But is it really the happiest place on earth? Or maybe, Disneyland is simply very, very good at messaging. After all, the welcome packages are sprinkled with pixie dust, and come with a commemorative coin.
If negative impressions are eight times more impactful than positive impressions, then it takes 80 positive impressions to erase a negative impression. So the question is: will I have enough positive park experiences to forget the two hours I waited in the hotel lobby at check-in because my room was not ready? Hmmm... probably. There are a lot of positive impressions to be found; some of which almost seem too good to be true — like being told the wait for breakfast will be up to an hour (it was three minutes).
Don't get me wrong. We're having a great time. And at the end of the day, we will have fond memories of the visit. That's the point. Very few places can gamble impressions like Disneyland and live to talk about it because so very few have 80 positive impressions around every corner or in their red back pocket. But Mickey, well, he's one smart mouse.
8 comments:
Hope you're having fun. I never went to DisneyLand but have been to DisneyWorld and they certainly made an impression on me. I felt like a kid again and who wouldn't love that feeling?
Jericho tonight. 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
Hey JS,
From what I understand Disneyworld is supposed to be the better of the two parks, but this is nice enough. It's fun for a couple days. :) Me, I love it, but only if I have a bit of beach time to balance it all out. :)
All my best,
Rich
I hope you had some Jericho time. The DVD jumped from # 334 to # 245 in the hour after tonight's show.
Have a safe trip.
Think of your wait time in a different frame…someone from housekeeping didn't show up for work. Ten rooms are late checking out. The housekeeper that prepared your room has double the work today and is doing her best.
Food for thought.
When I interned @ Grand Hyatt in Pastry Kitchen, late afternoons, in the locker room, the women housekeepers always had so many complaints about being understaffed, overworked, underpaid. Not many tips, guests who treated them poorly.
Here's wishing you really enjoy your time on vacation. I only wanted to make the wait time you experienced, Not stand out in your mind. Mickey Mouse wants you to have a surperb time!!!!!
Theresa111
JS, great news. As for me, I set it up on my DVR. :)
Theresa, very intuitive. That is what happened. Dozens of staff members had called in sick on July 4. Don't get me wrong, our stay has been and is great. I've traveled enough to roll with minor inconveniences; other people are less lucky.
We saw a lot of upset people wandering around that day in the hotel. What I have learned, from a purely consumer perspective, is you have to know when to be the squeaky wheel and when not to be.
Too little when it not warranted and you might be taken advantage of; too much and you'll ruin your own vacation because positive thinking is essential to success in, well, anything.
Thanks for the well wishes! All my best, Rich
Personally I think Disneyland is the tiredess (if that's a word) place on earth. It's just too big! Everytime I go there, I come out feeling shell shocked and like I need another vacation.
I am still waiting to get to Disneyland.. have been waiting since I was a kid. Now I am sending this post to my Father and telling him " see , even Rich at Copywrite,Ink gets to go"! Hope you are enjoying every bit of the fun there!
:-)
Raven, my feet agree with you! ;)
Lisa, we returned yesterday after a very fun time. Definitely go. Definitely add in that extra day to rest from this kind of vacation. There is much chaos, but that is part of the fun. Other than an occasional employe who creates the wrong impression, there are plenty more who will demonstrate what Disney is supposed to be about.
Going back to my original post, you might even notice where Disney has excelled over the years is in making long waits bearable (on most rides) by creating environments around those lines. For example the Indiana Jones Adventure is mostly enclosed, air conditioned, and resembles an ancient tomb (you barely notice you are in line).
The Subs at Disney, which is new, however, have no facade to mask the line. These rides tend to be the most popular attractions and bank on concept that the payoff will erase the wait. However, we had to pass on the seeing Nemo this time because the Sub wait was upwards of five hours.
So, for anyone wondering, this post was less of gripe and more of an observation. Disney does gamble a bit with impressions, but most companies cannot. Another example that comes to mind is that it has been proven that customers are willing to wait in a bank line longer if they see that each customer ahead of them is receiving the best service (because they know they will receive the same when it is there turn). In several instances at Disney, you do not always have the benefit of seeing those ahead of you and thus, rely only on Disney's brand that the wait will be worth it.
Hmmm... I think Disneyworld is my future too, just not this year. :)
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