Originally posted by Catch 22
Having read through these posts it saddens me that some use the excuse that crappy service is warranted because of the war.
This is the biggest load of BS I have ever heard.
Well, I really have trouble accepting that Disney is offering "crappy service" either due to new war concerns or other reasons. I have had the opportunity to visit MANY places across the world and I have yet to find a place that caters to each guest the way Disney does.
I think very few of us (including myself) even know how much time, energy, work, dedication, etc. go into making even one day work correctly at Disney World. No doubt that with around 50-55,000 cast members some are not going to be Disney-holics and care about making every guest feel special, since they see it as an every-day job. True, its a shame, but I believe that a majority of cast members still know they are creating magic and enjoy it.
That said, war causes enormous economic strain on almost every facet of the work world, whether it is obvious or not. Disney had to cut back some things in light of what happened when just an Orange alert was announced. Several articles in the Orlando Sentinel (and even my home paper in PA) talked about how the parks were struggling. With a war, don't you think that affect would multiply? Well, luckily for Disney, it didn't and they tried to make up for it by extending hours, etc.
After 9/11, Disney made drastic cut-backs, and we complained. When things started looking brighter (last summer and Christmas) many of those cut-backs were lifted. It will happen again. Be patient. In comparison, Disney still offers what I consider to be top-notch service and experience. It may be scaled back a little because of world concerns, but it will come back. These cut-backs aren't solely a result of the trouble with ABC as some have suggested, but rather what appeared to be a reduction in travelers.
I would also like to point out, that when ABC was bought what came along with it. Greater expansion of the Disney channel, all of the ESPN networks, many radio station affiliates, etc. ABC surely isn't number 1, but with it came some very lucrative options and ABC isn't a complete failure. Again, give it time. They were starting to make progress last fall and stopped "the bleeding" it suffered last year. Sadly they fell into the trap of reality TV and it flopped. In my eyes, this was a blessing in disguise, as they have ordered more comedy and drama pilots than ever before to try and find a good one, like 8 Simple Rules.