Another bad sign on keeping the parks clean??

[DISNEY FREAK UK]

Hi Folks,

BREAKING NEWS!

In a recent interview the rakes of Carribean Beach have stated that although they have downed tools for the moment, they would be willing to consider a return to duties if they are considered for a part in the second sequel to Fantasia or in the upcoming Story of Michael Eisner entitled "Raking in the Stock Options"

In further news, the poor performance of the new CM deployment computer has been explained by the computer itself on it's preoccupation with its upcoming audition for the part of "Evil Computer#5" in the soon to be produced TRON sequel.

It seems everyone (and everything) wants to be in the movies!!!

Yours (with tongue still firmly in cheek!)

Disney Freak UK

 

[Dznefreek]

If you look hard enough you will find signs of lacking maintenance everywhere in the world and it has been that way for years. Does it really take away from your enjoyment of the parks; I think not.

 

[capegirl]

Sorry, but I have to agree with the posters who believe that WDW cleanliness has slipped. This past December I was sitting on a bench outside of Canada in the world showcase, and I noticed a diaper lying in the ground. Okay...world showcase does not open until 11:00 am, and I was the first person in Canada, as I had to wait on this bench for the gift shop to open. So this diaper was lying around in plain site from the night before until 11:00 the next morning. We also spotted alot of other trash in the parks that we have never, ever seen before. I am not saying that the parks were downright dirty, however there is most definitely a decline.
In general, we noticed a sense of low morale among CM's.
We even witnessed an argument among 2 CM's in one of the MK's gift shops. The shop was very busy, and the 2 were arguing over which one of them would train the new CM. You could see that they were on overload and stressed out. My husband and I were very suprised to hear them talk like this, only because it was totally out of character for the CM behavior that we have come to enjoy and expect. When we visit Disney, we all go with high expectations, and when we encounter issues such as litter and arguments, it is a let down.
We will always love WDW, and we certainly will not let these imperfections get in the way of having a good time. Nevertheless,
if we, as consumers accept the imperfections and say nothing....perhaps the little "problems" will soon become "big ones"

 

[JeffH]

I assume we are talking about Splash Mountain...
I would think that the CMs running the attraction would take a test run to be sure everything is operating ok after being down over night. This test run would be a maintenance test, since they would no what is right and what is wrong/'funny' as well as a good chance to be sure no animals or trash has found it's way into the ride path (which it will since people are pigs). They could even get out and police the trash, since you don't normally see CM cleaners 'up on that there mountain' (although that would be quite a sight).
On the other hand, it's interesting to hear the 'in-the-good-ol-days' crowd again trying to compare their rose-colored memories of the little new MK to todays, especially considering that this ride didn't even exist until well over 10 years after it opened. CMs didn't have to climb mountains to clean 30 years ago.

 

[wtg2000]

On the other hand, it's interesting to hear the 'in-the-good-ol-days' crowd again trying to compare their rose-colored memories of the little new MK to todays, especially considering that this ride didn't even exist until well over 10 years after it opened.

I would say that the slippage in standards has occured in the past few years. They are certainly lower than when I first visited in 1986. I think it's partly due to the mass expansion, and to Disney's plan to cut costs. It's even evident from reading Eisner's blurbs in the annual reports where cost cutting seems to be paramount.

It's not just Disney. It's my soup too. My favourite chicken soup kept having less and less chicken until finally I stopped buying it. My little milkshakes that I liked changed the shape of the bottle to make it look bigger - but it actually got smaller and they raised the price. I switched to another brand. So yes - people do notice these things!

 

[Uncleromulus]

There's a song about all of this:
"SIGN of the TIMES"

Could be that Disney feels that the new generation of teens, thrill ride seekers, etc won't care so much as we "rose colored glasses" folks do about cleanliness, friendly CM's etc. And they may well be right.

 

[wtg2000]

Could be that Disney feels that the new generation of teens, thrill ride seekers, etc won't care so much as we "rose colored glasses" folks do about cleanliness, friendly CM's etc. And they may well be right.

Maybe it's when I go but I don't see a lot of teens. Most families seem to have younger children, and there lots of adults on the thrill rides.

Certainly teens are filling the five golf courses, the wedding pavilion, the honeymoon suites, buying DVC, eating at V&As and California Grill. Perhaps you mean when today's teens grow up and become tomorrow's adults. I think it's a case of cutting back to save money and knowing that people will accept a degree of cuts back before they stop coming. There's a balance point they reach for between saving money and annoying guests - so I've read.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Originally posted by JeffH
I assume we are talking about Splash Mountain...
I would think that the CMs running the attraction would take a test run ... to be sure no animals or trash has found it's way into the ride path (which it will since people are pigs).

People are pigs

Brilliant quote Jeff!


Thanks for the laugh!

 

[Buzz2001]

But nowhere in the article did I notice that the person complaining about the bottle actualy took 2 minutes to mention the problems to a CM.

or pick it up themselves. Nope...lets just run home an write an article.

 

[wtg2000]

or pick it up themselves. Nope...lets just run home an write an article.

I think expecting guests to reach outside of the boat to pick up trash is ridiculous. The point is that guests shouldn't have to report to CMs about garbage.

 

[WDSearcher]

And guests shouldn't toss plastic bottles into the water on water rides. But they do. It's a wacky world out there.

I'm sorry, but as citizens of the planet, we're ALL responsible for keeping things "neat and pretty" no matter where we are or how much we paid to get in. If I'm walking on the promenade at Epcot and see someone drop a napkin, or I see a brochure lying by a trash can, I pick it up and throw it away. I don't leave it there and return in three hours to see if someone has seen it yet. That's just being a "good guest," no matter where you are. Besides ... I've got better things to do on my vacation than track trash.

 

[Bob O]

Guests should clean up after themselves and not litter. And i make a point to clean up after myself.
But it is wdw's job to clean the park when people do make a mess and not let the garbage set in place for over a week.
As for me cleaning up other people's mess while on vacation, if disney wants me to do their job for them then they can pay me for doing so, maybe eisner could use part of his 7 million dollars in salary and create a account to pay visitors to clean up the park and make up for them employee's they have laid off/fired.
And if you get to Jim Hill's site and read a followup from readers you will get more stories of the parks goping downhill, of course im sure they are just all eisner haters!!!

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by Bob O
And if you get to Jim Hill's site and read a followup from readers you will get more stories of the parks goping downhill, of course im sure they are just all eisner haters!!!

I don't think they are all Eisner haters, and I do think (as I said in an earlier post) that it DOES take longer for trash to get picked up than it used to at WDW. But I also believe that that's a function of two things:

#1 is that there are fewer custodial people in the parks.

#2 is that guests, in general, are bigger litterbugs than they've ever been. People come to the parks with more "stuff" than ever before, and all those empty water bottles, empty film boxes, and empty snack bar wrappers don't always end up in the trashcan. I've walked behind people and watched them finish eating a snack and then drop the trash on the ground, when there's a trashcan literally two steps away. I would submit that the guests of WDW in the 1970s and 1980s didn't behave that way. So it's both the fault of the company and the guest. IMO

And as a tacit #3, I'd also submit that a lot of the people who frequent Jim Hill's site are walking into the parks trying to outdo each other with stories of "declining upkeep", and so they walk into WDW specifically looking for things that are wrong. And it wouldn't surprise me if some of them also planted things in order to have the best story.

 

[manning]

it DOES take longer for trash to get picked up than it used to at WDW.

In this case it appears to be weeks.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
I would submit that the guests of WDW in the 1970s and 1980s didn't behave that way. So it's both the fault of the company and the guest. IMO

I would agree with that.

Originally posted by PrincessLums
O-M-G I saw that bottle, too! It was towards the end of the ride.

My family and I were there in December and there was a Dasani water bottle on the very same ride and we remember commenting on it as well. Don't know if it was the same bottle but there was one there.

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
In the last article I read about the BTMRR death, the investigation concluded the accident was the result of maintenance workers improperly doing their jobs and in some instances actually signing off on work and inspections they hadn't performed.

When we were there in December we went for the extra hour entry day at MK. They had Liberty Square blocked off from Fantasyland until 10:00am and two CMs from the HM were holding the line. The subject of BTMRR came up and both CMs said that the maintenance crew told the manager that the car needed to be taken out but the manager insisted that it keep running. The CMs stated that the manager was fired. I don't know if it's true but that's what the two CMs said that day.

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Of course there is going to be trash in the parks. There always WAS trash in the parks. But because we all remember the Disney of our childhood in this nostalgic haze, we don't remember any peeling paint or a crumple of paper on a sidewalk --

It was definately no nostalgic haze when the bathrooms were clean and there was NOT toilet paper strewn all over the floor like it was mischieve night! This last time we were there in December, my sister and I both commented on how down hill the park had gone from when we were younger. It was almost embarrasing. By that I mean it was always so clean and fresh when my mom took us as children and now we were returning the favor to her but the place wasn't the same! We went to Starlight Ray's cafe and we couldn't find a seat because tables were misconstrued and there was trash all over them where people just left there trays. There was no janitorial people in sight and we finally just cleared a table ourselves. Perhaps it is just a cut back to save money or maybe it's just a sign of how the world is turning. The spoiled brats of yesterday are the adults running the show today. I can say that because I come from that generation. I mean look at what it meant back in the "old" days to have a full service gas station. They checked your oil, tire pressure and washed your window. Now you're lucky if you even get a smile from the gas attendant.
And as a side note, when we were there in December I noticed CMs out of character and having personal conversations amongst themselves and not rushing to help patrons.

 

[pilotmono]

I will agree with much of what WDSearcher observes. The standards have not changed but the level of Guest Service has. In the past there was due diligence in making sure all food and drink were disposed of before boarding/entering all forms of transportation and attractions. That generated more negative comments and hard feelings than just about anything else except, perhaps, requests to fold strollers carrying sleeping or sick babies. There is a tremendous amount of focus on Guest Satisfaction and there is a reluctance to take food and drink just after purchased. On busy days park cleanliness is a challenge. Getting trash out of certain parts of a ride envelope is also a challenge. Drink bottles are a challenge, no doubt about it.

 

[manning]

The standards have not changed but the level of Guest Service has.

So, why is the bottle still there!!!!!!

 

[lenshanem]

Here's a part of my trip report from last July -

Public bathrooms next to Morocco were the worst I have ever seen at WDW. I’m guessing at least 15 stalls? None had toilet paper, several were clogged, no paper towels and trash piled on the floor from days ago? My mom and I were totally blown away. My dad hunted down a CM and they called for someone to come clean. What a mess! Very disappointing!

Not like Six Flags, uh?

We also visited Blizzard Beach that trip. I was amazed at all the trash I saw while riding on the lazy river. Trash that looked like it had been there for weeks., maybe even longer. Really ruined the theme in my opinion. Now, I have a water park (White water) near where I live and it is run by Six Flags. I can tell you that water park seemed cleaner than Blizzard Beach did last summer.

It is embarrassing to me when I take my parents cause we bought into DVC and I worry they think we spent foolishly.

This past December I took my parents again and we saw a kid get sick. Someone walked by right as it happened and called in with his walkie talkie. We were in line for Buzz. That mess was still on the ground a good forty minutes later. You wouldn't have seen that years ago for sure!

No doubt in my mind the parks have seen a severe decline in cleanliness, maintenance and customer service.

This is an old site that is no longer updated, but it has numerous pictures of what many of us are referring to -

www. wdwblues.com

Just one more reason to support Roy. Visit -

www.savedisney.com

 

[SnackyStacky]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Of course there is going to be trash in the parks. There always WAS trash in the parks. But because we all remember the Disney of our childhood in this nostalgic haze, we don't remember any peeling paint or a crumple of paper on a sidewalk -- we only remember pristine buildings and shiny rides. But it was always there.

Yes, there are fewer custodial people now and so some trash stays on the ground longer than it used to. And it takes longer to repaint than it used to. But I also think that there are more people who are going to WDW specifically to FIND those bits of trash and peeling paint than there ever used to be. They want to find things wrong so that it bolsters their "Eisner is Bad" platform. It doesn't matter where you go -- if you're looking for negative things, you'll find them. But to say that Disney is approaching Six Flags levels of upkeep is a vast exaggeration. And I think even you have to admit that. You're mad at Eisner and mad at Disney, so you're tossing out an insult. But even you, looking for every wrong thing possible, couldn't walk through an SF park anywhere and then go to Disney and say, "Yup ... this is just as dirty."

That's a joke right? You're not serious? You honestly think that people pay Disney's premium prices to look for GARBAGE?!?!?!?!! I've noticed it too, but I certainly don't spend hundreds of dollars on park hopper passes to go and look for trash. Heck, I live in Buffalo, and can step out of my front door and do that for FREE!

And as for someone picking up a water bottle that is within the confines of the Splash Mountain flume track? Once again, I don't pay Disney's premium prices to pick up trash, and get thrown out in the process, since it is against Disney's safety regulations, not to mention RIDICULOUSLY dangerous to reach out of that log and attempt to pick up garbage from the ride.

Ye gods, talk about radical view points!

 

[lenshanem]

Of course there is going to be trash in the parks. There always WAS trash in the parks. But because we all remember the Disney of our childhood in this nostalgic haze, we don't remember any peeling paint or a crumple of paper on a sidewalk -- we only remember pristine buildings and shiny rides. But it was always there.

This isn't true. I took my parents last two trips I went and they both kept commenting how different things were from when they took me as a child.

It is a fact the world is now different, WDW will probably never be at the level it once was, but for the money I pay for vacations there (And once again, I basically locked my family into vacationing there each year by buying into DVC, believing Disney was a safe bet...) I except toilet paper in the stalls in the women's bathroom.

Last July and December were the busiest I personally have ever seen the parks so I don't believe for a minute they are hurting still from 9/11 and should justify all these cutbacks. I'm sorry, but I truly believe Eisner is ruining the Disney name. People once believed Disney stood for excellence, now??? It makes me really wonder how much Eisner really did, or was it all just Frank Wells?

Last night hubby and I were watching a special on the Disney cruise and they mentioned that they kept the ship in shape the same way Main Street is, that today you can walk down Main Street and it looks the same as it did in 1971. Well, besides it now being one big store and in desperate need of attention I guess it somewhat does?!? Right... It made me laugh. Hubby then said I think you now hate Disney. It made me stop and think. Wow.... Could something I have so loved and obsessed over for so many years now be something I am in disgust with? I'm sorry but I just can't continue to agree with Eisner when what I have enjoyed for so many years along with others fall apart before our eyes.... In pains me even more to know that I, yes me, talked my hubby into buying something as expensive as DVC. I want so badly to love WDW again, but when I take my folks and they point out this or that, well, it is heart breaking.