treated differently at different resort levels?

[TammiMcMan]

I thought the intent was, regardless of where you were staying, you should expect and receive the same high level of customer service. That's the philosophy as I know it, but of course, staff are human and can't be programmed to treat people the same way. In my own experience, we've dealt with indifferent staff at deluxe resorts (paying $500 a night) and amazingly helpful staff at the campground (paying $50 a night).

[DizneyRox]

I'm pretty sure it involves a doctor checking for a pulse and then saying, "You're hired."

Actually, Doctors are too expensive. It's the same person checking for a SSN. Lately it seems though, the pulse is optional.

[GINNY69]

I stayed at all 3 classes of resorts at WDW. But I will admit yes if you stay at a Deluxe your are treated really really well. However the Moderates I stayed at were good as well. When I stayed at the Values The all star Movies and the pop, I will have to say the Pop Century was not good. I thought the front desk could have been a little more friendlier. But I have a point I would like to share. I am not a snob at all means, I am just a ordinary individual, but instead of casting blame on cast members and mousekeeping at the value resort, it does come down to the guests as well. I thought the guests at value resorts are much more rude especially in the food courts and pool area than individuals who stay at a moderate or deluxe..just my opinion of course..

[Septbride2002]

I've never noticed any real difference that I could directly attribute to the level of resort in which we were staying.

I honestly had the worst, most indifferent service I've ever received at the Polynesian club level room we stayed in once. And I've had better-than-average service at Pop.

I honestly think it just depends more on the individual CM's you get. Unfortunately, consistency in guest experience is no longer a priority at Disney and their pure desperation for warm bodies to staff any and all positions requires them to rarely fire anyone, no matter how poor they might be.

I agree with Ian - we've had wonderful service at all of the resorts except for at CBR - which was terrible. The best service and quality was to be at Animal Kingdom Lodge - which I think is amazing!

~Amanda

[GrmGrninGost]

We've stayed at all the moderates and values and three different deluxes. Several of these we've stayed at more than once. I can honestly say the amount of money we have spent had nothing to do with how satisfied we were with the CMs at the resorts. I've never left WDW unhappy, but the few problems we have had came at the Wilderness Lodge (my favorite resort) and the Contemporary. Out of them all, I feel like the CMs at POP Century have treated us the best. We have been there several times and have always been treated very well!

[cgriff]

I don't understand how the original poster's question can really be answered. To those who have tried, please explain how you are quantifying "treatment"?

[Jeff]

2 CM's over the years working the front desk still stand out to me. One, an extremely helpful and pleasant woman at Pop and the other, an older gentelman at the Poly.

The worst front desk and staff expereince we have ever had was at the Beach Club.

[Tink#64]

I doubt that this can be truly & definitively answered in such a generalized way! I'm sure it varies daily! We all have our moods and we react to those around us!

We've only stayed at values and we've always had fantastic service & the only time I can even think of encountering a CM that I thought was truly lacking in manor was in the MK in one of the shops on Main Street! Who knows, maybe she was having a bad day, we're all human, and it's very hard to stereotype like this, unless of course you've encountered a consistent treatment or lack thereof, in the same situation/place! On any given day, I'm sure we're all capable of being exceptional in our jobs, but other days that we're just done in! We hope for and expect "magical" treatment when we're in WDW, sometimes forgetting that these people are going about their jobs, just like we're escaping ours! Not saying that I like it any more than anyone else, but we're all human.

[dmosher]

The sad truth is that you do usually (not always) get what you pay for. If your staying at a higher priced/rate room, you do often get a better level of service. Is that how it should be, no probably not, but it is how it is.
Having friends that trained with mouse-keeping, I know for a fact (at least it use to be this way) that they start in the value resorts for training (unless they have experience in the field) and then apply to move up to better resorts as they work through the system. So in theory by the time they reach Animal Kingdom Lodge, they are well trained and ready to serve!
I can not say if this is still the training policy but it does explain why the treatment ands service varied based on the resort. Sad but true. That being said, we stay at the v@WL and tend to request no service. I just prefer my privacy and we are very neat, so we never need anything other than extra TP/toiletries. Once every 4 days is more than enough for us. Also saves tipping charges.

D

[DizneyRox]

I don't understand how the original poster's question can really be answered. To those who have tried, please explain how you are quantifying "treatment"?

Agree... I'm thinking of the general resort experience. At the Grand for example, I've had CMs go out of their way to open doors (not all of them open automatically), grounds staff tend to make sure they say Hi, Good Morning, etc. WHen I'm leaving for the day, "Have a good day!" and stuff like that. While I tend to NOT stay at the values, I can say that I have yet to see this there. Front desk staff is pretty much the same all over, same with mousekeeping. It's hit or miss, but the atmosphere around the resort tends to be different/better the more you pay.

[alaMode]

and we didn't experience any "outstanding" service...it has always been fine, no problems, but nothing above and beyond.

I always felt we were paying for transportation convenience more than better service.

I will say we've experienced outstanding service and care in the parks. Our ds has multiple special needs and the care and respect he and our family have been shown by CMs makes WDW our favorite place for a family vacation.

We'll be at POP in a few weeks--I wonder if we'll notice any major difference in service.

Tess
Poly 07
Poly 08
Pop in 5 weeks

[TheVBs]

Thankfully, out of 5 years of staying at the ASMu, we've experienced wonderful service and extra attention, without being upset about anything. I can only think of 2 exceptions to that and they weren't rude, just less pleasant. As for guests, I'm really grateful that I've never witnessed rude behavior there! For the most part our fellow guests have seemed as happy to be there as we were and I never witnessed one being unpleasant to a CM.

For whatever the above is worth of course. Obviously, we didn't see everything going on all the time, other people have written about different experiences, and we've never experienced a mod or deluxe resort there. As has been pointed out, it's probably impossible to generalize on something like this.

My silver lining here is that remembering the above and beyond moments at the ASMu has relieved any resort envy I may have had! Although one day I really do hope to stay at the WL and AKL!

[cgriff]

Ian, your response to my post apparently received a magical zapping (!), but what I was getting at is that basically the question is hard to answer using anecdotal guest reports.

Individuals perceive things individually. A "treatment" event that one person might say ruined their entire vacation, might bounce right off another person, who goes on to enjoy a trip of a lifetime. I like the way Tink#64 said it:

I doubt that this can be truly & definitively answered in such a generalized way! I'm sure it varies daily! We all have our moods and we react to those around us!

Very succinct, Tink!

I think we can at least agree that it is not Disney corporate policy that guests be "treated" differently depending on at what resort they are lodging. For example, I'm pretty sure that the Disney hospitality training handbook does not say: "when working at a Disney Value Resort, castmembers should treat guests crummily, scowl at them a lot, or when possible even try ignoring them." (Although i must admit that it is a bit humorous to imagine a training manual possibly written this way, tee-hee )

Now DMosher brings up an interesting point, having had friends go through Mousekeeper training...

I know for a fact (at least it use to be this way) that they [castmembers] start in the value resorts for training (unless they have experience in the field) and then apply to move up to better resorts as they work through the system. So in theory by the time they reach Animal Kingdom Lodge, they are well trained and ready to serve!

This is something a little bit different. Guest "treatment" based on resort tier may not be dictated in the employee training manual, but could it occur in a defacto way based on seniority of staff and a migration of experienced castmembers to Deluxe resorts? I don't have the authority of knowing what the ratio of beginner to senior castmembers is per resort property. But even if it is true that Deluxe resorts have more senior castmembers on staff, that doesn't seem to necessarily equate to better "treatment" experiences according to the guest reports mentioned here (the BC, for example, being on the receiving end of a few not-so-flattering posts... Of course, like I said before, these are individual perceptions). And also, can't it be true at least in some cases that new castmembers - perhaps with a history of longing to work for Disney - show up with a more can-do and eager-to-please attitude when they first get started? And that the correlary: that senior castmembers might become broken down and quite jaded over time, can also be sometimes true? It certainly is possible to have cases where new Disney employees might provide a better "treatment" experience to guests than certain senior castmembers.

[gueli]

I can a gree with cgriff that it is hard to quantify.

I tend to believe- that the better one treats everyone around you, the happier & nicer those around you become (And yes I love my rose colored glasses).
Going back to something that rusty scraper said- basically how the 200 guests before you got to the front desk will affect the mood/demeanor of the front desk CM's. I would imagine, more oft than not that they are on the front lines getting blasted by the 'upset' guests. How they have been treated, how they react to the longterm treatment- which in part can be due to age- will determine how 'helpful' they are. Which is one of the many reasons that anywhere I go, I try to make people feel at ease and that indeed they are appreciated.
Simple curtisy can go a long way.
My DW believes that the deluxe's treat their guests better. I believe the guests treat the deluxes better & are more apt to be rewarded more often. and please, it is not a snob factor.
consider- some guests at the value resorts- are teen groups. Some are young 20 somethings (not staying with parents). Sometimes a perfectly well behaved teen will act differently when mom & dad are not around. Very rarely would you find a teen staying @ $ 300 a night or more at a hotel.
And again it goes to the guests. Hopefully we all treat everyone around us in that special 'magical' way. I believe that what goes around comes around.

As to the OP's question- Yes you can be treated differently at each level of resort. But more often than not- it has nothing to do with what tier you are staying at, but rather how the guests treat the staff.

[javamama]

I replied to this thread early on so I came back to read it again, and from experience over the years as a teen staying at the CR, as adult paying for my own trips at DL, CS, and WL, and then my trip last year at the Poly. I think basically now that I look at the vacations as a whole service was always good, last years stood out because it was a different experience completely. My thing is and it maybe that I worked in the customer service field for such a long time is that it's easier to be nice than it is to mean, unhappy--that takes more effort IMO. Looking back the worst checkin experience was at the WL when we stayed in the Villas the cast member was not the sharpest tool in the shed, and confused me beyond belief Otherwise I remember little things that cast members did that stand out that superseed things that may not have been the greatest experiences all in all.

[Laura670]

I The best service and quality was to be at Animal Kingdom Lodge - which I think is amazing!

~Amanda

I agree with this 100%. We have stayed at the AKL twice and both times have been very happy with the level of service. We also stayed at the Grand Floridian on our last trip and have to tell you the level of service was horrible. I never complain but did complain while I was there. Mousekeeping had left wet towels on one of the beds and pillow cases. I actually laughed at first and asked my husband if we were suppose to change our own pillow cases. The next day a top of a cleaning bottle was left in one of the sinks and the light over the sink was out for about 2 days before anyone fixed it. Like I said I did complain and the CM I spoke to told me that she would tell her manager but the manager never contacted us but to be fair the CM's at check in were great but other than that we didn't find any other who were very friendly. So I can't agree with the more you pay the better the service because that hasn't benn our experience.

[mom2morgan]

I agree with this 100%. We have stayed at the AKL twice and both times have been very happy with the level of service. We also stayed at the Grand Floridian on our last trip and have to tell you the level of service was horrible. I never complain but did complain while I was there. Mousekeeping had left wet towels on one of the beds and pillow cases. I actually laughed at first and asked my husband if we were suppose to change our own pillow cases. The next day a top of a cleaning bottle was left in one of the sinks and the light over the sink was out for about 2 days before anyone fixed it. Like I said I did complain and the CM I spoke to told me that she would tell her manager but the manager never contacted us but to be fair the CM's at check in were great but other than that we didn't find any other who were very friendly. So I can't agree with the more you pay the better the service because that hasn't benn our experience.

That reminds me! During our trip in December to POR, one day a bottle of some sort of industrial strength cleaner was left in our room, right on the table! I don't know WHAT it was exactly, but I can see some potential danger in that if there were little kids involved. My youngest is 10 so I would HOPE she wouldn't drink it or spray it in someone's eyes, LOL! I just put it up on the shelf over the clothing rod and it sat there for the duration of our stay.

[Kenny1113]

I will have to agree with the minority here and say that I have not noticed a difference in service. I have stayed at value/moderate/deluxe/cabins. While busier at the value resorts when actually dealing with CM's they have been excellent.

[c&d]

I haven't noticed any real difference in the level of service we've received. As far as I'm concerned it's fairly standard across the board.

With that said, the worst we ever received was when we stayed at the Grand Floridian Main Level Concierge. We waited until almost 6:00pm to get into our room and only then because I said I was hoping to change into some other clothes for the F&W signature dinner. Miraculously a room become immediately available.

We had the best mousekeeping at CSR. Multiple towel animals everyday for DS.

[acetate]

Have only stayed in Moderate and Value. Here's our breakdown.
CBR-So-so service
POR- (Riverside)-Bad service
ASR-So-so Service
POP-Excellent Service

By Service or treatment I mean how we were treated from check-in to check-out and evrything in between. This goes for service at the various food courts to mousekeeping. Port Orleans Riverside was the pits for us. It was the only time I felt complelled to write and complain. On the other hand our trip last fall was at Pop Century and everyone was incredibly nice/friendly and would do anything we asked, so go figure. In our case money didn't seem to matter a bit. the less we spent, the nicer people were !