The Space Center and Disney. More Reflections.

Hello Troops,
The following comments came by email from a former fantastic Space Center Flight Director named Julie Billings. Julie was once a Disneyland employee and has a unique insight into all things Disney and Space Center. Thanks Julie for your thoughts.

Mr. Williamson

And Now Julie's Comments:
Quick response to Mr. Williamson's blog:

He is absolutely right. It is something Disney has striven to do since it opened. But being attractions instead of simulations makes it difficult. Not to mention the workload of up to 80,000 people a day. Just recently Disney has been able to get out of the repetitive rut with newer more innovative rides, such as the new Tower of Terror with a random selection of drops, Buzz Lightyear with a way to interact, and their newest Toy Story Mania with a 'never the same ride twice' feel to it. At Disney World they have what is called Disney Quest where you can design your own roller coaster and ride it, at an extra price. But never will it be up to what the Space Center can achieve. At the Space Center you are completely immersed in the story for hours at a time. As repetitive a mission can get as a Flight Director, there was always a change based on the creative (or uncreative) children inside.

I remember on my 16th birthday an overnight mission was canceled and Mr. Williamson let what staff who wanted to come do an overnight mission instead. I jumped at the opportunity, birthday or not, and I had a friend who got mad at me because I skipped out on the Mountain View football game. I remember telling her, "I would have rather done what I did then go to Disneyland!" After the words left my mouth I couldn't believe such blasphemy, but it was true.

Now, that being said I love Disneyland and most things Disney. I hope my kids share this love of Disney and love to go to Disneyland. Right now I think I would rather go to Disneyland than anything. But at that age of 16 and before, the Space Center does something to you that nothing else can. And it truly is "Better than Disneyland."

Goodbye Casual and Hello Usual

Hello Troops,
This is the eve of the Space Center's Official Opening for the 2008-2009 School Year. For the last couple days we've hosted our own school for the full four hour field trip. Central students are beneficial at helping us work the bugs out of our programs. They are the victims in our dress rehearsals and, in return for their patience, they don't pay. Well, all that ended this afternoon. Central is finished and tomorrow at 9:30 A.M. we open with our first school of the season - Westvale Elementary School.

It is funny to be able to point to an exact date and time when your life disappears. You see, since July 31st I've either been on vacation or here, working on the Perikoi mission, scheduling classes and field trips, designing a web site, working on simulator repairs, spending too much money on everything from programming books to new simulators, etc. etc. etc. This is my favorite time of year because I can arrive at 8:00 A.M. and actually go home between 6 and 7 P.M. All of that will change tomorrow, September 25, 2008 at 9:30 A.M. From that moment on we are open nearly every school day running two to four classes per day on missions, classes, and starlabs. We run around here "like chickens with their heads cut off" doing pretty much the same thing day in and day out.

Don't misunderstand me, I love my job and wouldn't have it any other way but I still find it interested that everything will change at an exact point in time and stay that way until another exact point in time at the end of May.

We tired something new today on the Voyager school mission. For the first time in years and years we had a doctor on the bridger in addition to the staff. One of our staff set up a sick bay in the Captain's Quarters right off the bridge. During the mission Lorraine sent "injured" crew into the sickbay for a quick scan and a tasty M and M. It worked well and gave crew members a welcome stand up and stretch during the mission. She looked for those a bit bored and sent them in for a dose of attention. It also worked well for attack scenes. Now we can thin down the number of students at the working stations thus increasing the stress level for those that remain. We will try to implement the Field Trip Doctor whenever staffing will allow.

Well, It is time to go home and enjoy the rest of my Worker's Eve. I'll see many of you here in the trenches as we continue to battle ignorance, stupidity and apathy.

Mr. Williamson

The Magic of the Space Center.

Hello Troops,
Take a minute from your battle with ignorance and let me share a thought.
Many times throughout the years we've all heard Space Center visitors say,"This is better than Disneyland!". Each time I hear that I wonder how that can possibly be! Disneyland has everything from expensive, imaginative rides to restaurants and shopping. The parks are squeaky clean. The sets effectively transport you from the daily grind to the world of imagination. I'm an admirerer of everything Disney. So...... being a fan (I don't own a pair of Mickey ears so I don't consider myself a FANatic) I'm honored to hear such things but really couldn't, until now, accept the statements as truth.

I recently returned from a week at Disneyworld. That week gave me multiple opportunities to compare and contrast the best theme park in the world to our humble log cabin approach in Pleasant Grove. I could write a small book on the subject but today I'll share my greatest realization.

I noticed that when people get off a Disney ride they speak briefly about the experience. You hear things like: "That was awesome," to "I think I'm sick," to "That wasn't what I expected," to "That drop almost gave me a heart attack!". You also hear them talk about others in their group:
"Did you see mom's face?" and "I thought Dad was going to throw up!"
The ride discussion quickly ends and the family starts talking about the next meal or hurting feet or exclamations to hurry to get the next Fast Pass. The ride discussion ends quickly because every participant had THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE! They were side by side. They all saw the same thing, heard the same sounds, smelled the same smells, and jumped at the same time.
A further discussion is pointless because every comment you make is answered with "We Know, we were there,".

Now compare that to a group leaving one of our simulators after a fun 2.5 to 5 hour mission. Read the points I make below and see if I'm not spot on with this observation:

• We hear from moms that their children's mission talk continues all the way home and then on for days afterword - Why?
• Each person on a Space Center mission gets a different ride! Think about it. You have the captain who experiences a somewhat different mission than a security officer. Each person picks up certain story points that others don't because everyone does a different job.
  
• Only by sharing your mission experience with the team does a team begin to understand the entire mission. A mission is like a jigsaw puzzle. Only by putting the pieces together do you get to see the picture.
• Humans are story tellers. That is what we like to do when we get together. Think about your family gatherings. The adults set around and tell stories to each other. Think about the time you spend with your friends. Don't you tell each other stories? That's right, you're sharing your daily experiences and insights. If we don't have stories to tell, the conversation turns silent and we move on to another group where stories are still being shared.
  

We have these stories because we all experience a different aspect to life. Are you getting my point? We slaughter Disney in one very important aspect - our 'rides' give everyone something different. In addition to that - our rides continue well beyond the time spent in the ships. The mission residue continues for years to come as stories pass from person to person on the semi-shared experience.

This is the magic of the Space Center! It has taken 18 years to really understand but I think I get it. What are your thoughts? Share them if you would using the 'comment' feature of the Blog.

All the Best,
Mr. Williamson