Let me begin by saying that I have been going to Disneyworld for 25 years and am a DVC member. I've been there the first week of January for the last 4 years. Please don't take this post as flame bait.
Thumbs up: New Years Eve at Epcot - phenomenal! DAK - has never looked or felt better! IASW looked and felt superb - never been better. Nemo was fresh and refreshing. The Green line for Mission Sapce let me experience it for the first time. The Land is beautiful. Pirates looks surprisingly fresh - bravo. And the jokes on Jungle Cruise were excellent.
Surprises: The crowds never thinned as the week wore on. Usually by January 2 we would have the run of the parks. The mouse appears to be trying to attract visitors from South America for this time of the year, and I would guess that half the visitors were from south of the equator.
Areas of concern: The years of neglect are showing up elsewhere. Wonders of Life looks like an 80's shopping mall. HM is really beat up. And the Studios are simply a mess.
The sound system in World Showcase, once phenomenal, now inadequate.
There appears to be a real trend to downsize staffing. Cast members seemed to be fewer, with less emphasis on crowd control. At Illuminations, areas that were taped off and monitored before were ignored - people gathered on steps and in walkways. In the parking lot afterwards I saw ONE CM directing traffic. It took almost 2 hours to get out of the EPCOT lot! A teense of traffic management would have gone a long way.
The quality of cast members has noticably declined. The retirees who used to work so many places are probably now handing out shopping carts at Walmart. I see a huge service staff issue developing for Disney - some first hand experiences:
At the Coronado Springs food court, two workers got into a spat next to my table. A stack of dirty dishes came crashing to the floor and one CM starting cussing at the other. A manager appeared and finally YELLED at them. So much for "good show". Frankly, I think the concept of good show is dead.
At PO Riverside, the servers remined me of a HS cafeteria. They were moving slow, slopping food on the plates (missing in some cases), and generally rude and disinterested.
The sweepers looked scary in some cases - not sure where they came from.
Rode in the front of the Monorail once, and the driver acted as if we were a burden (we sat silently).
Bought an ice cream in Fantasyland - the counter guy overran the cone and had the stuff dripping on his hand. He scooped it onto the top of the cone and handed it to me. YUCK!!!
Saw many instances of harried managers trying to get cast members to work, disciplining them in the open.
Saw a group of "suits" at Test Track. They acted as if guests were a nusiance, and acted more like prison guards than hosts.
I see trouble on the horizon - who of any caliber will be willing to work for Disney wages in the future? The good ones are worked to the bone by backfilling with folks who aren't up to the job.
Finally, I'm really disappointed in the Christmas soundtrack. And this year you could not escape it! It was at Winter Summerland, and the Studios, and MK, and all over EPCOT (entrance area, future world and world showcase). The hallmark of Disney used to be the wounderful musical experience. If I ever hear Jingle Bell Rock played by 101 Strings again, I will scream!! Finally, whene we got to Animal Kingdom we thought we had escaped - until we heard the same music on steel drums.
Where is the sense of wonder and imagination? I'd call this "The Year of a Million Nightmares".
Thumbs up: New Years Eve at Epcot - phenomenal! DAK - has never looked or felt better! IASW looked and felt superb - never been better. Nemo was fresh and refreshing. The Green line for Mission Sapce let me experience it for the first time. The Land is beautiful. Pirates looks surprisingly fresh - bravo. And the jokes on Jungle Cruise were excellent.
Surprises: The crowds never thinned as the week wore on. Usually by January 2 we would have the run of the parks. The mouse appears to be trying to attract visitors from South America for this time of the year, and I would guess that half the visitors were from south of the equator.
Areas of concern: The years of neglect are showing up elsewhere. Wonders of Life looks like an 80's shopping mall. HM is really beat up. And the Studios are simply a mess.
The sound system in World Showcase, once phenomenal, now inadequate.
There appears to be a real trend to downsize staffing. Cast members seemed to be fewer, with less emphasis on crowd control. At Illuminations, areas that were taped off and monitored before were ignored - people gathered on steps and in walkways. In the parking lot afterwards I saw ONE CM directing traffic. It took almost 2 hours to get out of the EPCOT lot! A teense of traffic management would have gone a long way.
The quality of cast members has noticably declined. The retirees who used to work so many places are probably now handing out shopping carts at Walmart. I see a huge service staff issue developing for Disney - some first hand experiences:
At the Coronado Springs food court, two workers got into a spat next to my table. A stack of dirty dishes came crashing to the floor and one CM starting cussing at the other. A manager appeared and finally YELLED at them. So much for "good show". Frankly, I think the concept of good show is dead.
At PO Riverside, the servers remined me of a HS cafeteria. They were moving slow, slopping food on the plates (missing in some cases), and generally rude and disinterested.
The sweepers looked scary in some cases - not sure where they came from.
Rode in the front of the Monorail once, and the driver acted as if we were a burden (we sat silently).
Bought an ice cream in Fantasyland - the counter guy overran the cone and had the stuff dripping on his hand. He scooped it onto the top of the cone and handed it to me. YUCK!!!
Saw many instances of harried managers trying to get cast members to work, disciplining them in the open.
Saw a group of "suits" at Test Track. They acted as if guests were a nusiance, and acted more like prison guards than hosts.
I see trouble on the horizon - who of any caliber will be willing to work for Disney wages in the future? The good ones are worked to the bone by backfilling with folks who aren't up to the job.
Finally, I'm really disappointed in the Christmas soundtrack. And this year you could not escape it! It was at Winter Summerland, and the Studios, and MK, and all over EPCOT (entrance area, future world and world showcase). The hallmark of Disney used to be the wounderful musical experience. If I ever hear Jingle Bell Rock played by 101 Strings again, I will scream!! Finally, whene we got to Animal Kingdom we thought we had escaped - until we heard the same music on steel drums.
Where is the sense of wonder and imagination? I'd call this "The Year of a Million Nightmares".
