Anyone notice a decline in parks housekeeping?

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My son is in the Navy and has been stationed in Japan for the last 3 years. I've gotten to visit him, and Tokyo Disneyland, twice, and I totally get what you are saying. (I also lived in Iwakuni for a year a long time ago.)

I do believe people are leaving a lot more trash behind in general; my family still carries our popcorn and soda containers out with us at the end of a movie, but it appears we are in the minority. I hated to see the garbage slung around in the ride load areas. No wonder Disney won't sell gum on property.

We still take our trash when we leave the theater, as well, and have also noticed this doesn't seem to be the norm anymore. When we went to see Frozen, we were leaving the theater with my daughter who was 3 at the time. We were all carrying out our trash, but the people next to us left theirs. My daughter says loudly (because that is the only way a three year old appears to know how to speak ), "Mamma, they didn't take their trash. They just left it there for someone else to clean up. Should we get it?" I was so embarrassed at first, especially when they turned around. Then I realized that I had nothing to be embarrassed about. I had raised my daughter to clean up after herself and to just assume that was how things were done. They were the ones who should have been embarrassed as they didn't have the common courtesy to take their own trash.

 

[disnut8]

On our trip a few weeks ago one thing that really stood out to us was the amount of over flowing trashcans about in the Magic Kingdom. I don't think I'd ever seen one until this trip. Trash was spilling out onto the floors and stacked on top of the cans.

This is quite funny. While multiple posts are about trash laying all over Disney World, one comes in that people ARE putting things into trash cans, And doing it so rapidly the Cast Members can't empty the bins quick enough.

 

[disnut8]

And people want WDW to look as impecable as Tokyo DL... We have to change out culture before asking Disney for cleaner parks.

Totally agree. I was just at Disney World for Memorial Day weekend. I didn't really notice that much trash along the parks but there is a thought, I think, of where some people are "on vacation" so "let someone else clean up!". We were at a Flights of Wonder show and enjoyed it. We each had a beer and finished it before the show was over. We did the unthinkable. We actually picked up the empty cup and threw it away into a trash container! Concept to be thought about. This was a day with winds kicking up (it rained massively later on) so those cups, if we had left them in the stadium, could have flown out to who knows where.

Guests need to throw their trash in the bins and not expect a Cast Member to clean up after them. Sure, the Cast Members can clean up after the unexpected things but not the expected ones.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

The trash around the parks has gotten worse, I never used to see any garbage anywhere, ever. I do think that it is in part because Disney has cut back on maintenance, but I blame the visitors even more. There is zero reason to throw your garbage on the ground, if I saw someone in my family just toss their cup or ice cream stick on the ground I would go bonkers on them.

 

[Ellwood970]

There was a time when all cast members including management would stop and pick up trash whenever or wherever they saw it. It was everyone's task. I don't think they do it any longer. I saw bottles and trash on all the rides early in the morning.

 

[L&Lfan]

I saw an empty water bottle in the water on the Jungle Cruise. Two days later it was still there.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

There was a time when all cast members including management would stop and pick up trash whenever or wherever they saw it. It was everyone's task. I don't think they do it any longer. I saw bottles and trash on all the rides early in the morning.

This explains a lot. The CM standards and training seems to have plummeted off a cliff.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I remember trash all over the roads in the 80s growing up. People used to throw their garbage out the windows, like fast food containers, etc. The whole Trash movement must have started after that. There is even a scene in Mad Men where they have a picnic somewhere out in the countryside and leave all of their trash. Maybe we need a new Trash movement.

At WDW, I think the broken window theory comes into play. I'm sure there have been cuts in custodial and maintenance...Those cuts cause the parks to get a little bit dirtier during the day...people see trash, then they drop their trash, make a mess in the bathrooms and don't wipe it.

 

[livndisney]

Judging from our experience in the parks this week- there is more trash in the parks.

Rude, yelling cast members, overflowing garbage cans, trash in the water everywhere, rides down, broken toilets, construction..... Not very magical.

From what I am told, there is an "under staffing" issue which would explain some of what we have seen.

We had plans to go to the parks today, but just did not feel like "dealing with it".

 

[kayjaybe]

I do think people need to be more responsible for themselves. I definitely saw the attitude of "someone else will clean it up" when we were there last week....but I seem to see that everywhere.

People that leave their trash on tables at the quick-serves, people that drop something accidentally but don't bother to pick it up. The worst was the dirty diaper and some leftover food by the ice machine in our hotel (Beach Club). How rude and entitled do you have to be to leave a dirty diaper in the hallway?

 

[MillauFr]

I remember trash all over the roads in the 80s growing up. People used to throw their garbage out the windows, like fast food containers, etc.

Agreed. I think people are far more aware of throwing garbage on the ground than they used to be. We go to Disneyland and notice none of the issues that people are mentioning here. They keep that place very clean and well maintained. There is always a crew out painting or sweeping.

 

[chapie1968]

They don't have the time or money to clean up, everything invested in the crap FP+ system and Magic Bands.

 

[Ellwood970]

They don't have the time or money to clean up, everything invested in the crap FP+ system and Magic Bands.

Was there last week. It seems to me the new system is labor intensive for them with extra managers at the gates to deal with numerous entrance issues and many extra CM with ipads at the kiosks. Double layers of staff to deal with the magicband fastpass issues.

 

[jwill]

Thought it was just me. My wife and I were just at WDW earlier this month and between the parks and our resort (Port Orleans Riverside) I definitely noticed a lot of garbage this trip. I love going to WDW and found myself picking up litter and throwing it away at certain times. It really bothers me that they provide a crazy amount of garbage cans and people can't seem to use them. I agree with a previous poster in that I think littering is just more prevalent now. Maybe Disney hasn't slipped in this area so much as they need to react the increased littering and step up the frequency of sanitation sweeps through an area.

 

[chapie1968]

Could be very true. We were at the MK during the parade and fireworks in July a few years ago, when a tremendous group of Brazilians, (there must have been hundreds) were sitting in the circle in front of the castle watching same. After it was over and everyone was leaving, I have never in all of my years going to Disney, seen such a large pile of trash left behind where they were sitting. It was incredible and disgusting.

Those tour groups are mostly rude, ignorant, and disgusting. They act as if they have the park to themselves. They leave trash everywhere, they run people over when walking around the park. They are overly loud and obnoxious in line queues and they are always jumping lines and then they act as if they don't understand you(No habla ingles) .

 

[delmar411]

Judging from our experience in the parks this week- there is more trash in the parks.

Rude, yelling cast members, overflowing garbage cans, trash in the water everywhere, rides down, broken toilets, construction..... Not very magical.

From what I am told, there is an "under staffing" issue which would explain some of what we have seen.

We had plans to go to the parks today, but just did not feel like "dealing with it".

It's not understaffing. It's under caring staff who are grossly underpaid.

 

[chapie1968]

It's not understaffing. It's under caring staff who are grossly underpaid.

I think it's a combination of staffing cuts, lower training/service standards and unhappy and underpaid cast members.

 

[surferdave]

I think it's a combination of staffing cuts, lower training/service standards and unhappy and underpaid cast members.

And way more people in the parks.

 

[livndisney]

It's not understaffing. It's under caring staff who are grossly underpaid.

When they are calling in office staff/management to sell drinks in the parks-it is under staffing.

 

[kermiebudge]

This definitely saddens me

Up to this point, the upkeep and the façade of "magic" is what has kept me going to WDW instead of Universal and other parks that just didn't have that special touch.

That said, the responsibility doesn't solely fall on CMs.... It's a balancing act and everyone needs to do their part.