MK Country Bear Jamboree is getting new songs and acts

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

If anybody finds the clip I’d love to see it.

Not sure if this was replied to, but this post came up while I was googling the voice cast of the new show of all things, so I ended up looking for the clip. Here you go!

(It's not flattering to the Country Bears, but it is funny that he made that joke the day the newest show opened)

 

[WondersOfLife]

I think it’s silly to suggest Disney somehow forgot how to maintain or repair audio animatronics.

You're speaking about Disney in a general sense, here... Florida is the least properly maintained Disney park out of every location across the globe. Whether that's due to not finding enough of the properly skilled maintenance workers in the local area of kissimmee, or WDW has simply way too much to keep up with is a problem they really need to solve.

I'd be willing to bet it is a mixture of the two.

 

[Chester&Hester Enthusiast]

I think it’s silly to suggest Disney somehow forgot how to maintain or repair audio animatronics.

There was a time that I would have agreed with you, but their recent track record doesn't exactly instill a lot of confidence.

 

[Mr. Engagement]

You're speaking about Disney in a general sense, here... Florida is the least properly maintained Disney park out of every location across the globe. Whether that's due to not finding enough of the properly skilled maintenance workers in the local area of kissimmee, or WDW has simply way too much to keep up with is a problem they really need to solve.

I'd be willing to bet it is a mixture of the two.

Totally agree the FL parks are poorly managed and need work. In my opinion (which won’t be popular here), that’s pretty much always been the case.

But institutional/technical knowledge isn’t the reason the parks are in the shape they’re in.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Totally agree the FL parks are poorly managed and need work. In my opinion (which won’t be popular here), that’s pretty much always been the case.

But institutional/technical knowledge isn’t the reason the parks are in the shape they’re in.

To disregard it completely without being in the inside know is foolish. WDW is 43 square miles large with 4 theme parks with roughly 80 attractions total, 2 water parks with 12 additional attractions in those, over 30 lodging options with over 36,000 hotel rooms to maintain, 2 mini golf courses, a giant shopping center, 300 skyliners, over 420 buses, a monorail system that has barely been updated to its full potential since 1971, boats and ferries, "minnie" vans...

...Plus all of the little things we don't even think about like strollers and paint touch ups... When I worked at MK there were literally golf carts of guys riding around Magic Kingdom doing painting touch ups every single night around Adventureland alone.

You're going to say that WDW Resort's ONLY problem is money? Nah... WDW maintenance can't KEEP UP my guy... And there are only so many skilled maintenance workers out there that want to A). Work for the mouse and B). Don't just simply run their own business with their own skills...

I would seriously not be shocked if the mouse is out of maintenance talent given how ridiculously large WDW resort is... Approximately 6,000 animatronics across the entire resort on top of everything states above. And the newer ones just keep getting more and more complex.

 

[Mr. Engagement]

To disregard it completely without being in the inside know is foolish.

Not a great way to frame a thoughtful interaction...

WDW is 43 square miles large with 4 theme parks with roughly 80 attractions total, 2 water parks with 12 additional attractions in those, over 30 lodging options with over 36,000 hotel rooms to maintain, 2 mini golf courses, a giant shopping center, 300 skyliners, over 420 buses, a monorail system that has barely been updated to its full potential since 1971, boats and ferries, "minnie" vans...

...Plus all of the little things we don't even think about like strollers and paint touch ups... When I worked at MK there were literally golf carts of guys riding around Magic Kingdom doing painting touch ups every single night around Adventureland alone.

You're going to say that WDW Resort's ONLY problem is money? Nah... WDW maintenance can't KEEP UP my guy... And there are only so many skilled maintenance workers out there that want to A). Work for the mouse and B). Don't just simply run their own business with their own skills...

Your post actually explains the issue: WDW is poorly managed. It's not a money issue. It's not a lack of skilled maintenance workers (though there may not currently be enough of them in central Florida).

Good management would prioritize maintenance as stewardship of long-term investment.

• Skilled labor doesn't have to be found; it can be developed. This is how Walt did it. But the American parks treat labor like a commodity.
• Every land, attraction, show, process, procedure, and policy should be meticulously documented so that know-how is never an issue with maintenance or repair. Historically, Disney has been very good about this.
• If people would rather not work for Disney, that's a Disney problem, not a labor knowledge problem.

I would seriously not be shocked if the mouse is out of maintenance talent given how ridiculously large WDW resort is... Approximately 6,000 animatronics across the entire resort on top of everything states above. And the newer ones just keep getting more and more complex.

"WDW is too big to maintain" is a complete cop-out. The parks' square footage, the number/life-cycle/maintenance schedule of animatronics, and the volume of guests aren't a surprise and should be factored into staffing, budgets, and prioritization.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Not a great way to frame a thoughtful interaction...

Your post actually explains the issue: WDW is poorly managed. It's not a money issue. It's not a lack of skilled maintenance workers (though there may not currently be enough of them in central Florida).

Good management would prioritize maintenance as stewardship of long-term investment.

• Skilled labor doesn't have to be found; it can be developed. This is how Walt did it. But the American parks treat labor like a commodity.
• Every land, attraction, show, process, procedure, and policy should be meticulously documented so that know-how is never an issue with maintenance or repair. Historically, Disney has been very good about this.
• If people would rather not work for Disney, that's a Disney problem, not a labor knowledge problem.

"WDW is too big to maintain" is a complete cop-out. The parks' square footage, the number/life-cycle/maintenance schedule of animatronics, and the volume of guests aren't a surprise and should be factored into staffing, budgets, and prioritization.

I agree with some points and disagree with other points. I'm no expert and neither are you. To each their own. I was merely just saying that blaming the lack of maintenance on one singular issue is ridiculous. I don't care enough to go into much further research. I'll leave this conversation for someone else to continue.

 

[eddie104]

To disregard it completely without being in the inside know is foolish. WDW is 43 square miles large with 4 theme parks with roughly 80 attractions total, 2 water parks with 12 additional attractions in those, over 30 lodging options with over 36,000 hotel rooms to maintain, 2 mini golf courses, a giant shopping center, 300 skyliners, over 420 buses, a monorail system that has barely been updated to its full potential since 1971, boats and ferries, "minnie" vans...

...Plus all of the little things we don't even think about like strollers and paint touch ups... When I worked at MK there were literally golf carts of guys riding around Magic Kingdom doing painting touch ups every single night around Adventureland alone.

You're going to say that WDW Resort's ONLY problem is money? Nah... WDW maintenance can't KEEP UP my guy... And there are only so many skilled maintenance workers out there that want to A). Work for the mouse and B). Don't just simply run their own business with their own skills...

I would seriously not be shocked if the mouse is out of maintenance talent given how ridiculously large WDW resort is... Approximately 6,000 animatronics across the entire resort on top of everything states above. And the newer ones just keep getting more and more complex.

WDW has been making great strides in the maintenance front the last couple of years. A lot of little things these were broken have been getting fixed slowly but surely.

Disney been pouring millions of dollars into infrastructure upgrades around the resort.

It’s a huge complex compared to a lot the resorts around the world. It’s not crumbling to the slightest extent despite the monstrosity it is and the craziness that comes with that.

 

[WondersOfLife]

WDW has been making great strides in the maintenance front the last couple of years. A lot of little things these were broken have been getting fixed slowly but surely.

Sure.

My friend just got back from a Disney trip. On her trip, she had the unfortunate experience of trying to walk up to attractions to get in line for, but was turned away because they were down. She wanted to do a trip not looking at her phone... Unfortunately.

Of the attractions that were down on her way to the entrance, those included: Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Test Track, Frozen Ever After (twice), and Ratatouille.

Perhaps it is just bad luck. But that seems pretty bad.

 

[Bastet]

Were any of the closures weather related?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Were any of the closures weather related?

Only 2 of them could be.

 

[eddie104]

Sure.

My friend just got back from a Disney trip. On her trip, she had the unfortunate experience of trying to walk up to attractions to get in line for, but was turned away because they were down. She wanted to do a trip not looking at her phone... Unfortunately.

Of the attractions that were down on her way to the entrance, those included: Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Test Track, Frozen Ever After (twice), and Ratatouille.

Perhaps it is just bad luck. But that seems pretty bad.

I think that’s bad luck and it’s not exclusive to WDW. There could have be several reasons those rides were down that particular day.

It’s not a common occurrence.

 

[Mr. Engagement]

Sure.

My friend just got back from a Disney trip. On her trip, she had the unfortunate experience of trying to walk up to attractions to get in line for, but was turned away because they were down. She wanted to do a trip not looking at her phone... Unfortunately.

Of the attractions that were down on her way to the entrance, those included: Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Test Track, Frozen Ever After (twice), and Ratatouille.

Perhaps it is just bad luck. But that seems pretty bad.

Isn't this how we did it before the apps?

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Sure.

My friend just got back from a Disney trip. On her trip, she had the unfortunate experience of trying to walk up to attractions to get in line for, but was turned away because they were down. She wanted to do a trip not looking at her phone... Unfortunately.

Of the attractions that were down on her way to the entrance, those included: Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Test Track, Frozen Ever After (twice), and Ratatouille.

Perhaps it is just bad luck. But that seems pretty bad.

Sadly that’s been the case at Disneyland also. Ridiculous. You’d think all that money they’re charging people now would go towards things like maintenance so all the rides & shows are running and show scenes are all working the way they should. But they’re not. All the more reason the whole Lightning Lane plan is a blatant fail. Say what you will about the old paper Fastpasses (pre-plus) but atleast there was more control in capacity by how many they’d distribute at a time so you could return later and it would go far more smoothly, and you didn’t have to pay for it.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Or, a better way to do it now would simply be, to have digital or analog signs outside each attraction that’d tell you when they’re at full capacity and what time to come back for a shorter wait time to experience them later.
As they should do with the parks themselves also, but in that scenario, via ticket sales on the site & app. Only have a certain amount of tickets sold there before it says that the park is at full capacity and to purchase tickets for another day.
They used to do something similar back in the past, when park capacity was too full, they’d hand out a slip stating so and say when the best time to come back to the park was.

Granted, while this may not be the most convenient for Joe & Jane coming in for a surprise visit, thinking they’d be guranteed to get in.. what would you rather do? Create a huge headache of crowds for the majority ‘or’ simply tell Joe & Jane that arrived without checking their site or app for clearly shown information ahead of time, that the park is at capacity and that they should come back at either a later time or another day and to check their website or app to see ticket/capacity availability? If the priority is majority guest satisfaction, that should be the way they do it IMHO. Guest satisfaction is what should always drive the profits. (And what typically did in the past)

 

[WondersOfLife]

Were any of the closures weather related?

No.

I do partly agree that it was bad luck. But good lord I felt bad for her.