Major Drop in Quality of Disney CM's

[Suvadoo]

Could that be why you got so upset over nothing and perceived you got bad service? I've found that my attitude goes a long way in making the best vacation at WDW. My younger daughter can tell you all the times I started to get cranky, only to realize I needed to eat (the heat in August makes me feel less hungry, but my blood sugar drops anyways) and when I ate on a regular basis I was fine. But when I was cranky I was not giving out very good vibes, and not enjoying myself. When I'm fed I can chat happily with CMs while I wait for something, enjoy a moment of downtime if an attraction goes down, etc. The small stuff doesn't get sweated, and I actually enjoy the interaction.

Of course, one of my favorite things to do is chat with CMs, give a little back in thanks, and just enjoy the atmosphere.

Yeah, once again blame the OP for having a bad experience! I can't believe you think your post is in any way appropriate! Your comments are comparable to someone asking if an upset or angry woman, "Is it that time of the month?"
Can't you just accept the fact that this person experienced bad service through no fault of their own?

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Yeah, once again blame the OP for having a bad experience! I can't believe you think your post is in any way appropriate! Your comments are comparable to someone asking if an upset or angry woman, "Is it that time of the month?"

While a woman's feelings shouldn't be diminished, sometimes, nature is actually the culprit.
And I can't find anything wrong with that post. The poster asked a question, then proceeded to use their own bad demeanor as an example. They spoke more about themselves than the OP.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yeah, once again blame the OP for having a bad experience! I can't believe you think your post is in any way appropriate! Your comments are comparable to someone asking if an upset or angry woman, "Is it that time of the month?"
Can't you just accept the fact that this person experienced bad service through no fault of their own?

How is asking a question blaming the customer? The poster you chastised then went on to describe her own experience as an example.

 

[Money82]

While a woman's feelings shouldn't be diminished, sometimes, nature is actually the culprit.
And I can't find anything wrong with that post. The poster asked a question, then proceeded to use their own bad demeanor as an example. They spoke more about themselves than the OP.

How is asking a question blaming the customer? The poster you chastised then went on to describe her own experience as an example.

Yeah, once again blame the OP for having a bad experience! I can't believe you think your post is in any way appropriate! Your comments are comparable to someone asking if an upset or angry woman, "Is it that time of the month?"
Can't you just accept the fact that this person experienced bad service through no fault of their own?

Suvadoo, it's apparent that people have never heard of sarcasm before. When I said, "Yea I'm the rude one," I didn't actually mean I was the rude one. It should have been easy to tell with the post I cited from another poster who flat out called me a liar.

 

[SmithSmith]

We've heard of sarcasm, but it is prohibited.

#4 of the Disboards guidelines. No fighting/sarcasm

 

[SmithSmith]

I've read and reread this thread and I don't see all these "rude" posters that are attacking the OP. I'm only spotting the one poster that was beyond rude.

Could someone please cite some posts of this rude behavior?

 

[BigAlsGal]

Just returned from a week at Disney and wanted to report that I witnessed only stellar CM's pretty much the whole time. Honestly some of the best service I've had there. No loss of magic here!

 

[MrInfinity]

You have to skip or put on ignore all these posts that are nasty. I think some people are so used to talking this way in real life they don't realize how derogatory they sound.

This is a good and valid discussion that can help someone with a future trip either with being prepared for what can come up and how it can be handled.

Yeah, anyone can skip, ignore, or move on, but those who want to write will and should do so. Everyone has an opinion. But by the nature of internet forums, the 1% (or whatever) who had a problem with a CM will post about it, while of the other 99% who had great experiences, most of them simply return to life and have no reason to seek out a complaint board. So, while it seems like there are many complaints about CMs, you have to see that you are seeing all of the complaints about them, and not hearing from any significant percentage of those who had normal happy trips.

So I in no way think the OP was "wrong", cause the problems herself, or anything like that. In fact I fully embrace that her trip was made unsatisfactory by her experiences w these CMs.

All I made the point about was that her experiences, which are very common travel related hiccups, so common that I encounter some or all of them on MOST travel or fine dining ventures... Even places that are on the level of the expectation that goes with Disney, like a nice restaurant. You have to rembember that Disney restaurants are a cross between a fine dining restaurant and a theme park restaurant, and their hotels are no more elite than any other $300/nt hotel.

So my point was that her rather common hiccups / experiences regarding 4 cast members can not lead to the conclusion that all/most CMs at Disney World are getting worse. There simply is no such connection. At least hundreds of other employees interacted w the OP to make her vacation happen, and she has nothing bad to say about them, just these 4, and her worst experience were some mundane things like a forgotten soup, 10-minute refill, and comped cot.

If that is the worst you encounter, you can hardly make the case that CMs overall are far worse.

Then there is the simple case that we all like to think things are worse now than the previous generation. People have said that since the dawn of civilization.

 

[SmithSmith]

Yeah, anyone can skip, ignore, or move on, but those who want to write will and should do so. Everyone has an opinion. But by the nature of internet forums, the 1% (or whatever) who had a problem with a CM will post about it, while of the other 99% who had great experiences, most of them simply return to life and have no reason to seek out a complaint board. So, while it seems like there are many complaints about CMs, you have to see that you are seeing all of the complaints about them, and not hearing from any significant percentage of those who had normal happy trips.

So I in no way think the OP was "wrong", cause the problems herself, or anything like that. In fact I fully embrace that her trip was made unsatisfactory by her experiences w these CMs.

All I made the point about was that her experiences, which are very common travel related hiccups, so common that I encounter some or all of them on MOST travel or fine dining ventures... Even places that are on the level of the expectation that goes with Disney, like a nice restaurant. You have to rembember that Disney restaurants are a cross between a fine dining restaurant and a theme park restaurant, and their hotels are no more elite than any other $300/nt hotel.

So my point was that her rather common hiccups / experiences regarding 4 cast members can not lead to the conclusion that all/most CMs at Disney World are getting worse. There simply is no such connection. At least hundreds of other employees interacted w the OP to make her vacation happen, and she has nothing bad to say about them, just these 4, and her worst experience were some mundane things like a forgotten soup, 10-minute refill, and comped cot.

If that is the worst you encounter, you can hardly make the case that CMs overall are far worse.

Then there is the simple case that we all like to think things are worse now than the previous generation. People have said that since the dawn of civilization.

This! "It's greater later" is a saying for a reason! Nostalgia has a way of making us see the past as perfect, whether it was or not.

 

[Queuing4Disney]

I do not think that word means what you think it means. Harsh and bitter describe primarily responses from the OP to posters who disagree with or question him.

Harsh and bitter describe primarily responses from the posters who disagree with or question the OP over his description of HIS own experiences and HIS OPINION of those experiences.

There - fixed it for you.

 

[Money82]

Harsh and bitter describe primarily responses from the posters who disagree with or question the OP over his description of HIS own experiences and HIS OPINION of those experiences.

There - fixed it for you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

To the OP, you are missing my point. Blame Disney, not the CM's. Disney hires, trains, pays and fires the CM's. If they are not meeting standards or expectations, Disney should take action. For the most part, employees will try to get away with things and not all are best suited for their positions. If Disney wanted to improve the guest experience, they would monitor their employees better, re-train and or terminate those not meeting standards.

Problem I fear is that Disney has lowered the bar and the standards and is now allowing everything Disney to be just good enough instead of being exceptional.

This saves them money.

Bill

Disney might teach efficiency but that doesn't mean the CM's have to be impolite and/or rude in their interactions. I'll give you a more concrete example which isn't an example of rude behavior but certainly not something that Disney would teach during training:

I was walking into Splash Mountain and 2 CM's were having a discussion about what bars they were planning to hit after their shift. Is that Disney training? Really?

This is restaurant policy at Le Cellier. They will sub something that is a side for another entree, but they will not allow subbing a side accompanying an entree for an item that is on the separate sides list. This "beef" is with the management, not the server.

So you pick 1 out of my 5 complaints about Le Celier and tell me that my "beef" is with management. Cute.

I said THIS beef. Not all your Le Cellier beefs. Maybe read more closely next time. You obviously didn't know that they have a policy against doing this type of substitution. You can let them know you think it's a bad policy when you email Guest Services (if you do so, since you have instead made the decision to stop vacationing there) but that's not the server's fault. While we are at it, I don't think taking 10 minutes for a refill is a huge sin either. However, rushing guests out the door is defiintely bad form, and all the popular restaurants at WDW seem to do it. Move em in and out, get more through.

LOL they have policies ensuring that drinks run dry and are not refilled, soups are delivered late, soups are delivered without spoons, and guests are told to box up 50% of their steaks. I'm sure those policies are hard and fast.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Good service is a subjective matter. Just reading through the responses, it seems that the OP is stuck on, "my opinion is more accurate than yours" whenever a different opinion or experience is expressed.

Has Disney service declined? Maybe or maybe not but it is clear that it is not the case for everyone and does not apply to every CM or circumstance.

You think I'm stuck on "my opinion is more accurate than yours?" Ha that's funny. If you go through all the replies on this thread, the majority have also noticed a decline in the quality of CM's.

I didn't post any snarky replies to people who simply disagreed. I posted snarky replies to people who tell me that my complaints are bogus or that Disney policy dictates that the server is just in trying to rush me out of a signature dining restaurant. And I post snarky replies to people who ask me why I'm posting negative thoughts on the Disboards.

Sorry if that offends your sensibilities but I have no interest in just holding hands around a camp fire, roasting marshmellows, and singing "the sun will come out tomorrow."

Yes actually it is wrong. I was slicing my steak and she asked me if I wanted to box up the rest. She could have simply asked if I was done which still wouldn't have been great since I was literally eating the steak as she asked me the question, but it would have been infinitely better than asking me if I wanted to box it up.

Yes 10 Min on a soda/forgetting a soup/bringing a soup without a spoon is a big deal if I'm going to get a bill for $250. It's actually a joke.



Except it required effort on my part, too much effort. It took an extra 20 minutes of my time at check-in to deal with this and then took another 20-30 at check-out to try and get it credited back as the Front Desk girl was having trouble crediting back my money.



Since when did discussing disappointment in service equate to "crying to the sky?" (which I have no idea what that means by the way) Is that similar to reenacting Marlon Brando's scene from "A Streetcar Named Desire?"



How is that my problem? Does that mean I get a discount?



Telling me to get over myself, calling me a liar, telling me that my complaints are no big deal? Who do you think you are exactly except a troll?



Ah good point. What I should have done was save my soup so that I could drink it when my coke ran out?

By the way, we didn't have any water at the table when my coke ran out. I would have gladly drank water patiently until my server arrived so I could ask for some more coke but alas, that wasn't an option.

Oh and for everyone telling me what a bad guy I am, with a bad aura, and brought all this misery on myself, I still ended up tipping the girl 15% because I felt bad for her.

God I'm such a bad dude.

Of course. But then we all have to remember that the people waiting on us are only human, and can have a bad day. Not a single one of us who works has not!

However, I don't think having to wait 10 minutes for a pop refill is horrible enough to warrant a mention of it as an example of the decline of Disney CMs. I also don't think being mad about not getting a particular room set up is warranted, when if you take the time to read your reservation you know that room types are all subject to availability. I also expect someone who has been going to WDW for years and years to know that, and to know that when they call they are not speaking to the resort but to a call center.

So the OP had a few minor irritations, and now the CMs at WDW are all doing horrible jobs. Nope. That is a large leap to make.

1) I never said all. But leave it to the Dis to exaggerate what someone said. I'm pointing out the bad experiences I had, which has not been typical of past experiences.

2) Maxie, when you're willing to pay my bill, I'll let you decide what I should or shouldn't be okay with on a trip. Sound good?

I love how anytime someone gets bad service, the reply is "Oh well you must have got them on a bad day. We're all human." Yet when someone has a really good encounter, I NEVER hear someone say, "Oh well you must have got them on a really good day. Every once in a while humans go above and beyond."

Hilarious!

Op, you posted the exact same words on another thread. Why Did you start a new one with the same post?

What is the point of your post? It's not addressing anything discussed in this thread. I didn't realize I was limited to one post per thought.

How about all the attacks on those who don't 100% agree with the OP? I'm pretty sick and tired of being dismissed just because I have a different opinion which I have stated politely. I shouldn't then get made fun of, be called a "Disney apologist", be laughed at, or be told I must be "wearing rose colored glasses". Sorry, but my experience is just as true as the experience that the OP had.

And by stating my experience doesn't mean I dismiss when people DO have bad experiences. I am simply letting people know that it is not all CMs and that there is NOT a "Major Drop in Quality of Disney CM's" as a general case.

Once again, nobody with a different opinion was attacked. The only people who were attacked were people who called me a liar, said that I was responsible for my bad service, or that my complaints were invalid.
Calling me a liar doesn't give someone a different opinion, it just makes them an insufferable scrooge.

Harsh and bitter describe primarily responses from the posters who disagree with or question the OP over his description of HIS own experiences and HIS OPINION of those experiences.

There - fixed it for you.

Except it didn't need fixing. Kind of you, though.

 

[kaytieeldr]

So my point was that her rather common hiccups / experiences regarding 4 cast members can not lead to the conclusion that all/most CMs at Disney World are getting worse. There simply is no such connection. At least hundreds of other employees interacted w the OP to make her vacation happen, and she has nothing bad to say about them, just these 4, and her worst experience were some mundane things like a forgotten soup, 10-minute refill, and comped cot.

It looks like he has nothing at all to say about those hundreds, but to tarnish them all with the same broad negative brush as the four he describes.

 

[Suvadoo]

Could that be why you got so upset over nothing and perceived you got bad service? I've found that my attitude goes a long way in making the best vacation at WDW. My younger daughter can tell you all the times I started to get cranky, only to realize I needed to eat (the heat in August makes me feel less hungry, but my blood sugar drops anyways) and when I ate on a regular basis I was fine. But when I was cranky I was not giving out very good vibes, and not enjoying myself. When I'm fed I can chat happily with CMs while I wait for something, enjoy a moment of downtime if an attraction goes down, etc. The small stuff doesn't get sweated, and I actually enjoy the interaction.

Of course, one of my favorite things to do is chat with CMs, give a little back in thanks, and just enjoy the atmosphere.

While a woman's feelings shouldn't be diminished, sometimes, nature is actually the culprit.
And I can't find anything wrong with that post. The poster asked a question, then proceeded to use their own bad demeanor as an example. They spoke more about themselves than the OP.

I would agree with you, however the first two sentences of the post again blame the OP for the mediocre service he received. If the PP had just talked about their own experience there wouldn't have been an issue.

How is asking a question blaming the customer? The poster you chastised then went on to describe her own experience as an example.

Once again, why didn't the poster just give the example of their personal experience? I don't understand why people must attempt to negate the OP experience by blaming him for the bad service he received. So far I have seen him accused of being: a liar, too impatient, projecting a bad aura, and now being questioned about his low blood sugar possibly being the culprit. Doesn't everyone have the right to vent on these boards without their experience and impressions being dismissed? When someone posts that they had excellent service and their trip was wonderful, I don't see a bunch of responses dismissing their experience as an anomaly or their imagination.

I think it is pretty safe to say that most of us, if not all, have experienced bad service at a restaurant. Do you honestly ask yourself after a bad experience, was it my fault? Was it my aura, was I being too picky, was my blood sugar too low? I certainly don't. I just think bad or good service can occur anywhere. WDW is no exception.

The difference being that Disney for years has had a great reputation for guest services. They hosted seminars about the Disney way, and there are old videos on You Tube talking about the importance of customer service. Traditions Training for cast members used to be a multiple day event, now it's 8 hours. Some guests have not noticed a decline and that's great, but others have. I don't dismiss either experience, primarily because it is a guest's subjective report. How can anyone dismiss my experience as being wrong because it wasn't what they observed? I just don't get that.

 

[maybebecca]

Also, recently on a Dis Unplugged Podcast, Pete Werner made the remark that the Universal TM's are what the WDW CM's used to be like. The Universal TM's went out of their way to be courteous helpful.

Wow, that must be a fairly recent change. In December 2012, I went to Disney then Universal, and the difference in cheerfulness of staff was night and day. CMs were all amazingly helpful, Universal staff looked ticked that anybody was in the park. That trip made me decide that a)doing both parks is kind of insane and b) if I do Disney and universal on the same trip, Universal should be first to avoid the sadness.

 

[Schmeck]

Yeah, once again blame the OP for having a bad experience! I can't believe you think your post is in any way appropriate! Your comments are comparable to someone asking if an upset or angry woman, "Is it that time of the month?"
Can't you just accept the fact that this person experienced bad service through no fault of their own?

Just pointing out that attitude towards things makes a huge difference in experience. The OP posted in his very first post that 'he almost lost it' - which, to me, says that he was on the edge about the trip to begin with. Feeding into that, he then lists all the things that didn't go well on his trip, almost like that was what he was expecting.

So yes, I think some of the so-called 'bad service' was due to ridiculous expectations, nitpicking, and attitude.

 

[Cyrano]

........ and we are done. Thread closed