The World Is A Changing

[Suebie]

We're just back from Disney and I have to stay we were VERY surprised to find WDW not to be what it used to be. In one year's time, we found the happiest place on earth has changed and is starting to become just like everywhere else. We encountered rude cast members who we quickly reported and cigarette smoking rampant in the parks. While we did encounter our fair share of Disney magic and outstanding cast members, the "undisney" cast members left us dumbfounded. In all our visits, we have never seen so many unhappy and unpleasant cast members. Our 10 yr. old DD even said, "I guess Disney is only hiring not nice employees."

I would love to share our experience with someone at Disney who can actually implement changes. Does anyone know to whom I can address these issues?

Thanks

Susan

 

[ElleBelle]

Suebie- We also returned about a week ago from disney world and were suprised by a few unfriendly and downright rude CM's we encountered. Although we had a wonderful time (and also encountered MANY, MANY nice CM's) we can't figure out what made this time "different". Possibly the crowds and the heat???
The worst of the CM's we encountered were at Splash Mountain. As we were getting ready to board there was a young boy with his family- probably about 8y.o. who you could tell "wasn't sure about what he was getting himself into". After he boarded the log one of the younger male CM's bent down and screamed right next to the kid's head (AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!) just to scare him! He and the other CM working with him then proceeded to laugh hysterically about scaring this kid. You could just tell the kid was embarassed beyond belief.
My family and I were not impressed. In hindsight, we probably should have said something to someone.

 

[Suebie]

I can only hope that the parents of the young boy reported their behavior! I started to think it was the heat that was the blame for this bad behavior but we had been their last August and did not encounter this unpleasantness. I have to say it will be a LOOOONG time until we return to WDW.

Susan

 

[ElleBelle]

Well, as you can see in my sig- we're going back again in just a little more than 6 months. I'd rather not let a few rotten apples spoil everything for me! Let's cross our fingers that this time we won't encounter any more of this behavior.

 

[wee-haggis]

Sorry you encountered some rude and or nasty CM's. We must have been lucky as all the CM's we encountered were great (store clerks, waiters, counter service people and ride or show CM's) all were lovely. The only rude people we came across were some of the guests. The "It's all about me" mentality can become boring fast...
Again sorry about your experience I hope you do go to Disney again and have a far better experience.

 

[bonnielynn]

I am going in about 3 weeks and am so saddened by all the reports of unhappy customers.. I would think the only way that Disney can improve is to be told about what is happening around the parks. I have read about unkept places and nasty people. I, for one, go to WDW to experience the magic and hope that I am not disappointed.

 

[zak'smom]

We visited WDW two weeks ago after an absence of over ten years. We, DH and I, found every CM we met to be absolutely wonderful. They really bent over backwards to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. From the CM at the airport who found our non-tagged ME bags when we thought they had been left in Atlanta, to the bus driver from the AKL who actually took us to our resort, All Star Sports, when DH thought everyone had to go across the lagoon to get out of MK( a whole 'nother story!!!, he never read the DIS or the UG!!), we had a relaxing and very 'magical' vacation. I think every single person on earth, CMs included, has bad moments at some time or another - we were just very lucky not to experience anyone else's.

 

[owtrbnks]

Well, hope the good experiences outweigh the bad. We go about 4 times every year and overall, feel WDW is the best experience for the money (with cruises being a close 2nd.) Sure, with thousands of CM's, there's sure to be a few who don't belong, but they'll be gone soon and the best ones will remain!
Enjoy your vacations and remember - sure there's some jerks at WDW, but there are far more idiots living and working in NY.

 

[Ozymoe]

I am thunderstruck. I go a lot. I have never, not even once, had a CM behave rudely to me...not even a little bit.

I have met many delightful CMs who love their jobs and have gone out of their way to not only share magic and pixie dust, but sometimes even personal stories.

Seriously, I sat here for several minutes trying to think if there was an occasion I could remember when a CM was the least bit testy...and the closest I could come was a somewhat taciturn monorail driver I rode with one time...and I really think that may have been because he was new and a little shy!

It is unfortunate that you had to interact with so many that were rude. I don't think rude Disney employees last very long.

The young men in SplashM that scared the 8-year-old should have had it made clear to them that their behavior was waaay out of line. It is one thing when someone from the Haunted Mansion startles an adult, coming up behind them and speaking into their ear in deep tones...but quite another when a young child is deliberately frightened by a cast member.

 

[stemikger]

We came back last August and we noticed the same thing. I was a little taken back by some of the rude CMs.

On one occassion there were about 4 CMs at the Stich ride just chatting and talking amongs themselves. The ride must have just closed for the night because it was at park closing. I asked if the ride was still open and I could not believe how rude the girl was.

There were several occassions like this. I was very surprised. Disney is not as magical as it used to be. And I'm from New York so I am used to rudeness, but this was even rude for New York standards.

 

[Threeriversdisneyfan]

I hope some past CMs can help me out? If I remember right, Disney had some kind of secret sign for CMs to indentify each other. I think it was like two fingers near your nose or some thing like that.

Now if we ever find that sign, here's what you do. Next time you see a rude CM, don't say anything, make direct eye contact and do that sign. That CM attitude will probally change faster than Orlando's weather. The rational is you know who you are, but he or she doesn't know you are. For all he or she knows, you could be Eisner's nephew or niece.

Knowledge is power.

 

[Suebie]

Ozymoe - Thunderstruck is how we felt as we experienced each of the rude CMs on this trip. Imagine how you felt just reading about it and then imagine how we felt experiencing it! And yes, Threeriverdisneyfan, as a native New Yorker, I agree the rudeness was far greater than that which you would find in New York!!

Again, does anyone know too whom I can address this issue at Disney?

 

[bonnielynn]

I think we should all email whoever and make it clear that as paying returning customers that we are very unhappy with the situation.. there are power in numbers..

I am in!

 

[snowbunny]

Again, does anyone know too whom I can address this issue at Disney?

Suebie, I would suggest writing to James A. Rasulo, President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. This link provides a list of division presidents as well as a link to the board of directors:

http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/management_team.html


I still love Disney. Sometimes I wonder, though, if that's not mainly due to nostalgia for what it was, my childhood memories, etc. These days, the corporation seems to be riding on the coat tails of past glory. Despite many wonderful CMs, it does not often feel like imagineering, consistently cheerful service, spotless cleanliness - what the company built its reputation on - are being supported so much as milked for every penny of short-term profit. Which is not only sad but potentially disastrous from a business standpoint.

 

[pamlet]

I really think these posts about "Disney Service is going Down" are from people who always see the glass as 1/2 empty.

We went in May, and I was getting a little nervous because there was a flurry of these posts before we left.

I shouldn't have worried about it - we had an absolutely marvelous time and did not see ONE instance of a cast member being rude. In fact my husband commented on the fact that he doesn't know how they do it - they manage to stay friendly in hot weather, and at times with customers being down right mean.

The ONLY negativity we'd see would be at the end of the day when people (guests) were exhausted and not smiling... even then people weren't particularly rude ... just tired.

I want to go back SOON - though I doubt it will happen for a few more years - but I think Disney does a GREAT job handling 1000's of guest every day.

 

[Suebie]

I really think these posts about "Disney Service is going Down" are from people who always see the glass as 1/2 empty.

No - these posts are from people who were thunderstruck that the bubble had burst on the Disney Magic they've experienced on so many occassions. No one here said that the parks are full of CMs who are rude. The sheer fact of running into ANY CM that is rude is a major bubble burst for those who have on so many occassions experienced nothing but magic and pixie dust. That is the discussion here. Further, the original posting was intended to solicit the department or person who may be able to rectify the matter. It is so unfortunate when people are so quick to pass judgement instead of lending an ear to the experiences of others....

 

[momimouse27]

Suebie- We also returned about a week ago from disney world and were suprised by a few unfriendly and downright rude CM's we encountered. Although we had a wonderful time (and also encountered MANY, MANY nice CM's) we can't figure out what made this time "different". Possibly the crowds and the heat???
The worst of the CM's we encountered were at Splash Mountain. As we were getting ready to board there was a young boy with his family- probably about 8y.o. who you could tell "wasn't sure about what he was getting himself into". After he boarded the log one of the younger male CM's bent down and screamed right next to the kid's head (AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!) just to scare him! He and the other CM working with him then proceeded to laugh hysterically about scaring this kid. You could just tell the kid was embarassed beyond belief.
My family and I were not impressed. In hindsight, we probably should have said something to someone.

Oddly enough, one of the few rude CM's I have ever encountered was on Splash Mntn. We went through the line(which was very short-it was early Dec) and I intended to do a baby swap with my dd(4 at the time) when I told them at the line, the guy got pretty irate and said we were supposed to tell the person at the front of the queue....well, there was no one at the front of the queue at all. He went ahead and let us do the swap but you could tell he was aggravated. I almost let it ruin my trip....

 

[Ozymoe]

:We encountered rude cast members who we quickly reported and cigarette smoking rampant in the parks. While we did encounter our fair share of Disney magic and outstanding cast members, the "undisney" cast members left us dumbfounded.

Suebie,

I know it is hard to write down every experience, but could you give us an idea as to what you encountered by relating your top three worst experiences?

I realize that not every experience will totally illustrate to what degree Disney has slipped in the past year...but if you could tell us your worst experiences and/or the number of times you encountered these behaviors it might help us understand what is going on.

Maybe this would even help when you write to the "suits" by explaining to them that you have reported this behavior on a venue potentially influencing thousands of Disney vacationers.

Jo

 

[MainStreetFan]

I also am wondering about the bad experiences listed above. Is seems like several are at Splash MT. I was in MK for 5 days two weeks ago and for 8 days last month and my feeling was that the magic was back.

From the entrance turnstile to the exit one, we experienced one fantastic CM after another. Only once was one what I would consider rude. We met Street cleaners, entertainers, Guest Service personel, Store clerks, photographers, trolley drivers and street venders to say a few. We even had 2 of the "suits" come up to us and introduce themselves. Ask how we were enjoying our visit and thank us for being there.

As an AP holder for several years, and having been a visitor since the early 70's, I really feel that things have improved greatly over what they were for the past 5-6 years.

I am really sorry that so many of you have had bad experiences, be sure to stop into guest services and let them know the person, place and time of the problem. They will listen and even respond if you ask for them to. Hope your next visits are better. Me? I will be back on Monday to celebrate my birthday and then next month for MNSSHP.

 

[Laurajean1014]

We were there in April and it was my 33rd time there. We usually go for 10 days per trip, so I have been there for an average of 330 days. Wow.

In that time, I had one encounter with a less than magical CM.

I did not blame Disney for this, it was an individual, not a company policy.

We are going in December and I am awaitng a pleasurable trip.