[disneyguy]

OK we all know that Disney service has gone down hill slightly. The rotten wood picture and the dirty bathroom are just terrible. Both things in my mind are totally unacceptable. I hate to say it but I think that if Disney isn't careful Busch Gardens or Universal might become the new hot spots. Busch Gardens here near us in Williamsburg is absoloutly beautiful, and reminds me a lot of Epcot because the theming is based around countries. I know that the shows there are Disney quality and so are the employees. Also, they have tons of award winning roller coasters. There are two things holding it back, it has no onsite resort and the weather prevents it from being open year round. My point is that for the money maybe Disney is just not doing enough to keep up the parks.

[GrumpyDad]

Over the last ten years we have watched the growing pains that WDW has gone thru. Little things, smaller flower beds each year, lights out on the Boardwalk and other resorts, CM's that are not "with the program", the nasty que for Pirates, and the steady decline of IASW ( one of my personal favorite rides ).

The flip side are the new attractions, the updates to old rides, the new shows, the expansion of the parks, the new resorts, and the fact that even with a few less then enthusiastic CMs, WDW is still the most complete, relaxing vacation we take.

I have noticed an upswing in obnoxious people, both U.S. vacationeers and out of country guests. But that holds true at our local spots as well as at WDW, I guess we just assume that the price for staying is going to put everyone on their best behaviour.

Oh well, I think someone should hire me to do a full two month study of the problem!
-harry

[DisneyDreamer16]

Nothing for nothing but disney does its best every year to keep these huge parks not only up to date with new rides and refurbishments but also always having people constantly sweeping and cleaning everywhere. I do not think this park is starting to wear and tear it just might need to be fixed up alittle which it will over time.

[disneyguy]

Haha GrumpyDad!! If they do hire you keep me in mind I would love to do that!!!! Don't worry I won'r hold my breath. :laugh :)

[Dana]

Originally posted by GrumpyDad

Oh well, I think someone should hire me to do a full two month study of the problem!
-harry

Harry -

You may need an assistant for the study. Please hire me!! lol

[mickey]

For you to chew on...

Here is a reply to the article by Al Wies, President of the Walt Disney World Resorts

The Magic of Disney has never been better
By Al Weiss

On Saturday, the Orlando Sentinel published a misleading story on maintenance at the Magic Kingdom. As a 30-year cast member and president of the Walt Disney World Resort, I find that the time has come for me to speak out on behalf of our talented and dedicated work force of 51,000 Central Florida citizens.

First, a couple of base-line facts.

In our history, we have never done a better job maintaining the Magic Kingdom than we do today. Despite the economic impacts of Sept. 11 and a recession, I can tell you, without hesitation, that we have more resources dedicated to this effort than at any time in the history of the park.

And more important, through research, our guests tell us each and every day that we are doing a great job maintaining all of our parks.

Three of our executives spent two hours detailing our commitment with four editors and the reporter who wrote this story. Still, the end result was focused on finding fault, with short shrift given to the superb conditions our guests experience throughout the Magic Kingdom each and every day.

Can you imagine what their "experts" would have told them if they asked them to detail what we are doing right in the Magic Kingdom as well? For example:

# During our most recent guest survey, 90 percent of our guests said that the upkeep and cleanliness of the Magic Kingdom was either excellent or very good.

# Currently, we are spending more than $100 million per year at the Magic Kingdom on maintenance. Last year, we spent $6 million on renovating the Crystal Palace alone. Is there any other outdoor-entertainment venue that makes this kind of investment?

# More than 5,000 cast members are dedicated to maintenance and engineering, including 650 people who are focused on horticulture. We have more than 600 painters.

And beyond the numbers, our attention to detail is still a hallmark of our business:

# We steam clean -- not pressure clean -- our streets every single night.

# If you were driving a 2002 automobile, and it was a Disney attraction, it would have already gone through a restoration process, including a full chassis rebuild and sand blasting and repainting.

# We have more than 100 intricate designs for our trashcans to ensure that they match the themes of our theme parks. There is a regular refurbishment cycle for each container.

# We have cast members who are permanently assigned to painting the antique carousel horses. They use genuine gold leaf on these antique horses.

# We raise our own trees at a tree farm and when a mature tree in a park needs to be replaced, we can do so with a full-grown tree that is 30 years old.

It is also worth noting that during a very challenging economic time following Sept. 11, Walt Disney World preserved cast members' jobs and managed to continue to invest in significant refurbishments, extensive marketing campaigns and important community initiatives.

The Walt Disney World Resort has also spent millions of dollars over the past three years on multimillion-dollar attractions at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We have built and opened a new resort, and launched a new line of business.

Are we perfect? Of course not. Are we doing more than ever before to keep the Magic Kingdom and the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort show ready to welcome guests visiting today and in the future? Absolutely.

The Sentinel's premise-driven, "gotcha" approach to news gathering serves only to undermine our state's economic recovery. We tried to tell them our story, but they had already made up their minds.

The opinions we value the most are those of our guests and our neighbors, and we work hard to earn their praise. I invite you to visit soon to experience personally the commitment to excellence our cast members deliver each day.

My bet is that you will leave with lifelong magical memories.

Al Weiss is President of the Walt Disney World Resort. He started his career there 30 years ago in the Magic Kingdom.

[Park Hopper]

Sorry, Al, no sale.

As someone who has been coming to WDW for almost 33 years, I can unequivocally say things just aren't the same as they once were. The parks aren't as clean, maintenance isn't what it used to be and the overall spit and polish of the place has come down a notch.

Is WDW still a wonderful place to visit? Is it still a magical experience for young and old alike? Is it still better than all its competitors? Is it still a place unlike no other on Earth?

You bet it is, Al, but the problem is WDW has set the standard of excellence so high that it's painfully obvious when those standards no longer are being met. WDW is responsible for raising the bar so high. You can't try to lower it and expect people not to notice.

[tinkerbell]

As someone that has wrote to Al Weiss, complaining of how things have gone down hill, everything from the parks to the resorts, and most of all how the CM's attitudes have changed towards guest. I think Mr. Al Weiss is full of it. I spent over an hour on the phone a few months ago having a very sweet CM try to explain away problems. She claimed there were no cut backs at WDW, in staff or any other way.. I dont believe this. Our last trip this month was much better as far as the contact with had with CM's. But there were several things I noticed ..but I have to confess I tried not to notice. more then one bathroom was just plain nasty at all the parks, I can remember when I never went in a bathroom that there wasnt someone cleaning up the entire time.
Bedding is only changed now at most the resorts every four nights or by request.. of course thier excuse for this is ecology.
I agree that some people are just nasty and leave their trash any where.
I feel like I might be knit-picking about somethings, I still love WDW, but I fell in love with it because as a guest I felt like I mattered and because everything was so cleaned and our trips there were near perfect.


I agree with Park Hopper

It's insulting for a WDW representative to say nothing has changed and the quality and upkeep is the same as it's always been. That's just an out-and-out lie. There are lots of ways Disney's public relations guy could have put a positive spin on his answers to the questions in the article, but he chose to make himself and his company look both aloof and stupid by denying anything was wrong.

[alexa1466]

Since my trip this past December, I didn't notice any part of the parks were out of shape, but on the other hand I wasn't really paying attention, (the last time I was there was in 96), I was just happy to be at WDW. One thing that does stick in my mind just made me think of this when I read the article. We were at EPCOT and went into the Living With The Land pavillion to use the restrooms. I was shocked when I walked into the ladies room. Well, lets say, the SMELL shocked me. There were about 6 women in there changing their babies diapers, on the counters near the sink (you couldn't even wash your hands) and since there wasn't any more room, they were changing them on the floor right near the entrance to the the ladies room. Lets just say, these parents did not clean up after themselves, not to mention that the garbage can was full from diapers also. And this is what really gets me. There was a CM sitting on the floor reading a magazine not doing a single thing to clean up the mess or at least tell them to wait and use the changing table when it became available. I know parents don't have too many options on where to change their child's diapers, but this was just ridiculous. It made me nautious just walking in there. Even though that was the only bad incident I could recall, its usually the bad incidents people remember more than the good ones. Were going back again in December and I guess like most of you, I'll be paying a little more attention to detail now.

[Disneybound]

My sis in law just returned from her trip. She felt that the grounds were clean and she saw maintenance crews constantly picking up trash.
But, she was shocked when she asked for help at the All Star Gift Shop and she was denied it. Her 3 year old granddaughter
"got away" from her. Sue, my sis in law, was also trying to help her daughter with the baby at the same time and keeping an eye on her 2 other children as well. When she realized the 3 year old had taken off, she ran to the closest place from where they were, which was the gift shop. She asked the cashier if she could help in some way; an announcement, something. This child is "fast"!!!!! Sue thought that perhaps the child was in route to the room which they had checked out of that morning. They were all looking for her. Sue then went to the check in counter and told them the situation. She showed pictures and in the meantime the girls mother still had not located her daughter.
Sue left her daughter with the counter service and she decided to check the route to their room again and she found her granddaughter by the pool . "She was looking for a bathroom" crying that she had to "go potty" when she "took off".
Sue was unable to pick up this child (bad back)
and the little girl would not walk with Sue, walk with her...she was in the middle of a temper tantrum...a bad one!
All she could do was kind of gently "hold her " in place and not let her "get her way" by running off again while trying to use the cell phone and call her daughter and tell her she found Aaliyah.

They were just very upset that the cashier at the gift shop was not helpful in this sitation. After all, we all know that it only takes a few seconds for a tradegy to occur.

Does anyone know the the policy on "missing children" at the resorts? I am sure that with as many toddlers running around they are possibly used to the quick ones that might "get away".

[Disney6]

I have been numerous times since 1992 and have noticed the decline of the upkeep of the parks especially the MK which is understandable. The one thing that really concerns me though is the CM's and some of their attitudes. But again, it is society as a whole that is the problem. I have seen so many times where visitors have really caused the bad situations and or have unrealistic expectations of their vacation. As for trash and other things being around that ultimately goes back to us, the consumer. I have been shocked, well I guess I shouldn't have been, by how many people I see just leave trash, food, etc. for others to pick up.
Another thing I have noticed too is the attitude of people in general, I have seen so many times an adult "move" a child out of the way to make room for their kids to see a parade, show, etc. And of course that trickles down to their kids and how they think they should be able to take whatever they want at the expense of others.
Well I better get off of my soap box.

[tinkerbell]

Originally posted by Disney6

Another thing I have noticed too is the attitude of people in general, I have seen so many times an adult "move" a child out of the way to make room for their kids to see a parade, show, etc. And of course that trickles down to their kids and how they think they should be able to take whatever they want at the expense of others.
.

ohh yes this is so true !! I can remember years and years ago seeing adults grab thier children and run, not paying any attention to other children around them ..even knocking them down, when the rope would drop. I always say that the children learn most how to behave from thier parents!! When parents show little regard for those around them ..that sends the message to the children!!

[lopo]

ParkHopper, thanks so much for starting this thread. I found the article in the Orlando Sentinel somewhat interesting although, overall, I agree with the folks who think it was overly critical. Frankly, I do not think that the newspaper should have enlisted a professional building inspector and a horticulturist to inspect the parks. I do not think that their observations reflect the general observations of the park's guests.

Pictures do "speak" loudly though. The photo of the burned out bulbs was very sad. I sure hope that those bulbs have been replaced by now!

As far as the cleanliness of the park(s) is concerned, I have two comments. One, on my last visit in Dec., I did notice that the parks were not as clean as they had been on previous visits; however, I think that they are still more than a notch higher in this regard than any other parks I've visited. Secondly, I had the same thought as neday as I read the thread. neday wrote:

What's with us as visitors!!! Gum on sidewalks or counters shouldn't be a problem if someone didn't put it there. Where are our manners? No doubt there will be soda and popcorn spills, but on the whole, can't we all do better?

Sure, accidents happen (such as spilled sodas, etc.), but why do some folks (too many, in my opinion!) think that it is okay to throw cigarette butts, gum, trash, etc. anywhere except in a trash receptacle?!? There are plenty of them all around the parks. I am dismayed when I see a child throw trash on the ground, but I cringe when I see an adult do it. People need to take responsibility for their bad behavior and manners.

One other thing that Brumcg touched on: quality costs $. WDW needs to pay its CMs a "living wage". I admit that I do not have first hand knowledge of what WDW pays its employees, but I have heard second-hand and read stories that the majority of jobs are low-paying. CMs need to be able to make a living working at WDW.

After I read "The Magic of Disney has never been better By Al Weiss" (the article that Mickey posted from the Orlando Sentinel), I was slightly ticked off. I definitely think that "The Magic" has been better even though I do not think that it is bad now. Also, Al stated that

following Sept. 11, Walt Disney World preserved cast members' jobs

; what a misleading statement! Although some CMs were able to continue working, hundreds got pink slips. Sheesh! Anyway, Al's response is part of his job. The positive spin he provided was required.

The bottom line regarding both articles though is 'take it with a grain of salt'. We must be skeptical about communications whether they are newspaper articles, TV news, 'he said/she said", etc. Most things in our world are not just black and white.:hmmm

[Captgoodguy]

I've started to post a response to this several times, but each time it feels like I'm just bashing Disney.

The bottom line is that I agree with Park Hopper too.

I have seen Disney when Disney was at it's best. Now it seems to be at it's cheapest. I think the overall concern here is "Yes, Disney is still the best, but it's declining. It's losing its level of magic that it once had." We want to stop the decline before it becomes just another theme park or the level of magic goes so low it can't come back and we all start looking elsewhere to spend our vacation dollars. We all love Disney and want it to continue to be the happiest place on earth and our favorite place to go.

I also felt that there were several statements in Al's response that were based on opinion, not facts or he only presented partial facts in order to swing the public's opinion his way. Let's look at the CM's who lost their job at MGM in the Indiana Jones Spectacular because they reduced the number of shows. There were definitely jobs cut for the bottom line.

[disneyguy]

Don't worry I know that we all here love Disney. I totally agree that we are seeing Disney at one of its cheapest times.