I think I had posted earlier I had felt a lot of "issues" at WDW are guest orientated. I've seen a several individuals be absolute pigs in the resorts as well as the parks. A few items really bothered me the most. We were at EPCOT during one vacation and witnessed one guest change their kids diaper, then proceed to throw the soiled diaper in the bushes adjacent to the bench the kid was being changed on. An adjacent trash can was closer than the bushes! We were pleasantly surprised to watch a family eating some sort of snack in the lobby of the Beach Club, when they finished eating they placed the dirty dishes on the windowsill and left. Watched as a few kids were dragging some sort of metal object on freshly painted woodwork the the Wilderness Lodge gouging the paint off while the parents just watched! These are just a few examples of the place going downhill. If anyone is familiar with maintenance I'm sure you can appreciate how difficult is to keep things perfect when on a daily basis, when guests are hell bent on damaging the facility. So while people are complaining about how Disney is letting the place is going downhill perhaps they should also point at themselves as being part of the problem.
Yup, I totally agree. Guests have become way more rude, slobbish and totally selfish, as far as I'm concerned. The amount of food I see wasted in the restaurants has turned us off so much, that we aren't even eating in TS resaturants anymore. We are guests who actually help bus tables, clean up after our kids as soon as they mess up, and keep our DVC villa looking as if we've just checked in. Of course, not all guests are like this, but so many guests are just in their own worlds in regards to how they go about the parks, resorts and restaurants. I have seen it become worse over the past 2-3 years - worse than I've ever seen it. And, it's way more
adults than kids with this attitude. I think it has to do with the amount of money they are paying to come to Disney, as I've heard this frequently in the parks/resorts as well.
True, some guests are pigs but there were always guests like this, did not happen overnight. However, place was kept clean regardless. Today, you can find a mess sitting there for a while and nobody cares to clean it. I used to say that you can perform a surgery on a bathroom floor in Disney, last trip bathroom outside Epcot, the one you pass as you walk from the bus to bag check, smelled all the way. You think people in a past used it less, don't think so,they just do not clean it as often as they used to. It is easy to blame a customer, but customer did not change, service and quality did.
Has gotten worse over the past several years, for sure. So, Disney would conceivably have to have hundreds more housekeeping CMs on staff to keep up, as guests require more maintenance. So, there is a correlation, but I really don't want Disney adding hundreds of more CMs, as this adds to the cost. You really have to step back and look at this from a financial perspective, as this will cost a ton more money. How about place more trash cans and active hand sanitizers in the parks? Maybe signs reminding people to pick up their trash? People seem to have the attitude these days that there is always someone else behind them to pick up their messes, and this is where the problem lies...Honestly though, the parks are still pretty darn clean, and I am there during high peak seasons, so they still are in pretty good shape. Sure, some garbage cans are overflowing once in awhile, and a few bathrooms here and there need attention, but if you point it out, they got on it right away. Not saying you should have to do this, but with so many guests, it's bound to happen.
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Hi Bill-
I think it is more than just a burned out bulb. I think that some attractions need to be updated. Some are getting very worn and dated. There is of course the Michael Jackson attraction that took the place of the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", hopefully it's a just a temporary measure. Also, that first building you see in Epcot next to the Mexican pavilian looks like a major eye sore, it needs a fresh coat or paint or something. I will say it's still pretty clean at Walt Disney World. And the grounds are beautiful.
Yup, some are getting tired. The old building you are speaking about at Epcot, does look yucky, but at this point, why waste maintenance on painting it, if they are going to tear it down or refurbish it? This kind of stuff doesn't really bother me as much, I have to admit. And, I will admit that for the volumes of people who enter each park, especially during peak seasons, when we go, the parks are pretty immaculate, and landscaping looks pretty darn good too.
You know, I've been disappointed with the chipping paint, the empty pavilions, reduced decorations, the reduced merchandise, the generalization of everything, the changing guest attitudes/level of respect for their surroundings, the changes in dining to shrink portions and quality so they can deliver "free food" or "meal plans" but I have to say I've never been comped because of a bad experience. It honestly makes me wonder if I am doing the wrong thing by letting it roll off my back and very rarely complaining about anything.
Chipping paint and bulbs don't bother me at all, but the standardization of merchandise and dining, and changing attitudes are big ones for us. As regulars, these are major problem areas, and they cost Disney money, plain aned simple.
OMG OMG OMG - you are toally right!
Our first night in early December we wandered over to the Poly for dinner at Kona. It was a beautiful evening so we decided to do a little walkabout before returning to the Beach Club.
We were shocked and saddened when we made it to the beach and looked at the Grand Floridian - the Flagship of Disney resorts. We estiated 90% of the bulbs on the side of the building facing the water - which trim the rooves - were out - and I'm being generous actually. It was SOOOO bad it would have been better to turn them ALL off rather than look this shabby.
It was to be something which was so widespread, you just couldn't ignor it.
When we got back to the room.....sure enough, lights out on the Beach Club rooves, Yacht CLub rooves and BW rooves - actual LETTER out on the Boardwalk sign (which was never fixed in the 8 days we were there - nor were the burned out bulbs).
It was in all the parks, resorts, even the ferries....everywhere.
That is one of the reasons I said Disney was looking a little "long in the tooth". When you let standards slip, it takes far more effort to bring them back......and we are just talking about LIGHT BULBS.
If they have dropped standards for light bulbs, what other maintenance has been cutback?
I am obviously the lone voice on this, but burned out lightbulbs are not important to us at all. It's just aesthetics. Attitudes and quality of food is far more important to us. There are all kinds of retailers who turn out sections of lights in order to conserve energy, so I don't mind burned out bulbs at Disney. I don't feel they do enough for energy conservation, so this is fine for us. I know it speaks to upkeep for many of you, but not for us. Maintenance issues such as ride/attraction/monorail safety are far more important to us as guests. I will say though, that the resort letters need to be changed though, as people are relying on those to find their way around the complex, so those should be changed as soon as possible.
I am a highly observant person, and I must admit I don't see the lightbulb issues that much at Disney. I'm not looking for them, but they don't jump out at me either.
I feel there are other more pressing areas that Disney needs attention to, and lightbulbs just aren't it for me.
Tiger
Bill
