Bete
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 1999
- Messages
- 6,530
There's is no doubt in my mind that Disney is slipping. I have 20 trips under my belt all through the years and it's not the same as their earlier years. This doesn't mean I will quit going, but there is a difference all the way around with Disney, now. My last trip was late September, early October this year with the free dining plan.
First, in the beginning Disney would use their third shift to do all maintenance aspects of the parks. They kept up with everything pretty good back when. It was a rare instance when something wasn't working right during park hours. I even heard that back when Disney would do touch up painting; so, you would never see peeling paint, scratches down to the wood, etc. on the buildings and rides all done on third shift. In the old days, they would have taken the new carpet out of the monorails, use a glue remover, and re-do the whole thing right if there was a mistake/problem with it.
Also, I believe in the early years people working for Disney felt they were special like it was an honor to work for the company. It didn't matter what level of employment it was; they felt good about working for Disney. You could tell by the smiles and attitudes that flowed out of everyone. Now, it seems more of a job to most Disney employees or a resume builder. It's not the same mind-set, anymore. Also, Disney is doing more outsourcing these days for various jobs.
I'm a clean buff on the homefront. I keep my home very clean most of the time. Again, in the early years I felt Disney was doing the same thing. I don't feel that way, now. You wouldn't see a speck of dust in the old days, anywhere. The restrooms were immaculate, as an example.
I know everything I mentioned has to do with staffing issues. The lean and mean theories of today have caused Disney to fall in the same mode as other companies. Disney has to answer to their stockholders. It's much more business oriented with the bottom line profits, etc., now. We live more in the present with short-term goals rather than the long-term. To compete with their stockholders, they need to keep costs down; so, therefore, the quality has to go down with less staffing and cheaper wages considering inflation.
Noone will like hearing this (I'm ready to be flamed), but I believe people put in less than an honest day's work, now then in the years gone by. We are in an ethics and morales crisis, now. All of this is going to impact the Disney World we see today.
In regards to specifics, you are not forced to use the monorails to MK. You can travel there by ferry boat, etc. If you didn't notice the smell right off then I suppose you are stuck the first time. If you did smell it right off I wouldn't enter the monorail car. I would wait for the next one or use alternate transportation if it bothers me enough. Next, there has to be more than one place where you can get a slushy in a park. The dining plan debate will go on and on. Some feel the dining plan restaurants are more full now especially during the off-season times. By having more people in the restaurants with the dining plan the wait staff gets more tip money overall; because, there are more customers. Everyone can tip more, if service calls for it. The included gratuity from the plan can be added to for deserving wait staff. If the wait staff doesn't like the new dining plan, then quit and go somewhere more desirable to work. There are park restaurants not on the plan; get a transfer. Some people feel the wait staff is preying on the Disney customer on the dining plan by complaining; so, they will get an extra tip. My understanding is there are some inadequencies with non-own Disney restaurants on the plan mostly in World Showcase. Supposedly, this has to do with the agreements these restaurants have under contract with Disney to be included in the plan. Supposedly, the restaurant gets half of the bill from Disney for plan customers. Now, the restaurant is turning it around on the wait staff and giving them half of their tip. This is really a Disney problem with these non-owned Disney restaurants and we are caught in the business decision. Some say a half tip on a more expensive meal still averages out to a decent tip, anyway. Most people over order on the plan and/or pick more expensive items than what they would do normally out of pocket; so, the tip gets boosted that way. It's been said that waiters will point you in these directions to pad the bill and get a better tip like choosing a more expensive appetizer, etc. These non-owned Disney restaurants are not forced to be part of the plan. I think the wait staff has to start voicing their opinions to their bosses, etc. at the restaurants, not us. To take it out on the consumer is unprofessional. If our waiters were good we tipped more on the free dining plan. We skipped dessert a few times and we compensated on the tip extra to make up the difference on the total bill for it. Personally, I've been on the plan a few times and I still haven't had any bad waiters.
As long as Disney keeps bringing in the travellers, you will be hard pressed to get them to change their current policies; unless, it involves a safety issue. most people will acknowledge that many companies were better in the old days. It's a changing world out there and we need to adjust. If it gets too bad, I will change my vacation destination. I don't need an "A" place for vacation, but I want go to a "C-" place, either. There's still more good than bad at Disney; so, I still keep going there. Actually, I think we should be more concerned with all the time shares Disney is pushing, now. This is my two-cents worth.
First, in the beginning Disney would use their third shift to do all maintenance aspects of the parks. They kept up with everything pretty good back when. It was a rare instance when something wasn't working right during park hours. I even heard that back when Disney would do touch up painting; so, you would never see peeling paint, scratches down to the wood, etc. on the buildings and rides all done on third shift. In the old days, they would have taken the new carpet out of the monorails, use a glue remover, and re-do the whole thing right if there was a mistake/problem with it.
Also, I believe in the early years people working for Disney felt they were special like it was an honor to work for the company. It didn't matter what level of employment it was; they felt good about working for Disney. You could tell by the smiles and attitudes that flowed out of everyone. Now, it seems more of a job to most Disney employees or a resume builder. It's not the same mind-set, anymore. Also, Disney is doing more outsourcing these days for various jobs.
I'm a clean buff on the homefront. I keep my home very clean most of the time. Again, in the early years I felt Disney was doing the same thing. I don't feel that way, now. You wouldn't see a speck of dust in the old days, anywhere. The restrooms were immaculate, as an example.
I know everything I mentioned has to do with staffing issues. The lean and mean theories of today have caused Disney to fall in the same mode as other companies. Disney has to answer to their stockholders. It's much more business oriented with the bottom line profits, etc., now. We live more in the present with short-term goals rather than the long-term. To compete with their stockholders, they need to keep costs down; so, therefore, the quality has to go down with less staffing and cheaper wages considering inflation.
Noone will like hearing this (I'm ready to be flamed), but I believe people put in less than an honest day's work, now then in the years gone by. We are in an ethics and morales crisis, now. All of this is going to impact the Disney World we see today.
In regards to specifics, you are not forced to use the monorails to MK. You can travel there by ferry boat, etc. If you didn't notice the smell right off then I suppose you are stuck the first time. If you did smell it right off I wouldn't enter the monorail car. I would wait for the next one or use alternate transportation if it bothers me enough. Next, there has to be more than one place where you can get a slushy in a park. The dining plan debate will go on and on. Some feel the dining plan restaurants are more full now especially during the off-season times. By having more people in the restaurants with the dining plan the wait staff gets more tip money overall; because, there are more customers. Everyone can tip more, if service calls for it. The included gratuity from the plan can be added to for deserving wait staff. If the wait staff doesn't like the new dining plan, then quit and go somewhere more desirable to work. There are park restaurants not on the plan; get a transfer. Some people feel the wait staff is preying on the Disney customer on the dining plan by complaining; so, they will get an extra tip. My understanding is there are some inadequencies with non-own Disney restaurants on the plan mostly in World Showcase. Supposedly, this has to do with the agreements these restaurants have under contract with Disney to be included in the plan. Supposedly, the restaurant gets half of the bill from Disney for plan customers. Now, the restaurant is turning it around on the wait staff and giving them half of their tip. This is really a Disney problem with these non-owned Disney restaurants and we are caught in the business decision. Some say a half tip on a more expensive meal still averages out to a decent tip, anyway. Most people over order on the plan and/or pick more expensive items than what they would do normally out of pocket; so, the tip gets boosted that way. It's been said that waiters will point you in these directions to pad the bill and get a better tip like choosing a more expensive appetizer, etc. These non-owned Disney restaurants are not forced to be part of the plan. I think the wait staff has to start voicing their opinions to their bosses, etc. at the restaurants, not us. To take it out on the consumer is unprofessional. If our waiters were good we tipped more on the free dining plan. We skipped dessert a few times and we compensated on the tip extra to make up the difference on the total bill for it. Personally, I've been on the plan a few times and I still haven't had any bad waiters.
As long as Disney keeps bringing in the travellers, you will be hard pressed to get them to change their current policies; unless, it involves a safety issue. most people will acknowledge that many companies were better in the old days. It's a changing world out there and we need to adjust. If it gets too bad, I will change my vacation destination. I don't need an "A" place for vacation, but I want go to a "C-" place, either. There's still more good than bad at Disney; so, I still keep going there. Actually, I think we should be more concerned with all the time shares Disney is pushing, now. This is my two-cents worth.
The experience was so traumatic that I do believe I blocked it from my mind! 
), I love the smell of a good steak dinner, DW's favorite perfume, and I can tell what brand of .22 ammunition someone is using from the smell (International style prone and 3-position). I just can't remember a Monorail smell... 
I went to WDW twice this year and as a coincidence during some of the same days as Denicio (Oct.6-9). I rode the monorail many times since I spent most of my time at EPCOT for the food festival and the Magic Kingdom. I never noticed any smell. There should be something wrong with my nose. I agree with a couple of posters and the comments that maybe because we go to Disney frequently, we don't see it the same way as we did the first couple of times and we notice other details that first time vistors do not notice.
We will be there next month as well and I will tryo to make the CMs' days special too! We have cards and treats all ready to hand out to them! 
