snowwhitenyc
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2008
Wanted to share a troubling issue I've noticed in the Magic Kingdom lately. Backstory: I'm an Orlando-area transplant so now a happy WDW local and I'm in the parks often. In particular I like heading over to the MK on Saturday mornings -- I love to just walk the park and people watch and enjoy the little details that I don't see when FastPassing and riding and touring with friends.
I usually arrive early-ish, between 9-10am, which is obviously a peak time. For past two months or so, I've noticed that when I park, there is a CM standing in the roadway telling guests that it's just a 3-5 minute walk to the gate and it's not necessary to wait for a tram. He is mic-ed so that everyone can hear him, and he (it's always been a he, not necessarily the same person) is aggressively telling guests not to wait for the tram, just walk, it's faster, it's just 3-5 minutes, blah, blah, blah. I've found this quite strange. I know the parking lot well, and I actually do tend to walk from my car rather than wait for the tram...but I know how far it is, and it's no 3-5 minute walk. I've had this happen when I parked in Simba, Peter Pan, and even Rapunzel, which is one of the farthest lots on the Heroes side. I found this whole thing to be irritating and kind of unfair to guests (so many of them would allow their small children to walk instead of ride in a stroller, and I'm sure they regretted that after a few hours into the day), but then I saw something yesterday that shocked me...
I arrived at the MK a little later than normal, around 11am. Spring break crowds have not completely dispersed so it was crowded, and when I arrived they were already filling the Villains lot. I parked in Hook, right in the middle (row 325) and was shocked to walk to the end of my row to be told by a CM that there was no tram service from this lot, there is no need for a tram, it's just a 5 minute walk.
NO. TRAM. SERVICE. For anyone. From the middle of the parking lot, at one of the busiest times of day!
There were trams running, but they were not servicing Hook or anywhere nearby. So the 300 or so people who had just parked were sort of stunned, and then just started walking. It was quite a site, like a herd of zombies or the world's slowest marathon course. And this is when I became furious:
1. At 11am in April in central FL, the temperature was already 83 degrees. It was hot and sticky, and not at all a day that you'd want to walk through a sea of asphalt without any cover.
2. The walk, of course, was not 5 minutes. My Fitbit clocked it as just over .5 mile to the bag check I and took some shortcuts (leaving the "walking" path a few times). The only time I cover half a mile in 5 minutes is when there is a finish line and medal at the end. It's easily a 10 minute walk for people traveling at a casual pace.
3. The worst part is, THIS IS DANGEROUS. Guests had to travel through several active driveways where there was lots of vehicle traffic to navigate (people parking in the preferred and handicap lots, as well as vehicles trying to leave the lot). The crowd of 300 was not traveling in one neat line, they were scattered and crossing the roadways at all different points, and there were no CMs nearby directing traffic or helping visitors stay out of the path of cars. This horrified me. It was kind of a chaotic scene, and I could easily see a child darting ahead of mom and dad into a traffic lane, or someone just not looking and accidentally stepping from the "walking path" into the path of a car or tram. And I'm sure the drivers were not thrilled to have to navigate around all of these unexpected pedestrians.
It is clear to me that this is a cost-saving measure to reduce the number of trams and CMs needed in the parking lot (as we walked, everyone was making jokes wondering if Disney would be charging for tram rides now or if there would be carts on Main Street selling bandaids for everyone's new blisters). I have been visiting the MK for more than 20 years and I have NEVER not been offered a tram from the parking lot or been aggressively cajoled by CMs to walk from the middle or back sections of the lot.
This is also a terrible and unfair guest experience. Most people don't know how big the lot is and won't realize until it's too late that they need to cover significant ground. A day in the MK always means a lot of walking, and there are plenty of people (children, those with mobility issues) who will want to save their energy and stamina for the parks, not burn it in the parking lot. And a hot and sweaty walk through the parking lot is not the most magical way to start your day.
And then worst of all, imagine if there were an accident. It is infuriating to me that Disney would take this kind of risk. I don't have any problem with letting visitors know that they can walk to the gate, BUT if you're going to strongly encourage it or even require it, do it the right way. Create a very clear designated path for walkers that is covered and does not require crossing heavy traffic. And let people know how far they're going to walk so they can decide if that's manageable for their party.
Has anyone else experienced this? And do you agree that this problematic? I'm not a lazy person but there are good reasons that Disney has offered tram service for decades...and only one reason I can think of that they're trying to reduce it.
I usually arrive early-ish, between 9-10am, which is obviously a peak time. For past two months or so, I've noticed that when I park, there is a CM standing in the roadway telling guests that it's just a 3-5 minute walk to the gate and it's not necessary to wait for a tram. He is mic-ed so that everyone can hear him, and he (it's always been a he, not necessarily the same person) is aggressively telling guests not to wait for the tram, just walk, it's faster, it's just 3-5 minutes, blah, blah, blah. I've found this quite strange. I know the parking lot well, and I actually do tend to walk from my car rather than wait for the tram...but I know how far it is, and it's no 3-5 minute walk. I've had this happen when I parked in Simba, Peter Pan, and even Rapunzel, which is one of the farthest lots on the Heroes side. I found this whole thing to be irritating and kind of unfair to guests (so many of them would allow their small children to walk instead of ride in a stroller, and I'm sure they regretted that after a few hours into the day), but then I saw something yesterday that shocked me...
I arrived at the MK a little later than normal, around 11am. Spring break crowds have not completely dispersed so it was crowded, and when I arrived they were already filling the Villains lot. I parked in Hook, right in the middle (row 325) and was shocked to walk to the end of my row to be told by a CM that there was no tram service from this lot, there is no need for a tram, it's just a 5 minute walk.
NO. TRAM. SERVICE. For anyone. From the middle of the parking lot, at one of the busiest times of day!
There were trams running, but they were not servicing Hook or anywhere nearby. So the 300 or so people who had just parked were sort of stunned, and then just started walking. It was quite a site, like a herd of zombies or the world's slowest marathon course. And this is when I became furious:
1. At 11am in April in central FL, the temperature was already 83 degrees. It was hot and sticky, and not at all a day that you'd want to walk through a sea of asphalt without any cover.
2. The walk, of course, was not 5 minutes. My Fitbit clocked it as just over .5 mile to the bag check I and took some shortcuts (leaving the "walking" path a few times). The only time I cover half a mile in 5 minutes is when there is a finish line and medal at the end. It's easily a 10 minute walk for people traveling at a casual pace.
3. The worst part is, THIS IS DANGEROUS. Guests had to travel through several active driveways where there was lots of vehicle traffic to navigate (people parking in the preferred and handicap lots, as well as vehicles trying to leave the lot). The crowd of 300 was not traveling in one neat line, they were scattered and crossing the roadways at all different points, and there were no CMs nearby directing traffic or helping visitors stay out of the path of cars. This horrified me. It was kind of a chaotic scene, and I could easily see a child darting ahead of mom and dad into a traffic lane, or someone just not looking and accidentally stepping from the "walking path" into the path of a car or tram. And I'm sure the drivers were not thrilled to have to navigate around all of these unexpected pedestrians.
It is clear to me that this is a cost-saving measure to reduce the number of trams and CMs needed in the parking lot (as we walked, everyone was making jokes wondering if Disney would be charging for tram rides now or if there would be carts on Main Street selling bandaids for everyone's new blisters). I have been visiting the MK for more than 20 years and I have NEVER not been offered a tram from the parking lot or been aggressively cajoled by CMs to walk from the middle or back sections of the lot.
This is also a terrible and unfair guest experience. Most people don't know how big the lot is and won't realize until it's too late that they need to cover significant ground. A day in the MK always means a lot of walking, and there are plenty of people (children, those with mobility issues) who will want to save their energy and stamina for the parks, not burn it in the parking lot. And a hot and sweaty walk through the parking lot is not the most magical way to start your day.
And then worst of all, imagine if there were an accident. It is infuriating to me that Disney would take this kind of risk. I don't have any problem with letting visitors know that they can walk to the gate, BUT if you're going to strongly encourage it or even require it, do it the right way. Create a very clear designated path for walkers that is covered and does not require crossing heavy traffic. And let people know how far they're going to walk so they can decide if that's manageable for their party.
Has anyone else experienced this? And do you agree that this problematic? I'm not a lazy person but there are good reasons that Disney has offered tram service for decades...and only one reason I can think of that they're trying to reduce it.
