Guest relations services being tested in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland

[WDWBryan]

Lol I saw the title and thought oh great what did they screw up in tomorrowland

 

[SSH]

I'm surprised they don't have an in-park live chat feature on the app - so some of the guest services traffic could be reduced - I'm sure there are some more straightfwd ticket or magic band issues, other problems/situations that might be able to be resolved remotely vs an in person trek to the counter. Not all, but some.

 

[Figments Friend]

Part of the issue causing the long lines at WDW's City Hall ( besides the obvious..heh..) is likely because 80% of the line is Guests simply seeking the free pinback buttons.
At Disneyland Park, they used to have that 'problem' too but I noticed last week when I visited they have now separated the lines.

All pinback button requests are fulfilled at a small kiosk to the left of City Hall, and the line to go into the actual building is now reserved for non-pin seeking Guest related services.

It certainly solved the long line issue I had seen there previous visits.
I had a problem once with FPs not wanting to recognize my old DLR AP a year or so ago and had to wait in the very long line at the Hall to have it sorted out.
When I finally got about half way there, i realized most of the people were in line solely for getting their 'Birthday' or 'I'm Celebrating' buttons.
Now that the button distribution has been moved out of the Hall and into the street it makes things move long a lot more efficiently.

Go, Disneyland!
Take some notes, WDW!

-

 

[RSoxNo1]

http://www.wdwmagic.com/shopping/to...tested-in-the-magic-kingdoms-tomorrowland.htm

This makes sense. Increase guest relations instead of fixing the problems.

 

[Daveeeeed]

This makes sense. Increase guest relations instead of fixing the problems.

Ummm.... Every company has minor issues, questions, complaints etc. The more capacity to help guests the better. How would you not like to receive help at an Apple Store? It's not that it's broken, it's just that there may be a minor bug, or you need help.

 

[Seabasealpha1]

I actually dig this idea. Now, if they could just make the building less cheesey and out of place in its outwardly appearance...

Of course that seems to be all of Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom...

 

[Yellow Strap]

This is a disgrace. This is taking away from the Walt's vision of Tomorrowland. Thanks a lot Shanghai. This isn't the same MK I grew up with... Iger needs to go.


/s

 

[Nmoody1]

Every land in Shanghai Disneyland has its own guest services area. It offers a cast member, guide maps, information and wait times for that land. It's also where fastpasses can be obtained

 

[dreamfinder]

Part of the issue causing the long lines at WDW's City Hall ( besides the obvious..heh..) is likely because 80% of the line is Guests simply seeking the free pinback buttons.
At Disneyland Park, they used to have that 'problem' too but I noticed last week when I visited they have now separated the lines.

All pinback button requests are fulfilled at a small kiosk to the left of City Hall, and the line to go into the actual building is now reserved for non-pin seeking Guest related services.

Didn't MK have a small push cart out front with the assorted pins in it? I seem to recall them doing that at one point.

 

[ChrisM]

"Uh, excuse me sir....is this where....well, is there where you go to have guest....relations? Wink, wink."

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Disneyland Resort's Guest Services kiosks scattered around the parks are a much better solution to the DAS issues that occur in WDW and they also serve as convenient spots to get any sort of guest question answered.

Let's see - which is better suited for guest flow and satisfaction?

- Send the DAS party wading into already physically congested FastPass entry points with all of the people standing around waiting for their re-entry time, arguing with a Cast Member about why they were late/early, waiting for someone to catch up with their party, or just standing in line for their MagicBand to magically connect to the network. Once the DAS party gets through this crowd, they then enter into a usually lengthy process of the Cast Member of trying to get their phone to connect to the network to process the DAS request. Usually (although I haven't been back to WDW since the most recent "upgrade" which DID speed up DLR's hand held device speeds) this process takes a couple of attempts for the Cast Member to complete. All the while, the DAS party is blocking (usually with a wheelchair or ECV) the FastPass entry point and for attractions with only one Cast Member working the gate, keeping return times from getting in line. Repeat the process above when the DAS party returns to the attraction. *this is why many CM's at WDW go against the Mouse and actually move the scanning device for DAS over to the Standby entrance. Of course, that causes the DAS party to make two stops to figure out who's holding the phone.

- Send the DAS party to a conviently located kiosk. One that is positioned away from any crowd flow choke points and staffed usually by two Cast Members that can handle the process of awarding the return times. The DAS party then only has to show up at the attraction's congested FastPass return entrance once when their time is available.

Of course DLR's method works much better than WDW's. The catch is that is costs more to staff. Which is why I was told it wasn't being done that way in Orlando.

We all know that having up to 5 kiosks per park with up to 2 Cast Member each would really cause the economic decline for all that is at WDW. "We really wanted to be able to turn on the Main Street lights tonight; but, those darn kiosks have really tapped us out. Please, give more to help the WDW pledge drive. It's only with the support of guests like you that make this possible."

Hopefully, this test is a direct result of Chappie's "go back to Disney school" mandate. Although, word on the street in Anaheim was that the real reasons why One Disney was really shelved is to keep TDO out of TDA's decision making. At best, cautious optimism is as far as I would go to claim that WDW is having a complete change in heart from their miserly ways. Time will tell.

 

[MinnieWaffles]

This makes sense. Increase guest relations instead of fixing the problems.

Uh..and how are guests supposed to tell a CM there's an issue somewhere if they only have one crowded location to do so? This can only be a good thing IMO.

 

[skimbob]

That location was a big help this week. Much better than the door CMs at City Hall who were no help. I will be filing a formal complaint with management.

 

[Kevin_W]

Unrelated - am I the only one who looks at that building and thinks of the Superfriends' Hall of Justice?

 

[TP2000]

Unrelated - am I the only one who looks at that building and things of the Superfriends' Hall of Justice?

Nope. I think of that every time.

 

[James Norrie]

This is excellent, I think each land should have a GR location so people can complain about their poor choice of footwear being the fault of WDW, and demand a free trip for their entire family for a week. I also think it'll help with the fact that if dear friend has an unmagical experience at the Laugh Floor, they no longer have to stomp and cry all the way to Town Hall, and can remain heated and storm right on in to demand recompense.

In all seriousness, I do think it is great that they are expanding GR into multiple locations, and it will please many. I for one have never in 5 trips used their services, but noticed the lines at Town Hall on my recent trip.

 

[Figments Friend]

Didn't MK have a small push cart out front with the assorted pins in it? I seem to recall them doing that at one point.

You would probably know better then me if we are talking about WDW, as I have not been to the MK in person since January of 2013.

Last year when I visited Disneyland, they did have a 'plaid' out in front of the City Hall doorway with a basket of assorted pins.
This visit, they were instead distributing them at a kiosk away from the City Hall entrance so Guests looking for a pin did not have to get into the Guest Relations line at all.

It's a much better system now, the way they are handling it.


-

 

[Tavernacle12]

I think there's definitely a need for more Guest Services locations. You have an increasing number of guests in the MK, the complexities and failures of the whole FP+ system which can take quite bit of time to straighten out, broken or lost MagicBands, dining reservation issues, not to mention the fact that one could argue there is just more to complain about today versus yesteryear (dirtier park, surlier CM's etc.). I also think there is a mentality today (right or wrong) in which people demand and expect everything to be perfect, and every small issue becomes a major complaint because "gosh darnit we paid $124 to get in and got stuck on Pooh and missed the parade". In the past, Disney treated guests well and guests (generally) returned the favor, because the cost/value was more aligned and the stakes were lower.

Hope they keep this location open.

I feel like in the Pooh situation the guest actually would be justified in getting something, but it should just be a feebie FP handed out as they're evac'd. If something goes wrong that's out of the guest's control and Disney can quickly fix it, that seems fair. I feel awful for what those CMs at Town Hall and at the other parks must deal with though. Last week I had a woman hold up the entire Soarin line because 'we wasted a fastpass on this and it was only twenty minutes, I'm going to complain.' It should obviously be a two pronged approach of fixing issues in the parks as well as helping guests who experience them. Hopefully this is a push in the right direction.

 

[parkhopper1213]

I think its a good idea. There are more things that require Guest Services and the lines at City Hall are very long. Also, try getting there when there is a parade on Main Street.

 

[DisneyGentlemanV2.0]

If the line is that long.... then clearly things arent being done right.

New and improved!

Now we can tell you "sorry, we can't help you" in multiple locations!!