| # | Author | Message |
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| AutoPost
Mon 5/5/2008 5:08a | This topic is for Discussion of Latest: Through Jim Hill Imagineer responds to fan criticisms
JimHillMedia.com has an anonymous letter from an Imagineer striking back at fans who complain about recent efforts from Walt Disney Imagineering including Toy Story Mania. Click here to read. |
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| wahooskipper
Mon 5/5/2008 5:19a | Well, it is basically saying what I have said for a long time in response to criticisms regarding Pooh Playground, DCA, Small World and other things. The "loyal fan base" is but a mere fraction of the paying guests and they aren't who Disney is catering to.
Is that the right way of doing it these days? That is irrelevant. It is the way it is being done.
And, if you really think about it, what are the odds that you are going to please EVERYONE who makes up that small percentage of your loyal fan base? Basically 50/50. So, should they really concern themselves with what 50% of their small "loyal fan base" thinks when they are criticizing every move online?
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| Mickeymouseclub
Mon 5/5/2008 5:36a | Sometimes I think my disappointment should be directed at the original sin which was the Disney family selling out!!! Is that how this all began? Is that the root of our problem. It hurts to discover the Imagineers do not care about online opinions. The in park guest surveys needs a survey to see how effective that type of survey really is. |
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| wahooskipper
Mon 5/5/2008 5:44a | Is that really the issue? I don't think so. I think we have a generation right now growing up with unbelievable video games and other technologies that they have immediate access to in their own homes. It doesn't surprise me at all that kids would be drawn to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin or this new Toy Story attraction.
Now, it isn't necessarily what I like, but then again, I grew up with Pong and the Atari 2600.
I am sure that the in-park surveys get the most unbiased views of the parks. You certainly cannot only listen to what online opinion is. How many guests in the park on a given day have ever heard of LP? My guess...a very small percentage. Same for Jim Hill Media or any of the other sites.
How many of you have heard of a site called Coasterbuzz? If you like roller coasters I bet you have. Otherwise, you probably have not. So, when a Six Flags is building a new ride should they concern themselves with what 99% of their guests might think or the 1% that happens to visit Coasterbuzz? |
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| demderedoseguys
Mon 5/5/2008 6:10a | >That's what I think your readers need to understand. When it comes to Walt Disney World, we're not out to please the annual passholders. Our goal here is service the tens of millions of other guests for whom a Disney World vacation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. <
Not out to please the AP holders? Huh? Is there something I'm missing here?
The thought process should be that if WDI pleases the AP holders, that the one time guest will automatically have a better experience. |
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| Mr X
Mon 5/5/2008 6:34a | "update some tired old Epcot ride"
Nice.
I would say this guy is definitely a mediocre type, considering that instead of taking pride in making things perfect he's angry that people are "bitching" about what's wrong with the ride (an imperfection he himself admits exists).
What a crybaby. And a horrible lack of respect for the legacy of the place, if he sees Epcot as nothing but tired and old (who's fault is that, anyway?).
By the way, in case he's reading, I would say that I absolutely do NOT bitch or complain when they get stuff right. Like, really right.
There's a whole park like that. It's called DisneySea.
Perhaps he's heard of it. |
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| plpeters70
Mon 5/5/2008 6:37a | "I am sure that the in-park surveys get the most unbiased views of the parks."
Are you kidding? Have you ever taken one of those in park surveys? I have, and let me tell you, those things are not designed for complaints. They are most definitely skewed towards getting an answer they want.
If the Imagineers are relying on these things to get an accurate picture of guest satisfaction, then things at WDI are far worse than I thought. |
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| Mr X
Mon 5/5/2008 6:40a | If what that guy is saying is true, that the millions of guests are absolutely giddy with satisfaction and it's just a small percentage of internet nutcases who are bitching...why would he care so much anyway? |
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| Mr X
Mon 5/5/2008 6:42a | "I am sure that the in-park surveys get the most unbiased views of the parks."
Those things are most definitely skewed. They aren't used to gauge customer satisfaction, they are used to justify what has already been done by providing a mountain of backup data to bring to the next big meeting.
Actually, the internet probably IS the best gauge actually. |
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| wahooskipper
Mon 5/5/2008 7:33a | I did in park surveys for another company and that information absolutely was looked over by managers at various levels including the CEO. While a lot of the "general questions" are, granted, skewed, the meet of those things is usually the end when they ask you if you have any comments good, bad or otherwise. When someone takes the time to think about those answers and gives feedback of any nature then it is certainly considered valuable.
X, are you trying to argue that the posters at LP, Mice Age or wherever are a fair and reasonable sampling of the typical grouping of parks guests? I don't believe that for a minute.
I'll use another example. Geauga Lake Park in Ohio was closed permanently at the end of last season. There has been a lot of online buzz about what will happen with the old rides, including a classic 1926 wooden roller coaster.
While the online community might be asking for that coaster to be preserved in some form I can assure you that millions of residents in NE Ohio aren't expressing their view one way or the other. Should the company that owned Geauga Lake be concerned about what, at most, might amount to a few hundred people? Do those few hundred represent the millions of Ohioans? I don't think so. |
