After being closed for several weeks for a supposed "retrofit", the Living with the Land boat ride is back again. Before the ride closed, I had spoken to several cast members on just what was being done to the ride, and all had stated that the reason was to eliminate the Boat ride's "Tour Guides" and to speed up the queue lines to the attraction. There is no more fastpass either.
Well its true, the cast members who were tour guides on this relaxing and educational ride are gone. In their place is a recorded tour of the attraction. Well I can tell you firsthand that the lines do not move any faster than before and the attraction is exactly as it was before except for the guides. I find this very sad. Half the fun at Disney is the personal touch that the cast members give any attraction. Depending on your guide, some were funny and many gave a fine tour of the greenhouses.
After the ride today, I again spoke to several cast members by the attraction. As I feared, this was all a cost-cutting measure. All I spoke to said that Disney wanted to save some money and eliminated the guides. I hope that this is not a trend that Disney is starting. The cast members give the attractions and shows that extra "Magic" that we all come to expect from Disney. So today we say good-bye to those informative guides on the Boat tour and say hello to a recorded tour. Just not quite the same. And I sure hope that Disney does not decided to save money and replace the Jungle Cruise Skippers with some recording. That I do not think Walt would stand for!
