography. When we got off the ride Mom and I stepped aside and spoke to a CM. She was full of excuses. "We have to watch 30 screens all at once, maybe we just missed it." "I'm so sorry we didn't catch it." And other such lines. Really? 30 cameras in a 15 minute ride with CMs placed through the ride to intervene in such situations and no one ever saw a thing?

What options do guests have when this happens? The CM at the exit did offer us another ride, but that wasn't the issue. We want something done the first time! Is there anything I can do as a guest, in that moment, when it appears that the CMs aren't doing their jobs?

Elizabeth

petesimac
07-29-2008, 09:43 AM
Sadly, sometimes you just have to let it go. Unfortunately we will always have rude people amongst us. To enjoy your stay at the happiest place on Earth, just learn to live and let live, and realize that there's no way we can control other people. Disney usually does a pretty good job stopping people from doing things that are "against the rules", but there will always be those who fall through the cracks and get away with things.

IdahoMike
07-29-2008, 10:04 AM
Grab their cameras and throw them in the water?
Grab THEM and throw them in the water?

Just kidding, but I feel your pain. I always seem to get on HM near the idiots that find it necessary to scream throughout the entire ride. I don't really care if they recite the spiel in the stretching room, but to scream throughout the entire ride is ridiculous. I have more than once used the "thanks for ruining the ride for everyone else." line after exiting, but those types of people just don't seem to care.

MickeyM00C0w
07-29-2008, 10:14 AM
The only thing you can do is sit back and bear it. There are rude people in this world. The only thing that can help is by getting on the ride again, which is exactly what the CM did. And the one that was "full of excuses" was absolutely right. There is a lot going on in PotC and they have a lot of stuff to watch out for (and I really do not think there are any CMs at all inside of the ride, but I could be wrong). Mansion only has half as many cameras and I have a hard enough time catching every little detail. And since there is so much going on in PotC, including flashes of lightning and all sorts of effects going on, it is incredibly difficult to catch someone taking pictures because it could just as easily be a part of the ride.

You want something done the first time? The CMs are human, not deities. They can't do much besides spiel to the guests to not take pictures, and the fact that you all asked them not to resulted in them shouting back at you means they probably would have continued taking pictures anyway, regardless of a CM asking them to. Just grin and bear it. We all know there are less than pleasant people in this world and you should be happy enough to know that you are not one of them.

cstephens
07-29-2008, 10:15 AM
What options do guests have when this happens? The CM at the exit did offer us another ride, but that wasn't the issue. We want something done the first time! Is there anything I can do as a guest, in that moment, when it appears that the CMs aren't doing their jobs?

There's only so much the CMs can do anyway. They can't control what each guest does. They'd really just come over the loudspeaker to ask people to stop taking flash photos, but it's not like they're going to stop the ride, come out in their wading boots, and reprimand the offenders. I've been in a boat where people were using flash photography and continued so even after the announcement came on. Happens on Haunted Mansion too.

Infinitely
07-29-2008, 10:54 AM
Remind them that the flashes bring the audio-animatronics to life, then say you don't even like to think about what happened "last time", of course when you say that act as if a shiver is going down you back. Ha ha ha ha.

On a serious level I have found saying anything about it to the photographer, doesn’t help. Most aren’t rude or confrontational they just say “okay”: and stop until they see something else they HAVE to get a picture of.

You know they say this is something they will only get to see once in their life, and want to remember it and you get to think, “Yeah but you blinded me and I didn’t get to see it at all.” But you say “Really, because about 10 years ago I was here taking pictures, and I wouldn’t stop so they forced me to live in this ride…this is my escape…what has changed since 1998? Oh no wait they see me trying to get out!! Can I hide in your hat?”

mjmcnns
07-29-2008, 10:56 AM
I'm asking as someone who is completely ignorant so pardon my lack of knowledge - but is it just a general rule that there are no pictures on any of the attractions?

Infinitely
07-29-2008, 10:57 AM
How about
“NO flash photography, those who choose to use flash photography despite this warning will have their cameras confiscated and given to the monkeys on the Jungle Cruise. Those of you wishing to retrieve your cameras my contact Trader Sam after park hours…at your own risk.”

What's "Disney"?
07-29-2008, 11:20 AM
You might as well just take pictures of the inside of a cave.

In fact, most of the ride IS a cave.

Most tourists do NOT have:

1. Good enough cameras
2. Photography skills

So why bother taking photographs in Pirates of the Caribbean?

The photo will come out completely black, and will have some random lighting showing through here and there.

JUST THINK

Think about an environment like Pirates.

Do you REALLY think you are going to get a high-quality picture?

I don't.

Also, you take photographs to REMEMBER all those good times you had! Ironically, you aren't having a good time if you spend no time paying attention and ALL of your time shooting photos. It's like that plastic that covers couches to protect the fabric...yet you aren't ever sitting on the fabric!

The CM in question DID offer for another ride...PERFECT! However, CMs should not make excuses, guests don't want to hear them. Instead, fix the problem.

Have you ever been to a restaurant where you got the wrong order? Would you rather hear, "Well I told the chefs that you wanted the chicken, but they must have made the steak instead" OR do you want to hear, "Sorry about the mistake, sir, your chicken will be right up as soon as possible"?

Lani
07-29-2008, 11:24 AM
I'm asking as someone who is completely ignorant so pardon my lack of knowledge - but is it just a general rule that there are no pictures on any of the attractions?

It's not that you can't take pictures, it's that you can't set off the flash on your camera or use a light for your camcorder.

In many of the darker areas, the human eye needs to adjust to the dark to be able to see the details. So not only is the flash disruptive, but it also physically impacts the other guests by blinding them.

I really can't say emphatically enough how rude and selfish this behavior is. And if the camera is so dumb that it has no "off" button for the flash when it's dark, then the thing to do is to simply not take photos.

In all of the publically accessible areas, there is nothing you cannot somehow find an image of somewhere, usually in the form of very nice postcards.

PS: Cameras with flashes taken in dark places usually wind up being really poor in quality anyway. So not only does is the person obnoxious for using the flash on their camera and annoying everyone around them (can we say RIDE RAGE?), but the snapshots won't even come out.

PPS: If I knew exactly who the culprit was, I would probably follow them for a while and keep taking pictures "towards their general direction" with the flash going off. Many pictures. Many, many pictures. All with flash.

Matterhorn Yodeler
07-29-2008, 11:33 AM
On the Disneyland Railroad, part of the pre-recorded spiel is "no flash photography" prior to entering the dioramas for the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. Since each flash is magnified when it reflects off of the glass windows of the dioramas, they are vividly seen. Well we've made a game of it, and now count how many camera flashes we see. To my recollection, the fewest we've seen is seven and the most we've seen is around 30.

This game has greatly reduced my annoyance about the flash photography and let me enjoy the attraction much more. And I must admit that there is a little smile on my face when I imagine all those photos with giant flash reflections covering most of the picture!:~D

HisKid
07-29-2008, 11:56 AM
On the Disneyland Railroad, part of the pre-recorded spiel is "no flash photography" prior to entering the dioramas for the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. Since each flash is magnified when it reflects off of the glass windows of the dioramas, they are vividly seen. Well we've made a game of it, and now count how many camera flashes we see. To my recollection, the fewest we've seen is seven and the most we've seen is around 30.


This is a really funny way to turn this around. I have actually made it through once without seeing one! Maybe I just missed it, though, lol.

yohomama212
07-29-2008, 12:19 PM
Now see, I've actually been on a train when it was stopped mid-Grand Canyon scene because someone was taking pictures. I was in the car with the culprit, it was on one of the cars that gets the CM riding along on the exterior, he made two announcements and after the third, the conductor stopped the train. After a minute we were going again, but the point was made. I've heard announcements from inside POTC, HM, and IASW and even caught sight of CMs inside POTC. It just surprises me that with the frequency of flash that they really didn't catch it.

Elizabeth

Matterhorn Yodeler
07-29-2008, 01:16 PM
This is a really funny way to turn this around. I have actually made it through once without seeing one! Maybe I just missed it, though, lol.

You must have been distracted by the dinosaurs or something!:p

HisKid
07-29-2008, 01:20 PM
You must have been distracted by the dinosaurs or something!:p

Or maybe it was the gaggle of children I have climbing on me all of the time. I know it's hard to believe, but they can be distracting at times, lol.

Malcon10t
07-29-2008, 05:04 PM
We were on POTC once with this mom and daughter once who kept taking flash pics of everything, it was SOOOOO annoying. We asked once, flashes keep going. They made the announcement once about no flash, but didn't stop them. Suddenly, in the boat fight scene as flas after flash is going on, ride stops, lights come on, and we are stuck. The mom asks "I wonder what happened" and MickeyDogMom turns and totally deadpan says "Too much flash photography shuts it down." They just looked at each other. 5 minutes later we were off, and no more flash....

Donald Duck Fan68
07-29-2008, 08:08 PM
The whole ride, at least 6 cameras, non-stop flash photography. When we got off the ride Mom and I stepped aside and spoke to a CM. She was full of excuses. "We have to watch 30 screens all at once, maybe we just missed it." "I'm so sorry we didn't catch it." And other such lines. Really? 30 cameras in a 15 minute ride with CMs placed through the ride to intervene in such situations and no one ever saw a thing?

What options do guests have when this happens? The CM at the exit did offer us another ride, but that wasn't the issue. We want something done the first time! Is there anything I can do as a guest, in that moment, when it appears that the CMs aren't doing their jobs?

Elizabeth

I too get annoyed by guests who think the "no flash" rule doesn't apply to them, but unfortunately there isn't much another guest can do to get them to stop other than what you did. Given their response to you, I doubt even the typical message over the loudspeaker would have worked. Probably nothing would have short of stopping the ride, and stopping a ride ruins the experience as much as the flashes.

From the CM's point of view, I'm sure the ones watching the screens have a lot to keep an eye out for, but the priority is likely safety issues. I don't think it's right to assume they're not doing they're jobs when there could be any number of things that distracted them from seeing the flashes going off. I don't see their explanations as excuses, but just trying to get you to understand their point of view. After the incident already happened, they did all they could do to make your experience better by offering you a chance to ride it again.

Mermaid
07-29-2008, 09:08 PM
I have noticed lately that the Pirates CMs have been telling each boat "No Flash Photography" when they take off. This seems to have been helping. I have been on 2 different boats where people then put their cameras away. But. rude people will be rude people and not care. I have also been on when a CM came over the loudspeaker and told them to stop.

To me, the worst is the seance room in HM. If you have a "flasher" you get it right in the face.

I am not sure what else the CMs could have done. At the most, maybe if it was really obvious who the flasher was, stop them when they got off. My guess is though, it is hard to tell on the videos and they are watching more for safety issues. I think the offer for a re-ride was adequate, although I understand why it wasn't quite satisfying.

dittersdorf
07-29-2008, 10:14 PM
This may be a little off-topic, but it reminds me of one of the most surreal experiences I ever had on POTC. The people in the boat ahead of us were maniacal flashers - it seemed like everyone in the boat had flashes going off every few seconds, so much so that the atmosphere reminded me of slowly approaching an oncoming electrical storm. Meanwhile, a poor child sitting behind us was obviously extremely freaked out by the ride...I'm not talking about crying here, the poor kid was truly hysterical, screaming and hyperventalating (I'm pretty sure I misspelled the last word - sorry) throughout the entire ride. So between the mad flashers ahead of us and the poor, hysterical child behind us, it was truly a POTC ride to remember!
Getting back to the topic, as others have noted, I don't think there was much the CM's could have done in this case. I've been on the ride several times when CM's have repeated the "No flash pictures" warning over the PA system during the ride, and the flashers seemed to take no notice and continued to flash like crazy. Usually when this happens I just ride a second time.

MickeyM00C0w
07-29-2008, 10:23 PM
The CM in question DID offer for another ride...PERFECT! However, CMs should not make excuses, guests don't want to hear them. Instead, fix the problem.

Have you ever been to a restaurant where you got the wrong order? Would you rather hear, "Well I told the chefs that you wanted the chicken, but they must have made the steak instead" OR do you want to hear, "Sorry about the mistake, sir, your chicken will be right up as soon as possible"?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't the CM correct it? As I already said, they are humans, not deities. If they don't catch it, they fix it by offering the guests a chance to ride again. Really, what more do you want? What you saw as an excuse, I saw as an explanation. Besides, it wasn't that particular CM who was in the tower during the time, so she would have no idea what was going on.

Donald Duck Fan68
07-29-2008, 10:57 PM
Short of producing a DeLorean equipped with a flux capaciter, I think the CM did everything they could to "fix" a problem that had already occurred by offering to chance to ride again.

rokketride
07-30-2008, 08:38 AM
It's not that you can't take pictures, it's that you can't set off the flash on your camera or use a light for your camcorder.

In many of the darker areas, the human eye needs to adjust to the dark to be able to see the details. So not only is the flash disruptive, but it also physically impacts the other guests by blinding them.

Isnt there also an issue with the flash fading/damaging the materials in the ride?
I thought I heard somewhere that the intense light of a flash was so that it gets to the point where the ride might as well be in direct sunlight.

What's "Disney"?
07-30-2008, 09:01 AM
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't the CM correct it? As I already said, they are humans, not deities. If they don't catch it, they fix it by offering the guests a chance to ride again. Really, what more do you want? What you saw as an excuse, I saw as an explanation. Besides, it wasn't that particular CM who was in the tower during the time, so she would have no idea what was going on.

No need to get defensive, I thought everything was handled well. But you proved my point: the problem with the explanation is that a lot of people will take it as an excuse.

fantasmicgallery
07-31-2008, 05:09 PM
Once on Pirates, we were behind a boatload of individuals who were totally out of control. They began by taking a few flash pictures in the bayou area, and after the drops, they began reaching out and actually standing up at times to touch objects on the 'shore'. When those two infractions were not enough to satisfy their lust for rule breaking, they began to vigorously splash water on each other, as well as some other people in their boat that did not appear to be part of their group. As the ride progressed, the splashing became more intense to the point that their boat was actually being slowed down by the vigorous splashing of the young men in the back row. The screams from those sitting in the front row of their boat and being drenched by this splashing activity was unbelievable! Our boat eventually caught up to theirs at the battle scene, and the water from their splashing began to drench us (and others) in our boat as well. Our calls for them to cease were ignored, so I finally felt I had no choice but to stand up in our boat and push them off in order to separate us from their frivolity.
At the end of the ride, the CM's were obviously very unhappy, even though no-one had heard any announcements pertaining to their activities. The next group of guests who were about to load entered the boat, but refused to be seated until the boat was dried out. The CM's retrieved some paper towels, and proceeded to dry out the interior of the boat. We assumed that the individuals responsible would have been removed from the park, but such was not the case. The young women in their boat who had been the object of their stupidity appeared to be a bit frightened as they hurriedly left the ride. Overall, about our worst Disney experience ever.

PanFan
07-31-2008, 10:44 PM
I had some knucklehead teenage boys who were doing something similar on Splash. I was sitting behind them. First they started rocking the boat; then they started touching things; then they started splashing each other. As long as the one in front of me was splashing the ones in front of him, I was annoyed, but dealt with it because it didn't get me wet. When we started going up the lift with the owl and barrels of molasses, the kid in front of me started touching the wood paneling along the side. He evidently got a splinter and started bleeding because he cussed and started showing off his bloody finger. I couldn't help but say, "Maybe that's why you should keep your hands in the boat." At the bottom of Slippin' Falls, the kid in front started splashing the two behind him, and subsequently me as well. I realize the point of the ride is to get wet, but they were being really obnoxious. I exclaimed, "Guys! Thank you!" in an exasperated voice and they finally settled down. Not another peep out of them for the entire ride after that!

Sounds like the CM's in your story really dropped the ball in catching and confronting those offenders. How I would have loved to hear that security was there waiting for them at the end!