The Spirited Back Nine ...

[John]

This is required reading before posting on this thread ... or indeed posting on these boards:

http://fyeahjonathanlewis.tumblr.co...-was-really-like-working-at-walt-disney-world

(Before anyone asks, don't know this kid, but given his resume, probable only a degree of separation.)

Thanks for that.....somehow I feel validated in how I feel about TDO and WDW in general. To those who say some of us are nothing but Doom and Gloom......what do you say now?

Come on @Goofyernmost I know you have to have an opinion.

 

[BrerJon]

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-toy-story-4-directed-john-lasseter-73243/

Goddammit Iger

This is Avatar all over again. Maybe Iger has heard that Universal is planning to open a large ride at the same time as a movie comes out (Skull Island), and he wants a piece of that too, so Toy Story 4 is greenlit to coincide with the Playland opening at DHS... take that Universal!

 

[ParksAndPixels]

I know what it can be like to be a frontline CM. I was a frontline "host" at another park, doing everything in my power to help a guest and because this apparently wasn't enough, the guest spit in my face, cursed me and left. Security caught up with the guest, removed them from the park. Because I handled even being spit on professionally (believe me it took everything I had), I was rewarded several different ways by upper management and my immediate supervisor.

The pay wasn't great but I enjoyed my job because of the way those in the frontline a were / are respected. I know Disney is a big organization, but if you want quality people, you have to show them respect and that is more than purely financial. If CMs are happy, the guests will have higher satisfaction because of how the CMs treat them. (Sorry had to get that out, as too many businesses have forgotten some basics).

 

[lazyboy97o]

Random, crazy, sort of conspiratorial thought: Could Lasseter be directing Toy Story 4, which is pretty much guaranteed to bring in a bucketload of money, be a way to try and rebuild slipping influence? Just seems odd that suddenly his only ideas that he considers exciting are sequels.

 

[BrerJon]

This is required reading before posting on this thread ... or indeed posting on these boards:

http://fyeahjonathanlewis.tumblr.co...-was-really-like-working-at-walt-disney-world

(Before anyone asks, don't know this kid, but given his resume, probable only a degree of separation.)

That's an amazing article, and sadly too true. I don't know how anyone who isn't a CP or in a tipped role can work in WDW as a frontline CM long term given how poorly the company treats it's frontline staff. It's such a shame - Disney management represent the worst of humanity, but there's no doubt in my mind WDW Cast Members represent the best.

 

[BrerJon]

A valid point, but one I think has been discussed here to death before. I was more shocked on the pure and simple failures by management. How do you allow a crowd to chant "You suck" at a front line employee, let alone reward them? How do you allow a ride to run with no working effects?

Is there anyone who's job it is to make sure things are working, and has the power to change them if they're not? Each attraction should have a manager who's job it is to fill out an inspection sheet each day, ticking anything broken, which gets sent to a maintenance waiting list. I bet they don't have anything like that, but they should.

 

[BrerJon]

Nothing in there surprises me.

Yup, this. I think anyone who's spent a long time in the parks will have seen things like this going on, it's a testament to the 'magic' that so many casual guests don't notice at all how unpleasant some of their fellow guests can be.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

But..but Disney can't afford to pay its employees an extra $0.50/hour.

If they did, they may not get that 5th year of consecutive record profits!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Each attraction should have a manager who's job it is to fill out an inspection sheet each day, ticking anything broken, which gets sent to a maintenance waiting list. I bet they don't have anything like that, but they should.

You mean like they used to have?

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

This is required reading before posting on this thread ... or indeed posting on these boards:

http://fyeahjonathanlewis.tumblr.co...-was-really-like-working-at-walt-disney-world

(Before anyone asks, don't know this kid, but given his resume, probable only a degree of separation.)

Wow! Absolutely required reading for this board, for TDO, for the entitled guest ... you name it.

 

[BrerJon]

Because I handled even being spit on professionally (believe me it took everything I had), I was rewarded several different ways by upper management and my immediate supervisor.

That would *not* happen at Walt Disney World. You'd be more likely to be fired for making the guest angry.

 

[BrerJon]

Wow. I don't know what to say about that. I always wanted to do the college program once I get to college, but after that, I don't know.

I don't think the College Program side of things is too bad, as yes you have the same experiences as the blog describes, but because you have housing and transport paid for your minimum wage goes a lot further and it's only for a few months. It's those who try to work there full time and rent apartments etc. who really suffer I imagine.

 

[FloridaRes]

Don't believe everything you read. Not everyones experience is the same.
My husband just retired from Disney after 37 years, and I plan to retire sometime next year after 43 years. There are many, many long term CM's at Disney. My husband, who was a manager, got a standing ovation at his retirement party.
I have worked with Operations for many years in a support role, and many CM's love their manager. As an example, when George K. left the Grand Floridian, there was a 2 hour line of hourly CM's waiting to say good bye and give him gifts. I know there are bound to be some not so great managers, but there are plenty of great ones, so please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

 

[BrerJon]

Don't believe everything you read. Not everyones experience is the same.
My husband just retired from Disney after 37 years, and I plan to retire sometime next year after 43 years. There are many, many long term CM's at Disney. My husband, who was a manager, got a standing ovation at his retirement party.
I have worked with Operations for many years in a support role, and many CM's love their manager. As an example, when George K. left the Grand Floridian, there was a 2 hour line of hourly CM's waiting to say good bye and give him gifts. I know there are bound to be some not so great managers, but there are plenty of great ones, so please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

I think when people refer to inept managers it's not so much the long-term ones who've been there for decades and know the Disney difference inside out, and how the parks used to be, it's the managers most CPs or new employees at the bottom of the ladder encounter, who generally are less experienced.

Very often they seem to be not much older (possibly younger) than their Cast Members, have no sense of company history or quality (try complaining about a broken ride effect and see the blank look on their face), will fire people for the slightest thing and probably only got their job by brown-nosing or who they know. Most CMs deliver an amazing job *despite* those managers, not because of them. It's just a shame they don't learn more from the long-term managers, like your husband, who clearly 'get it'.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Don't believe everything you read. Not everyones experience is the same.
My husband just retired from Disney after 37 years, and I plan to retire sometime next year after 43 years. There are many, many long term CM's at Disney. My husband, who was a manager, got a standing ovation at his retirement party.
I have worked with Operations for many years in a support role, and many CM's love their manager. As an example, when George K. left the Grand Floridian, there was a 2 hour line of hourly CM's waiting to say good bye and give him gifts. I know there are bound to be some not so great managers, but there are plenty of great ones, so please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

Im just curious, do you work in front line roles?

 

[FloridaRes]

Im just curious, do you work in front line roles?

No, as I said, I work in a support role, but directly with front line managers for over 30 years.

 

[aka_emilicious]

Is there anyone who's job it is to make sure things are working, and has the power to change them if they're not? Each attraction should have a manager who's job it is to fill out an inspection sheet each day, ticking anything broken, which gets sent to a maintenance waiting list. I bet they don't have anything like that, but they should.

Not sure about now, but I definitely remember riding Small World with a clipboard to mark what effects were broken. The problem was it's based off of the CM's knowledge. If an effect is broken since a CP started, they very well might not know it moves. I vividly remember arguing with another CP that the shadow Shiva was supposed to move (this was 2007).

I also know this is not a unique WDW problem. There are effects even on Forbidden
Journey that do not work and some TM's didn't know existed.

 

[PhotoDave219]

No, as I said, I work in a support role, but directly with front line managers for over 30 years.

But never in a place where you interacted with guests in a front line role?

 

[FloridaRes]

But never in a place where you interacted with guests in a front line role?

I did plenty of Cross-U's and job shadows. Are you trying to say I don't know what I'm talking about after 42 years working with Operators AND Front line cast?

 

[NearTheEars]

This is required reading before posting on this thread ... or indeed posting on these boards:

http://fyeahjonathanlewis.tumblr.co...-was-really-like-working-at-walt-disney-world

(Before anyone asks, don't know this kid, but given his resume, probable only a degree of separation.)

All this did was confirm to me that I would never want to work front line at WDW.

On another note, I personally would never apply for a front line job, or a minimum wage job and expect make a wage that would pay all of my bills.

If I ever am put in that position (and it's always possible in the volatile industry I am in) I would be finding myself multiple jobs to make sure I get by.

That's just how I am wired.

So please people. Don't move to Otown with these high hopes of living this magical cast member dream.

That's just not how it works.