Is this the new standard and am I the only one who sees it?

[OG Runner]

I know it's all subjective, but as to customer service, my recent experiences mirror the OPs. Our last 4 family vacations were to Disney World (5 days), Disneyland (4 days), and Universal Orlando (twice; 3 days and 5 days), and the customer service we received from Universal (both at onsite hotels, and in the parks) was a step above the Disneyland employees in terms of friendliness and professionalism, and the Disney World cast members were several steps below that, for many of the reasons cited by the OP.

Granted, it's not like they were horrible, but there are definitely cracks forming in WDW's carefully-crafted CM facade. We saw things from Disney World employees that we'd never seen before in prior trips: snippy remarks and defensive attitudes in response to polite questions, blatantly ignoring customers waiting to be seated or helped in order to engage in personal and profanity-laced conversations with one another, etc. A TS waitress overtly complained that "you know, they don't pay any of us enough to do this, and I wouldn't be doing it if I wasn't so old and set it my ways -- that's why all the 20-somethings have left to go work for Walmart, which pays them better. This has become an awful place to work."

Wow, I agree that is bad. I am lucky I just haven't run into those "cast members". My experience at Universal also were not bad. It was
just the people I dealt with seemed either bored or overworked. Basically, here you go, now please leave. I can definitely understand your
viewpoint though, especially based on your examples.

 

[bsiev1977]

It’s not the OP’s job to manage employees.

It’s not “managing employees” to complain to management if you feel the service you’ve received in not up to the standard you think it should be.

 

[Lilofan]

Wow, I agree that is bad. I am lucky I just haven't run into those "cast members". My experience at Universal also were not bad. It was
just the people I dealt with seemed either bored or overworked. Basically, here you go, now please leave. I can definitely understand your
viewpoint though, especially based on your examples.

Or what I see is some staff just going through the motions, like robots. Maybe if they have free time, go take advantage of the company benefit and enjoy the parks on their time off.

 

[larryz]

Another “think” coming.

That sounds awkward to me. “Thing” is fine. From Webster:

View attachment 425214

That makes NO sense in that construction, unless the saying was "If he things he can fool me..."

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That makes NO sense in that construction, unless the saying was "If he things he can fool me..."

Whatever. "You've got another think coming" is bizarre speech. You would just say, "If he thinks xyz, he'd better think again."

OTOH, "If he thinks xyz, he's got another thing coming" (like a punch in the nose.)

 

[bmmilan]

I think it is a growing lack of work ethic in society in general. What you experienced at WDW on the part of some CM occurs everywhere. Can't count the number of times I've been to fast food places and the staff is either on their phones or talking among each other while people wait to order. WDW is not immune to societies ills one can only hope management weeds out the bad CMs

I totally agree.

 

[Conno]

Furthermore, I take issue with your assertion in your original post that the reason the CM was yawning was due to boredom.

I never said a CM was yawning. That was someone else.

Yawning is normal and usually uncontrollable. Yes they can be stifled, but I have no problem with a CM yawning.

If you see a CM on a cell phone, I can basically guarantee it is a work phone.

Here's the thing - you're wrong. You can't guarantee anything. I've seen CMs excessively using phones not in cases while on stage and working. I've seen them holding conversations covertly using an AppleWatch, I've also seen the devices they use in cases for work related items (see this a lot with resort staff). I can tell the difference.

I also appreciate the insight you've provided with your post. While part of the point of my post was to vent, it was also put the conversation out there for others to see (I've also sent the concerns and details on the CMs directly to Disney). I sympathise with what College Program CMs put up with, but ultimately Disney need to get their crap together - whether that's better pay, better leadership, or a more realistic working schedule I don't know / won't guess / don't care - I just know I won't be paying for the level of serivce that currently passes as their benchmark.

It would be great if CMs seen more of my dollars, but that's not something I can influence.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Being a Cast Member is an HONOR, and NOT just a job.

When you BELIEVE in what you stand in service for, it is very easy to reflect that through your actions and interactions...


However, when you are part of an IDEAL, it is NOT about money...

You serve for the enjoyment of SERVING...

Isn't marketing great?

Disney is all about making magic, not money.

Disney doesn't have customers, they only have guests.

********

Ah, but we can only live so long on the empty calories of Kool-Aid.

 

[Conno]

I can understand you may have some legitimate complaints, but a few small remarks. You mention later in the discussion the individual on the phone was in costume, without a name tag, why would you expect her to wait on you?

... She was standing behind the register to checkout peoples items? She ultimately hung up the phone and started checking peoples items out. She likely did have a tag on, but it was probably hidden behind her coat. Either way, it was out of view.

 

[OG Runner]

... She was standing behind the register to checkout peoples items? She ultimately hung up the phone and started checking peoples items out. She likely did have a tag on, but it was probably hidden behind her coat. Either way, it was out of view.

Well if that is true you have nothing to worry about. She will be fired soon enough. "Cast Members" are required to have their name tags
visible. Even when they are required to wear a coat, the name tag is on the outside of the coat. Poor service, improperly uniformed, she will
be gone soon. Problem solved.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Wow, I agree that is bad. I am lucky I just haven't run into those "cast members". My experience at Universal also were not bad.

Over the years we've seen outstanding staff, and less-then-outstanding staff members in both parks.

Over the past five years or so, we have found the staff at Universal to be generally outstanding.

At our most recent check-in, the front desk and bell services staff both went well above our expectations. In the parks, Spiderman did an excellent job playing the part. Staff at Kong and MIB very much acted in character! The HP staff is always outstanding, talk about enthusiasm! If a child has trouble working a wand, they are quick to help and patient. They are very much in character.

The Universal boat captains remind me of the way WDW bus drivers USED to be. They tell jokes, share trivia, make the trip fun, and always take care to dock the boat safely. Over many visits, the captains we've met, well they have all acted like they care about their job very much.

The restaurant staff have also been super. Many times over, they have been happy to explain menu items, and take great care to make sure our food orders were to our liking.

I could say much more about the many times Universal staff members have gone above and beyond our expectations.

 

[mrte62]

Currently at WDW for 19 days for my annual trip. It's expensive getting over here from the UK, so I tend to do it once and do it big.

I usually write off the threads that talk about declining service and getting less for more - but I'm coming to agree more and more. Now I'm experiencing a combination of the two; even the upcharge events (which I frequently splurge for) are getting worse.

But now onto the actual point of my post - which is a drill-down on a subsection of of the theme of 'reduced service'.

What the hell is going on with front-line cast members in the parks?

Has someone torn the manual and rule book for cast member training?

A hig level elaboration (as I lie in bed about to get ready for a day at Universal's IOA, where I know team member quality is going to surpass Disney's), the number of disconnected, disinterested cast members I've seen working the entry point of attractions and in stores/shops/merch locations around WDW is astonishing.

There's usually two CMs at the entry point of attractions, and on over half of attraction I've been on this trip - they've been engaged deep in personal conversation about what they did this weekend, their love lives, family, or something else. Not even glancing at guests as they enter an attraction or tap in a FastPass. Some of them not even looking in the direction of guests, but motioning them past with their hands while they continue their conversation.

I've seen multiple CMs taking personal phone calls on their Apple Watch's stealthily while working merchandise, and others checking their phones/social media'ing.

The icing on the cake was yesterday in Epcot, in Ye Olde Shoppe in the United Kingdom. A cast member working a checkout/till/register (whatever you call it), was using the land-phone line for a personal call while twirling her ****ing hair for a good 10 minutes, as I stood there in disbelief (as she was the only one working the checkout in that area of the store). I contemplated going over to get the name on her tag - which she conveniently either wasn't wearing, or it was out of view. I decided not to deal with her and walked to the other end of the shop to checkout my items, cause I would have unloaded a barrage of sarky comments to her.

I mean... if I wanted to deal with substandard disengaged CMs, I'd goto a theme park with better rides. I pay an extortionate amount of money for the high quality serivce and attractions WDW has to offer - I expect so much more than CMs who don't want to be there.

I'm surprised it's being allowed, because I refuse to believe team leads/supervisors aren't aware of this happening. It's prolific.

This is the first year I've really noticed this - and it is noticable. I should be fair and say it's not all CMs -- some of them are still attentive, amazing, engaged, and interested - but those are no longer the majority.

In another note - Epcot Forever was great last night. Around 5 shells fired during the show, but no other fireworks at all - yet they let the whole thing play out... music with some weak lighting -- all without an announcement, suspension of show, reset, or apology. That was the final straw, after paying $400+ for the Frozen Dessert Party (but far less under their immediate control).

How about many of the kite lights our ... at least three of the kites had four or less working lights....

When a high percentage of the cast members are college programmers, who are underpaid, understaffed, undertrained, under supervised and dealing with folks who have paid large sums of money for a continually declining experience, we are getting awful close to the tipping point....

 

[Tanna Eros]

These observations concern me, as these are some of the very things WE witnessed over the past two years.....but not at WDW, but at Universal!

That's why we're just going to Disney next year and leaving Universal out of our vacation itinerary, as we're tired of the poor customer service we kept running into at Universal, starting at the parking garage and going all the way through HP land. CM's arguing about schedules, telling lewd jokes to each other at rides in front of waiting riders, and individuals in the HP section of the park that were completely out of character and just standing around waiting for their shift to end.

Now it's creeping over to WDW? I sure hope they get things sorted out before we go down the first of next year.

Regards! Michaelson

It might be the mallrat phenomena. I picked up Christmas hours in a mall store, and ended up working full time. When that shop went out of business, there were three more shops handing me business cards to call them. What started out as two weeks of working led to five years of going from store to store. As soon as one closed, I just went down the corridor to another one, as if I didn't lose my job at all.

You have experience in one theme park? When you get fed up with one, just go to another. They look at the application, see experience, and are more likely to hire, because there is a hole to fill, and you are filler. Some of those Disney CM's are probably Universal transplants.

 

[danyoung56]

I'm sure people here would recognize the taller fellow who kinda sings out..."waaaaatch your step" as you board onto the doom buggy, etc. He's great.

While I appreciated the attempt to be in character, I found the reality of this chant to be really annoying.

 

[OG Runner]

Over the years we've seen outstanding staff, and less-then-outstanding staff members in both parks.

Over the past five years or so, we have found the staff at Universal to be generally outstanding.

At our most recent check-in, the front desk and bell services staff both went well above our expectations. In the parks, Spiderman did an excellent job playing the part. Staff at Kong and MIB very much acted in character! The HP staff is always outstanding, talk about enthusiasm! If a child has trouble working a wand, they are quick to help and patient. They are very much in character.

The Universal boat captains remind me of the way WDW bus drivers USED to be. They tell jokes, share trivia, make the trip fun, and always take care to dock the boat safely. Over many visits, the captains we've met, well they have all acted like they care about their job very much.

The restaurant staff have also been super. Many times over, they have been happy to explain menu items, and take great care to make sure our food orders were to our liking.

I could say much more about the many times Universal staff members have gone above and beyond our expectations.

I definitely agree with Spiderman. The "agents" at MIB were great. (we went on the tour). The boat captains were also great. (we stayed at the Portofino) I really had no interaction with most of the other ride attendants. Other members at stores and food stands were only so-so. Unfortunately, our restaurant experiences, near the parks were awful. At the Chocolate Factory, they put us upstairs and seemed to forget we were there. At the Hard Rock the service was very,
very slow, though the food was good. We actually went to Margaritaville twice, once on the porch and once inside. The service was so
bad the second time, I complained to the manager and they cut our bill in half. Both the quick service and the Mama's at the Portofino
were also excellent. I guess it sometimes depends on the day and the people. unless it is Spiderman. Spiderman is great!

 

[Tanna Eros]

You're not the only one. During my last visit I concluded halfway that cast member morale is at a absolute low point at Walt Disney World.

I'm used to the service levels at Disneyland Paris, which are notoriously low. EuroDisney is struggling with finding decent people for years. You can see it all over the French resort: no motivation amongst staff, rude staff, bad hygiene, refusing to even speak English.

Now, I've been recognizing this kind of behaviour in Orlando. It wasn't there a few years back, but it is now. It was a shock during my visit last october. We saw so many cast members staring soulless in the distance. I got shouted at by a PhotoPass guy in Main Street for being in his picture. I overheard cm's complaining about hours and work pressure.

I still love the parks, but this is going downhill fast.

They need to free up the coffee machines in the employee's lounge. Sounds like everyone's falling asleep.

 

[BeentoallDParks]

It’s not “managing employees” to complain to management if you feel the service you’ve received in not up to the standard you think it should be.

It’s 100% Disney’s own responsibility to monitor the performance of its employees. It’s never the responsibility of the customer to help them do their job. If Disney failed and allowed a customer to leave unhappy it’s 100% on them. The customer has no responsibility to complain. None.

 

[Lilofan]

It’s 100% Disney’s own responsibility to monitor the performance of its employees. It’s never the responsibility of the customer to help them do their job. If Disney failed and allowed a customer to leave unhappy it’s 100% on them. The customer has no responsibility to complain. None.

Customer feedback from guests is essential for a company to know how they are doing. Whether the company does something about it, that's another issue.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I dont get it. Whats is supposed to be if not "another thing coming"?

The whole phrase is "If you think that is going to happen, you have another think coming". Derived from... "If you think that is going to happen, think again".

 

[HongKongFu]

That makes NO sense in that construction, unless the saying was "If he things he can fool

I particularly like your use of the word "construction" in your statement above........nicely placed!


And Tony, I do hear you. I get it. The phrase has been more or less misused so much over the years that many would not know creating a broad acceptance. But if you really step back for a moment and look at the logistics it should all fall into place. "think" is the more appropriate word because it links to the first "think" perfectly.

It's just a way(laced with both defensive and offensive posturing) of telling someone to rethink his position