Disneyland - Guest Satisfaction

I'm pretty close to winding up this trip to Disneyland.

The last post focused on the Disney commitment to a good guest experience by looking for ways to update and improve rides, but there is more to the park than rides. Fast passes and some of the new wristband functions that they are doing in Disneyworld are a part of that too. The fact that the food is so good, which came up in some of the dining posts, is part of that. Today's post is about three different little things that go along with that.

One happened in the Magic Kingdom, and I don't have a picture for it. We went on Star Tours, which is kind of a good example anyway, when they shot new footage and started mixing it up so that you don't know how the ride will go. One thing that is for certain, though, is that they will tell you that you have a rebel spy on board, and escaping the arrest of that spy is what sets the adventure off.

Years ago I went on the Star Trek simulation ride in Las Vegas that was similar to this. There was an ancestor of someone from the next generation on board (I think Picard, but it was Riker who was filmed as the person talking to you), but they didn't show you a picture, so it could be anyone on board, even you.

That might seem like it's more inclusive, but it's also less interesting. Star Tours shows you which passenger it is. On our ride, it was Maria.

That's only one person, but most people are in groups, so there are more people that are affected by it. Personally, I thought it was hilarious, especially because when they took the picture Maria must have just been looking down, but it looked like she was sleeping. The rebel alliance is in good hands.

Having been on the ride when it wasn't one of us, I never felt like it was non-inclusive, so not being connected to the spy is not alienating, but there is the chance of being connected, which is pretty cool. It's a nice bonus feature.

Also a nice bonus feature was one cast member giving me a Mickey Mouse sticker as I was walking in California Adventure, near the Little Mermaid ride. It seemed pretty random, but there was a little boost in the day that was unexpected.

As you  can see, I am sticking to their terminology of guests and cast members, because you can say customers and employees, and it would be true, but I think that the fact that they use those specific words helps them get in the mindset that they want, and it's effective. They do a good job.

A lot of that job isn't necessarily seen. We didn't know how wearing the birthday buttons would work until we did it. I never knew that you might randomly get a sticker until it happened. I wasn't shocked, but I didn't know. So, having stood in lines for pretty much every ride multiple times, there was something else I didn't know about, until it happened.

We got in line for Soarin' Over California, and a cast member handed me a card on a lanyard and asked me to turn it in at the head of the line. You know those signs telling you how long the wait for a ride is? Those are not guesses. On a regular basis they are timing it and updating.

It's cool that they do all that, and it's cool to get a peek at how it happens.

I love Disneyland.