NY Times today -- "WDW Magic is Slipping"

[mattsdragon]

I think that the part where the manager said "if one thing goes wrong, I get a 7 page letter" is dead on. We just went for our honeymoon, and there were problems, nothing major, and nothing that was going to ruin our honeymoon, but there were little annoyances that could be changed. The all-star resorts for instance need their own individual buses. But that's what you get for staying at a value resort.

I think perhaps the problem is that the people doing the complaining aren't taking a second to think. Walk a mile in thier shoes. How often do you stop and actually compliment someone for their work, or go to their supervisor and say that "so and so was wonderful". More people need to do that.

I'll be blunt, the only thing that really gets me annoyed at WDW is other guests. People who don't control thier children, or have no courtesy for the others around them are what set both me and my wife off. The last time we went, I kept getting run over, pushed, bumped, stepped on and generally annoyed by the same group of people at MK(they were a large group from The Pampered Chef, or so their shirts claimed), and my wife was ready to kill another group of inconsiderate, rude, disrespectful line cutters at BB. She finally said something to one of them and the line broke out in applause. People need to act with more civility towards one another, here of all places.

Sorry for the rant, but that's the former retail employee in me coming out.

 

[manning]

This is something I heard once what the different degrees mean:

BA = Bad Advise

MBA = More Bad Advise

PHD = Piled Higher and Deeper.

 

[aalan]

mangement is slipping at wdw. i think the article was right on the money. i have visited wdw for a week vacation for the past five years, and i have seen things getting worse. its really sad. thank god ei$ner is leaving, but i do not expect much from iger. part of the problem is that its a different world now: most of the counter service employees i encountered last year could barely speak english. and people are definately more demanding and rude these days. i went to the casting building last year, and was astounded at the wages disney was offering, barely above minimum wage. the posts from past and present cm's say it all. let's hope things get fixed. to those with rose-colored glasses, we are being critical of disney because we like it so much, and want to see things improved. walt would be apalled.

 

[DoxaRich]

i have visited wdw for a week vacation for the past five years, and i have seen things getting worse."

Can you give specifics.

most of the counter service employees i encountered last year could barely speak english."

You're not refering to the many Oriental CM's, are you ? Because they were brought in from China to learn how to operate the new HKDL.

and was astounded at the wages disney was offering, barely above minimum wage.

Is the payscale Disney is paying below the industry standard for the area ? Did you factor in their park benifits ( many retired or semi retired work PT at WDW simply for the perks, wages are secondary ). Does their payrate jump up after 90 days ?

Edited to add that I totally botched the QUOTE feature so this post probably makes no sense.

 

[AlanH]

Other people may know better, but I do think the payscale is competitive with the industry in central Florida. No the pay rate doesn not jump up after 90 days.

That said it is my understanding that pre 9/11 pay for hourly CMs was higher.

Read my previous posts to this thread, where I comment on the larger societal issue of hourly pay, and the decline in training and support for both hourly CMs and first line managers.

There has been a decline in morale. Many hourly CMs do not feel valued because of bad interaction with first line managers (the manner and responses to hourly CM concerns by many first line managers do not convey the feeling that they are valued) and the stance Disney took in the last contract negotiations. The overall message given hourly CMs on their value to the company is very ambigous. Initiatives from HR are very positive, but undermined by first line managers and other policies.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Who else thinks that some of the extra's (like towel animals) will disappear when too many people start asking for them.

I did not read the whole thread but correct me if I am wrong, aren't towel animals shown in one of the Disney commercials??? If they are going to use them to advertise then they lead you to believe they are de rigeur.

I must say I do agree with a lot of what the journalist states. I have gone to Disney since I was in third grade and the time span from then till now is over 46 years!! To say that they have gone down and that most of the magic had been replaced with charater meet and greets would be a fair statement.

I find myself going less and less because I cannot capture the magic that was there maybe only 8 years ago. Cast members are not as attentive and when I did write a letter of complaint about a varitey of legitimate problems all I got was a kiss off letter. WE still go every summer but now I think I go in hopes of getting that old magic back but only stay a day or two as opposed to 10-14 days and all of that was park time.

My husband always says if something is a value or if it is good do not let them know because they will take it away! They took away Hunchback and Pocahontis at MGM, I just heard that they are taking away Tarzan at AK. Submarines are gone and what is in their place...character meet and greet. They dummped the sky buckets and what is in their place, ...character meet and greet. Think of all the things they have subtracted and then think of what they have replaced them with and IMHO there are more minuses than pluses.

 

[taximomfor4]

There has been a decline in morale. Many hourly CMs do not feel valued because of bad interaction with first line managers (the manner and responses to hourly CM concerns by many first line managers do not convey the feeling that they are valued) and the stance Disney took in the last contract negotiations. The overall message given hourly CMs on their value to the company is very ambigous. Initiatives from HR are very positive, but undermined by first line managers and other policies.

Huh. This sounds like my DH's job. (He is a public high school teacher), and the decline in morale/ less-than-morale-boosting issues between the teachers and the school board... (and, to an extent, the citizens who cannot afford to pass more levies to KEEP the teaches). The teachers agreed to a pay freeze, yet the city's treasurer got her contract renewed with an $11,000 pay raise this year. VERY disheartening, and apparently is now going on in many work sectors.

If my kids were grown and I could AFFORD to, I would move and get a job at WDW, lol.

Beth

 

[manning]

Huh. This sounds like my DH's job. (He is a public high school teacher), and the decline in morale/ less-than-morale-boosting issues between the teachers and the school board... (and, to an extent, the citizens who cannot afford to pass more levies to KEEP the teaches). The teachers agreed to a pay freeze, yet the city's treasurer got her contract renewed with an $11,000 pay raise this year. VERY disheartening, and apparently is now going on in many work sectors.

If my kids were grown and I could AFFORD to, I would move and get a job at WDW, lol.

Beth

Vote em out of office. No one is worth a 11,000 a year increase.

 

[AlanH]

The point is the effect this has on the long term success of Disney Parks & Resorts. One way Disney has differentiated itself from other theme parks is the very high level of guest service. This requires that the CMs who interact with the guests be highly engaged in their work. This level of engagement does not happen when morale is low; leading to a decline in guest service, loss of differentiation in the marketplace, and loss of revenue.

 

[Synonymous]

This is an issue across the country. Workers are valued less and less, while CEOs and top corporate brass take home ridiculous amounts of loot, whether they performed well or not. Meanwhile any job that isn't nailed down gets shipped off to India or China. I think the results are more obvious to us at Disney because it's a place where we don't expect such real-world problems to intrude.

 

[taximomfor4]

Vote em out of office. No one is worth a 11,000 a year increase.

LOL. If ONLY we lived in that district!

And all of this is why, after years in the insurance industry for a large, wonderful-to-work-for company, I am out of work and back in school --- nursing school. The job security will be a comfort!

Beth