Stupid Guest Tricks

The powers that be decided that the curbless Hub was so very nice, that all of the curbs should be removed from Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom. This decision obviously taken without a single shift of parade experience -- some guests think the lack of a curb means they can now watch from the middle of the street.

Anyway, with so many cast members laid off that no one is left to do the work, the job of removing the curbs from Town Square was let out for contract. Because it would obviously incapacitate the park if all of Town Square was ripped up at once, project management made it very clear that the work was to be done only half the square at a time.

Unfortunately, the instructions stopped there. While project managers were almost certainly thinking "east and west", the contractor was thinking "north and south".

That's right. The ripped up the entire width of Town Square so that guests entering under the train station are today confronted with a plywood construction wall and have to squeeze around the ends of it to enter the park.

Even worse, they have to squeeze through to get out! The first night the wall was up, 21 thousand sighed at the end of the fireworks and tried to leave ... through two small openings. Word is the crowd backed up all the way to the Tiki Room, and the use of ECVs and strollers as battering rams injured almost as many as were involved with fistfights.

Next month, we get to see if they learned anything, or if they simply block off the *north* side of the square. Guess which I'm betting on?

That is just appalling. My 8-year-old could have figured out north-south/east-west problem. Can I volunteer him for the next expensive Disney contract?

Hmmm...Zaz, could this have been a no-bid contract? Could this have been the work of.....HALIBURTON????

Just a passing thought.

oh good lord what were they thinking!!

I feel sorry for you guys doing parade shifts. We have enough problems getting people to stay on the curb sometimes. As for the north/south east/west thing....if they couldn't figure that out I hate to see the actual workmanship.

On the disneyland side....

Who saw the construction wall that KILLED the back walkway by the plaza pavillion? So yeah we lost half our viewing areas so we could have a walkway but with no one sitting there we were watching for people jumping in front of floats to cross. I was on the East side watching for jumpers.

Someone I know in show support who was valleting Beauty and the Beast on the east side didn't like it, we spoke as she walked by but she agreed what else could we do.

StDuck i saw that happening in a picture and was totally thinking of the more congestion by guests wanting to stand there but now cant because its a walkway, and cmon i sit right in the middle of the poop buggies on main street right between there.

Zazu. I am not sure, but they are refurbishing that area to put elevators and switch the locker and stroller location, right? I was only dimly informed because I am not a full timer.

VICisGOOFY wrote:Zazu. I am not sure, but they are refurbishing that area to put elevators and switch the locker and stroller location, right? I was only dimly informed because I am not a full timer.

There are presently three projects in work simultaneously on Town Square:

1. Rehab on the upper floors of the Railroad Station. This includes replacement of the crazed plastic glazing over the exit ramps with new glass, rehab of the support structures, repair and repainting of the ceiling over the north balcony, and as many other failings as the budget will cover.

2. Relocation of the lockers and strollers. Strollers will extend the full width of the station and issue/receive in both tunnels. This will eliminate the Station Break retail location. Lockers will move to the former stoller barn, with the gift shop desk on that side handling key rentals.

3. Removal of the south curb on the south side of Town Square. It will be replaced with a continuous drain like the one recently put in at the Hub. This includes new a new drain system and new concrete for both the sidewalk and street all the way north to the trolley tracks.

At least, that was the status as of last Wednesday. Who knows what the plan is now? :shrug:

When educated minds get together nothing good can come from it! If the powers that be in our company ever witnessed our operations before starting a project I would fall over and die from shock!
The best ideas usually come from the CM's and working leads not managment! @ Disneyland we have had a great working system for our disabled van (if you ever worked with these vehicles you'd understand why there "disabled") anyway we used to drop guests off in the middle of the tram route close to the entrance but managment in its infinte wisdom decided to make a drop off area at the furthest point from the main entrance! Of course its slightly safer but our disabled guests are now stuck out in the middle of nowhere, the tram stop is now messed up to the point where you cant get to the disabled guests with the van if there is a tram there and the poor people have to walk and walk and walk!