Has Disney dropped the magic ball?

[nilla]

What creates the magic for me is attractions that actually work. I don't really pay much attention to the bathrooms but I do know when Tigger bounces, the fish jump at SM and a paperboy not selling newspapers down a dark alley. I'm fairly sure I'd get in trouble if I tried to create my own magic by fixing things they've neglected for years.

Not true! I create my own magic at Splash Mountain by focusing on the hundreds of things inside the attraction that DO work, rather than letting non-jumping fish bring me down.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Not true! I create my own magic at Splash Mountain by focusing on the hundreds of things inside the attraction that DO work, rather than letting non-jumping fish bring me down.

I'm despondent if the water under the turtles isn't working.

 

[Planogirl]

Disney has changed IMO and it isn't just about the bathrooms. Has it changed enough to make a difference in people's enjoyment of the parks? For some yes and some no. "Magic" is in the eyes of the beholder after all.

 

[nilla]

I'm despondent if the water under the turtles isn't working.

Actually, we do prefer if the water is jumping across the boat path

But it's not a deal-breaker if it doesn't.

I'm dating myself here, but I remember when Sega released a version of the hit arcade game "Altered Beast" for its Genesis home game system. After showing a friend what an awesome recreation of the arcade game it was, all he could say in response was, "you mean the wolves don't glow?"

Attitude is everything! You can turn just about any situation into a bad one if you focus on the negatives.

 

[itchin2go]

Actually, we do prefer if the water is jumping across the boat path

But it's not a deal-breaker if it doesn't.

I'm dating myself here, but I remember when Sega released a version of the hit arcade game "Altered Beast" for its Genesis home game system. After showing a friend what an awesome recreation of the arcade game it was, all he could say in response was, "you mean the wolves don't glow?"

Attitude is everything! You can turn just about any situation into a bad one if you focus on the negatives.

You can, but is it reasonable to expect things to work, given what we pay for tickets?

I alluded to this before. Of course, you shouldn't let one little thing bring you down, but does that mean you shouldn't expect a lot out of a company such as Disney?

Why do some people automatically assume that OP needs an attitude adjustment? What if her attitude is great and she's legitimately having kind of a crappy trip?

I just know if I'm having a rough day - a legitimate downer of a day due to things beyond my control, I wouldn't want to come here and have people tell me that my attitude is the problem.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Attitude is everything! You can turn just about any situation into a bad one if you focus on the negatives.

I could be wrong, but I don't think anyone is disputing that. The question seems to have evolved into: after having spent thousands of dollars, should you have to create your own magic? Obviously Disney can't upgrade every guest or let every family be showcased in the welcome show, but the initial post did specify smaller touches, not grand gestures.

 

[cakebaker]

We are here right now too and I can confirm what the OP has said about bathrooms being less than tidy. We have also encountered some rude cast members, which makes me sad. We look for ways to make our own manic and are very low maitenence guests, but the attitude of some (not all) CM's has surprised me. Great example, we were in the FP line for mine train yesterday. A couple walks up to 3 CM who were manning the line and asks where the non FP line started. One CM pointed in the general direction. The couple left and the CM says sarcastically to the other one "I hate when they talk to me, just get I line OK". It wasn't very nice to say the least.

Did you get the name of the CM and report this?

I know I sound like a broken record, but it amazes me that experiences I would consider to be absolutely over the top get reported here, where it helps no one except for venting, but invariably no one goes and reports these over the top incidences to guest services where it can do some good.

We were there in June of this year. Heat indexes of over 100, very crowded many days. We didn't experience anything close to this in the parks.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

You can, but is it reasonable to expect things to work, given what we pay for tickets?

No. Not EVERY ride, EVERY time. Not possible. Not every employee being perfectly magical all the time. Not every bathroom being pristine every time. Not possible. Objectively not feasible.

Since we don't have an objective measure as to how any of these things are trending over time, we are left with our subjective, anecdotal experiences.

Everyone has a different threshold -- when broken ride features, rude CM's, or messy bathrooms get to the point where they dampen enjoyment. This is all subjective.

We've had some trips where it seemed like a lot of ride features were breaking down. Then the next trip, just about all seemed to be working. There is no way that this impacted how we would have rated our overall enjoyment of each of these trips. Subjective.

I've shared my thoughts... I'm off to try to plan a SWW forever in advance, and without dates even being released...

 

[Ariel8676]

I responded earlier in this thread..and I honestly feel bad for the families that do not enjoy their trips. With that being said, yes WDW and Disneyland do cost a lot of money. Not everyone is going to receive free gifts, upgrades, towel animals, extra fast passes, etc., I am always so happy for those that do..it wouldn't make my trip any less enjoyable if i didn't receive "extras". Bathrooms should be clean, i agree, but I wouldn't let it ruin my trip..i am more bothered by people not washing their hands when leaving the restroom lol
Cast members should be nice and happy, it's their job i get it..but what if someone just screamed at them for something beyond their control and you just so happened to be the next person they saw..CM's are human and i have seen some REALLY bad guest behavior.
Maybe I am just so happy to be in Disney with my family that I don't let little things bother me or ruin my trip. I spend a lot of money to take a family of 6 to WDW and we try to be as easy going as possible. The "magic'' you make is up to you.. maybe stop and think that there are many children and adults that have never and will never have the chance to go to a Disney park, and instead of focusing on the negatives realize how lucky you are! <3
Enjoy your day everyone

 

[River Country]

 

[anniemae]

I think its a combination of things. First, the summer is the worst in terms of heat, humidity and crowds. People, including cm's, are cranky, hot and tired.

Also, I think Disney is more crowded than ever and it makes it harder to keep things clean. The mass of people that goes through the parks on a daily basis is staggering and difficult to keep up with.

I also believe Disney is now going for quantity over quality. In the old days, there were not the crowds there are now. It was easier to create magic, cm were more "professionals." Now, they seem like any workers at your local taco bell. I think folks have come to expect the Disney of the past. Unfortunately, the past is gone and this is the new Disney.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Did you get the name of the CM and report this?

I know I sound like a broken record, but it amazes me that experiences I would consider to be absolutely over the top get reported here, where it helps no one except for venting, but invariably no one goes and reports these over the top incidences to guest services where it can do some good.

We were there in June of this year. Heat indexes of over 100, very crowded many days. We didn't experience anything close to this in the parks.

Maybe it's just me, but something has to be absolutely egregious for me to decide to waste any time on my vacation complaining. Disney isn't new to the theme park business...they should know, without relying on guest complaints, how often bathrooms need to be cleaned and whether effects on their rides are broken down. More power to you if you think standing in line to complain about dirty bathrooms--which will probably be cleaned by the time you get through said line and someone goes to check on them--on your vacation.

I have sent emails with comments AFTER vacation. I've received zero responses to any of those emails, other than the auto-reply "We'll respond in 7 days" that they send out to everything. And I know they read them...I also take time to email about amazing CMs we've come across and I consistently get responses to those emails.

As for the OP...having been to Disney a couple times during the summer, I will say that people, including CMs, on average seem grumpier than at other times of the year when we've visited. I think it's a combination of the heat and the crowds. You're right that it's not very magical, but in this case, I tend to give the CMs a pass because I think working outside in those uniforms all summer would be horrid.

 

[socrateze]

Perhaps, but just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it can't happen. We've seen large numbers of people hit up bathrooms. They weren't tour groups- it was a mass of folks exiting a show. That can easily have an effect on the cleanliness of a bathroom.

Yes of course it can, but Disney knows that this happens every time a show lets out. So the custodial staff should be there. This is a predictable occurrence.

However, the OP and the PP who are there now, both said the restrooms are filthy and neither person said large tour groups were to blame. Another poster who isn't there presented this as a possible cause.

 

[itchin2go]

I could be wrong, but I don't think anyone is disputing that. The question seems to have evolved into: after having spent thousands of dollars, should you have to create your own magic? Obviously Disney can't upgrade every guest or let every family be showcased in the welcome show, but the initial post did specify smaller touches, not grand gestures.

Right. Take this whole attitude adjustment thing to the max. All the way to worst case scenario. What if nothing's working, if everybody's grumpy, if all the food is cold and gross. Is the attitude the problem then? Of course, we're not nearly to that worst case scenario, but how far do we have to get before people are willing to hold Disney accountable?

To be perfectly clear, it just seems like every time there's a thread like this, people tell the OP that they need to adjust their attitude, lower their expectations, just be happy they're not at work, don't have cancer, etc. If you legitimately have a bad or disappointing experience with a company, is this what you want to be told?

Comcast has been KILLING me lately - not literally of course. But service keeps going out, and my boxes keep dying and every time something happens, it takes at least 3 phone calls of an hour apiece to make any headway. Two days ago, I think it was 7 calls total. It is wearing me out. Now, sure, I don't have a terminal disease (that I'm aware of), and while I'm making these calls, I'm in the air conditioned comfort of my home. Heck, I can even sit on the couch and (assuming comcast is working) surf the net while I'm on the phone. Does any of that mean I don't have a legitimate gripe?

 

[Dr Gevil]

$105.00 tickets to Magic Kingdom

$400 per night deluxe resort

Being expected to create your own magic at Disney...Priceless.

And those are great tools that I use (although not at those prices I pay for them) to create my own magic while on vacation at WDW. Someone once said a great craftsman doesn't blame his tools.........

 

[wdwrich]

Yes of course it can, but Disney knows that this happens every time a show lets out. So the custodial staff should be there. This is a predictable occurrence.

However, the OP and the PP who are there now, both said the restrooms are filthy and neither person said large tour groups were to blame. Another poster who isn't there presented this as a possible cause.

The point was that the poster I responded to seemed to be stating that because he/she hasn't seen large groups descending on a rest room, that it wasn't happening. My reply was to state that it can/does happen because we had seen it. Nevertheless, in no way was I trying to imply that the restrooms shouldn't be maintained in an acceptable manner.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

To answer your question - not for us. WDW changes as everything changes, but it is still the most "magical" place in the world for us.

 

[Dr Gevil]

Right. Take this whole attitude adjustment thing to the max. All the way to worst case scenario. What if nothing's working, if everybody's grumpy, if all the food is cold and gross. Is the attitude the problem then? Of course, we're not nearly to that worst case scenario, but how far do we have to get before people are willing to hold Disney accountable?

To be perfectly clear, it just seems like every time there's a thread like this, people tell the OP that they need to adjust their attitude, lower their expectations, just be happy they're not at work, don't have cancer, etc. If you legitimately have a bad or disappointing experience with a company, is this what you want to be told?

Comcast has been KILLING me lately - not literally of course. But service keeps going out, and my boxes keep dying and every time something happens, it takes at least 3 phone calls of an hour apiece to make any headway. Two days ago, I think it was 7 calls total. It is wearing me out. Now, sure, I don't have a terminable disease (that I'm aware of), and while I'm making these calls, I'm in the air conditioned comfort of my home. Heck, I can even sit on the couch and (assuming comcast is working) surf the net while I'm on the phone. Does any of that mean I don't have a legitimate gripe?

Well Comcast is the devil incarnate , so not really a fair comparison. Your gripe was legitimate as soon as you said Comcast. Dealing with a dirty bathroom is way easier than navigating that Customer Service phone tree. I feel your pain.

 

[socrateze]

Right. Take this whole attitude adjustment thing to the max. All the way to worst case scenario. What if nothing's working, if everybody's grumpy, if all the food is cold and gross. Is the attitude the problem then? Of course, we're not nearly to that worst case scenario, but how far do we have to get before people are willing to hold Disney accountable?

To be perfectly clear, it just seems like every time there's a thread like this, people tell the OP that they need to adjust their attitude, lower their expectations, just be happy they're not at work, don't have cancer, etc. If you legitimately have a bad or disappointing experience with a company, is this what you want to be told?

Comcast has been KILLING me lately - not literally of course. But service keeps going out, and my boxes keep dying and every time something happens, it takes at least 3 phone calls of an hour apiece to make any headway. Two days ago, I think it was 7 calls total. It is wearing me out. Now, sure, I don't have a terminal disease (that I'm aware of), and while I'm making these calls, I'm in the air conditioned comfort of my home. Heck, I can even sit on the couch and (assuming comcast is working) surf the net while I'm on the phone. Does any of that mean I don't have a legitimate gripe?

this is a great post, thank you!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

If the parks are crowded, shouldn't Disney have enough custodial staff to make sure the bathrooms are clean?

Let's face it. Some people are slobs. And some men seem to think that if Disney doesn't have an employee to lift the seat before they pee, then Disney deserves to have the seat peed on. And that is nothing compared to how some women trash the rest room. Unfortunately, Disney can't send a custodian in after every guest or the bathrooms would be down more than they're up. It's a catch 22 for them. And if that one slob messes things up just after a rotation, well someone either has to report it or it's going to be there for a bit. And some people can't be bothered to walk 3 steps to the next empty trash can. I'm sometimes amazed that Disney doesn't end up a total trash dump at the end of the day.