Tweet
I will post more when I get back to a real PC but he really was brilliant.
-
David
The chief cause of failure in this life is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment. -
I thought everyone knew that.
EdDo you know about kickback? Ray has a good writeup here... https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...mare-explained
For a kickback demonstration video http://www.metacafe.com/watch/910584...demonstration/ -
online at http://www.theFrankes.com
while ( !( succeed = try() ) ) ;
"Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." -HippocratesComment
-
He was a genius, and had a lot of help. The parks are wonderful, but are overpriced. I give them credit for the "E" ticket saying.
.Comment
-
Having been involved with WDW on the business end for 30 years, I can tell you that much of the philosophical groundwork laid by Uncle Walt since he conceived the project has changed dramatically, with a steadily worsening effect. Let's just say that the "pixie dust" has worn off. He is probably spinning in his grave about now...
Comment
-
It has been a few years since I've been to DW. I got into reading some books about WD. Truly a visionary. And value-oriented, too.Having been involved with WDW on the business end for 30 years, I can tell you that much of the philosophical groundwork laid by Uncle Walt since he conceived the project has changed dramatically, with a steadily worsening effect. Let's just say that the "pixie dust" has worn off. He is probably spinning in his grave about now...
The parks today are certainly larger, but they seem to have stopped innovating.
I sure would like to hear more of your thoughts on the changes you've witnessed first-hand.Comment
-
Most of them are centered on priorities aimed at reducing costs, rather than maintaining the quality of the show. Other problems are on treatment of employees, outsourcing, safety vs. cost, lowering of general standards, pay equality, etc.
It's not that it is so terrible now, but that it used to be so much better... I realize it's a business, with a responsibility to its shareholders, but it's a business made successful by it's (formerly) impeccably high standards, yet I have been asked (read ordered, directed, threatened) so many times in recent years to cut corners that should never be cut, to the exclusion of all else, to cheapen the costs involved. And the bureaucratic idiots that have made management so top-heavy are protected, while the smart, dedicated people that made things work so well are cast off. I almost hate to work for them at all any more.
Comment
-
I've never been to the parks before. We're driving down there in September and meeting up with my siblings and their families from New Mexico, North Carolina, and South Carolina. We did something similar 2 years ago staying at a great 2500 sq. ft. condo. However, at the time the little guy was just under one year old so we didn't do any park stuff just used the pool, playground, and such.
This time he'll be almost 3 and likes the rides at Camp Snoopy/NickWorld and enjoys anything with crowds (where'd he get that from, is he the mailman's kid?!?) so we are planning to do the parks too.
It does seem pretty pricey but since we're making a long trip of it (~3200 miles round-trip adds incentive to stick around for a bit) we'll be down there for a while and their ticket prices are really cheap after a few days (like $3/day after 4 or 5 days). It also appears that they give away free dining at this time of the year, so overall it's not looking quite so bad as when my wife originally suggested it...
I'll be interested to hear your thoughts/impressions when you're back David.Comment
-
Do you know the difference between Bing Crosby and Walt Disney?
RayDid I offend you? Click here.Comment
-
-
Well we are back. Ugh. An easy 10ish hour drive took over 11 what with a lot of traffic and construction. My G&T is tasty. As for Walt... he was a genius. I don't know about the folks who are running the parks today, but I think they are doing a decent job. The Magic Kingdom is spotless. I don't even think I saw any gum on the ground. The employees all seem like they want to be there. I talked to a few. One was a trash collector who said they have so many trash cans because it helps keep people from dropping stuff on the ground. He also had some cleaner or other they developed specifically for the gum. Another guy I talked to said he moved from Minnesota hoping to get a job at Disney, just because he wanted to work there. The food is very good, and priced about the same as a decent restaurant. I know I've had worse and paid more for it. By contrast, Sea World the meals cost more and aren't nearly as good. Another thing is Disney is much better at disguising mechanicals and infrastructure than other parks I've visited. There are of course lots of opportunities to spend money. The girls were allowed to each choose 1 thing, we tried to make sure it was something that would last until they stopped caring about it, as opposed to a balloon that would pop or deflate in a few weeks. I got a hat. I like hats. It is hard enough to find one big enough to fit my noggin and even harder to find one my wife likes. It does not say Disney on it, on purpose so I can wear it other places. It also didn't really cost any more than ones I could get elsewhere.
Kristofer, part of the fun (and Walt's genius) is getting to the park. You ride either on the ferry boat or the monorail, both experiences unto themselves. You can't do something as pedestrian as walk. My oldest and I rode the monorail to Epcot and back, just to ride it. We didn't have Epcot tickets, it was just the experience. If you have a stroller or wheelchair the ferry is preferable, just roll on and roll off. They do a good job of having a lot of stroller parking throughout the park. At 3, he will probably not be tall enough for a lot of the big kid rides if he wanted to go. but he can do stuff like Small World, the riverboat/jungle cruise and Mickey's ToonTown has a couple kid size rides. My 3yr old loved the kiddie coaster there. Most of the stuff for kids will be in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Disney also has the meals with various characters. We did the one with Pooh and his friends. You need to book now if you want one in November though. If you stay late enough at night, there is a parade at 9. If you don't want to stay, you need to leave by 7:30 or so, that is when they start roping things off and it makes it tough to get out, especially with a stroller. The Disney Railroad runs around the Magic Kingdom and stop at the entrace, frontierland and ToonTown. There were a few folks using it as a way to get around.
David
The chief cause of failure in this life is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment.Comment
-
I've been there twice and was in awe of the details in the woodworking. Whether it was a reproduction of a fascia, or some trim work, it was first class. They have their studios, shops and craftsmen, and excellent designers and architects, which comes with an unlimited budget.
.Comment
-
Agreed. There is an area of the Magic Kingdom (I think) that has a small roller coaster and other attractions for the younger kids. They have this Pluto house that is all weird angles and stuff. Nothing is plum or square. But all the joints are perfect. Very impressive.
Other parts of the parts are just as impressive.Comment
Comment