Disney Mom Panel..not impressed

[kirbsam]

I think it was the mom from NY. Her hair really bothered me and her sweater. She looked a bit frumpy.

one word comes to mind...

 

[rie'smom]

Went to the Mom's Panel a couple of times for information which I later found out on the DIS was incorrect. I don't care if they're ugly but they should know the correct information or if they don't know, acknowledge that fact.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

I don't get the need for this panel. I can find everything I need to know on any Disney subject with a quick Google Search.

 

[Feralpeg]

When I worked for the Disney Florist, one of my jobs was to monitor posts about the florist on the Mom's Panel. We got calls on a regular basis asking for things because of what was posted on the Mom's Panel. My boss wanted to know what was being said so that we could respond in a positive manner to wrong information.

That being said, I always found the posts on the Mom's Panel to be enthusiastic. It was obvious that the ladies have good intentions, if not always the right information. To give them a break, it is very hard to keep on top of all the policy changes that happen at Disney. As a CM, it was hard. Not all information at Disney is well distributed among the CMs.

 

[honugirl]

I think what frustrates me with the panel right now is that they are giving advice in areas which I'm guessing they have no experience judging by their answers. They are telling families asking about the GAC (guest assistance card) that it will SHORTEN their wait times, which is completely false. It is not intended to shorten wait times at all. They are also saying you need dr's documentation, once again, false. You just need to be able to articulate your needs. If they want someone to give advice on going to the world with disabilities, then they need to have someone who has gone with disabilities or not answer those questions.

 

[Wunderkind]

I think what frustrates me with the panel right now is that they are giving advice in areas which I'm guessing they have no experience judging by their answers. They are telling families asking about the GAC (guest assistance card) that it will SHORTEN their wait times, which is completely false. It is not intended to shorten wait times at all. They are also saying you need dr's documentation, once again, false. You just need to be able to articulate your needs. If they want someone to give advice on going to the world with disabilities, then they need to have someone who has gone with disabilities or not answer those questions.

^ Would you be so kind so as to post those answers here? I have not seen this advise from any of the new panel members.

 

[zalansky]

Thanks for the explanation.

I think that's dumb. Have dads, aunts, neighbors etc, whoever you want on the panel but then don't call it a Moms Panel.

I have to say, I agree with this. Its beyond silly to call it a moms panel and then put men on it. Change the name!

Aside from that, I think its awful to comment on the appearance of people. I saw nothing wrong with anyone of their appearances, anyway!

 

[SAHDad]

I have to say, I agree with this. Its beyond silly to call it a moms panel and then put men on it. Change the name!

Aside from that, I think its awful to comment on the appearance of people. I saw nothing wrong with anyone of their appearances, anyway!

I thought the whole notion of a "moms panel" (instead of a "planning panel" or "expert park-hopper panel") was rather sexist, but then again, we still have choosy moms chosing Jif, and Dr. Mom, although Ace is no longer the place for the helpful hardware man.

As far as the appearance of the panel - I did not see anything wrong with any of them.

 

[LilyWDW]

^ Would you be so kind so as to post those answers here? I have not seen this advise from any of the new panel members.

If you look at the Mom's Panel, planning and budgeting, and then disabilities you will see members of the panel giving these answers. I don't know who is new and who is not, but they are giving a lot of bad advice.

THIS is the issue I have with the panel. With this being a Disney sponsored thing, people will be taking these answers as if they are correct. When they get to the parks they will not understand why things don't work they way they were told. In this case, GACs will not bypass a line or shorten waits. In fact, sometimes it increases the wait. Disney will also suggest renting a wheelchair or ECV for mobility or stamina issues.

***I will note, some of the panel members are giving good advice. However, some are not and I still see it as an issue that should be fixed***

 

[honugirl]

GAC shorten wait times here:

http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=dateasked&page=3&qid=107026&pid=94&cid=105

http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=dateasked&page=4&qid=105930&pid=94&cid=105

There are others, but I don't have time right now to go find them again.

 

[Wunderkind]

GAC shorten wait times here:

http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=dateasked&page=3&qid=107026&pid=94&cid=105

http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=dateasked&page=4&qid=105930&pid=94&cid=105

There are others, but I don't have time right now to go find them again.

^ The way I read their answers is that a GAC could potentially decrease wait times. May be that's what they experienced using GACs. Have you experienced longer wait times using a GAC?

 

["Got Disney"]

I think for many this panel will be helpful if they can learn it give correct info....many folks dont know to come here on the Dis or other related boards so they call Disney and ask where they can get help and so on.....for them it is helpful...

for me the DIS is valuable because we have so many folks on here helping and correcting and adding to the questions asked.....

I dont know how much info they have but from the video they seem to be just anybody they threw in that is personable....are they training these folks or just letting them have at it?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

^ The way I read their answers is that a GAC could potentially decrease wait times. May be that's what they experienced using GACs. Have you experienced longer wait times using a GAC?

Yes, numerous times. Even the GAC states that it is not to be used to lessen wait times.

I find that the panel is doing an injustice to Disney. The amount of Misinformation far exceeds the good advice. While I don't care what they call it, if the members are pink, purple, pierced or blue, their answers should be correct. I find the majority are not, and the program should be either shut down, or not affiliated with Disney.

 

[honugirl]

^ The way I read their answers is that a GAC could potentially decrease wait times. May be that's what they experienced using GACs. Have you experienced longer wait times using a GAC?

I have only used a GAC at Disneyland and yes, I have experienced longer wait times. Most of the time it is on par with wait the people in the regular lines have. In any case, whether that's what they've experienced or not, but putting out there that it decreases wait times, that is what the user will expect and when that doesn't happen, they're going to be hopping mad.

 

[Foxhound3857]

one word comes to mind...

I'd probably get an infraction if I said it. But then, I'm probably thinking of a different word, one that most women would find very displeasing.

(no ill feelings towards any women here, just something that the OP said really irks me and makes me question what kind of a person she is, to judge people by such superficial and irrelevent standards)

As for the video, I think it's a fine idea. There's quite a few Disney Moms on this forum alone, and a great many of them have a lot of knowledge about various divisions of Disney.

Go Mommies.

 

[beautygirlsmom]

As a proud member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, I just wanted to come and say how positively painful it is to read much of what is posted on this forum. First of all, to attack anyone for their appearance is nothing more than an indication of a person who is ugly on the inside, where is the only part ugly really matters - and not in a good way. I've watched the videos with my fellow "Moms", and I thought everyone looked awesome, spoke well, and with the knowledge I have of how much pressure there is when doing those videos, I couldn't be more proud of the new moms who made them. As for who has too much makeup or heavy hair, in some cases, you can blame the make up people, who I know when I did my video, attacked me with a bronzer to help cover my own pasty Irish skin.

As far as misinformation outweighing good information, I would defend to the death that you're wrong. There have been thousands of questions answered on Moms Panel, and yeah, there have been a few wrong answers. We're not perfect, and in some cases, if we get a question asked directly to us, we have to research it. We don't always know what to tell someone, and if they ask you personally, you owe them the best answer you can find. So we rely on the same thing everyone else does - calling CMs. As we all well know, not all of the CMs are as informed as others, and while I personally make several phone calls to check my answers if I'm not sure, I can make five phone calls and get five variations of an answer. I try to let the guest know that I've done my best and give the best information that I can, but I can't guarantee that it's always 100% accurate.

With regard to the GAC - everyone's experience is different. I actually DID have a CM ask me for a doctor's note when I took my sister, who had a brain tumor. I didn't have one, as I had never needed one before, but if someone goes without one on my advice that they absolutely don't need one, and then the CM asks for one, it can ruin a perfect vacation. We do our best, based on OUR EXPERIENCES, to anticipate what a guest may encounter.

I read both GAC questions (and as for someone who said we needed someone with a disability - I agree, but I don't think that it's because we don't know what we're talking about when it comes to the GAC, I think just for purposes of diversity and relatability, it would be a great component to the panel) cited, and neither says you will definitely experience shorter wait times, and to be honest, I've had a GAC for my sister, my father (who had both legs amputated), and my mother-in-law (artificial hips, knees, and braces on her legs due to a car accident), and MOST of the time, my wait times are shorter, the waiting queue much more comfortable, and my park day much easier.

As for the "Mom" thing - well, I like that it's the Moms panel. People should feel like they can come to Mom for anything, any question, any problem, and I think that it fits perfectly with what we do on Moms Panel - and so far, none of the Dads are complaining!

I think it's a wonderful resource for vacation planners - as are the DISboards - and I think we do a great service to people - especially newbies - in the Disney community. We do our best, we're proud of our work, and we're happy to serve.

I'm positively hurt that someone would judge the panel on appearance. It's shameful.

 

[design_mom]

As far as misinformation outweighing good information, I would defend to the death that you're wrong. There have been thousands of questions answered on Moms Panel, and yeah, there have been a few wrong answers. We're not perfect, and in some cases, if we get a question asked directly to us, we have to research it. We don't always know what to tell someone, and if they ask you personally, you owe them the best answer you can find. So we rely on the same thing everyone else does - calling CMs. As we all well know, not all of the CMs are as informed as others, and while I personally make several phone calls to check my answers if I'm not sure, I can make five phone calls and get five variations of an answer. I try to let the guest know that I've done my best and give the best information that I can, but I can't guarantee that it's always 100% accurate.

Thanks for your perspective. I am one who has commented in this thread about misinformation being given (although not about appearance. I agree that is incredibly rude.) I think the "fault" of the misinformation lies with Disney, not the Moms themselves. I am sure you're all doing the best you can.

Disney should have someone responsible for fact-checking your answers. Even though they have a disclaimer (Moms are independent contractors), the Moms' answers appear on Disney's website. If I were to get misinformation off a independent discussion board (like the DIS), I would chalk it up to "unreliable internet information. I should have known better." However, since the Mom's Panel is part of Disney's corporate website, consumers should be able to expect that information to be accurate. It wouldn't be too hard for Disney to fact check the Moms' answers before they published them.

Edited to add: I am specifically referring to questions about Disney policy like "Can I use my tickets this way?" and "Am I allowed to have a hot plate in my resort hotel room?" and stuff like that. There should be someone on Disney staff who can fact-check that stuff. There are opinion questions on there (What's the best park for a 3 year old? Should we plan to do a character meal?), too, and I think that is where the Moms shine...but for questions that are asking for factual, policy-based answers, Disney should ensure that the answers are correct before publishing.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Beautygirl's mom,

Most people on here think you all are nice looking, articulate women. We understand that you all are just normal people, like us, with no background in public speaking or modeling.

I thought you did a great job in the video. I certainly could not have done it.

 

[LilyWDW]

Thanks for your perspective. I am one who has commented in this thread about misinformation being given (although not about appearance. I agree that is incredibly rude.) I think the "fault" of the misinformation lies with Disney, not the Moms themselves. I am sure you're all doing the best you can.

Disney should have someone responsible for fact-checking your answers. Even though they have a disclaimer (Moms are independent contractors), the Moms' answers appear on Disney's website. If I were to get misinformation off a independent discussion board (like the DIS), I would chalk it up to "unreliable internet information. I should have known better." However, since the Mom's Panel is part of Disney's corporate website, consumers should be able to expect that information to be accurate. It wouldn't be too hard for Disney to fact check the Moms' answers before they published them.

This is where I stand as well. When a mom gives bad information it is bad to Disney to allow it to be posted. No one person will know the answers to everything. However, there should be someone fact checking the answers before they are posted to the public. By allowing incorrect answers to be posted publicly on their own web site will only lead to upset consumers.

Even a way to comment on the answer given would be a good change... even if the comment would not be made public until it is approved (to keep spam issues to a minimum).

I have seen enough bad answers that I will not suggest the Mom's Panel as a place to get questions answered.

 

[SaraJayne]

This is where I stand as well. When a mom gives bad information it is bad to Disney to allow it to be posted. No one person will know the answers to everything. However, there should be someone fact checking the answers before they are posted to the public. By allowing incorrect answers to be posted publicly on their own web site will only lead to upset consumers.

Even a way to comment on the answer given would be a good change... even if the comment would not be made public until it is approved (to keep spam issues to a minimum).

I have seen enough bad answers that I will not suggest the Mom's Panel as a place to get questions answered.

Me, either. In fact, I rarely suggest ANY of the official disney sites as a reference.

I'm more likely to suggest the dis or allears.net for finding out info.

The fact Disney allows incorrect info to even be posted looks terrible. The info should be fact-checked for accuracy before it's allowed to be posted as "official Disney info".