A Spirited Valentine ...

[LuckyOswald]

Disney hotels have become a joke. The white bedding, while generic, is far better than the comforters they used to have which looked dirty, tacky and cheapened the place. Unfortunately, Disney is indeed 5-8 years behind the industry in their entire room portfolio. The soft and hard products simply do not equate with the industry, especially for the money. Yes the theming is nice but if you can't get a decent wifi connection, sleep on a mattress softer than actual Pride Rock or have to search high/low for an outlet, it's not okay.

Hungry? Better hope you made a reservation 180 days in advance, as you'd be hard-pressed to find a seat for most of the deluxe hotel restaurants on the spot. Lucky enough to snag a seat? Better be happy with the pared down menu that restaurants have been forced to adapt in the DDP-era.

None of this speaks to the service, mind you, which is also truly awful compared to what it was. Cast Members at the resorts have forgotten they are running a hotel and not a magic band dispensary, which is all they are really trained to do. My last attempt at extending my stay a few days was met with a blank stare, lots of phone calls and visits to the back office by the front desk host. Ultimately I was quoted nearly triple my rate and it took me, myself, calling to the central reservations center to extend the day for the same price (they weren't even able to do that, I had to book a new reservation then stand back in line to recheck in). Speaking of calling, want to call the front desk from your room? Think again. You get a call center who is wholly unable to help your problem or answer your question. They also require special manager approval to connect you to someone at the hotel itself. You can get the park hours but if you want to find out about booking a cabana for your hotel without trekking down to the pool after a long day in the parks, good luck.

One of the biggest issues, service-wise, is how Disney staffs their resorts. They put no thought into which cast member should be staffed at which resort. It's just luck of the draw. The reality should be only the best of the best staff the deluxe resorts, or at least requirement that you spend some time learning the ropes at one of the value or moderate properties before "moving up." Alas, some college program math major cast member may be thrown into the front desk at the Grand Floridian, never having stepped foot in a hotel before. For $700/night, that is not what I'm paying for. Same goes for the managers, to become a manager at a fine hotel, you are required to spend several years working in the field before you are promoted. Disney often hires managers fresh from their first College Program who have never once visited a WDW resort - perhaps they were a front-line merchandise clerk at the Emporium, now they're expected to manage the frontline team for Disney's flagship resort and provide individualized white glove service to high-value guests. It just simply doesn't work. They need to do what they used to do many years ago, by having secondary interviews within the areas themselves to decide who gets to work at the more "select" properties.

Staying at a Disney hotel used to be one of my favorite things to do. Alas no longer, my last ten visits have been at the Four Seasons or the Waldorf, which offer many times the amenities and service you find for often the same (or occasionally cheaper) price.

I swear I've read this before. Deja vu

 

[WDWTrojan]

Your whole post screams of a company that doesn't trust its staff and is so rigid they are willing to let thousands of dollars fly by instead of saying "Let me check on that!" and then trying to either figure out how I can collect the money and make the guest happy or find an acceptable solution that doesn't scream we're clueless.

That whole thing was slowly starting when I was at Guest Relations as it was seen as "strange" that I was always thinking on my feet. I just helped you with Epcot, but you're going to the Disney MGM Studios? Well, I do have a way for you to see Fantasmic without waiting in a long line... How about a Dinner Package? If le Cellier and the Teppanyaki was full, how about a delicious steak at the Yachtsmen Steakhouse? Its only 5 minutes away behind you...

Same thing applies to Guest Relations and VIP tours, actually. When I worked there years ago you had to, without exception, work elsewhere in the park before being promoted to GR and then after being in GR, apply to be a guide. Now you can be hired directly into GR, as they've expanded the department so much with the Magic Bands and everything. Guides can be hired from anywhere on property now, too. It's unfortunate because you do not get the same level of personalized service from a trained cast member who knows the resort cold and has learned the ways in which to problem solve on their feet.

 

[Absimilliard]

Same thing applies to Guest Relations and VIP tours, actually. When I worked there years ago you had to, without exception, work elsewhere in the park before being promoted to GR and then after being in GR, apply to be a guide. Now you can be hired directly into GR, as they've expanded the department so much with the Magic Bands and everything. Guides can be hired from anywhere on property now, too. It's unfortunate because you do not get the same level of personalized service from a trained cast member who knows the resort cold and has learned the ways in which to problem solve on their feet.

I was an exception then as I got Guest Relations on the International Program due to working at Disneyland Paris before. I had already started being "imaginative" even as a simple attractions cast member at Disneyland Paris, so the move to Guest Relations at WDW was right up my alley.

One thing I did at DLP was when we had missed a kid barely 40 inches tall somehow who was about to board Space Mountain... with its 55 inches height restriction then. Manager was called and the guests were quite upset as they had waited an hour for nothing. I defused things by offering baby switch on the spot and while they were doing their rides, I got my manager to write them an exit pass for Big Thunder Mountain, which they could do as a family.

I also was part of the operations team who worked on implementing Fast Pass on Star Tours at DLP. I guess all my good deeds followed me to WDW and I got Guest Relations thanks to that.

One fun story I did: I was alone at International Gateway at Epcot and a large family shows up... buying 20 Premium Annual Passes. It was back in the days when even when you bought them in advance, you still had to enter the pass information at the park. So I though on my feet and asked for one adult to come forward with the kids. I got them all their passes quickly and then promptly gave them vouchers for ice cream and even pointed out the nearest ice cream place at the France pavilion. So while I was taking care of the rest of the passes, the kids were happy and full and the adults quite relieved they don't have to entertain kids during 20 minutes at a ticket booth!

Those are the kind of fast thinking and personalised service Disney used to do all the time. Like you say, Guest Relations has become a department like another and its like the DMV: NEXT!

 

[HMF]

Most TV animation is done offshore anyway, usually in Korea or Japan, for the record.

I think The Simpsons explained it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

It ceratainly was more educational, cohesive and interesting experience at the time.

It only had 2 rides. Did Back Lot Tour even run at night?

 

[rushtest4echo]

It only had 2 rides. Did Back Lot Tour even run at night?

And again, I know I've said this before:

People don't want "behind the scenes" anymore. They truly don't. Guest surveys have proven this out. Studios was built at the end of an era where that type of storytelling was popular. That era ended shortly after, which is why the Studios has continued to struggle to find an identity since. Nothing on Sunset Blvd is "behind the scenes" unless you could certain aspects of RnRc. Nothing in Toy Story Land or Star Wars land will be "behind the scenes" either. Great Movie ride looks to be going away soon and with that removal, there will only be a few remnants of that postmodern storytelling left. And those elements (Muppetvision, Indy Stunt show) will probably be on their way out once the new lands debut.

People long for the days of "Old Epcot" and "Old Studios" when the public at large does not care those sorts of things any longer. In fact, the public hasn't wanted those things for decades.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

And again, I know I've said this before:

People don't want "behind the scenes" anymore. They truly don't. Guest surveys have proven this out. Studios was built at the end of an era where that type of storytelling was popular. That era ended shortly after, which is why the Studios has continued to struggle to find an identity since. Nothing on Sunset Blvd is "behind the scenes" unless you could certain aspects of RnRc. Nothing in Toy Story Land or Star Wars land will be "behind the scenes" either. Great Movie ride looks to be going away soon and with that removal, there will only be a few remnants of that postmodern storytelling left. And those elements (Muppetvision, Indy Stunt show) will probably be on their way out once the new lands debut.

People long for the days of "Old Epcot" and "Old Studios" when the public at large does not care those sorts of things any longer. In fact, the public hasn't wanted those things for decades.

So can you explain why the "behind the scenes" tours at Disney are so popular still ?

 

[Bocabear]

I think people still enjoy the "Behind The Scenes" stuff, problem is when the Behind The Scenes Backlot Tour has been so completely cut back, and there isn't much to see, then yeah, people tend to give it a poor rating.. If you demolish all the old sets that were on the tour and the entire walking studio portion of the tour, then yes, it will not be rated highly... That would be like shortening Space Mountain to just the light tunnel going around the corner and back into the exit, and then saying people don't like rollercoasters anymore.

 

[rael ramone]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/02/espn-layoffs-ed-werder-state-sports-journalism

Interesting bit from this article...

Ed Werder *had two years left on his contract*. Others had significant time left on their deals. Yet they are being paid not to work.

That's a way to show The Street you're serious about maintaining The Margin... Get rid of quality people and don't let the fact that you still have to pay them get in the way...

 

[rushtest4echo]

So can you explain why the "behind the scenes" tours at Disney are so popular still ?

Something that less than 1% of the park ever sees isn't what I'd call popular. There's always a given subset of people who want to see behind the curtain- most of us here probably fit that bill (especially those of us who do work in that manner). I'm not sure if those tours have waned in popularity or not, but overall the public at large isn't into behind the scenes stuff on a large scale any more. Even Universal Hollywood has been racing at a breakneck pace to remove those elements from the park and to place people directly into movies instead of making obvious "scenes" or explaining "how it's done".

There's a reason all of the movie parks world wide have been adapting to customer preferences by finding other ways to tell stories instead of saying "look you're in Hollywood, and here's how they do it!" It's been going away from that for a long time now.

 

[rushtest4echo]

I think people still enjoy the "Behind The Scenes" stuff, problem is when the Behind The Scenes Backlot Tour has been so completely cut back, and there isn't much to see, then yeah, people tend to give it a poor rating.. If you demolish all the old sets that were on the tour and the entire walking studio portion of the tour, then yes, it will not be rated highly... That would be like shortening Space Mountain to just the light tunnel going around the corner and back into the exit, and then saying people don't like rollercoasters anymore.

Agreed for DHS's version. But Universal Hollywood's Studio tour was at one point exclusively "behind the scenes", yet over the past few decades the tram tour has been transformed into a series of mini movie scenes. Even stuff like the Flash Flood scene has had a "story" tacked on instead of just trying to say "XXX number of gallons". I can't think of the last time Universal Hollywood did a "behind the scenes" attraction other than revamping the effects theater. Stuff like Backdraft, the Wild West Stunt Show have been eschewed in favor of more immersive attractions that don't take the audience out of the moment to explain to them that they're on a set. Really, that park was mostly "behind the scenes" stuff when I visited as a young adult in the late 80's. Now there are only a few examples of that stuff left.

Same goes for Universal Orlando.
Twister > Fallon.
Herc & Xena > Transformers
Disaster > Fast & Furious
Nick Studios > Blue Man Group
Hitchcock > Shrek
Studio 54 is gone
The MCA effects stuff is gone
The Studio Production Tour is gone
The Boneyard is gone

Each of those was a "behind the scenes" type attraction that's been removed and/or replaced by an attraction that places people "in the moment" and doesn't bother to explain to them that they're in a Studio or something like that. Even Mummy's "Studio" storyline is about "it coming true" and that somehow the curse is real and the Mummy really is attacking you right there as the movie is being shot. Of course, there are/were plenty of examples of other types of story like ET or Jaws or Kong. However, the stuff that's largely gone away around all of the Studio parks is in fact the behind the scenes type stuff. Universal Japan has largely moved away from the behind the scenes element as well, and Universal Singapore doesn't even attempt that stuff. I have a feeling Universal Beijing won't try it either. Ironically, some of the Wanda stuff in China does attempt to go back to the 80's way of movie studio park elements. Maybe customer expectations there are different and maybe Beijing will reflect that.

 

[Kman101]

I was an exception then as I got Guest Relations on the International Program due to working at Disneyland Paris before. I had already started being "imaginative" even as a simple attractions cast member at Disneyland Paris, so the move to Guest Relations at WDW was right up my alley.

One thing I did at DLP was when we had missed a kid barely 40 inches tall somehow who was about to board Space Mountain... with its 55 inches height restriction then. Manager was called and the guests were quite upset as they had waited an hour for nothing. I defused things by offering baby switch on the spot and while they were doing their rides, I got my manager to write them an exit pass for Big Thunder Mountain, which they could do as a family.

I also was part of the operations team who worked on implementing Fast Pass on Star Tours at DLP. I guess all my good deeds followed me to WDW and I got Guest Relations thanks to that.

One fun story I did: I was alone at International Gateway at Epcot and a large family shows up... buying 20 Premium Annual Passes. It was back in the days when even when you bought them in advance, you still had to enter the pass information at the park. So I though on my feet and asked for one adult to come forward with the kids. I got them all their passes quickly and then promptly gave them vouchers for ice cream and even pointed out the nearest ice cream place at the France pavilion. So while I was taking care of the rest of the passes, the kids were happy and full and the adults quite relieved they don't have to entertain kids during 20 minutes at a ticket booth!

Those are the kind of fast thinking and personalised service Disney used to do all the time. Like you say, Guest Relations has become a department like another and its like the DMV: NEXT!

Bravo to you! This is exactly how a GR person should be. So many shouldn't be in this position. So many shouldn't be in a lot of positions.

 

[rael ramone]

Bravo to you! This is exactly how a GR person should be. So many shouldn't be in this position. So many shouldn't be in a lot of positions.

So true..... CEO and Head of Parks & Resorts are two jobs that come to mind....

 

[Kman101]

Isn't Universal Studios Hollywood's tour one of it's most popular "rides" in the park still? I disagree that many don't want a behind the scenes aspect. It works better in Hollywood, that's where they WANT to see it. Many many many tourists still want behind the scenes things. They even offer a studio tour of NBC in New York, and it's quite popular.

 

[HauntedPirate]

And again, I know I've said this before:

People don't want "behind the scenes" anymore. They truly don't. Guest surveys have proven this out.

People long for the days of "Old Epcot" and "Old Studios" when the public at large does not care those sorts of things any longer. In fact, the public hasn't wanted those things for decades.

I am absolutely NOT making this political, just an observation - That same "public" also elected a community organizer and a real estate mogul as the two most recent Presidents of the United States. Maybe they aren't the best judges of what's good and what isn't...

Personally, I think there are two major issues combining at the same time. One is that the average park guest has been dumbed down by society and modern culture to the point that they don't want to "think" about a ride or attraction anymore - Just give me the thrills and show me where the next thrill is. Thus, we have the transformation of of once-great theme parks like EPCOT Center and Disney-MGM Studios into the latest thrill ride and IP and the demise of what made them great (or at least good, in the case of the Studios). The second is that Disney as a company no longer seems to care about anything other than synergy, brand, IP, and merchandising. It's no longer about being creative, it's about milking every last penny from the walking ATMs at the parks while making them think they had a great and MAGICAL!!! time. Sure, there are still many people working there who have passion and creativity and want to do great things, both on-stage at the parks and behind the scenes. But they've been largely neutered by corporate management and their unending desire to please Wall Street over Main Street. What they seem to forget, though, is that one cannot exist without the other. Cater to one and you lose the other. It's a balancing act, and I see the DIS seesaw tilted much farther towards Wall Street. They need to find a better balance before they start to run out of guests to replace those who either cannot or will not pay the money to go thru the turnstyles.... err... MagicBand touchpoints.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Anyone else get a chuckle from the online Universal Studios Orlando ads that say "Endless Awesome"?

 

[rushtest4echo]

Isn't Universal Studios Hollywood's tour one of it's most popular "rides" in the park still? I disagree that many don't want a behind the scenes aspect. It works better in Hollywood, that's where they WANT to see it. Many many many tourists still want behind the scenes things. They even offer a studio tour of NBC in New York, and it's quite popular.

When was the last time the Studio tour added anything that was "behind the scenes"? Their recent additions (Kong and Furious) aren't behind the scenes at all. Even the War of the Worlds and Whoville scenes (when used) attempt to add an "in the moment" story. THe flash flood scene has been adjusted to do that as well. Back when the rock tunnel and the collapsing bridge were things, they added "stories" to both of them and stopped showing 'how it's done" at the end of their runs.

The Studio Tour was obviously the original "behind the scenes" ride in the industry and it will always have that reputation to uphold. I don't think the "behind the scenes" stuff involving the sets and sound stages will ever truly go away nor should they. But they're still injecting more of a "in the moment" storyline each year as things change on the tram tour.

I agree that there are still plenty of venues that people want to see behind the scenes. And that there will always be some amount of people that want that for all venues. But those elements just don't attract people to parks any more except for Uni Hollywood's offerings, but even there the park has largely moved on from those elements. The Studio Tour will always be a special case as will very small tours of other parks. But nobody wants to play on green screens or have silly sound stages anymore. And nobody's interested in being told how stunt shows work anymore either (except Indy for whatever reason, hah). Well, maybe some people are interested but not enough for a park to see it as a need worth investing in anymore. They haven't thrown dollars at that type of storytelling for decades.

 

[Nubs70]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/02/espn-layoffs-ed-werder-state-sports-journalism

Interesting bit from this article...

Ed Werder *had two years left on his contract*. Others had significant time left on their deals. Yet they are being paid not to work.

That's a way to show The Street you're serious about maintaining The Margin... Get rid of quality people and don't let the fact that you still have to pay them get in the way...

Being paid not to work is based on Sunk Cost Theory. The wage is already in the budget and assumed to be already spent.

 

[rael ramone]

Being paid not to work is based on Sunk Cost Theory. The wage is already in the budget and assumed to be already spent.

In that case they are turning away quality employees that have 'already been paid for' via the budget...

 

[rushtest4echo]

In that case they are turning away quality employees that have 'already been paid for' via the budget...

Employees on contracts that probably stipulate that if they move to a competitor that their remaining compensation will be adjusted to account for the new pay. If Disney is paying them "not to work" that's one thing. If they're "cutting their losses" and waiting for these personalities to find employment elsewhere so Disney can tear up the punitive wages, then ESPN isn't really going to spend all of that contract money in the future. I have a feeling it's more of that latter.