That Famous Disney Service

[Tink888]

Okay, not sure what thread this would fall under but I've been reading a lot of posts today about the service at Disney. Since it's human nature to notice the negative much more than the postive sometimes, I was wondering......Do you think the service/friendliness is what it used to be?

I have to admit that lately I seem to notice more not so friendly CM's but overall it's hit and miss everywhere you go. I usually just attribute it to a bad day and who doesn't have those now and then?

If you have noticed a change, what do you attribute it to? A bad day, more outsourcing, CM's who have to deal with what seem to be ever increasing "entitlement" guests?

Just wondering what your thoughts are and let me say that overall, I love Disney CM's. Most of them are wonderful and quite a few have made the difference in my trip being just another trip to a magical one.

 

[wilde_oscar]

everything changes... WDW is not what it was in the '70s. I would not say service has slipped per se... but it is not like it was. It is more a sign of the times. Disney is a giant corporation that has to produce results for the share holders... I think it is a constant struggle to walk the line between cost cutting, and customer service. How much is just enough to separate you from your money and get you to come back in as few years as possible seems to be the method they use to adjust the level of service.

 

[Rinderoo]

Maybe its guests expecting too much? I go to Disney a lot and only expect what I purchase. I'm nice to them and they're nice to me. If I smile they smile, if there's a snafu then I try to figure out what happened and we fix it. I say "hello", "please" and "thank you". Its amazing how many CMs say "no one says hello or makes eye contact." It can be a real downer to be happy all the time and be grumbled at, or ignored.

Everyone has an off day, even at Disney. We don't know if that CM has a sick parent or child or had a fight with their significant other. Most of these people make magic for us for about seven bucks an hour. I think they do a pretty good job.

So say hello to your bus driver and the fastpass screener, and the person putting on the wristbands during EHM. It might just brighten their day and make them feel like they are appreciated too.

 

[Queenofthecastle]

Maybe its guests expecting too much? I go to Disney a lot and only expect what I purchase. I'm nice to them and they're nice to me. If I smile they smile, if there's a snafu then I try to figure out what happened and we fix it. I say "hello", "please" and "thank you". Its amazing how many CMs say "no one says hello or makes eye contact." It can be a real downer to be happy all the time and be grumbled at, or ignored.

Everyone has an off day, even at Disney. We don't know if that CM has a sick parent or child or had a fight with their significant other. Most of these people make magic for us for about seven bucks an hour. I think they do a pretty good job.

So say hello to your bus driver and the fastpass screener, and the person putting on the wristbands during EHM. It might just brighten their day and make them feel like they are appreciated too.

I couldn't have said this any better!

 

[crimsontide27]

Wokring at Disney isnt all fun and games, and sometimes the stress level can really take its toll on the cast members.

I can personally attest to the fact that a few days in the last couple of years it was hard for me to remain magical. Some guests have expectations that we dont meet for whatever reason and expect the CM to be able to solve it. Many times the CM that gets yelled at or has to deal with the guests lack of satisfaction has no authority to fix the problem. They go talk to a manager about it, get told basically there is nothing we can do about it, go handle it. At this point the CM takes a verbal beatdown, and even though the CM really wants to make the guest happy, they dont have the authority.

At this point the CM just wants to go home and hope for a better day the next day. There are 1000s of CMs that go out of their way everyday for minimum wage to make guests dreams come true, but seldom do they even get a "thank you". Certainly not saying "thank you" is required, but it makes them feel appreciated. They spend alot of time feeling under appreciated, and their are alot of guests that make sure they let them know they are under appreciated

 

[fla4fun]

I had a very magical stay in January at BWV, so no, I don't think there is an overall decline in service.

What I have noticed is that many of these negative posts are from people who were at Disney right around Easter. I've been at Disney over holidays, and in slower times. It's definitely better if you can skip the holidays.

For one thing, it's very crowded, so everyone gets in a snarky mood right away from having to wait in line for everything. The hotels are fully booked, so it takes longer to clean the rooms for check ins, and you have to wait. The restaurants are full, so even with ADR's, you have to wait. The Fastpass machines run out of passes early in the day, so you end up in at least one two hour attraction line somewhere, and you have to wait. We humans just don't like to wait - so that can make what was a perfectly good vacation seem, well, not so magical.

Combine that with the fact that a majority of those visiting have special requests, for whatever reason. Some of them are medical reasons, and those have to be a first priority. But if 20 families want connecting rooms and only 15 are available, five families aren't going to get what they want. Again, that makes the vacation seem not so magical.

On top of that, consider all the websites, like this one, where people come and crow about their upgrades and extra pixie dust, and pretty soon, everyone thinks they are entitled to the best of everything all the time. What was a one in a million situation becomes a normal expectation. So if little Johnny or Susie has a birthday and isn't greeted personally by characters already waiting in the room at check in with confetti and balloons, then the trip is a disaster. Not so magical.

Everyone in the travel industry is extremely busy around Easter. They just don't have the time to do a lot of the little extras that they would like to, because they have to handle the quantity of guests visiting. That does not excuse rudeness - no guest should be treated rudely. But no CM should be treated rudely by a guest either. I agree that please and thank you go a long way toward making any trip better for both sides. I have a feeling that if a lot of the negative posters had planned their vacations for May instead of March, their experience would have been totally different.

I like to hear both the positive and the negative though, so I can form my own opinion as to whether service at a particular resort, or overall, is good, bad or indifferent.

 

[Kim1964]

fla4fun: Great post! I think you covered the subject quite well. In 5 trips since 2000, we've had predominantly excellent service. I think a lot of people go with unrealistic expectations, or worse, they go unprepared (i.e., no ADRs and can't believe they can't eat at CRT as a walk up). Those people will think customer service is awful and will allow their own lack of research and planning to ruin their trips.

 

[CarolA]

My thoughts are that that "famous Disney service" has NEVER really been there at the resorts.

Disney is WORLD CLASS is theme parks. Disney is middle of the pack in running hotels.....

 

[SuzieN]

On our trip in February we did not run into a single CM who was less than pleasant and extremely helpful! As another poster said, maybe it's because we go at slower times!

 

[RMulieri]

Never had any issues while at Disney with any of the cms.Lately the cms on the phone have been horrendous.I know it is not easy to be in Customer Service and deal with Customers all day long.But when I call at exactly 7:00 am (when CRO opens, now granted 1000's of calls slam the system at that time)and I get nasty, rude, and flat out unhelpful Cms it makes me very angry.

 

[wezee]

We have always had exceptional service from WDW.....from the parks to the restaurants, resorts and with every conversation with WDW CRO and Dining. I do believe that many people feel they are spending their life savings to for their dream vacation in WDW, and have unreasonable expectations. I also agree with the other poster....that a smile, a hello, a please or thankyou....usually gets wonderful results.

I see so much negative posts on this board at times, concerning costs, CMs, dining plans, etc. Disney helps us find the "magic"......but we have to put in the effort to look for it with a smile on our face and pixie dust in our hearts.

 

[Lilolvr]

Outsourcing positions and fewer training hours doesn't help.

 

[themcgoos]

I agree with the poster who mentioned that they have had excellent service at their resort and at the parks. We have too. Now we have only been there 4 times (5th in 2 weeks), unlike some who have been there quite a bit more, but we have had fantastic times each trip.....

Now, the CMs on the phone are quite another story, and I think I agree with the poster who mentioned the outsourcing situation possibly being the root of that problem....just one more reason we book via a trusted TA at AAA these days....

 

[eliza61]

It's funny because I've always seen more guest behaving badly than I ever do CM's. I've seen guest at check treat the cms like dogs and then complain because cm was not all smiley. Last August, a women called the cm at tonys town square a fat "rhymes" with withch, just because she could not get a table as a walk up. Now this cm is supposed to be Suzy sunshine afterward?
I think Disney is just an extension of our society. We as a general public have gotten more rude, short tempered and impatient, the people at disney are hired from the general public. I see it all the time in retail, customers will stay on the cell phone, never even stopping to thank the sales clerk, nobody says excuse me any more when they bump into you and since we want every thing cheaper, customer service is the first to go.

I've been exceedingly lucky, over 17 trips to the world and so far no complaints. Maybe indifference once or twice but no out and out rudeness.

 

[LowesChevy]

In the over 26 trips we have taken at WDW, we always experienced excellent service at the resorts, from front desk staff to mousekeeping. Same service at the parks. We have only experienced 1 or 2 mediocre experiences in that many years too.

I think people do expect too much. People cannot expect a picture perfect vacation-we all want everything to go our way, but it is not always possible. You may not get seated right at your stated adr time, every single request for a specific room or get an autograph from every single character. The cms in front of you may not have control over the situation. The negativity will take the fun out of the whole vacation and put everyone in a rotten mood. By all means, if people do have terrible, rotten experiences you can report them to management.

The one basic principle I feel is important is that you treat everyone you encounter with respect. Smile and say hello to cms when you walk by, are asking them a question or purchase an item from them. They are working for you-WDW would not be able to operate without them.

 

[ntsammy5]

CM's who have to deal with what seem to be ever increasing "entitlement" guests?

Very good point. As others have mentions many guests think they're entitled to any thing they want. That's true of our society in general. Poor CMs must be getting sick of that. As an example, I recently saw a man arguing a CM at Soarin saying that his fast pass entitled him to get right on the ride whenever he wanted. It was two days old. He wouldn't take no for an answer and demanded to speak to a supervisor. Sad.....

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I've been to WDW many times....

On a number of trips, I have encountered CM's who were less than perfect. It has happened inthe past. I can't say I go to WDW enough to make more than anecdotal observations, but this is what I see.

As time porgresses, it is natural that WDW will get further away from Walt's vision, and will become a corporate entity to fit with the times, butone which stays financially healthy. In order to do that, WDW has to make choices.

Having said that, on my most recent trip, three night stay, we encountered a number of mistakes.

I would say the number one and most obvious decline in Disney performance starts at the call center when you book your trip. It used to be that I could fairly reliable get someone who knew whatthey were doing. Now, it is the norm to encounter CM' swho really don't know what they are doing and are furthermore downright SNARKY!

I was astonished by the very rude CM I encountered when trying to book this trip. I think if there are errors in booking a trip to begin with, and policies are not properly explained, then that is a recipe for disaster. I think in the past, Disney made certain that the CRO receptionists were reasonably well trained.

When we checked in to our deluxe resort, the CM was rather lackluster to say the least. She told us we'd have to wait for our room, and didn't mention the dining plan. I was tired and didn't think too much about it.

WE then tried to get snack, and found out there was no dining plan on our room keys. To make a long story short, I had to go back tothe desk TWICE to get it corrected, and both times I had to talk to both a resort CM and a concierge CM to get the matter resolved. Only the reosrt clerk could correct the resort part, and only the Concierge clerk was allowed to correct the dining part. What a timeconsuming pain! I didn't ask for anything extra.


Not only that, but on the second resort encounter, the resort CM said, "I don't know why you had to wait for your room, we have plenty that are ready now!" Go figure.

That evening, our waiter gave VERY uneven service. He was quick to take our order, but tried to DEMAND that we order our desserts at the same time asour entrees. It was very odd. I've never encountered that anywhere else on the dining plan. Our drinks arrived quickly, and our entrees were fairly timely, but after that the service went way downhill. There was an error with one fo the entrees (totally wrong entree item arrived), and the entree dishes were cleared long befor eth waiter cmae to take our dessert orders.
I assure you, we were not rude during any step of the process.

Once upon a time, the WDW bathrooms were amazingly pristine. They are still better than your average gas station restroom, but they are not staffed like they once were.

 

[tiger4me2]

It's funny because I've always seen more guest behaving badly than I ever do CM's. I've seen guest at check treat the cms like dogs and then complain because cm was not all smiley. Last August, a women called the cm at tonys town square a fat "rhymes" with withch, just because she could not get a table as a walk up. Now this cm is supposed to be Suzy sunshine afterward?
I think Disney is just an extension of our society. We as a general public have gotten more rude, short tempered and impatient, the people at disney are hired from the general public. I see it all the time in retail, customers will stay on the cell phone, never even stopping to thank the sales clerk, nobody says excuse me any more when they bump into you and since we want every thing cheaper, customer service is the first to go.

I've been exceedingly lucky, over 17 trips to the world and so far no complaints. Maybe indifference once or twice but no out and out rudeness.

I couldn't have said it better. I find some of the guest rude & nasty not all but some. And some don't think the rules like no smoking but in certain areas & no sneakers with skates built in shoe doesn't apply to them. I know they have a name but right now my brain is at a slow pace

 

[madalex]

I just returned from 10 days at WDW (from the Wednesday before Easter to the Friday afterwards). I do not recall a single interaction with a cast member that was anything other than pleasant. Over that 10 day period, there were literally hundreds of interactions with bus drivers, store workers, ride operators, bell services personnel, security guards, waitstaff, concierge personnel, etc. and they were all very positive.

I have been to WDW 15 times over the past 12 years and I have experienced bad service there in the past. I am happy to say, however, that bad service did not happen on this most recent trip.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

My husband and I have been going to WDW since it opened. It's impossible to not see the differences.

Castmembers are the first line of Pixie Dust and the stresses put on castmembers by unreasonable cost cutting and outsourcing have certainly taken it's toll.

Even the "newbee guests" we have met recently comment how the place seems more interested in separating us from our $$$ than offering a good product for the excessive amount charged. Come on....a hotel room for $325 in VALUE season.....who are they kidding! We often think the CASTMEMBER prices are obscene.

Having said that......I'm sure if you travel there enough you have watched guests absolutely abuse castmembers. Last visit the poor cashier at Boardwalk Bakery was victimized by a DVC member who insisted she deliver their pastries to their room. When she said they did not offer the service, she was berated, said they deserved better service than "common" people because they were "owners" - it was ugly - .....my "commo person" husband finally stepped in to end it.

We ALWAYS tip very well (lets not forget Disney wages are less than other tourist destinations in Orlando), try to make the castmembers we meet smile -- hotel checkin, maids, valets, servers in restaurants.....and we have rarely experienced unpleasant service. We have been very lucky making our own pixie dust in spite of dirty bathrooms.

Yes, it's probably hard for new castmembers to understand what Pixie Dust is when you were not raised in our culture......your employer does not offer training and you are asked to work long hours for low wages. Traditions (Disney training) was 2 weeks in the past. A new castmember understood thoroughly their job and responsibility for representing Disney Pixie Dust. Traditions now is 1/2 day long.

We actually have THREE former castmembers who work for my company here in Maryland. They all worked for Disney and each one left WDW and transfered to Universal for better pay ....... and a respectful employer.

That's not a happy thing to hear when you are a Disney fan.

What was surprising...in 2007 we traveled to DL - the first time for my husband. It was JUST THE WAY WDW USED TO BE. The bathrooms were absolutely spotless and I never was in one without an attendant there. The parks and hotel was beautifully maintained...no trash on the sidewalks --- we both commented about the difference. Perhaps at DL they are just too close to "big brother".

We spoke to our server the last morning at Storytellers Cafe who mentioned the castmembers in WDW have a reputation for not being as good a DL. Is that a rivalry between the two locations?

Go to WDW and try to bring your own Pixie Dust to everyone around you and you will have a wonderful time.....you will also find your castmembers are far more fun. Keep your expectations reasonable and you will have a wonderful time.