Disappointed in Disney World

[jakeman]

Engineerig:wave:

Well I expect your friends to keep us well informed if you get it! :ROFLOL: Good luck again!

 

[SirGoofy]

Well I expect your friends to keep us well informed if you get it! :ROFLOL: Good luck again!

I'll probably be much too tight lipped, but I'll throw you guys bones here and there.

 

[WDW Vacationer]

I'll probably be much too tight lipped, but I'll throw you guys bones here and there.

:lol: Thanks!

 

[marcriss]

I posted this in a different thread but for those who didn't see it: If you have complaints put them in writing, on real paper and mail them. They do read the letters that are written, both the hate mail and the positives. If they get enough negatives they take them seriously. E-mail is dismissed as frustration of the moment. For someone to take the time to write about the issues elevates it to dissatisfaction and that is the important distinction. This comes from a family member who is an imagineer. The more detail you can give (date, time, location, specific malfunction) the better.

The imagineers are pretty disheartened by the lack of attention to detail and basic upkeep of the rides, etc. If enough people complain it will get addressed.

If you do have positive comments mail those too. They like to hear when someone really appreciates something too.

 

[draybook]

Can someone tell me exactly how much Disney workers make? All this talk about how they aren't paid much, well let the numbers fly and we'll see about that.

 

[lightboy]

Can someone tell me exactly how much Disney workers make? All this talk about how they aren't paid much, well let the numbers fly and we'll see about that.

Please look on the Disney Careers website. Hourly wages for the most hired in positions are $7.35.

The FEDERAL minimum wage is $7.25. You must keep in mind that the FEDERAL minimum wage is based off of inflation and the poverty level.

It's true that many Disney Cast Members actually got a raise when the FMW went up last month.

 

[draybook]

Wow, not really surprising given that it's a theme park, but still low.

 

[lightboy]

Lightboy, most of your facts are correct, but I have to think you're spinning them in the wrong way. It's true that much of the strategy you mentioned is for short term gains, however, many of the points you made not only can also apply to a long term strategy, but have been standard to Disney since the mid 80's or before. For example:

*Raising ticket prices - Disney's ticket price increases have never exceeded anything more then a few percentage points over the CPI rise (US national average). It can often seem like more since they don't necessarily do it on a yearly basis (admittedly in recent years it has been more regular), but again this has always been SOP.

*Nickel and Diming the customer (guest) - In writing many reports over the years on Disney, they have always made mention to (the acronym has often changed) to average income per head, referring to on a broad level, the capital generated by each average guest. They often break it down further to specific areas so they can know how much the average guest who rides TOT (random example) generates. I know we don't like the fact that Disney squeezes as much as possible out of us as guests, but my point is this is again SOP for most of WDW's history, not a cost saving measure.

*Making more money than we think - I don't know about you, but I read all their financial reports and income statements. It's true Disney makes alot of money, but you need to realize 2 things: (1) their yearly revenue (forget net income) is much lower than lots of big companies like Comcast. (2) only a small fraction of their income even comes from the theme park and resorts division.

In any case, I don't think that I view Disney through rose colored glasses even though I think they are an incredible organization. I do feel that there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of the experience provided by Disney, however from my experience as a CM, I feel the decline comes from lax hiring standards and lax enforcement of guest service policies. I completely understand people (especially CMs) have bad days, but there are too many CMs I have encountered or worked with who NEVER have a good day. My opinion, if you don't want to make the Disney magic, get out of Disney!! Wal-mart is just down the street and pays better. Wow, I think this is the longest post I've ever posted.

Just my 2 cents.

Could it be applied to a long term strategy? Yes. Is it? No. And you can copy and paste these words of mine and save them...and we'll see in a few years...

I'm almost thinking you have some investment funds tied up in Disney stock? I'm not being rude...but that's the vibe I'm getting. I could be wrong. I'm not going to lie...I do as well. But I'm more interested in the long-term state of the company, instead of what I can make tomorrow or the day after.

Your points:

*Raising Ticket prices. Your figures are correct. However, Disney doesn't have statistics to make their figures work. Things are different now than they were 20 years ago. Not to mention we're in the middle of a recession/depression that Disney hasn't seen since they've even been in the theme park business. NOW, more than EVER...guests want bang for the buck. And that's simple economics. I don't care what national average dictates. In this situation, people trim the fat on their budgets. Are many Americans still taking vacations? Yes. Are their spending as much? No. But is a product WORTH selling able to make money in today's economy? Yes. Raising ticket prices in a situation, like the one we're in now, is also extremely poor P.R.

*Nickle and Diming. You veered a bit. I'll give you an example. Many buffets (let's say the price was $20-25) around property used to serve Prime Rib. They do not serve Prime Rib any longer. The quality and product has gone down...and the price has stayed the same or gone up. All to save a buck. And this is in a REVENUE business line...not a non-revenue business line such as Attractions or Entertainment. At some point, the average guest is going to say..."why am I paying for a buffet meal that I can get for $10 cheaper at Golden Corral for similar inferior quality?" Average income per head also dictates the direction in which cost cutting measures travel. But the product has NEVER been cut as much as it has been the last ten years. And I believe this is evident in all of Disney's business lines...not just Parks and Resorts.

*Making more money than you think. I'll tell you that Parks and Resorts aren't what are failing Disney right now. Other business lines aren't doing so hot at all...and that was explained in the last quarter report. They are doing quite well getting people into the park. But they have nothing of any worth to sell once they get IN the park. Which is their own fault...and a product of their cost cutting.

*Lax Hiring Standards. Sorry, but read some of my other posts. Disney has never paid rock bottom minimum wage, as long as I'm aware. They do now. It starts with the CAST MEMBERS, as you have written in your quote. It's not a place that cares about the cast member and/or their families any longer. EXAMPLE-Disney used to close early on Christmas Eve so that Cast Members could be with their families. They now close at midnight or later. Many cast members still remember that. It's just not like that anymore. And OF COURSE it makes good business sense...but does it improve the moral of your working force? No. Which means karma will eventually prevail.

*The issue isn't with the hiring standards, the issue is with the PAY. You pay for crap, you get crap (there are exceptions). That's ALSO simple economics. You can't have the expectations of a filet mignon cut of meat, when you're paying for a flat-iron cut. You can say, "if you don't like it, then leave" all you want. But I promise, at the end of the day, you still won't have that prime cut of meat.

Just my 2 cents...back. You will never GROW, if you're CUTTING.

**SIDE NOTE-I actually like Golden Corral.

**SIDE NOTE-I actually have much respect for Chick-Fil-A. They are closed on Sunday's so that employees have a guaranteed day with their families (no, not saying this should happen at Disney...EVER). Of course I always want Chick-Fil-A on Sundays. BUT, I'll also say, that I've never been in a Chick-Fil-A store that has provided me anything but the best service possible. And they don't nickle and dime me when I ask for an additional ranch dressing. And for that, I appreciate it, and continue to be a customer of theirs.

It IS possible.

 

[Skip]

Here's the problem - people complain and complain about the falling standards of Disney, and how it infuriates them so. And what do they do?

They return to the resort several months later, giving the mouse a few more of their dollars.

If you don't approve of what Disney is doing, vote with your wallet. Don't go to the resort until conditions approve and the parks are back on the right track. Giving even MORE money to the mouse defeats any point of complaining - while you complain, they still win. Thus, nothing changes, cuts continue. Sounds like progress to me.

Remember when there was rumors of the Country Bear Christmas show not returning? I wrote a letter to Guest Services voicing my displeasure and stating that I would not make a holiday trip to the parks if it wasn't going to be present. Turns out, the rumors were true, and the Country Bears disappeared. I didn't make that trip in December. Did it have much of an effect on the mouse? Probably not, but at least they're aware that they lost at least a family's worth of vacation dollars because they decided to make a rather hefty cost cut. Their loss.

One day that wish-washy "nostalgia" will no longer exist and the parks will only exist as an overpriced wonderland for wide-eyed foreign tourists... unless Disney actually takes some initiative and improves its parks rather than slowly tearing away the quality that built their reputation...

I haven't been to a Disney park since my annual pass expired well over a year and a half ago... and I don't intend to return until they're back on the right track. It's as easy as that - they decide to stop cutting and instead maybe IMPROVE their parks, I'll start giving them money again. Until then, I'll be giving my cash to Universal Orlando and eagerly await the groundbreaking Harry Potter e-ticket that promises to be technologically astounding. It's a shame that Universal, the company that moved into Florida to ride off of the mouse's success and reputation, is actually now beating the mouse at its own game.

 

[vintageepcot]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has seen a change in Diney between last year and this year. Sadly, this was not one of my more magical trips. I found a few of the cast members to be unpleasent, the rooms to be dusty and a number of places where gum and garbage were found. I was also surprised to see that garbage was being collected from the trash cans in plain view of guests. I remember a time when you didn't see any of this becuase it was all done backstage. I was also disappointed at how many cuts were made as far as menu options and show times. Now please don't get me wrong I love WDW but was sad to see that the parks and hotels seem to be getting run down. I was just wondering what is going on with the parks and if this was a one time thing or the direction the park is headed.

Theres a receshion and less inployment. Get used to it for a couple years. I noticed alot of downfalls after 911 to. It is going to take a while but sometimes things will get worse before they get better and if they are loosing money they have to cut back before they go bankrupt. Imagin the workers who take alot of pride in the parks how they must be feeling. The unpleasent castmembers on the otherhand unecceptabul.

 

[Duckberg]

In any case, I don't think that I view Disney through rose colored glasses even though I think they are an incredible organization. I do feel that there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of the experience provided by Disney, however from my experience as a CM, I feel the decline comes from lax hiring standards and lax enforcement of guest service policies. I completely understand people (especially CMs) have bad days, but there are too many CMs I have encountered or worked with who NEVER have a good day. My opinion, if you don't want to make the Disney magic, get out of Disney!! Wal-mart is just down the street and pays better. Wow, I think this is the longest post I've ever posted.

Just my 2 cents.

In time the LITTLE things add up! Duckberg

 

[Skip]

In time there will be nothing left to cut...

 

[agent86]

Here's the problem - people complain and complain about the falling standards of Disney, and how it infuriates them so. And what do they do?

They return to the resort several months later, giving the mouse a few more of their dollars.

If you don't approve of what Disney is doing, vote with your wallet. Don't go to the resort until conditions approve and the parks are back on the right track. Giving even MORE money to the mouse defeats any point of complaining - while you complain, they still win. Thus, nothing changes, cuts continue. Sounds like progress to me.

Remember when there was rumors of the Country Bear Christmas show not returning? I wrote a letter to Guest Services voicing my displeasure and stating that I would not make a holiday trip to the parks if it wasn't going to be present. Turns out, the rumors were true, and the Country Bears disappeared. I didn't make that trip in December. Did it have much of an effect on the mouse? Probably not, but at least they're aware that they lost at least a family's worth of vacation dollars because they decided to make a rather hefty cost cut. Their loss.

One day that wish-washy "nostalgia" will no longer exist and the parks will only exist as an overpriced wonderland for wide-eyed foreign tourists... unless Disney actually takes some initiative and improves its parks rather than slowly tearing away the quality that built their reputation...

I haven't been to a Disney park since my annual pass expired well over a year and a half ago... and I don't intend to return until they're back on the right track. It's as easy as that - they decide to stop cutting and instead maybe IMPROVE their parks, I'll start giving them money again. Until then, I'll be giving my cash to Universal Orlando and eagerly await the groundbreaking Harry Potter e-ticket that promises to be technologically astounding. It's a shame that Universal, the company that moved into Florida to ride off of the mouse's success and reputation, is actually now beating the mouse at its own game.

Well said!! :sohappy: And very true about Universal. As I've been saying for a while now, Universal operates much more in the manner of the "Disney" philosophy than Disney itself does nowadays.

The idea of complaining along with taking your dollars elsewhere is a sound one. I've posted this here before, but there is a statistic that says that 68% of people who have a bad experience never complain about it to the place themselves. They just take their business elsewhere. The problem with that is the company never knows why they lost the business, and they often start attributing it to the wrong things. On the other hand, there are also a number of customers who do complain, but the complaints carry no weight because they continue doing business with the organization. In those situations, the company doesn't really care as long as they're still getting your money and there's no real threat that you'll leave. To have an impact, both things need to happen.

While I can't say I've completely eliminated my visits to WDW (or DL), I have dramatically reduced the amount of time I spend there. There was a time when I would make two or more trips a year to Orlando (from California) and spend my entire visit on Disney property, not regretting a moment of it. Last year I visited twice, and on one of those visits I spent the entire time doing other things (mostly Universal, but also Space Center, Cocoa Beach, and other places) and did not set foot on Disney property once. On the other visit, we spent one day at a Disney park (Animal Kingdom) and the rest of the time at Universal. We're looking at going again in a couple of months and I'm looking very much forward to Universal, but have no solid plans of even going to Disney at all.

 

[agent86]

In time the LITTLE things add up! Duckberg

"Guest service is not one big thing...It's a million little things."

- Walt Disney

 

[luckyeye13]

I was there recently, and there was a giant construction crane right behind Cinderella Castle! It was taller than the building! It was a little.....odd in that context. I feel sorry for those who were getting their pictures taken in front of it, only to have the crane in the photo.

Once the Castle Dream Lights come on, dealing with the crane will have been worth it. It truly is a beautiful and magical addition to the castle.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Here's the problem - people complain and complain about the falling standards of Disney, and how it infuriates them so. And what do they do?

They return to the resort several months later, giving the mouse a few more of their dollars.

If you don't approve of what Disney is doing, vote with your wallet. Don't go to the resort until conditions approve and the parks are back on the right track. Giving even MORE money to the mouse defeats any point of complaining - while you complain, they still win. Thus, nothing changes, cuts continue. Sounds like progress to me.

Remember when there was rumors of the Country Bear Christmas show not returning? I wrote a letter to Guest Services voicing my displeasure and stating that I would not make a holiday trip to the parks if it wasn't going to be present. Turns out, the rumors were true, and the Country Bears disappeared. I didn't make that trip in December. Did it have much of an effect on the mouse? Probably not, but at least they're aware that they lost at least a family's worth of vacation dollars because they decided to make a rather hefty cost cut. Their loss.

One day that wish-washy "nostalgia" will no longer exist and the parks will only exist as an overpriced wonderland for wide-eyed foreign tourists... unless Disney actually takes some initiative and improves its parks rather than slowly tearing away the quality that built their reputation...

I haven't been to a Disney park since my annual pass expired well over a year and a half ago... and I don't intend to return until they're back on the right track. It's as easy as that - they decide to stop cutting and instead maybe IMPROVE their parks, I'll start giving them money again. Until then, I'll be giving my cash to Universal Orlando and eagerly await the groundbreaking Harry Potter e-ticket that promises to be technologically astounding. It's a shame that Universal, the company that moved into Florida to ride off of the mouse's success and reputation, is actually now beating the mouse at its own game.

Well said !:sohappy: