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cstephens
06-24-2010, 09:36 AM
OK, I couldn't comment on the thread that had the article link, and this isn't a review of the show or about the dining or Fastpass options to see the show per se, so I didn't know where to put this. If someone wants to merge this with one of those threads where they think it should be, that's fine.

So, I saw this news thread with a link to an OCRegister article. (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=149001)

OK, really, I think the writer is an idiot. So she's been a loyal passholder for years but can't be bothered to find out anything about what her options are to see the new show and was just relying on what "a few people" had told her?

Yes, there are places you can see the show without needing any kind of ticket. But yes, those places aren't going to give you an ideal view of the show.

"Somehow I missed the memo". Really, what she means is that she couldn't be bothered to find out any information about a brand new show.

And she's not on vacation so how is she supposed to get a Fastpass? Ummm, well, if you want to see the show enough, take a vacation day or go on the weekend, when you don't have to work. Or you can purchase the table-service dining option or a picnic option. Oh, wait, but then you'd actually have to pay some attention to know about those.

A brand new show, open for less than 2 weeks, at a Disney park. Yeah, it shouldn't be a surprise that it might be a bit crowded and that you can't just waltz in.

I do have my problems with the timing and planning involved if you want to see a show, as well as some of the crowd control issues generated by the show, but her "woe is me, Disney is so mean and uncaring" attitude without any acknowledgement that she bears some responsibility for having gone in totally unprepared just bothers the crap out of me.


Last year, there was another writer who made a big stink because his poor put-upon wife didn't get her free birthday gift card because she had no clue it was a block-out day for her. Was that an OCRegister writer as well? Because if so, I'm wondering what is up with the OCRegister hiring completely clueless people to write for them.

Mermaid
06-24-2010, 10:46 AM
I like how she says she was told she could see it from anywhere in DCA. Really? So, you thought you could see it from over by Soarin'? Maybe she meant anywhere in PP. It was also amusing that as a "loyal passholder" she didn't realize that she needed to get to the area more than 30 minutes ahead of time- especially for a brand new show.

Sadly though, this is probably a scenario that plays out every night and the CMs have to deal with the angry guests.

potzbie
06-24-2010, 12:49 PM
Here is what shocked -- SHOCKED -- me from the article.


As is the norm for me when I plan a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth on a weekday, I arrived after work and dinner, around 7:30 p.m.

:eek:


So at 9:30 p.m., after a quick ride on the Tower of Terror and a jaunt through the oddly amusing Glow Fest experience, we headed to the Paradise Pier for the 10:15 showing.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

For the very show which is the NEWEST and the most HEAVILY ADVERTISED. :confused:

I'd like to ask this particular Annual Passholder, "How many minutes ahead of showtime do you show up for Fantasmic? -- a half-hour, and expecting to see the show from a prime spot?"

BrandonH
06-24-2010, 12:51 PM
I agree that the author did not put very much effort into finding out about the show. That said, the viewing arrangement is different for WOC than for any other Disney park show. I can easily understand somebody thinking that it would be exactly the same sort of setup for Fantasmic except with fountains instead of actors and boats. You can show up 30 minutes before Fantasmic and still get to see the show from a decent angle if you can see over or around a group of people.

cosmogrrl
06-24-2010, 01:02 PM
If she had just been a regular newbie guest I would have had some sympathy for her. But she's a pass holder; and a reporter. She really ought to have had some clue. Like even just googling the best viewing spots. That would have led her to information about FastPasses etc. Wasn't there a lot of OC Reg. coverage of the WoC? Wouldn't you have asked the reporter who covered it for the inside scoop? How about looking at the front page of Disneyland.com? That links directly to the viewing options, and details of the show, with a spangly video too!

As I said, if she'd been a newbie, I'd understand the confusion. Most newbie guests don't understand that there is always some planning involved with a trip to the park. But she really doesn't have that as an excuse.

Maus
06-24-2010, 06:06 PM
Last year, there was another writer who made a big stink because his poor put-upon wife didn't get her free birthday gift card because she had no clue it was a block-out day for her. Was that an OCRegister writer as well? Because if so, I'm wondering what is up with the OCRegister hiring completely clueless people to write for them.

Yes, that was the OC Register, too. That's why, among many other reasons, I take the LA Times.

Seashellmama
06-24-2010, 10:06 PM
You can show up 30 minutes before Fantasmic and still get to see the show from a decent angle if you can see over or around a group of people.

Could you do that within two weeks of its premier?

kiki
06-24-2010, 10:22 PM
So in my brief experience in journalism ( one year in high school), even I know that before you write about something, you have to research it. I mean come on....its a brand new show, and a show that they have been advertising for YEARS. I truly find it hard to believe that as an AP'er and a local, she did not EVER hear that she would need a fastpass to view the show. Then it should be common sense that if the show deals with projection on water fountains, obviously you wont be able to see it from behind....Again I go back to journalism 101.....CHECK YOUR SOURCES!!!!!

shorty
06-25-2010, 12:01 AM
I, for one, take issue with THE WORLD OF COLOR production, from a spectator's point-of-view. I saw this show, on Father's Day, at 7pm, and was very disappointed with the whole production, to say the least.

I am a passholder and have been for many years. In order to see FANTASMIC! at Rivers of America, and ALLADIN at the Hyperion, I don't need to buy an expensive box-dinner and/or obtain a Fast-Pass. So naturally, I have the same expectations when coming to The World of Color, regardless if it's a "new" show or not.

I was told (by a Disney official) that it didn't matter where you viewed the show, because The World of Color was designed to be seen from all vantage points around the water-pool area. And yet, because I (1) opted not to purchase a boxed-dinner, and (2) because I wasn't able to obtain a Fast-Pass (I stood in line for one but was turned away because they ran out!!) I was ushered way around the "back side" near the swings, and sadly, I could barely see anything.

I would certainly not take a vacation day, or my week-end days, as has been suggested here on this forum, just to come to Disneyland in order to get a Fast- Pass to The World of Color. Now, I'm certain that the "Disney officials" would SHRIEKKKKK to learn about this suggestion.

In addition, I can't afford to purchase 4 box dinners (at $60.00) just so my family can see this show from a better vantage point. All these "exclusive-crowd-control-strategies" really smack at snootiness, and I'm certain that Walt Disney, himself, would never have permitted this.

Party guests shouldn't bear any responsibility for the operation of a party. They are supposed to be served! We R all guests at Disneyland and all of us pay handsome dollar amounts in order to obtain this status. Like any party guest, we should all expect to be treated with respect and courtesy by our Disney hosts & hostesses.

Malcon10t
06-25-2010, 05:00 AM
In order to see FANTASMIC! at Rivers of America, and ALLADIN at the Hyperion, I don't need to buy an expensive box-dinner and/or obtain a Fast-Pass. So naturally, I have the same expectations when coming to The World of Color, regardless if it's a "new" show or not.Am I the only one that remembers the first year of Fantasmic! where we had to stake out spots EARLY (as in mid afternoon)? Am I the only one that remembers having to get tickets to the Hyperion for the show, and how they "sold out" early in the day for all shows? (The booth was the one by the Enginears store, but they also had CMs by the Hyperion to hand out tickets til they were out.)

I completely understand the FP situation. They way they have it set up now keeps the area free during the day (people can't start putting blankets out at opening) and allows the area to be maintained at levels acceptable to the fire marshal.

AJDerrick
06-25-2010, 06:11 AM
Am I the only one that remembers the first year of Fantasmic! where we had to stake out spots EARLY (as in mid afternoon)? Am I the only one that remembers having to get tickets to the Hyperion for the show, and how they "sold out" early in the day for all shows? (The booth was the one by the Enginears store, but they also had CMs by the Hyperion to hand out tickets til they were out.)

I completely understand the FP situation. They way they have it set up now keeps the area free during the day (people can't start putting blankets out at opening) and allows the area to be maintained at levels acceptable to the fire marshal.

Forget when Fantasmic! opened, I was there Memorial Day weekend and there were people camping out in mid afternoon! There is NO WAY, with or without fastpasses, that anyone should expect to show up in the evening and get a good view of this show without a meal purchase. If there were no FPs then you can bet in mid afternoon that park would already have campers in the best spots and by evening it would be full up. The picnic meals are NOT overly expensive, especially by Disney standards. I for one am surprised that they're offering such an option for those who aren't willing to do sit down dining.

As an AP living out of state I ALWAYS have to take vacation days or go on weekends. I promise that if I lived in CA I would jump at the chance to flex a few hours of my work schedule to get there in time to see WoC.

cstephens
06-25-2010, 07:20 AM
Party guests shouldn't bear any responsibility for the operation of a party. They are supposed to be served! We R all guests at Disneyland and all of us pay handsome dollar amounts in order to obtain this status. Like any party guest, we should all expect to be treated with respect and courtesy by our Disney hosts & hostesses.

Ummm, ok, I get the thing about party guests, but Disneyland is not a party in that sense. When I'm invited to a party by my friends, they don't ask me to pay money to enter their house. Disneyland is a business, and they operate as a business. As a consumer of that business, there is some obligation on my part to have some knowledge ahead of time if I want to maximize my experience. I can show up at a theatre to see a movie, but I can't be mad if I didn't bother to check the showtimes and show up 20 minutes after the movie has started so now have to decide if I want to go in late, having already missed some of it, or wait around for another 2 hours for the next showing.

Respect and courtesy is one thing, but I don't expect Disney to have to lead people around like one would a small child. There are multiple options that people can use to view the show. However, just showing up at a random time and expecting a terrific viewing spot is expecting too much.

And yes, I do think it's a mistake to assume that one show runs like another show, especially when they're entirely different shows. I was very familiar with Disneyland when I made my first trip to WDW, but I didn't assume that things were the same there as they were here. I actually did the work to plan the trip for the things I want to do. Doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Mal - I remember getting Fastpasses for Aladdin! We did the deluxe dining package at one point too.

Goodnplenty
06-25-2010, 08:35 AM
I was very familiar with Disneyland when I made my first trip to WDW, but I didn't assume that things were the same there as they were here. I actually did the work to plan the trip for the things I want to do.

Exactly. I just read this article and shook my head. Here I am in Orl and when DH and I made our first trip to DL we guessed there would be some differences from WDW. In preparation for the trip I learned to read these forums and ask "the masters". I can't BELIEVE that someone who calls themselves a "loyal passholder" who lives 15 minutes away from DL can be so ignorant. Especially since their job provides them with great inside access to new things coming to DL. I could almost excuse her mistaken assumptions if she hadn't described herself as being somehow entitled to better service or hand-holding.

But then I feel everyones pain who groaned at this article. Here in Orl we have a person who writes for the daily newspaper and she is amazingly, almost magically dim. She gives THE most outdated advice and then when she does get an amazing insite to share, she doesn't realize that the info is as old as the hills. It's as if she doesn't even have a clue that DL exists and that we often get entertainment from DL that's been running awhile and so you CAN see a video of it on You Tube if you wish.

How on earth do these people keep their reporting jobs in an instaneous information world when they can't be bothered to look anything up?

Geez,
GnP :eyeroll::eyeroll:

socalkdg
06-25-2010, 09:05 AM
I am a passholder and have been for many years. In order to see FANTASMIC! at Rivers of America, and ALLADIN at the Hyperion, I don't need to buy an expensive box-dinner and/or obtain a Fast-Pass. So naturally, I have the same expectations when coming to The World of Color, regardless if it's a "new" show or not.

I was told (by a Disney official) that it didn't matter where you viewed the show, because The World of Color was designed to be seen from all vantage points around the water-pool area. And yet, because I (1) opted not to purchase a boxed-dinner, and (2) because I wasn't able to obtain a Fast-Pass (I stood in line for one but was turned away because they ran out!!) I was ushered way around the "back side" near the swings, and sadly, I could barely see anything.

I would certainly not take a vacation day, or my week-end days, as has been suggested here on this forum, just to come to Disneyland in order to get a Fast- Pass to The World of Color. Now, I'm certain that the "Disney officials" would SHRIEKKKKK to learn about this suggestion.

In addition, I can't afford to purchase 4 box dinners (at $60.00) just so my family can see this show from a better vantage point. All these "exclusive-crowd-control-strategies" really smack at snootiness, and I'm certain that Walt Disney, himself, would never have permitted this.

Party guests shouldn't bear any responsibility for the operation of a party. They are supposed to be served! We R all guests at Disneyland and all of us pay handsome dollar amounts in order to obtain this status. Like any party guest, we should all expect to be treated with respect and courtesy by our Disney hosts & hostesses.

$800 in annual passes but can't afford $60.00 for dinner and a pass. Plus you feel you can show up after 10-15K people and get in front of all them for the show? Talk about entitlement.

Using your party analogy you want to show up late for the party and expect there to be food and drinks waiting for you.

What time did you get in line for FP to WOC? The second and third showings don't run out of FP until 5 PM.

AJDerrick
06-25-2010, 09:18 AM
$800 in annual passes but can't afford $60.00 for dinner and a pass. Plus you feel you can show up after 10-15K people and get in front of all them for the show? Talk about entitlement.

Using your party analogy you want to show up late for the party and expect there to be food and drinks waiting for you.

Exactly. Life runs on a first come first served basis. Not first to make a reservation? Not first to eat. Not first to get in line? Not first to ride. Pretty simple.

Mermaid
06-25-2010, 09:27 AM
I do think it is misleading when the CMs are sending people to the back and telling them it is good viewing. It would be more honest to say there is limited or obstructed viewing around the lagoon but for the best viewing you really need a pass. Maybe this is to appease the guest at the time figuring by the time the show is over, crowd control mode takes over and there really isn't time to be yelled at. I worked cust service for years, so I get this!

But with the numbers that are packing them in every night, I think they need to stick with the FP/dining system for a while- at a minimum through the summer, probably longer. It prevents overcrowding and all day camping. Maybe they could start offering the 11:15 show without FP for uninformed guests who want the "good spots" as some sort of compromise, but it sounds like with the numbers they have, they really don't need to.

saxboda
06-25-2010, 10:13 AM
The only thing I can think of is that she had the understanding that Disney normally designs shows to be seen from many vantage points. There usually isn't a bad seat in the house, but this is the first attraction where that design principle hasn't been applied. Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the first time a Fast Pass has been available for an open-air show? So this is new information, and I can give her a pass on that.

That said, no way, on a summer night, are you going to find even an okay spot to see a 10:15 show if you start ambling over to the seating area at 9:30. A "long-time" annual passholder would know that. A "long-time" annual passholder would also know that the first year of a new attraction means extremely long lines and/or wait times.

She seemed incurious and didn't appear to do much research. If she had, she would have known that DCA is sometimes adding 11:15 shows, and instead of going on ToT, a stop at the Fast Pass distribution might have been more profitable.

Tinkermommy
06-25-2010, 03:11 PM
no way, on a summer night, are you going to find even an okay spot to see a 10:15 show if you start ambling over to the seating area at 9:30. A "long-time" annual passholder would know that. A "long-time" annual passholder would also know that the first year of a new attraction means extremely long lines and/or wait times.

My thoughts exactly. I'm a longtime APer, too, and I live within half an hour of the park. (Yay!) I haven't seen WOC yet because I know how crowded it will be. I can wait. I can't believe the writer expected to show up to the hottest ticket in the resort shortly before the show, went on a ride, checked out the Glow Fest, and then criticized Disney in the newspaper for not having a better spot for her viewing. Seriously?

So she's not on vacation...do what the rest of us do under the circumstances -- go on your day off and get there early, if it's that important to you.

More than anything, that article gave me a better understanding of why some people think AP holders have a sense of entitlement. Apparently, some of us do...

disneyguy537
06-25-2010, 10:43 PM
I asked a CM about viewing without a FP before I knew where the color sections were, and was told tht you can't really see any of the projections from the non-FP areas (near Screamin' for example). Knowing then that the FP viewing area is Paradise Park, I asked him "Can't you stand along the walkway / parade route in front of where "Golden Dreams" used to be" and he told me that there would be a violation of fire code to have people stand there during the show. The construction wall for the Little Mermaid attraction juts pretty far out into the path, which I hadn't seen before. Maybe once that attraction opens, they will allow non-FP viewing along there since there will be more room. I saw the 10:15pm show on Monday from the Yellow area, and thought crowd control after the show (there was a third show scheduled at 11:15) was better than getting out of Frontierland / New Orleans Square after F!

coronado_g
06-26-2010, 08:49 PM
You would not have read such an idiotic review in the Los Angeles Times. That's my opinion!

cherryblossom
06-27-2010, 07:34 AM
I am not a resident of SoCal and I visited Dland woc opening weekend, with that in mind..

I was completely surprised how many of the locals did not even know what the show was, or what was going on! I overheard many locals asking cm's "what is this, some new water show?", and being surprised, and outraged by the fact that you needed a fastpass to view it. Hello! If you're a Dland Annual passholder, or Orange County resident wouldn't you know what's going on in your own backyard??? SMH!

cherryblossom
06-27-2010, 07:40 AM
Dland is using the fastpass system for woc for crowd control, and avoiding people lining up all day in front of Paradise Pier to reserve their spot for the show.

AVP
06-28-2010, 05:57 AM
Last year, there was another writer who made a big stink because his poor put-upon wife didn't get her free birthday gift card because she had no clue it was a block-out day for her. Was that an OCRegister writer as well? Because if so, I'm wondering what is up with the OCRegister hiring completely clueless people to write for them.The article you mention was written by Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times, writing about the experience his wife, Nancy Luna of the Orange County Register, had on her birthday.

As for this article, it was written by one of the "Mommy Bloggers" at the OCR, (Roxanne Hack writes the "me and my monster" Blog), not someone who actually covers the Disneyland beat or writes for the Around Disney column. Clearly she doesn't read her own site, because most of the misunderstandings she had about this show could have been avoided with about 5 minutes of research.

AVP

Maus
06-28-2010, 07:44 AM
The article you mention was written by Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times, writing about the experience his wife, Nancy Luna of the Orange County Register, had on her birthday.

Thanks, Adrienne, I knew the OC Register was involved :)

adriennek
06-28-2010, 09:28 PM
Thanks, Adrienne, I knew the OC Register was involved :)

And what cracks me up is that I was about to research it because I read your reply that it was OCR and thought "I thought it was Brady McDonald's wife and he works at the Times..." Well THAT explains it! ;)

Adrienne