Just back!!!!!!!!!!!

[sandie]

Alright - I think i have had enough sleep to be able to write what I need to write without ranting. We had a great holiday - everything before we got to Disney was awesome and most of Disney was very good but something has changed......

First let me say if you want to see the Universal parks in Florida spend the cash and stay in one of their hotels - the front of line access makes FastPass look like a joke. We went on every atttraction over and over again.

Our Disney hotel - Port Orleans Riverside is still my favourite. Our Mouse Keeper was awesome and every day we had a surprise when we returned to the room - whether it was all the stuffed animals watching tv or the time she constructed a water slide out of pillows, towels and rain ponchos for the fluffies to play on.

The attractions were all great although the number of rehabs was dissapointing - Haunted Mansion, SpaceShip Earth, Rock and Roller Coaster.........

The really big difference this trip was the Cast members. There was no magic, most of them were indifferent, unfriendly and sometimes rude. One night we had a waiter who had me in tears after he told us we were not that special and we shouldn't think that we were.

When we went to discuss this with Guest Relations their attitude was no different. I was crying, my kids were upset because I was crying but there was no way the guy was letting us in his door so we could talk out of everybodies view.

When I tried to discus this with someone further along the food chainall I was given was email address, of course this works perfectly for Disney as I had no chance of ever getting to discuss my issues with a live person and would be unable to email until I returned home.

This issue was the worst incident we had but there were others. Even the characters were not as into it as usual and I was told on a different day by a guest relations manager that after a few visits we should have expected the pixie dust to wear off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How un-Disney is that?

Yes we still had a good time and had fun but for the first time ever Disney was not that different from any other theme park.

I hope that this was because of the heat and the humidity and not an ongoing situation. A few Cast Members who I did speak to did not seem too happy with current management and most were working second jobs as their hours had been cut.

We did have a few positive Cast member experiences but what used to be an everyday occurance is now a rarity. And the Year of a Million Dreams? In 23 days we never saw a Dream Member and only saw people with Dream Fastpasses or Dream Ears a handful of times which was disappointing.

Arn't you all glad "Sunny Sandie" is back!

[alice in wonderland]

Hi Sandie,

I am so sad that you had to have those negative experiences at WDW

I hope that you didnt let it spoil your trip to much

It has been very quite around here while you have been gone.

Are you going to do a day by day trip report for us?????

ARe you going to review your dining experiences?

PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

love jess

[mushu mama]

Welcome back Sandie.

I hope that the lack of pixie dust was a temporary glitch rather than what will be the norm. I trust you will let them know where they were a little lax.... I think they need to hear it by the sound of it.

I was horrified by the fact that anyone connected to Disney had a guest in tears... Walt would be having someones badge for that....

Our Mouse Keeper was awesome and every day we had a surprise when we returned to the room - whether it was all the stuffed animals watching tv or the time she constructed a water slide out of pillows, towels and rain ponchos for the fluffies to play on.

How cute is that? thats what you would expect to be what you find throughout WDW. Thats the very reason we pay the big bucks.

I was told on a different day by a guest relations manager that after a few visits we should have expected the pixie dust to wear off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that is just unbelieveable... the whole company is based on pixie dust.. how can they even suggest that it disappear? Thats what makes us go back and spend spend spend.

I'm glad that your trip was mostly fun though.

I shudder to think how many photos you have to scrap now...

~ Lisa ~

[KeithS]

Yay!!! Welcome back Sandie!! We've really missed you, and are glad you are back, safe and sound!!

It sounds like you've had some interesting (for want of a better word) experiences...

the front of line access makes FastPass look like a joke.

I think Disney are looking to follow this path soon - there has been a bit of noise coming out of the US since you've been gone about a new Fastpass service that Disney have just filed patent applications for so that hotel guests will get preferential treatment. We'll see how this pans out...

all the stuffed animals watching tv

Yep - our fluffies did that (Pluto was the ringleader, he'd always have the remote in his hand!)

constructed a water slide out of pillows, towels and rain ponchos for the fluffies to play on.

Now that made me laugh out loud - hope you took a photo!!

the number of rehabs was dissapointing

It was a shame so many feature rides were closed down during this peak time - even worse that you happened to be there. I hear that the HM has reopened and is getting good reviews. I always thought they tried to do the rehabs in the off season winter months. I guess that WDW doesn't really have an off season these days with their all year round promotions like the Food & Wine Festival, and the Garden Festival...

The really big difference this trip was the Cast members. There was no magic...When we went to discuss this with Guest Relations their attitude was no different

Now this is a worrying issue - just 12 months ago when we were there, we rated the WDW cast members as the best out of all the resorts we went to! Especially those in the theme parks themselves. I'm just hoping that it was due to the long hot humid summer (although this should not be seen as any excuse - they are being paid to keep a friendly demeanor for all guests.)

A few Cast Members who I did speak to did not seem too happy with current management and most were working second jobs as their hours had been cut.

There is definitely morale issues there - they shouldn't even having been talking to you about stuff like that. I've heard elsewhere about industrial problems in WDW, including the outsourcing of staff (mainly hotel staff and non-customer facing theme park staff) - so Disney is definitely looking at how to make savings...

In 23 days we never saw a Dream Member and only saw people with Dream Fastpasses or Dream Ears a handful of times which was disappointing.

I've made my thoughts fairly clear in the past on this promotion. In my opinion it is flawed, especially compared to the 50th promotion. The 50th didn't give us individual prizes, but made all of us feel part of something special - and gave the parks are wonderful make over. Year of a Million Dreams just disenfranchised those who didn't win, then rubbed our faces in it by having the select few who did win wear their highly visible prizes around the park!

It sounds like Tokyo DL have a better idea next year by giving everybody a key, and a chance to unlock prizes - it makes everyone feel they have an equal opportunity to win something, and means everyone participates - just like the 50th.

Arn't you all glad "Sunny Sandie" is back!

Always!! I've missed your friendly banter!!

[sandie]

Are you going to do a day by day trip report for us?????

ARe you going to review your dining experiences?

I NOTICE THAT WE HAVE RETURNED IN NON RATINGS SEASON AND THERE IS JUNK ON TV SO I WILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO DO THIS!

I always do a trip report for my album anyway and food reviews are fun - the plus of teh free dining was we tried a lot more table service restaurants than we normally would have.

I have to go to a conference tomorrow - just found out today I was nominated for an award whilst I was away so I will do some reports tonight and some more later in the week (Unless I win and my head is too big to fit back in the door!)

Sandie

[Gerard]

Happy your back, but unhappy about your undisney cast member experiances. (reminds me of the cast members at DLP)

I few people believe the drop in customer service is due to the free dining plan, as tips are included, so cast members do little to urn their minimum wage.
also "pay peanuts...... get rude monkeys"

[ajp]

Sandie, good to hear you back, but sorry to hear about your "ordinary" experiences. I'm sure you won't lose faith or belief in the magic that the resorts bring, but it must be a little disheartening right now.

It seems that the recent management actions and pay disputes have taken it's toll, adding to that the heat and conditions you must have had as well as the influx of "temp" CM over this busy period. At least you had many positive experiences which I'm sure outweigh the negative.

My final observation on this is that I think this tends to be another example of the insular nature of the Americans. International tourists must be the backbone of the Disney profits, but as individuals, I think some of the Americans tend to ignore the fact that other nationalities exist. Add to that they just don't understand that in our case, we have to fork out wads of the folding stuff and travel extreme distances to enjoy their parks so it can't be too much for us to expect what they place in their advertisements that got us there in the first place.

Maybe you should plan the next trip for Tokyo Disney. I was on the website the other day and it looks fantastic. I'm sure the members who have been there can attest to that. The club trip next year will have a great time!

[sandie]

Maybe you should plan the next trip for Tokyo Disney.

Funny you should say that....after this trip even my husband who has never wanted to go anywhere unless English is the primary language has suggested Tokyo - so that may be on the cards!

[Gerard]

The Cast members are very polite in Tokyo...well,I think they are, I'm not sure now....they don't speak english. and if they were rude , you would never know