Back from a horrible Disney experience.

[stemikger]

Hey folks. This Dsney freak is no longer a Disney freak.

To give you a frame of reference, I am known among my friends as the Disney freak. I take it personally when someone says something negative about Disney World.

I just got back today from my 11 day vacation and all I could say is. What happened? 98% of the CMs were so rude and unprofessional, I felt like leaving after my third day.

I don't have time to write the specifics now, but I will when I have time. I am also going to write a letter. I kid you not, it was a horrible vacation due to all the unhappy faces and rude attitudes I encountered.

I go every year, but to be honest I probably won't be back for a long time after this trip.

Walt would be so ashamed on how these people are representing his legacy.

[mistydoodles]

I'm really sorry to hear that. Each of our trips have been nothing but wonderful. It's too bad that your trip wasn't what it should be. I would be upset as well.

[wigdoutdismom]

Did you tell anyone while you were there? I feel so sad for you!:sad1:

[SplashMtnCrew]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you did mention some of the problems while you were there.

[KyDerbyMan]

I know I'm kind of looking forward to hearing what happened. I can't imagine something so horrible and that almost all CMs were that bad over a week and a half.

Sorry your trip was a bad one. :(

[lin7]

I can honestly say from my first ever trip in 2001 and my trip last year, there is such a difference in customer service at DW. I was soo impressed first time I went and when I go year after year, it keeps getting worse. I would say the CM's now are just not that helpful or informative or all that much friendly as they used to be.

[SLK1]

We have lived in Orlando for 14 years now and have been annual passholders since we first moved here. We have felt that the service/attitude at WDW has declined steadily over the years. At first we thought it was just us getting used to Disney and maybe the novelty wearing off, but we really do feel the attentiveness of the staff, the willingness to help, and even their behavior and interactions with each other, are not what we had first encountered. Unfortunately, people keep flocking here and paying the outrageous fees, so nobody is getting the hint!!

[Mickey_Man]

DW and I went to the World back in July, and I will agree that there are more CMs that don't seem to have the Disney spirit like they used to. I haven't finished my trip report (read along using the link below!!) but I can give you a preview for what's upcoming - our check in at the Wilderness Lodge was probably the worst experience in all my trips to WDW. Unbelieveable how rude, unaccomodating, and dismissive the check in guy was. He let us sit around for over 6 hours in the lobby with him leading us on to being able to check in!! Then every time I checked back, he treated me terribly and wouldn't give us a room!! I wanted to strangle this guy!!! We had some awesome experiences too - Devon on the KTTK tour, Rick the waiter at bluezoo, the woman who checked us in at Beach Club - so I won't say everyone is awful, but there was a time when there was NO rude service at WDW. Those times are gone.

[dreamer17555]

Oh I am so sorry but don't let one bad trip kill your Disney Spirit! There are not enough Disney Freaks as it is. We can not afford to lose another :goodvibes

-Becca-

[disneylooper]

We too have noticed the decline in customer service, cleanliness and attitude among the cms in WDW. Each time we go, which is two to three times a year, we notice a slight difference. What a difference from my first trip there in the 70s and I will really show my age when I say that my first trip to Disneyland was the year it opened. We stayed at POFQ this past June and encountered problems and difficulty resolving them because of the extreme lack of concern of the cms.

[stemikger]

Hi folks I have a little time so I will just give you a few examples of why we were so disappointed. To make it easier, I will number them and try to be as brief as possible:

1. Pop Century CM gave me the oppossite requests. Jungle Book Side, pool view, first floor or second and as close as possible to Classic Hall. They put me on the play doh side, parking lot view on the 4th floor. As far from Classic Hall as possible.

When I went down to see what they could do. The CM was not nice and very nasty. They finally gave me the Jungle Book side, 4th floor all the way at the end. Pool view, I guess, I barley saw the kiddie pool. I called this request about 6 times and I called the resort a week before to confirm them (My original requests were six months before the trip and called every couple of months). When I got to Pop they said they only got the pool view request. None of the others were there?

2. My family and I were on TSM and were told to move forward, about 3 second later the same CM asked us why we cut in front of the family in back of us. The family in back of us looked just as confused as us. When I went to ask her what she was talking about, she went into an exit and switched to the other side of the line. After the ride I contacted a manager from the ride and he really could care less.

3. On line at Goofy's candy shop in DTD, my 13 year old daughter asked the CM about the special they had listed. The CM rolled her eyes and told my daughter she didn't know what she was talking about.

4. A CM on SM was very rude when I asked him how long of a wait. They didn't have it posted outside.

5. I actually got yelled at on the Race way in tomorrow land because I didn't get my foot off the gas at the precise second they asked. I also saw one of the CMs make a face to the other CM about another guest.

6. A CM in Cosmic Rays, got very nasty because she got my order wrong. She gave me Chicken Soup instead of the Chili. When I brought it back she was nasty and very unprofessional.

Also, I saw this one several times. The CMs were laughing amongst themselves and ignoring the guests. It really seemed like it was an us against them attittued.

These are just a few, we literally encountered this every day. When we did meet the 2% that were nice, we were surprised.

Oh well, more to come. By the way I worked in the public and I'm always very cool with people who have to work for the public or tips. Not to brag, but I'm a dream customer. I treat people the way I like to be treated, but in order to do this on this trip, I would have had to act nasty. Very strange Disney experience. I probably won't be back in about 5 years or so.

I could honestly said they lost my business on this trip.

Hope I didn't bore you guys.

[KyDerbyMan]

Did you contact Disney at all about all these encounters while you were still down there (or have you since you've been back)? If so, did they have any kind of response?

[disneylooper]

I understand completely what you are saying, we had problems at POFQ, we found prescription pills on our bed upon arrival, we had two rooms with dirty sinks, no soap, we ran out of toilet paper because they did not leave an extra roll, the cms at POFQ could care less, housekeeping either did not answer their phone or if they did, put us on hold. When they finally said they would come to our rooms, they never showed up. We had to go to the lobby and wait at least 45 minutes for the housekeeping manager . The attitudes of the majority of the cms there were not what you expect from Disney. There is a definite decline in customer service and cleanliness .

[WDW Fan]

We also had some rude CM experiences on recent trips but the attentive CM's made up for the bad ones. I'm sorry you had such a bad time because I know how much planning goes into these trips, and you always have such high expectations before leaving for WDW. I would definitely write a letter to Guest Services giving specific instances where you felt the magic wasn't there, and that you've been a loyal guest of theirs for many years, but due to the way that you were treated on this trip you probably won't be returning to WDW for a while. They need to hear when a guest's expectations were not met due to circumstances that were in their control.:sad2:

[disney4evr]

To all of you who bad experiences, I am sorry. We just returned from the World this past Saturday and I have to say we only encountered one bad experience the whole week and that was our mousekeeper did not leave us any wash cloths, everything else was done, sweeper ran, sinks/tub/toilet cleaned, etc....no wash cloths, so DH saw a cleaning cart down the hall and just took a few.

On two separate occasions at dinner, two different places (Coral Reef and LeCellier) both our waiters were very helpful with our dining plan and trying to accomodate our 8yo with food choices and our two 11yo with their choices and substitutions, they both explained the plan very well to us.

I can honestly say that we will definately be going back and stay at the same place (CSR):thumbsup2

I do have to add, though, that I believe some of the magic is gone, I am thinking just because I am getting older and the kids are getting older too.

Can't wait to go back.

[mickeyfan1]

Room requests are just that, requests. No guaranty. There may not have been any rooms where you wanted to stay. Other guests may have already been in the rooms that met all your requirements. WDW can't kick people out of a room to put someone else in.

[rockdancer]

We went to WDW as a couple in 2002 and 2003 and had no issues with the CM’s at all. We went last year with our DD who turned 3 at WDW and everyone treated her wonderfully and made a big deal of her birthday. We have noticed that the general cleanliness of the parks have gotten worse over the years and that the CM's are of a much wider cultural diversity (nice way of saying they don't speak English well) But overall it's still "The Happiest Place on Earth"

As far as granting special requests for rooms, I believe if you call every month or two for six months, there is little excuse not to get what you asked for. Maybe not exactly but at least not the opposite.

[stemikger]

Posted by Mickeyfan#1
Room requests are just that, requests. No guaranty. There may not have been any rooms where you wanted to stay. Other guests may have already been in the rooms that met all your requirements. WDW can't kick people out of a room to put someone else in.

I totally understand that. However, there is no excuse for being unprofessional and rude when I asked if they had something better then a parking lot view. Also, they claimed I never made any other requests, however, I made several phone calls and they claimed they didn't receive them.

I almost didn't want to put this there because I knew I would get the room request debate going. I'm not a newbie on the fourms so I kind of know what gets some people into debate mode.

[stemikger]

Posted by KyDeberyMan
Did you contact Disney at all about all these encounters while you were still down there (or have you since you've been back)? If so, did they have any kind of response?

I just got back Thursday the 21st (yesterday) so I didn't write a letter yet.

When I was there, the only time I asked for a manager was on TSM and I was so turned off by his attitude that I didn't feel like it would make a difference. I don't want to turn into the guy who complains about everything, so I just dealt with it while I was down there.

[stemikger]

Posted by rockdancer
As far as granting special requests for rooms, I believe if you call every month or two for six months, there is little excuse not to get what you asked for. Maybe not exactly but at least not the opposite.

That is the way I felt. Believe me, I didn't expect to have every request granted, but at least give me one of the four I asked for. I feel six months is enough to accomodate at least one of the requests.

However, they gave me the opposite of every one of those requests. It was just like they didn't care. I have a hard time beleiving that with all the rooms at Pop they could not accomodate at least one of my requests. I even did what they asked for when I called up all those months prior. I called the resort directly two weeks before and a week before.

[jmskinner]

We were a DisneyQuest a little over a week ago and my DS couldn't get his ticket to work. I helped him with it while the CM's carried on a conversation. This is the only issue I have really had. I do get the feeling that there has been a major turnover at the parks.

[NCardella]

I'm so sorry you had such a disappointing time...:sad1:

I can relate with you when you said the cm's were laughing/talking amongst themselves. We are frequent visitors (ap's) and feel like there's alot of "inside jokes" going on with the cm's and conversations that they make you stand by and wait till they are finished to finally address you. I always feel like I'm interrupting them if I have a question. I feel like a conversation is what you should have when nothing else is going on, and if a guest walks up to you you should end your convo immediately and address the guest.

[rie'smom]

That is the way I felt. Believe me, I didn't expect to have every request granted, but at least give me one of the four I asked for. I feel six months is enough to accomodate at least one of the requests.

However, they gave me the opposite of every one of those requests. It was just like they didn't care. I have a hard time beleiving that with all the rooms at Pop they could not accomodate at least one of my requests. I even did what they asked for when I called up all those months prior. I called the resort directly two weeks before and a week before.

I wanted to let you know that if you dial the hotel directly or even if you're staying in the hotel and dial the front desk, you get a call board. Most of the time, they don't know the correct information.
Next time, fax the info to the hotel. You might get better results. BTW, I have a thread right now about less than magical CMs. The bad service is rampant.

[stemikger]

posted by rie'smom
I wanted to let you know that if you dial the hotel directly or even if you're staying in the hotel and dial the front desk, you get a call board. Most of the time, they don't know the correct information.
Next time, fax the info to the hotel. You might get better results. BTW, I have a thread right now about less than magical CMs. The bad service is rampant.

Thanks for the info. The way I'm feeling right now though is I won't be going back anytime soon.

That may explain why they said they only received one request.

I'm wondering if they laid off a lot of people and the people that are working are expected to work extra harder, that may explain all the mad faces I encountered.

Do you have a link to the bad CMs thread?

[mouseketeer70]

There is a definite difference but I think it is primarily the College Program people, IMO. If you are a CPer please understand that I am not saying it is all of you. We have had some wonderful interaction with CPers. But I have been going to Disney World since it opened. Lately I see more young college students working there and more of them are rude and unconcerned for the guest. On our last trip in June we had the two CP guys driving the trolley on Main Street trying to hook up with female guests. They exchanged phone numbers and talked about meeting up at PI! All of this was while those of us who had just gotten on the trolley waited for them. We also had CPers on Haunted Mansion LAUGHING!!!! Never in all these years have I ever seen a HM cast member laugh. And this time it was all 3 of them talking and joking from the time we walked through the front doors until we got out of the elevator. Unexcusable!!! There are other examples but I think Disney definitely needs to do something about it. People need to remember that it isn't just any job and it will be demanding and difficult and it requires you to be "on" the whole time. They don't need to apply if all they are looking for is a party! Again, if you are a CPer who is NOT like that first, thank you for remembering what you are there for and where you are, and secondly I hope I didn't offend you. I know it's not all of you! It's just that our bad experiences have all been with CPers.

[rie'smom]

Part of the problem,I think, is that Disney has started outsourcing lots of positions. It seems like the CMs in the past had pride in their company but the outsourced workers just don't seem to care.

[Pixie_Dust]

I think mainly they are counting on the fact that we all have precious little vacation time - and it is so very precious, considering the costs at Disney! - and most of us are not willing to spend a huge chunk of that time waiting around to talk to a manager (who will probably not be helpful anyway.)

I wanted to let you know that if you dial the hotel directly or even if you're staying in the hotel and dial the front desk, you get a call board. Most of the time, they don't know the correct information.
Next time, fax the info to the hotel. You might get better results. BTW, I have a thread right now about less than magical CMs. The bad service is rampant.

I doubt that calling or faxing would have any effect whatsoever. In the past several years, as service has gotten gradually worse and cost-cutting measures have become more and more noticeable, I have felt at OKW that if we are unfortunate enough to come in on a late plane, we do not get our requests filled, as they seem to assign rooms "first come, first served" instead of having someone look over the upcoming requests and try to match them up. Whoever answers your phone call or fax might possibly make promises, but probably would not be the one deciding where to assign you on your arrival day. The only room that matched our requests recently was one that we lucked into when we moved from a room that we had been assigned but that was reeking with smoke.

I have pretty much given up on expecting my requests to be met, which is probably their goal, to wear us down until we stop asking for what they are unwilling to provide, servicewise. The thing is, before we joined DVC 10 years ago, I never would have thought of making special requests, but they used to encourage us to do it as part of our magical Disney experience.

On the plus side, in the past couple of years we have not had as bad a room assignment as that time they actually booked us into a building that was under construction (and therefore nowhere to park close by, when close parking is one of the main reasons we choose OKW! They didn't care that I had trouble walking), they were trying to paint our room while we were in it, they refused to move us, and they did not even apologize. (This was the first time we encountered the "bad attitude" CMs.) Then there were the many times we had to wait for hours (while being exhausted from having spent the previous 16+ hours traveling there) to get things repaired like major leaks in the appliances, hundreds of bugs in the curtains, and several jacuzzi jets not working - btw, I stopped calling about that particular problem after I saw the maintenance guy step into the tub with his dirty work boots on and not try to clean out the tub afterward - until I pointed it out, at which point he grabbed one of our towels to swipe at the tub (!!!) and then did not offer to replace it, so we were left having to launder the towel and/or wait for housekeeping to deliver a new one before I could clean up from our long journey (I have this thing about not wanting to be in the tub or shower when someone comes to the door).

Thanks for starting this thread where we can vent!

[stemikger]

Posted by Pixie Dust
Thanks for starting this thread where we can vent!

Your welcome. Thanks for listening to me vent. It actually helped.

Posted by Mouseketeer70
There is a definite difference but I think it is primarily the College Program people, IMO.

You definitely have a point and I think you are right. When I started to notice it I was talking about it to my wife and saying how disapointed I was and she said maybe it was because the young kids don't have the same values as the kids of years ago had. However, I also noticed quite a bit of the bad attitutude CMs were middleaged also. I just think that their standards have really been lowered or that management is making this people extra unhappy.

By the way, the reason why I'm so upset about this is not only because my vacation was a lot less then magical, but because I really care about this place and I'm upset to see it go in this direction.

I'm 44 years old and old enough to remember when a CM met you in the park, they always had a smile and always ended their encounter with you with "Have a Magical Day. Not one person said this during this trip, heck I hardley saw anyone smile. The only people who say have a magical day is the phone operators and front desk over the phone.

[stemikger]

Posted by rie'smom
Part of the problem,I think, is that Disney has started outsourcing lots of positions. It seems like the CMs in the past had pride in their company but the outsourced workers just don't seem to care.

Disney Management better wake up before this hits them in the pocket book. However, until then, they will not care.

As I was walking through the parks all I kept saying to myself: I thought we were in a recession. Disney dosen't seem to be affected.

[ericafny]

Hi. Your post is very disapointing and I hope this isn't what is to come of the CM's. We got back on Tuesday and were there from the 10th to the 18th (we drove so we stoped over before we came back to NY). We stayed at the AKL. The only 'rude' CM I encountered was one of the Savannah guides who I think was not even being rude but was preoccupied because they were out on the Arusha Rock Savannah looking for one of the Zebras and I think he was concerned. Other than that throughout the resorts and the parks I thought everyone was rather friendly. I did see LOTS of upper management walking around, not sure why.

Now Universal is a completely different story and I actually complained to guest services about one of their employees who was working at Thunder Falls CS at Islands of Adventure in the Jurassic Park section. She definitly needed some customer service training.

[melancholywings]

I think you need a vacation from your vacation. Maybe going someplace else next trip is the way to go. Our last DL vacation almost totally ruined my desire for anything Disney, and from my experience filling out the paper work for a truely horrible CM will result in squat. Not even a phone call, or a sorry.

We decided to try world one more time - while DD is young, and then we'll move on to something new. There are a lot of awsome experiences out there, and some wonderful people in the tourist industry. Disney doesn't own all the magic.

[stemikger]

Posted by Meloncholywings
I think you need a vacation from your vacation. Maybe going someplace else next trip is the way to go. Our last DL vacation almost totally ruined my desire for anything Disney, and from my experience filling out the paper work for a truely horrible CM will result in squat. Not even a phone call, or a sorry.

We decided to try world one more time - while DD is young, and then we'll move on to something new. There are a lot of awsome experiences out there, and some wonderful people in the tourist industry. Disney doesn't own all the magic.

So true. In a way it is good that it happened, because I was becoming a little too obsessed with Disney vacations. At one point I told my wife that I only want to go to Disney and no place else. It was weird I know, but I felt I loved it that much. However, now I know it is a big world and at 44 I better start seeing the rest of it, not just Walt's version. So I guess the bad CMs were a blessing in disquise.

[PEANUT1]

Take a break from Disney and you can come back excited and happy....once a disney freak...always;)

[Microcell]

I completely agree that you seem to need a vacation from Disney.

I always have to restrain myself after reading the boards not to run right to the phone and try to get the same deal someone else did and get my expectations sooo high. I go with the flow and don't expect too much, and am pleasantly surprised when something nice happens.

It is up to me to make my own magic, and not expecting people to cater to me.

[mistydoodles]

I think you need a vacation from your vacation. Maybe going someplace else next trip is the way to go. Our last DL vacation almost totally ruined my desire for anything Disney, and from my experience filling out the paper work for a truely horrible CM will result in squat. Not even a phone call, or a sorry.

We decided to try world one more time - while DD is young, and then we'll move on to something new. There are a lot of awsome experiences out there, and some wonderful people in the tourist industry. Disney doesn't own all the magic.

I think this is so true. Maybe it is time to do something new.

[colinsdad]

I wanted to let you know that if you dial the hotel directly or even if you're staying in the hotel and dial the front desk, you get a call board. Most of the time, they don't know the correct information.
Next time, fax the info to the hotel. You might get better results. BTW, I have a thread right now about less than magical CMs. The bad service is rampant.

I found out about the call board the hard way on a trip to All Star Sports.

Since I arrived early before my room was ready, I checked in and went straight to the parks with my DS. When I got to my room that night (pretty late) I had no pack 'n play for my DS (which I requested on my reservation and again when I checked in!).

I called what I thought was the front desk and asked for the pack 'n play. 20 minutes later...nothing. So I call again. "You haven't got it yet??" "Um...No...Why would I be calling again." 20 minutes later.....nothing. I call again. Mind you it is late and I'm getting p.o.'d. They tell me they are just a call desk and it would be quicker if I went to the front desk. Are you kidding me??? So I go down to the frontdesk with my sleeping DS (I was by myself with DS) and ask WTH is going on???

They have no information about my requesting a pack 'n play at check in, say they didn't know I had requested one on my original reservation, and had no information that I had called twice in the last hour for one. How is this possible???? The call board is useless.

[miprender]

We had a terrible time in 2006, when we went with the kids for the first time (DD3 and DS10mths) and it was not the CMs but the bus drivers yelling at us for bringing strollers on the buses everytime we went some where.

We were there for 10 days and I have to say when we were leaving I had never been so happy. All the other times we were always sad, but this time it was like someone took off the blinders and I was seeing Disney in a different light. The sight of Mickey was making me cringe.

But about a year later I slowly started to get that urge and we hopefully will be doing things different... like renting a car.

I did write a letter to customer service about a year later and they did get back to me with a reply letter, letting me know if I needed to talk more about to call the number on the letter. I never did call, but was grateful for the apology. (though a free vacation would have been better....JK)

[Chris]

in CM's and service.

We just spent 11 day's at POFQ and it was not what we had hoped.
Dh has never stayed onsite so we decided to give it a whirl.
2 women in the food court were the rudest, nastiest people I've encountered in a LONG time. I am a manager of Guest Services and honestly, if I witness any of our employee's acting the way these girls did, they would be written up immediately. we did speak to the hotel manager (after the food court manager who didn't really seem to care) and the Hotel manager seemed interested and said he would talk to the head of the Food Court about it.

Housekeeping did just the bare minimum. Made beds and left towels. Sometimes they left soap, others not. No coffee after the first day. My dd had a accident and I told the housekeeper in the am and she was ( or seemed) very put out about this.

Not the disney attitude i remember from when I was onsite as a child/teen that's for sure.

Next year my kids want to go back to VA so it is probably a good idea to get a break from disney (ACK, did I just say that???)

[eyor44]

Oh, I hope this isn't so. Not my Disney. I thought a wonderful attitude and a love for Disney were the two main requirements for working there. Some days, I am not happy at my job for whatever reason, but I don't try to take it out on my customers. Sometimes I can't honor a request like access into a certain area, but I always try to help as much as possible. I would love to work at Disney and would consider it an honor. What is wrong with people today?

[bayoumama2]

Through my work, I have been seeing that there are so many young people with no work ethics and it just keeps getting worse. I'm not saying all young people because there are some outstanding young people out there, but a large portion. They want top dollar..do what they want...follow their own rules...show up when they want... and yeah get this one don't tell them what to do. I guess Disney's not immune to this problem also. Maybe Disney should have some mystery guests like mystery shoppers and those not doing their jobs properly should be sent home without pay. Get them in their pay checks and maybe they'll do the job they were hired for.

Sorry you had such a bad experience. We're going in Nov and haven't been in 10 years, I hope we don't have this kind of experience. DH would not be a happy camper.

[southcarolina4]

the only bad experince i have ever had was i went to everythings pop at 6:30 am to get a coffee and juice..as i approached the cashier...all the while reaching for my keys to the world so i could pay...she said "HURRY UP!!!"...I LOOKED AROUND AND NO ONE WAS EVEN BEHIND ME...OR AROUND ME...maybe 20 people in the whole place...so asked her if she applied for the job or was forced to take it...it 6 in the morning and no one was there....i was just astonished at the intensity at the cashier to be so early....

orther than that some of the folks on the phone are pretty bad...unhelpful,etc...i always hang up and try again....

[Mickey_Man]

Through my work, I have been seeing that there are so many young people with no work ethics and it just keeps getting worse. I'm not saying all young people because there are some outstanding young people out there, but a large portion. They want top dollar..do what they want...follow their own rules...show up when they want... and yeah get this one don't tell them what to do.

I have to say - Please don't blame this on "the young people". This is not an age issue. I have to say that the "bad" experiences at WDW always seem to stand out and people love to come home and complain about them, but this is certainly a function of the higher standards we hold for WDW compared to other vacation destinations. Also, these "young people" have to be trained by someone......let's start at the top and wonder why the training standards at WDW have declined? Why is Traditions such a short program now compared to what it used to be? Finally, I think most of the CM are wonderful, doing at least as much as expected and often exceeding what we normally want. Let's give the praise where it is deserved and hope that these "bad apples" don't ruin the entire vacation. I am just catching up on this thread and the way people are writing about WDW, it sounds like you would all rather stay at work!:scared1: A "bad" day at Walt Disney World is still better than the best days in the real world.

[braddillman]

I just went to WDW in April 08, and found the WDW service to be pretty average. Honestly I have nothing outstanding to say - or to complain about. I only had one poor experience and it was at my timeshare, and it was easy to get over (basically people don't know what is going on in their own resort in the next room, etc., general inattention and 'don't care' attitude).

Perhaps it isn't disney vs. outside, or rather is everything going downhill as perhaps the leisure industry is being optimized for the shareholders? And people making so little money they don't care if they lose this job, they can get another in short order?

When I see comparisons of quality of service (esp. on these boards disney vs. universal), I tend to ignore them; I'll decide for myself, and I'm pretty forgiving and lenient. The only time service really stands out in my mind is when I'm spending $100 for a steak dinner (Charlies on I-drive I think, only did that once ;-) - yes, it was worth it to do once, but I can't justify the money to go back).

[colinsdad]

I have to say - Please don't blame this on "the young people". This is not an age issue. I have to say that the "bad" experiences at WDW always seem to stand out and people love to come home and complain about them, but this is certainly a function of the higher standards we hold for WDW compared to other vacation destinations. Also, these "young people" have to be trained by someone......let's start at the top and wonder why the training standards at WDW have declined? Why is Traditions such a short program now compared to what it used to be? Finally, I think most of the CM are wonderful, doing at least as much as expected and often exceeding what we normally want. Let's give the praise where it is deserved and hope that these "bad apples" don't ruin the entire vacation. I am just catching up on this thread and the way people are writing about WDW, it sounds like you would all rather stay at work!:scared1: A "bad" day at Walt Disney World is still better than the best days in the real world.


I have to agree with you about a bad day at Disney is still better than the best days in the real world. No doubt!

However, recently Disney has proved that it is becoming less of Walt's House as they outsource restaurants and lease space out to other corporations for retail and food options (See Closing Pleasure Island on September 28th to open T-Rex and add a Haynes T-shirt shop, etc..) on Disney property.

The reason Disney is held to a higher standard is because Walt held them to a higher standard and that vision has held on pretty much throughout my lifetime. It is why Disney has individuals that go out to train managers at other corporations. If you have ever watched a Travel Channel "Season of Disney" special, when they interview Imagineers and VP's of Operations they will ALWAYS tell you that they hold themselves to a higher standard.

And make no mistake, Disney also is charging for this higher level of service. It is why children are charged starting at age 3 for everything, and you are an adult price for everything at age 10. They can charge $700+ for 3rd and 4th passengers (even infants :scared1: ) in the same cabin as their parents on Disney Cruise Lines when most other lines charge $299. I would and do expect higher levels of service for these prices.

I have been visiting Disney since I was a child, my first visit being in 1973. Perhaps since you did not experience Disney until quite recently, you don't have the perspective on service levels. People like Stemikger who started this post and has over 3000 posts is probably one of many here that remembers using an "E-Ticket" to get into the Hall of Presidents. (Yes that was an E-Ticket Ride, and yes we did stand in long lines waiting to get into it!).

Stemikger's quote shows me his/her (not sure) love for Disney. "Life is what you do while you are waiting for your next Disney trip". Now for someone like that to complain, I have to take it seriously, and you should too.

Most of the posts I subscribe to are about family travel tips, favorite restaurants, trip reposts and DIS meets.

This one happened to catch my attention because of the large number of posts the OP had, then while reading through it, someone mentioned the call center issue which I did not know about until I had a huge problem with them myself.

There is definately complaining on this board. What I would say is look at how many posts the person "complaining" has, and their number of visits to DW or DL if posted and make your best judgement about credibility. But even with that, certainly don't let it be a concern if you're going to the Mouse House or the prophecy may become reality if you let it.

There is no question that customer service has declined at Disney, just as it has in every other part of life. But, I still think Disney does it better.

I will continue to go to Disney now that I have children. My son turned 4 yesterday, and September will be his 6th visit.

All this noted, I certainly won't lower my expectations. Why should anyone lower the expectations of their dreams?

[ktmetke]

:hug: Hugs to you! I am sorry you had a rotten time......

[kidsister]

Sorry it was one of those trips where you just keep running into 'bad apples'.
I think the reason has to be 'all of the above' and think we have to add a few more reasons like: it's summer and people tend to be hot, tired and overworked during busy times. (this isn't an excuse, it's just what is.) Also, Disney expects a lot from their employees but the pay and benefits are some of the lowest in the industry....so CMs start feeling 'used' when the magic wears off and some of them pass that on to the guests. (again, not an excuse)

I don't like passive aggressive behaviors BUT sometimes it might actually help more than talking to managers.
Here's a few examples of what I mean:
1 .to the group of CMS talking and snickering together while you wait to ask a question or be helped or to board a ride, etc: Excuse me, I sure hate to bother you while you're having a conversation while working BUT....

2. When you call and call and are told taht someone will bring to the room something you've needed: Call back and say, gee did I happen to give you the wrong room number? Because I'm sure you promised me delivery in less than 10 minutes and it's been an hour. (this works best if they didn't promise you any time limit cuase it confuses them.) Can I come down to housekeeping and pick up the playnpack because my daughter is asleep in my arms and I might as well come get it on my way to the front desk to complain to management.

3. Rude CMs anywhere: Stop and look at them with compassion and then say, gee you must be having a really bad day. What can I do to make your day better, cuz after all we're here in Disney World and this is my happy place and I sure hate to see anyone in such a crappy mood. (actually this often embarrasses the CM into apologizing and then both of you can actually brighten up each other's day.

4. Another thing is to turn to your fam or to another guest and start talking about the CM's rude behavior as if he wasn't there. This isn't PA, it's fairly aggressive, but it can stop rude behavior in its tracks if you are up to actually doing it.

I really do try to bring my own magic to the World, and try to be empathetic and all, but I have to admit there are certain things that just pull my chain and if I don't do something..it stays with me, like a lot of these things stayed with OP. I particularly hate being lied to about anything (jsut tell me what's going on really and I'll deal with it, but please don't lie.).

So, sorry you had this bad experience. maybe give it one more shot before you decide to UNfreak.

[KyDerbyMan]

Those are some good spoonsful of medicine!

[GoofyVette]

We too have had a few "bad apples"........but as there are no bad students, only bad teachers, if we are to place blame we should include Management. I manage a Staff of highly trained people who, at times, need to be reminded of thier duties.

[JEmaryland]

Wow, I gotta say that I'm shocked. I just got back from 7 days in the World on Friday and had a totally different experience. After booking my trip and scouring this forum for months, I went to Disney expecting less than clean parks, unfriendly CM's, and line-jumpers galore, but thankfully I had exactly the opposite experience. Honestly, I did not encounter one unsmiling face (from employees of course, not miserable guests) until our last two days spent in Universal (and really, it was kind of refreshing to be in a place that doesn't take itself so seriously). I must be lucky I guess.

[Pea-n-Me]

Does anyone else think there could be a correlation between this and introduction of the Disney Dining Plan (in January, 2005)?

It seems to me that the DDP brought a lot of headaches (and bickering) to both guests and CMs, and that it contributed to the downward spiral between them.

Oversimplification, of course , but just my own observation.

I think there's a lot of things going on in the world right now that cause stress in people and that's part of what you're seeing everywhere, WDW being no exception, unfortunately.

[Mickey_Man]

I have to agree with you about a bad day at Disney is still better than the best days in the real world. No doubt!

The reason Disney is held to a higher standard is because Walt held them to a higher standard and that vision has held on pretty much throughout my lifetime. It is why Disney has individuals that go out to train managers at other corporations. If you have ever watched a Travel Channel "Season of Disney" special, when they interview Imagineers and VP's of Operations they will ALWAYS tell you that they hold themselves to a higher standard.

I have been visiting Disney since I was a child, my first visit being in 1973. Perhaps since you did not experience Disney until quite recently, you don't have the perspective on service levels. People like Stemikger who started this post and has over 3000 posts is probably one of many here that remembers using an "E-Ticket" to get into the Hall of Presidents. (Yes that was an E-Ticket Ride, and yes we did stand in long lines waiting to get into it!).

Stemikger's quote shows me his/her (not sure) love for Disney. "Life is what you do while you are waiting for your next Disney trip". Now for someone like that to complain, I have to take it seriously, and you should too.

All this noted, I certainly won't lower my expectations. Why should anyone lower the expectations of their dreams?

I do expect a high standard from WDW - make no mistake about it. Yes, I am also a historian of Walt the person, and I am well aware of his high standards and his thoughts/feelings/goals on everything, especially his parks. That said, my original point was two-fold: don't blame the young people, blame the corporate attitude; and don't overlook the great service that is still there and let it be ruined by the rare occurance of bad service.

I just think that some people (not saying you or OP, but some) go at this with a sense of entitlement and do not appreciate the 95+% of the time that they receive this high standard. Not sure why you think 3000 posts means someone who was old enough to experience WDW in 1973 - I am as fanatical as any, but was not fortunate enough to have parents who could afford to take me when i was younger. DW has been 20+ times starting at age 6 and she and I will be going for Mousefest on our third trip this year. Point being - I am not a Disney newbie. I do not have the time to post on here 500 times a day and I am a relative disboards newbie - I think I joined earlier this year. Disney the company became less of Walt's place the day he died and Walt Disney World began its downhill slide from Walt's standards before it ever opened to the public. That said, it is still the most magical place on Earth and the majority of cast members deserve praise. If one receives poor service, one needs to report it. If you allow this level of service to go unnoticed, it is saying that you accept it as such. This is just not tolerable, and in some ways you are contributing to the problem by not letting your concerns be known. You should never lower your expectations on your dreams, but by not expressing your displeasure with the service when you are there, you are doing just that. I guess my bottom line point is that while service may not be universally superb like it was years ago, there is still fabulous service everywhere you go in WDW, and if you are receiving it, you must demand it. Someone has to hold the corporation to the standards set by Uncle Walt so many years ago.

[Mickey_Man]

Wow, I gotta say that I'm shocked. I just got back from 7 days in the World on Friday and had a totally different experience. After booking my trip and scouring this forum for months, I went to Disney expecting less than clean parks, unfriendly CM's, and line-jumpers galore, but thankfully I had exactly the opposite experience. Honestly, I did not encounter one unsmiling face (from employees of course, not miserable guests) until our last two days spent in Universal (and really, it was kind of refreshing to be in a place that doesn't take itself so seriously). I must be lucky I guess.

Actually, I think you got the typical Disney experience. Negativity is spread 10-fold vs. positive encounters. The "high standard" everyone talks about is what you got in spades on your trip. The negative ones are the ones that get discussed here thoroughly, and I think part of the reason is because most people are shocked to hear that someone had a bad experience at WDW. I am glad you had an awesome one!

[OhMari]

This thread has has served it's purpose. It's now being closed.