Has Disney World lost it's magic?

[Kmygrl73]

We definitely noticely the standards have gone down on our last trip in May. It was during the bad rain week and one restroom we went in in one of the parks was disgusting. Floors and toilets were not clean at all. We are not the complaining type so we just moved on. We were a little disappointed in our room at POR because the outside door was very dirty and needed to be painted badly. We never experienced that before. We had to call 3 times since the time we checked in for a pack and play. We kept thinking it would come and would leave and come back and it wasn't there. Then finally at 10pm when the baby was about to lose it, we had to call again and it finally came. I guess we just get used to everything being perfect so you just expect it but now we know not to expect perfection with the cutbacks and the economy and we love Disney so it will be ok!!

 

[dstevens]

Having read the responses here and reading complaints AND compliments on other threads, it appears that the economy and peoples attitudes might be the real problems. Some people have speculated that WDW has cut back on food quality to compensate for the dining plans now made available. WDW has laid off numerous CMs to save money. I'm sure this is felt through out the parks and resorts. CM training is said to have been scaled back. That obviously affects quality of service. Peoples attitudes are changing. Working in retail i see both employees and customers having unrealistic expectations. Employees expect top dollar for little work. Customers expect you to give them the world for a song and dance. People have gotten more impatient and ignorant. But, WDW being who they are, raised the bar for customer service and must continue to uphold the bar no matter what the new attitude is of todays CM's and the economic situation. I look past the ignorant, rude and obnoxious visitors to enjoy the magic of WDW. For the few bad CM's i just say "have a DISNEY day". WDW has not lost the magic to me. Its luster has just dulled a little. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE WDW. We are even DVC owners with NO regrets.

 

[Sammie]

It is still magical, is it the same as it was 10 years ago or even 5, absolutely not.

Many things have gone downhill and recently with all the management, housekeeping, maintenance cutbacks, and outsourcing, it is not the Disney of years past.

As to the magic being inside us, I have not changed, but I am not magical enough, to overlook dirty restrooms, overworked CMs and things that need repairing. Many GMs cover two resorts now instead of one, even though the resort is the same size it was when it had two managers. It is definitely harder to find employees willing to have the Disney attitude at work, but much of the problem is money based.

Dining at Disney is so bad, I will probably only eat one or two meals with Disney next trip. Too expensive for the poor quality of food and service.

 

[gonzo76]

It is still magical, is it the same as it was 10 years ago or even 5, absolutely not.

Many things have gone downhill and recently with all the management, housekeeping, maintenance cutbacks, and outsourcing, it is not the Disney of years past.

As to the magic being inside us, I have not changed, but I am not magical enough, to overlook dirty restrooms, overworked CMs and things that need repairing. Many GMs cover two resorts now instead of one, even though the resort is the same size it was when it had two managers. It is definitely harder to find employees willing to have the Disney attitude at work, but much of the problem is money based.

Dining at Disney is so bad, I will probably only eat one or two meals with Disney next trip. Too expensive for the poor quality of food and service.

I could not agree more. Dh is a former CM and he has noticed the decline in Disney standards. To the point where he does not want to go back next year. I have only been visiting since 2004, I have seen a decline as well. I have not lost the magic. The little things seem to be going away that made Disney so special.

We are taking my mom and niece. They have never been. I know it will be magical for them so I will see it through their eyes.

I will see how this year goes but I will be in the same boat as my DH. I won't be back until the standards go back up. Money talks.

 

[toodycat]

Our last visit was in 06 and everything seemed OK then. CMs were for the most part kind and sweet. Service was very good. The only thing I miss is this and it doesn't have to do with the parks: when I made my first reservation ever to stay at WDW in 2000, the CM who took the phone call confirmed my name as "J as in Jasmine, A as in Aladdin, N as in Nala, E as in Eeyore," or something like that. That made me feel like the magic started as soon as the reservation was made. They don't bother to do that any more which is a shame.

 

[exit30]

I've been wanting to address this for some time now, this seems like a good thread to do so. I have been working in the customer service industry from the day I was born, (family owned business), this includes retail, resort hotels, electric company cust. service, et al. What I have noticed is not the decline in Disney magic or customer service as a whole, but rather a severe decline in work ethic amongst people in this country.

Anyone can interview like a champ, but get them on the job and they can be horrid workers, so you get rid of them, for what, another of the same. Regardless of who Disney or any other cust. service based company hires, there is a 50/50 chance they will be lousy workers, makes no difference if they are trained for a week or a month, people no longer want to work for a paycheck. And spare me the "you get what you pay for" spiel, I've worked with some very well paid people that worked harder at getting out of doing their job.

As for Disney, I've been going there since June of 1972 and I don't notice any decline in the cleanliness, the upkeep, nor the cust. service. Is every CM a happy little elf? No, but that again goes back to the lack of work ethic. I defy any of you to find 50,000 + incredibly happy 8 hours a day, perfect work ethic CM's, not these days you won't.

I currently work on my days off at a small hotel here in South Jersey, ya know who shows up every day and works very hard cleaning rooms and doing maintenance on the property? The Russian kids that come here every summer, because American kids would never, ever do those jobs even if only for 3 months.

No, Disney magic is not gone, the desire to actually WORK for a living is.

 

[David 1980]

I think it has and it will be some time before we go back. We went in June and stayed at CSR and from the time we checked in we had nothing but trouble. WE had very rude cast members at the resort and mousekeeping was a joke. I do understand from time to time rides do need to be refurbished but rides were breaking down on a daily basis at all parks. IF and when we go back I will never set foot in CSR as it is back to POP for us. I contacted Disney a few weeks ago about a complaint and have not heard a word from them.

 

[kaffinito]

I have seen a lack of "magic" in some resort areas, CM's, and other guests. But I have seen a plethora of magic in young kids seeing their favorite character for the first time, an older couples whispered tears while watching Illuminations, and in the CM's when you bother to make sure that they are having a Disney day.

I know that high traffic resort areas will have their ups and downs, and I'm positive that WDW will regain it's former luster. Sure, it needs some TLC (in some areas a truckload of it) but I'm sure that it will go back to being the stellar vacation destination that it once was.

I know I sound like a cheerleader, but I prefer to stay positive while taking note of the tarnish.

 

[d-r]

They are slower cleaning things up, getting landscaping done, things like that. Especially since that last round of layoffs there are just fewer people around. You don't see as many cast members working cues and the lines and stuff like that. It has been going little by little for a while, but it really dipped with that last round of layoffs, it seems to me.

And the food has clearly gone down over the last couple of years with the dining plan.

 

[TangaroaTiki]

No, I do not think WDW has lost its magic

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I don't think Disney has changed; I think people are much more slovenly, rude, narcissistic, and lazy, and that puts a terrible burden on the parks to keep up with these pigs.

Once we accidentally got a room that hadn't been cleaned yet, and DH and I were like, OMG! Was a frat party in here?

I asked Mousekeeping what had happened and she said "this is pretty typical." I told her that she wouldn't find this when we checked out (it was at OKW). And this was a room that DVC members were in (probably) before us, you'd think as owners they'd take better care of a place (as we try to).

So, if Disney's at fault for anything, it's not being able to keep up with how fast polite society has disintegrated.

 

[angelmav]

Kickapoo, while I would agree that society has dipped, some of the attitude from guests is a reflection of Disney themselves. They charge high prices which in turn increases expectations. When they used to deliver time and again, you didn't see this. As things like dining decline while prices go up you get a ticked off customer base that aint 'feling' the magic.

That said it's still a magical place or we wouldn't be going back in 70 days (WAHOO), but the management seems to have lost touch with what kind of expectations are attached to the price points they are charging.

 

[kimmyann]

We just returned from our first trip, so I'm not sure if the "magic" has changed or not, but I can say that I was disappointed and even embarrassed at times by the downright rudeness of disney employees. I guess maybe I expected too much, but then again, general politeness never seems too much to ask in my opinion. Some examples..

Got in line for a ride (can't remember which one, but it was a movie type) and right after we got in line behind other people a cm unhooked the chain and then hooked it in front of us. I wasn't sure how the ride loaded so I asked him how it did and he ignored me. I waited a minute and asked him again and he said "oh, you'll get on it" and then turned his back. I was shocked and did not even know how to respond, I was totally embarrassed in front of my kids.

Took my daughter into check in at POFQ and that cm was not really rude, but was not nice either. Did not smile once, I felt like I was at walmart. Asking questions was hard because she just did not seem to want to answer

At comic ray's we were eating dinner. I took my daughter to the restroom, it was horrible in there. I don't complain usually, but the floor had standing water in it, toilet paper was hanging out of toilets, it was really bad. So when I came out I saw a cm and told him that the restroom was really bad in there. His response was "well I'm a man so I really can't help you to much there can I?" again

Bus driver leaving dtd. There is a bus stop for port orleans and a totally different resort (i think saratoga, not positive though) together. The bus pulled up and there were no sign on the outside saying which resort. One guy asked, but then said he could not understand what the driver said so I went ahead and got on and then asked the driver which resort and he said "riverside". So I said, so you will go to french quarter too? and he said "well, they are the same." That was my answer.

Sorry, just could not believe how rude some of the employees were and for no reason at all. I did encounter some very nice cm's, but there sure were alot of rude ones too. It seemed pretty much everything was fine as long as you did not ask any questions. I'm sorry, but if I pay and plan that much I think they should atleast be polite, that's all I expect. Next time we go to florida I'll stick with busch gardens and seaworld.

 

[Rosanne]

Often I find that people in service jobs rarely get a true smile and "thank-you" from guests. Sometimes CMs are truly not that friendly and sometimes they have just been dealing with so many impatient and rude guests that they get run down. We have a local tiny theme park and a few of the employees might come across as gruff or unfriendly but a real smile and appreciative "thank-you" can bring out a true, surprised smile. Sure, Disney CMs are there to provide services but I think all of us contribute to whether the place is magical or not. I cannot believe how ugly guest have behaved in their quest to get their seat in The Little Mermaid etc etc etc. I mean, people have yelled and sworn at me. Most of my unmagical memories come from guests pushing and cheating in line. I just about had it out with one lady who pushed my seven-year-old daughter out of her way to squeeze in front of us on the haunted mansion ride. I digress.

 

[PoohsFan1]

I know that you all are talking about the upkeep and the food quality, but to me the magic of Disney is within everyone. It is what makes them feel special and what makes them want to come back over and over again. For me, it is the feeling of being a kid again and acting like my 5 and 8 year old and not having to worry about the outside world and all the craziness that is going on. As for the general upkeep of the place, I have not found that it has declined, in fact a lot of the dirt or out of place things you see is intended to be there....it is part of the attraction....that is part of the magic.

 

[goopysolelady]

I will be heading to WDW in 9 short days. I have read all the posts recently on the condition of WDW and it makes me very sad. I am sure that all the cutbacks have affected the many things mentioned here from mousekeeping to untrained CMs. I visit WDW at least once a year. I find that the one major change I see is the " condition" of the visitors. Just becasue it is Disney,that is no excuse for people to take advantage of the grounds by throwing trash around the parks. I see too many people just dumping their waste on the ground at the parks instead of walking over to a trash can. I have seen children being allowed to destroy property as their parents stand by and watch. ( At Christmas, I saw two children take off part of the gingerbread house at GF. Their parents thought it was cute and laughed) I have seen people ignore the CM's directions and at times just yell right in their faces for no good reason except lack of patience. I know it is Disney and we expect what we've always had but the visitors of WDW have changed over the years. I think it is just society in general. We expect everyone to take care of us just because we are "special." I am not trying to make excuses for Disney by any means but the type of behavior I've mentioned above infuriates me when it comes to Disney. There is no reason why visitors to WDW can't show some respect. Disney is a magical place and magical things can happen there but we as visitors have to be part of that as well by respecting what we have.

Thanks for hearing me out. This has been bothered me for a long time. When I go in a few weeks. I'll let everyone know what I experience.

I agree 100%! Back to the old saying, "Treat others as you would like to be treated" ... and how about R-E-S-P-E-C-T??? .... for others and the property of others.

 

[ElizabethB]

Yes, I've noticed serious declines. And, I refuse to blame either patrons or CMs for the declines.

As far as I'm concerned, for years WDW has not paid an even remotely living wage to employees. So, I have no sympathy for the question, "Do you know how hard it is to find good employees?"

The question should be, "Do you know how hard it is to find good employees at the wage rate we're willing to pay?"

I see dirty bathrooms, trays outside hotel room doors that aren't picked up for days, and plenty of things needing maintenance.

When we stayed at GF RPC, my sister's room carpeting flooded (no explanation as to what happened, broken pipe?) and the area near the door was soaked for three days. When we alerted management they were like, yeah, we know. No effort to send a fan to dry out the carpet. Nothing. Basically, nobody cared.

I say all this without even going into the issue of food quality decline. The recent layoffs depleted WDW of some excellent talent in the food and beverage.

I recall visiting DL as a child. My parents always commented on how immaculate the park was. There were employees cleaning constantly. A gum wrapper never lingered longer than a minute. It's silly to blame the patrons for the decline in cleanliness. People are people -- no better or worse than other people. What has declined is the staff numbers required to keep the parks and resorts immaculate.

Things have certainly changed. There seems to be so much emphasis on making sure that top execs are paid obscene amounts of money in order to keep up with their obscenely paid peers, and to keep bolstering the stock price so all those exec stock options pay off (all short term goals), that the essence of the Disney magic is fading.

Disclaimer -- I am not, nor have I ever been (or known) a Disney employee or CM. I'm just calling it the way I see it, having been going to Disney parks for many years.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Things have certainly changed. There seems to be so much emphasis on making sure that top execs are paid obscene amounts of money in order to keep up with their obscenely paid peers, and to keep bolstering the stock price so all those exec stock options pay off (all short term goals), that the essence of the Disney magic is fading.

I completely agree with this. I have yet to encounter anyone in my life that is worthy of the salary these execs get. IMO they are overpaid and underworked. The problem is definitely at the top of the food chain and of course that just trickles down. They'll never rectify the real issue, just try to slap a bandaid on it.

 

[dstevens]

Just a little update; i am now half way through listening to the book (Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell) on CD that caused me to start this thread. I almost choked when i head Lee say that WDW had hired some very top rated chefs and they had raised the quality of WDW restaurants to world wide status. That is saying alot. The book was printed in 2008 so it was probably written in 2007. What has happened to the quality in only 2 years? Economics, that's what. We have never gone for the food anyhow. We don't eat at WDW unless it's on the dining plan.

 

[Sammie]

Just a little update; i am now half way through listening to the book (Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell) on CD that caused me to start this thread. I almost choked when i head Lee say that WDW had hired some very top rated chefs and they had raised the quality of WDW restaurants to world wide status. That is saying alot. The book was printed in 2008 so it was probably written in 2007. What has happened to the quality in only 2 years? Economics, that's what. We have never gone for the food anyhow. We don't eat at WDW unless it's on the dining plan.

And you do know that Lee is no longer with Disney, as are many of the top management that were there 5-10 years ago.