Long lines and lots of trash

[LSUmiss]

It is harder and harder to find good workers everywhere, even Disney isn't immune. At one time they could be pickier but now probably not, for lots of reasons, not all their doing either, but some is for sure. They can't staff enough now so firing those who don't work isn't a good option

Luckily there are still great workers. We manged to avoid the crappy ones during our short trip, for the most part. Probably for that reason, it was short. 1 day at work each park. The only one I had significant problems with was our server at H&V.

Otherwise, everyone was great. It was DGD's birthday and she got lots of greetings and a few special acknowledgements we weren't expecting at all. She even stopped by Club Cool for her free slushier yesterday and we found it neat and the staff helpful then.

DH and I are back in April for a bit longer trip. Will be interesting to see if we find it different

Pay & good work conditions are the things that attract good workers. So many businessss including Disney have started ignoring this for awhile to maximize profits.

 

[bryanb]

Spring break is the worst "busy season" at Disney parks from a staffing perspective. I have no idea if budgets are currently being cut right now, or if there are cast member shortages, but I know this has happened back in my day.

In the spring, you have your usual base of full-time and college program cast members. But with the spikes in attendance, you have to fill in with more cast members. Local college student CMs can only work during their own spring breaks, and not all of the spring break weeks. You could try hiring more locals, but it takes time. Even if you can attract applicants, it's a waste when they can't get hours after spring break is over and people won't stick around. Plus, cast members get trained for particular locations and can't be moved around without more training which takes days and won't be efficient for casual temporary workers during this season.

As others have said, Disney doesn't want to increase the pool of full-time workers, as you have to pay them year round just to solve a problem that takes place a few weeks each spring.

So you try to stretch the staff that you have. They are forced to work longer hours with less flexibility. Otherwise, even if you have plenty of budget, you sometimes have to leave shifts unfilled because there's nobody to take them. I remember being asked to work during spring break, while I was still in school with midterms, and with flu season also hitting, they were struggling to fill the vacant shifts. They ended up not being able to expand capacity as much as they had hoped.

I don't have first hand knowledge of the current situation, but this is one reason (now as a guest) why I would prefer going during the summer rather than spring break. You're just more assured that there won't be a shortage of available labor.

 

[cindernat]

This thread is kind of gutting as we will be taking a first and once in a lifetime trip to WDW at the end of April from Australia. I had anticipated crowds and potential high wait times on certain rides but not to the extent this thread discusses. It won't be Spring Break then so I gather that's a bonus.

I'm concerned about being 'newbies' and not knowing the layout and best way to get to things in one park - let alone navigating between the parks! However I have looked at maps and have signed up to Touring Plans and have most FP+ that we wanted. I probably should not have included as much park hopping as I have, however we are going back to our DVC rental for a break after lunch each day, so I don't think it makes much difference.

We had a great experience at DLR in 2015 and I would go back in a heart beat - but I'm not sure it can be in any way compared to WDW purely because of the size of WDW (which is kinnnnnda intimidating). We will have a rental car so I am going to heavily rely on driving between the parks and to ADRs using the GPS! Or using Uber where we have an ADR or dessert party where we'd like to have a few drinks.

It is what it is, we will make the best of it.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Spring break is the worst "busy season" at Disney parks from a staffing perspective. I have no idea if budgets are currently being cut right now, or if there are cast member shortages, but I know this has happened back in my day.

In the spring, you have your usual base of full-time and college program cast members. But with the spikes in attendance, you have to fill in with more cast members. Local college student CMs can only work during their own spring breaks, and not all of the spring break weeks. You could try hiring more locals, but it takes time. Even if you can attract applicants, it's a waste when they can't get hours after spring break is over and people won't stick around. Plus, cast members get trained for particular locations and can't be moved around without more training which takes days and won't be efficient for casual temporary workers during this season.

As others have said, Disney doesn't want to increase the pool of full-time workers, as you have to pay them year round just to solve a problem that takes place a few weeks each spring.

So you try to stretch the staff that you have. They are forced to work longer hours with less flexibility. Otherwise, even if you have plenty of budget, you sometimes have to leave shifts unfilled because there's nobody to take them. I remember being asked to work during spring break, while I was still in school with midterms, and with flu season also hitting, they were struggling to fill the vacant shifts. They ended up not being able to expand capacity as much as they had hoped.

I don't have first hand knowledge of the current situation, but this is one reason (now as a guest) why I would prefer going during the summer rather than spring break. You're just more assured that there won't be a shortage of available labor.

Plus...it appears that summer is now becoming a "slower" season.

 

[pitpat]

This thread is kind of gutting as we will be taking a first and once in a lifetime trip to WDW at the end of April from Australia. I had anticipated crowds and potential high wait times on certain rides but not to the extent this thread discusses. It won't be Spring Break then so I gather that's a bonus.

I'm concerned about being 'newbies' and not knowing the layout and best way to get to things in one park - let alone navigating between the parks! However I have looked at maps and have signed up to Touring Plans and have most FP+ that we wanted. I probably should not have included as much park hopping as I have, however we are going back to our DVC rental for a break after lunch each day, so I don't think it makes much difference.

We had a great experience at DLR in 2015 and I would go back in a heart beat - but I'm not sure it can be in any way compared to WDW purely because of the size of WDW (which is kinnnnnda intimidating). We will have a rental car so I am going to heavily rely on driving between the parks and to ADRs using the GPS! Or using Uber where we have an ADR or dessert party where we'd like to have a few drinks.

It is what it is, we will make the best of it.

You will be fine. We did end of April last year and it was great. Also were there last week and had a flawless experience. This week through the first or second week of April looks rough, but you will have a great time with the planning you mentioned.

 

[cindernat]

You will be fine. We did end of April last year and it was great. Also were there last week and had a flawless experience. This week through the first or second week of April looks rough, but you will have a great time with the planning you mentioned.

Thanks Pitpat. Glad to hear it.

 

[Csaks]

Will be interesting to see how this summer goes. I'm not sure this January-March resembles last year, or the year before, even a little. They are considerably more crowded.
So will this Spring or Summer resemble the past Spring or Summer? Or be equally as more crowded?
I hope not because we have trips in April and June. If they have the same percentages of increases it will not be much fun. We'll find it easy to compare since the next two trips are yearly trips for our Anniversary and end of school. Both will be the 4th year for us. Makes it easy to see the changes.

I figure it is rescheduled hurricane trips.

 

[kristenabelle]

Can I also add that guests in general can sometimes be incredibly disrespectful, and lead to park cleanliness issues? I attended DAH last week, and while it was awesome, I can't tell you how much popcorn I saw littered around the park. Not sure if people weren't as mindful of spills because it was free during the event, but it was so disheartening to see an entire bucketful of popcorn dumped into a Peter Pan ship. And it couldn't be cleaned, because to do that they'd have to stop the ride or pull out the vehicle, both of which would've impacted the event and its short lines.

I'm certainly not an apologist, but other guests placing trash on walls and dumping food on the ground ticks me off more than cast members forgetting to clean it. Probably irrational thinking, but if we want to enjoy a spotless park I think we should all do our part.

 

[CHEMISTSP]

Can I also add that guests in general can sometimes be incredibly disrespectful, and lead to park cleanliness issues? I attended DAH last week, and while it was awesome, I can't tell you how much popcorn I saw littered around the park. Not sure if people weren't as mindful of spills because it was free during the event, but it was so disheartening to see an entire bucketful of popcorn dumped into a Peter Pan ship. And it couldn't be cleaned, because to do that they'd have to stop the ride or pull out the vehicle, both of which would've impacted the event and its short lines.

I'm certainly not an apologist, but other guests placing trash on walls and dumping food on the ground ticks me off more than cast members forgetting to clean it. Probably irrational thinking, but if we want to enjoy a spotless park I think we should all do our part.

This is an excellent point. Culturally, I think we have really degraded as far as taking personal responsibility for picking up after ourselves. As someone that has traveled to other places around the world, I see a stark contrast in how US citizens care about littering compared to other places. Unfortunately, it seems that this lack of self-responsibility has found its way in WDW parks to a point where it is overwhelming their staff and it is more noticeable. Is it really that much effort to throw away your own trash? I am not afraid to call out people that purposely litter or refuse to clean up after themselves. I wish we were better as a society in how we treat our environment.

 

[Linkura]

Not letting Disney off the hook, either, but there is a cultural shift that is hard to escape throughout our society. When that"s coupled with an Orlando labor pool that is beyond maxed out it does put Disney in a difficult spot.

Just curious, have most of the people here experienced a more magical experience with the cast members at Universal in general?

If there's a tight labor market, you are supposed to raise wages.

 

[princessebird]

As someone that has traveled to other places around the world, I see a stark contrast in how US citizens care about littering compared to other places.

Agree. I haven't been to the Japanese parks, but I have spent some time in Japan, and all public areas (including and especially train stations) are impeccable. In the airport train station 15 minutes after I got my luggage, I saw someone inadvertently drop a food wrapper and within seconds someone else picked it up and threw it away. I also saw someone drop what looked to be an important folder of papers, and no fewer than 3 people called after him to return it to him. I have seen this play out over and over again on my trips. It is impressive.

 

[AngiTN]

If there's a tight labor market, you are supposed to raise wages.

This is true. No one is either, which isn't helping any where. At least no one around anywhere I know of is. Tight profit margins too. And no, not referring to Disney specifically, but business world in general. The companies are reluctant to increase wages for fear of loosing their slim increase in profits. So we are seeing lots of openings, or poorly skilled workers trying to fill positions. All combined with general apathy in so many in society today. It all plays together in my opinion.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

This thread is kind of gutting as we will be taking a first and once in a lifetime trip to WDW at the end of April from Australia. I had anticipated crowds and potential high wait times on certain rides but not to the extent this thread discusses. It won't be Spring Break then so I gather that's a bonus.

I'm concerned about being 'newbies' and not knowing the layout and best way to get to things in one park - let alone navigating between the parks! However I have looked at maps and have signed up to Touring Plans and have most FP+ that we wanted. I probably should not have included as much park hopping as I have, however we are going back to our DVC rental for a break after lunch each day, so I don't think it makes much difference.

We had a great experience at DLR in 2015 and I would go back in a heart beat - but I'm not sure it can be in any way compared to WDW purely because of the size of WDW (which is kinnnnnda intimidating). We will have a rental car so I am going to heavily rely on driving between the parks and to ADRs using the GPS! Or using Uber where we have an ADR or dessert party where we'd like to have a few drinks.

It is what it is, we will make the best of it.

Just wanted to send you some positivity. We went last year over spring break and it was very crowded (first trip for my children DD(5) and DS(13 months)). We still had a great time. In fact I loved it so much we went back this past Feb! I picked the first week of Feb bc it was supposed to be low crowds- it was not. I was on here reading a lot of posts like this- trash, crowds, etc. and started to get really discouraged. We ended up having a fantastic time, despite the high crowd levels. This was also with a sometimes grumpy six year old and my almost two year old who is prone to tantrums
Others are right about planning, though. As much as some may find it to be a drag, you need to be on planning all your FPs, dining reservations, etc. I had maps of the parks printed out and planned our days in sections and worked in dining based on where we’d be at certain times.
I want to go back in Nov...lol. We’ll see if I can convince DH!

 

[NinaBella]

I only read the OP first post. My last few trips the bathroom cleanliness has been in decline. I believe it is due to short staff although some of the bathrooms had an attendant trying her best to keep up.

Perhaps a combination of short staff and rude guests.

 

[odd man out]

My first Disney experience was in the summer on 1970 when our family loaded up a green station wagon, drove all the way across the country, visited relatives on the farm and camped at KOA campgrounds en route, and went to Disneyland for a day (hmmm, sound like a movie plot?). It's funny what you remember from long-ago trips when you were young. One thing that stuck in my head was the sight of a visitor standing at the central hub shoveling popcorn into his mouth getting only about half of it in his mouth with the other half falling on the ground. Standing right next to him like a soldier at attention was a CM with a broom and dust pan. Every time a handful of popcorn landed on the ground, the CM would sweep it up, and then wait at attention for the next handful.

Once could view this two ways. In the "good old days", Disney invested enough in personnel so that each visitor could have a personal valet to clean up his/her mess. Or maybe you could view this as evidence that park visitors are entitled pigs. This may not be a popular post, but the truth is that if you see a piles of trash lying around the parks, it is because some visitor put it there. Do you ever pick up garbage you see lying around? Do you ever wipe off the bathroom counter with your paper towel when you are done? Do you ever help out a CM? Do you ever leave the park nicer than the way you found it? Or should you not be expected to do these things because you are on vacation?

 

[UnderTheRialto]

This thread is kind of gutting as we will be taking a first and once in a lifetime trip to WDW at the end of April from Australia. I had anticipated crowds and potential high wait times on certain rides but not to the extent this thread discusses. It won't be Spring Break then so I gather that's a bonus.

I'm concerned about being 'newbies' and not knowing the layout and best way to get to things in one park - let alone navigating between the parks! However I have looked at maps and have signed up to Touring Plans and have most FP+ that we wanted. I probably should not have included as much park hopping as I have, however we are going back to our DVC rental for a break after lunch each day, so I don't think it makes much difference.

We had a great experience at DLR in 2015 and I would go back in a heart beat - but I'm not sure it can be in any way compared to WDW purely because of the size of WDW (which is kinnnnnda intimidating). We will have a rental car so I am going to heavily rely on driving between the parks and to ADRs using the GPS! Or using Uber where we have an ADR or dessert party where we'd like to have a few drinks.

It is what it is, we will make the best of it.

End of April should be fine. Don’t worry. One tip I give to newbies is if you are lost-confused and can’t find a CM to help, ask someone wearing a pin trading necklace. They usually know their way around.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Can I also add that guests in general can sometimes be incredibly disrespectful, and lead to park cleanliness issues? I attended DAH last week, and while it was awesome, I can't tell you how much popcorn I saw littered around the park. Not sure if people weren't as mindful of spills because it was free during the event, but it was so disheartening to see an entire bucketful of popcorn dumped into a Peter Pan ship. And it couldn't be cleaned, because to do that they'd have to stop the ride or pull out the vehicle, both of which would've impacted the event and its short lines.

I'm certainly not an apologist, but other guests placing trash on walls and dumping food on the ground ticks me off more than cast members forgetting to clean it. Probably irrational thinking, but if we want to enjoy a spotless park I think we should all do our part.

I totally agree. I couldn't believe what I saw on our last trip. People just seem to not care, at all.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

My first Disney experience was in the summer on 1970 when our family loaded up a green station wagon, drove all the way across the country, visited relatives on the farm and camped at KOA campgrounds en route, and went to Disneyland for a day (hmmm, sound like a movie plot?). It's funny what you remember from long-ago trips when you were young. One thing that stuck in my head was the sight of a visitor standing at the central hub shoveling popcorn into his mouth getting only about half of it in his mouth with the other half falling on the ground. Standing right next to him like a soldier at attention was a CM with a broom and dust pan. Every time a handful of popcorn landed on the ground, the CM would sweep it up, and then wait at attention for the next handful.

Once could view this two ways. In the "good old days", Disney invested enough in personnel so that each visitor could have a personal valet to clean up his/her mess. Or maybe you could view this as evidence that park visitors are entitled pigs. This may not be a popular post, but the truth is that if you see a piles of trash lying around the parks, it is because some visitor put it there. Do you ever pick up garbage you see lying around? Do you ever wipe off the bathroom counter with your paper towel when you are done? Do you ever help out a CM? Do you ever leave the park nicer than the way you found it? Or should you not be expected to do these things because you are on vacation?

I clean up after myself. I do not clean up after others, especially when it comes to disgusting bathrooms. That has nothing to do with being on vacation.

 

[nco91590]

I clean up after myself. I do not clean up after others, especially when it comes to disgusting bathrooms. That has nothing to do with being on vacation.

I don't think PP meant that we had to clean up after other people, but just make sure we all clean up after ourselves and our kids when we're there. It takes a village and all that....

We were there this time last year and it was really really busy. But honestly, despite all that we managed to do quite a bit and my kids had a blast. I was a bit disappointed that World Showcase was so busy and I didn't get to wander around like I'm used to. Otherwise, it really was a nice trip overall.

 

[UnderTheRialto]

I’m at MCO now.

I agree with others who were there this week. There are MORE PEOPLE. this is not a staffing issue alone.

Epcot Tuesday was INSANE. MK yesterday Wall to Wall people as well.

I also saw lots of garbage although bathrooms were clean.

I did see the staffing issues as well. If the parks are so busy there is an 8am open on a weekday, why the heck is Dumbo only running one side until 9:30 with a giant line?! Unacceptable. The Speedway was way worse.

ETA
I was also at WDW first week of January. I didn’t think it was that crowded but definitely had the staffing / low capacity issues. This week there were obviously huge numbers of additional people. We were only there due to a work conference - expected crowds but SMH at those stating issues were due to changes in capacity. No.

I rode Splash twice with FP and many of the rooms’ water features and audio were not working on both Sunday and Tuesday. The FP line on Sunday was over 30 minutes. Ridiculous.