Changes to private dining hours at Walt Disney World Resort hotels

[larandtra]

All of that aside, please go ahead and explain where the assertion made by the poster is apples to apples and validate the data. Plenty of data has been given from several posters and proven the original commentary by the poster to be skewed by not comparing actual commonality but things that obviously would not measure up. So give us your opinion since you were so quick to chime in on the use of the English language. Try contributing to the discussion.

 

[21stamps]

Actually I’ll follow up on the above post.. attached is a snapshot price for 2 nights at a popular ‘luxury resort’ for this month. Pool view room, nothing fancy.

25-30% off? - Nope.
“Free dining”- lol. Nope.
Transportation to local attractions? Nope.
Refillable Mugs- Nope.
Free Parking? Nope, $45 per night Valet Only.
Cabanas under $300? No way.
Beach Umbrellas included in Resort Fee? Nope.


For all of those here who claim that Waldorf’s etc include so much more, please explain what is included that is ‘so much more’ than what Disney gives..at an equal or lower price?

Full disclosure, I’ve been staying at this resort (main property) since I was a child up til now with my own child, with more hours than I can count inbetween..so I pretty much know it inside and out.

 

[Pixieish]

I apologize in advance for the following novel...

While I disagree with his usual doom and gloom (as you can see by my previous comment in this very thread) I have to say that I do agree with @ford91exploder about the decline in excitement and little surprises (but I generally try not to focus on it) like being toasted at what I believe is now Boatwright's because we were on our honeymoon - led by the host of the restaurant, or being addressed as Mr. & Mrs. no matter where we went (literally...it was so surprising that EVERYONE who worked at Disney knew who we were!), yes - towel animals, etc. Many, MANY visitors to the parks today simply aren't aware of what's missing because they didn't visit WDW then, or were too young to remember. And what they do expect, they expect for the wrong reasons or only because they were told to expect it by someone else.

This all reflects horribly on TDO - especially the loss of little things that really cost the company nothing.

But it also reflects on us as guests and a society as well. The paintbrushes are no more on Tom Sawyer's Island because people were stealing them; the change from Dixie Landings - with it's own newspaper and backstory - to Port Orleans Riverside, lest we offend those with a distaste for our own history; people cutting in line; shoplifting, vomiting in walkways because they lack the ability to curb their own drinking, people freaking out over towel animals even though they were supposed to be a "maybe you'll be lucky" thing, people screaming at CMs because the fastpass didn't let them skip to the front of the line...etc. etc. The entitlement attitude of today slices both ways - it forces management to try to eliminate throwing money away and to find ways to shuffle the bad behavior under the rug and cause as little commotion as possible, decreases job satisfaction and creates a disdain for guests among those who are meant to give us these stellar "performances", AND it increases bad guest behavior because it spreads like a disease when one person sees a lunatic screaming and being given what they wanted to begin with, so the second person goes ahead and pulls the same thing. It's like giving a child in a store the toy they threw a temper tantrum over...that child is virtually guaranteed to have another temper tantrum the next time he/she is at the store, and you can bet your behind that another kid who saw it will at least give it a shot, too.

Ditching the little niceties that cost money - like the resort newspapers and paintbrushes that cost money to replace - I can totally understand. However, when the guest experience is reduced because of lack of enthusiasm on the part of CMs who get no help from higher ups in enforcing rules or even the proper training to do their jobs...THAT is when there are really deep-rooted problems going on. Personally, I am of the opinion that those who attended business school during the 1980s and 1990s who were trained to have that dreadful "middle-management" attitude bear at least a large part of the responsibility for these kinds of declines. I worked for one for a handful of years, and as optimistic and cheerful as I try to be in my daily life, they're enough to suck the soul right out of you and I thank heaven that I left that job before it did permanent damage to my well-being. Another part of the problem is that Public Relations doesn't seem to realize that throwing freebies at bloggers who don't give honest opinions (and weren't around when WDW was at it's peak) is NOT a way to guarantee stellar reviews - it does the exact opposite by creating expectations of something that doesn't exist, leading to more and more horrible experiences for guests and thus, terrible reviews. Add all of the above to a corporate climate where disconnect from the realities of the front-line, greed, and bonuses are kings, and you've got a recipe for guaranteed declining experiences.

We've never personally had a "bad" experience with a CM per se, but the quality difference is most definitely there, and it's HUGE.

So, while Disney may still have offerings like a Cinderella Castle view, discounts, free dining, etc. that you won't see at other luxury resorts, we have still seen a dramatic decrease in the intangibles and overall quality of the experience while prices have continued to rise at frankly what I consider to be ridiculous rates.

I'm currently one, single class away from completing a bachelor of arts in education with a specialization in instructional design and I have many years of training in my background already...my DREAM job is to work for TDO designing and implementing training for the in-park employees. I would love to realize that dream and hopefully make a difference from the inside-out...maybe we'll get lucky and the "middle-management" mindset will die right along with those who made it a thing to begin with.

 

[ford91exploder]

I apologize in advance for the following novel...

While I disagree with his usual doom and gloom (as you can see by my previous comment in this very thread) I have to say that I do agree with @ford91exploder about the decline in excitement and little surprises (but I generally try not to focus on it) like being toasted at what I believe is now Boatwright's because we were on our honeymoon - led by the host of the restaurant, or being addressed as Mr. & Mrs. no matter where we went (literally...it was so surprising that EVERYONE who worked at Disney knew who we were!), yes - towel animals, etc. Many, MANY visitors to the parks today simply aren't aware of what's missing because they didn't visit WDW then, or were too young to remember. And what they do expect, they expect for the wrong reasons or only because they were told to expect it by someone else.

This all reflects horribly on TDO - especially the loss of little things that really cost the company nothing.

But it also reflects on us as guests and a society as well. The paintbrushes are no more on Tom Sawyer's Island because people were stealing them; the change from Dixie Landings - with it's own newspaper and backstory - to Port Orleans Riverside, lest we offend those with a distaste for our own history; people cutting in line; shoplifting, vomiting in walkways because they lack the ability to curb their own drinking, people freaking out over towel animals even though they were supposed to be a "maybe you'll be lucky" thing, people screaming at CMs because the fastpass didn't let them skip to the front of the line...etc. etc. The entitlement attitude of today slices both ways - it forces management to try to eliminate throwing money away and to find ways to shuffle the bad behavior under the rug and cause as little commotion as possible, decreases job satisfaction and creates a disdain for guests among those who are meant to give us these stellar "performances", AND it increases bad guest behavior because it spreads like a disease when one person sees a lunatic screaming and being given what they wanted to begin with, so the second person goes ahead and pulls the same thing. It's like giving a child in a store the toy they threw a temper tantrum over...that child is virtually guaranteed to have another temper tantrum the next time he/she is at the store, and you can bet your behind that another kid who saw it will at least give it a shot, too.

Ditching the little niceties that cost money - like the resort newspapers and paintbrushes that cost money to replace - I can totally understand. However, when the guest experience is reduced because of lack of enthusiasm on the part of CMs who get no help from higher ups in enforcing rules or even the proper training to do their jobs...THAT is when there are really deep-rooted problems going on. Personally, I am of the opinion that those who attended business school during the 1980s and 1990s who were trained to have that dreadful "middle-management" attitude bear at least a large part of the responsibility for these kinds of declines. I worked for one for a handful of years, and as optimistic and cheerful as I try to be in my daily life, they're enough to suck the soul right out of you and I thank heaven that I left that job before it did permanent damage to my well-being. Another part of the problem is that Public Relations doesn't seem to realize that throwing freebies at bloggers who don't give honest opinions (and weren't around when WDW was at it's peak) is NOT a way to guarantee stellar reviews - it does the exact opposite by creating expectations of something that doesn't exist, leading to more and more horrible experiences for guests and thus, terrible reviews. Add all of the above to a corporate climate where disconnect from the realities of the front-line, greed, and bonuses are kings, and you've got a recipe for guaranteed declining experiences.

We've never personally had a "bad" experience with a CM per se, but the quality difference is most definitely there, and it's HUGE.

So, while Disney may still have offerings like a Cinderella Castle view, discounts, free dining, etc. that you won't see at other luxury resorts, we have still seen a dramatic decrease in the intangibles and overall quality of the experience while prices have continued to rise at frankly what I consider to be ridiculous rates.

I'm currently one, single class away from completing a bachelor of arts in education with a specialization in instructional design and I have many years of training in my background already...my DREAM job is to work for TDO designing and implementing training for the in-park employees. I would love to realize that dream and hopefully make a difference from the inside-out...maybe we'll get lucky and the "middle-management" mindset will die right along with those who made it a thing to begin with.

When I was fresh out of college a friend of mine and I who were still wet behind the ears and GS-12 government employees writing code on Honeywell mainframes, We were able to pay CASH for 10 days vacation at WDW and rent a treehouse without breaking the bank or subsisting on Kraft mac-n-cheez and back then WDW was indeed magical, Yes you needed Dining reservations but you made them DAY OF not 6 months in advance..

Back then Disney was a license to print money yet the guest experience was paramount and we had the time of our lives, Fast forward to now. A Disney vacation is the price of a mid-sized new car and people are treated like numbers and the magic frankly is gone.

 

[Pixieish]

When I was fresh out of college a friend of mine and I who were still wet behind the ears and GS-12 government employees writing code on Honeywell mainframes, We were able to pay CASH for 10 days vacation at WDW and rent a treehouse without breaking the bank or subsisting on Kraft mac-n-cheez and back then WDW was indeed magical, Yes you needed Dining reservations but you made them DAY OF not 6 months in advance..

Back then Disney was a license to print money yet the guest experience was paramount and we had the time of our lives, Fast forward to now. A Disney vacation is the price of a mid-sized new car and people are treated like numbers and the magic frankly is gone.

They're still able to print their own money, but they're super close to blowing it up from the inside out with their bad choices in policy and leadership - especially with social media the way it is now. Funny thing - I get a natural high from improving efficiency and profitability and it tends to become contagious among my co-workers and trainees, so we end up working faster and smarter, but having a ball doing it, and the clients (read: guests) absolutely can tell the difference. There's no reason a job should be any other way, but there are some older generations (I'm a 45-year-old gen-Xer) who just don't get it and just keep on cracking the whip and spreading misery because that's all they know.

 

[ford91exploder]

They're still able to print their own money, but they're super close to blowing it up from the inside out with their bad choices in policy and leadership - especially with social media the way it is now. Funny thing - I get a natural high from improving efficiency and profitability and it tends to become contagious among my co-workers and trainees, so we end up working faster and smarter, but having a ball doing it, and the clients (read: guests) absolutely can tell the difference. There's no reason a job should be any other way, but there are some older generations (I'm a 45-year-old gen-Xer) who just don't get it and just keep on cracking the whip and spreading misery because that's all they know.

Ah yes 'The beatings will continue till morale improves' school of management. According to the insiders that style has spread like a cancer at WDW and you can see it in the attitudes of many of the CM's

Ive had a few bad CM interactions but I always felt it was driven more by being abused by their bosses and just not caring anymore because of the damned if you do damned if you dont styles.

 

[Pixieish]

Ah yes 'The beatings will continue till morale improves' school of management. According to the insiders that style has spread like a cancer at WDW and you can see it in the attitudes of many of the CM's

Ive had a few bad CM interactions but I always felt it was driven more by being abused by their bosses and just not caring anymore because of the damned if you do damned if you dont styles.

WDW reeks of that mentality to me (both from CMs and Management), that's for sure.

 

[21stamps]

I’ve been extremely lucky with CMs I guess.
In the past two years we received a greeting and leis upon arrival, or friendly people greeting us outside..Gorgeous surroundings and warm smiles. Most of the time I don’t need a CM,so we don’t have much interaction.. but an example of “magic”- my child repeatedly asked “How do they know my name and that this is my first visit?!” almost every time we went on a ride or attraction, or checked in during his first stay.

When I call for room service or bell services, they always address me by name immediately, before I speak.

If certain cms aren’t doing that, then I’d suggest just sending an email... without demanding for compensation. Feedback should be used for improvement purposes, but from everything I read online, it’s mostly used for ‘freebies’ or refunds.

One thing that I personally love about Disney resorts is how casual they are. I went to Trader Sam’s and monorail bar hopping wearing an OSU shirt and Toms.. what other “upscale” resort can I do that at? Sometimes it’s nice to take a vacation where you can just be casual, not worry about your heels, flat iron, or sucking in your belly so your dress still looks good after dinner and cocktails.
Anyway, I love what the the hotels offer, mostly because they give you the perfect mix of casual yet upscale resort surroundings. (Minus the toiletries).

 

[Pixieish]

I’ve been extremely lucky with CMs I guess. Most of the time I don’t need them, so we don’t have much interaction.. but an example of “magic”- my child repeatedly asked “How do they know my name and that this is my first visit?!” almost every time we went on a ride or attraction, or checked in during his first stay.

When I call for room service or bell services, they always address me by name immediately, before I speak.

If certain cms aren’t doing that, then I’d suggest just sending an email... without demanding for compensation. Feedback should be used for improvement purposes, but from everything I read online, it’s mostly used for ‘freebies’ or refunds.

One thing that I personally love about Disney resorts is how casual they are. I went to Trader Sam’s and monorail bar hopping wearing an OSU shirt and Toms.. what other “upscale” resort can I do that at? Sometimes it’s nice to take a vacation where you can just be casual, not worry about your heels, flat iron, or sucking in your belly so your dress still looks good after dinner and cocktails.
Anyway, I love what the the hotels offer, mostly because they give you the perfect mix of casual yet upscale resort surroundings. (Minus the toiletries).

We've been extraordinarily lucky too, and I tend to create a "happiness bubble" that is virtually impenetrable by anyone I'm not traveling with, so that's extremely helpful. But the difference in interactions and intangibles is very noticeable.

 

[21stamps]

We've been extraordinarily lucky too, and I tend to create a "happiness bubble" that is virtually impenetrable by anyone I'm not traveling with, so that's extremely helpful. But the difference in interactions and intangibles is very noticeable.

I didn’t visit between from 2010 until my kid’s first trip in 2015. I don’t notice a difference, unless I missed some big change in 5 years..but I didn’t have much interaction then or now, so maybe I wouldn’t notice a difference. I do notice a difference in guests over the years. I think they get worse as time goes on.lol

I do have 2 ‘saved me’ incidents from our 2016 trip. The front desk “hid” presents that I had bought for my son.. they did such a great job and were very helpful with that. They also, on a separate day.. actually babysat for me.ha ha.
I forgot our Elf on the Shelf after we had checked out and already gone to the epcot monorail.. had to go all the way back to GF.. the front desk girl was WONDERFUL! So empathetic and quick thinking.. asked my son to help her with something while I grabbed ‘my phone charger from the toom’.. called someone to unlock our old room.. and I made a mad dash to retrieve the Elf.

I don’t know what a Four Seasons, Ritz, or Waldorf could have done better in either of those scenarios.

 

[Pixieish]

I didn’t visit between from 2010 until my kid’s first trip in 2015. I don’t notice a difference, unless I missed some big change in 5 years..but I didn’t have much interaction then or now, so maybe I wouldn’t notice a difference. I do notice a difference in guests over the years. I think they get worse as time goes on.lol

I do have 2 ‘saved me’ incidents from our 2016 trip. The front desk “hid” presents that I had bought for my son.. they did such a great job and were very helpful with that. They also, on a separate day.. actually babysat for me.ha ha.
I forgot our Elf on the Shelf after we had checked out and already gone to the epcot monorail.. had to go all the way back to GF.. the front desk girl was WONDERFUL! So empathetic and quick thinking.. asked my son to help her with something while I grabbed ‘my phone charger from the toom’.. called someone to unlock our old room.. and I made a mad dash to retrieve the Elf.

I don’t know what a Four Seasons, Ritz, or Waldorf could have done better in either of those scenarios.

The guests are flat out out of control, and that's a big part of the problem. The poor CMs aren't allowed to handle it properly.

 

[21stamps]

We've been extraordinarily lucky too, and I tend to create a "happiness bubble" that is virtually impenetrable by anyone I'm not traveling with, so that's extremely helpful. But the difference in interactions and intangibles is very noticeable.

The guests are flat out out of control, and that's a big part of the problem. The poor CMs aren't allowed to handle it properly.

They got to me bad on our last trip. I dealt with more obnoxious actions than ever before. Added to that, Kids and adults sprawled on all of the lobby furniture for who knows how long, park shopping bags laying all over, kids running around. I’m fairly oblivious to other people while on vacation, but there were a few times that shocked me.

I’m not trying to project my feelings on you, but I wonder if that’s part of the intangible for you.

 

[Pixieish]

They got to me bad on our last trip. I dealt with more obnoxious actions than ever before. Added to that, Kids and adults sprawled on all of the lobby furniture for who knows how long, park shopping bags laying all over, kids running around. I’m fairly oblivious to other people while on vacation, but there were a few times that shocked me.

I’m not trying to project my feelings on you, but I wonder if that’s part of the intangible for you.

I'm pretty good at being oblivious to people I don't actually have to deal with. I actually avoid going out with my own mother a lot because she notices EVERYONE and complains about them. LOUDLY. It got so bad that she was dragging me down, so when we do occasionally go out together, I compliment her on keeping her opinions to herself when she is able.

Take, for example, a dinner of burgers and fries in HS. Not only did we pay over $60 for what were essentially frozen supermarket patties that were microwaved and cold when we sat down to eat, but there was not even a sense of Disney the entire time we were in the restaurant aside from decorations. You could have literally traded the CMs from HS with McDonald's employees and really not seen or felt a difference.

I'm sure when you backtrail the decrease in "disneyness" that guest behavior is a large factor. They misbehave, the CMs aren't allowed to do anything about it, the CMs get yelled at by idiot guests, the CMs morale disintegrates, etc. etc. But again, this boils down to management and the decisions they are making - from purchasing cheap, pre-made burger patties, to not backing the CMs or enforcing rules.

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm pretty good at being oblivious to people I don't actually have to deal with. I actually avoid going out with my own mother a lot because she notices EVERYONE and complains about them. LOUDLY. It got so bad that she was dragging me down, so when we do occasionally go out together, I compliment her on keeping her opinions to herself when she is able.

Take, for example, a dinner of burgers and fries in HS. Not only did we pay over $60 for what were essentially frozen supermarket patties that were microwaved and cold when we sat down to eat, but there was not even a sense of Disney the entire time we were in the restaurant aside from decorations. You could have literally traded the CMs from HS with McDonald's employees and really not seen or felt a difference.

I'm sure when you backtrail the decrease in "disneyness" that guest behavior is a large factor. They misbehave, the CMs aren't allowed to do anything about it, the CMs get yelled at by idiot guests, the CMs morale disintegrates, etc. etc. But again, this boils down to management and the decisions they are making - from purchasing cheap, pre-made burger patties, to not backing the CMs or enforcing rules.

Exactly as Disney loses the intangibles which made it well 'Disney' and management's attitudes cause a collapse in CM morale, we will see more behavior once seen only at Six Flags, Yes I've seen the entitled screaming at the hotel desk, I've also had major issues in my last few stays. The CM attitude was 'what do you want ME to do about it' me 'Fix it'. After calls do not resolve the issue I simply camp out in the lobby, just being there and periodically catching CM's eye. 'no im not leaving till issue fixed' but it sucked that myself and another member of party needed to stay behind to ensure issue got fixed. Where at any other hotel talk to desk once and you can be sure issue would be resolved when you returned.

It's the loss of the 'Disney Difference' which I miss the most, Sure I rode the rides but for me. It was simply the ability to lock the pager/blackberry/smartphone away for a week or two and simply decompress and enjoy the resort and perhaps visit the parks because once I was DVC the urgency to do 'everything' disappeared because i knew we were coming back.

That relaxed experience is one of the things Disney has destroyed in their Ferengi like quest for ultimate profitability.

 

[Pixieish]

Exactly as Disney loses the intangibles which made it well 'Disney' and management's attitudes cause a collapse in CM morale, we will see more behavior once seen only at Six Flags, Yes I've seen the entitled screaming at the hotel desk, I've also had major issues in my last few stays. The CM attitude was 'what do you want ME to do about it' me 'Fix it'. After calls do not resolve the issue I simply camp out in the lobby, just being there and periodically catching CM's eye. 'no im not leaving till issue fixed' but it sucked that myself and another member of party needed to stay behind to ensure issue got fixed. Where at any other hotel talk to desk once and you can be sure issue would be resolved when you returned.

It's the loss of the 'Disney Difference' which I miss the most, Sure I rode the rides but for me. It was simply the ability to lock the pager/blackberry/smartphone away for a week or two and simply decompress and enjoy the resort and perhaps visit the parks because once I was DVC the urgency to do 'everything' disappeared because i knew we were coming back.

That relaxed experience is one of the things Disney has destroyed in their Ferengi like quest for ultimate profitability.

Yikes...we've never seen a CM THAT bad. I usually go out of my way to be sugary sweet to anyone I'm asking for anything though. The one time we had an issue that was annoying was at CBR. The fridge didn't work even after fiddling with the settings a bunch of times. They sent maintenance to fix it while we were at the parks. He fiddled with the temperature, thinking it was just off. Another phone call to housekeeping around midnight got it replaced right away though. I'm sure they get people who are idiots thinking the fridge is broken when it's just off...but it was irritating that we got placed in the "possible moron" category - especially after we told the person we called that we had fiddled with it. I chalked it up to a lack of information being passed on.

 

[WDWTrojan]

Actually I’ll follow up on the above post.. attached is a snapshot price for 2 nights at a popular ‘luxury resort’ for this month. Pool view room, nothing fancy.

25-30% off? - Nope.
“Free dining”- lol. Nope.
Transportation to local attractions? Nope.
Refillable Mugs- Nope.
Free Parking? Nope, $45 per night Valet Only.
Cabanas under $300? No way.
Beach Umbrellas included in Resort Fee? Nope.


For all of those here who claim that Waldorf’s etc include so much more, please explain what is included that is ‘so much more’ than what Disney gives..at an equal or lower price?

Full disclosure, I’ve been staying at this resort (main property) since I was a child up til now with my own child, with more hours than I can count inbetween..so I pretty much know it inside and out.

First of all, a room at the Waldorf hovers around $200-400/night, while a room at the Grand Floridian or Polynesian is $500-700/night, so already you're on a sliding scale. The Waldorf has attendants at the pool to set up chairs and umbrellas for you. Hungry? There's numerous servers roaming around at the pool to take drink or food orders. Disney offers neither. The spa is an incredible. There's transportation to the parks. Breakfast puts any Disney buffet to shame. The concierge is actually helpful. There's ample front of house staff to assist you, whether its valets, bellman or doormen who remember you by name. You can even call the front desk from your room! It's a completely different experience in terms of service.

None of this goes to Disney's largely outdated room portfolio, with rock hard mattresses and industrial bedding, tiny bathrooms with gross shower/tub combos, ten room channels and the lack of service once you get to the room (don't expect to call the front desk from your room, watch a movie on demand or your favorite cable channel). Thankfully they know this is an issue and they're working to resolve it to some degree. You'd be hard pressed to find a hotel at that price point from a major company that allows their rooms to languish for 15-20 years before a top to bottom refurbishment, but that's what you see at the GF and DAK Lodge today. But hey, if its during free dining, at least after that poor night's sleep you can get your free breakfast of defrosted Sysco hashbrowns at Cape May. Nevermind the fact that "free" dining is a gimmick during the off season - instead of reducing rates substantially like they did in the early '00s they throw in dining, it's seems like a nice perk but few realize its amortized into the room rate.

 

[21stamps]

First of all, a room at the Waldorf hovers around $200-400/night, while a room at the Grand Floridian or Polynesian is $500-700/night, so already you're on a sliding scale. The Waldorf has attendants at the pool to set up chairs and umbrellas for you. Hungry? There's numerous servers roaming around at the pool to take drink or food orders. Disney offers neither. The spa is an incredible. There's transportation to the parks. Breakfast puts any Disney buffet to shame. The concierge is actually helpful. There's ample front of house staff to assist you, whether its valets, bellman or doormen who remember you by name. You can even call the front desk from your room! It's a completely different experience in terms of service.

None of this goes to Disney's largely outdated room portfolio, with rock hard mattresses and industrial bedding, tiny bathrooms with gross shower/tub combos, ten room channels and the lack of service once you get to the room (don't expect to call the front desk from your room, watch a movie on demand or your favorite cable channel). Thankfully they know this is an issue and they're working to resolve it to some degree. You'd be hard pressed to find a hotel at that price point from a major company that allows their rooms to languish for 15-20 years before a top to bottom refurbishment, but that's what you see at the GF and DAK Lodge today. But hey, if its during free dining, at least after that poor night's sleep you can get your free breakfast of defrosted Sysco hashbrowns at Cape May. Nevermind the fact that "free" dining is a gimmick during the off season - instead of reducing rates substantially like they did in the early '00s they throw in dining, it's seems like a nice perk but few realize its amortized into the room rate.

Oh, so you’re only talking about the Orlando area... because if you looked at my screenshot, or in other areas in Florida where location is important.. you’d know that your pricing is quite a bit off.

Go stay at Poly for a week.. followed by a Waldorf for a week. Let me know the comparisons after. Tell me exactly what was included in your Waldorf stay, the transportation they included.. the staff recognizing you by name immediately.

I have an old trip report on this site of a week at Poly followed by a week at a Waldorf in Key West.
I’m willing to sacrifice HHonors points to be on WDW property. Convenience to the parks is more important than an Orlando Waldorf. Location drives prices.. and it’s what gets people to pay certain prices. Waldorfs etc are nice hotels.. but I think you’re maybe a bit mistaken on what they actually are.

 

[ford91exploder]

They're still able to print their own money, but they're super close to blowing it up from the inside out with their bad choices in policy and leadership - especially with social media the way it is now. Funny thing - I get a natural high from improving efficiency and profitability and it tends to become contagious among my co-workers and trainees, so we end up working faster and smarter, but having a ball doing it, and the clients (read: guests) absolutely can tell the difference. There's no reason a job should be any other way, but there are some older generations (I'm a 45-year-old gen-Xer) who just don't get it and just keep on cracking the whip and spreading misery because that's all they know.

Efficient organizations tend to be happy ones especially if the employees are treated like adults and trusted to do the right thing for the customers, But this takes training and acculturation.

Disney was once this type of organization which did not rely on programmed decisions.

But disney has opted for a low wage contingent workforce with minimum training. At one time 'Traditions' was a 2 week program, now its what 1-2 days ?

The first course was an investment in the workforce who while new had a fairly solid idea of what was expected.

Now. with a single day course. Why it's obvious the reason CM quality is all over the map

One thing that cheap companies like disney never seem to take into account is the cost of the employee churn and all the additional effort and costs automated policy systems create.

 

[Pixieish]

Efficient organizations tend to be happy ones especially if the employees are treated like adults and trusted to do the right thing for the customers, But this takes training and acculturation.

Disney was once this type of organization which did not rely on programmed decisions.

But disney has opted for a low wage contingent workforce with minimum training. At one time 'Traditions' was a 2 week program, now its what 1-2 days ?

The first course was an investment in the workforce who while new had a fairly solid idea of what was expected.

Now. with a single day course. Why it's obvious the reason CM quality is all over the map

One thing that cheap companies like disney never seem to take into account is the cost of the employee churn and all the additional effort and costs automated policy systems create.

Amen. It costs far more to train replacements than it does to have a little faith in long-term employees and keep them happy.

 

[ford91exploder]

Oh, so you’re only talking about the Orlando area... because if you looked at my screenshot, or in other areas in Florida where location is important.. you’d know that your pricing is quite a bit off.

Go stay at Poly for a week.. followed by a Waldorf for a week. Let me know the comparisons after. Tell me exactly what was included in your Waldorf stay, the transportation they included.. the staff recognizing you by name immediately.

I have an old trip report on this site of a week at Poly followed by a week at a Waldorf in Key West.
I’m willing to sacrifice HHonors points to be on WDW property. Convenience to the parks is more important than an Orlando Waldorf. Location drives prices.. and it’s what gets people to pay certain prices. Waldorfs etc are nice hotels.. but I think you’re maybe a bit mistaken on what they actually are.

Yeah the Poly is an overpriced holiday Inn express which happens to have monorail access to the MK, As a resort it lacks many of the things it USED to have like poolside food and beverage service, a decent spa I could go on.

If I stay at the waldorf and want to go to the parks the front desk will get me a town car no it will not be 'free' but it will be there in minutes unlike disney transportation