A Spirited Perfect Ten

LuvtheGoof

LuvtheGoof

DVC Guru
Premium Member
ParentsOf4 said:
Here's an interesting 2002 article from the Orlando Sentinel, which states:

Seating is by reservation, which Disney calls "priority seating" only. The price of the meals are $15.99 plus tax for adults and $8.99 per child.​

Note this is consistent with the price in the 2002 edition of Birnbaum's ($16 and $9).
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So it looks like the price went from $16 in 2002 to $22 in 2005. Probably a slightly larger increase than the CPI, but not a ridiculous hike.
 
Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
CFBFGFBWMAEV9bz.jpg


Don't look now, but that guy behind us thinks he owns the place...
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
WendyGirl1979 said:
On a more serious note, can someone tell me why Bay Lake Tower is so preferred to the garden wing (OG) Contemporary? I want none of your new-fangled things and if I'm paying that money, I'd better see a monorail and a Mary Blair mural when I step foot out of my room.
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Huh? When you step out of a garden wing room you definitely are not in the lobby of CR. There is no mural or sign of a monorail. Its about the same walk as BLT to the main concourse depending on which room in BLT you get. Did you mean to say a tower room at CR vs BLT? If that's the case, I think most non-DVC owners paying cash for their room would choose a CR studio over BLT. The rooms are larger and a little bit nicer. Bay Lake Tower is also fully DVC. You can rent the rooms for cash if they are available, but 90%+ of the people are staying on DVC points. As a DVC resort it's a mix of studio, 1BR, 2BR and 3BR villas.
 
alphac2005

alphac2005

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
I feel ripped off to some extent every time I'm at WDW and I spend far, far, far, far less than most people or than what I spent 15 years ago. I never felt like I had to get back at 'Da Man at WDW in the 70s, 80s or 90s because I thought they gave me my money's worth and, often, then some. I don't feel that way anymore. I feel open contempt from the company and many employees (and, no, I am not even talking about my personal pals at TDO or CP). I think they're lucky that soda and hotel soap is about as far as I'll go with getting some back ... because many people are stealing from them left and right (which does bother me) and items of actual value.
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When you look at the past century in the world of American corporation branding, there are two crown jewels in that time: Coca-Cola and Disney. They created emotional, lifelong connections to the brands with the consumer feeling 'part' of that brand as if there was personal ownership a stake. As for Disney, go back the last century, you willingly gave them money even if the product was overpriced.

You (I, most of us here) felt part of the club. You felt a deep emotional connection that transcended consumer and corporation. Today, that is gone. I'm in the same boat and countless others here are well. At this point, it feels like a romantic long-term relationship that has gone really wrong and there is so much ill will wished at this point because of countless tremors in the relationship.

Our littlest one just asked his grandmother if he could go to Walt Disney World next week during a visit to Florida. She told him no. Why? It's too expensive and it just isn't enjoyable like it was. She said instead of Disney, it will be Universal during the trip. His grandmother is quite well off, so it isn't an issue of money being an issue. It's the tearing of bonds between the company and the customer.

What was built over the course of more than three quarters of a century is being rapidly unraveled in roughly a decade of time.

Let me know when the Guilded Age Part II ends and maybe some sanity will finally return.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
ford91exploder said:
Yes it is, I do customer service at a much higher level and work with C-level executives and the FIRST thing you need to do is LISTEN to why the customer is unhappy, At that point in time it's unimportant who is right.

Like it or not you represent the entire company at that moment in time and YOUR attitude goes a long way to reducing the customers temperature so you can both work on solving the problem.
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baymenxpac said:
yup. this.

listen, there's certainly a nice little thesis to be written about which came first: the elimination of customer service OR the obnoxious customer unreasonably demanding the moon and the stars. but let's be frank: most people just want to feel like they're not being ripped off.
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WDW1974 said:
I think it's the corporate greed. I think people try to scam Disney or get freebies more now because the cost of everything is so insane. Disney also now nickels and dimes and tries to fill in every hole (insert your own fanboi joke) where someone might be able to take a small advantage of the system.

The absurd RapidFill response to perceived (and real) soda thievery (BTW, check at resorts before buying mugs or even cups as many are shutting the system down/off regularly!) is like trying to use a nuke to kill one person. It may also be why I had no issue, after purchasing food at Sunshine Seasons, with going up and filling a small water cup with Coke twice. Yes, I am evil and going to he ll, I already know that, so don't waste your breath.

I feel ripped off to some extent every time I'm at WDW and I spend far, far, far, far less than most people or than what I spent 15 years ago. I never felt like I had to get back at 'Da Man at WDW in the 70s, 80s or 90s because I thought they gave me my money's worth and, often, then some. I don't feel that way anymore. I feel open contempt from the company and many employees (and, no, I am not even talking about my personal pals at TDO or CP). I think they're lucky that soda and hotel soap is about as far as I'll go with getting some back ... because many people are stealing from them left and right (which does bother me) and items of actual value.
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This all comes back to declining levels of quality and service at WDW driven from the top down. This is a problem created by Disney management.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there was genuine concern for the WDW customer at the highest levels. There was a palpable attitude that the customer came first. However, there also was concern whether those high standards could be maintained as WDW grew. They knew it was going to be a challenge. They believed they needed to step up their game to handle the increasing crowds. They believed it was a time for a renewed investment in WDW's commitment to quality.

Instead, by the early 1990s, Eisner and Wells began pressuring WDW management to improve margins, eventually pushing out WDW's old-time leadership (who I call the Old Guard). Once Paul Pressler was put in charge of Parks & Resorts in 1998, WDW's decline was assured.

This does not mean that today's WDW stinks. It does mean that WDW has declined.

I would have graded WDW an A+ experience in the 1970s and 1980s. With all the exciting building going on through 1998, I'd even give this grade to that decade as well. I certainly don't recall seeing quality cuts back then, and I suspect that was because most of the initial cuts happened offstage or involved maintenance, which took time to take its toll. Even today, I'd give WDW a grade of a B or B+. WDW is still good but the corporate priority has shifted from "profits through quality" to just "profits", resulting in a lower grade.

Those of us who complain about today's WDW do not hate WDW. Quite the opposite. I suspect we love it at least as much as the apologists (a.k.a. pixie dusters), who seem to accept declining standards as part of the normal business cycle. We so called doom-and-gloomers simply know what WDW is capable of becoming once more, with the right leadership.

Even in the 1970s and 1980s, Guests could be demanding. However, Disney gave so much and, relative to today, charged so little that Guests overwhelmingly were grateful for the WDW experience. WDW was exceptional for its time exactly because customers were provided excellent service for relatively moderate prices. The WDW of the 1970s and 1980s did not operate like other companies of the 1970s and 1980s. The "Disney Difference" was real.

With prices being what they are today, customer expectations have been raised exactly at a time when WDW has lowered its standards. Today's CMs are dealing with more difficult customers, but that's because those CMs are being placed in more difficult situations by decisions made at corporate.

This is not a problem with WDW's Guests or Cast Members. Overwhelmingly, this is a problem created by Disney management.
 
Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
ParentsOf4 said:
This all comes back to declining levels of quality and service at WDW driven from the top down. This is a problem created by Disney management.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there was genuine concern for the WDW customer at the highest levels. There was a palpable attitude that the customer came first. However, there also was concern whether those high standards could be maintained as WDW grew. They knew it was going to be a challenge. They believed they needed to step up their game to handle the increasing crowds. They believed it was a time for a renewed investment in WDW's commitment to quality.

Instead, by the early 1990s, Eisner and Wells began pressuring WDW management to improve margins, eventually pushing out WDW's old-time leadership (who I call the Old Guard). Once Paul Pressler was put in charge of Parks & Resorts in 1998, WDW's decline was assured.

This does not mean that today's WDW stinks. It does mean that WDW has declined.

I would have graded WDW an A+ experience in the 1970s and 1980s. With all the exciting building going on through 1998, I'd even give this grade to that decade as well. I certainly don't recall seeing quality cuts back then, and I suspect that was because most of the initial cuts happened offstage or involved maintenance, which took time to take its toll. Even today, I'd give WDW a grade of a B or B+. WDW is still good but the corporate priority has shifted from "profits through quality" to just "profits", resulting in a lower grade.

Those of us who complain about today's WDW do not hate WDW. Quite the opposite. I suspect we love it at least as much as the apologists (a.k.a. pixie dusters), who seem to accept declining standards as part of the normal business cycle. We so called doom-and-gloomers simply know what WDW is capable of becoming once more, with the right leadership.

Even in the 1970s and 1980s, Guests could be demanding. However, Disney gave so much and, relative to today, charged so little that Guests overwhelmingly were grateful for the WDW experience. WDW was exceptional for its time exactly because customers were provided excellent service for relatively moderate prices. The WDW of the 1970s and 1980s did not operate like other companies of the 1970s and 1980s. The "Disney Difference" was real.

With prices being what they are today, customer expectations have been raised exactly at a time when WDW has lowered its standards. Today's CMs are dealing with more difficult customers, but that's because those CMs are being placed in more difficult situations by decisions made at corporate.

This is not a problem with WDW's Guests or Cast Members. Overwhelmingly, this is a problem created by Disney management.
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I remember going in 1987 during the "15 Years" celebration. Guests going through the turnstiles were randomly selected to get prizes throughout the day, and one guest per day(?) got a new car. I got a free ticket to Discovery Island and River Country, which we probably wouldn't have gone to otherwise. So Disney got 2 extra paying guests to both of those places, and we were thrilled to have won something. Seems like a win-win to me.
 
bhg469

bhg469

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
The issue isn't that other hotels/resorts have problems. The issue is that it isn't acceptable anywhere ... and it certainly isn't something to be excused away at WDW, which charges the most absurd and obscene prices for standard hotel rooms in Central Florida ... by a mile.
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I agree completely and I understand a little caution when a known owner of another typically universal forum has a bad report of a beloved disney hotel room. I am really sad that Steve immediately doubted Brian's story in a pretty rude way.

No one in their right mind would spend that kind of money on a hotel room unless they really wanted to be there.

The cruddy towels aren't exactly a scathing report but the blood is inexcusable. Instead on jumping on the guys credibility right away maybe we can take his word for it because again, he paid a large sum of money for a Disney hotel on his honeymoon. I don't know about his wife but if I tainted our honeymoon in St. Lucia as an excuse to further my anti Caribbean vacation agenda, I assure you I'd be divorced by the end of the week.

Instead I accidentally had too much burbon and the local delicious ginger ale and had one day on the floor of the hotel room... I still feel bad enough about that. BTW, that hotel room in st Lucia was spotless, large and had a gigantic balcony. Id imagine it was cheaper than a poly room too.
 
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M

Mat Cauthon

Well-Known Member
PhotoDave219 said:
I'm sorry, I don't give praise when my $300 a night room is done as advertised and meeting expectations. You get praise for exceeding expectations.
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I am typically of a like mind with you on many things but definitely have a different approach with this thought. Taking all things Disney out of it, I believe in recognizing effort that meets my expectations. Whether it be a nice dinner with good service, a good shopping experience or my own employees who do a good job with a task or project. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or long winded. A simple "Thanks. I really enjoyed that." or "Thanks. You were very helpful." or "Great job. I appreciate you getting that done so fast." can go a long way in improving moral and service. These people met my expectations and deserved recognition for their effort IMO. Exceeding my expectation deserves a reward (bigger tip, better score on yearly evaluation, etc). But then maybe that's where I'm missing your point. You were using praise in the same vein as I am using reward.
On a second side note: I think service industry jobs are by and large thankless, for lack of a better word, and society in general has forgotten how to be courteous and how to have manners. I was a retail GM for almost 15 years so have a pretty good idea what many go through in those positions. A simple "please" and "thank you" are almost a dead concept for many of todays consumers, regardless of the level of service they receive. It's surprising how those two simple phrases can improve ones dining/shopping experience.
 

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