we have stayed at all levels of resorts. value many times, moderates. that particular trip we were a couple nights at All star sports, then off to beach club villas (and ever so happy to arrive there!) the values can be very nice, if these groups wouldn't ruin them.
of course Disney won't "turn them away". but I don't get the confusion about what to do about them....
simply make them FOLLOW THE RULES! like everyone else has to.
I agree that following the rules sounds very easy, but it's not as Disney has a hard time making
most guests follow rules: smokers smoke in parks, Heelys are still wheeling around the parks, line cutters, etc. I have spoken to many different lower level front entry CMs, and they do not feel safe in approaching guests with many different issues, especially smoking and rowdy behaviour. It takes the CM supervisors to do that, and I have seen some of them deal with it in an efficient manner, but they were isolated incidents. One smoker over here, or a Heely kid over there. The large student groups are everywhere, so this can be an issue, and you bring up very good points. As a highschool teacher, we deal with this each and everyday, so I have some ideas for Disney, but at this point, I think they are very content with raking in the dough, and leaving it at that. Until such time that someone gets hurt, and then I suppose they may put a specific policy in place?
Tiger, I am not sure how much you know about business, but I know some things and cutting corners is not smart business practice. If Walt's style is outdated and bad from a financial perspective, then how did he grow such an empire!? No. He had it right. In 2011 it is not okay to cut corners to make a profit. This is just a reflection on how greed can backfire. The customers, the DISboarders are noticing that things aren't quite as good as they used to be. This is majorly bad business practice for Disney.
I work in advertising/PR so I know a thing or two about how to get customers coming back and how to get lasting $$ for business - and it is, bottom line, by giving the customers a 'great' experience - not a 'so-so' one or a 'not as good as it used to be' one. This is how you lose $$, even if it is Disney.
Unfortunately, if service is going down hill everywhere, then this is a reflection on society and values today. It is up to the management to instill the right values and attitudes in their front-line staff if they want to see people coming back. Hmmm, perhaps this pinpoints one of the causes of the economic downturn? Corporations becoming all about profits and using people to turn a buck and people at the front lines just not caring anymore.
Know lots about business, and you are missing the point entirely, IMHO. A
very small portion of repeat guests, aka DISboard members are unhappy, but the very large groups of guests who are continuously packing the parks, and purchasing DVC at the highest levels in Disney's history, are saying that Disney is doing just fine. They, for the most part (many DVC members are discontent with certain aspects, and we discuss this on our DVC boards, but again, we are repeaters and regulars who are more picky), think that Disney is doing very well, and that shows in the fact that the parks are full all year round. So, Disney is not losing any business so far.
So, just because you see cost cutting measures on Disney's part, and you believe that they are affecting Disney's vision, that does not make it so.
Your response is very extremist and hugely generalizing, IMHO. I spend weeks each year at Disney, and I do
not feel Disney is slipping
everywhere. Truly think about what you are saying, as everywhere is a huge word. I think they are very good points that have been made all along on this thread, and I feel that they Dining Dept. has gone dowhill a bit. I feel I can say this as I've eaten at pretty much every restaurant on property, and I come from an award-winning Italian restaurant family, so for me, I see a bit of service issues and quality issues over the years. Notice I said a bit, and first timers would never notice this, unless something truly horrible happens to them while dining. For the most part, Disney still serves thousands of guests very well, with food that is pretty alright. Could it be better? Sure, but so can we all! LOL!
You may feel they are cutting corners, but really, are they? When I think back to years ago, I feel that Disney had too many CMs working in areas, as some of them would just stand around, as they really had nothing to do, and don't get me started on the wastefulness that is the Disney Dining Dept. with the buffets and such. Is that really good business? My family who has been in business my whole life, would say no. They will say that it is important to strike a balance, so that guests do not know you are cutting corners or switching things up, as all businesses have to do this, especially in hard economic times. They would say that it's important to treat guests/customers as the most important thing (within reason), and give them a good experience. Disney continues to do that, IMHO. Have you seen the MK expansion plans? Now, Disney has more room than a small business, but it's not up to us to say how they maintain their bottom line. All that we can do is not purchase their products any longer.
I, on the other hand, also always contact Disney for both positive and concerns, and this is about all I can do at the moment. But, I also tidy up after myself and my family in the parks too, as this goes a long way.
As far as going downhill, I have seen a few areas slide or change, but I would never say the entire WDW is going dowhill. That is very extremist and generalizing in such a way, that I don't believe is true. So, I don't agree with much of your response, as it's very emotional in nature, and for a multibillion dollar company like Disney, emotions are not going to be the first order of business. Although in Disney's case, I think they do are still doing a good job of meshing Walt's vision with the vision of the future. Will they always do this? Only time will tell...
YMMV, Tiger
As I mentioned in my response above, I know that many DISboard DVC members are concerned with several areas, but again, as DVC members we are regulars who perhaps are a bit more picky and observant about specific areas such as dining, for instance. So, just like there are many DVC members unhappy with the current state, there are thousands more who are happy with Disney just the way it is.
