Disney Executives are you paying attention?

[Missingmypooh]

Seaworld has the top Christmas out of all the Orlando parks. Hands down.

we hardcore tourists forget that most people want an easy and stress free vacation.

seaworld is cheaper, has a simple dining plan, offers lots of extras for reasonable prices, doesnt require an itinerary and you can park at the freaking door if you do preferred parking AND has something fun and entertaining for every age group

I mean... it takes an hour to get into MK depending on where your staying (and 75% of people stay off property based on hotel availability and park size) so that’s a major mood killer.

I do think that poll was biased and likely stuff going on under the table, but seaworld was the place to be before the controversial (and bad) stuff happened.

 

[bean]

Thanks, that's kind of you. Don't get me wrong, it's not a horrible trip. It's just not a good Disney Trip. This isn't a good time to visit WDW. I wish we'd held off and gone somewhere else for now. They just aren't ready yet for the number of people they are allowing in. It's crazy pants. We stopped at the beach on the way here and it was much more fun. I'm really wishing we'd just rented a really nice beach house for a week instead.

We just got back after a week long trip and felt exactly the same way. And we're hard core Disney people. Pretty sad about it honestly. I felt like all we did was navigate lines and people everywhere. It was just so draining moving from line to line to line. So many rides were down numerous times while we were there.

 

[LSUmiss]

We just got back after a week long trip and felt exactly the same way. And we're hard core Disney people. Pretty sad about it honestly. I felt like all we did was navigate lines and people everywhere. It was just so draining moving from line to line to line. So many rides were down numerous times while we were there.

Driving home right now & totally agree. We had an awesome trip despite Disney’s nonsense b/c we went with good friends, go all the time (last trip was May) & had a lot of resort downtime in a villa. But they are not ready for the level of crowds at all. It was a noticeable difference from just May. We ended up driving to the parks b/c transportation was deplorable. Most CMs we encountered were grumpy or snippy.

 

[cakebaker]

Most CMs we encountered were grumpy or snippy.

Of all the challenges we might face on our upcoming trip, this may be the one I would not be able to take without saying something. Conditions are rough enough and if I can spend thousands and put a smile on my face, I would hope they could do their jobs and be pleasant. And yes, I understand the job is tough, some guests are horrid, but that doesn't excuse taking it out on guests that are not. I always make a point of being polite and kind to them, I expect the same in return. Hopefully yours was a one-off, but yours isn't the first report about this that I've read.

 

[andyman8]

Driving home right now & totally agree. We had an awesome trip despite Disney’s nonsense b/c we went with good friends, go all the time (last trip was May) & had a lot of resort downtime in a villa. But they are not ready for the level of crowds at all. It was a noticeable difference from just May. We ended up driving to the parks b/c transportation was deplorable. Most CMs we encountered were grumpy or snippy.

Of all the challenges we might face on our upcoming trip, this may be the one I would not be able to take without saying something. Conditions are rough enough and if I can spend thousands and put a smile on my face, I would hope they could do their jobs and be pleasant. And yes, I understand the job is tough, some guests are horrid, but that doesn't excuse taking it out on guests that are not. I always make a point of being polite and kind to them, I expect the same in return. Hopefully yours was a one-off, but yours isn't the first report about this that I've read.

I have to vehemently push back on this. I’ve visited WDW very frequently over the last year (and thoroughly enjoyed the experience every time, which is the only reason I keep going back). Every time, the one thing I’ve consistently noticed is how kind, helpful, and informative the CMs have been. If there is one thing that is better at WDW after the reopening than before it (and there may only be one thing), it is undoubtedly the service. The CMs’ energy and attitude has just been extraordinary, even in the midst of dealing with the incredible challenges over the last year from protecting their own health to layoffs to staffing shortages. Not once have I felt that a CM was taking out any frustration or stress on me or any other Guests. I’m in awe of their resilience and passion that the community of WDW CMs have demonstrated over the last year, and I think we can all learn a lesson or two from them. Let us not forget that these folks have spent the last year putting their own lives (and potentially those of their families and loved one) at risk so that we could vacation at WDW during a global pandemic. WDW is far from essential, yet these folks put themselves out there in harms way — and continue to do so — so that we can have these wonderful memories and trips even during these unprecedented times. And by and large, they’ve done it with a smile on their faces in my experience. I’ve really gotten the sense just how grateful they all are to be back working at the place they love, a fortune that wasn’t necessarily afforded to all their (now-former) colleagues. To suggest anything else may be more of an issue with expectations rather than an issue with service itself.

Yes, there are staffing shortages at the moment. But that’s not a problem unique to Disney. If you go to your local Wendy’s, you’ll find they’re likely facing a similar issue. Disney is absolutely listening to and aware of the feedback, and in my experience, the company has been making changes to improve the Guest Experience to the best of their ability within the parameters of where we are at the moment. Based on her posts, it looks like I visited WDW shortly after LSUMiss’s May trip. I was also just there for the Fourth of July holiday. They had clearly made some significant operations upgrades and changes to better accommodate. For starters, I didn’t have to wait 60+ minutes for my Mobile Orders like I did in May. The return windows were back to being near-immediate so the aggressive QSFB hiring spree they went on has clearly paid off. Likewise, they were loading attractions fully, and during one of the busiest times of the year, I was still able to do all the attractions I wanted (at all four parks and BB) without waiting more than an hour.

Are there things I wish Disney could be still doing better right now? Absolutely, but thanks to online resources like this, I am aware of what the situation is on the ground, can manage my expectations, and can make my own decision to spend the money or not. Nobody is forcing me to go, and I’ve made my position quite clear in the past that now is not the time for everyone to visit. A major unprecedented global disruption just took place — and continues to take place. One can’t expect Disney to just flip a switch and be back to normal overnight. Four theme parks, 25+ resorts, 70k+ employees, hundreds of shops and restaurants cannot feasibly be just turned on overnight. Everything was closed, many lost their jobs. Something like this has never happened in the nearly-50 year history of WDW. It will take some time for the resort to return to normal, so if normal is what someone is looking for right now, I’d advise they postpone their trip and take the thousands of dollars earmarked for a trip and put it towards another vacation in the meantime. There are certainly many less crowded vacation spots that would love the summer business. If you’re concerned about hugging characters during character meals, masks, or long wait times, WDW right now may not be for you. And frankly, if people want to get WDW executives’ attention, canceling or postponing is far more likely to do that.

 

[cigarboo]

I do think that poll was biased and likely stuff going on under the table, but seaworld was the place to be before the controversial (and bad) stuff happened.

You are right about the poll being biased. I received an email advertisement saying they were nominated and to go vote. I normally delete advertising emails, but I do look at the Seaworld ones because they often have some kind of special offer. I would not have searched out the poll if they had not alerted me to it. So yes they did send out a blast to try to get votes, but I do think they got those votes. I think the smaller parks tried to get votes because it means more to them. At the end of the day, people come to Orlando for Disney and Universal and that's where the bulk of the tourist dollars get dropped. Not everyone can afford Disney and Universal. For many people, Seaworld is the only affordable theme park. Heck, I'm starting to be priced out of the magic.

 

[Heather07438]

Seaworld is definitely a good bang for the buck.

Seaworld has the top Christmas out of all the Orlando parks. Hands down.

we hardcore tourists forget that most people want an easy and stress free vacation.

seaworld is cheaper, has a simple dining plan, offers lots of extras for reasonable prices, doesnt require an itinerary and you can park at the freaking door if you do preferred parking AND has something fun and entertaining for every age group

I mean... it takes an hour to get into MK depending on where your staying (and 75% of people stay off property based on hotel availability and park size) so that’s a major mood killer.

I do think that poll was biased and likely stuff going on under the table, but seaworld was the place to be before the controversial (and bad) stuff happened.

Yeah SeaWorld is a great bang for the buck.

We were very tempted to buy the Food Annual Pass... it was an insanely good deal!
https://www.ocregister.com/2019/10/...l-pass-that-costs-visitors-less-than-1-a-day/
$120 for the year and you'd get one entree or one side or one dessert per hour (entrees limited to once every 4 hours, but you could get the others in between). A separate beverage pass was $35. I was thinking of just working from Seaworld everyday for 14 months. That would save me $5k+ for food budget Which would pay for my WDW trip lol!

 

[LSUmiss]

I have to vehemently push back on this. I’ve visited WDW very frequently over the last year (and thoroughly enjoyed the experience every time, which is the only reason I keep going back). Every time, the one thing I’ve consistently noticed is how kind, helpful, and informative the CMs have been. If there is one thing that is better at WDW after the reopening than before it (and there may only be one thing), it is undoubtedly the service. The CMs’ energy and attitude has just been extraordinary, even in the midst of dealing with the incredible challenges over the last year from protecting their own health to layoffs to staffing shortages. Not once have I felt that a CM was taking out any frustration or stress on me or any other Guests. I’m in awe of their resilience and passion that the community of WDW CMs have demonstrated over the last year, and I think we can all learn a lesson or two from them. Let us not forget that these folks have spent the last year putting their own lives (and potentially those of their families and loved one) at risk so that we could vacation at WDW during a global pandemic. WDW is far from essential, yet these folks put themselves out there in harms way — and continue to do so — so that we can have these wonderful memories and trips even during these unprecedented times. And by and large, they’ve done it with a smile on their faces in my experience. I’ve really gotten the sense just how grateful they all are to be back working at the place they love, a fortune that wasn’t necessarily afforded to all their (now-former) colleagues. To suggest anything else may be more of an issue with expectations rather than an issue with service itself.

Yes, there are staffing shortages at the moment. But that’s not a problem unique to Disney. If you go to your local Wendy’s, you’ll find they’re likely facing a similar issue. Disney is absolutely listening to and aware of the feedback, and in my experience, the company has been making changes to improve the Guest Experience to the best of their ability within the parameters of where we are at the moment. Based on her posts, it looks like I visited WDW shortly after LSUMiss’s May trip. I was also just there for the Fourth of July holiday. They had clearly made some significant operations upgrades and changes to better accommodate. For starters, I didn’t have to wait 60+ minutes for my Mobile Orders like I did in May. The return windows were back to being near-immediate so the aggressive QSFB hiring spree they went on has clearly paid off. Likewise, they were loading attractions fully, and during one of the busiest times of the year, I was still able to do all the attractions I wanted (at all four parks and BB) without waiting more than an hour.

Are there things I wish Disney could be still doing better right now? Absolutely, but thanks to online resources like this, I am aware of what the situation is on the ground, can manage my expectations, and can make my own decision to spend the money or not. Nobody is forcing me to go, and I’ve made my position quite clear in the past that now is not the time for everyone to visit. A major unprecedented global disruption just took place — and continues to take place. One can’t expect Disney to just flip a switch and be back to normal overnight. Four theme parks, 25+ resorts, 70k+ employees, hundreds of shops and restaurants cannot feasibly be just turned on overnight. Everything was closed, many lost their jobs. Something like this has never happened in the nearly-50 year history of WDW. It will take some time for the resort to return to normal, so if normal is what someone is looking for right now, I’d advise they postpone their trip and take the thousands of dollars earmarked for a trip and put it towards another vacation in the meantime. There are certainly many less crowded vacation spots that would love the summer business. If you’re concerned about hugging characters during character meals, masks, or long wait times, WDW right now may not be for you. And frankly, if people want to get WDW executives’ attention, canceling or postponing is far more likely to do that.

I agree with that up until this past trip. There was a definite difference. And I think it’s ashamed that putting up with poor attitudes is part of “managing expectations”. I have been 5 times since they reopened & this trip was a noticeable difference in terms of crowding & CM attitudes. While Wendy’s may also have similar staffing issues, I think we can agree their prices point is waaaaay lower. If you can’t meet demand, then you need to limit capacity more. Their own park reservations system should help them achieve this.

 

[sparky68]

I agree with that up until this past trip. There was a definite difference. And I think it’s ashamed that putting up with poor attitudes is part of “managing expectations”. I have been 5 times since they reopened & this trip was a noticeable difference in terms of crowding & CM attitudes. While Wendy’s may also have similar staffing issues, I think we can agree their prices point is waaaaay lower. If you can’t meet demand, then you need to limit capacity more. Their own park reservations system should help them achieve this.

I feel like Disney is running on test on their customers. How much can they cut in the parks before people actually stop coming. The money crunchers have to be pleased with the reduction in staffing costs, and the full parks

 

[LSUmiss]

I feel like Disney is running on test on their customers. How much can they cut in the parks before people actually stop coming. The money crunchers have to be pleased with the reduction in staffing costs, and the full parks

I agree. But I did get a survey specifically asking questions about crowding in MK on 7/13. We were at MK other days too, but 7/13 was the worst crowd day. So it’s interesting that the survey was just about that day. I can’t imagine that anyone who received that survey had anything positive to say about the crowds yesterday.

 

[bean]

I agree with that up until this past trip. There was a definite difference. And I think it’s ashamed that putting up with poor attitudes is part of “managing expectations”. I have been 5 times since they reopened & this trip was a noticeable difference in terms of crowding & CM attitudes. While Wendy’s may also have similar staffing issues, I think we can agree their prices point is waaaaay lower. If you can’t meet demand, then you need to limit capacity more. Their own park reservations system should help them achieve this.

I agree with this. I'm very respectful and understanding of anyone in a service industry. However, in 36 years of being a regular park goer, this is the first time a CM actually yelled at me. I'm not even sure how to describe the interaction. I was entering MK and had my family's tickets on my phone for Magic Mobile. It was my first time scanning us all in with a mobile ticket. I explained this. It kept skipping over a ticket. The CM was yelling "stop it!! Your'e moving your phone again!!" "See you moved it again!!" He kept yelling etc and seemed to be having a small fit over it. I had to actually ask him to please stop yelling at me. It was bizarre. One night all mobile orders at Cosmic Ray's went down. They had piles of food but wouldn't/couldn't give anyone food because they had no idea how to match orders with the food. I ordered/paid at 7:30 and was given food at 9:30. This was happening to most people there and I know the CMs were stressed with people yelling at them. As a parent of two teenagers I felt for the CPs who were getting the brunt of it. However, management was shrugging and actually telling people "I don't know what you should do. Just check back later." It was sort if like being at the DMV where people kept being sent to different lines and at every stage the CM who got you had no idea how to fix it. Multiple times on this trip I asked CMs questions (direction type things etc) and I was just told "I don't know." I actually don't remember a time in the past that CMs didn't try to answer questions in some way. I guess this is likely because much of the staff last week were new CP kids who were still going through training. I think it's completely unfair of Disney to just increase capacity to that insane of a degree without proper staffing and plans in place. It's not only rude to customers it's a terrible way to treat their employees, many of whom were less than magical last week.

 

[cakebaker]

The CM was yelling "stop it!! Your'e moving your phone again!!" "See you moved it again!!" He kept yelling etc and seemed to be having a small fit over it. I had to actually ask him to please stop yelling at me. It was bizarre.

Honestly, I don't care what the circumstances are, if this happened to me, I'd be at guest services. If a person cannot handle the job they have, they shouldn't be there. One thing that turned me off Universal on our first trip was the attitude of the employees there. I saw time after time of guests being yelled at or treated like you might expect to be treated at a local carnival. I haven't given Universal another chance since. Maybe it was just bad luck, I'm sure others have never had the experience, but I did. And years later, it's the first memory that pops into my head when we speak of Universal.

I'm sure hiring so many so quickly has resulted in a downgrade of quality, but I don't care. I'm not putting up with it. They haven't downgraded their pricing, I won't accept a downgrade in quality. I don't believe Disney wants this happening, but if you don't tell them when it does, they can't do anything about it. That CM sounds like they needed more training and without reporting the experience, they won't get it and will continue to treat other guests in that manner. I always report when I have a CM that does an amazing job ( and there have been many) but I also report when they do an exceptionally bad job.

But I agree, the fault here, in the end, is with Disney and their goal to ramp up capacity at a blinding speed.

 

[cakebaker]

I have to vehemently push back on this. I’ve visited WDW very frequently over the last year (and thoroughly enjoyed the experience every time, which is the only reason I keep going back). Every time, the one thing I’ve consistently noticed is how kind, helpful, and informative the CMs have been. If there is one thing that is better at WDW after the reopening than before it (and there may only be one thing), it is undoubtedly the service.

Your positive experience doesn't mean others didn't have a negative one.

 

[Alicefan]

Your positive experience doesn't mean others didn't have a negative one.

I was thinking the same thing. You can't "push back" on another persons experience.

 

[bean]

Honestly, I don't care what the circumstances are, if this happened to me, I'd be at guest services. If a person cannot handle the job they have, they shouldn't be there. One thing that turned me off Universal on our first trip was the attitude of the employees there. I saw time after time of guests being yelled at or treated like you might expect to be treated at a local carnival. I haven't given Universal another chance since. Maybe it was just bad luck, I'm sure others have never had the experience, but I did. And years later, it's the first memory that pops into my head when we speak of Universal.

I'm sure hiring so many so quickly has resulted in a downgrade of quality, but I don't care. I'm not putting up with it. They haven't downgraded their pricing, I won't accept a downgrade in quality. I don't believe Disney wants this happening, but if you don't tell them when it does, they can't do anything about it. That CM sounds like they needed more training and without reporting the experience, they won't get it and will continue to treat other guests in that manner. I always report when I have a CM that does an amazing job ( and there have been many) but I also report when they do an exceptionally bad job.

But I agree, the fault here, in the end, is with Disney and their goal to ramp up capacity at a blinding speed.

I agree that I should have reported it. However, the lines for guest services were so crazy last week that I just couldn't handle one more line. It's like everywhere we turned there was a long line.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I agree that I should have reported it. However, the lines for guest services were so crazy last week that I just couldn't handle one more line. It's like everywhere we turned there was a long line.

I'm apprehensive about our upcoming trip the first week of August. So many unsatisfactory reports. The staffing issue means that Disney probably isn't vetting new employees like they were in the past.

Other than the Cosmic Ray's debacle, how was QS overall? Still easy, or is it stressful and more crowded?

 

[cakebaker]

I agree that I should have reported it. However, the lines for guest services were so crazy last week that I just couldn't handle one more line. It's like everywhere we turned there was a long line.

Absolutely understand! I most likely wouldn't deal with it immediately with crowds the way they are. But you can write them once you're home. I've done that before several times- both to let them know about good experiences and bad.

 

[bean]

I'm apprehensive about our upcoming trip the first week of August. So many unsatisfactory reports. The staffing issue means that Disney probably isn't vetting new employees like they were in the past.

Other than the Cosmic Ray's debacle, how was QS overall? Still easy, or is it stressful and more crowded?

It was ok, just different. The difference is you’re now waiting outside which is hard when you’re melting in July/August . You order on your phone and when you’re close you click the button. Then you wait for the app to say it’s ready. Sometimes our food was ready very quickly and other times it was longer (15 min?). We weren’t allowed in the QS restaurants until you could show an order ready screen. However, once you get inside it’s much easier to find a seat. The one place where this was harder for us was water. We hate carrying water and in the past would go to a QS to get free ice water. You can’t do that now because you’re not allowed inside without an order. Also, my daughter asked for a refill of her ice water when we were inside the QS and she was told “no refills.”

 

[cakebaker]

Also, my daughter asked for a refill of her ice water when we were inside the QS and she was told “no refills.”

In this heat, with those lines, they are refusing to give people refills on water????? Wow.

 

[BrianL]

It was ok, just different. The difference is you’re now waiting outside which is hard when you’re melting in July/August . You order on your phone and when you’re close you click the button. Then you wait for the app to say it’s ready. Sometimes our food was ready very quickly and other times it was longer (15 min?). We weren’t allowed in the QS restaurants until you could show an order ready screen. However, once you get inside it’s much easier to find a seat. The one place where this was harder for us was water. We hate carrying water and in the past would go to a QS to get free ice water. You can’t do that now because you’re not allowed inside without an order. Also, my daughter asked for a refill of her ice water when we were inside the QS and she was told “no refills.”

My experience with the water was different - this was back in May. Everywhere had water ready to go. We went up to Regal Eagle without an order and asked if we could just get water and they let us with no problem. I had asked for more water from a CM at Backlot Express and he tried to give me six of the small cups (this was my second time getting some) and he taught me how to carry them too. It's too bad you had difficulty, but I hope it was just some poorly trained CMs and not official policy.