Decline in levels of service and cleanliness

[DancingBear]

I can't believe we're having an argument about whether Disney could get rooms clean earlier when they seem to be having a hard time getting them done by 3 or 4 p.m.!

Sure, Disney has some demands that others don't face, but they have other compensations, like families that stay for a week and who are out of the room for the bulk of the day.

It's all about the staffing.

Anyone want make the excuses for Disney for their delay in offering on-line reservations?

 

[Wick]

I can't believe we're having an argument about whether Disney could get rooms clean earlier when they seem to be having a hard time getting them done by 3 or 4 p.m.!

We're not.

A page or two back I posed the scenario of arriving at the hotel around 10 and having to wait a few hours before the room was ready (the scheduled room-readiness time). I personally don't see the big deal in this seeing as how we're all forewarned about this possibility.

 

[DancingBear]

A page or two back I posed the scenario of arriving at the hotel around 10 and having to wait a few hours before the room was ready (the scheduled room-readiness time). I personally don't see the big deal in this seeing as how we're all forewarned about this possibility.

It's not that it's "big deal", in the sense that when I've been in that position I acknowledge that is the situation and deal with it--I don't make a fuss at the check-in desk or anything.

But Disney used to be a standard-bearer for good service, and that means trying to EXCEED guests' minimum expectations. I have a neighbor who is an executive for the Ritz-Carlton, and when I asked him what it is that consistently sets them apart, he told me about all of the ways that they manage their people to try to even anticipate requests before they are made--they are taught to look and listen for cues from their guests, and empowered to take actions to please their guests. What does Disney do in that regard?

 

[Wick]

What does Disney do in that regard?

Plenty of things, in my experience.

In terms of booking a room, I've had CRO CMs go above and beyond to get the best rate possible. I appreciate the little things they've done for me in the past , like having birthday/anniversary balloons and signed cards in the room upon check-in (without my having to tell them to do so). Or making accomodations smoothly for special needs my party had. Or perhaps calling me on my cel phone to let me know the room was ready ahead of schedule and I was free to check-in at my earliest convenience. It's the little things like that which go a long way.

In no way do I believe it is accurate to say Disney "used to be a standard-bearer of good service."

I believe we've become so accustomed to the extra things Disney does that we become enraged when they don't happen for whatever reason (from towel animals to dining reservations). Posters like AV have in the past drawn to the ills of the spoiled consumerist ethos that rules contemporary society; but at the same time, we have to realize that qualifying Disney as no longer an instrument of a standard-bearer of good service only furthers the spoiled-Disney-consumerist culture that many of us have acquired.

 

[DancingBear]

Wow, Wick, did you get those folks at CRO on the first try or did you have to follow the advice so often given on the resorts board and hang up and call back again?

 

[G8RFAN]

It's not that it's "big deal", in the sense that when I've been in that position I acknowledge that is the situation and deal with it--I don't make a fuss at the check-in desk or anything.

But Disney used to be a standard-bearer for good service, and that means trying to EXCEED guests' minimum expectations. I have a neighbor who is an executive for the Ritz-Carlton, and when I asked him what it is that consistently sets them apart, he told me about all of the ways that they manage their people to try to even anticipate requests before they are made--they are taught to look and listen for cues from their guests, and empowered to take actions to please their guests. What does Disney do in that regard?

Excellent franchise. But do they have a collective labor agreement mandating how they manage their full time employees and part-timers? Some food for thought.

 

[DancingBear]

I don't buy it; show me what in the collective bargaining agreement is keeping Disney from fixing this problem. WDW's unions are very weak. And didn't Disney outsource the maid service?

A quick Google search shows that the Ritz-Carlton does have unionized hotels at least in some locations.

 

[Another Voice]

Or perhaps calling me on my cel phone to let me know the room was ready ahead of schedule and I was free to check-in at my earliest convenience.

Then let me say that with my previously mentioned problem with the Poly, the very friendly front desk cast member at the time asked for my cell phone number so they could call when the room was ready. By this time it was about 1:30 in the afternoon, she said she expected the room to be ready by about 3:00pm.

At 6:00pm I had not received any phone call. I went to the front desk and asked about my room status - I was told it had been ready for an hour. She then asked if there was anything else I wanted and moved on to the next guest. She didn't even offer to give me the room keys; I had to ask for them.

So a) no phone call after they said they would and b) the room was ready much later than I had been told and c) no one at the Polynesian could be bothered even to offer to follow up or so much as an apology for either failure in basic customer service.

I think the real problem is that so many people have grown accustomed to bad service from Disney that they no longer expected levels offered by even low end motels. They are so wrapped up in “Disney is good” they can no longer see Disney in relation to what’s normal and expected.

 

[Wick]

I think the real problem is that so many people have grown accustomed to bad service from Disney that they no longer expected levels offered by even low end motels. They are so wrapped up in “Disney is good” they can no longer see Disney in relation to what’s normal and expected.

That statement in and of itself, to me, seems contradictory. On the one hand you're saying that Disney gives bad service but people have grown to expect and accept it. Subsequently, you say people blindly follow "disney is good" to the extent that they are amazed by what normal people would consider to be crap service.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the front desk at the Poly. I personally had a rather smooth experience there. But for every disaster I read about, theres about a dozen trip reports around these forums of people praising what they perceive to be quality service (whether or not you agree with their perception is moot).

 

[EUROPACL]

But for every disaster I read about, theres about a dozen trip reports around these forums of people praising what they perceive to be quality service

That is just shocking and hard to believe. Next you will be telling us of wild tales where there were no lines at Disney when they went at X time of year, or how people really do like the counter food serivce at Disney and its not cheap quality, overpriced and repetitive.

 

[G8RFAN]

I don't buy it; show me what in the collective bargaining agreement is keeping Disney from fixing this problem. WDW's unions are very weak. And didn't Disney outsource the maid service?

A quick Google search shows that the Ritz-Carlton does have unionized hotels at least in some locations.

I don't know the details of the labor agreement, but I certainly can not make the claim that it is of no consequence, or there really wouldn't be one at all, would there be? I thought housekeeping was a big part of the union. I might be wrong. In every industry that I am aware of, a collective bargaining agreement has been far from insignificant. That's why I would like to hear it from a mousekeeper.

 

[Another Voice]

But for every disaster I read about, theres about a dozen trip reports around these forums of people praising what they perceive to be quality service (whether or not you agree with their perception is moot).

Perception is everything. One has to beleive that people typing away on a Disney fanboard - a place where the morality of pool hopping is treated with religous-like fever - that a lot of those people are going to "perceive" magic all over the place.

It's no different than finding a BeeGee fan board and seeing people who still think disco rocks.

But normal people, the normal Joe Sixpack and his family, see things differently than the Princess Pack. They don't see where not having a room ready is their fault for being overly demanding on Disney. They don't see a ten hour wait for baggage as "just more time to spend in the parks". And they sure don't see a telephone res agent hunting for a lower rate as special - it's their job.

Yea, you don't care about anyone else, but you should. For Disney to survive and maintain as a business, they probably need 2,000 Joe Sixpack families at WDW for everyone here who puts twenty bouncing smiley faces in their "we had a magical time" posts. Sixteen million guests is a staggering number and you have no idea how difficult that really is to get.

I've been going to WDW for a long time now. I spend way too many nights in other hotels too. And I too used to cut Disney every possible excuse. But I can't any longer. Their hotels are substandard at best - an outrage for the prices that they charge.

This is a deliberate choice made by Disney. They are not a victim here. They have chosen to give their guests less and to charge them more. Everything is totally within their control; everything is totally at their doing.

The only thing normal people have at their control is their wallet. More and more people are choosing to take their wallets elsewhere. If Disney wants to stick around, it ought to be worried about that instead of seeing how many times they can use the word "magic" in ad copy.

 

[disneyfan67]

That is just shocking and hard to believe. Next you will be telling us of wild tales where there were no lines at Disney when they went at X time of year, or how people really do like the counter food serivce at Disney and its not cheap quality, overpriced and repetitive.

I have to say that you and AV make this board the most interesting and entertaining above all others. I even joined July171955.com because of you two. I like how you two break it down to it's most simplest form and cut through the B.S. I know inside you two like/love Disney at heart and want the best for it and hate the new cost cutting measures. I know I do. Keep up the good work, both of you and it's like you're the voice of reason an a island of insanity. Good use of sarcasm and satire.

 

[minnie61650]

deleted.............
Because my post was a rant and it was not constuctive.

 

[gelfling]

Perception is everything. One has to beleive that people typing away on a Disney fanboard - a place where the morality of pool hopping is treated with religous-like fever - that a lot of those people are going to "perceive" magic all over the place.

It's no different than finding a BeeGee fan board and seeing people who still think disco rocks.

But normal people, the normal Joe Sixpack and his family, see things differently than the Princess Pack. They don't see where not having a room ready is their fault for being overly demanding on Disney. They don't see a ten hour wait for baggage as "just more time to spend in the parks". And they sure don't see a telephone res agent hunting for a lower rate as special - it's their job.

Yea, you don't care about anyone else, but you should. For Disney to survive and maintain as a business, they probably need 2,000 Joe Sixpack families at WDW for everyone here who puts twenty bouncing smiley faces in their "we had a magical time" posts. Sixteen million guests is a staggering number and you have no idea how difficult that really is to get.

I've been going to WDW for a long time now. I spend way too many nights in other hotels too. And I too used to cut Disney every possible excuse. But I can't any longer. Their hotels are substandard at best - an outrage for the prices that they charge.

This is a deliberate choice made by Disney. They are not a victim here. They have chosen to give their guests less and to charge them more. Everything is totally within their control; everything is totally at their doing.

The only thing normal people have at their control is their wallet. More and more people are choosing to take their wallets elsewhere. If Disney wants to stick around, it ought to be worried about that instead of seeing how many times they can use the word "magic" in ad copy.

You're absolutely right. I've been a yearly visitor to WDW for the past 8 years and the quality HAS declined. I've been treated like dirt and openly belittled by people working in bell services when I asked to have (I'm a musician) my instrument stored separately (it's quite valuable), had to wait hours to get my room because of computer problems, seen the public bathrooms at the Grand Floridian of all places have the trash cans so full that they were overflowing, etc..

Since I usually stay on property and understand the appeal of doing so, I still think that their prices are insane.

My family actually got into a long conversation with one of the cast members who had been working there for 15 years. Her theory was that the training they received was more comprehensive back when she started working there than it currently is. The one comment she made that stuck out in my mind was that when she was first trained there was an effort to anticipate the needs of the guest before they arrived and this was no longer the case.

And don't even get me started on the obvious decline of the food and gift stores.

 

[just another guy]

I think its a case of "don't know" and "don't care" With the ever growing number of foreign born, non english speaking residents in FL, disney's staff is becoming just that. I know a handful of servers. I've been told a large number of the dishwashers don't speak english. I'm not talking about them lacking the ability to read a college level book outloud, I'm talking about understanding the term "broken glass" when a server hands them a tray. The same probably holds true for housekeepers, bathroom cleaners, etc.

That combined with the fact that disney has cut every penny then can, its to the point that full timers can barely live off their wages. A lot of them are stuck at their jobs, only because of the halfassed insurance disney offers. If a mom and dad want better jobs, thats al fine and dandy, but they can't quit disney and lose their insurance to go find those jobs. Instead they get angry at the job they are stuck in, and continue doing it day in, and day out.

 

[EUROPACL]

Here is a standard reply about WDW resort customer service I have posted on the resorts board many times.......

Well I hope they don't staff this pilot program with College Kids...as you've posted they seem to the problem with poor service. Quick shoot off a letter to Disney and let them know, I'm sure it will be addressed quickly. I'm glad Disney didn't use college age people before in their parks and hotels/motels or else Disney might never have risen to this level, it would have been nipped in the bud 50 years ago.


I think we've heard all the standard lines now, "cutomers fault, we just hate Disney, I've never had a problem," now its good to know that we can finally put an end to the problem. Fire the College KIDS!!!

 

[gelfling]

Well I hope they don't staff this pilot program with College Kids...as you've posted they seem to the problem with poor service. Quick shoot off a letter to Disney and let them know, I'm sure it will be addressed quickly. I'm glad Disney didn't use college age people before in their parks and hotels/motels or else Disney might never have risen to this level, it would have been nipped in the bud 50 years ago.


I think we've heard all the standard lines now, "cutomers fault, we just hate Disney, I've never had a problem," now its good to know that we can finally put an end to the problem. Fire the College KIDS!!!

Well... Some of my problems have not entirely been from the college students. The bell services employee that I was treated rudely by and spoken down to was at least 45 years old.

 

[just another guy]

Fire the College KIDS!!!

They do...more than HALF the kids that come to Disney. Yes, thats true, about 50% of the CPs(college programs kids) leave before there term is up. Some might be from just not liking it, some might be for under-aged drinking(ok, thats a LOT of them) some for calling in so much, etc.

Thats why they pretty much run any location with more than enough help. Management knows the CP that just started last week could be gone at any second.

 

[sotoalf]

It's no different than finding a BeeGee fan board and seeing people who still think disco rocks.

But disco DOES rock! Or don't you dance?