Can the corporate leopard change it's spot's?

[lorrig]

The day we watched the tree lighting ceremony last week, the star on the top of the tree failed to light up - it really took the magic out of the whole thing. I know it's only a little thing but as we know it's the little things that create the magic.

[geekyjo]

Those photos of the bulbs made me sad I've seen people chatting about Fantillusion before and saying that there was an odd light bulb here or there missing, and I thought that it was sad but perhaps just one of those things, as it must be hard to keep on top of them all. But to have SO many bulbs not working at the entrance to the park is really...shoddy?

I don't see how all of those bulbs can be out so obviously and yet no care has been put into replacing them, it looks as if DLP isn't treasured, and it detracts from the magic and from the feeling you get when you see that sign. I am always so quick to defend DLP and it is my favourite place in the world, but when I see things like that it does make my heart hurt a little bit

[captain rocket]

I know what you mean Geekyjo, This was my fourth visit this year , so you can see I am a real fan and I hate the fact that my park is not treasured by those who are the current custodians! My main concern is not how I feel about this situation, but how new visitors feel about this poor approach to maintenance and apparent could'nt care less as we already have your money approach!
Shame on you Disney management!
What's happened to the MAGIC?

[geekyjo]

I know what you mean Geekyjo, This was my fourth visit this year , so you can see I am a real fan and I hate the fact that my park is not treasured by those who are the current custodians! My main concern is not how I feel about this situation, but how new visitors feel about this poor approach to maintenance and apparent could'nt care less as we already have your money approach!
Shame on you Disney management!
What's happened to the MAGIC?

So true! I suppose we are all fans already, and I will try to go back every year for as long as I can afford it - but the general public's opinions of DLP already seem to be often negative or indifferent. I sometimes try to convince people that if they actually took the time to visit, they would love it, and that it's not just WDW that is worthy of their time. But if they went for the first time and were greeted by the sight of those missing light bulbs I know they'd have a hard time seeing what I mean

[DutchBrit]

While I agree that so many blown bulbs like that in a very prominent place give a bad impression, I think people have to accept that maintenance budgets are always going to be limited, and especially in a company that are not actually making a lot of profit. Priority 1 will be keeping the rides actually working and the money and resources will be allocated in a pecking order after that. Because having rides non-operational will keep people away, but having bulbs on a sign not working won't. And putting what money you have into new attractions IS a better business decision than putting it into the maintenance budget, because again, new attractions will bring in more people and be a better advertising subject than a "All lights working! New paint in the toilets!" campaign.....

[captain rocket]

I had a friend who worked in line maintenance for a major US airline. If a plane landed at Gatwick with a blocked fuel valve and one of the seat back videos broken, the order of priority in the repair was the video and then the fuel valve. The on board computer would direct the fuel around the valve, but the passengers would know that the video was broken and this would reflect badly on the airline.
It's the same in this case,
I did'nt mean to start a whole discussion about maintenance, I only wanted to point out that I believe priorities are wrong in this case. Whatever we say, there IS a maintenance budget and this looks dreadful to first time visitors and this item should be fixed! The number of bulbs gone is so bad that it would seem probable that they have failed over a length of time and this is poor!
My instant solution in this case would be to turn these lights off until replacements were installed, then first time visitors would not see this poor example of maintenance.

[geekyjo]

DutchBrit I do see what you mean completely I'm not aware of the different budgets and so on so apologies if I'm way off I think what confuses me is that in my eyes simple maintenance such as replacing light bulbs and keeping toilets clean and freshly painted should be a given, rather than an 'either-or' situation.

I am trying to think of an example...say if all the available Magicforum members go to see a show in London (a show with a lot of seats, haha). We have paid a lot for the tickets and we're really excited because we've never been before!

The show's great but some of the seats are dirty and ripped, the lights in the foyer don't seem to work properly and they flicker on and off. The sign outside advertising the show is all cracked and one of the illuminated letters is broken. We wonder why the theatre is in disrepair in parts, so we ask around and someone tells us that money is tight so most of the budget goes on paying the actors etc, and generally the quality of the show itself, and any maintenance work has to come second.

I think we would see what they mean, and we did really enjoy the show, but that wouldn't stop us from feeling a little disappointed about the state of the theatre, and some of us might not return, or might speak negatively about that particular theatre to other people...? Probably a silly example but I'm not sure.

And captain rocket I agree about just switching the lights off - I think because they're in such an obvious place keeping them switched on just screams "NEGLECT"/"WE DON'T CARE" to any new visitors. You know that phrase about how the first step to gaining respect is respecting yourself, or something like that? That is what this reminds me of...like why would people want to spend their money visiting a resort that (on first glance) looks like it isn't taken care of?

That being said I adore DLP and know that it does 'care', and I usually will not hear a bad word against it. I just think that if I went for the first time and wasn't quite as obsessed with Disney as I am, I might be a bit put off by the sight of those missing bulbs.

[DutchBrit]

I had a friend who worked in line maintenance for a major US airline. If a plane landed at Gatwick with a blocked fuel valve and one of the seat back videos broken, the order of priority in the repair was the video and then the fuel valve. The on board computer would direct the fuel around the valve, but the passengers would know that the video was broken and this would reflect badly on the airline.
It's the same in this case.

Actually in this case, the keeping the rides working equates to the mending of the video and not mending the valve is the bulbs. On a long flight the lack of video would cause a lot of complaints, just as non-working rides cause complaint at Disneyland, but bulbs not working would be the same as a non-working valve - most people would never notice.

I did'nt mean to start a whole discussion about maintenance, I only wanted to point out that I believe priorities are wrong in this case. Whatever we say, there IS a maintenance budget and this looks dreadful to first time visitors and this item should be fixed!

I don't think you can say this unless you know what the priorities are. And I'd still say that there are quite a lot of things I'd put above broken bulbs if I was in charge of the maintenance schedule. We don't know what else was on the list on the day you saw this problem. Nor can we be sure how long the bulbs were broken: it may be that they were fixed the very next day. There are probably maintenance windows for this sort of thing, say, has to be fixed in 3 days or something like that, maybe, depending on the agreed service levels and available resources. No company these days has the money or staff to respond to every problem at the very moment it happens!

[geekyjo]

There are probably maintenance windows for this sort of thing, say, has to be fixed in 3 days or something like that, maybe, depending on the agreed service levels and available resources. No company these days has the money or staff to respond to every problem at the very moment it happens!

I agree, but what shocked me was the fact that there were so many bulbs missing (e.g. 129 missing on picture 2 I think?) and I doubt that would have happened over the space of a day or two, it looks like it has happened over the space of weeks or months and has been neglected.

[DutchBrit]

I agree, but what shocked me was the fact that there were so many bulbs missing (e.g. 129 missing on picture 2 I think?) and I doubt that would have happened over the space of a day or two, it looks like it has happened over the space of weeks or months and has been neglected.

OK, I'm not an electrician, but I can imagine that there can be faults that cause bulbs to blow and that fixing those faults is more complicated than putting in a new bulb. In these cases we can't tell how long there has been a problem or what that problem is or what needs to be done to fix it.

We know Disneyland is struggling with budgets. This means some things won't get fixed very quickly, and those things that don't impact safety or attractions will be the last things they'll get round to. It's sad but I can't see it as a surprise, and without seeing what their maintence schedule is and what resources they have, I don't think we can say if they are doing things wrong or not.

[captain rocket]

You put up a spirited defence of Disney, Dutchbrit, You say" I don't think we can say if they are doing things wrong or not"
Well, yes I can, if my perception is that something is wrong, I can certainly say they are doing something wrong in my opinion! I am one of the end users after all!
I don't think I will be able to win you around in this discussion, and you certainly have not suggested anything that changes my opinion! Good discussion!

[DutchBrit]

You put up a spirited defence of Disney, Dutchbrit, You say" I don't think we can say if they are doing things wrong or not"
Well, yes I can, if my perception is that something is wrong, I can certainly say they are doing something wrong in my opinion! I am one of the end users after all!

You can say it, naturally, but it is not an informed opinion because you don't have all of the facts. I just don't think you can make a statemtent like "Disney's priorities are wrong!" when you don't know the details of how they set the priorities and how they meet them.

Who knows, if you were in charge, you might also find that you had to put other things above fixing light bulbs.

[Epcot_Boy]

You put up a spirited defence of Disney, Dutchbrit, You say" I don't think we can say if they are doing things wrong or not"
Well, yes I can, if my perception is that something is wrong, I can certainly say they are doing something wrong in my opinion! I am one of the end users after all!

You can say it, naturally, but it is not an informed opinion because you don't have all of the facts. I just don't think you can make a statemtent like "Disney's priorities are wrong!" when you don't know the details of how they set the priorities and how they meet them.

Who knows, if you were in charge, you might also find that you had to put other things above fixing light bulbs.

I have to admit DutchBrit I'm intrigued by your argument Obviously all companies set priorites, normally set by costs and customer demands, my own company certainly does, and believe me most others do as well. When a customer looks at the operations of a company the customer commonly will make judgements, not least how they perceive the priorities of that company. Few customers are on the boards of these companies, but they make judgements, rightly or wrongly, about how they see a company is progressing.
I make judgements all the time about all sorts of things, it doesn't mean to say I sit on the board of every company in the UK and beyond and know all their priorities, no, I make a judgement, on how I see a particular companies priorities A judgment, and we make judgements every single day.
I and others obviously don't sit on the board of DLP, but seeing how they operate allows me to make an educated guess regarding their priorities.
And my educated guess is that maintenance is low on their priorities, well below Dreams, 'Ratty' etc
I personally think that's a mistake, 'Dreams' has been an unbelievable success, but I would have prefered them to set maintenance as a priority over any new ride, for the time being that is
That's my judgement on their priorities, based on what I see, have seen and read
To me parts of the resort are in desperate need of repair, but I don't believe DLP are of the same opinion.
So to me, the priorities of the DLP board are obvious, and I don't have to be on the board to know what they are, I can see them with my own eyes

[DutchBrit]

And my educated guess is that maintenance is low on their priorities, well below Dreams, 'Ratty' etc
I personally think that's a mistake, 'Dreams' has been an unbelievable success, but I would have prefered them to set maintenance as a priority over any new ride, for the time being that is

That would be my guess too, but I disagree that those priorities are wrong. I very much doubt that any company can afford not bring in new custom. And while providing a perfectly maintained park may please some, providing new attractions/shows will bring in many more. As far as business goes, there really isn't any choice.

[Deff]

If I remember correctly the management signed a multi-year contract with a supplier of LED lighting equipment that is starting around now. Maybe this is just an unfortunate transitioning moment?

[Trekkie101]

If I remember correctly the management signed a multi-year contract with a supplier of LED lighting equipment that is starting around now. Maybe this is just an unfortunate transitioning moment?

OSRAM just had a big photo day across there as a new partner, OSRAM make bulbs, lots of bulbs.

[ed-uk]

It's not just Disneyland Park that requires maintenance. like the path that was repaved in Fantasyland last year. EuroDisney also has 7 hotels to maintain, and they're under refurbishment at the moment. Also the esplanade between the parks which was repaved in the last year, The new Ratatouille ride is under construction in the WDS. DLP opened The World of Disney Store and expanded Disney Village, Dreams premiered. The light bulbs above the entrance to Disneyland Park are just the tip of the iceberg, but I agree it would be nice to have them working. However, I don't agree that DLP has gone into decline and that the rot really has set in, especially if we look at the bigger picture.
EuroDisney's number one priority over the years has been to pay back their debts to the banks and meet their covenants. Some fans skate over it or sweep it under the carpet, and considering EuroDisney has faced bankrupcy twice and has gone through some painful restructuring of their debt, I'm surprised at this. Now that the WDC has refinanced EuroDisney's debts at a more favourable rate of interest and the banks are now out of the picture, the company should find it easier moving forward hopefully to long term profitability. But maintenance won't be their only priority I'm sure, the striking CMs blocking the parade route and ruining the magic in search of a bigger pay rise will make sure of that.

[benjy]

Just a quick update... As of early this morning.......





Sorry about the poor quality of my pictures it was taken on my rubbish Phone!!

Plus I noticed a lot more lights in Fantasia Gardens were working and more in Central Plaza so I think bit by bit they are getting round to fixing them all!!

[Festival Disney]

Thank God! Took them long enough, it felt like the person in charge of lighting in the parks had been off sick for quite a while Don't think I've ever seen (in person or photo) every light work on those marquees before now

[DisneyObsessive]

I read that DLP have recently signed a partnership deal with Osram the bulb manufactuer so maybe this is the reason for the bulbs being replaced and perhaps the poor matainance was while the deal was being done and a suitible long life bulb developed to meet new EC regualations and maintain the theming requirements.

Not saying this is the case but I am convinced that often when we feel is poor show has sound business thinking behind it. Not always but often.