No Dreams, No Magic

[huskies90]

We were not rewarded any dreams in fact, in 6 days I saw maybe 6 or 7 dream fastpasses around people's necks, 3 or 4 ears and exactly 2 dream cast members, one walking into town hall and the other talking to other cast members by Everest. We received much more magic on previous trips including being asked to be in the parade at Animal Kingdom and just dealing with friendly happy cast members going out of there way to make your vaction better. I think it is ironic that on this trip I didn't even see that. The disney magic was very flat for us. Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us.

For example, after deciding to forgo fastpasses for Kali River rapids, we instead joined the posted 5 minute standby line only to get to the front of the line 45 minutes later just as the ride closed for technical difficulties. Now, I know, Disney can't control the posted wait times or the rides going down, but I was shocked that they didn't give out fastpasses to everyone who waiting in the line. That has always been the case when attractions go down (especially Test Track). We did not make a stink but there were some pretty tricked off people. In my opinion, the Cast Members did a terrible job handling the irate customers only saying there is nothing they could do. There is always SOMETHING that can be done and sometimes you gotta throw a bone. The fastpass thing would be an easy fix, I mean isn't that the point of fastpass, to hold your place in line??

Anyway, we of course had a great time at Disney, but we experienced a heck of lot more "magic" during the second part of our trip which was three nights at Royal Pacific at Universal. It was our first trip to Universal and I hate to say it, but we had a better time there. I guess the Universal Team Members don't need a stupid promotion to provide great experiences for their guests...

[izzys4]

oh my....

sorry that you feel that way...really I am....I get upset once in awhile when I think that I've been there a couple times and had no extra wishes. I think everyone who doens't feels a tad bit like that. It is disappointing. But I guess you have to also think of all the people who don't get extra wishes...and there are A LOT. I think they should of given you a fast pass for somewhere else when they closed the ride. Maybe next time you'll have a better time. :thumbsup2

[Hook's Girl]

We were not rewarded any dreams in fact, in 6 days I saw maybe 6 or 7 dream fastpasses around people's necks, 3 or 4 ears and exactly 2 dream cast members, one walking into town hall and the other talking to other cast members by Everest. We received much more magic on previous trips including being asked to be in the parade at Animal Kingdom and just dealing with friendly happy cast members going out of there way to make your vaction better. I think it is ironic that on this trip I didn't even see that. The disney magic was very flat for us. Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us.

For example, after deciding to forgo fastpasses for Kali River rapids, we instead joined the posted 5 minute standby line only to get to the front of the line 45 minutes later just as the ride closed for technical difficulties. Now, I know, Disney can't control the posted wait times or the rides going down, but I was shocked that they didn't give out fastpasses to everyone who waiting in the line. That has always been the case when attractions go down (especially Test Track). We did not make a stink but there were some pretty tricked off people. In my opinion, the Cast Members did a terrible job handling the irate customers only saying there is nothing they could do. There is always SOMETHING that can be done and sometimes you gotta throw a bone. The fastpass thing would be an easy fix, I mean isn't that the point of fastpass, to hold your place in line??

Anyway, we of course had a great time at Disney, but we experienced a heck of lot more "magic" during the second part of our trip which was three nights at Royal Pacific at Universal. It was our first trip to Universal and I hate to say it, but we had a better time there. I guess the Universal Team Members don't need a stupid promotion to provide great experiences for their guests...

Ouch, this Cast Member who goes out of her way to make magic everyday is taking that personally. Sorry you didn't win any dreams

[huskies90]

Let me clarify a few things. First I am not disappointed (or care) that we receved no dreams/wishes or whatever, I am only stating a fact about what I observed. Second, to the cast member who makes magic everyday, I am glad you do that but again, I am only stating facts about what I observed (obviously we didn't run into you while there). The FACT is that the magic we experienced in previous trips just wasn't there this trip. Was it because of the promotion? Coincidence? I don't know. I don't go to Disney EXPECTING anything and as I stated, we still had a great time going about our business and enjoying attractions. Read my post in the Universal forum, I was so pleasantly surprised there and felt more "magic" - team members going out of there way to make our stay special.

Take whatever you want from my post. These are just facts that I witnessed.

[izzys4]

gotcha:thumbsup2

[Fonzy13]

Let me clarify a few things. First I am not disappointed (or care) that we receved no dreams/wishes or whatever, I am only stating a fact about what I observed. Second, to the cast member who makes magic everyday, I am glad you do that but again, I am only stating facts about what I observed (obviously we didn't run into you while there). The FACT is that the magic we experienced in previous trips just wasn't there this trip. Was it because of the promotion? Coincidence? I don't know. I don't go to Disney EXPECTING anything and as I stated, we still had a great time going about our business and enjoying attractions. Read my post in the Universal forum, I was so pleasantly surprised there and felt more "magic" - team members going out of there way to make our stay special.

Take whatever you want from my post. These are just facts that I witnessed.

Actually, those aren't facts at all. Not to be a nitpicker, but experiencing magic isn't exactly measurable.

This year of a million dreams whining is really getting out of control.

[CPer'sMom]

This year of a million dreams whining is really getting out of control.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[Mermaid_Ariel]

This year of a million dreams whining is really getting out of control.

:thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 Two thumbs up! LOL! :rotfl:

[huskies90]

Actually, those aren't facts at all. Not to be a nitpicker, but experiencing magic isn't exactly measurable.

Ummmm...Hate to spoil your nitpicking but yes, it IS measurable. It is called customer perspective. I work in a service industry and we measure our service or "magic" every day (in fact we happen to call it MAGIC - Make A Great Impresssion on your Customer)

This year of a million dreams whining is really getting out of control.

I am not a 3-4 times a year visitor. I go to Disney once every two years. I am not whining just stating what I perceived. I clearly stated and I'll do it again: I did not care about winning/receiving anything and like I said, I barely saw any dreams or evidnece of dreams so I had nothing even to whine about. But in my observations, the service (Or "magic") was not the same this time. I mean, the guy checking us into the resort didn't even smile during the entire check in. Sorry, my friend, but that is a clear FACT!!

[Mermaid_Ariel]

Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us.

This isn't whiny?

Anyway, we of course had a great time at Disney, but we experienced a heck of lot more "magic" during the second part of our trip which was three nights at Royal Pacific at Universal.

:charac2:

I am not whining just stating what I perceived.

Okay, if the above isn't whining I don't know what is. :sad2: I don't know how you can "measure" something that's not guarenteed, but an added bonus to being there. What's wrong with being content with being at Disney World in the first place? That isn't magic enough?

[disneyfantotheend]

I have not yet been during the Million Dream promotion. We only go every four years. I know I will have a magical time whether I get a dream or not. Maybe you should consider spending your next trip at Universal if there was so much more magic there. I am not being sarcastic either, everyone enjoys different things. I would not take the time to even go to Universal while I am at Disney, but I never had a non magical vacation, so maybe some day that will change.

[huskies90]

It never ceases to amaze me how people on this board can think Disney can do no wrong and it is sacreligious to criticize.

Quote:
Originally Posted by huskies90
Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us.

This isn't whiny??

No it's not. What I am saying here is forget about the stupid promotion. If I recevied no dreams I could care less. I am not whiney about that. But promotion aside, should the service level be at least the same or do they think their customers are dumb enough to hear a promotion slogan and not notice a drop in service?


Quote:
Originally Posted by huskies90
Anyway, we of course had a great time at Disney, but we experienced a heck of lot more "magic" during the second part of our trip which was three nights at Royal Pacific at Universal.

Okay, if the above isn't whining I don't know what is. :sad2: I don't know how you can "measure" something that's not guarenteed, but an added bonus to being there. What's wrong with being content with being at Disney World in the first place? That isn't magic enough?
Does it NOT say we had a great time???? Yes we had a great time. This an observation about customer service or "magic" or whatever you want to call it. I already stated how service can be measured so I am not sure why you are saying you can't but whatever. If the dream promotion was simply an added bonus, I would not have been compelled to start this thread. Isn't the "magic" why we travel so far to go to Disney?

Maybe you should consider spending your next trip at Universal if there was so much more magic there. I am not being sarcastic either, everyone enjoys different things. I would not take the time to even go to Universal while I am at Disney, but I never had a non magical vacation, so maybe some day that will change.
Yes, I am already considerting this. I love Disney and doubt I'll skip it but maybe I will next time. The Universal part of our trip was more magical, God forbid, in my opinion. Or is that too much whining to say that??
:confused3

[Mermaid_Ariel]

If the dream promotion was simply an added bonus, I would not have been compelled to start this thread. Isn't the "magic" why we travel so far to go to Disney?

You made a comparison in your OP about how there was more "magic" in your last vacation, therefore, this vacation was "flat". Being asked to be in the parade, or anything else as a part of the YOMD contest is a bonus, not guarenteed when your book your vacation. I think most people consider it one of those "once in a lifetime" things so they aren't disappointed when it doesn't happen the next time.

and just dealing with friendly happy cast members going out of there way to make your vaction better.

That's the key here. Going out of their way. Going ABOVE AND BEYOND is unexpected, and when it happens, you should be happy. Don't be disappointed when it doesn't happen. `

Nice try on the back-peddling. :rolleyes1

[huskies90]

Going ABOVE AND BEYOND is unexpected,
I guess here is where we disagree and I am willing to bet the Disney Execs would also disagree. If you are satisfied with mediocre service keep your blinders on and and keep marching forward. I ain't backpeddlng on anything.

;)

[CPer'sMom]

If the dream promotion was simply an added bonus

Okay, now I'm confused here :confused3 I thought that the 'dream promotion' WAS an added bonus, not something I should necessarily expect when I'm at Disney. I'm talking about the promo dreams such as the dream fastpasses, YOAMD ears and so on. Maybe you were so busy looking for these things (whether for yourself or others) that you forgot to see that just being at Disney is pretty darn special! :)

the service (Or "magic") was not the same this time. I mean, the guy checking us into the resort didn't even smile during the entire check in.

Don't forget though ~ even CMs can have a bad day (hour, 10 minute period .....) once in a while!! I've heard enough stories from my DD (a part-time CM) to know that when I've encountered a CM who doesn't have the Disney magic at that moment it's most probably a direct result of yet another unpleasant guest 'in their face' about something!! It may take them just a little time to get back into the "Disney mode". No, not an excuse for a CM not smiling at you, but just a fact that anyone dealing with the public on a regular basis should certainly understand.

[Vemnox]

This year of a million dreams whining is really getting out of control.


:thumbsup2 +1

Too many people are expecting too much and when they don't get something it's :scared:

[Mermaid_Ariel]

It never ceases to amaze me how people on this board can think Disney can do no wrong and it is sacreligious to criticize.

I guess here is where we disagree and I am willing to bet the Disney Execs would also disagree. If you are satisfied with mediocre service keep your blinders on and and keep marching forward. I ain't backpeddlng on anything.

You keep contradicting yourself. If anyone has an idealistic view of Disney it's you. Disney can be wrong at times yet you still chalk it up to overall mediocre service? Could it just be that the CMs are human and they could have an off day? Unless you're trying to infer that it was ALL the CMs you encountered on your trip.

Again, you're referring to the vacation being "flat" not because of the one CM who perhaps didn't smile at you (heaven forbid :sad2:), but because you weren't offered Fastpasses, Mickey Ears, or a spot held for you in the parade. It's just disappointing to see this sense of entitlement. Disney is magic in itself.

[Beep]

We were not rewarded any dreams in fact, in 6 days I saw maybe 6 or 7 dream fastpasses around people's necks, 3 or 4 ears and exactly 2 dream cast members, one walking into town hall and the other talking to other cast members by Everest. We received much more magic on previous trips including being asked to be in the parade at Animal Kingdom and just dealing with friendly happy cast members going out of there way to make your vaction better. I think it is ironic that on this trip I didn't even see that. The disney magic was very flat for us. Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us...

:sad2:

Well, when we go to Disney in September I want to get the night in Cinderella's castle and I want Dream Fastpasses every day and YOAD ears and I want EVERY Cast Member I see to come and say hello and smile at me or I will stamp my feet and cry. I will!!

[huskies90]

Alright, I give up. It is obviously not possible for me to experience a decline in service and Disney magic year over year. Not possible. I must be some whining spoiled brat who didn’t WIN anything. I'll just drink my Disney Kool Aid and continue to repeat over and over: "Everything at Disney is awesome, I can't wait to go back."

Do not ever challenge the magic of Disney hence be pummeled by the disboard Disney disciples. :duck:

:rotfl:

[Mermaid_Ariel]

I work in a service industry and we measure our service or "magic" every day (in fact we happen to call it MAGIC - Make A Great Impresssion on your Customer)

It is obviously not possible for me to experience a decline in service and Disney magic year over year.

If there's a steady decline in Disney's "magic", then why do you continue to patronize them with your business? :confused3

In your service industry, if your "magic" is mediocre, do you expect to keep customers? Or perhaps it's not mediocre at all, maybe it's just satisfactory service which is why you keep returning to Disney.

I highly doubt any halfway intelligent person would visit a place every two years if they felt the "magic" was less than satisfactory. :rolleyes1

[tropical depression]

I highly doubt any halfway intelligent person would visit a place every two years if they felt the "magic" was less than satisfactory. :rolleyes1

we have AP's and visit about twenty times a year, and find the 'magic' suspect at best.

I ges we r hlfwey intelgint ;)

[Mermaid_Ariel]

we have AP's and visit about twenty times a year, and find the 'magic' suspect at best.

I ges we r hlfwey intelgint ;)

You also live in Florida. :rolleyes:

I guess it isn't so bad then. ;)

[tropical depression]

You also live in Florida. :rolleyes:

I guess it isn't so bad then. ;)

yep, so it's a lot cheaper than paying for airfare and hotels to realize Disney's just resting on their laurels.

[bizeemom4]

Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us.

I guess the Universal Team Members don't need a stupid promotion to provide great experiences for their guests...

Wow. You sound really jealous of the people who experienced the magic that you felt on your last visit. That's unfortunate. Try to remember that each trip is different and the magic is random.

[RVGal]

Let me see if I can summarize.

You have had wonderful vacations at WDW in the past. You expect (as most of us do) for Disney to provide you with a superior vacation experience. You had a good time this trip, but it wasn't as spectacular as previous visits.

Do I have it in a nutshell?

You also suggested that perhaps the focus, because of the YOAMD promotion, was on giving a few individuals a spectacular experience and the rest of the guests are left getting an average one.

Am I following along correctly? It was difficult to keep up after you hit the hot-button-don't-you-dare-mention-YOAMD topic. As soon as you mention that and suggest anything might be off because of it, you automatically will get the, "You're just mad 'cause you didn't win something and you went with overblown expectations and that's not Mickey's fault so there" stuff.

Personally, I think THAT is getting old. I'll be glad when the whole promotion is over so the whining about the whining can end.

If I've got my story straight, you had a good time but felt you had better ones in the past. It happens. I've been a lot of times over the years. Sometimes the magic is overwhelming. Sometimes I walk away thinking, "Eh... I've had better." It's not the end of the world. (No pun intended... okay, maybe I giggled at the pun...)

As for your enjoyment of Universal, what a wonderful thing to find magic at more than one place! I've enjoyed ALL the parks in Orlando for many years and intend to keep doing so.

Thanks for your report and I'm glad you had a good vacation overall. :goodvibes

[Sammie]

You are right it is about customer perception and I think your perception was a little out of sync.

You obviously have been lucky enough to experience something in the past that you could label Disney magic. What you experienced might be something that someone else might not even classify as "magical".

I think this trip your perception was that due to the Dreams promotion, you personally were going to experience something beyond your previous trips and you didn't.

Is that Disney's fault, absolutely not. Is it yours, most definitely, but it is also understandable. You feel they built you up only to let you down.

I saw alot of people on our trip this year disappointed in the fact that they were not recepients of "Dreams" magic. Is that a sour grape attitude, probably so.

But I also somewhat blame Disney marketing for making it seem on their commericals that it would be next to impossible not to get something during this promotion.

Also I think there has been alot of whining brought on by this that has even some of the best CMs a bit tired of it.

I for one will be glad when the dang thing is over.

[ChrisFL]

I can understand the issue with the YOAMD promotion...before it, magic wasn't something scheduled or randomly picked by a computer to win a free hat, fastpass etc. it was just part of what you expected at Disney.

Perhaps CM's are trying too hard to worry about doing the YOAMD stuff they're lacking their responsibiliy of making sure every person is treated as an honored guest.

I think besides very few top prizes, most of the YOAMD stuff is just not that exciting...a certificate, a hat, a fast pass...where's my churro? But of course, Disney marketing wants you to think its the best thing since sliced bread!

[calgarygary]

Let me see if I can summarize.

You have had wonderful vacations at WDW in the past. You expect (as most of us do) for Disney to provide you with a superior vacation experience. You had a good time this trip, but it wasn't as spectacular as previous visits.

Do I have it in a nutshell?

You also suggested that perhaps the focus, because of the YOAMD promotion, was on giving a few individuals a spectacular experience and the rest of the guests are left getting an average one.

Am I following along correctly? It was difficult to keep up after you hit the hot-button-don't-you-dare-mention-YOAMD topic. As soon as you mention that and suggest anything might be off because of it, you automatically will get the, "You're just mad 'cause you didn't win something and you went with overblown expectations and that's not Mickey's fault so there" stuff.

Personally, I think THAT is getting old. I'll be glad when the whole promotion is over so the whining about the whining can end.

If I've got my story straight, you had a good time but felt you had better ones in the past. It happens. I've been a lot of times over the years. Sometimes the magic is overwhelming. Sometimes I walk away thinking, "Eh... I've had better." It's not the end of the world. (No pun intended... okay, maybe I giggled at the pun...)

As for your enjoyment of Universal, what a wonderful thing to find magic at more than one place! I've enjoyed ALL the parks in Orlando for many years and intend to keep doing so.

Thanks for your report and I'm glad you had a good vacation overall. :goodvibes

I'll second this!:thumbsup2

[Fonzy13]

I for one will be glad when the dang thing is over.

Make it two.

[ruadisneyfan2]

I'll second this!:thumbsup2
I'll third it! We've gone 10 times in the last 7 yrs. and it seems there's always some promotional thing. The big millenium party in 2000, then the big anniversary party, now YOAMD. You probably have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than winning something. I haven't been to YOAMD but in the past I couldn't really tell the difference between a regular visit and a promotional-party visit. I guess I missed it. :laughing:
Dh has been noticing in the last 2 trips that the parks don't seem as clean as they used to and that the food isn't as good. They are definitely cutting back in quality.
I wouldn't say it's bad or that we'll never go back. I think we'll just long for the good ol' days when it was better.

[corndog]

Now, I know, Disney can't control the posted wait times or the rides going down . . .

If Disney doesn't control the posted wait times or the ride uptime, then who does?

We are heading down to Disney in less than 2 weeks! I am expecting less "magic" than our trips in recent years. Not so much less that I don't want to go, but less simply as a function of the economy.

The economy is booming and demand for both Disney time and employees is up. Visitors don't need as much magic because demand is so high to go, and employees don't need to outperform to keep their jobs because their work is in great demand.

That doesn't mean we still won't experience tons of magic (especially with a 4 year old princess!) and have a blast on our trip!

[Torontogal]

See I don't get it! Why do people expect to receive something? I have read several posts from people who do not receive anything and say that it ruined their trip or they are very disapppinted. The whole dreams thing is an added bonus - you might get a dream granted you might not. We have been to Disneyworld 2 times, Disney Cruise once, and Disneyland once since the whole Dreams theme started. I was awarded twice at WDW. Did the fact I did not get anything at Disneyland ruin my vacation - absolutely not! I simply did not go into my vacation expecting a thing. If it happened - great - if it did not - great too! I love Disney, and if people start whining and complaining because they did not get a dream granted - then I think Disney might stop doing these very special give aways. Just my opinion.

[CPer'sMom]

and employees don't need to outperform to keep their jobs because their work is in great demand.



As in "Disney is having a hard time recruiting and keeping CMs so they know no matter how they perform they won't be fired?"

[brendrek]

Disney is like pizza, even when it's bad it's still pretty good.

[pooh.kim]

We just returned from Disney, and I feel that Disney's customer service in general has dropped (based on OUR experiences while there). We had trouble at check-in and it was almost 5 PM before we could get into our room; then the floor was so wet it soaked our socks. Repeatedly talked to front desk, managers, etc. I was told nothing could be done by all. I was crying and ready to go home after they talked to me. Housekeeping not done several days at Pop and CBR. When we complained, they threw some towels on the bed for us, did not even straighten beds, etc. Problems with DDP credits the day we checked out. We had plans this morning and it took over an hour to straighten out; and I didn't even get to eat after all that. Many other minor issues together made for a very unpleasant trip. I am a huge Disney fan that usually will defend Disney to no end, but we left this trip stating we are not sure we will return for a while. I have been planning to renew my wedding vows at Disney in 2009 and now I'm not sure I want to.

As far as the dreams go, we were not expecting anything, as we have been several times and I try to teach my children that we are lucky to have been to Disney like we have. Most of their friends cannot even afford to go. I would have been excited to SEE others get dreams and realize the magic is still there. We did not, however, see one person get a dream the entire nine days we were there.

[mking624]

Ummmm...Hate to spoil your nitpicking but yes, it IS measurable. It is called customer perspective. I work in a service industry and we measure our service or "magic" every day (in fact we happen to call it MAGIC - Make A Great Impresssion on your Customer)
Actually, perspective is not measurable. It's relative. There's a difference. What I may find to be spectacularly magical, you may find to be spectacularly dull. It's relative....and therefore not measurable. Some people have been experiencing quite magical trips, and you apparently feel you didn't (even though you said you had a great time...which confuses me, was it great or was it lacking magic?). Right there that shows that you have a different perspective on the magic...which shows that it can't be measured because you may have a polar opposite view from another guest. You define some of your magic moments as being part of the AK parade for example...well DH & I have never been invited to be in one of their parades yet I don't post here on how nonmagical our trip was. We can't always be the star of the show. ;)

I've worked in retail for 10 years and 4 of those years have been spent at The Disney Store. Any time a guest has the slightest thing not going in the way they hoped, all of a sudden we have lost our magic touch. Want a silly example? One older couple got angry at me because they wanted to return something and all I said was "sure! Do you have your receipt with you?" (since that's the only way I can give back original form of payment). That made them go into a rant about how if Walt was still alive, this nonsense wouldn't be happening and it's so rude to ask for receipts, blah blah blah...and how we lost our magic. Huh? Because I asked for their receipt?? :confused3 But anyway, it goes to show you that you certainly can't please everyone...there will always be someone upset about something, no matter what you do. Why? Because satisfaction, or "magic", is not measurable...it's not something you can pin down and say "ok, we just need to do this and that means we have all the magic in the world!" No that doesn't even make sense....because the magic is different to everyone.

Now I'm not saying that Disney can do no wrong, but I also believe in picking and choosing battles. You weren't happy that CMs said there was nothing they could do...well I'm sure you understand that sometimes employees can only do what they have been given permission to do. It's quite possible that the CMs were not given the ok to do anything. And you can't say "no they weren't" because quite honestly, you don't know that. So instead of becoming angry at them, cut them some slack and perhaps realize that you don't know the whole story on what the CMs have been instructed on...and just move on.

You also said it wasn't about winning dreams but your subject line says "no dreams, no magic" and the very first sentence seems to complain over the fact you didn't win any dreams...then you talk about the ride mishap. Honestly, it makes you sound bitter.

Anyway, we of course had a great time at Disney, but we experienced a heck of lot more "magic" during the second part of our trip which was three nights at Royal Pacific at Universal. It was our first trip to Universal and I hate to say it, but we had a better time there. I guess the Universal Team Members don't need a stupid promotion to provide great experiences for their guests...
Just an FYI, no company is perfect...there will be bad moments everywhere. Even the Royal Pacific at Universal has those moments and you'll find complaints about that too. It has nothing to do with a "stupid promotion" (again, sounds rather bitter).

[DisneyMagic73]

To be honest I was not going to respond to this post but then decided to put in my 2 cents. I was just telling my DH the other day how EXCITED I am for our upcoming wedding anniversary trip next month and wouldn't it be wonderful IF we won something with the YOAMMD...but GUESS WHAT if we don't (which is more likely than we will) we will have a WONDERFUL time because we are grateful for getting to go to WDW to celebrate our wedding anniversary (we went on our honeymoon and have been lucky enough to go every Sept since to celebrate). It seems to be that instead of just being happy and hopeful that "hey maybe we will win, but if not be happy that we are here of vacation" it seems like it is all "I should win, they owe me etc etc". I read one post where because it was the persons anniversary they expect to win!!! Do you know how many anniversarys, honeymoons, birthdays, engagements go on at WDW! Lets be realistic! See the way I look at it I am thankful for a beautiful anniversary with my DH and thankful that we can celebrate with Mickey that is IT! Less whining and more smiles people....life is too short and if this is the worse thing you have to complain about get on your knees and thank God. I just don't see getting so upset over not winning a prize! Just my Point of View......BE HAPPY PEOPLE!!!!!:rotfl:

[DisneyMagic73]

o be honest I was not going to respond to this post but then decided to put in my 2 cents. I was just telling my DH the other day how EXCITED I am for our upcoming wedding anniversary trip next month and wouldn't it be wonderful IF we won something with the YOAMD...but GUESS WHAT if we don't (which is more likely than we will) we will have a WONDERFUL time because we are grateful for getting to go to WDW to celebrate our wedding anniversary (we went on our honeymoon and have been lucky enough to go every Sept since to celebrate). It seems to be that instead of just being happy and hopeful that "hey maybe we will win, but if not be happy that we are here of vacation" it seems like it is all "I should win, they owe me etc etc". I read one post where because it was the persons anniversary they expect to win!!! Do you know how many anniversarys, honeymoons, birthdays, engagements go on at WDW! Lets be realistic! See the way I look at it I am thankful for a beautiful anniversary with my DH and thankful that we can celebrate with Mickey that is IT! Less whining and more smiles people....life is too short and if this is the worse thing you have to complain about get on your knees and thank God. I just don't see getting so upset over not winning a prize! Just my Point of View......BE HAPPY PEOPLE!!!!!:rotfl:

[LilGMom]

See I don't get it! Why do people expect to receive something? I have read several posts from people who do not receive anything and say that it ruined their trip or they are very disapppinted. The whole dreams thing is an added bonus - you might get a dream granted you might not. We have been to Disneyworld 2 times, Disney Cruise once, and Disneyland once since the whole Dreams theme started. I was awarded twice at WDW. Did the fact I did not get anything at Disneyland ruin my vacation - absolutely not! I simply did not go into my vacation expecting a thing. If it happened - great - if it did not - great too! I love Disney, and if people start whining and complaining because they did not get a dream granted - then I think Disney might stop doing these very special give aways. Just my opinion.

:thumbsup2 I completely agree with you. We've been to WDW three times during the YOAMD and never once met the DT. We also had some minor issues during out last trip with check-in (took us at least an hour), we had to wait outside our room while the carpets were being cleaned which would have soaked our socks but we dropped the luggage off and left for a park to give the room time to dry & messed up DDP credits but we were just happy to be at WDW. Just driving under the gates is magical, walking into the various resorts still catches my breath, interacting with the CMs is always a treat (can count on one finger the number of less than magical CMs) and watching my kids' faces gets me right there. Would I like to have the DT bestow a YOAMD gift on my family? Sure would!! But do I expect it? No.

My family has been going to WDW two to three times a year since 1999 and I like I mentioned above I can count on one finger the times I've dealt with a less than magical CM. I also haven't seen a decline in Customer Service, park cleanliness or anything like what I read about here. Or maybe I have somehow noticed but have subconsciously blocked it and not allowed it to affect my visit because I'm usually happy as a lark while at WDW. A trip is what you make it and if you allow the small things (wet carpet - I'm thinking be thankful that they clean it which is more than I can say for some other hotels) to bother you then you won't have a magical time, DT or no DT.

[grimley1968]

To be honest I was not going to respond to this post but then decided to put in my 2 cents. I was just telling my DH the other day how EXCITED I am for our upcoming wedding anniversary trip next month and wouldn't it be wonderful IF we won something with the YOAMMD...but GUESS WHAT if we don't (which is more likely than we will) we will have a WONDERFUL time because we are grateful for getting to go to WDW to celebrate our wedding anniversary (we went on our honeymoon and have been lucky enough to go every Sept since to celebrate). It seems to be that instead of just being happy and hopeful that "hey maybe we will win, but if not be happy that we are here of vacation" it seems like it is all "I should win, they owe me etc etc". I read one post where because it was the persons anniversary they expect to win!!! Do you know how many anniversarys, honeymoons, birthdays, engagements go on at WDW! Lets be realistic! See the way I look at it I am thankful for a beautiful anniversary with my DH and thankful that we can celebrate with Mickey that is IT! Less whining and more smiles people....life is too short and if this is the worse thing you have to complain about get on your knees and thank God. I just don't see getting so upset over not winning a prize! Just my Point of View......BE HAPPY PEOPLE!!!!!:rotfl:

In total agreement. :thumbsup2

I can not believe someone actually has posted a thread complaining about not winning a prize, which is neither guaranteed nor should be expected. OP can say over and over that the thread is not a thread about not getting one of those "million dreams", but the title of the thread, and the first and subsequent whiny posts, speak for themselves.

I do dislike the promotion, however. A) It's not a single quantifiable discount, which is what I'm looking for. Being at WDW is "magic" enough for me. B) It leads to unrealistic expectations, like those of the OP.

[disneyfantotheend]

We just returned from Disney, and I feel that Disney's customer service in general has dropped (based on OUR experiences while there). We had trouble at check-in and it was almost 5 PM before we could get into our room; then the floor was so wet it soaked our socks. Repeatedly talked to front desk, managers, etc. I was told nothing could be done by all. I was crying and ready to go home after they talked to me. Housekeeping not done several days at Pop and CBR. When we complained, they threw some towels on the bed for us, did not even straighten beds, etc. Problems with DDP credits the day we checked out. We had plans this morning and it took over an hour to straighten out; and I didn't even get to eat after all that. Many other minor issues together made for a very unpleasant trip. I am a huge Disney fan that usually will defend Disney to no end, but we left this trip stating we are not sure we will return for a while. I have been planning to renew my wedding vows at Disney in 2009 and now I'm not sure I want to.

See now your experience was a bad one. I too would be upset. Why on Earth were your floors so wet? And your room not being cleaned at all is very unacceptable. BUT it has nothing to do with the YOAMD in my opinion. Everyone is blaming the promotion for their bad experiences. Maybe Disney service is getting poor, but I don't think it is because they are too busy serving the few dream winners.

And I also think that mking hit the nail on the head when she stated that people expect too much some of the time. They want everything to be perfect and noone and nothing in life is perfect. A lot of what a person sees in something is what they make of it. I have seen people say the rain ruined my trip, but I have seen others say, it rained but boy did it make the lines short. You have to look for the good in some situations and sometimes there truly is not any good, but try to make the best of what you are handed.

[Metro West]

I do dislike the promotion, however. A) It's not a single quantifiable discount, which is what I'm looking for. Being at WDW is "magic" enough for me. B) It leads to unrealistic expectations, like those of the OP.I wonder just how many dreams people will see this year and I wonder if Disney will hit the million dream mark during the YOAMD? :confused3

[BamaFan121s]

I agree with what many are saying here. Not everyone is going to win something. Be glad if you do, have fun if you don't. The whole 'If I can't win I don't think anyone should' attitude baffles me. :sad2: When in life is that acceptable really. :confused3 Personally, I think that I I can't have a brand new Hummer then no one should. And that lottery? Forget it, if I can win it, you can't either. It's that big, green, ugly monster rearing it's head again...

(Not directed at the OP, just a general statement.)

[ky07]

sounds to me like everyone wants to cut huskies 90 down just because he is just stating the facts and really guys come on as far as expecting good sevice or magic as you like to call it is just common sense ,
figure it this way if you are like some of us and have to save up for awhile for your trip to Disney and you put out all this money wouldn't it dictate you would get good service and not rude employee's cause if you look at it the price you put out for the hotel room or rooms and then pile on the redicualsly high prices for a one day ticket you would expect more and as far as my experiance goes I have only been to Disney one time and that was 2 years ago but had an ok time just had to cut or trip short due to how high prices were and thats why we won't be going back but that is not to say I wouldn't but its just to expencive for me to take my family.
so go ahead let me have it now.:dance3:

[mking624]

sounds to me like everyone wants to cut huskies 90 down just because he is just stating the facts and really guys come on as far as expecting good sevice or magic as you like to call it is just common sense ,
figure it this way if you are like some of us and have to save up for awhile for your trip to Disney and you put out all this money wouldn't it dictate you would get good service and not rude employee's cause if you look at it the price you put out for the hotel room or rooms and then pile on the redicualsly high prices for a one day ticket you would expect more and as far as my experiance goes I have only been to Disney one time and that was 2 years ago but had an ok time just had to cut or trip short due to how high prices were and thats why we won't be going back but that is not to say I wouldn't but its just to expencive for me to take my family.
so go ahead let me have it now.:dance3:
Well it seems like you're already of the mindset that if someone responds, that it's them "letting you have it" rather than someone just being of a different opinion...so... :confused3

Anyway, who determines what good service is? A thread titled "no magic" started out by saying a dream wasn't won. Then it was compared to "well I got to be in a parade before"...sorry, but you can't always be the star of the show. Sometimes other people get to win. Then his idea of "rude" was the fact that he didn't get what he wanted when the ride shut down, even though he has no idea what the CMs were or were not instructed to do. He just made up his mind and that was that (we have no idea if the CM was rude or not). That's not just "stating the facts", but rather expressing an opinion on how he felt he should have been compensated somehow. He complains that the CM during check in wasn't smiling...yet I have to wonder if he himself smiles 24/7? Guess what? CMs are humans too and he has no way of knowing what is going on in that CMs life. But it doesn't matter to him (or her, I have no idea).

Yes, people do expect good service and magic...but there also comes the common sense of being reasonable. I don't personally believe everything needs to go my way for magic at the parks to exist. The magic comes from what I make of it, not what I expect others to do for me. And I ruin my own magic when I become upset over things like "well they didn't give me a fastpass...how rude!!"

As far as prices go...well you'll come to find that there are many places considerably more expensive than Disney. What I'd like to see is what your idea of a good ticket price would be...yet still have the upkeep of the parks that Disney does.

[GemmaPixie]

I agree with the OP- flame me all you like, I really don't care!

Since I started going to Disney, it has just gone downhill. They used to provide "magic" for it's guest by doing whatever they could for them. Now? They just have different promotions each year to excite the guest and so they can keep coming back. Just MY opinion.

I think the Disney Company totally take advantage of their CMs with really long hours and crap pay- of course some of them are going to have a bad day!!

Nothing really to do with YOAMD but just Disney in general.

I much prefer Universal and OP- hope to see you there for some mummy-magic!!

[Suzimom]

I did not care about winning/receiving anything and like I said, I barely saw any dreams or evidnece of dreams so I had nothing even to whine about. But in my observations, the service (Or "magic") was not the same this time. I mean, the guy checking us into the resort didn't even smile during the entire check in. Sorry, my friend, but that is a clear FACT!!

I haven't read all the posts, yet, so if this has been addressed, my apologies...

You certainly sound frustrated, not only by your experience (or lack of it) and by the dissers that have replied. What came to my mind was your comment about the CM not smiling at all. A previous poster mentioned that perhaps there was a tough customer right before you...I think that's entirely possible. As magical as I think it sounds to work at Disney, I imagine it's incredibly full of irritations and disappointments like any other job. Customer service has to be one of the most difficult positions to have (as you know). I've done it (and I'm never going back!!!!!!! :rotfl: ) Kudos to those of you who deal with grumps and mean people on the phone or in person everyday!!!!! Me -- I prefer 8 year-olds in my classroom...not always angels, but learning to make good choices and treat each other nicely.

I always hope when I encounter a grumpy, nonsmiling CR in any setting that maybe I can help brighten their day as well. It can be invigorating to think I might have made a difference in someone's day. Please understand that I'm in no way saying you weren't kind; it's just a strong belief about how I try to live. I think we all make our own happiness the best we can.

I hope your next trip is better for you. :)

[mking624]

I agree with the OP- flame me all you like, I really don't care!

Since I started going to Disney, it has just gone downhill. They used to provide "magic" for it's guest by doing whatever they could for them. Now? They just have different promotions each year to excite the guest and so they can keep coming back. Just MY opinion.

I think the Disney Company totally take advantage of their CMs with really long hours and crap pay- of course some of them are going to have a bad day!!

Nothing really to do with YOAMD but just Disney in general.

I much prefer Universal and OP- hope to see you there for some mummy-magic!!

No flames here, but I will state that this can even go back to the OP's statement that it's about customer perspective. And by my statement that it's all relative. For some people (such as myself & DH), the magic has increased.

Bottom line is that Disney can't please everyone. For some people, the magic has never been lost, for others it has. If others are experiencing wonderful magic, can that really mean Disney has lost it? Or is that really saying that it's how we respond to our experiences that creates or loses the magic? Interesting thought to ponder....

[Buzz Litebeer]

The economy is booming and demand for both Disney time and employees is up. Visitors don't need as much magic because demand is so high to go, and employees don't need to outperform to keep their jobs because their work is in great demand.
Horse pucks.

I can assure you that CMs try to give each and every one of our visitors as much magic as we possibly can. Yes, we have bad days, or even bad moments; we are human, after all. But we do try.

I can also assure you that CMs are still held to Disney's high standards. This is made perfectly clear to all CMs from day one, and if a CM's performance is not up to Disney standards, they will be coached, reprimanded, and if necessary, terminated.

[Buzz Litebeer]

I wonder just how many dreams people will see this year and I wonder if Disney will hit the million dream mark during the YOAMD? :confused3

Disney is expected to give away the 1,000,000th dream sometime next month (September, 2007).

Bear in mind, of course, that's 1,000,000 dreams -- both large (trips around the world) and small (dream ears) --shared between WDW, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.

[keishashadow]

We were not rewarded any dreams in fact, in 6 days I saw maybe 6 or 7 dream fastpasses around people's necks, 3 or 4 ears and exactly 2 dream cast members, one walking into town hall and the other talking to other cast members by Everest. We received much more magic on previous trips including being asked to be in the parade at Animal Kingdom and just dealing with friendly happy cast members going out of there way to make your vaction better. I think it is ironic that on this trip I didn't even see that. The disney magic was very flat for us. Maybe Disney was too busy granting dreams for everyone else, they felt they didn't need to take care of us.

For example, after deciding to forgo fastpasses for Kali River rapids, we instead joined the posted 5 minute standby line only to get to the front of the line 45 minutes later just as the ride closed for technical difficulties. Now, I know, Disney can't control the posted wait times or the rides going down, but I was shocked that they didn't give out fastpasses to everyone who waiting in the line. That has always been the case when attractions go down (especially Test Track). We did not make a stink but there were some pretty tricked off people. In my opinion, the Cast Members did a terrible job handling the irate customers only saying there is nothing they could do. There is always SOMETHING that can be done and sometimes you gotta throw a bone. The fastpass thing would be an easy fix, I mean isn't that the point of fastpass, to hold your place in line??

Anyway, we of course had a great time at Disney, but we experienced a heck of lot more "magic" during the second part of our trip which was three nights at Royal Pacific at Universal. It was our first trip to Universal and I hate to say it, but we had a better time there. I guess the Universal Team Members don't need a stupid promotion to provide great experiences for their guests...

What a heart-felt post, sorry your trip didn't turn out the way you had hoped:grouphug:

Our recent trip, split between WDW & U, was our most magical ever. We experienced a few bumps @ Disney - Splash Mt. down 1st thing in the morning & no fast passes either...CM said he didn't have any & couldn't find any:rolleyes1 Being the pit bull my DH sez I become...I corraled a "more seasoned CM" maintenance man Hi Lamar. He went the extra mile, walked to the nearby gift shop & handwrote a FP for us.:banana: Behind schedule, walked over to BTM & received our 2nd set of YOAMD FP.:cheer2: told the CM who said we should by FL lottery tix, we did & won, left it for mousekeeping as a tip.

My point -my individual experience was satisfying, another's could be totally different; especially when compared to a prior trip or glowing reports read here.

I agree 100% on FP distribution when the lines are down. BTW, some fool pulled the fire alarm @ U's Poseiden ride & the poor folks didn't get FPs either...i would've freaked if we didn't have FOTL.

I am thankful we are able to visit Disney often, not sure if familiarity breeds contempt or you just have a certain point of reference to compare visits after the initial pixie dust has disapaited.:confused3

Disney is very expensive, yet we don't regret paying the big bucks because we've always received top value. We're DVC & Disney stockholders, certainly respect the bottom line, just do agree that things have changed over the last 5 years:

*Dining plan has "dumbed down" the menus & made it nearly impossible to get an ADR unless you book months ahead of time, add to it the change next year of no tip/appetizer...why not just increase the price and be honest about it?

*Last Oct. we had an unfortunate incident wherein the mgr @ the BCV dropped the ball on correcting a roach infestation in a timely manner:scared1: ; corporate offices say he was severely reprimanded and it will never happen again.:confused3 we won't stay there again, yet have had all excellent experiences elsewhere on site.

On the flip side we had issues @ RPR that weren't resolved @ checkin, they comped us a furture night when I wrote the GM:thumbsup2

IMO, good customer service is based upon listening and validating the customer's concerns. If the problem cannot be solved to the guest's satisfaction, CMs should IMMEDIATELY refer the guest to mgmt for resolution or at least 'professional damage control'.

[bubba's mom]

As far as prices go...well you'll come to find that there are many places considerably more expensive than Disney. What I'd like to see is what your idea of a good ticket price would be...yet still have the upkeep of the parks that Disney does.

First let me say I think it's a shame the @$$ rippin' the OP is taking for posting his thoughts and opinions....really getting outta control here.....

I have been to WDW, I have been to less expensive places, I have been to more expensive places.....I think a good ticket price is the current Universal deal of 7 days for $86...even renewal of my AP for $99...now THOSE are good prices....and IN MY OPINION, Universal has the "upkeep" of the parks, the same, if not better, than Disney. Again, my opinion.

To the OP: I hope this thread doesn't deter you from future trip reports and postings....we are all here to share stories, experiences, opinions and gather information to make our own trip more enjoyable. I always enjoy hearing about others' trips....the good, the bad AND the opinionated. :thumbsup2

[mking624]

First let me say I think it's a shame the @$$ rippin' the OP is taking for posting his thoughts and opinions....really getting outta control here.....
So you quote me and then decide it's a good time to come down on those who happen to disagree with the OP?

have been to WDW, I have been to less expensive places, I have been to more expensive places.....I think a good ticket price is the current Universal deal of 7 days for $86...even renewal of my AP for $99...now THOSE are good prices....and IN MY OPINION, Universal has the "upkeep" of the parks, the same, if not better, than Disney. Again, my opinion.
Yes it is your opinion...and many people feel the opposite. 7 days for $86 decent when you're not having to operate the amount of things that Disney operates or pay the amount of employees Disney pays. Logistically speaking, there is quite a difference and that probably is a big reason why they don't need to charge as much. Which is why I asked the question on what someone would think a good ticket price should be in order to do the upkeep they do.

To the OP: I hope this thread doesn't deter you from future trip reports and postings....we are all here to share stories, experiences, opinions and gather information to make our own trip more enjoyable. I always enjoy hearing about others' trips....the good, the bad AND the opinionated. :thumbsup2 [/COLOR][/SIZE]
Well that seems kind of contradictory to the comment you made towards those who were "opinionated" and apparently making "bad" comments.... :confused3

[noseybuddy]

deleted

[bubba's mom]

So you quote me and then decide it's a good time to come down on those who happen to disagree with the OP?

I quoted you to address your question of "decent price"...that's why I started my post with "First off....." (don't take it personally ;) )



Yes it is your opinion...and many people feel the opposite.

That is fine, welcome and respected.... i just cannot get over why people get "flamed" for voiceing their opinion???

Well that seems kind of contradictory to the comment you made towards those who were "opinionated" and apparently making "bad" comments.... :confused3

What I meant, is i like to read people's opinions of the parks, people, their trip reports, etc..... what I don't like to read is flaming because of a person's opinion....it's okay to disagree, but sometimes posts on the DIS get out of control and downright mean. If someone posted something and got flamed, that would deter them from posting again...and the person feels bad and stops posting/sharing. (And I know it happens because I know some of these people) When I read the DIS, I am here to gather info and learn...the good and the bad... I hate to read pages and pages of people coming down on one person because they stated their opinion...(and yes, i have read the few posts on here that agree w/ the OP....but nobody mentions those... :rolleyes1 )

[bubba's mom]

I agee with the op. I just got back from disney, was there August 17th - August 21st. I wasn't feeling the magic either. In fact I got yelled at several times by cranky CMs. Once because I was getting on the bus to fast :confused3 , in the candy store because I accidently drop some candy that didn't make it into the bag I was filling and the best one yet, my daughter was asked for ID at the Sci Fi Diner for taking a sip of my Milkshake. The manager, I guess that's who he was totally ignored DH and I and went straight to my DD and asked her for ID. We looked at him confused, like WTH are you talking about. He never said who he was and never addressed my DH and I except for telling me to keep my milksake on the other side of the table. I wanted to slap him right in his face but this was only the second day of the vacation so I had to shake it off. Let's just say this was my 11th trip to WDW and I think I am finally not feeling the magic anymore. If I go again, it probably won't be until I have grandchildren.


uh..... :confused3 what??? Was this milkshake spiked or something?

[LilGMom]

uh..... :confused3 what??? Was this milkshake spiked or something?

I want to know too! If it was, what was it called and how was it? I think I might "need" one. ;) :drinking1

[disneyfantotheend]

I don't get the milkshake thing either, but yikes those are bad experiences once again, I feel bad for everyone who had such awful experiences. To date I have never had any bad ones, but we don't go all the time, more like once every 4 years. Maybe the more often you go the more likely you are to run into this stuff or maybe it is just par now. I will let you know my opinion once I get back from our December trip.

[mking624]

I quoted you to address your question of "decent price"...that's why I started my post with "First off....." (don't take it personally ;) )





That is fine, welcome and respected.... i just cannot get over why people get "flamed" for voiceing their opinion???



What I meant, is i like to read people's opinions of the parks, people, their trip reports, etc..... what I don't like to read is flaming because of a person's opinion....it's okay to disagree, but sometimes posts on the DIS get out of control and downright mean. If someone posted something and got flamed, that would deter them from posting again...and the person feels bad and stops posting/sharing. (And I know it happens because I know some of these people) When I read the DIS, I am here to gather info and learn...the good and the bad... I hate to read pages and pages of people coming down on one person because they stated their opinion...(and yes, i have read the few posts on here that agree w/ the OP....but nobody mentions those... :rolleyes1 )
Ok I do see what you're saying now...thanks for clarifying. :thumbsup2

There are cases from thread to thread where "extreme flaming" occurs. More often than not on the DIS, however, most of the "perceived flaming" stems from feelings of being upset due to posters not agreeing with the OP. There have been times when people responded to a thread and the OP called them rude for no good reason other than the responder didn't agree. Flaming has become such a odd term on this board because it goes all the way from simple comments being taken the wrong way all the way to very clear cut cases of verbal abuse. Anyway...not necessarily talking about this thread, but heated threads in general. I've learned the hard way that my opinions are more than likely to be torn apart on here. :rotfl2:

[noseybuddy]

deleted

[huskies90]

I can’t believe this post is still going. Thank you to everyone who at least tried to understand what I was trying to say without dousing me with gasoline.

I’ll try one more time. We had a great time at Disney. We always will. We go to Disney for two reasons. One for the amazing attractions and two for the feeling of magic and customer service we receive. Those two things differentiate Disney from a local Six Flags (which by the way we have a great time at too!!). As for the winning dreams, I don’t care how it sounded I was not bitter or whining we didn’t win anything nor was I expecting (nor did I care), I was simply pointing out that we did not see all that much while we were there. That’s it. I also proceeded to point out that we had many more magical experiences on our previous trips. I agree that that could be coincidence and people having bad days and all that. I also agree that this is just my perception and my less magical experience may be someone’s most amazing experience ever. Heck, walking down Main Street alone is pretty darn magical (I liked the pizza quote). While the comment about cast members focusing on other people’s dreams and not taking care of us was somewhat tongue in cheek, the truth is I wonder if the YOAMD has had a downstream effect that’s all.

Next, service and customer perception is absolutely and most definitely measurable. I work for a company that makes a science out of it. I can hook you up with our director of quality assurance and he can walk you through how to scientifically survey your customers. It is really quite extraordinary.

And finally, bad day coincidence or whatever, it just so happens that our experience at Universal had more magic. I can give you several very small things that happened that had nothing to do with a million dreams that just made us laugh, smile whatever. Like the guy at the front desk who checked us in helping us when I asked about restaurants; he went in the back and came out with a handful of menus and flipped through them with us. When we got to Bubba Gump Shrimp he called my oldest daughter who resembles Robin Wright, “Jenny” and did his best Forrest impression. It just so happens my oldest daughter’s name IS Jenny and she hates that. I know you had to be there but it was hysterical. Jennnnnny, weeeeez like peeez and corrats, again. She turned red and we were laughing our rearends off. Meantime, Mr. Chuckles at CSR didn’t smile once, didn’t even give us our welcome package (I had to go back and ask for it) and when our broad room request (Casitas section) was denied (forth time in a row now we have not received our request), he did nothing to at least try to do something. I don’t mean to pick on that guy. He was just one example. The fast pass thing was another example where from a guy who deals with customer service every day, I thought it could have been handled differently whether the cast member was empowered to do so or not. We had an experience on a previous trip where my daughter was measured for a ride, passed, waited in line, was measured again at the vehicle and did not make. She started crying and without hesitation, the cast member grabbed a manager who came out with a “family fastpass”. Nobody asked for it. He saw a crying child and reacted. To me, that is Disney magic and it has nothing to do with a million dreams.

As for people who really did have a bad experience like having wet floors or have something actually happen to them. Those things happen and those are real issues. Luckily nothing major like that has happened to us and I don't want to compare these little type of things with those who really do have bad experiences. Those things happen everywhere, Disney, Universal, the Jersey shore, whatever.

So, just because I pointed these things out does not mean my vacation was ruined or I that I had a bad time. We had a great time. And anyone who has a bad vacation because they did not win a dream is insane. But remember that the great service is one of the two things that sets Disney apart. I hope next time I go, we prove that the flat less magical trip was just coincidental. But as a Disney fan, it is OK to be a bit concerned. That’s it!! Thanks for reading!!

[macraven]

i understood what you said the first time

i still don't understand why you were flamed. :confused3

[Torontogal]

What disappointed me about my last trip (and first trip to Disneyland) was that I could not ride The Subs! Once the line was 2 1/2 hour wait and the second time it was closed for repairs! Both times I woke up at 5:30 am so that I could be very close to the line for Early Entry. That was disappointing for me...:sad1:

[mking624]

Next, service and customer perception is absolutely and most definitely measurable. I work for a company that makes a science out of it. I can hook you up with our director of quality assurance and he can walk you through how to scientifically survey your customers. It is really quite extraordinary.
Considering the number of people who didn't find your experiences to be as nonmagical as you made it out to be, and the people who agreed with you...it's clearly NOT measurable. When something is defined by opinion and you have a number of people who are of the opinion it's one way and a number of people who are of the opinion that it's another way, then it cannot be definitely measured into one specific way. Measurement implies exactness...and perspective/perception is not an exact science because it changes from person to person. I don't need to be "hooked up with" your director of quality assurance because I know that the bottom line is that the whole thing is based off of customer opinion and opinions can be varying and and even dependent on even the littlest things like having no coffee in the morning when they woke up. This is why I brought up how I could find something marvelously magical while you may find it incredibly dull. You found the CMs handling of irate guests to be nonmagical, and I didn't see anything wrong with it. Right there shows that our perspectives on the matter are very different...and proves my point: that things like this cannot be measured because it's just based on opinion. And when you have a world full of varying opinions, you can't measure it. You may be able to see trends and patterns, but you cannot make an exact measurement or "science" out of it because then that would completely ignore anyone who may have a different perspective.

In this case, your perspective, or opinion, is that you're right on the subject. Others have a very different opinion. Once again showing, it's not something that can be measured when you have people with polar opposite perspectives. But I bet your director of quality assurance has a different opinion on my thoughts. lol

Anyway, since we clearly have different opinions (;)) on this matter, I'm just going to move on.

[mking624]

The name of the milkshake is Orbiting Oreo. It had very little alcohol in it, and yes it was very good. I ordered it for me, and we all tried it. He was acting like i ordered her a beer and gave it to her to drink. She took a sip, and he made a big seen over it. He was just completely rude from the minute he came over to the table.
Just to comment on the milkshake...it doesn't matter if it was loaded with alcohol or just had a tiny drop, it is illegal to serve alcohol to minors and it is the restaurant's responsibility to make sure that they are not breaking any laws. They could be fined big time and lose their liquor license. You may be fine with letting your DD drink it, however it is not fine for the restaurant and even a sip could bring big consequences for them if the "right" (or "wrong" depending on your perspective) pair of eyes were watching.

[brendrek]

I can't comment directly on the rudeness since I wasn't there, but just to comment on the milkshake...it doesn't matter if it was loaded with alcohol or just had a tiny drop, it is illegal to serve alcohol to minors and it is the restaurant's responsibility to make sure that they are not breaking any laws. They could be fined big time and lose their liquor license. You may be fine with letting your DD drink it, however it is not fine for the restaurant and even a sip could bring big consequences for them if the "right" (or "wrong" depending on your perspective) pair of eyes were watching.

We were out to eat and my sister ordered a coke for my 4 year old nephew. He doesn't get soda all the time, but they were on vacation and wanted to treat him. The waitress insisted that a fruit juice would be better for him, and shook her head with disapproval. Finally my sister said, "I'll decide what's best for my kid, just bring him the coke". Of course the alcohol thing is different from a legal perspective, but still you get that icky sense someone is imposing their morals on you.

[ruadisneyfan2]

We were out to eat and my sister ordered a coke for my 4 year old nephew. He doesn't get soda all the time, but they were on vacation and wanted to treat him. The waitress insisted that a fruit juice would be better for him, and shook her head with disapproval. Finally my sister said, "I'll decide what's best for my kid, just bring him the coke". Of course the alcohol thing is different from a legal perspective, but still you get that icky sense someone is imposing their morals on you.

Holy cow! Where was this? I would've had to tell the manager there. Not make a big scene but just let him/her know.
btw, hi neighbor!!:goodvibes :flower3:
we're in Cherry Hill and have very dear friends in Cinnaminson. :thumbsup2

[RVGal]

Ugh. Is this poor guy still getting flamed?

Sheesh. :rolleyes:

Isn't it amazing how people have to pick apart posts and quote and re-quote just to prove that they are right.

He had his experience and commented on it. He was flamed and the vultures that circle the board dove in to pick at his flaming carcass. He tried to clarify his position, but OH NO... too late... he's already said something negative and must be punished. Clarifying only makes it worse. Let's pull out our quotes and re-quotes and show him he is wrong, WRONG I tell you.

This isn't a healthy exchange of differing opinions, this is a beat-down... and anyone that thinks an individual who had a few negative comments to begin with is going to walk away from a thread like this with a more positive view of WDW is kidding themselves.

And isn't that the point? We all love WDW and want to share that joy... that magic... and help others to love what we love about it. Just because he didn't have a perfect vacation and shared that doesn't mean that he did something wrong. Why can't we say (as some along the way did), "Gee, I'm sorry your vacation wasn't all you hoped or experienced in the past. I'm glad to hear you plan on going back and I hope you'll have a great time then." and leave it at that?

Okay, go ahead... quote me and bash me if you feel you must... I doubt anyone can just leave it alone at this point since the OP couldn't put it to rest.

[keishashadow]

Just to comment on the milkshake...it doesn't matter if it was loaded with alcohol or just had a tiny drop, it is illegal to serve alcohol to minors and it is the restaurant's responsibility to make sure that they are not breaking any laws. They could be fined big time and lose their liquor license. You may be fine with letting your DD drink it, however it is not fine for the restaurant and even a sip could bring big consequences for them if the "right" (or "wrong" depending on your perspective) pair of eyes were watching.

OT - not sure of FL liquor laws...

PA has roving LCB (liquor control board) agents who enforce the law to the letter, not uncommon for them to sweep into an establishment, close it down & card everyone; other times they just sit undercover watching for slip ups:rolleyes1 as one who moonlighted as bartender in PA, not only is the establishment fined heavily for 'serving underage minors'...

many fines also apply to the bartender...to the tune of:

$1,000 to $5,000 PA Liquor Code;

$1,000 1st drink, $2,500 each additional drink under PA Crime Code; and

the sky's the limit under Civil litigation for subsequent death, injury or damange caused by said minor

[BamaFan121s]

After reading this thread, I have come to the conclusion, and it is my sole opinion that the term 'flamed' has to be the most overly used in the English language. I bet that even the Brazilian tour groups use it now.
It replaces the word 'disrespectful' that, until this thread, was, by me, previously considered to be the most overly used word. It, however, remains a close second.:goodvibes

[noseybuddy]

deleted

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Alright, I give up. It is obviously not possible for me to experience a decline in service and Disney magic year over year. Not possible. I must be some whining spoiled brat who didn’t WIN anything. I'll just drink my Disney Kool Aid and continue to repeat over and over: "Everything at Disney is awesome, I can't wait to go back."

Do not ever challenge the magic of Disney hence be pummeled by the disboard Disney disciples. :duck:

:rotfl:

Uh oh, someone forget to take their Xanax today....:sad2:

[Ileana]

Imagine that, people with different opinions on the matter that have to shove their opinion as fact & truth.

God Forbid that someone doesn't have a 1hu4896378947y54897458937% magical time at Disney & feels the need to comment on it.

Life is NOT always peaches & roses. It also certainly isn't always peaches & roses at WDW and I appreciate people who TELL THE TRUTH instead of sugar coating things.

I receive horrible service at every single theme park I visit - does not matter which one it is. I stopped caring after a while because I know those people work for $8/hr & with the cost of living in Florida the way it is, you can't find anyone worth a %%&& to work for $8/hr and smile about it.

When you get great service - ENJOY IT, maybe even tell someone. We always complain about bad service, but how many people honestly go out of their way to say I RECEIVED GREAT SERVICE?!!!

Do you?? I know I do, and you'd be surprised at the reaction people get.

[macraven]

Uh oh, someone forget to take their Xanax today....:sad2:

that's not nice.
i know people that are required to take meds and jokes about it are mean.

[Ileana]

Uh oh, someone forget to take their Xanax today....:sad2:


Yeah the people who felt the need to blast the OP because he didn't have a Magical Freaking Day at Disney.

:sad2:

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Yeah the people who felt the need to blast the OP because he didn't have a Magical Freaking Day at Disney.

:sad2:

:lmao:

Seriously though, I really didn't mean to poke fun at people who are on meds. I just find it amazing that someone decided to write a post that they didn't feel the magic because a CM didn't smile at them :confused3

[macraven]

i understand allie, when i read what you posted, I thought you were trying to make a joke at people who have medical needs.

the problem with posting, we lose a lot of translation when we read it.
sometimes it is difficult for readers to understand the jest on the boards.

i know people have different opinions on parks. that i can live with.

i always go to both theme parks each year. i enjoy both of them.

[GemmaPixie]

How old is your daughter NoseyBuddy?

[grimley1968]

I, like the OP, can hardly believe this is still going. But the OP keeps it going with all the posts about customer service being measurable, how this Disney CM didn't smile, but the Universal ones did. It seems to me the OP is taking the worst moments of the WDW trip, comparing them to the best moments of the Universal trip and using that as some sort of "measurement" to say Universal has more "Magic" than Disney. Customer service simply is not "measurable", because it is not quantifiable. I'm quite familiar with customer service metrics, customer opinion polling, etc. They are not a measurement of "Magic." With all the polling Disney does, they obviously are under the impression that "Magic" is measurable. It is not.

I can't believe that much of the original post dealt with a ride breakdown and not being given FP's because of it. I've had this happen at WDW and never received FP's for it. I don't consider that un-magical. I consider it simple bad luck.

I was at Legoland last summer, which right now is the most "Magical" park in the country, in my opinion ;) , but the last line we got in for the day was for a ride that shut down 30 seconds before we got on it. We waited a good 35 minutes for it, but didn't get to ride it. We got zero, zip, nada for our trouble. But that doesn't discount the absolutely incredible rest of the day we had at Legoland. Unlike the OP, who apparently can't remember one good thing about their time at WDW, we chose to emphasize the 99% of the day that was the best park experience we've ever had (and we've been to WDW, DL, King's Island, Six Flags, you name it), and de-emphasize the minor disappointment at the end of the day.

I can understand a post about a truly unmagical time at WDW, with actual bad experiences listed, like some have posted on here. That is a shame, and I feel bad for those people, and hope they can experience some magic, whether it's at Legoland, WDW, DL or Universal. Everyone deserves that from time to time.

But the experiences the OP describes come across like a whine. To fault WDW giving Dreams/Wishes/whatever to others but not yourself is bad form, IMO. It would be more fruitful to view the less pleasant things in a broader context that includes the good things that happened on a vacation, as well as a broader context in the fact that, while you may not have gotten wishes/dreams/whatever, other people have and that should make you happy.

If you see a story on the news about minimum wage workers winning a $200 million lottery, do you get angry at the lottery commission for not giving you the prize, even though you bought a ticket? Or do you feel happy for those that win, with maybe a twinge of envy? I fall under the latter camp about the lottery, as I do about the Wishes/Dreams/Magic thing. I don't expect to win one, so it doesn't disappoint me if I don't get them and others do. There are enough great things that happen just by being at WDW, that for us getting to spend a night in the castle or whatever never even crosses our minds.

If the worst that happened to you is that some CM's didn't smile and a ride broke down while you were in line, I think you should be thankful for that. Other people often have far worse things happen, but manage to keep on the sunny side and make lemons out of lemonade, to mix metaphors, because so much else happens that is good.

[54disney]

We went to Disney World in late August of 06 and had a magical, wonderful time. We were not planning on going back in 07 but we received a "code" for discounted resort rates and jumped on it. We were expecting another magical, wonderful trip. Boy, were we surprised! Our trip this year was the total opposite of last. The parks were extremely crowded, very dirty (which shocked us) and the cast members were anything but pleasant as they had been last year.

Our resort was Port Orleans Riverside and we were there for 8 nights. We had 5 people in our room and they constantly left 4 towels, even after calls to housekeeping. The first two nights, the beds weren't even made...the quilt was simply thrown up on the bed. Our sheets were never changed the entire time we were there.

We had cast members respond to our have a nice day with "How can I, I work for a Mouse." Complaints about their wages and in general a sour demeanor. We even had a bus driver with the bus listing where he was going, refuse to take us there. He was sitting in a slot (apparently not the correct one for where we wanted to go) with the lights showing where we wanted to go and when we got on the bus, he said in a rude way that he was getting ready to go on a run and wasn't going where the bus stated. However, he said in a put out way that he would take us. I told my kids to get off the bus...I didn't need more attitude. We came away wondering if there are labor issues going on at the World.

In general what shocked us most were the attitudes of the cast members and the lack of cleanliness in the parks. We have never seen Disney dirty before but it sure was this time.

[eliza61]

Op had a less than magical vacation at Disney, It's unfortunate but some times that happens. Why do we act like Disney is the only place in the world that this has happens. :confused3 Why do we expect every single vacation to the world to be "perfect". Don't people go any where else? Please spare me the "good old days" reports. I've been on cruises where every one has caught a bug and ended up 7 days with they're head it the toilet. I've stayed at the Waldorf Astoria at $500 bucks a night where the tub would not drain and spent a week in Spain where everyone was seriously pissed at Americans and treated us like crap. I've also had glorious vacations at the world and around the world. It's called life people, some times you get roses and some times you get lemons. Take the lemons make lemonaide and look forward to your next vacation.

[grimley1968]

We went to Disney World in late August of 06 and had a magical, wonderful time. We were not planning on going back in 07 but we received a "code" for discounted resort rates and jumped on it. We were expecting another magical, wonderful trip. Boy, were we surprised! Our trip this year was the total opposite of last. The parks were extremely crowded, very dirty (which shocked us) and the cast members were anything but pleasant as they had been last year.

Our resort was Port Orleans Riverside and we were there for 8 nights. We had 5 people in our room and they constantly left 4 towels, even after calls to housekeeping. The first two nights, the beds weren't even made...the quilt was simply thrown up on the bed. Our sheets were never changed the entire time we were there.

We had cast members respond to our have a nice day with "How can I, I work for a Mouse." Complaints about their wages and in general a sour demeanor. We even had a bus driver with the bus listing where he was going, refuse to take us there. He was sitting in a slot (apparently not the correct one for where we wanted to go) with the lights showing where we wanted to go and when we got on the bus, he said in a rude way that he was getting ready to go on a run and wasn't going where the bus stated. However, he said in a put out way that he would take us. I told my kids to get off the bus...I didn't need more attitude. We came away wondering if there are labor issues going on at the World.

In general what shocked us most were the attitudes of the cast members and the lack of cleanliness in the parks. We have never seen Disney dirty before but it sure was this time.

- How can you blame Disney for the crowds? Sorry it was crowded, but choose a less crowded time of year.

- Was there anything good that happened that you care to mention? The fact that you got a discount wasn't one good thing?

- Dirtiness is a bad thing. But in all the times I've gone, WDW has been as clean as I could ever expect it to be, especially given the wanton disregard for other people many guests show by littering all over the park. The CM's can only wade through the crowds so often with their litter-pickers before it jams crowds even further. Bottom line: heavier crowds means dirtier parks. No amount of trash-cleaning CM's can change that. That is mostly a function of our self-centered society.

- Sheets not being changed during your stay? Sorry, but that is pretty much the industry standard. Most (but not all) hotels (Disney and non-Disney) will change sheets before and after your stay, but I have never once seen sheets changed during my week-long stay at a hotel, and I've been to a lot of hotels.

- Not making the beds up neatly is a bad thing. Not leaving enough towels is bad.

- The bus driver was inexcusable. But that is one driver. Were there not any good drivers that deserve a mention?

- The "I work for the mouse" CM's sound bad, but that is to be expected at minimum wage. Was it more than one CM who said this? Frankly, though, I've seen far, far worse behavior by employees of Six Flags, Universal, King's Island, etc., and on a far broader scale. I've never once personally heard a CM complain about wages. Ever.

- I am sorry all this happened to you. Did anything good happen, besides the discount?

[GemmaPixie]

It's called life people, some times you get roses and some times you get lemons. Take the lemons make lemonaide and look forward to your next vacation.

Or use my saying "When life throws you lemons- breaks open the tequila and salt!"

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I really don't understand how some people come on this board complaining about the poor CM's who have to deal with thousands of people all day long, not to mention the heat, the crying kids, the loud and sometimes obnoxious parents who are ready to bite the CM's heads of when they don't get a smile, etc. I mean when we were there in April I barely even noticed the CM's and did not expect exemplary service from anyone. From my perspective, Disney runs a meticulous operation, but you know what they say "you can't please everyone".

[ky07]

come on you think prices are low at Disney then you must have money running out of those mouse ears lol

[LilGMom]

Or use my saying "When life throws you lemons- breaks open the tequila and salt!"

I love your saying! Mind if I borrow in on occaision? :drinking1

[GemmaPixie]

Not at all! Use away!

[eliza61]

Or use my saying "When life throws you lemons- breaks open the tequila and salt!"

You're officially my hero for today. ;)

[eliza61]

come on you think prices are low at Disney then you must have money running out of those mouse ears lol I don't think it's totally about money. Sure, disney is expensive but so is a 7 day Caribbean cruise, so is Europe (have you seen the value of a dollar in London lately) . Heck, I went to Ocean City, MD for 7 days this year and the hotel was $225 a night simply because it had an ocean view. Vacations are Expensive, period but unfortunately as long as people are involved there may be a few that are less than perfect.

[mking624]

We were out to eat and my sister ordered a coke for my 4 year old nephew. He doesn't get soda all the time, but they were on vacation and wanted to treat him. The waitress insisted that a fruit juice would be better for him, and shook her head with disapproval. Finally my sister said, "I'll decide what's best for my kid, just bring him the coke". Of course the alcohol thing is different from a legal perspective, but still you get that icky sense someone is imposing their morals on you.
Your situation is rather different as offering soda to a child doesn't break any laws. This particular situation isn't really a matter of imposing morals, it's a matter of a restaurants abiding by the law.

The milkshake was served to me, not my daughter. They made a big deal out of nothing. She took a sip, big deal. I understand the drinking laws and that is fine, but what made me mad was how the manager handled the situation. He never even talked to DH or I until I butted in while he was harrassing my DD. All three of us had no idea what he was talking about. The whole seen was so unnecessary and ridiculous.
Honestly it doesn't matter who the drink was served to. There is still an issue of legality if a minor is even taking a tiny sip of a beverage with alcohol in it. You may think "big deal", but this is the law and it carries with it consequences for the restaurant and its employees. It's one thing if you allowed your child to take sips of alcoholic beverages in the privacy of your own home as you only take the risk upon yourself with alcohol laws, but when you start doing that in restaurants, that's imposing risks to the restaurant. So yes, it is a big deal.
That said, if the situation was handled poorly, perhaps you can contact Guest Services. However, to be quite honest, I wouldn't expect too much of a response if they were to discover that the reason for it was because of a minor taking a drink from an alcoholic beverage. Perhaps you will, I really don't know...but this is a situation in which neither party was really in the right.

[mking624]

come on you think prices are low at Disney then you must have money running out of those mouse ears lol
And again, I ask you to tell me what a good ticket price would be to run everything they do, pay the number of people that they do, etc.

I never said prices were amazingly low. But I'm also not naive enough to believe that Disney could somehow pull off everything they do and only charge people a few bucks. Disney can be as expensive as you want it to be, but after several trips there I've also discovered it can be rather affordable as well.

[Mermaid_Ariel]

eliza61 & grimley1968: I really enjoyed reading both of your posts. You both write very well! :goodvibes

I guess I just don't understand why people set themselves up for disappointment by expecting perfection. :headache:

[grimley1968]

Honestly it doesn't matter who the drink was served to. There is still an issue of legality if a minor is even taking a tiny sip of a beverage with alcohol in it. You may think "big deal", but this is the law and it carries with it consequences for the restaurant and its employees. It's one thing if you allowed your child to take sips of alcoholic beverages in the privacy of your own home as you only take the risk upon yourself with alcohol laws, but when you start doing that in restaurants, that's imposing risks to the restaurant. So yes, it is a big deal.
That said, if the situation was handled poorly, perhaps you can contact Guest Services. However, to be quite honest, I wouldn't expect too much of a response if they were to discover that the reason for it was because of a minor taking a drink from an alcoholic beverage. Perhaps you will, I really don't know...but this is a situation in which neither party was really in the right.

Yikes! :scared1: Good points there, MKing! I totally failed to notice in my first read through of those posts that they were served an alcoholic drink/milkshake! I totally agree with you. WDW does have laws to obey and not obeying such an important law would be far more "unmagical" than strictly enforcing it and ruffling some feathers in the process.

You can't claim WDW is losing its "Magic" just because they are enforcing a law, which could result in a very expensive lawsuit if unenforced. They were taking responsibility for something in this case. Maybe it could have been done more tactfully, but that is near irrelevant compared to simply making sure it is done in the first place.

BTW, thanks for the compliments, Jessi. :flower3:

[BamaFan121s]

In regards to the milshake situation, I can completely understand a CM saying something--what I CANNOT understand is a CM saying something to the child. The issue should have been addressed outright with the parent, not the kid.

[54disney]

I was just making the point that we had an entirely different trip this year vs. last. I am not blaming Disney for the crowds...only stated it was more crowded. As far as cleanliness, I am not talking about garbage as you walk, I am talking about overflowing garbage cans that could easily be cleared without disrupting the crowds. Last year our sheets were changed. Yes there were good things about vacation...being with family etc. but not what I expected from Disney based on my previous experiences and the amount of money spent. I think if you get service that is not up to expectation, you need to speak up or it will never change for the better. As far as the buses, I feel they have a serious issue with their scheduling and times. There were times at our resort that the cast member couldn't get busses there to go to a specific park...at all...and was recommending guests take a bus to the Magic Kingdom and transfer from there. All this adds time and definitely was not the case last year. We had one bus driver tell us as he was coaxing his broken buss with the engine light on that they were short on drivers. He had also called in to say the bus was in trouble and they told him to keep driving until it finally stopped. Again, I just felt things were totally different at the World than previously.

[GemmaPixie]

You're officially my hero for today. ;)

Woohoo- I feel so special!! :hug:

[ruadisneyfan2]

Bottom line: heavier crowds means dirtier parks. No amount of trash-cleaning CM's can change that. That is mostly a function of our self-centered society.

Sorry, but I disagree. More crowds mean more income which means they can afford more staff. There's no excuse for it. Big execs would rather have 6 figure bonuses.
This reminds me of when dh was renting tuxes for our wedding and half of our guys had tuxes or shirts that were either stained, reeked of cologne or had cigarette burns. When my dh complained, their reply was, "We can't possibly check everything. We had to process over 300 tuxedoes this week!" in a not very nice tone. If they can't handle the work, they should limit themselves and not accept people's money. Just say, sorry we're booked to the max this week. But they don't. They'd rather take your money and lower their standards knowing they can't keep up with what should be done the proper way. It's not like they're surprised that it's their busy season . They know it's coming and should be ready. Same goes for WDW.

Don't defend Disney's overflowing trash cans (or any parks) and say "these poor kids have to work in the sun. boo-hoo." I worked at a dry cleaners all thru high school where it reached 120 deg. in the summer and that's not including humidity. Yes it sucked but also kept me motivated to go to college and get the heck out. Also dh was a welder for many years at the Philly Naval yard and worked in 100 deg. weather in long sleeves, long pants and heavy leather, protective gear and face shield in confined areas. Yes, that sucked too but he did his job well and moved on.
My point is, they're not prisoners. They should either do their job or leave it. It's a free country.
sorry, I'm done ranting.

btw, we went to Busch Gardens, VA this summer and it was beautifully landscaped, clean, full of nice staff and was only $70 for a 7 consecutive day pass for BG and their water park, Water Country USA. I highly recommend it.

[Gerweniel]

My two cents on this subject.
I work in customer service in one of the most reviled of professions-cell phone technician. This is not a new thing for me, but I have worked directly with the public almost all my adult life. Not unlike WDW I am sure, the parent corporation I work for spends millions on mystery shoppers, motivational tools, incentives etc. to improve customer service - to make us smile unconditionally and "improve the customer experience".

However, what I have found to be the most common issue in all my customer service problems is not the product or service I provide but the absolute degradation of civility of the people who enter my store. In recent years I have observed people have no problem swearing at me or my employees, threatening me, lying, manipulating and carrying on to the point of shouting and/or tears with no respect for the other person. People are displaying an insane sense of entitlement and lack of personal responsibility. All this over cell phones. What ever happened to simple manners? Simple respect?

I cannot possibly imagine the craziness that the CM's have to deal with. If folks lose their minds over a $100.00 cell phone, then when thousands are on the line it must be carnage. I have the all the respect in the world for the CM's from check in to the rest room attendants. I try to remain cheerful, smile, and when I can wish THEM a MAGICAL day.

We've never been in a parade, gotten a fast pass or even received an upgrade. I must admit I was disappointed we didn't win the Castle stay ;).
BUT, when we are at Disney, we are together, in a magical place, have great food, lots of fun and most of all smile and be kind.

OP- sorry you did not experience the "old" magical spark. Unfortunately, I think the CMs may just be getting burned out.

[LilGMom]

The milkshake was served to me, not my daughter. They made a big deal out of nothing. She took a sip, big deal. I understand the drinking laws and that is fine, but what made me mad was how the manager handled the situation. He never even talked to DH or I until I butted in while he was harrassing my DD. All three of us had no idea what he was talking about. The whole seen was so unnecessary and ridiculous.

I'm curious... how old is your DD? And like it has already been noted in FL is is illegal for a person under the age of 21 to consume any alcohol at a business that has a lic. to sell it. If you want to give your DD alcohol or let her taste Orbiting Oreo Shakes until the next lunar eclipse in the privacy of your own home that is one thing but a place like Sci Fi Diner (especially since it is on WDW property) could get in major trouble for you DD consuming any amount of any alcoholic beverage. They are protecting their hineys and you can't blame them. While it might not have been handled in the best way I can understand the CM wanting to see ID, his job could have been at stake if she was/is under the legal drinking age of 21.

[RacingPrincess]

popcorn::

[bubba's mom]

http://bestsmileys.com/signs9/2.gif

http://bestsmileys.com/signs13/10.gif

Here's hoping I kill this thread.....(even tho I hate to be the 'one' to do it....but, it needs to be put to rest already..... )

[calgarygary]

Considering the number of people who didn't find your experiences to be as nonmagical as you made it out to be, and the people who agreed with you...it's clearly NOT measurable. When something is defined by opinion and you have a number of people who are of the opinion it's one way and a number of people who are of the opinion that it's another way, then it cannot be definitely measured into one specific way. Measurement implies exactness...and perspective/perception is not an exact science because it changes from person to person. I don't need to be "hooked up with" your director of quality assurance because I know that the bottom line is that the whole thing is based off of customer opinion and opinions can be varying and and even dependent on even the littlest things like having no coffee in the morning when they woke up. This is why I brought up how I could find something marvelously magical while you may find it incredibly dull. You found the CMs handling of irate guests to be nonmagical, and I didn't see anything wrong with it. Right there shows that our perspectives on the matter are very different...and proves my point: that things like this cannot be measured because it's just based on opinion. And when you have a world full of varying opinions, you can't measure it. You may be able to see trends and patterns, but you cannot make an exact measurement or "science" out of it because then that would completely ignore anyone who may have a different perspective.

In this case, your perspective, or opinion, is that you're right on the subject. Others have a very different opinion. Once again showing, it's not something that can be measured when you have people with polar opposite perspectives. But I bet your director of quality assurance has a different opinion on my thoughts. lol

Anyway, since we clearly have different opinions (;)) on this matter, I'm just going to move on.

Customer service is indeed measureable otherwise companies like Service Intelligence wouldn't exist. Measurement of little things like amount of time to Customer acknowledgement, eye contact, smile, etc by CSR's are very common in the most basic of third party measurements. Further detailed measurements exist in complaint handling. Customer perception is key as that is all that service providers like Disney really have. Did my customer leave wanting to come back? Did we meet their expectations? By utilizing third party measuring systems, companies try to minimize the no's to those questions.

[GemmaPixie]

http://bestsmileys.com/signs9/2.gif

http://bestsmileys.com/signs13/10.gif

Here's hoping I kill this thread.....(even tho I hate to be the 'one' to do it....but, it needs to be put to rest already..... )

LOL BARB!! Too bad it didn't work.

[grimley1968]

Don't defend Disney's overflowing trash cans (or any parks) and say "these poor kids have to work in the sun. boo-hoo." I worked at a dry cleaners all thru high school where it reached 120 deg. in the summer and that's not including humidity. Yes it sucked but also kept me motivated to go to college and get the heck out. Also dh was a welder for many years at the Philly Naval yard and worked in 100 deg. weather in long sleeves, long pants and heavy leather, protective gear and face shield in confined areas. Yes, that sucked too but he did his job well and moved on.
My point is, they're not prisoners. They should either do their job or leave it. It's a free country.
sorry, I'm done ranting.

btw, we went to Busch Gardens, VA this summer and it was beautifully landscaped, clean, full of nice staff and was only $70 for a 7 consecutive day pass for BG and their water park, Water Country USA. I highly recommend it.

I've not once seen an "overflowing trash can" at WDW. Ever. I've been going to WDW since spring of 1972.

Maybe you've seen overflowing trash cans at WDW, I don't know. I'm not "defending" Disney in any way, and often criticize them for many things. But as I pointed out in another thread, Disney, to me, seems a lot cleaner now than it ever did in the 70's and 80's. In fact, I notice MORE trash cleaning CM's recently than I ever did in the 70's and 80's.

Busch Gardens is nice, but what does that have to do with this thread?

I've not once said "these poor kids have to work in the sun. boo-hoo." I've never even used an argument like that.

My grandfather was a welder at the Philly Naval yard during WWII. He, my grandmother, my mom, and several of her sisters lived in a slum in Chester, PA for several years. I don't have the weather records for the WWII-era years he worked there, but I'm guessing he dealt with inclement weather, as we all do at times. He did his job well and moved on, too. But again, what does our common relationship to the Philly Naval shipyard have to do with WDW? :confused3

Please don't quote me, and then attribute thoughts and words to me that I never said. I refuse to be a straw man in anyone's arguments.

[corndog]

I've not once seen an "overflowing trash can" at WDW. Ever. I've been going to WDW since spring of 1972.

Maybe you've seen overflowing trash cans at WDW, I don't know. I'm not "defending" Disney in any way, and often criticize them for many things. But as I pointed out in another thread, Disney, to me, seems a lot cleaner now than it ever did in the 70's and 80's. In fact, I notice MORE trash cleaning CM's recently than I ever did in the 70's and 80's.

Busch Gardens is nice, but what does that have to do with this thread?

I've not once said "these poor kids have to work in the sun. boo-hoo." I've never even used an argument like that.

My grandfather was a welder at the Philly Naval yard during WWII. He, my grandmother, my mom, and several of her sisters lived in a slum in Chester, PA for several years. I don't have the weather records for the WWII-era years he worked there, but I'm guessing he dealt with inclement weather, as we all do at times. He did his job well and moved on, too. But again, what does our common relationship to the Philly Naval shipyard have to do with WDW? :confused3

Please don't quote me, and then attribute thoughts and words to me that I never said. I refuse to be a straw man in anyone's arguments.


If I had that screen name with that avatar I would feel an obligation to end every post with "I must say!"

[grimley1968]

If I had that screen name with that avatar I would feel an obligation to end every post with "I must say!"

Oh, I do it, quite often, I must say. ;)

But I was little hot under the collar with that last post, so was in no mood to be jovial. I should have replaced my avatar temporarily with one of Bruce Banner getting perturbed and green-eyed. :scared1:

:surfweb:

[disneyfantotheend]

The name of the milkshake is Orbiting Oreo. It had very little alcohol in it, and yes it was very good. I ordered it for me, and we all tried it. He was acting like i ordered her a beer and gave it to her to drink. She took a sip, and he made a big seen over it. He was just completely rude from the minute he came over to the table.
Ok, I was thinking this had something to do with the DDP. Thought wow they are that strict that they don't allow others in the party to take a drink of your milkshake. I would never have thought it was an alcohlic drink. Guess I am naive. I am very sorry and this may be very controversial, but I don't think that server did anything wrong by questioning your child about drinking an alcoholic beverage, if she was underage. Oops sorry I just reread the thread, maybe she wasn't underage. How old was she?

[GemmaPixie]

I don't think the mum had a problem with the manager pointing out the law, I think her problem was the way he approached it asking the daughter for ID instead of addressing the parents.

[mking624]

Customer service is indeed measureable otherwise companies like Service Intelligence wouldn't exist. Measurement of little things like amount of time to Customer acknowledgement, eye contact, smile, etc by CSR's are very common in the most basic of third party measurements. Further detailed measurements exist in complaint handling. Customer perception is key as that is all that service providers like Disney really have. Did my customer leave wanting to come back? Did we meet their expectations? By utilizing third party measuring systems, companies try to minimize the no's to those questions.

You say it's measurable? Try telling that to the people who complain about what we do when we've just spent the entire time bending over backwards for them. I just had this happen today. Had a guest whom I had to wait on hand and foot in spite of the fact we were rather busy and I did need to help other guests. She gave me attitude the entire time and treated me like dirt. I kept smiling and I was very kind to her. Finally when I was ringing her up, I offered her a 15% off her purchase even though she didn't have a coupon (which technically we do need to have). She saved around $20 with that discount. No thank you or anything...in fact, my "reward" for being so nice to her was her going up to my manager to complain what a lousy store we were and that I was a "witch". Other guests did tell my manager what really happened. So let's say this rather rude guest was surveyed, she would most likely complain about our supposed lack of customer service...which would completely skew the results.

Can companies like Service Intelligence spot trends and patterns in customer service? Most definitely. But can it be completely measured? Definitely not. The reason being that so many people have all kind of opinions and you cannot make exact measurements out of opinions. Especially when you have people like I did...where you can do everything perfectly and then some, and that person will still not be happy.

[mking624]

I don't think the mum had a problem with the manager pointing out the law, I think her problem was the way he approached it asking the daughter for ID instead of addressing the parents.
I don't see an issue with asking the daughter for her ID. Perhaps the tact in which is was done could have been better, but I don't find anything wrong with asking the daughter directly for her identification.

[grimley1968]

You say it's measurable? Try telling that to the people who complain about what we do when we've just spent the entire time bending over backwards for them. I just had this happen today. Had a guest whom I had to wait on hand and foot in spite of the fact we were rather busy and I did need to help other guests. She gave me attitude the entire time and treated me like dirt. I kept smiling and I was very kind to her. Finally when I was ringing her up, I offered her a 15% off her purchase even though she didn't have a coupon (which technically we do need to have). She saved around $20 with that discount. No thank you or anything...in fact, my "reward" for being so nice to her was her going up to my manager to complain what a lousy store we were and that I was a "witch". Other guests did tell my manager what really happened. So let's say this rather rude guest was surveyed, she would most likely complain about our supposed lack of customer service...which would completely skew the results.

Can companies like Service Intelligence spot trends and patterns in customer service? Most definitely. But can it be completely measured? Definitely not. The reason being that so many people have all kind of opinions and you cannot make exact measurements out of opinions. Especially when you have people like I did...where you can do everything perfectly and then some, and that person will still not be happy.

Very good points. However, I will say that I think there is one way customer service is measurable to WDW, although it would be a lagging indicator: attendance. If the majority of people really felt that WDW CM's did not provide good service, they would stop coming. No amount of nostalgia would keep them coming if the customer service completely went to pot. The fact that WDW attendance is going gangbusters right now speaks for itself, IMO.

I see you're from Louisville. Remember how popular King's Island north of Cincy was in the 70's and 80's? It's not now. I attribute this to terrible service, trash all over the place, and exhorbitant prices for food. This is despite the fact that PKI has added an entire new Nickelodeon area for kids, several really good rides, and newer restaurants. Compared to PKI, WDW has incredible service, is pretty much immaculate from what I can tell, and has much better deals on food. This is why I'd much rather spend an extra 9 hours on the road to go to WDW for a week than to get to PKI for a few hours: better service.

[GemmaPixie]

I don't see an issue with asking the daughter for her ID. Perhaps the tact in which is was done could have been better, but I don't find anything wrong with asking the daughter directly for her identification.


I see an issue. Apart from embarrassing the girl, he acting very unprofessionally. He could have simply said to the parents could they please not let their daughter drink alcohol on the premises because it could get them into a lot of trouble. Depending on the age of the girl in question, this worker could have embarrassed the girl (if she was in her teens) or even scared her (if she was younger).

[disneyfantotheend]

If the girl was younger than in her teens, it is even more unbelievable that she was being allowed to drink alcohol. Does noone else see the wrong in underage drinking? And being provided the alcohol by the parent makes it worse. I am sorry, I know this was not the intent of this thread and I am not going to say anything else about this. I am just shocked that noone else seems phased by this child (if she is indeed a child) drinking. They are only upset that the waiter carded her.

[noseybuddy]

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[noseybuddy]

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[noseybuddy]

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[noseybuddy]

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[CPer'sMom]

Does Florida law require that you keep your alcoholic beverage so many inches away from a minor? I never hear of that state law.:rolleyes:

No, but every state has a law against underage drinking. Your daughter is underage - she was drinking an alcoholic drink. He was probably hoping you'd refrain from giving her another sip.

Sorry, still don't see it as a big deal.

Maybe not a "big deal" in your home, but it is in a public restaurant.

[bizeemom4]

She is 16. I am SURE that I am not the first to let ther teen try a sip of a drink.

No, but most don't do so in a theme park restaurant! You are very lucky that the worst thing that happened is that you were spoken to by security. I have a 16 y.o. DD and I would never, ever consider allowing her to drink in public at Disney or any other restaurant in the U.S. For you to not understand what the big deal is, well, truthfully, that's a bit scary to me.:confused:

[noseybuddy]

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[huskies90]

Very good points. However, I will say that I think there is one way customer service is measurable to WDW, although it would be a lagging indicator: attendance.
True, of course, waiting until you lose customers is too late. Calgarygary is on the right track. You start by truly understanding what defines what tangeble items are critical to a successful service transaction. At one business it may be how long someone waits in line. Others might be delivery time. For a call center it may be time on hold or number of call drops or transfers. Once you have the statistical critical measurements you scientifically measure. Sometimes it can be done systematically like measuring call drops other times you survey your customers by asking these factual questions to derive the data. Keeps it objective.

Surveying customers to get subjective data is also important. Yes, statistically, you have to take into account outliers (like the customer you bend over backwards for and they still complain). But if you survery customers who continually give negative feedback, it is an indicator and you have to react.

I don't work for Disney so I have no idea what they do but I bet they have a good pulse on their service numbers regardless of what the attendence numbers are doing...But yes, skyrocketting attendence is an indicator they are doing something right. :)

[lucincia]

I don't work for Disney so I have no idea what they do but I bet they have a good pulse on their service numbers regardless of what the attendence numbers are doing...But yes, skyrocketting attendence is an indicator they are doing something right. :)

Skyrocketing attendence at WDW simply means that US dollar is so low against EU and other oversea economies that it's not worth it for "U.S. Americans" (taking a line from Miss Teen South Carolina :) ) to travel overseas and it is extremely cheap for people from other countries to visit US, and WDW. So, I am guessing, a lot of people who would have gone on cruises or Europe or Asia are now spending their dough with the Mouse.

[Reenybean]

Congrats on your upcomming wedding! Enjoy your life together

[lisa6373]

I haven't read through the entire thread, and I haven't been to Disney in years, but I think I understand what the OP is saying. I think he's saying that aside from the YOAMD promotion he didn't feel that the customer service was as good as it has been in the past. I believe he is saying that perhaps so much is going into granting dreams that just normal everyday customer service is getting over looked to a degree.

[mking624]

Skyrocketing attendence at WDW simply means that US dollar is so low against EU and other oversea economies that it's not worth it for "U.S. Americans" (taking a line from Miss Teen South Carolina :) ) to travel overseas and it is extremely cheap for people from other countries to visit US, and WDW. So, I am guessing, a lot of people who would have gone on cruises or Europe or Asia are now spending their dough with the Mouse.

Ok you cannot honestly believe that the reason for the attendance growth is only because of that. :rotfl: If that were true, then how do you explain away the fact that travel to these overseas destinations (that according to your reasons are not worth it to travel to) aren't declining in their attendance? Because really, if you take your thoughts to their logical conclusion, if people didn't find going some place as being "wprth it" and attended somewhere else instead, that would have to mean the "not worth it" destination would decline in its attendance. Funny thing is, it hasn't. The fact is that people are traveling to more destinations than ever before. This is why you see flights being added to all sorts of destinations (including overseas)...because the demand is there. And while I've never been one to complain about the "expense" of WDW, I've seen European vacations cost less money. Explain that one.

I see you're from Louisville. Remember how popular King's Island north of Cincy was in the 70's and 80's? It's not now. I attribute this to terrible service, trash all over the place, and exhorbitant prices for food. This is despite the fact that PKI has added an entire new Nickelodeon area for kids, several really good rides, and newer restaurants. Compared to PKI, WDW has incredible service, is pretty much immaculate from what I can tell, and has much better deals on food. This is why I'd much rather spend an extra 9 hours on the road to go to WDW for a week than to get to PKI for a few hours: better service.
Actually I'm not from Louisville. We've only lived here a few years while my DH has been in school (and we'll be leaving next summer when he graduates). We're from Chicago. We've never been to King's Island. And even if I had been, I was born in '81, so to be honest, at that age I could have cared less what park was popular in the 70s or 80s...my concern was what new toy I was getting. :lmao: But anyway, I can make a similar comparison to Six Flags Great America...which is outside Chicago. I can't stand it there and in comparison, WDW has incredible service. But that still doesn't make it entirely measurable because I've heard opinions of the exact opposite (which I'll never understand the desire for Six Flags over WDW, but that's me).

[mking624]

True, of course, waiting until you lose customers is too late. Calgarygary is on the right track. You start by truly understanding what defines what tangeble items are critical to a successful service transaction. At one business it may be how long someone waits in line. Others might be delivery time. For a call center it may be time on hold or number of call drops or transfers. Once you have the statistical critical measurements you scientifically measure. Sometimes it can be done systematically like measuring call drops other times you survey your customers by asking these factual questions to derive the data. Keeps it objective.

Surveying customers to get subjective data is also important. Yes, statistically, you have to take into account outliers (like the customer you bend over backwards for and they still complain). But if you survery customers who continually give negative feedback, it is an indicator and you have to react.
Ahhh...and you are proving my point:
It's trends and patterns that can be seen. When you have to take into account subjective data and "outliers", then it cannot be an exact measurement. Why? Because it's based on OPINION. You cannot "scientifically" measure opinion. Not when it varies from person to person and can be dependent on anything (and that anything could have nothing to do with what they're giving their opinion about). Yes, you can get an idea and see how a company is doing well based on the trends and patterns of the guests. But that cannot be actually measured because what is great customer service to one is poor customer service to another. Take me for example...I hate it when a store's employee won't let me shop on my own. If I need help, I'll seek it out. But until then, I want to be left alone. I know many people who feel the exact same way. On the other hand, I also know many people who feel that if an employee does that, it's terrible customer service. So how do you scientifically measure that? You can't. It's subjective. You cannot measure subjective opinions. And when it comes to customer service, while you might be able to spot trends and patterns, you ultimately cannot specifically measure anything that is subjective. Another example: we have secret shoppers that come into our store. Supposed to be a measurement of how we do, right? Well we marked low if we don't greet the person within a few seconds of them coming into the store. It doesn't matter if we're extremely busy, it doesn't matter if we're dealing with an emergency (and yes, that has happened...also experienced us trying to deal with known shoplifters so our attention had to be on that)....nope, if that person isn't greeted within seconds (there is NO room for exception), our score is marked lower. Which is funny, because half the time we greet people, we get snapped at with remarks of "I'm just looking!!!" Good grief, I'm just saying hi. :sad2: (note, I'm not saying we shouldn't greet people, just showing how varied it is in how our greetings are responded to and treated, to the point where we're graded lower if we greeted a guest 10-15 seconds rather than 5-10 seconds...I mean seriously....). Not to mention that whenever we get our secret shopper form back, half the information is wrong. Case in point, she listed me by name (since I'm the only Mary that works in the store) and said I was under 5'4" with brown hair. I'm 5'7" with red hair. She listed our manager as not wearing glasses...he is never without his glasses. If she can't get those facts correctly, then how are her subjective opinions of how we operate to be measured? And this seems to be a problem all the time with secret shoppers, and not just with our company. A friend who works for Cingular hates them because there are things he KNOWS he does and the shopper says he doesn't. So he's scored low. This is why many people hate the secret shopper program...because once it comes to them rating our store, they don't always remember half the things we did, so many times they mark it as saying we didn't do them (or do them correctly). So much for "measurement". :confused3

But anyway, yes, you CAN spot a trend and pattern for how a store (or any place else) operates (or even get an idea of how something should be in order to be considered acceptable) . But that's as scientific as it gets.

[katiebsmom]

What's wrong with being content with being at Disney World in the first place? That isn't magic enough?

:thumbsup2 ITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


We never go to Disney expecting something "extra"...It's Disney for goodness sakes!:rolleyes: That way we're NEVER disappointed...just happy to be there! :confused3

[RJD]

Just want to report that I just got back from 6 days at WDW and everyday I saw several people with Dream Fastpasses (lucky them). We never got a dream but had a great time just the same. One family told us how their KTTK had gotten screwed up and wouldn't work as their park passes. Guest services straightened this all out (in AK) and then gave the family dream fastpasses for the day.
This wasn't an official dream but we were in the standby line for Kali River (the wait time was 20 min or something like that) when the CM manning the FP entrance called us over and gave us fastpasses that were in effect. My youngest DS considered that a dream! I guess it's all how you look at it. We had a great time and I'm truly sorry for anyone who for whatever reason didn't enjoy their vacation.

[Tink6666]

We just came back from 6 days at WDW and saw a 4 dream team members, but no dream fastpasses or dream ears, etc for us. My DD & DH did trade pins with two of the dream team members and were given a single fast pass for each of us just for trading with them, we were at MK both times and never had a long wait for any of the rides that needed a fast pass so, we set out to find another family of 4 who would be staying in the park longer than we were and gave them the fast pass...it was more fun to give them away than to use them or keep them for a scrapbook!! DD's both gave away their wands from CRT also to two little girls who were visiting WDW for the first time..My DD's had such big smiles on their faces when they gave the little bit of magic awaypixiedust: pixiedust: I was very proud of them:love:

[huskies90]

Ahhh...and you are proving my point:
It's trends and patterns that can be seen. When you have to take into account subjective data and "outliers", then it cannot be an exact measurement. Why? Because it's based on OPINION. You cannot "scientifically" measure opinion. Not when it varies from person to person and can be dependent on anything (and that anything could have nothing to do with what they're giving their opinion about). Yes, you can get an idea and see how a company is doing well based on the trends and patterns of the guests. But that cannot be actually measured because what is great customer service to one is poor customer service to another. Take me for example...I hate it when a store's employee won't let me shop on my own. If I need help, I'll seek it out. But until then, I want to be left alone. I know many people who feel the exact same way. On the other hand, I also know many people who feel that if an employee does that, it's terrible customer service. So how do you scientifically measure that? You can't. It's subjective. You cannot measure subjective opinions. And when it comes to customer service, while you might be able to spot trends and patterns, you ultimately cannot specifically measure anything that is subjective. Another example: we have secret shoppers that come into our store. Supposed to be a measurement of how we do, right? Well we marked low if we don't greet the person within a few seconds of them coming into the store. It doesn't matter if we're extremely busy, it doesn't matter if we're dealing with an emergency (and yes, that has happened...also experienced us trying to deal with known shoplifters so our attention had to be on that)....nope, if that person isn't greeted within seconds (there is NO room for exception), our score is marked lower. Which is funny, because half the time we greet people, we get snapped at with remarks of "I'm just looking!!!" Good grief, I'm just saying hi. :sad2: (note, I'm not saying we shouldn't greet people, just showing how varied it is in how our greetings are responded to and treated, to the point where we're graded lower if we greeted a guest 10-15 seconds rather than 5-10 seconds...I mean seriously....). Not to mention that whenever we get our secret shopper form back, half the information is wrong. Case in point, she listed me by name (since I'm the only Mary that works in the store) and said I was under 5'4" with brown hair. I'm 5'7" with red hair. She listed our manager as not wearing glasses...he is never without his glasses. If she can't get those facts correctly, then how are her subjective opinions of how we operate to be measured? And this seems to be a problem all the time with secret shoppers, and not just with our company. A friend who works for Cingular hates them because there are things he KNOWS he does and the shopper says he doesn't. So he's scored low. This is why many people hate the secret shopper program...because once it comes to them rating our store, they don't always remember half the things we did, so many times they mark it as saying we didn't do them (or do them correctly). So much for "measurement". :confused3

But anyway, yes, you CAN spot a trend and pattern for how a store (or any place else) operates (or even get an idea of how something should be in order to be considered acceptable) . But that's as scientific as it gets.
Sounds like you have issues with how your store is measuring quality. And believe me I know it is not easy. I never said it was. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one although, we are really not that far apart, yes, we are kinda saying the same thing. Turning the varying "opinions" into qualiative measurements is what first rate companies like General Electric have turned into a science with their Six Sigma programs. My company has adopted this philosophy and we do a pretty good job measuring it but yes, it is not easy and some processes are easier to measure than others. It is easier to measure the wrong thing or the right thing the wrong way than the right thing the right way:

http://www.ge.com/sixsigma/sixsigstrategy.html