I’m afraid the Magic is gone!

[ce36ei]

I’m sitting here in the Poly getting ready to eat Ohana on my last night reflecting on this past week. Unfortunately things just feel different.

I was last here in January of 2020. The very first thing I notice and it’s quite jarring is a lot of cast members are just here for a job. Like you can feel the vibe. It’s so different. I’ve been 7 times from 2015-2020 and I can’t recall a less than great interaction with a cast member. All the way from janitors to waitresses to ride operators. Just a couple of examples. When loading on the Barnstormer weather moved in. We had used a LL. When exiting the ride we asked the ride operator about the LL. She just shrugged and said “go see guest relations.” This was abnormal as in the past they would just scan your band and get your fastpass back. So I asked the CM at the actual LL station. Same response. Tonight in the Polynesian we asked about getting our large group together. (We we’re broken into 3 reservations) We called early in the day to inform of the situation and they just didn’t really care. Said “we’ll just see what we can do. But you’ll probably be separate.” Again, very abnormal. LL is another just total train wreck. You set your alarm and you select your LL but when you go to lock it in, it will just 2-5 hours into the future. So you still go to the park early but everything has a long wait. Even like Tea Cups and It’s a small world. It’s crazy.

You can tell everything is very understaffed. I don’t know if this is by purpose or they can’t get enough employees. So many people eaters are closed. In MK there are hardly any characters to meet, no Tales with Belle, a few restaurants are still closed. You can tell there are fewer people in the parks with the reservation system but the lines are absurd because a lot of people eaters are still closed.

No need to just pile on. I don’t mean to be negative. But if you go expecting the golden Disney from the mid to late 2010’s it’s gone. I’m guessing forever. Fire away with questions though.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We we there in August 2021 and again in March 2022 for our two covid trips (booked to be back in August 2022 and December 2002). Different experience than yours. We had some major issues on the August trip and the CMs were stellar at the Polynesian (where we stayed for that trip). So good, in fact, that we shared a couple of Cast Compliments with DVC execs (who did respond). But yes, overall they're still working their way back to full speed for sure. But for us, compared to pre-pandemic, it was actually better than we expected because we had heard other guests who had experiences like yours. So it still seems to be less consistent than before. There are changes to factor in like LL and ILL, which CMs may not love. So we're giving some slack on those things as well since the frontline has to deal with the fallout of the corporate initiatives, which are still relatively new. All in all, I agree that it's not back to the golden years, but it's coming back a little. However, those years may be over for good -- even post covid. It's a different Disney vacation era now. We still love it, even though it's different. We've adjusted to many changes there over the past 50 years (including the Eisner years, which for me was Disney travel's darkest era).

 

[ce36ei]

We we there in August 2021 and again in March 2022 for our two covid trips (booked to be back in August 2022 and December 2002). Different experience than yours. We had some major issues on the August trip and the CMs were stellar at the Polynesian (where we stayed for that trip). So good, in fact, that we shared a couple of Cast Compliments with DVC execs (who did respond). But yes, overall they're still working their way back to full speed for sure. But for us, compared to pre-pandemic, it was actually better than we expected because we had heard other guests who had experiences like yours. So it still seems to be less consistent than before. There are changes to factor in like LL and ILL, which CMs may not love. So we're giving some slack on those things as well since the frontline has to deal with the fallout of the corporate initiatives, which are still relatively new. All in all, I agree that it's not back to the golden years, but it's coming back a little. However, those years may be over for good -- even post covid. It's a different Disney vacation era now. We still love it, even though it's different. We've adjusted to many changes there over the past 50 years (including the Eisner years, which for me was Disney travel's darkest era).

We have had other issues too. Our room at the Boardwalk wasn’t really until 5PM which was a minor inconvenience, then when we got the room the carpet was wet and had a wet dog smell. They had a sign in front of the TV apologizing for the wet carpet as they had just shampooed. I didn’t complain. I was just happy to get a room finally. Not having Magical Express was just a pain. We hired one of the Orlando companies and they were of course half an hour late. It’s just a bummer. I can’t justify paying 2k more per trip for a lesser experience. And it stinks because I absolutely loved Disney.

 

[DeeBee3]

Agree with OP. We were there in August 2021 and had a marvelous time. It was our first time back since shutdowns. Maybe we were in a daze of magic, but we thought everything was great. Things were also not as crowded.

Fast forward April 2022 and I noticed a TON of CMs who just stood there expressionless. No smiles or hellos. Definitely different. Maybe it's a lack of training because they are so desperate for employees. Trash in queue lines and bathrooms not as clean. I was really surprised. Never experienced that before.

 

[DrummerBoy523]

totally agree with OP

 

[Meglen]

When you are getting over worked it's hard to keep the magic alive when you are dieing inside. They need to hire more cms and make there jobs enjoyable again (better than this mess with ILL and lack of workers).

Now should they put on that fake smile and bend over backwards for the guests.. to an extent. But from alot of reviews and even op I feel like Disney took alot of power away from most cast members. They can't alter g+ or give something to disgruntled guests. So they are just getting yelled at all day.

 

[ce36ei]

When you are getting over worked it's hard to keep the magic alive when you are dieing inside. They need to hire more cms and make there jobs enjoyable again (better than this mess with ILL and lack of workers).

Now should they put on that fake smile and bend over backwards for the guests.. to an extent. But from alot of reviews and even op I feel like Disney took alot of power away from most cast members. They can't alter g+ or give something to disgruntled guests. So they are just getting yelled at all day.

I got food on the boardwalk 1 night and the CM was working alone. She apologized and told me she had to use the bathroom so bad. She had been working 4 hours alone with no breaks. Honestly felt sorry for her.

 

[DeeBee3]

I do think the CMs are overworked since they are understaffed. They are also dealing with unhappy guests a lot more than usual due to all of the changes.

 

[ce36ei]

I keep remembering little details…details that were never noticeable. All the rose bushes on resort property and in the England section of Epcot were completely neglected. Tons of dead-heads, no pruning…just details. Groundskeeping. Before covid, there were groundskeepers everywhere. Not anymore…and you can tell. The bushes on the international walkway near Boardwalk are all uneven. That would never happen before. You could put a level on things like that and it would bubble out. The tiny details where they can save money are becoming noticeable. Sure not dead-heading roses seems like no big deal but it was the tiny details that make/made WDW.

 

[Nickylv]

I understand how you feel. We have encountered cast members that were truely just negative right from the start. But we have also recently had some really great cast members that went just above and beyond our expectations that they made us forget about those who did not. I come from 42 years in the hospitality industry and there are many rude and nasty haters out there that treat you like you owe them everything since they are spending their money and you should do whatever they want. After dealing with that 100 times in a day it makes it difficult to give the good respectable guests the service they deserve, I realized that I found it hard to get past the many haters I encountered during my work day that I lacked the kindness the good people deserved so, respectfully I retired. Not because I had to but because I knew those good guests were not getting the service they deserved from me since it was hard to let go of the negativity that I had encountered all day every day. But I do agree there are some that are just plain bad at what they do and should find a job that they are locked in a back room, never to come in contact with guests. my wish is the negitave entitled rude people that feel you should worship the ground they walk on would just stay home. I know the good people don’t deserve a bad experience and its so hard to turn it around from your last experience but there had to be some really good experiences and sometimes we should concentrate on those and not let the bad ones overpower the trip we have been waiting to go on all year, they don’t deserve our time.

 

[crazymomof4]

I’m sitting here in the Poly getting ready to eat Ohana on my last night reflecting on this past week. Unfortunately things just feel different.

I was last here in January of 2020. The very first thing I notice and it’s quite jarring is a lot of cast members are just here for a job. Like you can feel the vibe. It’s so different. I’ve been 7 times from 2015-2020 and I can’t recall a less than great interaction with a cast member. All the way from janitors to waitresses to ride operators. Just a couple of examples. When loading on the Barnstormer weather moved in. We had used a LL. When exiting the ride we asked the ride operator about the LL. She just shrugged and said “go see guest relations.” This was abnormal as in the past they would just scan your band and get your fastpass back. So I asked the CM at the actual LL station. Same response. Tonight in the Polynesian we asked about getting our large group together. (We we’re broken into 3 reservations) We called early in the day to inform of the situation and they just didn’t really care. Said “we’ll just see what we can do. But you’ll probably be separate.” Again, very abnormal. LL is another just total train wreck. You set your alarm and you select your LL but when you go to lock it in, it will just 2-5 hours into the future. So you still go to the park early but everything has a long wait. Even like Tea Cups and It’s a small world. It’s crazy.

You can tell everything is very understaffed. I don’t know if this is by purpose or they can’t get enough employees. So many people eaters are closed. In MK there are hardly any characters to meet, no Tales with Belle, a few restaurants are still closed. You can tell there are fewer people in the parks with the reservation system but the lines are absurd because a lot of people eaters are still closed.

No need to just pile on. I don’t mean to be negative. But if you go expecting the golden Disney from the mid to late 2010’s it’s gone. I’m guessing forever. Fire away with questions though.

Sigh. Yes. We have been WDW and DLR regulars since 1987 and I have no desire to return. Most recent trips were 2 during covid, just prior to release of Genie and one since Genie. Our family of 5 all agrees that Disney Parks experience isn't what it used to be.
Some feel that it's still great and I'm glad for them. It just depends on what you valued while on a Disney Parks vaca and how much or how little those valued things have been changed/eliminated. For us it's just too much of a change.
Universal will be our next vacation when we get a hankering for a theme park vaca

 

[wdwlver]

We are finally heading back this August for first time since 2019 which just happened to be one of our best trips. The things OP mentioned are what i’m afraid of. I am so looking forward to being back “in the bubble” and if its different and noticeably a lesser experience we’ll all be so disappointed. Going to keep an open mind and hope for the best.

 

[Brett Wyman]

We were in the Parks June 2021 and February 2022, and we went in knowing they were understaffed, and were never struck in the face with a feeling of irritated or unprofessional CMs. Some were just ecstatic to be there, and some were kind but not yet fully trained.

Now grumpy guests at a level Ive never seen before was definitely noticed.

 

[notatallmagic]

Multiple trips in the past 10 years; our two trips right after Disney re-opened were actually wonderful, but our last two trips (Christmas and Spring Break) were quite disappointing. We have wonderful Disney memories, and know how to focus our expectations - but the "new" Disney is lacking so much of what made the experience special.

We have a Discovery Cove/SeaWorld trip planned in a few weeks; are looking at Universal for a four day getaway, and then potentially Alaska or the Caribbean for 2023. I loved our Disney "era", but the Cast Member quality and training was lacking in so many areas and the "bubble" immersion thing was totally gone. Hassles with transportation, cleaning my own room at $600+/night, and needing to be online/on my phone all the time? Nope. I vacation to escape reality and stress.

Magic at Disney? Maybe a few grains of tired pixie dust. Super sad.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

We were in the Parks June 2021 and February 2022, and we went in knowing they were understaffed, and were never struck in the face with a feeling of irritated or unprofessional CMs. Some were just ecstatic to be there, and some were kind but not yet fully trained.

Now grumpy guests at a level Ive never seen before was definitely noticed.

Yes agreed on the grumpy guests! Even pre pandemic in 2019, at both WDW and UOR people just treated CMs and TMs like they were nobodies. And a lot of it was on t safety related things-SAFETY! Our Sept. 2021 trip we had great CMs and TMs, albeit some you could tell were still in training/didn’t know as much as their peers.

 

[k5xs]

I get the "It's a staffing problem" argument.

My fear is that in hiring new people, Disney either won't be able to be as selective in finding people who "sparkle," or--in the interest of expediency--will choose not to be.

A culture of "making magic" is hard to recover once it's lost.

 

[robinb]

We were in WDW for 10 days in May 2022 and I have to say that every one of the CMs were nice to me. I didn't experience any snippiness or disinterest and I can be a little sensitive about that kind of thing. We had wonderful interactions with some of them, mostly due to our Wisconsin tees and hats. Many CMs chatted with us about our shared home state and the WI wear gave them a jumping off point to interact with us.

I went into our last trip with interedition, but came back very pleased with CM interactions. I am still annoyed by the outrageous price of everything and the money grubbing of G+ but the CMs themselves were wonderful.

 

[Nickylv]

Not only lack of training but when Its coupled with the staff shortage and the ones working are left to pick up the slack it tends to lead to a poor attitude. Hopefully they can get through this quickly and regain the quality of service they have always been known for.

 

[kanerf]

One problem is perhaps that many of the best CMs were laid off during COVID and found other things to do and will never return taking a bit of the magic with them.

 

[abidale]

Totally agree, OP.

Two things from my two March trips:

1. My fiance and I went to the Polynesian on the first night of my birthday trip to watch Enchantment (me, not knowing I was about to get engaged!) The CM working the gate looked at us when we said we were heading to Trader Sam's and goes, "Do you KNOW the capacity of that place? It's ridiculous people ever think they're getting in there" with an eye roll. a) I do understand TS is small, b) I would've understood if our lack of ADR at a real restaurant was the reason he was miffed, but if that was the case, he sure didn't say it, and c) if we choose to sit outside of a bar for 2 hours and that's how we want to spend our night, why are you going to actively look at us and tell us how unintelligent we are for doing so?
2. Same experience with CMs regarding LL and Guest Relations. Guest Relations told us they couldn't comp our ToT LL even though we got out of line so we wouldn't miss our RotR, which, by the time we got to it, had already gone down. Went to ToT to ask them directly, one interrogated us and the next one *begrudgingly* put the LLs on our app. This was VERY nice of them to do--don't get me wrong, no CM is obligated to make these little magical moments. We were sad to miss ToT, but that wasn't the end of the world if nothing could genuinely be done. But the attitudes of the people expressing that were just awful-- it's so clear they didn't want to help.

My theory is there are so many less DCP kiddos-- way less people there who have dreamt about working there, who LOVE it, who want to make magic. The working conditions and pay of CMs have never been stellar, admittedly, but this shift in attitude is very new. Probably a lot of contributing factors.