What happened to the Magic?

[joe]

Just because the other parks are worse doesn't mean it's OK to have subpar service. Disney is the only place that bills itself as "the happiest place on earth." Excusing behavior because others are worse is like telling yourself you can be 30 pounds overweight because most people are 40 pounds overweight. It just doesn't make sense.

Anyway, I was mainly comparing Disney to Disney. There may have ben cutbacks but those people should be even nicer because nowadays you are lucky just to have a job. Especially when people around you at work are being laid off.

Guests, of course, behave much worse. But remember, it's not their job to be nice either. Not helping a person with a handicapped child's wheelchair is inexcusable especially when they specifically ask you to help them. I will be reporting this.

I'm not down on Disney and I'm not saying the CM's are bad. I have pointed out 2 bad eggs but what I mainly wanted to convey is that CM's and the Disney experience and "feel" of the parks is not what it used to be.

 

[kayeandjim00]

We just returned on May 25th and I have to disagree with the OP. The magic was alive and well! In fact I think that on our trip this year there was a marked improvment over last year. That is just my opinion but it seemed like EVERY CM we came in contact was so nice and friendly, inquiring about our vacation, etc. I told my DH THIS is why we come to Disney year after year. There's no place like it for customer service and the "magic" that is just everywhere. Just my $.02 but I did not have the same experience.

 

[LAinSEA]

The CM's make the magic happen...and they do so for low wages, in the high heat and humidity, with a smile on their faces (for the most part) so that the guests can have the vacation of their dreams.

They are human, with the human capacity to love, to make mistakes, to go above and beyond or to have a bad day.

Unfortunately, just like airplane crashes or the death of celebrities, bad things just seem to happen in clusters. I think problems on vacation (or just about anywhere else) are just like that as well. It's too bad that the "magic" was missing for your trip.

If there is a magical place like Disneyworld or Disneyland to visit in the future, it will be because of the CM's passion for their jobs and their commitment to Walt's dream...and our willingness to spend our precious time and hard saved vacation dollars to be part of their magic. That and a little luck that corporate greed doesn't ruin the company Walt Disney built - or the companies that employee most of us and enable our own American Dreams.

If there are any CM's reading - thank-you so much for two magical, memorable trips. I'm sending my parents off to celebrate their 40th anniversary in your caring hands and my DH and I hope to visit again as soon as possible!

 

[disneymom3]

Well, we just got bakc on Monday and I have to agree with the OP. I sure wish I didn't, but ee eoncountered too many lackluster and a few downright rude CMs.

We found a Key to the World card just as we were getting in line for Dumbo. When we got to the front of the line, I tried to give it to the CM saying, "We found this on the ground back there." She said VERY rudely "No. I don't want that." Thinking she thought I thought I needed to use the ticket for the ride, I said, "This isn't mine." And she just walked away. Okay, I was of the understanding that if you found something you could give it to any CM for lost and found. We did give it to the other CM working the ride AND as we were getting on my DD found a hat someone had left behind. He was very nice, taking the card and saying he would get it to lost and found and telling my daughter she was a sweetie for giving him the hat. Yes, I "reported" them both--one for being a great CM and the other for being a snot.

The other instance that really stuck out was the person checking fastpasses at Peter Pan. Boy did she want to be anywhere but there. When they can't even return the smile that you offer first it is not a good thing!

I still love Disney and I understand budget cut stress, but it's not an acceptable excuse. It's not quite so magical anymore.

 

[Aubrey]

To bring up a positive observation, one of the unique and always magical CM experiences we find is always in the World Showcase area of EPCOT. Those young people representing their native countries provide a memorable experience everytime we go.
As for the CMs who have a rude presentation, we'', I just think to myself "he/she must need to pee real bad!"

 

[RickinNYC]

I have to disagree with the OP's general thoughts about his/her overall opinion re: the missing magic. Although I won't refute what was seen and what rude CM's they came across, I don't think their experiences are fully representative of all that encompasses WDW.

Sure, they happened to see poor customer service at work. Yes, I don't argue that what happened did indeed effect their impressions. But come on! Can two, three, or more incidents truly represent all that WDW has to offer in EXCELLENT customer service? Let's not get blinded by the bad apples folks!

Human nature dictates that we remember negative experiences in far more detail than the positive. That's just the way we are all wired. Remember that the next time you go to WDW and one or two episodes offend your sensibilities. Don't let them overshadow your vacation.

Remember the great CM's and not the purely adequate or bad ones. I truly believe that for every individual inappropriate/negative experience or CM, there are hundreds and hundreds of positive, if not downright delightful times that you'll have throughout your entire trip! What better time to put on those rose colored glasses than when you're on a vacation to Walt Disney World!

 

[Disney Doll]

I'm not sure why people think that budget cut stress and poor tourist behavior are not valid reasons for a CM to be less than enthusiastic about their job.

I am a nurse. I will tell you that there is nothing more difficult than serving the public in this day and age. Everyone thinks that they and their needs are more important than anyone else's. It is difficult to act as if you care when you have people screaming at you, throwing things at you, speaking rudely to you etc. I get paid $35/hour to deal with it. I wouldn't do it for minimum wage.

I try to be polite to all CMs and speak to them in a kind respectful manner. If I encounter a CM who I think is unusually rude, or who I think has done something unusually bad, I will report that person. But just because all the CMs are walking around humming "Zippity Doo Dah" under their breath every second of every day is no reason to imply that the whole place is going down the tubes.

 

[MinnieGi]

I still FEEL the MAGIC!!!

I've been going to WDW since I was a 5yo little girl and now I have a DD of my own to take and I always still feel the magic! I think the VAST majority of the cm's are wonderful! Sure you run into some that aren't zip-a-dee-doo-da perky all day, but its the ones that are that make my vacation special!! And every trip we have some of those stand-out cm's that really make you gush the magic.

Now the cm that refused to help the handicapped person's family really astonishes me. That's too bad and that cm definetly needs to be reported. The stroller cm could have also handled the situation much better. I'm sorry to hear you didn't feel the magic from the rest of the cm's either.

I honestly am amazed everytime we go as to how Disney finds sooooo many employees to work up to the excellence standards that the public expects.

 

[Dznefreek]

Now the cm that refused to help the handicapped person's family really astonishes me.

They are not allowed to for liability reasons.

You do realize you should be saying it is the marketing not the magic that keeps you returning.

 

[peachgirl]

I'm not sure why people think that budget cut stress and poor tourist behavior are not valid reasons for a CM to be less than enthusiastic about their job.

I agree. To me there's a difference between making excuses and valid reasons.

It goes without saying that everyone should do their jobs and perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The reality of it is that outside influences affect our performance. To expect that just because a person works for WDW that they should be any different than the rest of us is unfair.

As far as being lucky to have their jobs as an incentive for better performance, it doesn't work that way. Their jobs are minimum wage jobs and those are a dime a dozen, even in this economy. I think the stress they feel from the cutbacks is because most of them love the job they do even though the pay is horrendous, not because they're afraid of not being able to get another job.

The slight decline I noticed in CM attitude was minimal and nothing worth complaining about or reporting. For the most part they were wonderful and there were a handful that were absolutely outstanding. My hat's off to them, how they do it day in and day out is beyond me. I wish I could say the same about the guests they serve.

 

[HokieDad]

if instead of being greedy Michael eisner had taken 20 million a year instead of 700 million and had spent the other 680 million on the staff -

Not really. I imagine most of that was stock options which are not cash outlays.

I've worked in the Amusement industry and it is hard to keep a smile on your face all the time. Sometimes, we customers need to remember that a smile or compliment "spreads the magic".