Do you think WDW is missing some magic because all of these bashing threads? The more I come here and read the threads the more the magic gets spoiled. Luckily I went to WDW a couple of weeks ago and saw it wasn't the doom and gloom posted here.....
I used to think that too. I would read all the negativity here, but when it came time for our yearly family pilgrimage down to O-town, We would strap on the Mickey ears, fly down, stay at our big bad evil DVC, flash our APs to get into the parks, and soak up the magic with tears of joy. Then I would fly back home, read the forums and go 'they're just wrong. Especially that nut job Spirit!' I was just there and it was so MAGICal!
Then the past year happened. Since October of 2011, we've spent approx 29 days in WDW theme parks spanning 4 trips -- oct '11, April '12, nov '12 and jan '13. Maybe it was just too much....but with each successive trip from that oct 11 trip to the most recent one, something would either be broken and/or break. Whether it was broken ani's on EE/splash/SSE/malestrom/Potc, projection problems on soarin, the queue screen on JotLM showing the M$ windows blue screen, a problem with my room key that lasted the whole oct '12 trip, Minnie flashing angry hand gestures while reluctantly taking a picture with my daughter at chef mickeys, the monorail crapping out, a fast pass surge frequently turning a 20 minute wait into an hour, a 60 minute wait for a seat at crystal palace even though i had an ADR that I had only because I woke up at the but-crack of dawn 180 days prior .....after a while, these broken things start to annoy you like a bad blister or a chafed thigh, because they are either so voluminous or egregious that you can't overlook it.
But even if it was just what I described above, I might not be as negative on the place as I currently am. Two separate, unconnected issues/events have solidified my resolve that WDW is in a death spiral and needs immediate help now.
First, is the current agregate mindset of WDW cast members. Prior to oct '11, if any of the above issues threatened my enjoyment of my vacation, I would seek a CM. I would be polite and courteous.....and the CM would take care of the problem. How it was taken care of is/was immaterial. They would get it done and before you had a chance to let the issue soil your trip, they would fix the problem and do something special for you. I think back to a trip in 09. My daughter had her first bibbidi appointment in the morning followed by her first breakfast at CRT. However, within 5 min of sitting down at a chair in bibbidi, she got violently ill. The bibbidi CM's treated her with such respect and care. They all flocked to her aid while she heaved into a pail. We had to cancel the the bibbidi appointment and the CRT ADR and take her back to the room. However, within 2 hours of canceling bibbidi and the CRT adr, we got a call from a CM at WDW informing us that our bibbidi appointment was rescheduled for 2 days later and they arranged for a table at CRT immediately afterwards. She also told us that if our daughter was still sick, they would happily reschedule a later date, Then, 2 days later, while at our rescheduled CRT breakfast, each and every princess asked my daughter if she was feeling better. It convinced my then almost 4 year old daughter that the princesses really were magical and real. It brought my wife to tears. Unfortunately. That was the end of the magic. Each trip following that one, I had at least one experience with a cast member per trip that was putrid. Whether it was a CR cast member checking you into your room at BLT who was just nasty and who said "you DVC people can be so annoying" or a CM at guest relations in the Mk that wouldn't stop rolling her eyes at you when you came in with a complaint/concern or problem. The general feeling i got was that the cast members simply don't care any more. They treat a conflict or problem with frustration and they treat the guest with disdain. Nothing makes me angrier than watching a CM point in that traditional disney way...you know, with three fingers, but with their eyes and the rest of their body language, they are screaming 'FU, you annoying guest, don't you bother me ever again'. They were clearly taught how to point in disney fashion, but they either forgot *why* or never learned *why* in the first place. I shudder to think what would have happened if my daughter got sick in bibbidi today, just 4 years later. Would the cast member scream "get out of here, before she throws up on the floor!"??? Sadly, that particular reaction doesn't seem very foreign for today's CM.
The second event, occurred during our jan '13 trip. The first half of the trip was spent at universal, at the royal pac. It was our first stay at Uni. Every team member we bumped into was respectful, friendly, talkative and generally excited to be working at uni. It was infectious.....but there was something far greater that happened this trip compared to other trips...we relaxed! We have grown to accept the fact that WDW trips were/are stressful. Each meal at WDW is planned 180 days in advance. At wdw, We raced from fast pass to fast pass. Not at uni. We woke up when we wanted, we ate breakfast when we wanted. We went back to the royal PAC in the middle of the afternoon for lazy swims. We enjoyed clean theme parks with friendly TMs. People often talk about the fact that uni is beating WDW in the uncontested attraction war......but very few people talk about the fact that uni is beating the crap out of WDW in the intangible race. What used to be wdw's secret weapon -- guest service, has been usurped by universal....
Just a week ago, I was telling my kids how much I missed universal and wished we were going back soon. They asked where their real dad is being held.....
