Disney's Over-Reliance on Smartphones

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

You bring up a good point I hadn't considered. Up to now Disney had been known for doing a good job of accommodating food issues but now it sounds like a mess.

In the early days of mobile order I would sometimes choose to order at the register instead because my weird issues were not allowed for in the app. It was nice to have a chef pop over to answer any questions. I don't know if they can change the app to let you customize or request, but they most likely don't see any reason to.

They're not accommodating food choices in several park locations right now.

I wanted to try a seasonal hot dog at Refreshment Corner a few weeks ago but wanted them to leave off the fried onions on top. They refused. No accommodations said the CM. Take it as is or leave it. I left it.

At the festival holiday booth this past weekend I asked for them to leave the horseradish sauce off the top of the beef sandwich. No modifications said the CM. You have to take it as is or leave it. I left it. Which was really disappointing as this was one of my fave dishes at the festival the past few years and they never had a problem in previous years not putting something on top. Until now.

Note: both of the above requests were made in person/walkup line NOT via the mobile order app. They simply refused to leave a topping off the dish they were preparing when I verbally asked them to. The lines were 2-3 other people at most waiting ahead of me in both cases as I try to get food at off hours, so in neither instance were they slammed where they didn't have time to stop their food prep line and change something. They just point blank wouldn't do it.

I've faced this in a couple of different spots since the parks reopened. They simply refuse to make any changes in a lot of places. And I'm talking just "please leave off a topping" not "please cook this dish differently without certain ingredients". This isn't everywhere as some places adjusted a dish without any hesitation. But it's multiple spots. And it's really frustrating.

 

[mickEblu]

They're not accommodating food choices in several park locations right now.

I wanted to try a seasonal hot dog at Refreshment Corner a few weeks ago but wanted them to leave off the fried onions on top. They refused. No accommodations said the CM. Take it as is or leave it. I left it.

At the festival holiday booth this past weekend I asked for them to leave the horseradish sauce off the top of the beef sandwich. No modifications said the CM. You have to take it as is or leave it. I left it. Which was really disappointing as this was one of my fave dishes at the festival the past few years and they never had a problem in previous years not putting something on top. Until now.

Note: both of the above requests were made in person/walkup line NOT via the mobile order app. They simply refused to leave a topping off the dish they were preparing when I verbally asked them to. The lines were 2-3 other people at most waiting ahead of me in both cases as I try to get food at off hours, so in neither instance were they slammed where they didn't have time to stop their food prep line and change something. They just point blank wouldn't do it.

I've faced this in a couple of different spots since the parks reopened. They simply refuse to make any changes in a lot of places. And I'm talking just "please leave off a topping" not "please cook this dish differently without certain ingredients". This isn't everywhere as some places adjusted a dish without any hesitation. But it's multiple spots. And it's really frustrating.

It’s especially ridiculous since your just asking them to omit something.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

I'll once again add that I don't at all blame the CM's. They're following the policies laid out for them that they have to. That said, Nick Fury might make a different choice...

 

[el_super]

I try to keep an open mind and accept other's viewpoints but it can be frustrating when one actually pays to experience the parks, has an out of the ordinary negative experience of some kind, decides to share/discuss it, and then is told by someone who (by their own admission, doesn't really pay to enter or visit the parks very often), that their experience effectively didn't happen

That wasn't at all what happened. The point was always to help inform rather than misdirect.

Here's the point as flat as I can make it: Mobile order isn't ever going away. It's use in the parks is going to be expanded as time goes on. Continuing to insist that mobile order itself is the problem, is only going to lead to future frustration and confusion as the problem you have misidentified is never addressed.

And you're right, I don't go to the parks very often, because the experience has been degraded for me now for a long time. The park has been too busy and horrendous to navigate for years now. One thing that has worked for me since at least 2019 though, is Mobile Order. That's why it's easy for me to see what happens when the system is working, and realize that the issues being experienced now (but not really now, more like at reopening) were related to issues outside of Mobile Order.

I also haven't been back since April, because the pandemic is still a thing and I knew that the park experence wasn't great. Everyone here knew that the park experience would be degraded, and yet some choose to go anyway. How much sympathy am I supposed to have for someone that choose to go in the middle of a pandemic, and then got angry about COVID protocols?

 

[Dear Prudence]

They're not accommodating food choices in several park locations right now.

I wanted to try a seasonal hot dog at Refreshment Corner a few weeks ago but wanted them to leave off the fried onions on top. They refused. No accommodations said the CM. Take it as is or leave it. I left it.

At the festival holiday booth this past weekend I asked for them to leave the horseradish sauce off the top of the beef sandwich. No modifications said the CM. You have to take it as is or leave it. I left it. Which was really disappointing as this was one of my fave dishes at the festival the past few years and they never had a problem in previous years not putting something on top. Until now.

Note: both of the above requests were made in person/walkup line NOT via the mobile order app. They simply refused to leave a topping off the dish they were preparing when I verbally asked them to. The lines were 2-3 other people at most waiting ahead of me in both cases as I try to get food at off hours, so in neither instance were they slammed where they didn't have time to stop their food prep line and change something. They just point blank wouldn't do it.

I've faced this in a couple of different spots since the parks reopened. They simply refuse to make any changes in a lot of places. And I'm talking just "please leave off a topping" not "please cook this dish differently without certain ingredients". This isn't everywhere as some places adjusted a dish without any hesitation. But it's multiple spots. And it's really frustrating.

That's honestly VERY sad, because they used to be so well-known for HOW accomodating they were about foods and allergies. It is literally zero effort to not put onions on your hot dog. That's really, genuinely sad.

 

[donsullivan]

That's honestly VERY sad, because they used to be so well-known for HOW accomodating they were about foods and allergies. It is literally zero effort to not put onions on your hot dog. That's really, genuinely sad.

The issue seems more about the explosion in the number of guests ‘expecting’ whatever they want to be accommodated. At some point a huge percentage of orders are special which is just not sustainable. The chef designed the menu with specific ingredients for the item they wanted to sell. If you don’t like their collection of ingredients (your prerogative) move to the next booth. If a large number of people do that menu items go away.

Everyone wants to look at their personal bubble and say ‘I just asked for this one change’ but doesn’t want to see the thousands of others every day asking for accommodation. An earlier poster seemed like they wanted customization of multiple items at multiple booths. At that point, this is a YOU (not specifically poster I’m replying to) problem, not a Disney problem.

I have a friend who believes that if she ‘customizes’ everything she orders anywhere, she’ll be sure to get the freshest item instead something that was warming. She’ll just ask for one ingredient to be removed, not because she doesn’t like the ingredient, just to force the kitchen to custom make her order. At a point, it becomes stunningly selfish.

 

[Dear Prudence]

The issue seems more about the explosion in the number of guests ‘expecting’ whatever they want to be accommodated. She’ll just ask for one ingredient to be removed. Not because she doesn’t like the ingredient, just to force the kitchen to custom make her order. At some point a huge percentage of orders are special which is just not sustainable. The chef designed the menu with specific ingredients for the item they wanted to sell. If you don’t like their collection of ingredients move to the next booth. If a large number of people do that menu items go away.

Everyone wants to look at their personal bubble and say ‘I just asked for this one change’ but doesn’t want to see the thousands of others every day asking for accommodation. An earlier poster seemed like they wanted customization of multiple items at multiple booths. At that point, this is a YOU (not specifically poster I’m replying to) problem, not a Disney problem.

I have a friend who believes that if she ‘customizes’ everything she orders anywhere, she’ll be sure to get the freshest item instead something that was warming. At a point, it becomes stunningly selfish.

It's very sad that the expectation of customization and being waited on in that regard is going to have serious impacts on people with allergies. I know that for a lot of us with specific allergies we end up bringing our own food 99% of the time, and do militant avoidance, but there's always that variable. Somebody always has to ruin it, I SWEAR.

 

[TP2000]

I wanted to try a seasonal hot dog at Refreshment Corner a few weeks ago but wanted them to leave off the fried onions on top. They refused. No accommodations said the CM. Take it as is or leave it. I left it.

World-Class Guest Service!!!

At the festival holiday booth this past weekend I asked for them to leave the horseradish sauce off the top of the beef sandwich. No modifications said the CM. You have to take it as is or leave it. I left it.

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest, Put Our Service To The Test! Bring A Heart That's Full Of Wonder, And Let Disney Do The Rest!

Note: both of the above requests were made in person/walkup line NOT via the mobile order app. They simply refused to leave a topping off the dish they were preparing when I verbally asked them to. They just point blank wouldn't do it.

You Are Immersed!!!

 

[TP2000]

How on earth anyone who has a hint of customer service skills can defend these management decisions is beyond me. It's indefensible. It's almost suspiciously anti-customer. Like someone is trying to sabotage the entire product.

Either that, or the glaring reality that most TDA executives have no idea how their own product works and how their paying customers use the product is worse than we thought.

Imagine if Henry Ford... didn't like cars and always hired a driver; imagine how far his car company would have gotten.

Imagine if William Boeing... didn't like to fly and always took the train; imagine how far his airplane company would have gotten.

Imagine if Steve Jobs... believed computers should only be in formal business environments controlled by trained technicians; imagine how far his tech company would have gotten.

Imagine if Walt Disney... didn't like to entertain and thought amusement parks were dumb; imagine how far his 1955 investment in Anaheim real estate would have gotten.

The decisions being made that control the Disney theme park experience are increasingly being made by people who don't actually like to go to theme parks. It's painfully obvious now.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I have a friend who believes that if she ‘customizes’ everything she orders anywhere, she’ll be sure to get the freshest item instead something that was warming.

This is true though. When I started using mobile order I started using the gluten free menu and I noticed that even standard dishes that didn’t need to be modified came out fresher because they were prepared for me gluten free.

 

[Dear Prudence]

How on earth anyone who has a hint of customer service skills can defend these management decisions is beyond me. It's indefensible. It's almost suspiciously anti-customer. Like someone is trying to sabotage the entire product.

Either that, or the glaring reality that most TDA executives have no idea how their own product works and how their paying customers use the product is worse than we thought.

Imagine if Henry Ford... didn't like cars and always hired a driver; imagine how far his car company would have gotten.

Imagine if William Boeing... didn't like to fly and always took the train; imagine how far his airplane company would have gotten.

Imagine if Steve Jobs... believed computers should only be in formal business environments controlled by trained technicians; imagine how far his tech company would have gotten.

Imagine if Walt Disney... didn't like to entertain and thought amusement parks were dumb; imagine how far his 1955 investment in Anaheim real estate would have gotten.

The decisions being made that control the Disney theme park experience are increasingly being made by people who don't actually like to go to theme parks. It's painfully obvious now.

...especially considering the above example, since onions on hotdogs are optional toppings found in a condiment section for people to add on themselves as an afterthought and usually not considered an integral part of the quintessential hotdog experience. (although, I could be wrong because I don't associate onions with hotdogs). It's not even a substitution, it's just a matter of not putting them on. This isn't an Eight Tables by George Chen or a Wolfsmouth, this is... literally a hotdog stand at Disneyland. :/

 

[DavidDL]

The stories of folks not being able to have minor customizations met for them is sad. Every time I've visited Rancho they've never had an issue leaving something off the plate that I didn't care for. Perhaps that will change the next time I visit? -and I wonder if the fact that CMs are so overloaded with mobile orders that they've been instructed to stop accommodating special requests (that aren't allergy related) altogether in order to make ends meet.

When I was a Plaza Inn CM back in 2006, if a Guest approached us with a dietary need (even during peak hours), the cooks in back would come out, pull that Guest aside and go over a personalized menu with options for that Guest, which we would then fulfill. But now, with most ordering turning into a bunch of faceless, digital interactions you end up not only with CMs who are so overwhelmed by these types of orders that they may not have the ability to accommodate Guests like before, but also with CMs who are probably less inclined to want to help as much to begin with. Which is a shame because CMs really should be instructed and given all the tools they need to succeed when it comes to accommodating a Guest's wants or needs. McDonalds will leave the toppings off my Quarter Pounder if I ask them for it and I didn't need to pay a king's ransom to enter the drive thru. Guests of the resort pay quite a bit to enter and should be treated to a premium experience whenever possible. Even if that means going through all tough work (my goodness) to leave a topping off of or remove from, a hot dog.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Has anyone had to deal with the mobile order only Dole Whip? I know it was brought up a few pages back, but is there an update on that experience? :/

 

[DavidDL]

Has anyone had to deal with the mobile order only Dole Whip? I know it was brought up a few pages back, but is there an update on that experience? :/

An earlier post seemed to indicate that they removed mobile order from Tropical Hideaway and had three CMs making Dole Whips/staffing the standby queue. Supposedly it only took them 15 minutes or so to get one.

 

[truecoat]

I haven't been to DLR since like 2017-2018 so I don't even know the process of making a party and linking Disney accounts into a party so reservations can be made for everyone at once. Whenever I plan my next trip I will obviously figure it out in advance but still. I do have one question, though, cause people keep bringing it up with mobile orders: is it really not possible to just walk up to the counter in Adventureland and get a Dole Whip? I thought it seemed like counter service restaurants needed mobile orders but not snack counter locations which I consider the Dole Whip line to be. If that isn't an exaggeration and I have to place an order hours in advance for a Dole Whip then that is truly insane.

I cannot speak to what it is like today. However, here is what happened to us back in June.

This family of "stupid tourists" naively approached the Tropical Hideaway in the afternoon to find a cast member blocking the entrance. Next to the cast member was a sign saying "standby ordering is not available today". The cast member informed us that it was mobile order only. When I went into the app, it told me that mobile order was full for the day. "No Dole Whip for you!"

ETA: Just for clarification.... The walk-up counter in front of the Tiki Room was closed. You could only get a Dole Whip at Tropical Hideaway.

I was at the park Saturday. I like to have a dole whip while waiting for the Tiki room. Here is my experience as a customer. I walk over from the Tiki room side and a woman with an ipad asks if I mobile ordered. I say no and she says it's mobile order only. I pull up the app and see that the serving window is 2 hours out and tell her so. She says all the available slots are taken and I point out that the 3 people behind the counter are just standing there doing nothing but she obviously can't do anything about it and says I need to go around the corner so no dole whip for me this time.

So I snapped a picture a couple minutes later and one of the guys came out from behind the counter to ward off others wanting dole whips but not having a magical window. When I left the Tiki room and walked by again, they had 2 CM's plus the 3 behind the counter and the ipad girl working this building but only handing out one or two dole whips every minute. These people were just standing around most of the time. I don't get it.

 

[drizgirl]

I was at the park Saturday. I like to have a dole whip while waiting for the Tiki room. Here is my experience as a customer. I walk over from the Tiki room side and a woman with an ipad asks if I mobile ordered. I say no and she says it's mobile order only. I pull up the app and see that the serving window is 2 hours out and tell her so. She says all the available slots are taken and I point out that the 3 people behind the counter are just standing there doing nothing but she obviously can't do anything about it and says I need to go around the corner so no dole whip for me this time.

So I snapped a picture a couple minutes later and one of the guys came out from behind the counter to ward off others wanting dole whips but not having a magical window. When I left the Tiki room and walked by again, they had 2 CM's plus the 3 behind the counter and the ipad girl working this building but only handing out one or two dole whips every minute. These people were just standing around most of the time. I don't get it.

View attachment 601249View attachment 601249

That's awful. And you can't tell me they are selling anywhere near the same number of Dole Whips as before. It's nutty.

 

[truecoat]

That's awful. And you can't tell me they are selling anywhere near the same number of Dole Whips as before. It's nutty.

Right, in the 5 minutes I was there they handed out maybe 3 dole whips.

 

[DavidDL]

I was at the park Saturday. I like to have a dole whip while waiting for the Tiki room. Here is my experience as a customer. I walk over from the Tiki room side and a woman with an ipad asks if I mobile ordered. I say no and she says it's mobile order only. I pull up the app and see that the serving window is 2 hours out and tell her so. She says all the available slots are taken and I point out that the 3 people behind the counter are just standing there doing nothing but she obviously can't do anything about it and says I need to go around the corner so no dole whip for me this time.

So I snapped a picture a couple minutes later and one of the guys came out from behind the counter to ward off others wanting dole whips but not having a magical window. When I left the Tiki room and walked by again, they had 2 CM's plus the 3 behind the counter and the ipad girl working this building but only handing out one or two dole whips every minute. These people were just standing around most of the time. I don't get it.

That's just awful. But it's a perfect example of how the push for going the Mobile Order route can negatively affect the Guest experience. Not just yours, but every other one of those folks who were interested that you mentioned (-and probably didn't know). Be sure to book your frozen treats at least 2 hours in advance, folks!

Did they at least give you any indication that the Tropical Hideaway around the corner might have been available? As a CM, we were always taught to never end an answer with something akin to "no". Instead, you were supposed to say "I'm sorry, no, but: let me find out for you" or "here are some other options available to you". At the very least, this CM could have deferred you to the Tropical Hideaway, if they were open or giving standby as an option. It doesn't sound like this was the case.

 

[CaptinEO]

Love that they have a giant juice stand in a populated area and don't want to sell people juice.

 

[DrAlice]

I was at the park Saturday. I like to have a dole whip while waiting for the Tiki room. Here is my experience as a customer. I walk over from the Tiki room side and a woman with an ipad asks if I mobile ordered. I say no and she says it's mobile order only. I pull up the app and see that the serving window is 2 hours out and tell her so. She says all the available slots are taken and I point out that the 3 people behind the counter are just standing there doing nothing but she obviously can't do anything about it and says I need to go around the corner so no dole whip for me this time.

So I snapped a picture a couple minutes later and one of the guys came out from behind the counter to ward off others wanting dole whips but not having a magical window. When I left the Tiki room and walked by again, they had 2 CM's plus the 3 behind the counter and the ipad girl working this building but only handing out one or two dole whips every minute. These people were just standing around most of the time. I don't get it.

View attachment 601249

This is just so freakin ridiculous. I'm sorry that you couldn't get a Dole whip. That sucks.

But, at this point, all I can do is laugh at Disney's ridiculous decision here. You have people that WANT to give you money and you are refusing them because of some dumb@ss policy. It's just comical at this point.