Disney is losing some magic......

[mrsbicewdw]

I can say there is a LOT of pressure to join a union. I was college program (so no Union obviously), but as soon as I decided to stay and become a regular full time CM they were all over me to join.

When I worked at Universal (no unions) I wasn't treated nearly as well as at Disney. Not just attitude wise, I'm talking about schedules and overworking and last minute changes and moves and crap of that nature. No matter if someone at Disney is in the union or not, the benefits they negotiate for trickle down to everyone and the standard raises all around. The only thing I do agree with from the PP is that yes, the union would protect their members no matter what, meaning some CMs got away with murder due to union pull + seniority.

And I have to say, putting all college programmers in one bad basket is a bit much. The people I worked with were passionate about Disney and drank the pixie dust in. Yep, some of the college kids treat it like vacation. They get sent home, like any slacker at any job. But the majority were really hard working and most juggled college classes on top of long hours and being used for the most unwanted shifts and positions (night shift, every holiday with no extra pay like all other CMs get, etc).

The limited upward movement and weird management structure is definitely an issue and a reason that many people end up leaving. :/

 

[Sparkly]

I'm just surprised these threads stay on Theme Parks- how does it help planning? Doesn't it just spread worry to newbies?

 

[lovethattink]

I agree about the restrooms. My first trip to WDW I couldn't believe how spotless the restrooms are. Now, I can't remember the last time I saw a spotless one, let alone a clean stall.

Just don't lose all hope. There are many cm who are truly amazing and they far outnumber those who don't care. Disney magic is still alive and found in some of the most unlikely places.

Monday at DHS we were showered in pixie dust. It began by a cm asking if we had FP+ to the singalong. We did for the last show. He told us to wait a second and he came back and invited us to come as VIP for that show! A few minutes later, we went for dinner at ABC Comissary. DS and I found a table while dh waited for the tray of food. He came back empty handed and told ds he was wanted by the cm. They made a big fuss over him. And he was presented by 3 cm with an Olaf cupcake and by the time it was done half the kitchen was out in celebration.

To the previous poster who said upper management doesn't care and doesn't want guest interaction that also isn't always the case. The day the new Oaken's opened we met Dan Cockerell and he approached us and asked about our experience there. He loved ds' Olaf Disney bounding and asked for a picture posing with him and dh.

I could go on and on about all our great interactions with cm at each park. The negative (except the restrooms) are few and far between. We address them as they come up, though for some reason I never thought about addressing the horrible restrooms. We also address the unexpected magic as that comes up too. I think it's important that Disney knows when someone has gone out of their way to make magic for a guest. That above and beyond magic shouldn't be expected, it should be appreciated, imho.

 

[magicbob]

We just left this morning after a couple of weeks at WDW, and I had been reading the threads about poor customer service and nasty restrooms and I had really tried to shrug it off......

But then I was in a couple of restrooms (one at Epcot and the other at Narcoossee's) that were so bad I took pictures; I had overheard the CM outside the one at Epcot telling another CM that he was "supposed to be on streets today but they put me on restrooms so (F) them..."

Then we got kicked out of our room yesterday morning because the cheerleaders were arriving and apparently they can't separate the cupcakes from the chaperones, and bell services insisted on throwing all our personal belongings on their cart and whisking them off to storage because they couldn't tell us yet what room we would be in.....

Not to mention the several cast members standing at either food stands or line queues carrying on loud and personal conversations and only acknowledging guests briefly as almost an interruption before resuming their personal conversations....

So yeah, I tried to shrug it off and not pay any attention to it but now that you mention it I would most definitely agree that the caliber of Disney employee does not seem to be what it used to be.

Wait, what????

They evicted you from your room to give it to an incoming guest?

Has anyone ever heard of this happening before?

I had to change rooms once because a plumbing issue on the floor above caused water damage to the wall and ceiling and they needed to have maintenance fix the issue. But kicking you out to give the room to someone else????? I'm not about looking for "compensation" but an unreasonable inconvenience like that should have warranted in, at a minimum, the new room being an upgrade.

 

[lovethattink]

Magicbob, that happened to us the first year the Boardwalk opened. We were unpacked and heading to the pool when front desk called to say they needed to move us. They sent 4 Bellman to quickly pack us back up and move. The room had an adjoining door and they needed it for a large family. We did get a stuffed lobster tail dinner out of the ordeal at the coral reef.

 

[ken2]

Yea we had a problem with FP+ this past summer and went to a koisk where 2 castmembers were.We walked up to them and the instantly pointed to the machines.I a said i had a problem with my FP and was told that i had to use the machine.I asked them wasnt Disney about smiling faces and customer interaction and it totally changed their attitude and they wanted to help now.Too late.Wife was already pissed so she got their names and off to customer service we went.Totally differnt attitudes in there.Very friendly and helpfull people.I understand it a job to them but if you are unhappy then maybe a public interaction job is not for them.Like everyone else we spend a ton of money to go and expect to be treated differntly than at a six flags of ceder park type place.

 

[Suvadoo]

I'm just surprised these threads stay on Theme Parks- how does it help planning? Doesn't it just spread worry to newbies?

Based on the title of the thread, everyone is free to read it or not, including first time visitors. It's not like the thread title is deceptive. You had the same choice.

 

[Dizznee Freak]

I too think the problem lies with visitors have waay too lofty standards for the whole Disney Experience. How you treat someone will definitely determine how you get treated. I have yet to witness a rude CM. Of course my family as a habit uses such words as "please" Thank You" "Your Welcome" and even SIr or Maam" It does not matter if the CM is 20 years younger than my wife or myself, they deserve respect. We know how it is to raise 4 kids and cannot imagine having to deal with thousands of entitled whiny adults!

 

[Priory]

Here is one thing I have been doing this trip. I have a reminder list on my iPhone and every time there is a great cm I am quickly adding their name and location to it. When I get home I am going to write a kudos email for each of them. I want to recognize the great ones.

 

[Suvadoo]

I too think the problem lies with visitors have waay too lofty standards for the whole Disney Experience. How you treat someone will definitely determine how you get treated. I have yet to witness a rude CM. Of course my family as a habit uses such words as "please" Thank You" "Your Welcome" and even SIr or Maam" It does not matter if the CM is 20 years younger than my wife or myself, they deserve respect. We know how it is to raise 4 kids and cannot imagine having to deal with thousands of entitled whiny adults!

I agree with you regarding being polite to everyone makes a huge difference in how you're treated. But I also think that the WDW from 10 years ago was a lot less pressure filled than today and I think this has created some of the problems Disney is now facing.
At the 6 month mark Disney is sending e-mails reminding guests to make ADR's , then at 30-60 days FP+ reservations. So people enter the parks with all of their reservations for rides and dining made. But guess what? Your 1 hour wait for an ADR causes you to miss your FP+ for A&E. Now the guest is angry, "I followed all of the rules and made all of my reservations as I was supposed to and because I had to wait for my ADR I missed my FP+" The thing is the guest could've skipped the ADR, but then they would've been charged $10 pp. The alternative would've been scheduling additional time gaps between the ADR and the M&G, but sometimes there's no availability.

I just think Disney has encouraged some of the guest entitlement. It's really frustrating to make all of these great plans and anticipate certain activities 6 months out, and then have it all ruined. I'm not supporting guest melt downs, but I am saying that it's really frustrating.

 

[wisblue]

Wait, what????

They evicted you from your room to give it to an incoming guest?

Has anyone ever heard of this happening before?

I had to change rooms once because a plumbing issue on the floor above caused water damage to the wall and ceiling and they needed to have maintenance fix the issue. But kicking you out to give the room to someone else????? I'm not about looking for "compensation" but an unreasonable inconvenience like that should have warranted in, at a minimum, the new room being an upgrade.

Maybe that poster isn't telling the whole story. Like maybe the last day of the trip was on a separate reservation and there was no guarantee that that day could be in the same room. And maybe he DID receive compensation for the inconvenience, like a free room and other items. And maybe the description of having belongings thrown onto a cart is a little overstated.

Despite the derogatory reference to cheerleaders as "cupcakes" I think it is important for a hotel to keep young people and their chaperones together.

I always suspect that some of these rude cast member horror stories would sound pretty different if they were told from the CM's perspective. Maybe this is one of them. Once someone withholds some significant facts to make a point, I think he or she has damaged his credibility to the point that you have to take everything he says with a grain of salt.

One of my daughters once had a reservation at one of the AS resorts but when she arrived she was assigned to a different one of the All Stars because of problems with placing Pop Warner teams. She wasn't thrilled about it, but she just went with it and moved on. She accepted it as one of those things that can happen and had a great trip. She didn't come home complaining about how Disney has lost its magic.

 

[Dizznee Freak]

But I also think that the WDW from 10 years ago was a lot less pressure filled than today and I think this has created some of the problems Disney is now facing.
At the 6 month mark Disney is sending e-mails reminding guests to make ADR's , then at 30-60 days FP+ reservations. So people enter the parks with all of their reservations for rides and dining made. But guess what? Your 1 hour wait for an ADR causes you to miss your FP+ for A&E. Now the guest is angry, "I followed all of the rules and made all of my reservations as I was supposed to and because I had to wait for my ADR I missed my FP+" The thing is the guest could've skipped the ADR, but then they would've been charged $10 pp. The alternative would've been scheduling additional time gaps between the ADR and the M&G, but sometimes there's no availability.

I just think Disney has encouraged some of the guest entitlement. It's really frustrating to make all of these great plans and anticipate certain activities 6 months out, and then have it all ruined. I'm not supporting guest melt downs, but I am saying that it's really frustrating.

We absolutely despise FP+. We go enough that if we don't ride something it is no biggie. But we have witnessed the meltdowns caused by the exact scenario you speak of. It is no longer a vacation for some, more like an endurance test. We have decided to take the slow pace next June. Relax around the resort in the morning and hit the parks at night. No more running like crazy from ADR to FP+ and vice versa for us. We are looking at using the FP+ for priority seating at parades and fireworks and standby the rest. You know make it a vacation!

 

[Laz]

I too think the problem lies with visitors have waay too lofty standards for the whole Disney Experience. How you treat someone will definitely determine how you get treated. I have yet to witness a rude CM. Of course my family as a habit uses such words as "please" Thank You" "Your Welcome" and even SIr or Maam" It does not matter if the CM is 20 years younger than my wife or myself, they deserve respect. We know how it is to raise 4 kids and cannot imagine having to deal with thousands of entitled whiny adults!

Could it be that WDW standards have dropped and they expect guests to treat it as the "New Normal?"

 

[Dizznee Freak]

Could it be that WDW standards have dropped and they expect guests to treat it as the "New Normal?"

Very possible! I just kill them with kindness. I refuse to let someone's desire to be grumpy bring me down. I guess I am corny but it is too much work for me to get aggravated while in the "WORLD"

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

We just got back from a quick trip and we didn't have any issues with grumpy CM's. Some are very pleasant and there are some who are polite, but aren't overly friendly or chatty. I am fine with either. I don't expect all of them to carry on conversations.

One scenario I did encounter was in guest services our first night(Dec. 2nd). I went in to renew our Tables in Wonderland card and the lady next to me was unhappy about something. The exchange went like this

Guest- Complain about issue
CM- Offered an option for the guest to compensate
Guest- States CM is demanding that they do what the CM says
CM- I didn't demand you do anything. I am offering an option for compensation

I finished my transaction so I didn't hear the outcome. The guest was upset and accusing the CM of "demanding" they do something. The CM didn't raise their voice or sound rude. The CM tried to explain she was offering them compensation. I'm guessing the guest didn't like the compensation, but I don't know for sure. Now, if that guest were to come here to explain their interaction, how do you think it would sound? My guess is the CM was rude and demanding.

I also heard several CM's telling guests to fill in all of the available space. They did have to keep repeating themselves and speak loudly because people weren't paying attention. They weren't yelling at guests or barking orders to them, but I guess some people could perceive it that way.

It's really difficult to tell how CM's are treating unless you actually witness it.

 

[Super 27]

I'm in the World right now, and I've got to say I still think the CMs do an amazing job. Yes, you run into a grouch every once in awhile, but that has always been the case (and will be the case anywhere), and they are VERY few and far between. The vast majority of CMs that I encounter are friendly, enthusiastic, and seem genuinely happy to be here. I'm honestly impressed with their ability to keep their cool - spending a week in the park as a guest I am disgusted by the way that I see many so-called "adult" guests behave. The fact that the CMs deal with this day in and day out, and still remain generally positive and professional is to be commended.

I also think any discussion on customer service requires some perspective. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else of equal size that does as good of a job as Disney. For comparison, I used to work in the airline industry, and the way that I saw customers treated by many of our "service" employees was nothing short of embarrasing. I routinely saw employees scream at customers, swear at or in front of customers, steal from customers (you wouldn't believe how common this is), and just generally treat the people who pay their salary like garbage. Now, keeping in mind that Disney CMs deal with much of the same ridiculous behavior that airline employees do, I'd say that they do a pretty good job of putting on a happy face and not letting it ruin the magic.

 

[Suvadoo]

I'm in the World right now, and I've got to say I still think the CMs do an amazing job. Yes, you run into a grouch every once in awhile, but that has always been the case (and will be the case anywhere), and they are VERY few and far between. The vast majority of CMs that I encounter are friendly, enthusiastic, and seem genuinely happy to be here. I'm honestly impressed with their ability to keep their cool - spending a week in the park as a guest I am disgusted by the way that I see many so-called "adult" guests behave. The fact that the CMs deal with this day in and day out, and still remain generally positive and professional is to be commended.

I also think any discussion on customer service requires some perspective. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else of equal size that does as good of a job as Disney. For comparison, I used to work in the airline industry, and the way that I saw customers treated by many of our "service" employees was nothing short of embarrasing. I routinely saw employees scream at customers, swear at or in front of customers, steal from customers (you wouldn't believe how common this is), and just generally treat the people who pay their salary like garbage. Now, keeping in mind that Disney CMs deal with much of the same ridiculous behavior that airline employees do, I'd say that they do a pretty good job of putting on a happy face and not letting it ruin the magic.

Maybe that's Disney's new mission, to be as good as the airline industry!
Seriously, I don't think Disney has hired enough CM's for the crowds in their parks. Until Disney does this, people are going to continue complaining and the CM's are going to remain overworked and harried.

 

[MPB82]

For those who have been going for 20+ years, were there as many younger / college aged kids working then? Not that I put the blame on that as a whole but I do know that the younger, entitled, getting a participation trophy, never keep score generation tends to be less open to going above and beyond

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I'm in the World right now, and I've got to say I still think the CMs do an amazing job. Yes, you run into a grouch every once in awhile, but that has always been the case (and will be the case anywhere), and they are VERY few and far between. The vast majority of CMs that I encounter are friendly, enthusiastic, and seem genuinely happy to be here. I'm honestly impressed with their ability to keep their cool - spending a week in the park as a guest I am disgusted by the way that I see many so-called "adult" guests behave. The fact that the CMs deal with this day in and day out, and still remain generally positive and professional is to be commended.

I also think any discussion on customer service requires some perspective. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else of equal size that does as good of a job as Disney. For comparison, I used to work in the airline industry, and the way that I saw customers treated by many of our "service" employees was nothing short of embarrasing. I routinely saw employees scream at customers, swear at or in front of customers, steal from customers (you wouldn't believe how common this is), and just generally treat the people who pay their salary like garbage. Now, keeping in mind that Disney CMs deal with much of the same ridiculous behavior that airline employees do, I'd say that they do a pretty good job of putting on a happy face and not letting it ruin the magic.

I agree! One night when we were leaving at park close our bus driver was super cheerful. When someone commented on what a good mood he was in and he responded with an exuberant "I'm here!" It went on to be the bus ride ever. Best tram ride at AK yesterday: " why don't you give Elsa a Mickey balloon? Because she'd only Let it Go!"

 

[MrKnight]

I get that this is your "experience" but ...

Right, because it is SUCH a militant union, with so much power, that is why the employees are paid such extravagant salaries and such.

Wages are a political issue, the union has the right to refuse a union contract if they do not agree with the compensation offered, if they approve the contract than that means they agree with the compensation. I do agree with you that wages are TERRIBLE which is just another example of how the union DOES NOT work at WDW, it has nothing to do with how much "power" they have, its called high level politics at the expense of hard working cast members.

Unions are only powerful insofar as they hold leverage over the employer, which this union clearly does not. WDW could fire anyone they wanted, there would be no strike, no nothing.

Disney cannot legally "fire anyone they wanted" due to the union, doing so would break the union contract and yes that would actually cause a HUGE legal issue. I have a handful of close friends that are both current and former WDW managers in various areas (both parks and resorts) and they attest that this is a fact, they have very little disciplinary authority over cast members due to the union. Most policies are extremely relaxed due to union contracts, for example, in some areas a cast member can "call in sick" (no reason needed) up to FOUR times per month every month of the year and still be in the green without any questions asked.