Originally Posted By GOB You can provide tons of anecdotal evidence for examples of how WDW Transport does or doesn't work. In our 10 years of visiting WDW, we have never had a problem with transportation (even during peak dates/times!) but the bottom line is that the system is totally overwhelmed and having buses crawling all over the place isn't very classy for a "world-class" resort.
Originally Posted By ChiMike And if you would've saw the speed in which the bus system ran under a much smaller footprint 20 years ago, you would be shocked to see how overwhelmed it has become. There is no reason that the Epcot Resort or MK Resort loops take as long as they do to get guests anywhere.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<There is no reason that the Epcot Resort or MK Resort loops take as long as they do to get guests anywhere.>> Sure there is. Five Resorts. One bus.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>But that is no excuse either, for the service in Disneyland is even better still, and I hear TDL is the best.<< You got that right. TDR is the best in every respect of the operation. Too bad the location is not all that attractive.. but it's not about the outside of the property. It's about the escapism and quality of the immersion, service and entertainment. That is why Tokyo Disney Resort is the best. On a side note.. It's just interesting how all these Disney fan bloggers dujour are now commenting on the same problems WDW has *years* after that guy TDLFAN mentioned them (and got criticized for) on these and other fan boards. Yes, WDW is way too big, and as such, the quality has suffered and the budgets are not enough to properly maintain the parks, roads and it's land. It's all about the resorts and DVCs now.. which sadly, the value crowd that frenquent WDW is not able to afford (or do not want to pay for?)
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer <<There is something to be said about the approach towards Spaceship Earth. Especially in the monorail.>> Agreed. It's an experience, and it sets the tone for the park very, very, well. IG is nice... but... I dunno, when entering the park, I need a statement.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN ...And I could do WITHOUT the constant DVC spiels on the monorails. Too much blah blah blah and not enough Tokyo-style magic and serenity.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>...And I could do WITHOUT the constant DVC spiels on the monorails. Too much blah blah blah and not enough Tokyo-style magic and serenity.<< Good to see you posting here TDLFAN.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<<<There is no reason that the Epcot Resort or MK Resort loops take as long as they do to get guests anywhere.>> Sure there is. Five Resorts. One bus.>> Huh? Most don't have one bus for all of them. Poly has it's own bus to the parks, as does GF and the Contemporary. the only MK resorts that share a bus is the Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 There comes a point where size becomes a problem. When you can no longer control quality it is a problem. It is not only Disney's problem but most major companies. Putting aside the physical plant of WDW for a second. One of the things that has made Disney what it is was its outstanding customer service, cleanliness, friendly cast members. One of the ways to achieve that at Disney was Traditions. A 2 day class that gave you company history, norms, expectation, etc. The other thing that made it an important class was how it made you feel as a new CM. They provided lunch the first day, they took you to the parks, you did a property tour. There was a sense that Disney was special and that you were special because you worked there. As the property grew Traditions was turned into a one day experience. No more free lunch, no property tour. Suddenly it felt like orientation for school or some other big company. Is it really a big deal one day vrs two? Well the best way I can describe it would be like using a top of the line HD television and an old black and white tube tv. You get the same information but they look very different. When you are trying to staff a company that has 65000 Cast Members it becomes a never ending process. A friend in Casting once told me that they had to hire a couple of hundred people a week just to stay on top of turnover. So whenever a new location opens Casting is really challenged to provide a sufficient number of people to man positions. When your primary goal is too fill many holes it is hard to be very picky about who to hire. That doesn't mean great people dont come thru but today there are many more who just needed a job, dont really care about the Disney brand and will quickly leave when a higher paying job comes along or they realise that...gosh I have to work July 4th??? With so many CM's and a physical plant that is not only huge but is being used for long periods it isnt long before someone begins to look at the costs of doing business and someone decrees that running things costs too much and they need to save money. It tends to be an over stated thing but there absolutely was a time when light bulbs were changed in a timely fashion because it was important. (Disney lore says that at one time they were changed before they burnt out based on expected life of the bulb). But what also happens is that the person who is in charge of the CM's who do that is either too busy to see what is going on or doesn't care because if you walked down Main Street it is obvious that there are a lot of burnt out bulbs. A small thing but to me it says alot about the care of the place. The problem is that it is the tiny details that make the place special. My last thing I would say is that in my opinion I knew WDW was too big when they added things outside their main business lines to try to keep revenue up. A racetrack in the middle of the MK parking lot, a sports complex and a nightclub area to name a few. What is a company thinking when it announces it is building a second shopping area when they have trouble filling the first one with interesting shops? What does it say when a company with hundreds of shops decides to sell generic WDW stuff because it cheaper to purchase that from a supplier. Finally I know a company is too big when the main thing they sell is entertainment but the people who run the place are MBA's.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Lol Sj. Once upon a time Disney was a company run by creatives with a couple of business types to keep it on track. Now it is totally the opposite. Hence me being a Disney historian, not a fan any longer....
Originally Posted By ChiMike Sjhym. Again, a very excellent post. A great summation written eloquently!
Originally Posted By -em I agree with sjhym... Course how much of the casting problem could be solved by a) figuring out WHY the turnover rate is so high and working to fix that.. Today I picked up a shift at a resort- I was amazed on when asking guests if they were having fun HOW many not positive responses I received. Usually I get mostly positives with a few personal negatives (going home, tired etc) so it was interesting...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Huh? Most don't have one bus for all of them. Poly has it's own bus to the parks, as does GF and the Contemporary. the only MK resorts that share a bus is the Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge.>> I go during the off-season (Jan-Feb) and many resorts share a single bus. In the Epcot loop that is Swan, Dolphin. Yacht Club, Beach Club and Boardwalk. The MK loop combines Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge and the Poly.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>Today I picked up a shift at a resort- I was amazed on when asking guests if they were having fun HOW many not positive responses I received. Usually I get mostly positives with a few personal negatives (going home, tired etc) so it was interesting... << That's not good! Care to share a couple of examples? Are there any recurring themes in the negatives, or is just a mixture of disappointments?
Originally Posted By leobloom >> That doesn't mean great people dont come thru but today there are many more who just needed a job, dont really care about the Disney brand and will quickly leave when a higher paying job comes along or they realise that...gosh I have to work July 4th??? << Or they see that management looks at the front-line CMs as cheap labor. I don't remember ever seeing a manager do a trip on the Land boat ride, even though they were, in theory, supposed to be able to recite the spiel. Once in a blue moon, a manager might take over the merge to load the boats. But the impression I got was that the managers were demigods who hid in their offices for most of the day and only made appearances when there was an irate guest to pay off. I understand completely why there's high turnover at the parks. What I don't understand is why/how so many CMs stay with the company that pays them in peanuts and that doesn't treat them with as much respect as I think they deserve.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I call those people lifers. Every company has them. The start off in a company, some just by accident, some by design with hopes of moving up. For many of them time goes by quickly and all of a sudden they are making ok money and have benefits and maybe along the way they have gotten married and have some kids and they can afford to lose their benefits. In the case of Disney many of them don't have a degree and after several years they find they dont have skills that translate into another position outside the company at a better pay rate. Not to mention that in Central Florida having worked for Disney is nothing special. So they end of being lifers.
Originally Posted By HMButler79 ""the managers were demigods who hid in their offices for most of the day and only made appearances when there was an irate guest to pay off."" I wish it was like that at MK because the CMs would be much happier. The managers are out there.... to harass and stalk CMs on perceived lack of job performance, pin trade, and make sure we're putting 3,000 plus guests through in an hour at Pirates and Mansion. Let's not even get into thier lack of knowledge of operations and theming.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 There was a major in shift in what mgmt at the parks do over the past decade. It started when the Lead position was done away with (because of union complaints) and many of the leads were promoted to mgrs. Then when someone in corporate realised that there were 4 mgrs just at Space Mountain then they either demoted or fired a whole bunch of managers and returned to the team concept for an area. The next thing that happened was most of the mgrs responsabilities have been stripped. Scheduling was moved to a central location (with one mgr in the dept having some oversight), training was sent to a central location, safety and maitenance were stripped from their everyday responsabilites and sent to other business units. So what is left? Disney would tell you that mgrs are doing what they are paid to do which is manage the day to day operations and the CM's. The problem there is several fold. First off corporate imposes a whole bunch of policies and programs to keep everyone on the same page (Basic's being on of them), if a manager has poor people skills they are in a terrible job because that is really what the job is about. Many managers get bored and fill their time with things other than getting to know their CM's. What does it say that you can have a management team of 8 to 10 people and not see a manager for an entire shift? There has also been an increase in union presence over the past decade. CM's members now choose their reglar shifts every 6 months. Shifts are posted and then each CM picks their shift based on seniority. That is done face to face with the CM, a union rep, an area mgr and someone from corporate present. I am truly amazed at how little power an area mgr has. When people have no authority they have to find a way to excert what little power they do have. The other thing I find interesting is that most managers always seem to be looking to go somewhere else. They work at the MK, but they are looking to move to DAK. Then they get to DAK and look to go to Typhoon Lagoon. The old grass is always greener thing I guess
