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

[Randyland]

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.

Disney was once all about making MAGIC, not money...

Disney once only had Guests, not Customers...

And you can go on forever on the empty calories of Kool Aid BUT you must first BELIEVE...

Before 1986, most EVERYONE believed...

After 1986, things changed as did the focus on the purpose of Disney...

When focus is on MONEY, everything else falls into the shadows...

This is true for BOTH the Company, AND the Cast Members...

When you are their because you WANT to be their; money is not your number one concern, and that reflects in yourself...

If things change and you are surrounded by the focus of the money grab, it becomes impossible to not become part of that focus yourself, and that changes everything...

No one felt as if they were doing all the hard work for little pay before the big money grab took hold...

It all boils down to the feeling in the air; and the purpose for being their.

 

[OG Runner]

Disney was once all about making MAGIC, not money...

Disney once only had Guests, not Customers...

And you can go on forever on the empty calories of Kool Aid BUT you must first BELIEVE...

Before 1986, most EVERYONE believed...

After 1986, things changed as did the focus on the purpose of Disney...

When focus is on MONEY, everything else falls into the shadows...

This is true for BOTH the Company, AND the Cast Members...

When you are their because you WANT to be their; money is not your number one concern, and that reflects in yourself...

If things change and you are surrounded by the focus of the money grab, it becomes impossible to not become part of that focus yourself, and that changes everything...

No one felt as if they were doing all the hard work for little pay before the big money grab took hold...

It all boils down to the feeling in the air; and the purpose for being their.

You "paint" with very broad strokes. What do you base your statements on? I have gone on vacations to Disney World for
four out of the last six years and, I guess fortunately, have not experienced any problems with the service or treatment from
Cast Members. I am not questioning the validity of any of the examples given in this discussion, but I believe those examples
are more the outliers than they are the norm.
In reference to costs, given the number of increases in both hotel rates, park ticket rates and additional fees, such a hotel parking,
Disney is definitely looking for more and more ways to increase their bottom line.

 

[Randyland]

You "paint" with very broad strokes. What do you base your statements on? I have gone on vacations to Disney World for
four out of the last six years and, I guess fortunately, have not experienced any problems with the service or treatment from
Cast Members. I am not questioning the validity of any of the examples given in this discussion, but I believe those examples
are more the outliers than they are the norm.
In reference to costs, given the number of increases in both hotel rates, park ticket rates and additional fees, such a hotel parking,
Disney is definitely looking for more and more ways to increase their bottom line.

Disney is still a great place to be...

For those who know not of the way things once were, they can easily accept what is now...

My FIRST visit was Spring of 72, shortly after the opening on October 1, 71...

Every year, sometimes more then one trip, we returned...

The Magic was everywhere and Cast Members were a HUGE part of that Magic...

So much so that I placed myself in Service to be part of that Magic by mid 80s...

And i was fortunate enough to catch it BEFORE the changes began...

Add 35 years, and I have STILL returned religiously....

And with eyes to see, and ears to hear, more so in tune, and trained, from my long history of being there...

Clearly, much has changed.

The MAGIC is STILL to be found, but sometimes I have to look to find where it is hiding...

This can ALL BE FIXED....

But it requires the desire to fix it.

If i had the power, i could return that which once was...

Decesion makers are completely seperated from the frontlines of the Magic...

Too busy making mega mergers, take overs, and buy outs, to actually live the dreams...

Disney is still a great place, and personally, there is no other place i would rather be...

But i hold the original MAGIC which grows in my heart because the seeds were planted there in the begining.

 

[OG Runner]

Disney is still a great place to be...

For those who know not of the way things once were, they can easily accept what is now...

My FIRST visit was Spring of 72, shortly after the opening on October 1, 71...

Every year, sometimes more then one trip, we returned...

The Magic was everywhere and Cast Members were a HUGE part of that Magic...

So much so that I placed myself in Service to be part of that Magic by mid 80s...

And i was fortunate enough to catch it BEFORE the changes began...

Add 35 years, and I have STILL returned religiously....

And with eyes to see, and ears to hear, more so in tune, and trained, from my long history of being there...

Clearly, much has changed.

The MAGIC is STILL to be found, but sometimes I have to look to find where it is hiding...

This can ALL BE FIXED....

But it requires the desire to fix it.

If i had the power, i could return that which once was...

Decesion makers are completely seperated from the frontlines of the Magic...

Too busy making mega mergers, take overs, and buy outs, to actually live the dreams...

Disney is still a great place, and personally, there is no other place i would rather be...

But i hold the original MAGIC which grows in my heart because the seeds were planted there in the begining.

I have been making trips to WDW since 1986. I am not a newbie. I road the "Skyliner" when it was in the Magic Kingdom.
I am familiar with the way thing were and the way things are. I am thinking you could be falling into the old, "Well, in my
day, things were so much better" frame of mind.

 

[Randyland]

I have been making trips to WDW since 1986. I am not a newbie. I road the "Skyliner" when it was in the Magic Kingdom.
I am familiar with the way thing were and the way things are. I am thinking you could be falling into the old, "Well, in my
day, things were so much better" frame of mind.

Sometimes, things REALLY were BETTER in my day....

If you do not see it, you are better off...

In the first 15 years, to hear ANY comments other then everything is GREAT would be shocking...

Today, more people are NOT happy then EVER BEFORE...

They express that fact everywhere, and it cannot be hidden or denied...

Just like an alcoholic, you must FIRST recognize the problem, before you can act to change it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

There has been a decline in service and there are several factors. The ever-growing size of the resort means more and more cast members are needed, requiring Disney to be less picky in hiring. They fill a massive portion of positions with their college and international program, which themselves are ever growing and expanding, meaning they are far less picky with who they recruit for even them. This means that a massive portion of CM's are temporary and constantly cycled out.

That said, it's still typically really good and lol that you have the audacity to say Universal's service is way better. People move to Orlando to work at Disney. Nobody moves to Orlando to work at Universal, and it shows. Most of Universal's staff is local 18-22 year olds who clearly could not care less. Everything you mentioned in the OP I see occasionally at Disney and almost constantly at Universal. Even the service in the Potter lands has declined. It used to be stellar, now it's the same as the rest of the resort, only the bark the word muggle at you.

I wonder if there has been a decline in service from them or a massive increase in demands from the public. Self identified by each individual expecting more then is realistic or reasonable. My experience is that Universal TM's are far more engaged then Disney CM's. You also have to define work better. People that move to Orlando to work for Disney are riding a cloud of expectations that are generated by the "magic" that past CM's seemed to easily display. Work isn't involved, it is all a fun fantasy. The bubble is burst really quickly when they have to deal with entitled public and find the the magic only runs one direction and that is from them to others. It very seldom is a balanced interaction.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I wonder if there has been a decline in service from them or a massive increase in demands from the public. Self identified by each individual expecting more then is realistic or reasonable. My experience is that Universal TM's are far more engaged then Disney CM's. You also have to define work better. People that move to Orlando to work for Disney are riding a cloud of expectations that are generated by the "magic" that past CM's seemed to easily display. Work isn't involved, it is all a fun fantasy. The bubble is burst really quickly when they have to deal with entitled public and find the the magic only runs one direction and that is from them to others. It very seldom is a balanced interaction.

Yes, but regardless of expectations vs. reality, people move in droves to Orlando to work at Disney. Very few move to Orlando to work at Universal, which is why Universal's workforce is mainly made up of local college students who just need a job and people rejected/thrown out by Disney. You will find very few "lifers" at Universal or retired folks looking for something to do, so it's almost entirely early 20-somethings. It's like if Disney was only staffed by the college program kids.

It's weird how we can have such different experience with TM service, but I do think that many on this forum are looking for any reason to hate on Disney at this point and talk up Universal as a way of "sticking it" to Disney. There are some Universal TM's that live up to Disney's best CM's, but on average to me they seem completely disinterested and at worst are embarrassingly unprofessional. That happens at Disney too but not on the scale I see at Universal.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Sometimes, things REALLY were BETTER in my day....

If you do not see it, you are better off...

In the first 15 years, to hear ANY comments other then everything is GREAT would be shocking...

Today, more people are NOT happy then EVER BEFORE...

They express that fact everywhere, and it cannot be hidden or denied...

Just like an alcoholic, you must FIRST recognize the problem, before you can act to change it.

Well, it is a little different then your alcoholic scenario. An alcoholic has the opportunity to change their problem where as we don't have any say in what happens in the park. We can whine, yell, scream and do whatever adjective that one seems would be effective and it just won't make a difference. People connected with the whine, yell, scream etc. that stop going are the only thing that is going to work and it takes a village not just a few to stay away before it would ever be noticed. So my best advice is, if one must go and spend big bucks at Disney don't expect that simply complaining is going to make any difference. Try and find the positives and enjoy what is there not what one thinks should be there. If it gets to be no longer worth it to go, then why spend good money for a lost cause. Find a new entertainment venue. The real world is full of fun and interesting things.

 

[nj_to_wdw]

I just got back from our Disney World vacation and my wife I had a number of particularly good and particularly bad cast member experiences, so in a sense they somewhat net out.

However, on Nov. 13th at about 10 AM when the monorail to EPCOT from TTC was down and they waited to tell folks until they got to the top of the ramp so we could walk back down the ramp (haven't they heard of a public address system), I thought that was over the top. Then they herded us onto buses (the guests politely formed a very long line, though the cast members seemed disinterested, never meeting our eyes) where we hung from straps while the driver tried to maintain normal speed. Hey, I'm 66 and both the double ramp walk and hanging from straps on the bus were quite an exertion.

Before getting on the bus I stared at the last cast member I saw who tried to not meet my eyes. When he finally did he said he would ask me to "tarry". I said "figures". He said, "Go ahead, squeeze on". Gee, thanks. I went into that detail in case the cast member in question remembers the exchange, so he knows people don't forget really negative experiences. Maybe he'll learn, maybe he won't.

 

[jaklgreen]

I was in the Mexico pavilion area waiting for Mariachi Cobra to come out and play so I was looking around that little gift shop. There were 3 cast members "working" in there all talking. There were a few items that some kids had knocked to the ground and the cast members just walked right past them a number of time. Since I was waiting, I decided to stand and watch to see when one of them would pick the stuff up. It wasn't until about 5 minutes later when they saw a supervisor walking up to check on them did they stop talking and pick the stuff up. They knew it was there because one of them made a b-line right for the items.

 

[Lilofan]

I was in the Mexico pavilion area waiting for Mariachi Cobra to come out and play so I was looking around that little gift shop. There were 3 cast members "working" in there all talking. There were a few items that some kids had knocked to the ground and the cast members just walked right past them a number of time. Since I was waiting, I decided to stand and watch to see when one of them would pick the stuff up. It wasn't until about 5 minutes later when they saw a supervisor walking up to check on them did they stop talking and pick the stuff up. They knew it was there because one of them made a b-line right for the items.

When the rats are away, the mice will play.

 

[Stellajack]

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.

It sounds like you really had some frustrations. I just returned from an 8 day visit. I don't really require interaction with attraction CM's, but they seem to NEED to talk with me.

"how many in your party? Row 4"
"Watch your step as you step out onto the moving ?belt? " (Buzz Lightyear)
"pull DOWN on your safety bar";
"push UP on your safety bar";
"everyone tug on the yellow strap on your right";
"remember to take your personal belongings as you leave the theater"
"don't forget to bring your Death Certificate"


Wow, do these CMs talk all the time?! I love it!

 

[mergatroid]

Sometimes, things REALLY were BETTER in my day....

If you do not see it, you are better off...

In the first 15 years, to hear ANY comments other then everything is GREAT would be shocking...

Today, more people are NOT happy then EVER BEFORE...

They express that fact everywhere, and it cannot be hidden or denied...

Just like an alcoholic, you must FIRST recognize the problem, before you can act to change it.

Hey Randyland, FIRST TIME I've read your posts ...

Wondering why you post in SENTENCES one after the other with EACH it's own paragraph ...

Is it to add DRAMA to your posts with words RANDOMLY posted in Capitals ...?

It's almost like YOU want it to read as an IMPORTANT statement, a serious statement, a frivolous statement, who KNOWS, but a statement to be identified with the utmost importance nonetheless ...

Your use of ellipses at the end OF your sentences is intriguing ...

It leaves one pondering what the next ONE holds, will it excite, will it inspire, will it make one rise up and rebel against the masses ...

I like your style, your PANACHE, it's like I'm reading a script written for MATHEW McConaughey ...

And lest we not FORGET, he who shouts loudest ...

May often be the one heard LEAST ...

 

[bjlc57]

well what is shocking is the defenders of the realm. Plus the fact that its no longer policy to be like Walt.. so we have bad actors who get defended and we have a PRIME EXAMPLE who we now ignore.. none of this is good for the profits of this company in the long run , and can immediately change the short run its self..

 

[thomas998]

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).

We stopped doing the desert viewing experiences a few years ago because as others have noted, the prices just kept going up and what you got just kept going down... So don't while your experience was pooped on by the failed show, it wouldn't have been worth it to you had the show gone on without a hitch... I think out last show for the Epcot was when they eliminated the option of kids getting the Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream sandwiches and replaced it with scoops of half melted generic vanila ice cream that looks like they had bought it from a Sam's Club. How much could they have really saved per guest with that ridiculous switch...

As for you experience with cast members and a lower quality of service, well that seems to have dropped across the board in the US and isn't just something you experience at Disney. It has been happening at department stores and food service establishments for years... the only place that seems to have been able to avoid it has been the Chik-fil-a places which have somehow managed to maintain their same level of service.... but other service places have declined which I think is more a result of the way kids in general are raised in this country. Remember Disney still employees a lot of college age kids which means that a large number of CMs are of college age and will represent the attitudes of that generation... And sadly the generation in college right now seems to have failed to understand that the world doesn't revolve around them. I hope your experience at Universal was better, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was also worse than you have experienced in the past.

 

[HongKongFu]

eliminated the option of kids getting the Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream sandwiches and replaced it with scoops of half melted generic vanila ice cream that looks like they had bought it from a Sam's Club.

Outstanding!!

 

[eliza61nyc]

Disney was once all about making MAGIC, not money...

Disney once only had Guests, not Customers...

And you can go on forever on the empty calories of Kool Aid BUT you must first BELIEVE...

Before 1986, most EVERYONE believed...

After 1986, things changed as did the focus on the purpose of Disney...

When focus is on MONEY, everything else falls into the shadows...

This is true for BOTH the Company, AND the Cast Members...

When you are their because you WANT to be their; money is not your number one concern, and that reflects in yourself...

If things change and you are surrounded by the focus of the money grab, it becomes impossible to not become part of that focus yourself, and that changes everything...

No one felt as if they were doing all the hard work for little pay before the big money grab took hold...

It all boils down to the feeling in the air; and the purpose for being their.

lol you mean back in the day people didn't want to be paid at Disney or they didn't care if they got pennies for wages? wow.

 

[John park hopper]

The dermatologist I go to her assistant worked at WDW as the character Peter Pan for 4 years and we got to talking about the costs and she even said it has gotten ridiculous. Yet wages have not gone up for regular CM's, as the character Peter Pan she made 14 dollars an hour. She said she loved the job but couldn't afford to work there. Prices go up new fees added and IMO it's still not going to lower employees wages.

 

[Lilofan]

Disney was once all about making MAGIC, not money...

Disney once only had Guests, not Customers...

And you can go on forever on the empty calories of Kool Aid BUT you must first BELIEVE...

Before 1986, most EVERYONE believed...

After 1986, things changed as did the focus on the purpose of Disney...

When focus is on MONEY, everything else falls into the shadows...

This is true for BOTH the Company, AND the Cast Members...

When you are their because you WANT to be their; money is not your number one concern, and that reflects in yourself...

If things change and you are surrounded by the focus of the money grab, it becomes impossible to not become part of that focus yourself, and that changes everything...

No one felt as if they were doing all the hard work for little pay before the big money grab took hold...

It all boils down to the feeling in the air; and the purpose for being their.

I would be hesitant to work for you. I may not get my regular weekly paycheck.

 

[mergatroid]

The dermatologist I go to her assistant worked at WDW as the character Peter Pan for 4 years and we got to talking about the costs and she even said it has gotten ridiculous. Yet wages have not gone up regular CM's, as the character Peter Pan she made 14 dollars an hour. She said she loved the job but couldn't afford to work there. Prices go up new fees added and IMO it's still not going to lower employees wages.

I never knew they has females playing Peter Pan? I'll have to look next time I go.