"Bad Show" "This ride is horrible" blah blah blah

[LSUxStitch]

I have noticed at times that people complain about the simplest of things that are done in Disney that cause people to get upset or aggravated over. A little trash here, different colored sidewalk, backstage wall showing, MGM sign holes/lack of tarp, castmember attitudes, etc, are often complaints around for those Disney "freaks" (freak is a good thing) like some people on this board.

Does it seem, at times, that Disney's attitude of providing the guest with overall excellent service is sometimes taken for granted and people expect more. This company is by far one of the best in the business when it comes to guest service, but yet people still complain. When I did the CP it became really obvious to me that people have come to expect more than more, even if they are recieving more service than any other vacation spot in the world.

I guess my question to you guys is this, do you notice this as well...or are you the ones that respect the way disney does things and keeps your mouth shut and just enjoys the experience for what it is worth?

 

[tigsmom]

I'm pretty easy going so when I see a piece of paper on the ground I'll pick it up & throw it away instead of complaining about it.

Something needs a coat of paint? A flower needs replacing? You know what? Things like that don't ruin my day let alone my vacation and you won't see me commenting on it. Something dangerous like broken walkways or bannisters? Yep, I'll report them to the powers that be so they can be fixed before somebody is injured. You still won't see me posting about it here though, what good will it do? Can anyone here fix it? I doubt it.

I would rather focus on the positive and not the negative and to be perfectly honest, I feel sorry for those who go to WDW and just look for things to complain about.

I don't expect anything more from the Disney Company that I do from any other.

 

[unkadug]

Well, it is true that Disney is held to a higher standard than most.
However, the bar mave have been raised by the fans so high as to not let even Disney live up to it.

 

[col]

i go to disney because i love it there.
i dont care if something is wrong just as long as it doesnt effect me or if the place is a little untidy or has holes in the ground or some of the rides are getting a rehab while im there of course i would be bummed if that happened but what can i do there would be no point screaming in someones face or making a complaint coz it could happen anywhere.

disney probably does the best it can there are bound to be changes but sometimes changes are good!

nowhere is perfect everywhere has its problems.

like the saying goes "everyones _______ stinks".

 

[raven]

Nothing can spoil the Disney magic for me. Even when I go backstage. So I don't complain about the odd piece of paper or even stray tarp. I figured there are at least a few dozen other parks that are worse that no one else complains about. :wave:

 

[SpongeScott]

I'm pretty easy going so when I see a piece of paper on the ground I'll pick it up & throw it away instead of complaining about it.

Something needs a coat of paint? A flower needs replacing? You know what? Things like that don't ruin my day let alone my vacation and you won't see me commenting on it. Something dangerous like broken walkways or bannisters? Yep, I'll report them to the powers that be so they can be fixed before somebody is injured. You still won't see me posting about it here though, what good will it do? Can anyone here fix it? I doubt it.

I would rather focus on the positive and not the negative and to be perfectly honest, I feel sorry for those who go to WDW and just look for things to complain about.

I don't expect anything more from the Disney Company that I do from any other.

everything she said.

 

[Glasgow]

You bring up a good point - if someone cares about Disney so much then they should be proactively reporting bad show or trash or whatever to Disney Public relations. If you do so, kudos to you - if you don't and are just complaining just to hear yourself, then maybe you're never going to be satisfied. If you do report these things and still nothing is done, then THAT is a problem and Disney is at fault.

BTW - nice post Tigsmom

 

[MickeyTigg]

I think what bothers a lot of people (me included) on things like this is that at one time you didn't see things that were "bad show"...or not nearly as much.

My wife and I used to joke that if you drop a piece of popcorn, a Disney custodial person was there to catch it before it hit the ground.

You didn't used to see chipped paint or burned out light bulbs because there was routine maintenance. With recent cutbacks in custodial and maintenance staff....maintenance doesn't seem to have been given a top priority anymore.

If people complain about it, it's because Disney set such a high standard for what was expected and the bar seems to have been lowered.

When I see "bad show" I'm not happy about it...but it hardly ruins my day...it's more of "things aren't the way they used to be" and make comment about it to someone.

And yes, I do pick up trash if I see it littered on the ground.

 

[JasonP]

I don't think that we are holding them to a higher standard, but to the standard they have set many years ago. Since then Disney has in all honesty let a lot of things go. Granted this is due to higher attendance numbers, and possibly upper management. But if you look around the parks are not as clean as they used to be, staff are not as friendly (A lot of them are great!), rides are broken or missing features, rides are closed (time keeper, Wonders of Life).

My last couple of trips I have seen downright nasty Disney employees, something I would come to expect at a Kmart up here in NY. I've been going down to Disney for a number of years and it sickens me to see the place go down like this. Many of you may be new and don't realize this, but some of us who grew up with Disney, knows how the place used to be. It's not a question of being fanatical, granted I think I am =), but I just think we are still holding them to the standard that THEY set forth many years ago with Disney Land, and World.

Quotes from Walt Disney.

"Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, keep it friendly."

"Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money. . . even trying to keep that Park clean is a tremendous expense. And those sharp pencil guys tells you, 'Walt, if we cut down on maintenance, we'd save a lot of money.' But I don't believe in that -- it's like any other show on the road. It must be kept fresh and clean."

"Well, I think by this time my staff, my group of young executives, and everything else, are convinced that Walt is right. The quality will out. And so I think they're going to stay with that policy because it's proved that it's a good business policy. Give people everything you can give them. Keep the place as clean as you can keep it. Keep it friendly, you know. Make it a real fun place to be.."

 

[MickeyTigg]

Very good Jason....well stated.

:lookaroun

 

[mousermerf]

Custodial folks still work their bums off - the general public however is not nearly as respectful as they used to be.

I know from many hours of direct experience that they try to keep the place imacculate.

On the other side - so many folks somehow feel the 90's were some glorious time for WDW and the management. It's been 15 years since then.

How many of you can still run as fast as you could 15 years ago? How many of you have the complection you were born with?

Things age - and maintaining them early on is easy. Afterward, it become very difficult. Disneyland had to get serious - SERIOUS - overhauls to look good for the 50th.

When built, everything has a lifespan. Bulbs actually do last longer in fixtures when they're brand new versus older fixtures. Paint ages - that's a fact of life. Some surfaces have to be repainted and new coats added, before finally they have to be removed and replaced. The concretion (not concrete, but rather concretion - aka: pebbley gunk) that makes the planter walls of Epcot has aged poorly and i bet none of you have noticed the extensive work done over the years to maintain it.

The mouse is working - some of you are jsut not understanding how the world works.

 

[LSUxStitch]

But if you look around the parks are not as clean as they used to be, staff are not as friendly (A lot of them are great!), rides are broken or missing features, rides are closed (time keeper, Wonders of Life).

My last couple of trips I have seen downright nasty Disney employees, something I would come to expect at a Kmart up here in NY. I've been going down to Disney for a number of years and it sickens me to see the place go down like this. Many of you may be new and don't realize this, but some of us who grew up with Disney, knows how the place used to be. It's not a question of being fanatical, granted I think I am =), but I just think we are still holding them to the standard that THEY set forth many years ago with Disney Land, and World.

For the nasty castmembers comment: After working there (..and if you havn't then this might be news to you..), the guest that I mentioned in the first post are downright nasty to a lot of cast members b/c they expect way more than what should be expected.

The rides being broken are the amount of people they come in contact with on a daily basis. There is no mechanical object that does not go through wear and tear, especially when these rides go through more rotations in a day than some amusement rides in other parks go through in a week. The closing of rides is just a part of the business. If rides stayed around for too long, then you will have ppl complaining about the parks not having enough NEW stuff. Even though TimeKeeper and WoL have a good following on this board, from what I have heard..they aren't that big of attractions to the common folk.

..Plus I am sad to see that you think "sickens me to see the place go down like this." Personally change is not always a bad thing, it is just those w/o an open mind enough to see that WDW cannot change or it will be crap mentality. The times are changing and disney has to keep up with those. The kids these days could care less about CoP or TimeKeeper, so change is needed sometimes.

 

[CTXRover]

There are a number of factors that attribute to the so-called "bad show".

Some cases of "bad show" are Disney's responsibility. Its no secret that Disney is a business like any other that is held accountable by shareholders to make and spend so much and like any company they have made attempts to streamline expenses and costs which leads to less daily upkeep than in the past.

Some of it is the massive growth Disney World has experienced since it was built. Its no longer a one day park with two hotels. Its a sprawling complex that has reached impossible size to repaint every little nick or chip daily and with more property to cover there are more areas to find little problems. It also requires 10X+ people to staff the place. It has become near impossible to find 55,000 CM's that all share a sense of pride and enjoyment to work at WDW vs when the MK first opened. Many CM's treat working at WDW for what it is...just a job.

Some of it is attributable to a decline in social respect for property and one another. Many guests treat the park's like their own trash can today. When DL and WDW opened, people in general were a lot more caring for the parks. They would pick up their own trash rather than drop it on the ground as they walk down MS and the parents wouldn't encourage their kids by laughing when their kids stick gum on the wall in a queue.

Some of it is attributable to a fan-created mindset that holds the parks at levels they never were at to begin with. Some seem to think that there were never any cases of "bad show" as defined by some people when Walt was around. That is just not correct and their are archival photos to prove it

 

[MickeyTigg]

Some of it is attributable to a decline in social respect for property and one another. Many guests treat the park's like their own trash can today. When DL and WDW opened, people in general were a lot more caring for the parks. They would pick up their own trash rather than drop it on the ground as they walk down MS and the parents wouldn't encourage their kids by laughing when their kids stick gum on the wall in a queue.

Very true and very sad.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I'm pretty easy going so when I see a piece of paper on the ground I'll pick it up & throw it away instead of complaining about it.

Something needs a coat of paint? A flower needs replacing? You know what? Things like that don't ruin my day let alone my vacation and you won't see me commenting on it. Something dangerous like broken walkways or bannisters? Yep, I'll report them to the powers that be so they can be fixed before somebody is injured. You still won't see me posting about it here though, what good will it do? Can anyone here fix it? I doubt it.

I would rather focus on the positive and not the negative and to be perfectly honest, I feel sorry for those who go to WDW and just look for things to complain about.

I don't expect anything more from the Disney Company that I do from any other.

Oh my Gosh,

What's WRONG WITH YOU!!!




You find a piece of paper on the ground, you check to see if it's BLANK before you throw it out!!! If it is, you KEEP IT FOR LATER USE!!!

Pfft - ignorant people . . .


:wave:

Yensid "some-people-throw-out-the-biggest-opportunities-presented-to-them" tlaw1969

 

[tigsmom]

Oh my Gosh,

What's WRONG WITH YOU!!!




You find a piece of paper on the ground, you check to see if it's BLANK before you throw it out!!! If it is, you KEEP IT FOR LATER USE!!!

Pfft - ignorant people . . .


:wave:

Yensid "some-people-throw-out-the-biggest-opportunities-presented-to-them" tlaw1969

Have you a problem?

 

[Testtrack321]

Have you a problem?

Many.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Have you a problem?

Probably one or two.

A blank piece of paper is "the greatest opportunity in the world, because no one's put anything on it yet". Most great things in this world started with a blank sheet of paper, and someone had to be the first to put it down, who knows what YOU can create with that one sheet!

Yensid "I-have-a-thing-for-Imagineering" tlaw1969

 

[tigsmom]

Probably one or two.

A blank piece of paper is "the greatest opportunity in the world, because no one's put anything on it yet". Most great things in this world started with a blank sheet of paper, and someone had to be the first to put it down, who knows what YOU can create with that one sheet!

Yensid "I-have-a-thing-for-Imagineering" tlaw1969

I have no problem with what you wrote, but was the huge size of the text necessary? I am aware of the quote you alluded to, but I have not come across any blank papers on the ground in WDW, they are usually trash. :lol:

Nor do I like being referred to as ignorant.

 

[Remus]

Well, this thread seems to have gone off course, but I do agree with the folks that said that Disney has lowered its standards, and I think that those fans that are complaining are only asking Disney to maintain the high standards Disney set for itself.

I was a CM at Disneyland for many years, and for a brief shining moment an Imagineer (sort-of, I was a contractor who did figure finishing for TDS), and now I'm ananual passholder at WDW. I still love going to the parks; it reminds me of home. But, I'm sad that my daughter will not grow up with the Disney I grew up with. It was better.

As for the people that blame the Cast Members--that's just wrong. It's not the Cast Members faults (for the most part). Management needs to support the Cast by fully staffing the positions and giving the cast the tools they need to do their jobs.