The Cuts... They Just Keep on Coming

A friend of mine JUST texted me about 10 minutes ago about her trip to WDW last week. She said it was horrendous. She didn't go into detail.... I'll get that later. But... she did say that she and her party were given free dining plans, free 6-day park hoppers and 5 night hotel stay for a future trip because of their complaints. I was surprised she got THAT much. She's definitely taking advantage of that offer!! I hope her next trip is much more magical!

She was there for the latest run event they had (5K, 10K.... no idea).

WiltonJohn;2479483 wrote: Customer service training in major businesses focuses on the fact that people who are dissatisfied with your service/product will complain at a rate at least 10 times the rate at which happy customers will tell anyone about their experiences at all.

SurferStitch;2479484 wrote: A friend of mine JUST texted me about 10 minutes ago about her trip to WDW last week. She said it was horrendous.)

1

best,

...............john

WiltonJohn;2479483 wrote: Their actions are able to be interpreted by people who have those particular actions to observe. That certain people have those situations to observe, does not mean that ALL people are having those same interactions.

There is a huge level of "opinion" involved in any individual interpreting the meaning/intent of any actions and also to extrapolating the number of similar actions that are occurring.

Customer service training in major businesses focuses on the fact that people who are dissatisfied with your service/product will complain at a rate at least 10 times the rate at which happy customers will tell anyone about their experiences at all. I think this is clearly reflected in the forums also.

best,

.................john

All you really said in all that was people have different opinions and you mostly only hear the negative ones. I think we all already know we have different opinions. The only way a company a knows they have dissatisfied customers is if they complain. If we don't voice our displeasure, they will think everything is just great and we are loving it. So anyway, that is exactly what we are doing and as you can see in this thread, there are far more than your average amount of dissatisfied customers right now.

SurferStitch;2479484 wrote: A friend of mine JUST texted me about 10 minutes ago about her trip to WDW last week. She said it was horrendous. She didn't go into detail.... I'll get that later. But... she did say that she and her party were given free dining plans, free 6-day park hoppers and 5 night hotel stay for a future trip because of their complaints. I was surprised she got THAT much. She's definitely taking advantage of that offer!! I hope her next trip is much more magical!

She was there for the latest run event they had (5K, 10K.... no idea).

Wow, the wheels must have really come off the bus if they gave her that much compensation. I would imagine they are being bombarded with complaints right now and may be starting to do damage control.

1DisneyNut;2479486 wrote: So anyway, that is exactly what we are doing and as you can see in this thread, there are far more than your average amount of dissatisfied customers right now.

Actually no... sorry, but I can't "see" that. What we see here is a terribly small sample of people complaining, compared to the average Disney attendance in an hour/day/week/year/ etc. A statistically inaccurate sample size and method... and any conclusions made follow right off of that inaccuracy.

THAT is a point I am making. Just because an individual comes to such conclusions from a limited data set does not make the conclusions somehow "true".

People can state that they had a good time and value for their money... and people can say that they had a bad time and no value for their money. BOTH are perfectly valid observations of personal experiences, for sure. To extrapolate beyond that level unless you have access to data that only Disney has.... is pure conjecture.

As a side note... if a person is dissatisfied with their Disney experiences, I imagine they'd likely have more impact on the company by writing or calling them directly. While it is possible that they read all this stuff on the forums, it is also possible that they don't.

best,

................john

Actually, I have said that I am speaking for my family, and if others are satisfied with the current state of things, I'm happy for them. However, its just not magic for my family any more....which is sad because we were the biggest Disney World fans you would ever likely meet. If you are happy and haven't lost the magic, then I really am happy for (and envious of) you. By the way, I did contact Disney about our experiences, but I really doubt it did much good.

I can share that our experience with sharing any problems we've experienced with customer service or CMs have definitely not been met with just a "sorry, deal with it" response. This includes our two most recent trips.

TheVBs;2479578 wrote: I can share that our experience with sharing any problems we've experienced with customer service or CMs have definitely not been met with just a "sorry, deal with it" response.

Ditto here from about 2+ years ago. Excellent "recovery". And last summer's trip....... no issues. (except an ill timed thunderstorm :mickey:)

best,

..................john

TheVBs;2479578 wrote: I can share that our experience with sharing any problems we've experienced with customer service or CMs have definitely not been met with just a "sorry, deal with it" response. This includes our two most recent trips.

No, I didn't mean that. I'm sure the CM did all she could (although nothing like the "gimme's" listed by others on this thread!) but I meant that she really has no control over the overriding issues that caused the problems...and I don't see the higher ups being real interested. Just my impression...

Posting from my phone, so excuse any errors. WDWNT is reporting that 10 of the 29 Streetmosphere actors (Hollywood Studios) are not having their contracts renewed, 9 of those actors are full time.. These actors will be finishing up their contracts in April. The Fairy Godmother in MK and Aurora in Epcot are also missing. Rumors also indicate that TradNation, the new performing group at Epcot is being cut in April, but that could be unrelated to budgetary concerns. It's also reported that the current understaffed positions are leading to longer lines at resort front desks, shops and restaurants. Boo.

Patricia;2479722 wrote: Posting from my phone, so excuse any errors. WDWNT is reporting that 10 of the 29 Streetmosphere actors (Hollywood Studios) are not having their contracts renewed, 9 of those actors are full time.. These actors will be finishing up their contracts in April. The Fairy Godmother in MK and Aurora in Epcot are also missing. Rumors also indicate that TradNation, the new performing group at Epcot is being cut in April, but that could be unrelated to budgetary concerns. It's also reported that the current understaffed positions are leading to longer lines at resort front desks, shops and restaurants. Boo.

:(

:shake:

Patricia;2479722 wrote: Posting from my phone, so excuse any errors. WDWNT is reporting that 10 of the 29 Streetmosphere actors (Hollywood Studios) are not having their contracts renewed, 9 of those actors are full time.. These actors will be finishing up their contracts in April. The Fairy Godmother in MK and Aurora in Epcot are also missing. Rumors also indicate that TradNation, the new performing group at Epcot is being cut in April, but that could be unrelated to budgetary concerns. It's also reported that the current understaffed positions are leading to longer lines at resort front desks, shops and restaurants. Boo.

Wow, you hear things like this and then find out they are raising ticket prices again. And, this is coming when they reportedly had a great year financially at Disney World. We can debate the value of a Disney Vacation back and forth, but I think most would agree that this is not a good look for the company. To me the Streetmosphere actors are a big part of what makes HS unique and special. Maybe they are preparing for the new HS - I could see them not fitting in as well with the new direction of the park.

I think that it's more about cost cutting than fitting in with the new direction of the park. The new sections won't be opened for quite awhile. That being said, we have AP's but will not be renewing this year. It isn't because of cost, but because of diminishing value. We may consider purchasing them again once more things are open, but not during this massive construction phase. Overall, the parks are a good choice for our family because we have both teenagers and young children. (There's always something interesting for everyone.) I'm just not particularly happy with the direction things have been going the past several years. A recent example was this past Mardi Gras. We always know that we will run into friends from home, since most of South Louisiana is out of school that week. Once we were there, we realized that we had distant cousins that were visiting as well. Because we were a party of 7 and they were a party of 12, it was impossible for us to get together for an a meal or afternoon at one of the parks. Unfortunately, we had planned different parks each day. We all were disappointed, however we understood that we couldn't meet up because of FP+ and ADR's that had been made months in advance. Thinking about the way all of this has evolved and the direction that things are going, is off-putting.

Phew. I just read through all 7 pages. First off, DizneyFreak I appreciate your bluntness.

Secondly, I don't come to these boards as often as I used to, because I am not as excited about Disney World as I used to be. For a while, I was going to Disney World every year. I was planning my next trip before the one I was on was even over. The boards were a way to let me express that excitement and not explode with it (or completely bore everyone else in my life with the same Disney talk). I would imagine that a lot of people are quieter here for the same reason.

Everyone can have fun at a theme park. If they didn't, Six Flags, Universal, Cedar Point, Kings Island etc would all be closed. The Disney difference was that you became immersed in their world instead of just walking around on a bunch of dirt or concrete around steel beams that hold up the rides you are going on. That was the way Walt wanted it. That is the way it was for a lot of people on this board. Now that immersion is going away. I was shocked on my last trip to see someone out around the edges of the water in Epcot with one of those gripper things picking up trash. Logically I know it happens, but I had never observed that before. While trying to leave Magic Kingdom, I was directed down one of the side roads that cast members use. There wasn't any theming to cover up the buildings. That definitely did not keep me in my happy fantasy place that all was right with the world. Neither did all of the construction that stood out everywhere I turned. There were numerous other things that turned me off, but there isn't any need to recite them here. Did I have fun with my friend? Absolutely. I will forever cherish those memories. Will I go back? Once. That is it.

My kids all have significant others now who have never been to Disney World. My children remember it as it used to be and are very excited to share that magic with the ones they love. I will take them, because of their excitement. We were going to go in 2017. I really truly cannot bring myself to go then, so I have put it off until 2018. In the meantime, we are going to Disneyland this year where the magic is still alive and well. Unless Disneyland goes down the same path as Disney World, we will go there instead. My first grandchild was born last October. I plan on making many memories with her in Disneyland.
As for my friend who I went to Disney World with, he and I are planning a road trip. He lives in Florida, but we still chose to go do something other than Disney World. We will have just as great of a time on the road as we did on our Disney trip, and it will cost a whole lot less. By not keeping the magic in our trip, Disney World lost a repeat customer (myself) and a potential repeat customer (my friend). That is why all these seemingly minor cuts become such a big deal. It erodes away the magic and shows Disney to be just another theme park built out of concrete and steel beams. Personally, I don't pay for concrete and steel. There are much more interesting things in the world to see.

Cinderelley;2481256 wrote: Phew. I just read through all 7 pages. First off, DizneyFreak I appreciate your bluntness.

Secondly, I don't come to these boards as often as I used to, because I am not as excited about Disney World as I used to be. For a while, I was going to Disney World every year. I was planning my next trip before the one I was on was even over. The boards were a way to let me express that excitement and not explode with it (or completely bore everyone else in my life with the same Disney talk). I would imagine that a lot of people are quieter here for the same reason.

Everyone can have fun at a theme park. If they didn't, Six Flags, Universal, Cedar Point, Kings Island etc would all be closed. The Disney difference was that you became immersed in their world instead of just walking around on a bunch of dirt or concrete around steel beams that hold up the rides you are going on. That was the way Walt wanted it. That is the way it was for a lot of people on this board. Now that immersion is going away. I was shocked on my last trip to see someone out around the edges of the water in Epcot with one of those gripper things picking up trash. Logically I know it happens, but I had never observed that before. While trying to leave Magic Kingdom, I was directed down one of the side roads that cast members use. There wasn't any theming to cover up the buildings. That definitely did not keep me in my happy fantasy place that all was right with the world. Neither did all of the construction that stood out everywhere I turned. There were numerous other things that turned me off, but there isn't any need to recite them here. Did I have fun with my friend? Absolutely. I will forever cherish those memories. Will I go back? Once. That is it.

My kids all have significant others now who have never been to Disney World. My children remember it as it used to be and are very excited to share that magic with the ones they love. I will take them, because of their excitement. We were going to go in 2017. I really truly cannot bring myself to go then, so I have put it off until 2018. In the meantime, we are going to Disneyland this year where the magic is still alive and well. Unless Disneyland goes down the same path as Disney World, we will go there instead. My first grandchild was born last October. I plan on making many memories with her in Disneyland.
As for my friend who I went to Disney World with, he and I are planning a road trip. He lives in Florida, but we still chose to go do something other than Disney World. We will have just as great of a time on the road as we did on our Disney trip, and it will cost a whole lot less. By not keeping the magic in our trip, Disney World lost a repeat customer (myself) and a potential repeat customer (my friend). That is why all these seemingly minor cuts become such a big deal. It erodes away the magic and shows Disney to be just another theme park built out of concrete and steel beams. Personally, I don't pay for concrete and steel. There are much more interesting things in the world to see.

Well said, and it sums up our feelings as well. We have also said if and when we go back to Disney, it will be Disneyland, not WDW. I've been to WDW quite a few times, but on this last trip, the "magic" was gone. The really sad thing is that I'm not sure it can ever come back. Once you know were the lady goes when she is made to "vanish," you can't help but look there and the magic trick is just that...a trick... silly and cheap. Add to that formula all of he hassles and price gouging and I'm done. A wonderful company destroyed by greed and laziness. I wish WDW would prove me wrong, but I know they won't.