PDA

View Full Version : Welcome to Disneyland, let us prove that we don't care about maintenance!



Pages : [1] 2 3

Darkbeer
08-06-2003, 12:58 AM
OK, I was at the DLR for a few hours on Saturday before going to the Blue Jays-Angels game, and took some photos (what a shock! ;) )

But one that kicks in is this one...

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4088391&a=30800977&p=64393274&f=0

Many folks use this as the entrance to the park, and this is the first thing you see... heck, insert your own Six Flags joke here!

I am sorry, this is a minor maintenance issue, and IMHO serious bad show!

Sailor Butterfly
08-06-2003, 03:24 AM
I guess we shouldn't be surprised, given the condition of the monorails themselves...

Not Afraid
08-06-2003, 07:31 AM
Wow. It looks like a poorly kept subway station. I would expect the fine scent of urine to fill the air.:eek:

cemeinke
08-06-2003, 10:38 AM
Originally posted by Not Afraid
Wow. It looks like a poorly kept subway station. I would expect the fine scent of urine to fill the air.:eek:

Actually there is a dumpster under the monorail station, and at times (like the hot days of summer) you can get some pretty disgusting smells as you wait to enter the Magic Kingdom.

Not Afraid
08-06-2003, 10:44 AM
Originally posted by cemeinke
Actually there is a dumpster under the monorail station, and at times (like the hot days of summer) you can get some pretty disgusting smells as you wait to enter the Magic Kingdom.

Ewwww. Thanks for the reminder. That is just a gross odor.

johnnyrad
08-06-2003, 10:53 AM
There should be a bum passed out with a bottle in his hand... that would really set the tone.

Not Afraid
08-06-2003, 10:55 AM
At least they could provide buskers to keep the atmosphere a bit more interesting.

Dlandmom
08-06-2003, 10:59 AM
I use this entrance all the time, and I must say I've never seen it like this before...it's usually pretty tidy there, or at least it's never so bad that I've noticed it. Did somebody forget to go to work that day?

Darkbeer
08-06-2003, 11:09 AM
Heck, maybe they can bring Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher over from Tom Sawyer Island with their paint brushes.....;)

JCLowesman
08-06-2003, 11:13 AM
It's sights like this one that make me want to cry! Does anyone remember how Marineland looked towards the end? Hauntingly familiar, if you ask me.

It makes me wonder if the park will even make it to it's 50th aniversary.

Thank you Mr. Eisner.:crying: :crying: :crying:

mrfantasmic
08-06-2003, 11:37 AM
Oh thats just aweful! Why oh WHY can't they just paint it!

Disneyphile
08-06-2003, 11:49 AM
How about we all meet up and bring a can of paint and start the "Habitat for Toon-manity", a non-profit group dedicated to restoring the magic for all to enjoy? :D

oohykitten
08-06-2003, 11:53 AM
Goodness, that is really bad. Maybe they could put a POTC AA out there to tie in the movie a bit to their "rustic" them?

Habitat for Toon-manity",*** I love that line!

DisneyFan25863
08-06-2003, 12:11 PM
Ya know, we should really gather all these 1000's of pics from the net of Disneyland in degrade, and send a print out of them all to Burbank (or just e-mail them all). Anyone else think so?

Allison
08-06-2003, 12:49 PM
I think it is because really that is all we can do.

Maybe if they get bombarded someone will actually act on it.;) right...

But they still should have it shoved in their face, Send them to ABC, Eisner, DL, etc.

Anthony
08-06-2003, 01:25 PM
Well, seeing as how I am preparing for my first visit to DL, maybe I should go a few days early and beg for money? I can get a sign that says, "Will paint for food." That way you can get the whole effect.

Chris Lang
08-06-2003, 02:51 PM
I appreciate you letting us know that the stairs on the Downtown Disney monorail station platform need to be repainted. However, will you let us know when it's fixed? I'd like the same mass-posting and hoopla made over when this problem is fixed, because it's pretty serious if you felt it neccessary to post this photo and your thoughts to every major Disney site.

I realize you probably won't be able to visit the park and see the progress, so maybe somebody else (somebody who visits the park on a weekly, perhaps daily basis), can snap a photo and let us know when the stairs have been repainted.

Who knows? Maybe the stairs have already been repainted or at least the trash picked up. Let s hope for the best.

TheatreTech
08-06-2003, 02:57 PM
Originally posted by Chris Lang

Who knows? Maybe the stairs have already been repainted...

Nope. Not yesterday.

halestorm
08-06-2003, 06:28 PM
I appreciate you letting us know that the stairs on the Downtown Disney monorail station platform need to be repainted. However, will you let us know when it's fixed? I'd like the same mass-posting and hoopla made over when this problem is fixed, because it's pretty serious if you felt it neccessary to post this photo and your thoughts to every major Disney site.

He would never do that. Does not fit into his agenda.


I realize you probably won't be able to visit the park and see the progress, so maybe somebody else (somebody who visits the park on a weekly, perhaps daily basis), can snap a photo and let us know when the stairs have been repainted.

Oh don't worry, he'll be there. He's one of al's little b!tches. Everytime al has a new article, there's darkbeer, posting the link everywhere. He goes to DL looking for something wrong, and when he finds it he makes sure to post it at every board he can find. He's an al wanabe.

Not Afraid
08-06-2003, 06:31 PM
Originally posted by halestorm
Oh don't worry, he'll be there. He's one of al's little b!tches. Looking for something wrong, and when he finds it he makes sure to post it at evry board he can find. He's an al wanabe.

Hmmm. I know both Al and Darkbeer and I think you're wrong, but it looked good in print, didn't it?

SpaceMTJunkie
08-06-2003, 07:21 PM
Holy crap! Peeling paint. Let's all throw out our AP's. Hey maybe that is a good idea. How many of you that bitch all the time have actually quit buying an AP? I know, I know, constructive criticism. Disneyland will only get better for us if we bitch and complain yada yada yada.

Chris Lang
08-06-2003, 07:37 PM
Originally posted by halestorm
He would never do that. Does not fit into his agenda.

Oh don't worry, he'll be there. He's one of al's little b!tches. Everytime al has a new article, there's darkbeer, posting the link everywhere. He goes to DL looking for something wrong, and when he finds it he makes sure to post it at every board he can find. He's an al wanabe.

Now Halestorm, if you have a personal beef with him, you should keep it in private, and at least keep your public postings civil.

I was just trying to play devil's advocate and perhaps see another side of this story. The reality is, Disneyland Resort is a huge place, and the funds just aren't there to provide the maintenance it needs, and posting a picture of some peeling paint on some stairs OUTSIDE the berm is a little extreme and pretty unforgiving.

Chris

Morrigoon
08-06-2003, 07:46 PM
SpaceMTJunkie: if only it were just the paint. Have you been to Tomorrowland lately? Saturdays in the summer used to be wall-to-wall people in that, the most popular of lands. Now it's a ghost town, even when the park is jammed with people, because there's nothing left there! Space is down because lack of regular maintenance has resulted in a need to completely rebuild the track, cheap construction budgets resulted in a half-done attraction (Rocket Rods) which broke down frequently, underwhelmed guests, and eventually resulted in permanent damage to the structure it sat on - to the point that the previous, less structure-stressing attraction (peoplemover) could not even return due to structural damage. And that's just Tomorrowland.

Shall we talk about the Tiki Room? Or does that speak for itself?

We do applaud Disney when they do a good job, look at all the threads and posts praising the new soundtrack and paint job they did on small world, for example.

But the problem is that the mentality at corporate has descended to the point that anything that doesn't get complaints is now "good enough" for the guests and the pattern is repeated in further projects. We are talking about a company which is now led by a CEO who refers to park guests as "people who shop at Wal-Mart" and says of his park employees that, "retarded monkeys could do their job." So if we, the Wal-Mart shoppers don't sit up and point out that, hey, Wal-Mart never lets its paint peel (eg: we don't accept poor maintenance), they will continue to believe that guests don't notice and push the envelope until we do.

What we're witnessing is the possible prolonged death of a company. Unless someone makes an effort to keep the company from descending to the point that it loses all its customers, we may as well write "Six Flags" on our APs right now. Yes, the APs complain more - they're at the park more, are more familiar with what is was, is and ought to be. The guests remember what the park was too, and have an idea in their head of what they expect each successive experience to be. When they visit the park, and it's not up to their expectations, they can't put their finger on just what it was that was missing, why the magic wasn't there for them. They might even chalk it up to their age or changing interests. If they don't feel they're getting their money's worth, then next year they don't come back. And they never tell the company it's their fault. The company has no method of direct feedback from guests who can't elaborate on their dissatisfaction - except through the people who remember what it was.

Sadly, guests are starting to be able to elaborate on their dissatisfaction. When 4 E-tickets go 101 on them in the same day, with another E-ticket down till 2005, and fastpass clogging walkways, and fewer other rides to go on, comments like "I'm not getting my money's worth here" are being heard more and more frequently by cast members, and with more justification than ever. (Incidentally, that comment is from yesterday) As the old saying goes, it costs three times as much to gain a new customer as it does to retain an old one. But the company is failing at that enterprise, increasingly so.

So if you feel we're nitpicking or sensationalizing by pointing out lacking maintenance that never would have been allowed in Walt's time, please try to remember that some of us see the bigger picture and what it represents for the company as a whole. Remember, where there's smoke, there's a fire... you'd better hope someone's dialing 911.

**********************************************

Halestorm: do you realize that your ardent belief in your insusceptibility to propaganda is the very thing that makes you so easily manipulable? By all means, take editorials with a grain of salt - but understand that by automatically dismissing the message because of the messenger, you allow yourself to be influenced by only one side of the story. Oh, and I don't appreciate your choice of nouns, even if you got around the censors with the spelling. The proper term is evil minions and we minions will thank you to use it.

Darkbeer
08-06-2003, 07:51 PM
Gee, I hate these type of posts, but I guess one is due....

I don't like doing this, (i.e. talking about myself, and what I do) because it makes the thread MORE personal, and in my opinion, it is a tactic many use to throw a thread off, heck, forget the actual point, let's attack the messenger.

OK, I am a Theme Park Enthusiast (and have been mentioned as a Theme Park Expert by some, not sure if I rate that yet, though it is my main hobby!).... I am proud to be a member of the America Coaster Enthusiasts, and that is my focus. I admit I am not a Disney Enthusiast, though I still see Disneyland as the best theme park on the West Coast. I also follow the business side of the parks....

I also admit I am not a fan of the current folks running the Walt Disney Company, and I was disappointed with DCA when it opened, and still think DCA has many flaws....

But I am not a Disney hater.... Heck, I just spent quite a bit of time dealing with a vacation planning question, plus posted some really good photos of Tower of Terror. (Plus Photo albums of other parks).

I am known as an expert in the use of the DLR FastPass system, and also have written some good posts regarding which AP to buy, and when to renew (or not)....

I also read Al, Jim, Fab, David Koenig and others, and post articles when I think that they will create good discussion. Yes, a lot of what Al writes creates some good discussions, but so does David here at MP, or the recent Cirque DCA post (which I did start threads on other boards, and as expected, created some interesting comments).

I have met Al Lutz once, and had a nice little chat with him, but I also have met Jim Hill, and Fab, and spent more time with both of them then Al....

Funny to see people put words in my mouth, of course I would post a picture if the stairs were painted, I am going to the parks about twice a month to take photos for DCACentral.com (Oh My Gosh, Darkbeer a contributer to a positive DCA site :eek: ), so I will check up on it...

As for agendas... I think that Not Afraid needs to lose her husband, or have an affair:~D (j/k for some of you who don't get it...:rolleyes: ) But thanks for coming up with one for me.....

But lets focus on the subject at hand, and that is the current "Bad Show" at Disneyland, which in my opinion is due to the fact that even though the Theme Park made a 20% profit in the 3rd quarter, the company is cutting back way too much and is focusing too much on short term gain, but to do so, is damaging their image as a "premium" park.... Heck, bite the bullet, live with a 15% profit, and invest in the future!

smd4
08-06-2003, 08:11 PM
If Darkbeer posts, I read it. He's accurate and honest. If you don't agree, move on.