Articles | Disneyland | Walt Disney World
Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: Pixar Pals design/ops oddities

  1. #1
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4

    Pixar Pals design/ops oddities

    So I've parked here three times. Each time coming back to the lot the tram doesn't stop in the first bay to drop us off and take the empty tram to the next station. It waits (and waits, and waits) until there is space in the middle or farther end bay and then moves forward. Why?

    On top of that - the aisles were designed to be narrower than before to ensure smooth transition into the trams. But when we exit - right in front of us are all these people waiting to get on and nowhere for this of us getting off to go. The radio cm is telling everyone to board the tram - but they can't because we are all trying to exit.

    Also - those big massive exit doors? Be careful. They swing past 90 degree angles. So if someone pushed the door hard and fast enough it will swing into exiting guests from the next doorway.

    Finally - at least on the Nemo and Dory level - the lights are on for open spaces but they are pink and blue. Not red or green. Cute - but not a uniform design for everyone to follow. And half the aisle was not lit. So I'm assuming it's some sort of test.

    Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  2. # ADS

    Join Date
    Location
    Posts
     

  3. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by olegc View Post

    On top of that - the aisles were designed to be narrower than before to ensure smooth transition into the trams. But when we exit - right in front of us are all these people waiting to get on and nowhere for this of us getting off to go. The radio cm is telling everyone to board the tram - but they can't because we are all trying to exit.

    Yep. It’s an awful $h!+ show when the driver decides to drop folks in front of stalls that are filled with other folks waiting to board. What makes it all the more perplexing is the preceding stalls (or the outside drop area) are empty and available each time I’ve experienced this. Why not drop the outbound guests there then pull forward a few hundred feet where incoming guests are waiting to board?
    Your attention, please. The Disneyland Limited now leaving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom. Aboaaard!

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by MidwayManiac View Post
    ... What makes it all the more perplexing is the preceding stalls (or the outside drop area) are empty and available each time I’ve experienced this. Why not drop the outbound guests there then pull forward a few hundred feet where incoming guests are waiting to board?
    We've noticed this, too -- and also wondered why 2 or 3 empty trams will drive by a full boarding area before another tram finally pulls up to allow guests to load. Weird. Some people have received surveys asking about their parking and tram experience, so if you receive one, let them know what you think! (This survey has a space for you to describe your experience.)

  5. #4
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4

    And today the drinking fountains (and refill station) doesn't work. Really?

    Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  6. #5
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4

    I didnt want to start a whole new thread - but the pedestrian bridge across magic way is supposed to open tomorrow - Friday, Sep 13th. This was reported on KNX newsradio this morning in LA.

    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by olegc View Post
    I didnt want to start a whole new thread - but the pedestrian bridge across magic way is supposed to open tomorrow - Friday, Sep 13th. This was reported on KNX newsradio this morning in LA.
    I wonder if there's access to it from the corner of Disneyland Drive and Magic Way? We're been staying at the Travelodge at the corner of Ball and Disneyland Way, and we usually just walk to the park and enter at the checkpoint between ESPN and Rain Forest Cafe. Sometimes we take the tram back at the end of the day since we're pretty walked out by then.
    There are no perfect men in this world-Only perfect intentions

  8. #7
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by GrumpyGoofyGuy View Post
    I wonder if there's access to it from the corner of Disneyland Drive and Magic Way? We're been staying at the Travelodge at the corner of Ball and Disneyland Way, and we usually just walk to the park and enter at the checkpoint between ESPN and Rain Forest Cafe. Sometimes we take the tram back at the end of the day since we're pretty walked out by then.
    I thought they left the corner open in the gate on the southwest corner (The DTD lot side) so you could walk in there - and a very small adjunct path joins the big one from the parking lot.
    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  9. #8
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4

    Pro tip - when I. Mickey and Friends parking lot - the number of "free spaces" on the number boards is not accurate. Anything 15 or less is actually misreads from the system. It's counting walking aisles and cement column areas as free spaces. I looked three times on Donald level today at 330pm until I have up and went to Pixar Pals (Dory level).

    And the free space devices at Pixar Pals are not even working (at least on Dory). The counting boards had three dots, no numbers. But there was plenty of space there.

    Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  10. #9

    I am just hoping that now that the pedestrian bridge is open, they will actually use the reverse ingress/egress feature of the Pixar parking structure. I typically park in Pixar because I request electric charging (although it is still woefully inadequate compared to the number of cars requesting/using the feature.

    On our last trip (before the bridge was open) I was excited to see that cars were leaving the Pixar Structure when we arrived. By the time we left, they had closed off the Pixar exit. At first it didn't make any sense, until I realized that there were so many pedestrians jay walking from Downtown Disney that it would have been completely unsafe if Disney had allowed extra cars to exit and potentially hit pedestrians. I'm really hoping that now that people who want to walk have a safer option, they can keep this exit open longer. It is really annoying when it takes an hour to exit the parking structure because literally every other car has priority to merge as compared to the electric charging section.


  11. #10
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by currence View Post
    I am just hoping that now that the pedestrian bridge is open, they will actually use the reverse ingress/egress feature of the Pixar parking structure. I typically park in Pixar because I request electric charging (although it is still woefully inadequate compared to the number of cars requesting/using the feature.

    On our last trip (before the bridge was open) I was excited to see that cars were leaving the Pixar Structure when we arrived. By the time we left, they had closed off the Pixar exit. At first it didn't make any sense, until I realized that there were so many pedestrians jay walking from Downtown Disney that it would have been completely unsafe if Disney had allowed extra cars to exit and potentially hit pedestrians. I'm really hoping that now that people who want to walk have a safer option, they can keep this exit open longer. It is really annoying when it takes an hour to exit the parking structure because literally every other car has priority to merge as compared to the electric charging section.
    when I have left in mid afternoon then the exit is not open. However, anything later in the day (6pm) has seen the exit open. Its my experience so I dont know if there is a standard pattern.

    also - I wonder if DTD parking lot at Magic way will ever reopen to guests. Since Pixar Pals is there, and the bridge exists, would they consider never reopening the parking lot (and maybe making way for the next hotel in a couple of years). I guess we will see.
    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  12. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by olegc View Post
    when I have left in mid afternoon then the exit is not open. However, anything later in the day (6pm) has seen the exit open. Its my experience so I dont know if there is a standard pattern.
    When I noticed it open it was probably around 7pm on a Friday night. I was really excited because Pixar can be abysmal to exit when it is not open and lots of people are trying to leave. We didn't leave until closer to park closing and the Pixar exit was once again closed. But we joined the masses in walking back from Downtown Disney (although we did not join them in Jay walking) and based on how many people were on the street I begrudgingly understood why it was closed. I didn't go this past weekend, so I will find out on a future trip if the exit will stay open now that the bridge is available to pedestrians.

  13. #12
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by currence View Post
    When I noticed it open it was probably around 7pm on a Friday night. I was really excited because Pixar can be abysmal to exit when it is not open and lots of people are trying to leave. We didn't leave until closer to park closing and the Pixar exit was once again closed. But we joined the masses in walking back from Downtown Disney (although we did not join them in Jay walking) and based on how many people were on the street I begrudgingly understood why it was closed. I didn't go this past weekend, so I will find out on a future trip if the exit will stay open now that the bridge is available to pedestrians.
    it could be open - but I also wonder if the parking plan is to have people exit through the mickey and friends exit because it funnels folks either to the fast freeway access or to ball through the non-stop channels. If you exit Pixar Pals you are on magic way, have to wait for a light to turn left (its a left turn only there) and then turn left again on Disneyland Drive (waiting for a light again). Maybe they could create a different plan and send you right - but for now thats the path.
    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

  14. #13
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    Huntington Beach, Ca

    I know we saw it open to exit but I honestly can't remember when that was. We noticed the last time there that the system isn't working well at all for the parking spaces in Mickey and Friends. Surprisingly we didn't end up in a bad spot considering it was a little after 7pm and the first day of Halloween. Yet if they are going to have us all parking ourselves by way of that system they need to make sure its working right and fix whatever glitches it seems to have.

    We generally take Ball to get home sine we don't live to far off but I have to say the way it has always been set up to merge to that spot has always been terrible if others are not watching for cars since its so quick and limited on lanes to do so. If we could go out the Pixar Pals instead it might be better for us depending on how many use it and if its open to do so. I will have to suggest that when we go soon for daughter's birthday and just park over there as well.

    A crowded day at Disneyland beats a busy day of housework!!

    According to my princess, its not Star Wars land its "You stole my goats away from me!!......in progress land"

  15. #14
    Fun is wherever you find it... olegc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Blog Entries
    4

    the most forward tram pick up spot was behind tarps and fence this weekend. I dont know whats going on but i wonder if its a reconfiguration of the queue lines. They did not seem to line up with the trams - and in fact on one occasion I noticed a rope across the second lane from the front of the tram car.

    "[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •