Has Disney dropped the magic ball?

[DisneyPrince1982]

The OP posted a question followed by a complaint. It is only logical that when a question is posed people will answer it. I personally have not experienced rude CMs or what I would consider dirty bathrooms and don't feel as though my trip this year was any less magical then every previous trip I've taken. Therefore my answer to the OP's question of "Has Disney dropped the magic ball?" is no, they haven't.

It was a rhetorical question. The OP's mind is already made up that Disney has indeed dropped the magic ball.

 

[Aliceacc]

We had some Magic in 2012.

My husband had a medical crisis on our last evening in WDW, and the ER staff wanted to admit him. I went to the BC desk in tears. I had no idea of how to pack up a few thousands of dollars in photography equipment, I didn't know what to do about my plane tickets in the event that he did get admitted, my kids and I were worried sick. I was a blubbering mess.

The BC staff did everything in their power to help us. They comped my husband's cab fare to and from the ER. (He was released that night, but got right to the doctor at home and spent about a week in the hospital.) They got his prescription to us in record time once it arrived at the BC. And they gave us the use of our room the next day right up until DME arrived to pick us up.

After I wrote to thank the staff of the BC, we got both a letter and a phone call thanking us for the note and inquiring after my husband's health.

You can keep your towel animals-- Disney took care of my family when things got rough.

 

[socrateze]

We had some Magic in 2012.

My husband had a medical crisis on our last evening in WDW, and the ER staff wanted to admit him. I went to the BC desk in tears. I had no idea of how to pack up a few thousands of dollars in photography equipment, I didn't know what to do about my plane tickets in the event that he did get admitted, my kids and I were worried sick. I was a blubbering mess.

The BC staff did everything in their power to help us. They comped my husband's cab fare to and from the ER. (He was released that night, but got right to the doctor at home and spent about a week in the hospital.) They got his prescription to us in record time once it arrived at the BC. And they gave us the use of our room the next day right up until DME arrived to pick us up.

After I wrote to thank the staff of the BC, we got both a letter and a phone call thanking us for the note and inquiring after my husband's health.

You can keep your towel animals-- Disney took care of my family when things got rough.

That's a great story, but I think people would have the same experience at most hotels or cruise lines. I think human nature kicks in and people are willing to help.

My father had a major health crisis on a Mediterranean cruise. the cruise staff packed everything, arranged travel home, and provided free transportation to the airport. A representative from the ship accompanied them until my parents were on the plane heading home.

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

College employees are the perfect fit. Theme park jobs (not just Disney, but Cedar Point Six Flags and so on) require minimal career skills, are seasonal, and often part-time. So suggesting raising the minimum wage is fine if that's your thing, but theme park workers will always be some of the lowest paid on the overall scale. Therefore one can always say they are underpaid no matter how high you raise the minimum. Difference between a theme park and McDonalds is at a theme park, the work is desirable, even at minimum wage. Gardener / housekeeper... why should a Gardener or housekeeper in Disney earn more than a gardener or housekeeper that works at a hotel across the street? They actually have an intrinsically more desirable job.

So I guess if you're going to say CM's don't make enough... you have to say if you are advocating raising minimum wage for all or just raising Disney CM pay, and then address if the people they're paid more than also deserve to make enough to support themselves. So it's not as easy as to just say everyone should be paid more and Disney is the villain. It's more complicated than that.

The problem is that no company is going to cut into their profits so if they raise the minimum wage then prices go up. If food, gas, etc prices go up then the living wage will have to go up again or we're back to square one. The only solution would be to first fix the way company and shareholders reward the top executives. Our country's CEO pay scale is almost double the next highest paid country. It's worse compared to average countries. The problem starts at the top and so the solution will also have to start there.

This also is the cause of staff cutbacks and training cutbacks. If the higher ups can make the profits look bigger by cutting things then they get rewarded. They would have to see a spending drop correlated to the cutbacks to motivate them to fix it.

 

[Aliceacc]

Perhaps it would be the same elsewhere. I'll cross my fingers that I never have to find out.

But my point was that I've found all the "magic" I need. I really, really don't need a towel shaped like an animal to make my vacation "magic." We just returned from a "magic" vacation in upstate NY. Nope, no towel animals. But a week together as a family, lots of laughs, accommodations that were as promised, lots of good meals... it was a wonderful vacation.

I think that people, particularly on these boards, get way too caught up in "someone else got something, so it's NOT FAIR if I don't get it as well." That's why the Coral Reef no longer offers personalized menus or signs by the divers-- because instead of it being an incredibly cool treat, it was something everyone "deserved." It's why towel animals changed from a wonderful surprise for the kids into something to complain about.

Now I think we can all agree that everyone "deserves" a clean bathroom and polite interactions with the staff, regardless of where they vacation. But if I've ever come across those issues, they weren't severe enough to remember.

Any time I've been at WDW, I've left with wonderful memories of our time together as a family. That's all the magic I'm looking for.

 

[MataHari22]

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.

After many years of jobs working with the public and then, being the General Manager of two stores, (a quick service restaurant and a national chain shoe store) some of it can be cut backs and labor control, but I think it's also harder because of the change in the customers and their sometimes lack, of cleaning up after themselves. I know over the years, I have always had the same level of cleanliness expectations for me and for my staff, and we had the same policy and procedures in place, but towards the end years of when I was working, it was definitely harder to maintain cleanliness in both the restrooms, and in the lobby of the restaurant (or on the sales floor). I saw more and more people, who just didn't care. I would watch people's children literally throw food and packaging on the floor, stick gum in places..... and the parents, never said a word, and didn't bother to clean up after their children. Staff was expected to do it. Heck, I have even seen adults making a complete mess and not bothering to even attempt to clean up after themselves. When I was younger, I didn't see nearly as much of this type of thing. People had more accountability. The things I have personally had to clean up in my stores' restrooms, I cannot even post here, because it's so gross. A heavily used restroom, can go south in a surprisingly short period of time. And once one person leaves one little scrap of paper on the floor, others see it and don't care, and if something drops, they leave it. It can snowball quickly. I'm not saying that a consistently dirty restroom is acceptable by any means, but I am saying that even at the best places that are dedicated to cleanliness and good service, at times, it can happen.
Just something of what I have seen over the years.

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

The truth is that those escalators are not causing such an issue for the average park guest enough to affect park attendance in a negative way. No one is canceling their Disney trip because an escalator doesn't work. That doesn't make it right but that is the reason. If these things were significant issues that most guests were worried about to the extent of not giving Disney their money, there would probably be some change there. The fact is, those issues along with other issues discussed on this thread are insignificant to a great many guests.

But the problem is it multiplies. So then it's the escalators, a dirty screen in Soarin, Splash has never had everything working for at least a few years, Some of the animatronics in Bear Jamboree had problems our last 2 visits (pointing to the fact that it wasn't fixed over that 3 year time span as it was the same issue)the Yeti stopped working I believe the first year (This one makes me sad as I never got to see the full Yeti or the steam effect and we had been so excited to go that year based on the commercials about this attraction. ) and the list goes on. I don't know but for their premium charges they should at least offer a better maintained park.

 

[itchin2go]

The truth is that those escalators are not causing such an issue for the average park guest enough to affect park attendance in a negative way. No one is canceling their Disney trip because an escalator doesn't work. That doesn't make it right but that is the reason. If these things were significant issues that most guests were worried about to the extent of not giving Disney their money, there would probably be some change there. The fact is, those issues along with other issues discussed on this thread are insignificant to a great many guests.

Bugs - you are right. That's what Disney execs are banking on. Cut costs here and there, and sure the parks suffer a bit, but most won't care. I resent that sentiment. I just do. I will keep paying rising ticket prices if Disney keeps up their end of the bargain. Fix broken things. Clean dirty things.

But the problem is it multiplies. So then it's the escalators, a dirty screen in Soarin, Splash has never had everything working for at least a few years, Some of the animatronics in Bear Jamboree had problems our last 2 visits (pointing to the fact that it wasn't fixed over that 2 year time span as it was the same issue)the Yeti stopped working I believe the first year (This one makes me sad as I never got to see the full Yeti or the steam effect and we had been so excited to go that year based on the commercials about this attraction. ) and the list goes on. I don't know but for their premium charges they should at least offer a better maintained park.

Just - dead on right. One little thing will not cause people to cancel vacations, but letting one little thing go doesn't result in much cost savings, so it's many little things that are left hanging.

I get that so far they don't add up to much for some people, but I see more than a few isolated incidents. I see a new path for DisneyWorld, and I'm worried it's the wrong path, and I don't want to see them go much further down it.

 

[JimmyV]

There is simply no way that cost cutting won't reveal itself in certain ways, many of which will appear as "slippage" in the magic. Disney, (like all companies), has engaged in cost cutting and staffing reductions. Now, if a company were to do that and maintain 100% of its previous level of service, that would be magical indeed! Alas, this is the real world.

Emblematic of all of this are the comments on towel animals. The OP states that they did not receive any, and that this is a noticeable difference (in the negative column). Others chime in and say that towel animals have been gone for a while now, as if this is somehow supposed to negate the OP's sense of a noticed decline in details. But doesn't that simply prove the OP's point? Towel animals used to be "common magic", and now they are gone. It really doesn't matter when they disappeared, does it? And it doesn't really matter that the change is "across all Disney properties". The OP's point is that they used to get them, and now they don't. Indeed, the fact that this is a change across all Disney properties goes to prove that this was an intentional cutback. The Mousekeepers didn't unilaterally, and simultaneously decide on their own to stop making them. They had to have been told to stop making them. Why? Perhaps Mousekeepers spend two fewer minutes in each room that they service, and thus can attend to more rooms in a day, and hence, Disney can cut back its staffing. So when someone notices things like towel animals missing, or trash cans full, or bathrooms that are not as tidy as before, you can chalk it up to cause and effect. The cause is cost cutting and the effect is a perceived decline in details. Disney is gambling that most people won't notice or won't care. But when a Dis'er who has been going for many years does notice, we should be neither surprised nor critical of their post.

 

[barbliny]

I just came back from a stay at Port Orleans Riverside. One day our large group scattered - a couple to Blizzard Beach, a few to MK, a couple chose to visit Harry. I chose to sleep in, do some laundry while enjoying the quiet pool. There was a young male CM that was riding a bicycle around the area, and he would stop and ask guests if they were enjoying themselves, needed anything, etc. There was an older woman who came to sit with a glass of water at one of the tables when I started the laundry process. I walked over to the food court and had breakfast, returned to transfer the laundry to the dryer and she was still sitting at the table. The young man was engaged in a conversation with her as I exited the laundry room 15 minutes later to go back to my room. Fast forward 20 minutes and I'm back and enjoying the warm pool and here comes the CM back on his bicycle. He went over to the table and presented the woman with a very nice soft-sided embroidered cooler filled with soda, water and snacks. She was totally surprised by the act and it kept a smile on her face for the next 1 1/2 hours she sat there. I watched her out of the corner of my eye take all of the goodies out of the bag - it seemed to never end. She left the pool area much livelier and happier than she had arrived.

Yes, I saw quite a few shortcomings at the parks and resorts, but they all paled and fell to the wayside in relation to the act of kindness from that young man.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Couldn't it have been that the CM's were just rude? Why blame the guests for the CM's being bad at their jobs? I'll never understand this type of CM apologist behavior.

No apologist about it.....guests are getting to be rude and that is happening

And they charge for it too.[/QUOTE]


And it worth the price.....

AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

And no theme park charges as much as Disney does. Therefore I hold Disney to a standard that I would never dream of holding Six Flags to.


I never limited the parks I was referring to, just 6 flags. I was refering, as I said, to all theme parks.

When commented aboutmy post, it would be best to post.all of my post not just a.small part , so myeating is clear








Couldn't it have been that the CM's were just rude? Why blame the guests for the CM's being bad at their jobs? I'll never understand this type of CM apologist behavior.

That has not been my experience and my comment offered a.number of reason why the CM may have been rude. No apologist here.

Again best to post all of my.post, not just a small part., so my meaning is clear.





Or the food could have just been bad. If I get a steak that's cooked well done when I asked for medium, or I get a saggy batch of fries, or I get a flat coca cola, I don't really think that has to do with my pallet.

As I said, l never enjoy counter service. And the hamburgerr may be bad.

I was REFFERING to table service and better food, but a guest Liking it or not likely could be subjective to their own pallet.

Again please post my whole post and not a small part part to make my meaning clear.



And they charge for

And it worth every penny.

AKK

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

Bugs - you are right. That's what Disney execs are banking on. Cut costs here and there, and sure the parks suffer a bit, but most won't care. I resent that sentiment. I just do. I will keep paying rising ticket prices if Disney keeps up their end of the bargain. Fix broken things. Clean dirty things.



Just - dead on right. One little thing will not cause people to cancel vacations, but letting one little thing go doesn't result in much cost savings, so it's many little things that are left hanging.

I get that so far they don't add up to much for some people, but I see more than a few isolated incidents. I see a new path for DisneyWorld, and I'm worried it's the wrong path, and I don't want to see them go much further down it.

Exactly, the further down the path the less it is Disney, IMO.

 

[carolnog]

I was last there in February. One a very cold day, my husband and I were sitting on a bench at the entrance of HS, waiting for my family. Out of the blue a CM - her name was Jane - started talking to us and another man who was around. We had the most lovely chat! Talked about her hometown, her job as a CM, our mutual love for everything Disney and books we'd been reading. After about half an hour she had to go to Sunset Boulevard to prep things up for Fantasmic, but she didn't leave before giving us some buttons she personalized herself with heartwarming messages.
And that is one of the most magic moments I had at the parks. I guess we cannot go expecting magic to happen, it has its own time, form and place for each of us.

 

[BugsDaddy]

So keep the service and maintenance at the lowest common denominator. Gotcha! Disney gets away with this because most guests just assume that the escalators broke down recently.

BTW, I don't just post on the boards, and I have received calls from Disney. But you know what? The issues have remained the same, so I figure sharing my displeasure on the Disboards might change something. I know that shrugging my shoulders and giving up will not cause a change.

I didn't say I agreed with their stance. You asked why and I explained it to you. Simple as that.

Sharing your displeasure on the Disboards changes absolutely nothing. It is your perogative to do so and you may gain agreement and sympathy from your fellow posters but let's not pretend that Disney looks at Disboards and makes wholesale changes based on complaints posted here. Disney is a huge corporation whose primary purpose in life is to make a profit and a healthy one at that. Now, they are also wanting to make people happy, I am sure. Who does not want a happy customer?

But if enough people make financial choices based upon their displeasure at the parks, Disney will make big changes. So far, it does not appear that things are turning in that direction, in fact, just the opposite. That gives Disney the impression that what they are doing is in line with high customer satisfaction ratings and the things perceived as "wrong", "dirty", etc are not so widespread that people will stop coming.

People are free to complain on any forum available to them. We live in a free country. And there might be personal satisfaction gained by doing so but if Disney is not listening, what is the impact?

 

[BugsDaddy]

There is simply no way that cost cutting won't reveal itself in certain ways, many of which will appear as "slippage" in the magic. Disney, (like all companies), has engaged in cost cutting and staffing reductions. Now, if a company were to do that and maintain 100% of its previous level of service, that would be magical indeed! Alas, this is the real world.

Emblematic of all of this are the comments on towel animals. The OP states that they did not receive any, and that this is a noticeable difference (in the negative column). Others chime in and say that towel animals have been gone for a while now, as if this is somehow supposed to negate the OP's sense of a noticed decline in details. But doesn't that simply prove the OP's point? Towel animals used to be "common magic", and now they are gone. It really doesn't matter when they disappeared, does it? And it doesn't really matter that the change is "across all Disney properties". The OP's point is that they used to get them, and now they don't. Indeed, the fact that this is a change across all Disney properties goes to prove that this was an intentional cutback. The Mousekeepers didn't unilaterally, and simultaneously decide on their own to stop making them. They had to have been told to stop making them. Why? Perhaps Mousekeepers spend two fewer minutes in each room that they service, and thus can attend to more rooms in a day, and hence, Disney can cut back its staffing. So when someone notices things like towel animals missing, or trash cans full, or bathrooms that are not as tidy as before, you can chalk it up to cause and effect. The cause is cost cutting and the effect is a perceived decline in details. Disney is gambling that most people won't notice or won't care. But when a Dis'er who has been going for many years does notice, we should be neither surprised nor critical of their post.

I would go as far as to say that the majority of people that would notice would be people who have been going to the park for many years. The problem is that those people also happen to be the some of the same ones who just can not resist that next trip. And they justify it many different ways; discounts, etc. Say what they will on these boards about how Disney has gone downhill, as long as they continue to give Disney their money, they are casting their vote in the affirmative for the current direction.

 

[socrateze]

I didn't say I agreed with their stance. You asked why and I explained it to you. Simple as that.

Sharing your displeasure on the Disboards changes absolutely nothing. It is your perogative to do so and you may gain agreement and sympathy from your fellow posters but let's not pretend that Disney looks at Disboards and makes wholesale changes based on complaints posted here. Disney is a huge corporation whose primary purpose in life is to make a profit and a healthy one at that. Now, they are also wanting to make people happy, I am sure. Who does not want a happy customer?

But if enough people make financial choices based upon their displeasure at the parks, Disney will make big changes. So far, it does not appear that things are turning in that direction, in fact, just the opposite. That gives Disney the impression that what they are doing is in line with high customer satisfaction ratings and the things perceived as "wrong", "dirty", etc are not so widespread that people will stop coming.

People are free to complain on any forum available to them. We live in a free country. And there might be personal satisfaction gained by doing so but if Disney is not listening, what is the impact?

We will agree to disagree about Disney monitoring this site. Every time I perform a Disney related search, the first site that pops up after the Disney company is the Disboards. So I am sure that a lot of people visit this site and read what's posted, including Disney. Heck they've hired Bloggers to talk about Disney in exchange for theme park vacations.

I also know that when a poster reveals some inside information on the Disboards about some upcoming event or movie, Disney contacts the Disboard Administration to find out the poster's identity. Pete Werner has mentioned this on his show a couple of times. So I do think Disney is monitoring the boards.

 

[Glenn]

This is following a familiar line of chat.
Towel animals are cute. Had them a couple of time & also also not alot. That doesnt break a vacation.
Bathrooms, they have gotten worse. Think its a combination of messier people and cut backs in staff. Last visit of 7 days, a few were great, most just ok, and 2 experiences were totally gross even by a guy standard. They need to higher a few more attendants to work on the busier restrooms at least.
Broker rides, Maybe the ride hasnt collapsed but when lots of it isnt working it does take the magic away. Would it be ok if most things on splash or haunted mansion werent working would the ride be the same? Escalators. not working doesnt devastate a vacation but it would be nice for them to run when its 94 with high humidity. Youd sweat less.
Food, lots have gone down hill but prices are up. Last visit 1 sitdown ,rest were counter service, eat at the hotels, even ate off site one evening with friends. Relatives with disney time share eat more in room.
Lastly I feel Disney is has really dropped the ball with overall cut backs of the whimsical stuff. Cut backs in good entertainment, less charaters around, little things like talking water fountains, mickey on napkins,and the list goes on. Yes they save money for bonuses but it reduces the experience.
End result i go less often, have cut spending on food, & dont buy much since lots is junk.

 

[DisneyPrince1982]

I also know that when a poster reveals some inside information on the Disboards about some upcoming event or movie, Disney contacts the Disboard Administration to find out the poster's identity. Pete Werner has mentioned this on his show a couple of times. So I do think Disney is monitoring the boards.

Does Pete give it?

 

[BugsDaddy]

We will agree to disagree about Disney monitoring this site. Every time I perform a Disney related search, the first site that pops up after the Disney company is the Disboards. So I am sure that a lot of people visit this site and read what's posted, including Disney. Heck they've hired Bloggers to talk about Disney in exchange for theme park vacations.

I also know that when a poster reveals some inside information on the Disboards about some upcoming event or movie, Disney contacts the Disboard Administration to find out the poster's identity. Pete Werner has mentioned this on his show a couple of times. So I do think Disney is monitoring the boards.

I didn't say they didn't monitor social media. Of course they do. I said they don't make wholesale changes based on a few complaints on an Internet message board. They understand the type of users that are most vocal on this board and recognize that they already have those people. Even if they are complaining, they are still buying tickets and making vacation plans.