Dear Walt Disney World, I would like to apologize....

[NEmickeyfan]

And if I hear one more person make a big deal about the size of the Castle...sheesh. Is that really a basis for comparison

It's not the size of your castle, but the magic it produces!!

 

[PrincessK]

I've been to The Land twice now, and both times I felt the CM's were sorely lacking. The face characters were "off character," I've heard CM's mumble rude things none too quietly, and overall the magic just isn't there. The food, with the exception of one of two places, is terrible. However, I love the charm of the original, some rides are far superior over on the West Coast and it seems far more nostalgic. Will I return to Disneyland, sure, but nothing beats WDW.

 

[tirian]

For a long time, I've felt that merely two superior attractions—PotC and Indy Jones—do not make DL better than WDW. It's all about personal opinion, anyway.

I'm not trying to make excuses for bad Guest service, but it's common knowledge among Disney junkies that DL CMs aren't treated properly and therefore don't care about Guests like their East Coast counterparts. DL's problems are due to years of neglect under the Paul Pressler* era—one 50th anniversary can't fix everything.

Bad management + low pay in California = bad Guest service.

*By the way, he's also the person who ran the GAP company into the ground after he left Disney.

 

[fosse76]

I've been to The Land twice now, and both times I felt the CM's were sorely lacking. The face characters were "off character," I've heard CM's mumble rude things none too quietly, and overall the magic just isn't there. The food, with the exception of one of two places, is terrible. However, I love the charm of the original, some rides are far superior over on the West Coast and it seems far more nostalgic. Will I return to Disneyland, sure, but nothing beats WDW.

Personally, I don't find Disney World's food to be anything special either.

 

[tirian]

I've been to The Land twice now, and both times I felt the CM's were sorely lacking. The face characters were "off character," I've heard CM's mumble rude things none too quietly, and overall the magic just isn't there. The food, with the exception of one of two places, is terrible. However, I love the charm of the original, some rides are far superior over on the West Coast and it seems far more nostalgic. Will I return to Disneyland, sure, but nothing beats WDW.

Oh, but according to Al Lutz, DL gets all the attractive CMs while WDW is stuck with the leftovers.

 

[tirian]

Personally, I don't find Disney World's food to be anything special either.

It depends on where you eat. The only really bad food I've had at WDW is at the indoor Mexican restaurant (nasty, cold, bland food) and the Yak and Yeti (the most overpriced Ramen noodles on earth). I lived in New Orleans for two years, and WDW is one of the few vacation destinations where I can enjoy the food at most of the restaurants.

Southern food spoils you. (And if you eat too much grease, it REALLY *spoils* you.)

 

[BillsFanGabe]

Wheres Walt when you need him?

 

[tirian]

Dead.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

It depends on where you eat. The only really bad food I've had at WDW is at the indoor Mexican restaurant (nasty, cold, bland food) and the Yak and Yeti (the most overpriced Ramen noodles on earth). I lived in New Orleans for two years, and WDW is one of the few vacation destinations where I can enjoy the food at most of the restaurants.

Southern food spoils you. (And if you eat too much grease, it REALLY *spoils* you.)

True!:lol:

But,WOW, shocked that you had a such a bad time on your vacation!

I still wanna go to DL though...:lol::lookaroun

 

[DisneyGigi]

And if I hear one more person make a big deal about the size of the Castle...sheesh. Is that really a basis for comparison? One Park is better than another because of the size of its centerpiece? Both are amazing in their own way. Seen from a west coaster's perspective, I'd actually say the one at The Magic Kingdom is actually TOO big. It seems to overpower everything else. But that's just me.

If you have been to WDW first, as was the case with me, Main Street and the Castle do look really small in comparison. Still beautiful, just different.
Walking around got me really so confused because it did feel that everything was such a shorter difference. I think it was because I have the MK paths burned into my memory and it just kept messing me up.
I enjoyed my time at DL and there are some things that are better there I think, and some are not. I prefer WDW as a whole but that is just me.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Not to make excuses for DL or anything, but...

My guess is that the union battle going on with Disney is probably effecting day to day ops out there more than people would think. The most recent protests would lead one to believe that, too.

I think Tirian said it... Really low pay out there. Kids can go to the local fast food chain and make more than at DL these days. That's going to hurt the quality of person you can attract. Add in that depending on who you listen to, they're messing with the healthcare side of things too, and... Well... You probably have a fussy CM here and there.

I also think the park guest demographic adds to the issue. At WDW, it's primarily families. Kids with their parents. That means less "shenanigans", overall. :lol: At DL, you get a lot more groups of teens that are dropped off by their parents to spend the day. Often times (but not always), that means a more rowdy bunch of kids. I've been there with my kids, and literally had to stop and turn to the group of teens walking behind us, and politely let them know that I didn't appreciate the language they were subjecting my young kids to. I felt like for the 3 days I was there, I spent most of the time on the defensive keeping problem scenarios away from my kids. While I understand there's some of that at WDW, it's not near the issue it is at DL. And I think that sort of thing can become one more stress the CM's out there have to deal with. It all adds up to potentially make for a bad day for you as a CM.

And I'm not positive... But I THINK the union is different between coasts. Someone can verify that or not. Could be why we haven't seen some of the same issues in both locations... Completely different pay scales and management groups. :shrug:

 

[WildLodgeFan]

Now, I can't comment on Disneyland, never having been there, but I CAN comment on the DCL.

...And it is absolutely amazing. Really. I went on the cruise when I was 16, had previously thought I was too cool for all things Disney, and it made me fall in love with the company and the World all over again. It's like this subtle magic that encompasses you and you don't even realize it. (I know, I know, that's SO corny, but I *love* the DCL!!!!)

I would agree about the DCL cast members - they really seemed to have the magic as well - made the whole adventure wonderful for us on our trip in December of 2007.

To the OP, here's hoping that your voice will be heard!

 

[rainfully]

I have been to DL three times... and each time I was amazed by the CMs and how great they were. So many CMs simply asked how my day was going... that in itself impressed me. There was one CM who saw me on the way to a trash can after eating.. he RAN in front of me and held open the trash can for me... I was totally blown away... that has NEVER happened to me in WDW. The general attitude of CMs at DL was amazing... they all seemed to really enjoy their job and appreciated it.

Another CM to me that stood out was a woman working at Mr. Toad... all she was doing was pressing the buttons... but she made sure to say hi to every single car that went by and to make a comment or two about everyone. She made a job that could easily bore anyone into something fun.

Of course, like any place, there are going to be your bad apples. We had the dissappearing waiter as well... and one CM who was so outwardly rude we complained about her at GR. (in case you were wondering, they handed us a form to fill out... this was in July) But overall... was just so impressed by CMs in California. I think it has to do with the fact that there are less people who work at DL... and so they can afford to be more picky... while at WDW they are so hurting for people they will pretty much hire anyone... and they do.

 

[tirian]

^^ Odd. My experiences have always been the exact opposite, and I attributed it to the fast turnover rate at DL. Of course, I've had my share of bad service in Florida too, like when a cashier at the Polynesian told me I needed to "use my brain" (and she did NOT know I'm a CM).

Many of you have already hinted at the source of DL's problems, so I'll just come out and say it: too many locals thinking they own everything, along with frustrated, underpaid CMs.

 

[tirian]

I would agree about the DCL cast members - they really seemed to have the magic as well - made the whole adventure wonderful for us on our trip in December of 2007.

To the OP, here's hoping that your voice will be heard!

The DCL cast is AMAZING.

 

[wedway71]

I say you should write a letter to Management...Dont bother with the Guest Communications deal.

Point is this is Disney.A matter of fact this is the "Daddy" that started them all.The ONLY park Walt himself walked through.

if what you said was true,then Disney needs to be aware of. Disney should have the SAME Service standard anywhere at any park at any time PERIOD.

I am not one to bring the WRATH down on anyone but if these people are sooooo miserable then they need to leave and work somehwere else.

I am in Management myself(last 18 years). When I am at work, my team is held accountable for Service.When I am a consumer or a Guest, I expect the same level of Service that I provide.

 

[EpcotServo]

Sorry, but aside from those few personal problems on YOUR trip the overall argument is pretty weak.

I love (most) of our Cast Members here but aside from one time at Soarin', I've never had anyone (That I Didn't already know.)make magic for me. At Disneyland they've been great and always went out of their way to talk to me!



Plus, they do actually have UPKEEP at their park.


Disneyland FTW!

 

[WDWFigment]

Sorry, but aside from those few personal problems on YOUR trip the overall argument is pretty weak.

I love (most) of our Cast Members here but aside from one time at Soarin', I've never had anyone (That I Didn't already know.)make magic for me. At Disneyland they've been great and always went out of their way to talk to me!



Plus, they do actually have UPKEEP at their park.


Disneyland FTW!

I don't understand your rationale: you seem to suggest that his argument is weak because it's anecdotal, but you counter it with asserting that you've never had magic made for you at WDW, whereas CMs go out of their way to talk to you in Disneyland. Isn't that the same type of "weak" argument?

I must say, at first I also though JimboJones' argument was weak. Then I thought about it, and read others' posts. Certainly, it is only his personal experience, but that isn't to say that there are underlying problems causing that personal experience, which would make it more of a uniform experience also had by others.

If turnover is higher than in Florida, that would cause this type of an experience. If there is currently a strike, morale could be lower, also causing this type of an experience. If pay is lower than comparable jobs (and that difference is greater than it is in WDW), DLR can't attract the same calibre of workers, causing this type of experience. If the guests are on average "worse" than WDW's, moral could also be lower, causing this type of experience. Through in the overall "California attitude" (of both local visitors and Cast members) and I think that makes this argument fairly strong.

I'm sure there are more variables, and I'm sure there are countervailing varaibles in Florida. However, my bet is that the positives for working at WDW outweigh the positives for DLR.

 

[tirian]

I don't understand your rationale: you seem to suggest that his argument is weak because it's anecdotal, but you counter it with asserting that you've never had magic made for you at WDW, whereas CMs go out of their way to talk to you in Disneyland. Isn't that the same type of "weak" argument?

I must say, at first I also though JimboJones' argument was weak. Then I thought about it, and read others' posts. Certainly, it is only his personal experience, but that isn't to say that there are underlying problems causing that personal experience, which would make it more of a uniform experience also had by others.

If turnover is higher than in Florida, that would cause this type of an experience. If there is currently a strike, morale could be lower, also causing this type of an experience. If pay is lower than comparable jobs (and that difference is greater than it is in WDW), DLR can't attract the same calibre of workers, causing this type of experience. If the guests are on average "worse" than WDW's, moral could also be lower, causing this type of experience. Through in the overall "California attitude" (of both local visitors and Cast members) and I think that makes this argument fairly strong.

I'm sure there are more variables, and I'm sure there are countervailing variables in Florida. However, my bet is that the positives for working at WDW outweigh the positives for DLR.

Those factors certainly contribute to the problems in California.

DL isn't horrible, but it also isn't the golden Disney theme park some fans make it out to be; for that matter, neither are Tokyo DL or DL Paris. Why? Because regardless of how much Disney implies otherwise, all the parks exist in the real world.

p.s. You beat me to pointing out the anecdotal counter-argument.

 

[tirian]

I say you should write a letter to Management...Dont bother with the Guest Communications deal.

Senior Management in CA doesn't care very much. One of their executives famously bragged she never set foot in DL. (This is the same woman who recently "left Disney to spend time with her family"; we all know what that really means.) Their HR department has known for years that the CMs are grossly underpaid for California, yet they keep wasting Company money on useless studies to see how they can improve morale. I know that any company cannot keep raising salaries indefinitely, but DL CMs should at least be paid the same as someone at Whole Foods or Chick-Fil-A.

****

Even though I don't agree with his entire post, I do think EpcotServo makes a good point: since the 50th anniversary, DL has done a FANTASTIC job at maintaining its attractions. Before that—well, the Tiki room and Space MT. were on the verge of collapsing.