What is going on?

[reddog21]

Disney is still not at pre-pandemic full capacity levels. Chapek has stated this publicly. They may reach the current capacity level on certain days in some parks, but most days have reservations available in all parks. It seems just as busy, because not everything is fully operational yet due to staffing limitations and cost restrictions. We switched our Oct. 2021 Disney trip to Universal at the last minute. The deluxe resort cost less than CSR, plus we got Express Pass. There was daily housekeeping with the ability to text during the day with special requests. Nearly everything, except some play areas and shows were open. Our food costs were less than we've spent on our typical Disney trips and the food was good with lots of options. We're finally heading back to Disney next week after almost 2.5 yr. hiatus, and yes, masks were a factor, in addition to the other issues many have iterated on these boards. With an open mind, a positive attitude, different expectations, and lots of patience, we're looking forward to our return.

Anyone that has been to the parks even last year knows the capacity limits are complete garbage and a flat out lie. I have been to the parks multiple times since the beginning of last summer and it’s more crowded then before the pandemic.

 

[reddog21]

It’s not exclusive to theme parks. I do maintenance management for Topgolf and my maintenance team used to be 14 associates. I have the budget for 8 now. To say it’s an active choice Disney is making is incorrect in my opinion.

Totally agree companies want to make back the money lost due to closure as quick as possible. My hope is that this in not the new business model going forward and is just temporary. Only time will tell and in the mean time we just have to deal with it.

 

[lowlight]

so basically in 4-5 weeks we’ll have to read about how much Disney sucks and how disappointed you are?

There's no need for that kind of disrespect, everyone is being civil in this thread so far.

 

[PittPantherfan]

I just returned from a week on business in Phoenix. I stayed at a nice hotel complex, and several things struck me:

1. Everything was open.
2. Everything was immaculate.
3. My room exceeded the best experience I've had at a deluxe resort at WDW, but at about one quarter the price. And my room was fully tended to by housekeeping every day.
4. Food/beverage prices were reasonable.
5. Staff was friendly and engaging.

So what's the deal with WDW? Why is it struggling so (apparently) to get back to "normal"? I get it, Phoenix isn't WDW, and I am sure the demand for hospitality workers is higher in Orlando than in Phoenix, but my guess is the pool of candidates in Phoenix is a lot smaller too.

I felt like I was in a place that had its act together, compared to WDW where it seems every week there is another sign that things are not getting better. I am glad to see things creeping back to normal, but between maintenance issues, menu limitations, limited housekeeping service, it's as though WDW--which in the past represented to me the BEST in hospitality--is now way behind.

Am I wrong? (Always a possibility...)

Are supply chain issues really that bad for WDW?

Is TWDC leadership disengaged? Is it too focused on short-term margins? Has it abandoned the Parks Division as a pillar of its business? Does it care?

And more to the point, where does this end up? I keep waiting to see a media release from Josh D'Amaro along the lines of "Please accept our apologies. We have let things slip too far, and WE HEAR YOU. We value you as guests, and for that reason we are going back to FP+, we are improving our food offerings, and we are doing all we can to let you know that we value you." But I'm not holding my breath...

The pandemic certainly caused perturbations, but was it really THIS devastating?

I think WDW has fundamentally lost its way.

I was in Phoenix and Sedona last July and it was pretty much the same experience you had. I think we are getting to a point it's time to move on from the excuses.

 

[Sandiz08]

Honestly it boils down to staffing, you can’t let go of that many people and be able to replace them with same quality of the ones that have left.

 

[afan]

I was in Phoenix and Sedona last July and it was pretty much the same experience you had. I think we are getting to a point it's time to move on from the excuses.

I was in Phoenix last month and neither the hilton or hyatt I stayed at offered daily housekeeping nor a full pre covid breakfast, whether it was paid or complimentary. Not everywhere but disney is back to normal.

 

[greeneyedchick]

I just returned from a week on business in Phoenix. I stayed at a nice hotel complex, and several things struck me:

1. Everything was open.
2. Everything was immaculate.
3. My room exceeded the best experience I've had at a deluxe resort at WDW, but at about one quarter the price. And my room was fully tended to by housekeeping every day.
4. Food/beverage prices were reasonable.
5. Staff was friendly and engaging.

So what's the deal with WDW? Why is it struggling so (apparently) to get back to "normal"? I get it, Phoenix isn't WDW, and I am sure the demand for hospitality workers is higher in Orlando than in Phoenix, but my guess is the pool of candidates in Phoenix is a lot smaller too.

I felt like I was in a place that had its act together, compared to WDW where it seems every week there is another sign that things are not getting better. I am glad to see things creeping back to normal, but between maintenance issues, menu limitations, limited housekeeping service, it's as though WDW--which in the past represented to me the BEST in hospitality--is now way behind.

Am I wrong? (Always a possibility...)

Are supply chain issues really that bad for WDW?

Is TWDC leadership disengaged? Is it too focused on short-term margins? Has it abandoned the Parks Division as a pillar of its business? Does it care?

And more to the point, where does this end up? I keep waiting to see a media release from Josh D'Amaro along the lines of "Please accept our apologies. We have let things slip too far, and WE HEAR YOU. We value you as guests, and for that reason we are going back to FP+, we are improving our food offerings, and we are doing all we can to let you know that we value you." But I'm not holding my breath...

The pandemic certainly caused perturbations, but was it really THIS devastating?

I think WDW has fundamentally lost its way.

It's a Disney problem. I stayed at Universal in early January and had my room cleaned everyday and top-notch service everywhere I went in the hotel and the parks. No signs of employee shortages or pandemic limitations.

On another note, may I ask what hotel you stayed at in Phoenix? Heading there is a few weeks and need a hotel by the airport. Thx

 

[k5xs]

On another note, may I ask what hotel you stayed at in Phoenix? Heading there is a few weeks and need a hotel by the airport. Thx

Not really by the airport, but about 25 mins south in Chandler: Gila River Resort, Wild Horse Pass. Very nice.

 

[Alice in Okie-land]

It’s not exclusive to theme parks. I do maintenance management for Topgolf and my maintenance team used to be 14 associates. I have the budget for 8 now. To say it’s an active choice Disney is making is incorrect in my opinion.

My brother is a general manager in travel/hospitality and he is desperate for good employees. People that actually want to work are few and far between. Many accept the job but quit within weeks because it is “too hard” (food service, housekeeping, etc). Hourly pay as set by executive leadership is too low to attract dedicated, conscientious workers who have a plethora of jobs to choose from in this market.

Many of his best employees in the past came from guest worker programs that were stopped due to the pandemic and international border closures, and he is eager to see that system open back up again.

 

[Alice in Okie-land]

People didn’t stay away because of masks.

I stayed away because of masks.
Many people avoided travel to many places because of masks.
We cancelled / postponed trips to both Disney and Belize due to masks.

 

[Suger Mag]

I stayed away because of masks.
Many people avoided travel to many places because of masks.
We cancelled / postponed trips to both Disney and Belize due to masks.

True, but also the opposite. I think people ONLY traveled because of masks. I know I was comfortable going to WDW Jan 2021 and Jan 2022 BECAUSE of masks being mandated. I would not have gone otherwise.

 

[Moliphino]

I was in Phoenix last month and neither the hilton or hyatt I stayed at offered daily housekeeping nor a full pre covid breakfast, whether it was paid or complimentary. Not everywhere but disney is back to normal.

I was in Jacksonville last month and had no housekeeping at all during a 4 night stay (Courtyard Marriott).

 

[eandt]

It’s not exclusive to theme parks. I do maintenance management for Topgolf and my maintenance team used to be 14 associates. I have the budget for 8 now. To say it’s an active choice Disney is making is incorrect in my opinion.

Maybe i am not following you but if you used to have 14 employees and now have the budget for only 8 how is that not an "active" choice? Is it that the customers have not returned to Top Golf? Judging by the crowds we saw last November and those we have heard about currently I don't think the issue with Disney is the lack of customers. My opinion, this lack of service and downgraded experience will hurt them in the long run.

 

[Turn the Page]

My brother is a general manager in travel/hospitality and he is desperate for good employees. People that actually want to work are few and far between. Many accept the job but quit within weeks because it is “too hard” (food service, housekeeping, etc). Hourly pay as set by executive leadership is too low to attract dedicated, conscientious workers who have a plethora of jobs to choose from in this market.

Many of his best employees in the past came from guest worker programs that were stopped due to the pandemic and international border closures, and he is eager to see that system open back up again.

This is a massive problem in our area too. We are a seasonal tourist region and for far too long local businesses relied on foreign labor because they didn't want to pay enough to attract decent local workers. Suddenly the pandemic happened, guest worker programs were suspended, and they were scrambling to find staff. Hopefully that can be relieved a bit this summer.

 

[BaymaxFan78]

Is TWDC leadership disengaged?

This is it.

A lot of it is the fault of management. A lot of people (including me) blame Chapek for everything, and while he does play a factor here, the entire upper management of TWDC seems to have put profit over performance. Disney has always been expensive but it's gotten way worse to the point they are greedy. They took away things citing the pandemic as an excuse but they either won't bring them back or will bring them back with an upcharge and act like it's something brand new. The "lower" cast members, such as the ones working the parks, don't get the same training they used to get 3 years ago. Most of them are the reason the magic is still alive but newer CM's aren't always "up to par" with older CM's, because they aren't trained well anymore. There was a time, really not that long ago, when guest experience was more important than money. You were always able to pay more and get more but there was more "basic" stuff included for guests. Now it's money over guests, management doesn't care about the parks division because apparently it isn't as profitable as other things like Disney+.

For the staffing side of things, they are understaffed in some areas, looking at the Disney Careers website there are almost 300 job openings for WDW alone. There is also a big need for jobs in central FL, but nobody seems to want to get a job here. I don't think it's a pay issue but again a management issue. I've read stories that the managers treat CMs like garbage.

There also a lot of people who got lazy during the pandemic and don't want to work an actual job.

They also let go of a lot of veteran employees during the pandemic but never hired them back, I don't know why.


Long story short, management is the reason things are not as magical as once before.

 

[DSLRuser]

100% management problems.

Supes not checking up on the work of housekeepers and other hotel staff. Corporate Management is squeezing profits to make up for the year and a half of shut downs and lower travel. Funny because it is all for nothing as stock prices have tanked in response to all the poor management.

 

[What-r-ya Goofy?]

Bottom line, Disney needs to pay better to attract highly skilled middle managers and quality people on the front lines. Pay for quality people at mid level management and below and watch customer satisfaction soar. These are the folks that make WDW what it is. And stop paying millions in bonuses to upper level management that doesn't appear to have a clue. That really hurts the moral of hard working people.

I probably sound like a disgruntled Disney worker. I am not. I'm just another customer that would like to see Disney return to what it once was.

I think Disney has gotten the reputation as being a bad place to work. They need to turn the ship around before they completely tarnish their brand and find that no one worth their weight wants to work for them.

 

[xipotec]

you

I just returned from a week on business in Phoenix. I stayed at a nice hotel complex, and several things struck me:

1. Everything was open.
2. Everything was immaculate.
3. My room exceeded the best experience I've had at a deluxe resort at WDW, but at about one quarter the price. And my room was fully tended to by housekeeping every day.
4. Food/beverage prices were reasonable.
5. Staff was friendly and engaging.

So what's the deal with WDW? Why is it struggling so (apparently) to get back to "normal"? I get it, Phoenix isn't WDW, and I am sure the demand for hospitality workers is higher in Orlando than in Phoenix, but my guess is the pool of candidates in Phoenix is a lot smaller too.

I felt like I was in a place that had its act together, compared to WDW where it seems every week there is another sign that things are not getting better. I am glad to see things creeping back to normal, but between maintenance issues, menu limitations, limited housekeeping service, it's as though WDW--which in the past represented to me the BEST in hospitality--is now way behind.

Am I wrong? (Always a possibility...)

Are supply chain issues really that bad for WDW?

Is TWDC leadership disengaged? Is it too focused on short-term margins? Has it abandoned the Parks Division as a pillar of its business? Does it care?

And more to the point, where does this end up? I keep waiting to see a media release from Josh D'Amaro along the lines of "Please accept our apologies. We have let things slip too far, and WE HEAR YOU. We value you as guests, and for that reason we are going back to FP+, we are improving our food offerings, and we are doing all we can to let you know that we value you." But I'm not holding my breath...

The pandemic certainly caused perturbations, but was it really THIS devastating?

I think WDW has fundamentally lost its way.

you got lucky

 

[tjkraz]

Anyone that has been to the parks even last year knows the capacity limits are complete garbage and a flat out lie. I have been to the parks multiple times since the beginning of last summer and it’s more crowded then before the pandemic.

I visited in May and December 2021 and did not find the crowds to be any larger than past visits.

Nevertheless, many have said things are more crowded in the last couple of months (March & April.) Meanwhile Disney is also restricting access with Park Pass showing no availability for literally weeks during spring break period.

So, do believe it's true that:

1) the parks are more crowded than before the pandemic, AND
2) even more guests are still being turned away

Is there THAT much demand for the WDW product, in spite of inflation, Genie+, Chapek, politics, high crowds, etc.?

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

People that actually want to work are few and far between.

Hourly pay as set by executive leadership is too low to attract dedicated, conscientious workers

Can you not see this disparity?

Who wants to work? People work to live, they shouldn't live to work.
Reliance on foreign workers who accept below living wages is not the answer any longer.