This week’s mailbag includes letters to several staff members. Staff writer Andrew Rich starts us off with responses to his “HalloweenTime 2009 at the Disneyland Resort” photo tour (October 15, 2009).
Tom S. writes:
Thanks for the great slide show! You’re an excellent photographer! My only suggestion: is there any way to show each slide for two seconds instead of five? People who want a closer look could always watch it again.
Thanks for the compliments! The default interval on the slideshow is actually three seconds, which I thought was too short. It’s at seven seconds on the MousePlanet article. If you’d like a longer (or shorter) period between photos, you can click through to the full-size slideshow in my photo gallery by just clicking any one of the photos. Thanks again!
Celina writes:
Thank you so much for the photo slideshow. I recently moved from Arizona to Washington, DC so a trip to Disneyland for HalloweenTime is out of the cards this year, much to my disappointment. Your slideshow was a nice little escape!
I just wanted to let you know a little bit more about Dia de los Muertos and the significance of some of the objects on display. Traditionally, Latin America doesn’t share the same western fear and dread of death. Dia de los muertos has its roots in indigenous cultures which celebrate the (excuse the term here) circle of life.
The skeletons are called calaveras. It’s traditional to have brightly painted skeletons and skulls which are often made from a mix of sugar and meringue and can be eaten! The dressed-up women are called catrinas and mock the significance we, the living, put on this life which turns out to be transient.
The tables are not altars but ofrendas. They are usually dedicated to a specific person or group of people and hold objects that were dear to those people in life. Sometimes these are toys or clothes or instruments and they always include favorite foods. The dead are supposed to return to earth on Dia de los muertos and the ofrenda is a sort of “welcome back” offering.
I could go on but then I’d be writing my own column here! Happy Halloween!
Thanks so much for the compliments and especially for the information about Dia de los Muertos. The annual display at Disneyland is something to which I always look forward, so knowing more about it can only make it better.
Mark G. writes:
Could you please let me know what the crowd levels have been like in Disneyland during the week and weekends. I have been trying to find articles covering this but to no avail.
In general it’s been very busy at the Disneyland Resort, with fall weather and Halloween events bringing the crowds. Our weekly Disneyland Resort Updates cover this, and you can always find a thread or two talking about crowd levels in the Disneyland Resort News forum on MousePad. Thanks for writing.
Mouse Tales author and MousePlanet staff writer David Koenig answers two letters in response to his article, “Monorail Investigation Deepens.” (October 13, 2009)
Arnold writes:
Two notes. I once worked on a project where the “open door” question came up–how to indicate you’re open while not letting in flies (a legal issue) and letting out HVAC air (an energy issue). The answer was as obvious as it is hilarious–have two sets of doors. Literally, a fake set of permanent open doors just outside of the practical doors.
As for openness, one policy I hate and wonder what you think about is the removal, return, and finally permanent removal of prices from items in display cases. Some display-case items are priced on signboards, but many units like the bakeries on main street deliberately omit pricing information on a good fraction of items.
My advice is to think and teach that if you have to ask, it’s too expensive, and if it doesn’t have a price, it’s not for sale.
I detest that many Disneyland eateries intentionally hide their prices. Most guests DO care what the prices are and to place the burden and inconvenience to find out what they are upon the guest is, at best, poor customer service and, at worst, borderline deceitful. Disney can argue that there’s an industry precedent of not advertising your prices like at a gas station for fine dining restaurants like the Blue Bayou, but to intentionally omit prices at the bakery is disgraceful. Last weekend, I stood outside the “price-less” Big Thunder BBQ and watched party after party nervously hem and haw, trying to decide if they should get in line without having any idea how much it cost.
Pam B. writes:
As always, I love to read your work! I read and re-read MouseTales every chance I get. I had a grin from ear to ear when I caught my 15 year old nephew, who describes reading as an activity that “sux”, sneaking your books off my shelf to take home.
I was a bit concerned when I read your article on the Monorail investigation. My concern began when I read a paragraph that stated meaningful information would not be shared with OSHA because employee interviews were being conducted on stage, with both management and union present. As a union activist and Local president, I found it disturbing that an opinion was conveyed that information relevant to this crash and how to prevent future crashes could not be effectively communicated when oppositional parties from the bargaining table were present.
As an employee representative, I would have been there for every minute of every interview for every employee, making sure that employee said nothing that could result in disciplinary action, a lost job or a massive lawsuit. As much as I love Disney, Disney is still “management” and employee fears of retaliation are usually very well founded. In addition, if Disney can chalk this entire incident up to “operator error” and pin the blame on a helpless hourly, my guess is they will do it. That being the case, I think it was very irresponsible to suggest employees contact OSHA alone. While we all know that public safety should be the utmost issue, it would be best not to subject hard working cast members to the risk of unemployment and legal liability. At the very least, an employee who wants to say more to OSHA should talk to their union rep first and have their union rep with them when they speak to OSHA. That’s what their reps are for. I work for a federal agency and my union is also OSHA’s union. Though I haven’t seen the legal citation for this, I would bet that Disney has a right to see all material gathered by OSHA during an investigation. Thus, an employee could not remain anonymous forever, subjecting them to potential retaliation.
If employees feel they have information that can help increase guest safety, by all means–speak up, just talk to your union rep first and have them present when you do.
You make good points, but I will respectfully disagree. Employees are guaranteed full confidentiality and employers have no right to discover the identity of any employee who specifically requests that his or her name not be shared. Involving a union rep, at least to me, could possibly send a red flag to Disney that someone is talking—exactly what whistle-blowers fear.
My desire is not to punish Disney, or to turn this into a battle of “opponents.” I merely wish that, if there are dangerous conditions out there, they’re corrected. And the easier we make it for intimidated employees to speak freely, the safer we all will be.
Next, Lisa Perkis answers a reader in response to the article, “Attraction Fears, Children, and Parents: What to Do?” (October 8, 2009).
Dave A. writes:
Thank you and the MousePlanet writers who contributed to your article on Attraction Fears for Children. I can especially relate Jeff Kober’s contribution because I have made several trips to Disneyland with my niece and her family in which her youngest son, now seven, has autism. Jeff Kober accurately describe the fear of enclosed windowless dark places and an intense fear of loud noises. To this point in his, that fear has eliminated all of the dark rides in Disneyland as well as any attraction that takes place in an indoor theater setting.
My point here is to give a tip-of-hat to Disney and a much maligned section of the Disneyland Parks and that is Disney’s California Adventure’s A Bug’s Land. Granted this was a quick add-on to Disney’s California Adventure after the initial complaint resonated loudly that there were no attractions for small children when Disney’s California Adventure first opened its gates. But what Disney gave with A Bugs Land and its few relatively innocent rides has brought hours of joy to my great-nephew Matthew and I’m sure countless others like him. In its plans for grand Disney’s California Adventure expansion, there is no plan to remove the rather simplistic Bugs Land nor should there be. We can’t stay there for hours on end of course, but we find that if we give Matt a couple of hours there on one of our multi-day trips he then is more that willing to give others their enjoyment in other parts of the park even if he has to sit quietly on a bench waiting for his “braver” family members to return from their rides.
Your point about Bug’s Land is a good one–all the attractions there are nice and open (except for the frightening It’s Tough to be a Bug. We had to leave mid-performance on that one.) My daughter’s anxiety keeps her from going on the “spinning rides” there like Flik’s Flyers and Francis’ Ladybug Boogie, but for kids who have trouble with dark rides, A Bug’s Land is a good alternative.
Finally, staff writer Sheila Hagen answers a letter about her profile of Thurl Ravenscroft.
Art McC. writes:
I always enjoy reading about Thurl, but there is an error which has crept into so many web accounts. I have the tape of the original 1936 audition recordings of the Paul Taylor Choristers. Thurl, uncredited, is the announcer. The quartet is the Metropolitan Four, not the Metropolitans. Paul Taylor imported a bass, Don Craig, from Seattle to match his baritone, Arthur McCulloch. He did this because of their uncanny blend rarely found outside of a family. They looked like brothers & sounded like brothers. When they performed away from the Choristers they needed another name. Bill Days and my Dad saw a copy of Sportsmen’s Magazine on the table. That part of the rest is history.
I have an autographed photo of the original Sportsmen signed by each and dated 1938. That same year Don Craig left to join the Fred Waring organization. That’s when Thurl joined the Sportsmen. I have several takes of his rehearsing his first appearance on the air and the actual air check of that performance. Dad left the quartet when three of the four found their arranger pianist, Johnny Rarig, could sing baritone meaning they could divide income four ways instead of five. It was the Great Depression.
All remained choristers for some time & all worked in Disney productions from the early Silly Symphonies onward.
One of those Silly Symphonies had them voicing fish. The studio couldn’t get the sound right. They ended up singing with their faces underwater. That was the take they used. Now that is something I’d like a copy of.
By the way Max Smith joined the Mellowmen soon after Thurl founded them.
Thank you so much for your enlightening email! I am forwarding this to be included as part of our regular Mailbag column as I think it would be of great interest to our other readers.
