Originally Posted By Malin MiceChat Columnist Jeff Heimbuch has written a brand new article on the current decline at Walt Disney World. I absoluely agree with Jeff and feel its time Disney Fans speak up. <a href="http://micechat.com/18766-a-great-big-broken-down-tomorrow/" target="_blank">http://micechat.com/18766-a-gr...omorrow/</a>
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I agree with his assessment also. I think part of the problem is the way the parks reporting systems work. At one time there was a direct communication between attractions and maitainence. That is not the case any longer. Attractions can call in immediate problems that cause attractions to be closed during the day so that they can be reopened, but ongoing things like the things pictured go through several steps to get repaired. Because of that turnaround is slow.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt This is really sad and makes me rethink my plans to visit WDW in 2013. I haven't been in a long time and I certainly don't need to waste a ton of money on visiting a Disney resort so far away that's falling apart.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Those things do look pretty sad. And it isn't as if Disney charges deep discounted rates. Attractions that operate on a daily basis are going to have a lot of wear and tear eventually and will need major upgrades, but some of these issues are "spit and polish" issues that are about routine maintenance and upkeep. It's those scrapes and chipped paint things that make a difference between your local regional park and a world-class destination. Some families only get to a place like WDW once if they're lucky. It can take a working family years of saving up for something like that, and they deserve, as much as possible, to see the park's "A" game on display.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Here in the Bay Area, our BART system has fabric, padded seats. I think it was last year that someone took bacterial samples from those seats, and as you can imagine, turned up all kinds of hideous findings. As a result, they're in the process of removing the old seats and installing updated, easier-to-clean versions. I'm not a germ-o-phobe but those seats in Carousel of Progress, and the stained carpet, looked far worse shape than those on BART.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I think part of the problem is the way the parks reporting systems work.>> That is definitely part of the problem - however the main problem especially for MK is the lack of time for maintenance crews to complete work. The park has such long operating hours when EMH is included that it makes it very difficult for running repairs to be carried out. Ops just won't have attractions closed. I'm pretty shocked by those CoP photos - I hope guests are complaining to City Hall. That is wholly unacceptable.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<I hope guests are complaining to City Hall>> I seriously doubt anyone is complaining at City Hall - except maybe the major fans like us. For normal guests, I'd imagine it's still about the whole day experience - and I doubt they notice these things too much. Maybe back in the day when folks actually had to pay for each attraction. If I was paying to experience Splash Mountain and those tarps were overhead, I might complain. But when all rides are included in the cost, I'm sure most people just chalk it up to a "one-time thing" and ignore it. It's a shame really. Disney has sunk so low that they no longer care about the quality of their rides, but I guess as long as people are still paying to get in, they figure, why bother?
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< the main problem especially for MK is the lack of time for maintenance crews to complete work. The park has such long operating hours when EMH is included that it makes it very difficult for running repairs to be carried out >>> That may be an explanation for some of the issues, but consider the CoP situation: EMH hours aren't every day at the MK. The cleanliness of the seats and carpet can be addressed with shampooing / steam cleaning. It doesn't take a month-long rehab to do that: a crew of one could do it in the available hours overnight, perhaps taking a month to get to all of the seats. Or, they could take one of the theaters out of service at a time for a few days, allowing a crew of a few to do thorough cleaning and painting at night that takes time to dry. I doubt that the daily ridership of CoP is so high such that taking one of the theaters out of service would have much of an impact. The multi-theater design of CoP may be somewhat unique in that it allows for maintenance that might take a few days (at night) to go on without shutting down the attraction, so what I suggest is not an answer for the MK in general. But the fact that it would be relatively easy to do in that case, and is not done, points to what I think is a big part of the larger issue: There is relentless pressure to contain costs, and there is a notion that maintenance should be deferred / ignored until it bleeds, so to speak. The notion seems to be that unless people are actively complaining about it on exit surveys, reduced maintenance is acceptable, and that there is a large opportunity to harvest cost reductions (which in turn "Increase Shareholder Value") by retreating from previous standards. This message more or less has been spoken from the very top levels of management in the company. Put another way, if guests aren't screaming about it because it's "ruining their visit," guest's don't care about it at all, or so the thinking goes. The problem is that it's very easy for this to go way past the point of reasonableness, and what guests actively complain about specifically on an exit survey may not completely reflect what goes into their judgement of their experience. There's lots of things that go on in a Disney park that are so subtle and in many cases subconscious that most guests aren't even aware they are happening, yet in their absence, the experience would not be the same. You certainly wouldn't make guest surveys as a primary input into attraction and land design. Most guests have no idea what it takes to design a good attraction, even one they themselves really like. But they know it when they see it, even if before or even after the fact they can't really describe what all of the individual elements are. I think there are certain parts of maintenance and upkeep that are the same. It used to be that first-time visitors were shocked at how clean the whole place was, especially considering the number of people that are there every day. For that first-time visitor with a young family, that's a big motivator to come back next year instead of choosing other options. And, the perception of being clean isn't just a lack of trash on the ground - it includes things like unscuffed paint and unstained carpets. If you reduce the standard from "as clean and well maintained as can be" to "just below the threshold of being noticeably filthy," I think it has an impact on guest perception, and one that may not show up on an exit survey.
Originally Posted By standor That is the reason we haven't returned in many a year. We used to go every two years. The last time we were there, the seats in the monorail were torn and dirty and the sound system was inaudible. It was like that for the 2 weeks we were there. Most rest rooms were dirty and out of supplies. I can go on and on but this post would be very long.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<That is definitely part of the problem - however the main problem especially for MK is the lack of time for maintenance crews to complete work. >> While that may be a problem, I don't agree that it's the main problem. The main problem is that WDW has cut maintenance staffing and budgets to the bone. Short third shift time wouldn't be as much as an issue if bare bones maintenance staffs didn't have to pick one ride to fix every night
Originally Posted By RoadTrip It's not just a problem with a lack of concern by Disney Management. WDW is seeing more guests than ever... the MK remains Disney's most visited park with attendance figures 50% higher than they were in 1991 when I first visited. Today's guests are also far bigger slobs and less respectful of the parks... you see this not just at WDW, but in virtually all aspects of life. Disneyland is in a somewhat better situation since many of their guests are frequent visitors who have a true love of the history and legacy of the parks. Not so at WDW. I'm not saying things couldn't be better, because they certainly could be. I remembering noticing during my first visits how amazingly clean all the restrooms were. Now I keep in mind my list of which ones are usually good and which ones to avoid. I know Disney CM hate to be placed in a position of reprimanding guests, but in today's world I'm afraid a little more of that is necessary. Whether it is controlling line-jumping, stopping people from tossing paper towels on the floor of restrooms, or telling people to stop peeling the drywall at the entrance to Buzz Lightyear, an occasional "Hey... you shouldn't be doing that" might go a long ways.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Unfortunately, speaking like that would get you in trouble more than it would do good in today's WDW.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 As bad as people are these days, the fault doesn't lay entirely with them. True, they may make a mess of bathrooms and such, but they aren't responsible for the poor maintenance throughout the parks. Disney is solely responsible for maintaining their attractions, and there's really no excuse for broken rides at the prices people are paying to visit Disney World. Disney asks a premium price - people should get a premium experience. And to me, that means rides that aren't broken down.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Disney has also accepted a reduced standard for both it's CM and guests. I understand with the huge number of employees needed to keep WDW running today they can't demand the same high standard of CM that they used to. At the same time, their "Traditions" training program seems to have been cut way back (if not scrapped entirely). As for guests, Disney accepts a standard that I don't think they should. I realize that Orlando is darned hot and humid and people in shorts and tank tops are going to be in the table service restaurants in the parks. I understand that and would not want it any other way. But they should NOT be allowed in the hotel table service restaurants. As far as I'm concerned shorts, tank tops and t-shirts should be strictly forbidden in the hotel table service restaurants. I know. I'm older than dirt. ;-) But when management accepts reduced standards for it's CM and guests, they also start accepting it for themselves. And that is the REAL danger.
Originally Posted By Friar Tuck and Roll After seeing some of this and just watching a special about National Lampoon's Vaction, maybe one of the best things Disney could do would be to "close for 2 weeks to clean and repair America's favorite family fun park."
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom A one time fixing everything deal isn't what is going to get the WDW parks out of this mess. It's rountine maintenance that is needed. You have to maintain the parks, and that has been slipping for years. In some ways I feel a little insulted by this article. Since I was one of the people indicating some of this neglect years ago. Myself as well as others were shouted down by the Disney appologists. Nice to see some other WDW fans are finally getting their heads out of the sand.
Originally Posted By Malin It's one thing bitching and complaining about WDW. It's another thing taking photographic evidence and posting it to the Internet. One image will do more good then 20 heated post debating the pros and cons of WDW. In this digital age they is no excuses for not capturing an image detailing the decline and sharing it online for all to see. A picture on a phone for instance can be on twitter or Facebook in seconds. And Disney has made it even easier with free wi fi. I suggest if you want to make a difference you start documenting this stuff. Not take offense over an online column which is one of the few areas online capturing the decline we are trying to stop. The most ironic thing about that Article is that people have already picked up on the issues found. And yet for some reason say nothing. If we don't name and shame Disney into improving its upkeep we will never get anywhere. And in another 5 years the same people will still be complaining away to a small number of people.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Yes, pictures always help. Otherwise if you have not seen it yourself (and I have been to WDW over 25 times in the past 20 years) you think the person is just a chronic complainer. In a few of the pictures (scuffed paint at CoP entrance, some of the scuffed paint at Maelstrom) I didn't see anything too awful. Others though (stained seats at CoP, the broken away rock face at Maelstrom) were simply shocking.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I guess that is one way of looking at it. But, as one of those who has been posting pictures on this website as well as elsewhere,of just such occurances. And, as one of those who didn't see the need to engage in heating online debates to prove such things as the non working Yeti on Expedition Everest, and the presence of the now famous disco ball. The way I see it the Disney fan demigod's of the world, like Jeff Heimbuch didn't find our cries of neglect relevant until now. Now, the Jeff Heimbuch types have woken up from their deep, slumper of denial and joined those of us who have been pointing these things out for half a decade. Also, in a digital world posting comments and concerns online should be relevant enough. Just how many posts does one have to make about a non functioning Yeti before the "world" wakes up?
Originally Posted By Blufusion12 What we all should do inho is to photograph and write letters to Disney and say I will not spend my hard earned money for such things. I expect great value for my dollar. If all the people that go on a regular basis and stop going maybe enough people will get their attention. Vote with your dollars and complain. WDW should be a place to get away from the real world and not have the things we see everyday that is in the real world. I pay for the experience and Im an observer. Gotta watch us guys. Complain to management tell them as many times as you can and are not happy. Don't get results from one ask for their supervisor. Don't get mad and make a scene . Be calm and tell them I will not come back till I get what I paid for. THEN DO THAT. Disney cares about the dollar and if enough people do this maybe something will happen.
