Disney - Bad Vibe All Around

[Monorail Man]

Roy gives up, 2 deaths at WDW, a lackluster 50th party, Teen nearly drowns at WDW, an accident at DCA, Disney loses McDonalds happy-meal deals, fireworks failure.

It's been quite a summer for Disney. Maybe this is some sort of sign of things to come? Or will this stretch of bad vibe end for Disney?

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

All we need now is bladder failure...

[mousepod]

And then there's this from today's New York Times:

here's the first bit...

July 31, 2005
Some Ask if the Disney Magic Is Slipping
By CHARLES PASSY

MAYBE it was the rollaway bed that didn't materialize because it was suddenly deemed a fire hazard.

Or maybe it was the air mattress that surfaced in its place with a pile of bedding that included 20 - yes, 20 - pillowcases and one sheet.

Or maybe it was the manager who called and apologized for the mistakes - at nearly 1 a.m.

But as tipping points go, it was hard to top the bill with a $750 error - in the resort's favor. Such a mistake was proof positive that something was terribly amiss, leaving my wife and me to ask, "What kind of a Mickey Mouse operation is this?"

It was a question meant in the most literal sense. We weren't staying at some budget motel off the Interstate. We were spending more than $300 a night for a one-bedroom "turn-of-the-century style vacation villa" at Walt Disney World's one-year-old Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. But we were experiencing little of the celebrated Disney "magic," that bend-over-backward brand of service. Instead, our family vacation was turning into a part-nightmarish, part-comical adventure that I quickly took to describing as Disney meets "Fawlty Towers" meets the "Twilight Zone."

And apparently, we weren't the only ones on this ride. To hear some other guests tell similar stories of inept service at Disney World theme parks and resorts is to realize the Mouse may no longer be as mighty.

As Disney marks the 50th birthday of its first theme park - Disneyland in California - with a companywide 18-month celebration that began in May, it is facing great scrutiny, particularly when it comes to Walt Disney World - a 30,000-plus-acre complex in Florida that comprises four theme parks and more than 20 resorts and that attracted 40.5 million visitors in 2004, according to the trade journal Amusement Business.

Much of the focus stems from the recent corporate shakeup that ended with the decision by Michael D. Eisner, the longtime chief executive, to resign effective this September. (He is being replaced by Disney's president, Robert A. Iger.) It's a tale of boardroom intrigue that inspired James B. Stewart's "Disney War," published this year. At the heart of the drama is the question of whether Disney has put profits ahead of the need to deliver that "magic," especially at the parks and resorts.

The issue has been raised repeatedly by Roy E. Disney (Walt's nephew), former Disney board member and executive. In "Disney War," he is quoted telling a group of investors, "If you've been [to the parks] in recent years, you will have noticed the lack of maintenance, the fewer number of characters on the streets. The cast members ... have been pared back unmercifully. Their hours have been cut, benefits taken away. That gets reflected in their attitude toward the guests." (Mr. Disney declined comment for this article, although he recently came to an agreement with Disney's board and management to withdraw a lawsuit challenging the selection process behind Mr. Iger's appointment.)

[€uroMeinke]

And yet Disneyland hasn't looked so good in years - Whatever the case this is certainly a benchmark year for Disney.

[Tref]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

And yet Disneyland hasn't looked so good in years - Whatever the case this is certainly a benchmark year for Disney.

I beg to differ. DL looked pretty dirty to me -- overflowing garbage cans, missing props, horrible food service, graffiti. Heck, I ate lunch in New Orleans Square with my feel ankle high in discarded crap. It was disgusting.

The paint may be fresh but don't look down at your feet -- that is a whole different story.

Granted, that was just one day in a year of several hundred (we're up to 365, right?) but that is why YOU CAN NEVER SLACK!!

[innerSpaceman]

Yep, the shininess is centimeters deep. Just below the surface, and apparently just below waist level is a bunch of unsightly waste. Some of the quality spit-shining done in May is already in need of fixing or replacement (cough* Haunted Mansion PhotoMontage *cough), and I get the distinct impression that maintenance is thought of by the Ouimet regime as a May 4th thing only.

The way they celebrated, or rather didn't celebrate Disneyland's birthday has me really bummed, despite all the incredible fun I had. I just don't feel like spending my customary near-hundred-dollars per week there anymore, and so I am embarking on a personal Disneyland spending boycott - which you can read all about here.

I will still go the Park pretty often, but they're gonna have to pry the money from me rather than me throwing it at them.

[lindyhop]

I was going to post something along the lines of "If you're looking for something negative you're going to find it" but then I realized I have my own gripes against the DL powers that be.

Because I'm a much bigger dance geek than Disney geek I've been loyally attending the Friday night swing dances. They do Fridays only during the summer so I want to take advantage and support their efforts. Well, this summer it's been pretty disappointing. Again. There are very few dancers there most weeks and those that do come usually give up early and go find something else to do. Part of the reason is that there are now other dancing options on Friday nights in the OC and environs but, as one of my friends said, this is Disneyland, why would you go anywhere else?

They would bring more people in if they offered lessons the way they used to. I've heard several reasons why they don't from being too cheap to having trouble scheduling it around the parade and fireworks. The staff at PBDA want to do the lessons but apparently they couldn't get there early enough for DL. Personally I think something could have been worked out if the park really wanted them there.

Then there's the sort of lackluster way they do things at Plaza Gardens. The dance floor is always sticky, how hard would it be to clean it in the late afternoon on Fridays? Absolutely no characters have come by any Friday night and that's something they did last year to build a crowd and it always worked. They're playing better canned music during the band breaks (last year it was the same few songs over and over) but a week ago when the fireworks were cancelled and there was still 20 or 30 minutes before the band's next set they didn't even get the canned swing music going again.

There's a long tradition of swing dancing at Disneyland. Years and years ago they had it every night of the week. I don't expect that but I would like to see it treated with a little care on the nights they do have it on the schedule. There are a lot of dancers out there who are also annual passholders, give us a reason to come!

[blueerica]

That's something I never thought about -- that they used to offer dance lessons. I've been looking into places that offer something like that, and I never remembered that Disneyland did.

[Not Afraid]

Yes! 2 years ago they had Mambo Fridays and Chris and I learned to Mambo. I LOVED the lessons!

[blueerica]

I really want to learn just basic steps, so that I can be asked to dance (say, at a wedding) and not look like an asterisk*