Back from a horrible Disney experience.

[southcarolina4]

the only bad experince i have ever had was i went to everythings pop at 6:30 am to get a coffee and juice..as i approached the cashier...all the while reaching for my keys to the world so i could pay...she said "HURRY UP!!!"...I LOOKED AROUND AND NO ONE WAS EVEN BEHIND ME...OR AROUND ME...maybe 20 people in the whole place...so asked her if she applied for the job or was forced to take it...it 6 in the morning and no one was there....i was just astonished at the intensity at the cashier to be so early....

orther than that some of the folks on the phone are pretty bad...unhelpful,etc...i always hang up and try again....

 

[Mickey_Man]

Through my work, I have been seeing that there are so many young people with no work ethics and it just keeps getting worse. I'm not saying all young people because there are some outstanding young people out there, but a large portion. They want top dollar..do what they want...follow their own rules...show up when they want... and yeah get this one don't tell them what to do.

I have to say - Please don't blame this on "the young people". This is not an age issue. I have to say that the "bad" experiences at WDW always seem to stand out and people love to come home and complain about them, but this is certainly a function of the higher standards we hold for WDW compared to other vacation destinations. Also, these "young people" have to be trained by someone......let's start at the top and wonder why the training standards at WDW have declined? Why is Traditions such a short program now compared to what it used to be? Finally, I think most of the CM are wonderful, doing at least as much as expected and often exceeding what we normally want. Let's give the praise where it is deserved and hope that these "bad apples" don't ruin the entire vacation. I am just catching up on this thread and the way people are writing about WDW, it sounds like you would all rather stay at work! A "bad" day at Walt Disney World is still better than the best days in the real world.

 

[braddillman]

I just went to WDW in April 08, and found the WDW service to be pretty average. Honestly I have nothing outstanding to say - or to complain about. I only had one poor experience and it was at my timeshare, and it was easy to get over (basically people don't know what is going on in their own resort in the next room, etc., general inattention and 'don't care' attitude).

Perhaps it isn't disney vs. outside, or rather is everything going downhill as perhaps the leisure industry is being optimized for the shareholders? And people making so little money they don't care if they lose this job, they can get another in short order?

When I see comparisons of quality of service (esp. on these boards disney vs. universal), I tend to ignore them; I'll decide for myself, and I'm pretty forgiving and lenient. The only time service really stands out in my mind is when I'm spending $100 for a steak dinner (Charlies on I-drive I think, only did that once ;-) - yes, it was worth it to do once, but I can't justify the money to go back).

 

[colinsdad]

I have to say - Please don't blame this on "the young people". This is not an age issue. I have to say that the "bad" experiences at WDW always seem to stand out and people love to come home and complain about them, but this is certainly a function of the higher standards we hold for WDW compared to other vacation destinations. Also, these "young people" have to be trained by someone......let's start at the top and wonder why the training standards at WDW have declined? Why is Traditions such a short program now compared to what it used to be? Finally, I think most of the CM are wonderful, doing at least as much as expected and often exceeding what we normally want. Let's give the praise where it is deserved and hope that these "bad apples" don't ruin the entire vacation. I am just catching up on this thread and the way people are writing about WDW, it sounds like you would all rather stay at work! A "bad" day at Walt Disney World is still better than the best days in the real world.

I have to agree with you about a bad day at Disney is still better than the best days in the real world. No doubt!

However, recently Disney has proved that it is becoming less of Walt's House as they outsource restaurants and lease space out to other corporations for retail and food options (See Closing Pleasure Island on September 28th to open T-Rex and add a Haynes T-shirt shop, etc..) on Disney property.

The reason Disney is held to a higher standard is because Walt held them to a higher standard and that vision has held on pretty much throughout my lifetime. It is why Disney has individuals that go out to train managers at other corporations. If you have ever watched a Travel Channel "Season of Disney" special, when they interview Imagineers and VP's of Operations they will ALWAYS tell you that they hold themselves to a higher standard.

And make no mistake, Disney also is charging for this higher level of service. It is why children are charged starting at age 3 for everything, and you are an adult price for everything at age 10. They can charge $700+ for 3rd and 4th passengers (even infants ) in the same cabin as their parents on Disney Cruise Lines when most other lines charge $299. I would and do expect higher levels of service for these prices.

I have been visiting Disney since I was a child, my first visit being in 1973. Perhaps since you did not experience Disney until quite recently, you don't have the perspective on service levels. People like Stemikger who started this post and has over 3000 posts is probably one of many here that remembers using an "E-Ticket" to get into the Hall of Presidents. (Yes that was an E-Ticket Ride, and yes we did stand in long lines waiting to get into it!).

Stemikger's quote shows me his/her (not sure) love for Disney. "Life is what you do while you are waiting for your next Disney trip". Now for someone like that to complain, I have to take it seriously, and you should too.

Most of the posts I subscribe to are about family travel tips, favorite restaurants, trip reposts and DIS meets.

This one happened to catch my attention because of the large number of posts the OP had, then while reading through it, someone mentioned the call center issue which I did not know about until I had a huge problem with them myself.

There is definately complaining on this board. What I would say is look at how many posts the person "complaining" has, and their number of visits to DW or DL if posted and make your best judgement about credibility. But even with that, certainly don't let it be a concern if you're going to the Mouse House or the prophecy may become reality if you let it.

There is no question that customer service has declined at Disney, just as it has in every other part of life. But, I still think Disney does it better.

I will continue to go to Disney now that I have children. My son turned 4 yesterday, and September will be his 6th visit.

All this noted, I certainly won't lower my expectations. Why should anyone lower the expectations of their dreams?

 

[ktmetke]

Hugs to you! I am sorry you had a rotten time......

 

[kidsister]

Sorry it was one of those trips where you just keep running into 'bad apples'.
I think the reason has to be 'all of the above' and think we have to add a few more reasons like: it's summer and people tend to be hot, tired and overworked during busy times. (this isn't an excuse, it's just what is.) Also, Disney expects a lot from their employees but the pay and benefits are some of the lowest in the industry....so CMs start feeling 'used' when the magic wears off and some of them pass that on to the guests. (again, not an excuse)

I don't like passive aggressive behaviors BUT sometimes it might actually help more than talking to managers.
Here's a few examples of what I mean:
1 .to the group of CMS talking and snickering together while you wait to ask a question or be helped or to board a ride, etc: Excuse me, I sure hate to bother you while you're having a conversation while working BUT....

2. When you call and call and are told taht someone will bring to the room something you've needed: Call back and say, gee did I happen to give you the wrong room number? Because I'm sure you promised me delivery in less than 10 minutes and it's been an hour. (this works best if they didn't promise you any time limit cuase it confuses them.) Can I come down to housekeeping and pick up the playnpack because my daughter is asleep in my arms and I might as well come get it on my way to the front desk to complain to management.

3. Rude CMs anywhere: Stop and look at them with compassion and then say, gee you must be having a really bad day. What can I do to make your day better, cuz after all we're here in Disney World and this is my happy place and I sure hate to see anyone in such a crappy mood. (actually this often embarrasses the CM into apologizing and then both of you can actually brighten up each other's day.

4. Another thing is to turn to your fam or to another guest and start talking about the CM's rude behavior as if he wasn't there. This isn't PA, it's fairly aggressive, but it can stop rude behavior in its tracks if you are up to actually doing it.

I really do try to bring my own magic to the World, and try to be empathetic and all, but I have to admit there are certain things that just pull my chain and if I don't do something..it stays with me, like a lot of these things stayed with OP. I particularly hate being lied to about anything (jsut tell me what's going on really and I'll deal with it, but please don't lie.).

So, sorry you had this bad experience. maybe give it one more shot before you decide to UNfreak.

 

[KyDerbyMan]

Those are some good spoonsful of medicine!

 

[GoofyVette]

We too have had a few "bad apples"........but as there are no bad students, only bad teachers, if we are to place blame we should include Management. I manage a Staff of highly trained people who, at times, need to be reminded of thier duties.

 

[JEmaryland]

Wow, I gotta say that I'm shocked. I just got back from 7 days in the World on Friday and had a totally different experience. After booking my trip and scouring this forum for months, I went to Disney expecting less than clean parks, unfriendly CM's, and line-jumpers galore, but thankfully I had exactly the opposite experience. Honestly, I did not encounter one unsmiling face (from employees of course, not miserable guests) until our last two days spent in Universal (and really, it was kind of refreshing to be in a place that doesn't take itself so seriously). I must be lucky I guess.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Does anyone else think there could be a correlation between this and introduction of the Disney Dining Plan (in January, 2005)?

It seems to me that the DDP brought a lot of headaches (and bickering) to both guests and CMs, and that it contributed to the downward spiral between them.

Oversimplification, of course , but just my own observation.

I think there's a lot of things going on in the world right now that cause stress in people and that's part of what you're seeing everywhere, WDW being no exception, unfortunately.

 

[Mickey_Man]

I have to agree with you about a bad day at Disney is still better than the best days in the real world. No doubt!

The reason Disney is held to a higher standard is because Walt held them to a higher standard and that vision has held on pretty much throughout my lifetime. It is why Disney has individuals that go out to train managers at other corporations. If you have ever watched a Travel Channel "Season of Disney" special, when they interview Imagineers and VP's of Operations they will ALWAYS tell you that they hold themselves to a higher standard.

I have been visiting Disney since I was a child, my first visit being in 1973. Perhaps since you did not experience Disney until quite recently, you don't have the perspective on service levels. People like Stemikger who started this post and has over 3000 posts is probably one of many here that remembers using an "E-Ticket" to get into the Hall of Presidents. (Yes that was an E-Ticket Ride, and yes we did stand in long lines waiting to get into it!).

Stemikger's quote shows me his/her (not sure) love for Disney. "Life is what you do while you are waiting for your next Disney trip". Now for someone like that to complain, I have to take it seriously, and you should too.

All this noted, I certainly won't lower my expectations. Why should anyone lower the expectations of their dreams?

I do expect a high standard from WDW - make no mistake about it. Yes, I am also a historian of Walt the person, and I am well aware of his high standards and his thoughts/feelings/goals on everything, especially his parks. That said, my original point was two-fold: don't blame the young people, blame the corporate attitude; and don't overlook the great service that is still there and let it be ruined by the rare occurance of bad service.

I just think that some people (not saying you or OP, but some) go at this with a sense of entitlement and do not appreciate the 95+% of the time that they receive this high standard. Not sure why you think 3000 posts means someone who was old enough to experience WDW in 1973 - I am as fanatical as any, but was not fortunate enough to have parents who could afford to take me when i was younger. DW has been 20+ times starting at age 6 and she and I will be going for Mousefest on our third trip this year. Point being - I am not a Disney newbie. I do not have the time to post on here 500 times a day and I am a relative disboards newbie - I think I joined earlier this year. Disney the company became less of Walt's place the day he died and Walt Disney World began its downhill slide from Walt's standards before it ever opened to the public. That said, it is still the most magical place on Earth and the majority of cast members deserve praise. If one receives poor service, one needs to report it. If you allow this level of service to go unnoticed, it is saying that you accept it as such. This is just not tolerable, and in some ways you are contributing to the problem by not letting your concerns be known. You should never lower your expectations on your dreams, but by not expressing your displeasure with the service when you are there, you are doing just that. I guess my bottom line point is that while service may not be universally superb like it was years ago, there is still fabulous service everywhere you go in WDW, and if you are receiving it, you must demand it. Someone has to hold the corporation to the standards set by Uncle Walt so many years ago.

 

[Mickey_Man]

Wow, I gotta say that I'm shocked. I just got back from 7 days in the World on Friday and had a totally different experience. After booking my trip and scouring this forum for months, I went to Disney expecting less than clean parks, unfriendly CM's, and line-jumpers galore, but thankfully I had exactly the opposite experience. Honestly, I did not encounter one unsmiling face (from employees of course, not miserable guests) until our last two days spent in Universal (and really, it was kind of refreshing to be in a place that doesn't take itself so seriously). I must be lucky I guess.

Actually, I think you got the typical Disney experience. Negativity is spread 10-fold vs. positive encounters. The "high standard" everyone talks about is what you got in spades on your trip. The negative ones are the ones that get discussed here thoroughly, and I think part of the reason is because most people are shocked to hear that someone had a bad experience at WDW. I am glad you had an awesome one!

 

[OhMari]

This thread has has served it's purpose. It's now being closed.