Serious Quality Control problem at WDW

I'm sad about this.

I went to WDW in August and October, and we took friends who had never been before. One of the things we had been saying we really loved about WDW was that it was so very clean. And, hand in hand with that, that the theming was was so exquisite in that pristine atmosphere.

Well, in August we waited for about twenty minutes in line for Kali River Rapids and were treated to the sight of a long trail of trash - spilled ice cream, drinks, cups, all manner of yuck. In October, I noticed the same in line for Expedition Everest (which I hadn't gone on in August, so it might have been the same then). A huge part of the ride experience, for me, is enjoying the theming and all the little details. That was ruined by the trash, AND it was just gross to have to step over messes, etc.

Plus, frankly, I felt stupid in front of my friends after I'd talked about how you could practically eat off the ground in the parks.

So last week I went to EPCOT, waited in line for the new Spaceship Earth, and when I got to the front of the line, entering the building itself, there was a huge trashcan absolutely overflowing with trash. It was stuffed in, it was on the floor of the newly refurbished building, and again it was melted ice creams, turkey leg bones, straws, cups, plastic containers... I mentioned it to one of the five or six cast members who were in there and who presumably could have seen it for themselves, and the guy just 'joked', "Trash? What trash?"

They're losing me, I have to say. I don't think I'll be renewing my annual pass. I'd tell someone there, but I know they don't care - this hurts me more than it hurts them!

 

[Mommeee]

But is it really worth giving up visiting WDW again, just because some lazy a*sed sloth can't be bothered to take their cr*p to a trash can.

Um, yes? Because my son is little and ended up with crap all over his hands and we all had it on our shoes, and it was effing gross.
And the lazy sloth who didn't put their trash in the can wasn't the only problem. In fact, a good part of the problem was that the can was full and overflowing because it had been left there so long.

So it's the lazy a*sed CM's that I have a problem with, including certain posters here. Two of my neices were CM's and they did NOT share the whole "my break is all" mentality.

Also, ome of you don't seem to realize that the end of August is a pretty dead time in Disney but whether it's a busy time or not is not the point - unsanitary conditions are not acceptable. My neighborhood pool is WAY cleaner than that, and I don't have to pay nearly as much to go there.

This is a PROBLEM.

This is a place that will fire servers for eating a single fry backstage in the kitchen (true story, literally, at Kona Cafe), but the carefully planned and manicured parks look horrible because they're so trashy. This is a weird double-standard, though consistent with the idea that it's about the bottom line.

And cast members don't know how to pick up trash? They can't call maintenance when it's getting out of hand? Funny, they seem to be able to manage it at Kings Dominion. My expectations for Disney are higher than that. But it sounds to me like the attitude among newer CM's is even bigger.

 

[coasterphil]

Um, yes? Because my son is little and ended up with crap all over his hands and we all had it on our shoes, and it was effing gross.
And the lazy sloth who didn't put their trash in the can wasn't the only problem. In fact, a good part of the problem was that the can was full and overflowing because it had been left there so long.

So it's the lazy a*sed CM's that I have a problem with, including certain posters here. Two of my neices were CM's and they did NOT share the whole "my break is all" mentality.

Also, ome of you don't seem to realize that the end of August is a pretty dead time in Disney but whether it's a busy time or not is not the point - unsanitary conditions are not acceptable. My neighborhood pool is WAY cleaner than that, and I don't have to pay nearly as much to go there.

This is a PROBLEM.

This is a place that will fire servers for eating a single fry backstage in the kitchen (true story, literally, at Kona Cafe), but the carefully planned and manicured parks look horrible because they're so trashy. This is a weird double-standard, though consistent with the idea that it's about the bottom line.

And cast members don't know how to pick up trash? They can't call maintenance when it's getting out of hand? Funny, they seem to be able to manage it at Kings Dominion. My expectations for Disney are higher than that. But it sounds to me like the attitude among newer CM's is even bigger.

Maybe you, as a mother, should've done a better job of watching your son. Sounds pretty lazy to let your kid play in garbage. :kiss: :animwink:


How exactly are the CMs working in the area expected to pick up melting ice cream, half eaten turkey legs, and other products. Just use their bare hands? I don't think Disney would approve of that as sanitary or safe for the CMs/guests they'll come in contact with. As for "calling maintenance", based on the joking response from the CM you spoke to at SSE they likely had already called Custodial to get it remedied and were just as disappointed as you that nothing had been done about it.


Finally, write to Disney if you really care. If you don't, continue to complain on a message board where you posts aren't going to be doing a whole lot of good solving the problem. If Disney got enough complaints about trash levels they'd be forced to increase staffing in custodial or give regular CMs better means to maintain cleanliness in their area. If no one complains they are going to assume all is well.

 

[unkadug]

It seems to me that some people just like to complain. :shrug:

Read all posts by poster.

 

[Jeff456]

How exactly are the CMs working in the area expected to pick up melting ice cream, half eaten turkey legs, and other products. Just use their bare hands?

Well said, i wouldnt want to pick up rubbish without any gloves!

 

[Mommeee]

Maybe you, as a mother, should've done a better job of watching your son. Sounds pretty lazy to let your kid play in garbage. :kiss: :animwink:

Wow, you are an awesome representative of Disney. Somehow this makes all of your points so much...more valid.

I did not "let my kid play in the garbage" - the actual fact is he slipped (probably ON that garbage) and knocked his hand against the wall by the trash can. I was holding the other hand or he probably would have gone down into all of it on the floor.

It is astonishing that you can conclude, based on the CM's reponse, that he had called maintenance. It was certainly not the impression I got.

I just cannot believe how many people on here are defending the idea that the place should be a mess! Or who think that anyone should sit back and let their work environment get so nasty. If you threw a turkey leg in my office, I would not be pleased, but I also wouldn't sit there and refuse to remove it because it wasn't my job.

 

[coasterphil]

I can't believe you are still pleading your case here instead of to the people that can actually make a difference. Here is the email address: wdw.guest.communications@disney.com
Tell them when you visited, explain where the trash was a big problem, and express your disappointment in the way the upkeep/cleanliness of the parks has slipped. If you aren't willing to do that you must not be that bothered by it. In the time it took you to make all your posts complaining about things in various threads here at WDWMagic you could've written a well thought out email to Guest Communications expressing your concerns.

Also, why should you expect me to be oh so kind to you when you implied that I was a lazy a**. You made a judgment on me based on limited information in this thread, and I did the same with you. See how silly it is to try and analyze someone through a message board. :shrug:

With that said, I think I've added pretty much all I can to this topic. Just remember folks, you spend all that money to visit WDW to have a wonderful time, not to dwell on some of the not so great things that happen. I hate seeing people be so miserable at the parks and when you really take the time to look around at guests you'll see that far too many of them are. They get so caught up in little things beyond their control: a booked restaurant, a long queue, FP difficulties, ticket problems, bus stop waits, overflowing trash bins, etc. None of those things should ruin a vacation for you. WDW isn't perfect and your trip isn't going to be perfect either. Just enjoy your time away from work/school/responsibility. I'm sure you'd much rather be eating at one of the parks CS offerings/ waiting an hour for Splash Mountain/ sitting at the bus stop for 25 minutes/or stepping over a bit of trash to get onto an attraction than be stuck working 9-5 that day. Try to keep everything in perspective during the trip, and if you feel strongly about things Disney could improve to make your next trip even better write to them about it when you get back home.

*steps off soapbox*

 

[BillyBuff]

I think WDW has an excellent cleaning staff! I was there from 1/6/2008 to 1/11/2008 and I saw many of the CMs carrying those garbage picking sticks (the ones where it picks up stuff off the ground without getting hands dirty).

Despite the place being a bit crowded, the garbage were minimal. The cleaning staff were out in full force on a daily basis.

The only problem were the people who put their garbage elsewhere other than the trash bins as I had witnessed on several occasions. Like people leaving their trays with food on the tables and leaving without throwing it out in the trash bin (12 feet away).

 

[WickedQueen22]

Not going back over one attraction seems a bit excentric. However....... are all CMs overly sensitive? Maybe you didn't do your job to the best of your ability that day. Fess up, apologize move on.

I run a retail enviroment every day. It is by no means WDW but I get alot of useless crap from RUDE customers who think I am at their beck and call. It rolls off your back and you start fresh. Stop whining and pointing blame.

Go ahead and flame me all you want. At some point everyone grows up and takes resonsibilty for their actions.

 

[figmentmom]

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure you guys understand the way CM's are assigned positions and don't have to time to swap around garbage cans. You can't leave an assigned post to something else.

I'm not in attractions so I can't speak as to how rotations actually work, so I guess I'll have to cede to you on that. However I really doubt they want you dawdling from one position to the next so that things don't get messed up. As far as you aren't on break until you are offstage, that's great and I agree but that doesn't mean a CM should be expected to go out of their way to do extra work. If someone comes and asks a question or they see a guest struggling with something than of course they should help. Seeing a full trash can isn't exactly the same thing as far as I'm concerned.

I worked Attractions the past three summers. If you're assigned to a position, that's where you're supposed to be! If you're a Greeter, working strollers, or a similar position where you have a bit more freedom to move, then picking up stray items of trash is very much part of the job. However, an overflowing trash can is another story, and we always called Custodial for those. They did a great job of getting there are soon as humanly possible.

Unfortunately, not all Guests pick up after themselves; Custodial does the best they can, and all Cast Members pitch in as much as possible.

 

[ChipmunkStar]

Could another reason for Attractions not physically moving trash cans around for the sake of "Show" been that they'd rather not cross union lines? And as already pointed out, I would not want to touch a bunch of trash when there are no gloves present, nor an immediate sink/hand sanitizing station. It's overall gross and unsanitary, nad ultimately not what I was trained to do. Again, there are union by-laws that could prevent such actions.

To the OP: You should direct your concerns to Disny themselves. While you may feel that your comments will be brushed aside, yeah, they might. However, if there are enough similar comments left for them, THAT'S when it really makes a difference. Besides, venting on a random Disney fansite certainly won't get your concerns met or noticed by the powers that could actually do something about it.

Also, is it not possible that the CM was simply trying to alleviate the situation with a little bit of humor? Maybe they had already called about that can before you'd even mentioned it, or he could have called immediately after you'd gone.

 

[echoscot]

I know from being a CM a couple of points on this thread.

1. I worked in Entertainment, but I usually stopped to pick up garbage and stuff if I saw it on my way across the park. If I was going to lunch and saw paper cups and stuff on the ground, I stopped to pick it up. If it was something food oriented like turkey legs and melted ice cream, then I pretty much had to contact custodial or the show keepers, because they had the sanitary equipment to do the job properly. Often you do not know what types of pathogens exist in half eaten food.

2. During the later Eisner years, the staffing was cut drastically to save $$$. They then tried to put the onus of custodial on all the rest of the cast. There originally used to be 1 custodian for maybe 3-4 trash cans in a park or area. This was taken as an unfair advantage so that the executive board members could continue to demonstrate a profit and earn their multi million dollar bonuses. It seems however, that Mr. Iger is making some attempt to reverse this trend. I hope that is true.

As a result a lot of CMs felt angry that the company was not willing to pay to maintain an appropriate staffing level and were expected to cover the slack for the sake of profit.

Just my 2 cents, I'll butt out now.

 

[dixiegirl]

Honestly there is only so much you can do, to say if I seen garbage on the ground it would ruin my trip ..hardly..we were at SSR two weeks ago and noticed cigarette butts outside our balcony window on the ground....Yes it was disapointing but what can you do??? Yes complain to someone ..but still..Your vacation where ever it is Disney or not is what you make of it....I think because it is Disney that there is this standard above all that many expect it to live up to...I understand that but it happens they (being Disney ) are not an exception..as many belive it should be...sorry but it is true , its just disapointing when it does happen...thats why you "need " to go back to have any even better time and better memories!!!

 

[figmentmom]

Could another reason for Attractions not physically moving trash cans around for the sake of "Show" been that they'd rather not cross union lines? And as already pointed out, I would not want to touch a bunch of trash when there are no gloves present, nor an immediate sink/hand sanitizing station. It's overall gross and unsanitary, nad ultimately not what I was trained to do. Again, there are union by-laws that could prevent such actions.

That's an issue that, in the three summers I've worked there, never has come up once. I picked up what loose items I could, but left the serious messes for Custodial - after calling them in! There are just some jobs you need the proper equipment to handle.

 

[NewfieFan]

With that said, I think I've added pretty much all I can to this topic. Just remember folks, you spend all that money to visit WDW to have a wonderful time, not to dwell on some of the not so great things that happen. I hate seeing people be so miserable at the parks and when you really take the time to look around at guests you'll see that far too many of them are. They get so caught up in little things beyond their control: a booked restaurant, a long queue, FP difficulties, ticket problems, bus stop waits, overflowing trash bins, etc. None of those things should ruin a vacation for you. WDW isn't perfect and your trip isn't going to be perfect either. Just enjoy your time away from work/school/responsibility. I'm sure you'd much rather be eating at one of the parks CS offerings/ waiting an hour for Splash Mountain/ sitting at the bus stop for 25 minutes/or stepping over a bit of trash to get onto an attraction than be stuck working 9-5 that day. Try to keep everything in perspective during the trip, and if you feel strongly about things Disney could improve to make your next trip even better write to them about it when you get back home.

*steps off soapbox*

:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy: Thanks for putting it all in perspective. One night at the MK we had to wait forever (and I mean forever) for a bus. I was starting to get a little annoyed and well some people were getting just plain angry over the whole situation. It was late, I was tired, my husband was tired, and my kids were practically falling asleep on the ground, but I stopped myself from getting upset! There's nothing I can do about a bus being late, I wasn't about to let it ruin my "almost perfect" vacation, and I'd rather be waiting for a bus at Disney than be home! My husband and I actually got to sit down and talk while waiting for that bus which was something we hadn't taken the time to do at all during our vacation. So while I don't think it's ok for Disney to make the mistakes they make (whether it be too much garbage, long waits, etc.) I certainly do not let those things ruin my vacation!!! I payed too much money for this vacation and as I would say to my family, "Everybody put a smile on your face b/c we're having a good time!":animwink:

 

[ChipmunkStar]

That's an issue that, in the three summers I've worked there, never has come up once. I picked up what loose items I could, but left the serious messes for Custodial - after calling them in! There are just some jobs you need the proper equipment to handle.

It's come up at Disneyland. I had a friend working Space Mountain one night go to the front of the attraction and sweep up a little bit of popcorn. About 10 seconds into this, some Custodial CM comes over and starts REAMING him about "You can't do that! You're not properly trained! You're crossing union lines! I'm calling them so you get in trouble!" etc.

Bad show on that Custodial CM's behalf, and now my friend hadn't touched a single piece of trash since. If they want to be so territorial about it, let them do it, he figured.