Has Disney dropped the magic ball?

[flicx]

I agree, with some exceptions: Why has the escalator in the land pavilion been broken for at least 2 years? Why has the people mover escalator been broken for at least 6 months? I don't think this is acceptable and I doubt there's a good excuse for it.

Perhaps a good escalator repair man is hard to find? I knew my skill set could land me a management job at Disney!

 

[cindyfan]

I think you you have to find ways to create your own magic, look a little deeper to find the little things that feel special to you and your family. The bathroom situation is a little unavoidable, nothing we can really do there, but when walking through the parks take a few moments to people watch or notice some of the architectural details in the buildings and it'll start to feel special again (I hope)...and look, there goes Belle walking over to her meet and greet

I think Drusilla has a right to "expect" some kind of Magic! Disney advertises that WDW is "Magical"!! So the expectation is not unreasonable. Yes, there is magic inside everyone that we can create..... but I don't think that is her point.
As for the bathroom..... believe me..... it CAN be avoided and there is NO reason for a dirty bathroom! Anytime I've come across a bad one I will let them know! There are some very busy restrooms at WDW but those should be the ones that someone is cleaning constantly.

On our trip over July 4th..... we experienced what seemed to be some of the best moments and worst moments regarding Magic. What was strange was the difference between parks! Animal Kingdom was phenomenal!!! We just kept saying to each other..... "WOW! Everyone is so friendly and helpful and just plain great!!" Everywhere throughout the park!
Then over at Studios..... complete opposite!!! Most (not all) of them seemed so unhappy! Some borderline rude! Very few greeted us! No one really even helped us. The CM's in the shops ignored us even when we walked up to the counter. It was pretty UN-Magical!
At MK we had both depending on the attraction or restaurant. Over-all.... the food-service people were 75% borderline rude! The only pleasant food service people were at Casey's and Columbia House. Even Crystal Palace was not at all friendly!
At Epcot it was pretty "meh"! Nothing magical... but no one really rude either.

And.... this was not just someone maybe "having a bad day" ... we noticed this every day we visited each of the parks. And we were there 9 days.

It seemed very Park-specific as to whether we would be dealing with friendly, magic, happy cast members.... or miserable crabby ones!!!

 

[Fizban]

Disney could afford a bathroom attendant for each bathroom in the park. Almost every casino in las vegas has one and they aren't making the cash Disney is.

I'm willing to bet that if you could convince the population of DisneyWorld travelers to willingly and gleefully accept a 15% to 20% increase in ticket prices and hotel costs (above the normal rediculous cost raises) that the execs at the world would consider hiring permanent bathroom attendants just like they have in some upscale restaurants. Otherwise it's a theme park full of people who are not all on their best behaviour so results may vary.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The reward of a thing well done is having done it."

"We aim above the mark to hit the mark."

This includes cleaning bathrooms and fixing broken attractions.

 

[flicx]

I'm willing to bet that if you could convince the population of DisneyWorld travelers to willingly and gleefully accept a 15% to 20% increase in ticket prices and hotel costs (above the normal rediculous cost raises) that the execs at the world would consider hiring permanent bathroom attendants just like they have in some upscale restaurants. Otherwise it's a theme park full of people who are not all on their best behaviour so results may vary.

Well first, they increase prices every year anyhow. Second if that is what they are paying bathroom attendants at Disney(15 to 20%) of the ticket price increase I am in, I'll send my resume. Millions of dollars divided by the restroom staff WOW!

 

[itchin2go]

I'm willing to bet that if you could convince the population of DisneyWorld travelers to willingly and gleefully accept a 15% to 20% increase in ticket prices and hotel costs (above the normal rediculous cost raises) that the execs at the world would consider hiring permanent bathroom attendants just like they have in some upscale restaurants. Otherwise it's a theme park full of people who are not all on their best behaviour so results may vary.

It has got to be difficult cleaning up after theme park guests. That's exactly why I marveled at the cleanliness of the bathrooms on our first trip to DisneyWorld. I have not been so impressed on recent trips. If they could do it then, they can do it now. They're just not. What explains this? I don't really know, but my theory is that cost cutting (maybe to balance out recent expenditures) is to blame.

 

[MrInfinity]

It's fascinating the things that people latch onto while ignoring bigger picture items. I don't think the towel animals were really the breaking point for the OP as much as the CM experiences and general lack of maintenance were. I guess it's just harder to defend those things.

I think this is because towel animals are an absolute. They're either there or they're not. Unclean bathrooms or unfriendly CMs are subjective, and not experienced by all guests. Therefore it's hard to conclude that the total experience offered (aka "magic") is lower based on subjective observations by some that are not experienced by the majority. Everyone I know really does come back from Disney World talking about how great the CMs are and how clean the park is. If there's any complaints at all, they tend to be related to heat or crowds.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

It has got to be difficult cleaning up after theme park guests. That's exactly why I marveled at the cleanliness of the bathrooms on our first trip to DisneyWorld. I have not been so impressed on recent trips. If they could do it then, they can do it now. They're just not. What explains this? I don't really know, but my theory is that cost cutting (maybe to balance out recent expenditures) is to blame.

It's odd but people worry about how much the people who directly impact your experience make while completely ignoring the compensation packages of the individuals responsible for the declining services and overall management of the theme park division.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

I think this is because towel animals are an absolute. They're either there or they're not. Unclean bathrooms or unfriendly CMs are subjective, and not experienced by all guests. Therefore it's hard to conclude that the total experience offered (aka "magic") is lower based on subjective observations by some that are not experienced by the majority. Everyone I know really does come back from Disney World talking about how great the CMs are and how clean the park is. If there's any complaints at all, they tend to be related to heat or crowds.

I'm not really sure you'll find anyone willing to argue that the towel animals make or break a trip. I'll tend to agree that overall we've never really run into rude CMs. Disinterested, oblivious and robotic yes but not necessarily rude. That said there are a lot more people reporting these incidents now so I have no reason to think they're not out there. Same with the cleanliness. Tons of reports every day and a lot of the people I talk to at work and other places comment about the state of the hotels, rides and other things. The one thing though you'll probably only find one or two people to support is the number of broken things throughout the park that are just let go.

 

[cindyfan]

Oh, and as for the resorts..... went in April... had the rudest people ever at Caribbean Beach! Then in July.... at Coronado, some of the friendliest except HOUSEKEEPING! The housekeeping was HORRIFIC!. So all this is leading me to think they need to over-haul the entire housekeeping staff.... is it all contracted out some how?? or are they all hired by Disney?

 

[ArwenMarie]

Oh, and as for the resorts..... went in April... had the rudest people ever at Caribbean Beach! Then in July.... at Coronado, some of the friendliest except HOUSEKEEPING! The housekeeping was HORRIFIC!. So all this is leading me to think they need to over-haul the entire housekeeping staff.... is it all contracted out some how?? or are they all hired by Disney?

I believe they are all Disney employees but maybe that has changed. Anyway, I agree, the housekeeping at the resorts on the whole needs an intervention. Based on our experiences at many different resorts, I don't know what is wrong, but something is. But that is probably best for another thread!

 

[socrateze]

The one thing though you'll probably only find one or two people to support is the number of broken things throughout the park that are just let go.

Like the escalators? Is there some kind of excuse for this, besides not wanting to spend the money?

I am disappointed with WDW management because they're not living up to the image they have created for themselves. Disney hosts seminars to teach other companies about the importance of great customer service. I'll bet their slide show doesn't include pictures of dirty bathrooms and broken escalators.

 

[itchin2go]

I'm not really sure you'll find anyone willing to argue that the towel animals make or break a trip. I'll tend to agree that overall we've never really run into rude CMs. Disinterested, oblivious and robotic yes but not necessarily rude. That said there are a lot more people reporting these incidents now so I have no reason to think they're not out there. Same with the cleanliness. Tons of reports every day and a lot of the people I talk to at work and other places comment about the state of the hotels, rides and other things. The one thing though you'll probably only find one or two people to support is the number of broken things throughout the park that are just let go.

The towel animals are a red herring, and that one complaint is giving people license to marginalize the OP.

Part of what I love about Disney and Disney World is attention to detail. I am just a sucker for little things that make something more special. Gosh, what a double edged sword! If I complain about the loss of details, then I'm chastised for complaining about minor things. Minor things are one of the things that set Disney apart from its competition. Attention to food, drink, maintenance, customer service, cleanliness, hidden Mickeys, etc. I know the broad strokes are still there, but isn't some of the magic in the details?

 

[wilkeliza]

Like the escalators? Is there some kind of excuse for this, besides not wanting to spend the money?

I am disappointed with WDW management because they're not living up to the image they have created for themselves. Disney hosts seminars to teach other companies about the importance of great customer service. I'll bet their slide show doesn't include pictures of dirty bathrooms and broken escalators.

I've heard from maintenance that the escalators are just a pain because there is no easy way to get in and get out and cause the least customer experience issues. I don't know how true that is but I would imagine that it is hard to do in the few hours over night they have and then to have to put everything back to be safe for the next morning really cuts down on time. I take it for what it is on face value because I never would have believe this stuff was actually as hard as it is until I started being involved with just a residential building's maintenance. I couldn't imagine what they go through just keep most stuff in working function at Disney.

 

[bc7ate9]

I think Drusilla has a right to "expect" some kind of Magic! Disney advertises that WDW is "Magical"!! So the expectation is not unreasonable...[/B]

I tend to think that Disney "magic" is not something that can be concretely defined or sold or purchased...

In Japan, customer service is an ART. America in general - not just DIsney - would probably benefit a lot from adopting a Japanese attitude. I read an interesting article about it: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303456104579489824193262260.

That being said, despite everybody being exceptionally polite and service-oriented and everything always being squeaky clean, Tokyo DIsney didn't feel any more magical for me than WDW or DL do. I think we all just have different standards/thoughts/feelings when it comes to "magic." For me, toilets and towels and rude behavior doesn't really come into play when I'm measuring the level of "magic" I feel at Disney.

 

[amg35]

The towel animals are a red herring, and that one complaint is giving people license to marginalize the OP.

Part of what I love about Disney and Disney World is attention to detail. I am just a sucker for little things that make something more special. Gosh, what a double edged sword! If I complain about the loss of details, then I'm chastised for complaining about minor things. Minor things are one of the things that set Disney apart from its competition. Attention to food, drink, maintenance, customer service, cleanliness, hidden Mickeys, etc. I know the broad strokes are still there, but isn't some of the magic in the details?

See, now I'll disagree!

I went last October for a long trip and I thought the restrooms were spotless! And believe me, I HATE public restrooms. The staff at our hotel was fantastic from the second we got off ME. Even our ME driver was fun. Great bartenders that played trivia with us at the bar. Had helpful CMs at all the parks when we had questions. They jumped in some of our pictures with us.
Was our room a little worn? Sure - but now the hotel just had a big refurb.

And the details are still there for us anyways - one I love is the different music that plays on the buses when you pull into the park - most people probably don't even notice it!

Whatever, maybe I'm easy to please, but I've been going to WDW for many years now and I just don't see the decline everyone else is seeing...is it expensive? You bet. But it's always been expensive. And sorry, the argument that the food is declining? Yeah, but I don't blame Disney for that one, just read these boards - the people want their chicken nuggets!
And the signature restaurants are still good, plus I have high hopes for the new ones at Disney Springs - which people are complaining about already, the food is to fancy, too expensive - my god, some restaurants barely opened and others aren't even open yet!

Yes, I sound like a Disney apologist - I'm not really. I don't vacation there all the time, looking forward to a cruise and Universal and we won't go back until at least Pandora is finished because they take too long to build things.
But sometimes the things people complain about on here are nitpicky (probably not a word) - and some of the same people have been complaining about the same things since 2013 when I started planning last years trip - I truly wonder..why are you still going?

 

[Fizban]

Well first, they increase prices every year anyhow. Second if that is what they are paying bathroom attendants at Disney(15 to 20%) of the ticket price increase I am in, I'll send my resume. Millions of dollars divided by the restroom staff WOW!

Take the number of bathrooms in all of the parks, mutiply them by at least 2 shifts of full time employees, multiply that by minimum wage to make math easy, mutiply that times 1.20% (to cover employee benefits/taxes/etc). and tell me how much of those "millions" you will get to split. Business math is a little more complicated.

 

[itchin2go]

Take the number of bathrooms in all of the parks, mutiply them by at least 2 shifts of full time employees, multiply that by minimum wage to make math easy, mutiply that times 1.20% (to cover employee benefits/taxes/etc). and tell me how much of those "millions" you will get to split. Business math is a little more complicated.

What about the people who are currently assigned to cleaning the bathrooms? What will they do? Where will their wages go? You're right. It's complicated.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

But sometimes the things people complain about on here are nitpicky

Sometimes, sure. And in those instances, it's fine to point that out. However, there are plenty of times someone has a legitimate complaint, like broken glass in a hotel room, and people mobilize and rally to the defense of Disney like it's some helpless, under-represented entity. It gets exhausting watching people fall on the sword for Disney when there's nothing wrong with expecting things that Disney has been providing for decades. People are right, Disney doesn't have to do all of the smaller details that so many of us have come to expect (based on a precedent that Disney themselves have set). But isn't that what they advertise themselves as? Isn't that what they charge guests for? If we should all be expected to make our own magic, why not just go to a local theme park for half the cost and make magic there? We go to Disney parks because they offer a premium experience (at a premium price).

 

[amg35]

Sometimes, sure. And in those instances, it's fine to point that out. However, there are plenty of times someone has a legitimate complaint, like broken glass in a hotel room, and people mobilize and rally to the defense of Disney like it's some helpless, under-represented entity. It gets exhausting watching people fall on the sword for Disney when there's nothing wrong with expecting things that Disney has been providing for decades. People are right, Disney doesn't have to do all of the smaller details that so many of us have come to expect (based on a precedent that Disney themselves have set). But isn't that what they advertise themselves as? Isn't that what they charge guests for? If we should all be expected to make our own magic, why not just go to a local theme park for half the cost and make magic there? We go to Disney parks because they offer a premium experience (at a premium price).

And in the rest of my post, I pointed out my experiences and I still see the details, sorry my experiences don't jive with yours.

And broken glass? Sure, it's an issue and go ahead and make the complaint.
And find me another theme park as beautiful and immersive as Animal Kingdom...I'll be there tomorrow!!

Universal? You bet! But I'm spending just as much there!