The Voice Of WDW, No Longer!!!

[Lou... 3,118]

Every single announcement on the buses is done by the same guy that also does the announcements on that poor excuse for a transportation mode, the monorails. That's the only voice I've ever heard.

So what do I hear when I head to the Art of Animation resort for the first time, another voice, and not a very good one at that.

It doesn't even sound like a professional announcer.

This can't be. That's not the voice of WDW. It sounds like they found any Joe Schmo and said, read this into the mic.

I'm not happy about this.

If the original guy can't do it, then find someone that can impersonate him or at least comes close to sounding like him.

I'm hoping that it's a temporary thing and that this wrong will be righted.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

I vote for Christopher Walken.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

They can't replace that guy! And apparently his name is Bill Rogers, who replaced Jack Wagner about 20 years ago. Can anyone confirm that?

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I have suggested Fran Drescher to Bobby for the new WDW voice. Still waiting for his reply. I think the lawyers are sorting it out.

[bord1niowa......Curt 79]

I have suggested Fran Drescher to Bobby for the new WDW voice. Still waiting for his reply. I think the lawyers are sorting it out.

I have to admit. She has the most irritating voice of any human I have ever heard.

[Chuggs 2]

Lou, while I have the most reverent respect for the drivers...the "Disney Transportation System" leaves a lot to be desired.

Did you know that Otis put a push button on elevators starting back in 1907. 105 years later...buses still do the stupidest things. While waiting over 40 minutes for an EPCOT bus to come to Ft. Wilderness...we see three buses come for Animal Kingdom. The first one had a couple of passengers..the other two left empty. Why on earth they would cue a bus to one destination every 10 minutes...while other destinations go for 40 minutes is beyond me.

With the number of smartphones there are out there....Disney should invest in a computer system that would cue buses based on demand... For example....the program would allow the passenger to scan one of those coded squares at the bus stop...it would add the passengers request to a cueing system. The computer could then route available buses based on NEED. It would have the benefit of giving passengers better service...and could potentially eliminate wasting gas driving empty buses around. Just saying.... It sure would be nice to see the leader in technology step out and really institute something ground breaking. It would be like being able to call an elevator car to your floor...something we've been able to do for 105 years!!!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Boooo to replacing tried and true announcers with lame-o newbies.

[Lou... 3,118]

Lou, while I have the most reverent respect for the drivers

That's more than I can say.

Too many WDW bus drivers have no business driving a WDW bus.

the "Disney Transportation System" leaves a lot to be desired.

I have to disagree with the words "a lot". There is always room for improvement, but considering what they have to do everyday, and taking into account the entire property, they do it pretty well.

While waiting over 40 minutes for an EPCOT bus to come to Ft. Wilderness...we see three buses come for Animal Kingdom.

One thing to be aware of is that there are five bus hubs that operate independently.

AK buses are AK buses, MK buses are MK buses, etc, so seeing a few buses for one destination, one after the other, has nothing to do with not seeing any buses for another destination.

They could switch one of those AK buses to an Epcot bus, but that fouls up the organized order of things. There is a set plan in motion.

While some things do fall through the cracks, it's a tiny percentage of the hundreds of trips that are run every hour.

You'd have to see the overall logistic picture from the inside to appreciate the massive task that they have perform every day. There are some amazing things going on behind the scenes every AM and PM.

Disney should invest in a computer system that would cue buses based on demand...

WDW Transportation is mass transit and does not cater to the single rider, but actually they do operate on a "on demand" system. It's very complex and would take too long to explain it

Using it brings in and takes out all guests in 2 hours or less.

It sure would be nice to see the leader in technology step out and really institute something ground breaking. It would be like being able to call an elevator car to your floor...something we've been able to do for 105 years!!!

Disney is by no means the leader in any technology, that's a myth, but they do a ground breaking job every day moving as many people as they do.

It can be improved, but by and large it works well, but as you pointed out, there are annoying incidents that take place everyday

All things considered, the WDW bus system is considered one of the best anywhere and it will get better. It already has since I started. Many more buses, many more drivers, and better control systems.

So to sum up, what you experienced does and will continue to happen to some people, but not to the vast majority.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Say it ain't so....I love the revered voice of the WDW transportation system...

at least change it to Lou's voice...I think that's an idea all fiend's can get behind!

It should be noted that I have never actually heard Lou's voice and it could sound perfectly normal, or it could sound like Jar Jar Binks....I have no idea.

[Chuggs 2]

...So to sum up, what you experienced does and will continue to happen to some people, but not to the vast majority.

Thanks Lou! That was a very enlightening post.

It still looks to me that your Drivers are very safety concious operators...and they have always be friendly and courteous to us.

Logistics...it just amazes me.

For the layperson (me)...it's easy to picture the "perfect world"... but I'm not constrained by actual limitations. For example, I have no idea what it takes for a Driver to be qualified on a paticular route --- and how impractical it would be to be able to redispatch busses as they pull into a station...just based on how big a crowd there is standing by a particular bus stop. I think of the easy part...and don't have to worry about the details to make something like that happen for real.

[Lou... 3,118]

For example, I have no idea what it takes for a Driver to be qualified on a paticular route ---

Drivers don't have set routes. It's a different one just about every time. No going back and forth to the same place.

Every driver has to be able to do all of the 500, or so, approved routes exactly as designed. And no, there is no GPS giving turn by turn directions.

They have to be able to drive out of every hub and go everywhere on property.

And that's why there are so many mistakes being made by new drivers.

It takes at least six months to learn and remember all the routes.

and how impractical it would be to be able to redispatch busses as they pull into a station...just based on how big a crowd there is standing by a particular bus stop.

No need to redispatch because that's exactly how it's done during peak times of the day.

The next route a bus does is sent to the black box on the bus about 3 minutes, or less, before they arrive. Drivers don't know what they're picking up for until then.

That next route is either selected by a person observing the situation live or remotely, or by the computer during non peak times in order to achieve the 20 minute average wait time.