Disney has evolved with time.
The average person wants full control of their experience which takes customer service out of the equation.
Just like self check out at the grocery store or mobile ordering from a restaurant.
My guess is the CM's were not "annoyed" but rather surprised with the amount of interaction you wanted coupled with the fact that CM's these days aren't given half the info you seek.
If this new age of Disney giving the guests full control is not your thing then yes you may want to choose another destination to try.
Some of it is consumer-driven, but the vast majority of automation is to reduce costs to the businesses, Disney included. There are some instances where computerization makes the experience better and faster, but from what I've heard about
MDE alone, a great deal of consumer time is in fact wasted by these systems. So I'd say it's a toss-up, at best. For sure you are right that the control is shifted to the consumer- or from Disney's perspective the
labor is shifted to the consumer
- and all of the costs associated with that.
Yes, disney is expensive for sure. But if thats part of the problem, have you thought about staying at a moderate level resort? They're quite nice!
It's not always about the absolute cost, but rather the
value. I think this is what the OP is getting at- he/she has obviously stayed at expensive resorts before. One way to counter this problem is to actually spend more, not less- that is, go club level next time, not moderate. That's our tactic.
I travel a lot, and typically know what the value of any given level of service is. My main hotelier is Marriott. When I'm at a Fairfield, I expect one thing- at a JW Marriott I expect another, and it's this latter category that's left the OP feeling a little disappointed. They say you get what you pay for- well, sometimes you don't.
The only thing I disagree with in the OP’s first post this is indicative of the overall service industry. We have had good service at our favorite hotels in manhattan. Smaller hotels, more boutique types, but we are able to book at times now that we are semi retired when the prices are on a par with Disney moderates.
That's our experience, too. But as you point out the hotels you prefer are both off-season and smaller- both things that you know to look for in order to get great service. I think you and the OP are both correct, from your points of view. If the overall service industry wasn't in decline, maybe you wouldn't
have to look for the above qualities into order to have a good time.
IMO, I don't think this can be held against Disney as a negative. The planning aspect is entirely optional and is an option given to guests who want to take advantage of it. No one *has* to pre-book FPs and dining reservations to have a great trip. Will it enhance the experience? Sure. But I bet a good number of people on any given day are inside the parks and know nothing about FPs or advanced dining reservations, and they're still having fun. If you're choosing to take advantage of the pre-booking options, that shouldn't be held as a knock against Disney.
I do respectfully disagree, here. I'm not sure the majority ARE having fun. If just walking into a Disney park was guaranteed good time, we wouldn't all be here (& on many other websites) figuring out how to maximize our opportunities.
I remember being one of the clueless masses- decades ago- there's no doubt that our trips are better now than they were then, but only because I have the time, money and computer abilities to make that happen. I can't imagine being one of the innocent lambs
now!
I guess part of my perspective is that we've taken a break from Disney for 6 years, and instead have traveled in many different places. Much has changed, and the process has become very complicated. I never use a TA, not even when I took the family to Europe for a month- but I could maybe entertain it for a trip to Disney! I think we'll have a great time when we go in May, but I do believe that's harder to accomplish than it has been in the past.
