Me? I would restore (or adopt!) the rule that costumes could not be taken off property. When I worked at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, the only costumed cast members who could wear a costume off property were guest relations tour guides and the Ambassadors, who would wear their costumes when they were making public appearances on behalf of the resort or ferrying VIP guests to and from the Orlando International Airport.
Everyone else got 20 paid minutes at the end of their shifts, when they could change from their costumes and exchange them for a fresh, clean costume to wear the next day (which they'd keep in an assigned locker). That meant no Disney cast members ever would be seen in their costumes off property, and that the costumes would be professional laundered and cared for by Disney staff, on site.
This policy does three things: First, I think costumes remain in better shape when they're cared for by a professional costuming department, and not laundered at home. That allows the company to improve the show while saving money on costume repair and replacement. Second, keeping costumes at the work site improves show quality for visitors and potential visitors by ensuring that the "fourth wall" isn't broken by seeing park employees in costume "off stage" and in public.
Third, and most important in my opinion, the policy improves show quality because it creates a clear division between work and home for the employees themselves. Take your costume home, and you're just another low-wage hourly employee working a retail job in funny clothes. Keep the costume in the park's costuming department, and when you put it on, you're a cast member in a major show. That attitude adjustment is crucial in promoting high quality guest service in the park, and a huge reason why Disney insisted upon this policy for decades.
What's the one change you'd make at your favorite theme park? And please don't list some capital improvement, such as building a $100 million new dark ride. Let's restrict this to realistic operational improvements. So... what's your one thing?
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I would love for Disney to show more compassion for their workers. I know the hourly workers really don't have much flexibility in their work rules. The rules intrude on the customer experience at times. They need to make the workers more responsive to customers. It is sort of like the workers follow a queue line to clock in and out and the customers go into their queue line for food, drink, and rides. Their tight operation made the customer experience equally tight.
Expedition Everest, with or without a fully operational Yeti, is one of the most richly themed attractions at any Disney park and doesn't have a major Disney brand as its main draw.
The same can be said for Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Soarin and a host of other attractions.
I'm not suggesting that attractions shouldn't use a Disney brand for a theme, but it should be restricted to those they know work as an attraction, rather than those that executives at the company want to push.
If there is a need to promote a brand in the park then it should at least be done properly - in other words avoid another Stitch's Great Escape.
Parks, especially Disney, have shifted much of their emphasis from ongoing high quality park experience to revenue maximization. Profit is the driver for business. However, the short-term revenue focus will devalue the parks over the long term. Potential triggers for the loss will eventually occur. The first few can be bought out with pricing. You can only buy your way out of one or two before the perceived value is lost.
While Disney is nowhere close to pulling a Six Flags, the first steps in the trend is there. Disney can survive this approach for many years but their size and operating costs are both their cash cow and vulnerability.
Contrary to this approach, parks such as Holiday World have demonstrated that generating customer love and value can turn one of the world's smaller and least accessible theme parks into a loved destination. Customer love guarantees repetitive success. Holiday World has earned it, Disney currently has it at the risk of the younger generation seeing it as a current hot attraction, Cedar Fair is losing it, and Six Flags has lost it.
RB
I would love to have one fast pass system in my home park, Hopi Hari. It would triple my visits to them.
I also want my Jersey Devil-themed, twin racing wood coaster over the river and through the woods behind Nitro. But let's focus on the water first :)
I understand your points, but I think overall the effects are minor.
What I do want to see is more "streetmosphere". I hear there used to be a bank robbery in Frontierland, there should be pirates or adventurers walking around Adventureland and the Maint St. Characters should be out all day.
Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are two parks that could definitely benefit, especially with all the Disney properties that would make great adaptations for the stage.
Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure could use good ones too.
Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are two parks that could definitely benefit, especially with all the Disney properties that would make great adaptations for the stage.
Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure could use good ones too.
In Wizarding World, the entire place operates as if it was actually Hogsmeade, including British food and Hogwarts merchandise. There is no sign of the outside world from inside Wizarding World.
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