Has Disney dropped the magic ball?

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I believe if I was the staff, I would be overwhelmed and go home crying. It WAS BAD. Like, each stall I went to check and had to pass on. I'm not talking out of TP and bits of it everywhere not clean. I'm talking stuff from bodies. I think animals may have been cleaner...(at least mine try to dig it lol). In seriousness, They need at least two dedicated bathroom attendants for this stuff and then they need a stiff drink when they get home! This is a sheer lack of employee support. I can see a few stalls here and there, but this many bad ones???! This is a cut back management problem....

The way many slobs act in the bathroom, maybe they should have one of those two way camera and microphones like the tree at AK and the trash can at MK.

Timmy Toilet: HEY, WHAT ARE YOU PISSING ON THE FLOOR FOR!!! Now Step up to the bowl like a real man and make it a double.

Hey. Flush me. Step on that switch on the floor. Now you're a floor flusher. HEHEHEHEHE.

 

[flicx]

And if they had one for every bathroom, people would complain the bathroom were being closed too often for checks.

Usually an attendant cleans the whole time while on duty. No need to close anything. I used to marvel how many people Disney had walking around with little dust pans and brooms.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Usually an attendant cleans the whole time while on duty. No need to close anything. I used to marvel how many people Disney had walking around with little dust pans and brooms.

Nobody can use the stall while the attendant is cleaning it.

I can hear it now. I had to wait because the attendant is in there. And I didn't get my towel animals.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

@gdrj Totally agreed. Those canNOT be the clothes half of the visitors planned to wear on literally half of them, right? I mean, what are the odds allllll of them lost their luggage and then had to buy their clothes in the kiddie section at Walmart?!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Uh nobody can use the stall while the attendant is cleaning it.

Oh boy would I gladly wait!!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Oh boy would I gladly wait!!

I would too. But there's always somebody.

 

[Grandma G]

Usually an attendant cleans the whole time while on duty. No need to close anything. I used to marvel how many people Disney had walking around with little dust pans and brooms.

Too, when there is a neatly uniformed and watchful attendant present - in charge - and obviously working very diligently to maintain its cleanliness, I would think that the behavior of a great many of its patrons might improve - magically.

ETA: Because (I would also think), as do the guests in our homes, WDW's visitors tend to honor the expectations and respect the values made apparent by its appearance and by its host's - the-chicken-who-came-first's - own behaviors. And, if it becomes obvious that those expectations and values have changed, their conduct will either follow suit or - in greater numbers and with greater frequency - they will decline its invitations and gradually - by its owner's design or default - disappear from the guest list.

 

[Disneyholic]

For those of you who are upset about no towel animals, just google towel animal instructions & you can make your own. We went to classes on our DCL cruises to learn towel folding & napkin folding. It is really fun to make them. When we were driving home we stopped at a Holiday Inn and before we left I made a towel animal bunny and left the tip between it's paws. Just wish I could have seen the housekeepers face when they found it.

It's takes time to make up towel animals. There is a give and take here. Towel animals in your room or your room being clean and ready on time or early. A lot of people complain because it took so long to get their room. Think about it.

Learn to make your own Magical towel animals and maybe make some magic for the Mousekeepers.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I have been in management for two decades and this is simply not true. Sure, a pay raise would increase morale for a while, but only for a while. Once they became accustomed to their "new normal", they would default back to whatever their normal behavior is. Now, Disney used to do a lot better job screening applicants and they used to offer far more customer service training for CMs, so Disney does have a hand in the decline in customer service. But the reality is that a person's behavior is dictated by their character, not by their pay scale.

Customer service - either you get it or you don't. Money does not change a person's "give a hoot". In today's culture, you have to monitor and reward good customer service while firing anyone who does not reach your bar of excellence. Rewards do not have to be monetary to be well received.

There are many books out there about this.

Nevertheless, CMs are underpaid, and that can't help but affect how much they want to do a good job, and how much they care about keeping their job. In Walt's day, working at Disneyland was a career, not a Mcjob. Today, it's a minimum wage grind for employees who will jump ship if/when they get anything better.

As for Disney's training standards, I have read that they have gone downhill. So I agree with you there.

 

[DoingDisney]

I have been in management for two decades and this is simply not true. Sure, a pay raise would increase morale for a while, but only for a while. Once they became accustomed to their "new normal", they would default back to whatever their normal behavior is. Now, Disney used to do a lot better job screening applicants and they used to offer far more customer service training for CMs, so Disney does have a hand in the decline in customer service. But the reality is that a person's behavior is dictated by their character, not by their pay scale.

Customer service - either you get it or you don't. Money does not change a person's "give a hoot". In today's culture, you have to monitor and reward good customer service while firing anyone who does not reach your bar of excellence. Rewards do not have to be monetary to be well received.

There are many books out there about this.

There is a ton of research that contradicts this exactly. All things held equally a higher wage makes workers more productive, more committed and value their jobs more. This is true in the long term as well as the short. It is not associated with a pay increase but rather a fair wage. I am sure a simple googling of wage and morale will tell you the same. Where as I very much doubt that in management you increased your subordinates pay to see how they responded in the long run. But don't worry the research has been done fir you ... you just need to read it.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

There is a ton of research that contradicts this exactly. All things held equally a higher wage makes workers more productive, more committed and value their jobs more. This is true in the long term as well as the short. It is not associated with a pay increase but rather a fair wage. I am sure a simple googling of wage and morale will tell you the same. Where as I very much doubt that in management you increased your subordinates pay to see how they responded in the long run. But don't worry the research has been done fir you ... you just need to read it.

Sorry, you are wrong. Show me the research that demonstrates that a person in a low paying job performs better over time when paid more, but remains in a low paying job - and let's be clear, most of the CM jobs are and will always be low paying jobs. This is low/no skill labor. I read things like Harvard's Business Review every day. This is what I do, and do quite well. There are ways to properly motivate and incentivize these employees, but paying them well above market for their labor is not the answer, now or ever. Now, if you are suggesting that they should have better career opportunities that would bring better pay over time, then I agree. This is an incentive program that works consistently because it demonstrates to an employee that their hard work is being noticed and that they are valued.

As for customer service - this is something that a person is born with, or not. Some people are meant to be in front of a customer, and some simply are not. No amount of training (or money) will help those who are not customer focused by nature become even good at customer service, but proper training can make a huge difference to those who are and want to get even better. Again, decades of experience here.

The answer isn't a higher pay scale that is not sustainable - it is in good management programs like employee recognition, incentives and disincentives (with a primary focus on the positive), and training. People love or hate their jobs based on how they are treated at work, not how they are paid.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

For those of you who are upset about no towel animals, just google towel animal instructions & you can make your own. We went to classes on our DCL cruises to learn towel folding & napkin folding. It is really fun to make them. When we were driving home we stopped at a Holiday Inn and before we left I made a towel animal bunny and left the tip between it's paws. Just wish I could have seen the housekeepers face when they found it.

It's takes time to make up towel animals. There is a give and take here. Towel animals in your room or your room being clean and ready on time or early. A lot of people complain because it took so long to get their room. Think about it.

Learn to make your own Magical towel animals and maybe make some magic for the Mousekeepers.

This is a great tip!

Other things you can do to make things easier on housekeeping:
-Bring some counter and floor cleaner with you. Before you leave for the parks each day, wipe down and clean your hotel bathroom. Think of the time housekeeping can save if they don't have to clean every guests' bathroom.

-Obviously no one expect you to pack a vacuum cleaner, but if you bring a broom and dustpan you can sweep up your room every day, which should help minimize the amount of time housekeeping spends in a single room.

-Quit leaving unmade beds for the maids to deal with. Each resort offers laundromats. If you wash your sheets after sleeping in them and make your own bed, voila! Less time the maids are spent doing something we can do ourselves.

Give a little, get a little.

 

[socrateze]

Nobody can use the stall while the attendant is cleaning it.

I can hear it now. I had to wait because the attendant is in there. And I didn't get my towel animals.

So that's a great reason not to have enough staff available to clean the restrooms? Personally, I'd rather walk into a clean restroom and wait for a stall, then walk into a dirty bathroom with no wait. I also don't think there would be complaints.

 

[socrateze]

Sorry, you are wrong. Show me the research that demonstrates that a person in a low paying job performs better over time when paid more, but remains in a low paying job - and let's be clear, most of the CM jobs are and will always be low paying jobs. This is low/no skill labor. I read things like Harvard's Business Review every day. This is what I do, and do quite well. There are ways to properly motivate and incentivize these employees, but paying them well above market for their labor is not the answer, now or ever. Now, if you are suggesting that they should have better career opportunities that would bring better pay over time, then I agree. This is an incentive program that works consistently because it demonstrates to an employee that their hard work is being noticed and that they are valued.

As for customer service - this is something that a person is born with, or not. Some people are meant to be in front of a customer, and some simply are not. No amount of training (or money) will help those who are not customer focused by nature become even good at customer service, but proper training can make a huge difference to those who are and want to get even better. Again, decades of experience here.

The answer isn't a higher pay scale that is not sustainable - it is in good management programs like employee recognition, incentives and disincentives (with a primary focus on the positive), and training. People love or hate their jobs based on how they are treated at work, not how they are paid.

Disney uses college program because it's the lowest paying of the low. In some cases this is reflected in their poor performance.

But some Disney's fulltime CM's don't make enough to support themselves, I'm referring to the housekeepers, maintenance, and gardeners. Yes, they could work elsewhere, but in Orlando they're probably not going to find better pay, unless it's government mandated.

 

[GreatLakes]

And why don't we all run the rides so the CMs can ride them instead of us while we pay for our vacations too !?!?!

Running the rides is a core component of a ride operator's job just as cleaning your room is a core component of housekeeping's. Making towel animals is not now, nor has it ever been, a core component of housekeeping's job. It was something little they would do in a few rooms a day to add a little extra for those few guests. Once it became expected because little Johnny or Jane would be so upset without them it ate up too much housekeeping time and was stopped.

As I said in the second post in this thread what was once done spontaneously and rarely gets spread around on the Internet and becomes an entitlement. Once that happens management has to decide if it is worth the headaches to deal with the complaints from people who weren't granted the extra that day, worth the cost in time to do it for everyone or even the majority, or just stop the practice all together. The third option will pretty much always be the most logical choice.

The best way to keep these little magic things coming is to not complain, either on message boards or to customer service, if you don't get them. Actually it is best if you don't publicize the extras so they don't become abused. Enjoy it and keep it to yourself instead.

 

[MrInfinity]

Disney uses college program because it's the lowest paying of the low. In some cases this is reflected in their poor performance.

But some Disney's fulltime CM's don't make enough to support themselves, I'm referring to the housekeepers, maintenance, and gardeners. Yes, they could work elsewhere, but in Orlando they're probably not going to find better pay, unless it's government mandated.

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.

 

[BugsDaddy]

I didn't read through every post but I will say that Disney bears the responsibility for making sure they provide their customers with clean parks (and bathrooms) and a good customer service experience. That is the least you should expect with the price of admission.

That being said, we are a society that is being accustomed to instant gratification. There are people who, when they go to Disney, expect "magic on demand". It's a plague of self-entitlement that I think is a sad statement of where we are at as a society.

There are certain things that Disney can control and some things more difficult to control. Rides breaking down are probably one of those things that are unpredictable. And by the way, happen in every park (even the beloved Universal) all of the time.

 

[socrateze]

I didn't read through every post but I will say that Disney bears the responsibility for making sure they provide their customers with clean parks (and bathrooms) and a good customer service experience. That is the least you should expect with the price of admission.

That being said, we are a society that is being accustomed to instant gratification. There are people who, when they go to Disney, expect "magic on demand". It's a plague of self-entitlement that I think is a sad statement of where we are at as a society.

There are certain things that Disney can control and some things more difficult to control. Rides breaking down are probably one of those things that are unpredictable. And by the way, happen in every park (even the beloved Universal) all of the time.

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.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

That being said, we are a society that is being accustomed to instant gratification. There are people who, when they go to Disney, expect "magic on demand". It's a plague of self-entitlement that I think is a sad statement of where we are at as a society.

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

 

[3DisneyFanz]

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.