Orlando Sentinel: Has some of Disney's Magic disappeared?

[Captain Crook]

Landbaron...Based on your graphic it may appear tht Phyliss Diller is now your type???

 

[Safari Steve]

EpcotMom, As a fellow CM, I'm sure you've heard the mantra "we are ALL custodial", well we are all maintenance as well. Work orders and planned work sometimes take a while, but they take longer when no one calls them in to Central. (for the record, I'm not sure if you have or have not, and I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, nor am I trying to put you on the spot.) Many times, I have had experiences like this: While working, I notice a maintenance problem at one of my attractions. I ask my fellow CMs if anyone has called it in, and get at least one response to the effect of "it doesn't matter" or "They won't fix it anyhow". Consequently, I will call central to make sure that it is officially logged and find that either it has been logged and is on planned work to be completed within the week, or it has not been called in and will be fixed as soon as possible (queue ropes/clips and lightbulbs, as well as pest problems are often dealt with VERY swiftly). In such instances, the problem is often not a result of lax maintenance (although there are problems with this as well) or cutbacks, rather they are lingering because we on the front line are falling down a bit. That happens to the best of us every now and then (usually because of outside stresses, "office politics", or just simply being overworked.) While there are decisions from time to time that bother me, and I occasionally disagree with my management team, It is very important that those of us on the front lines preserve the magical experience by not complaining on stage (I don't like it when I'm in a store or restaurant and the staff is more concerned with personal issues than with my needs as their guest.)

 

[EpcotMom]

and call...and call...If you have tried, you know how often the calls are ignored. As far as all of us being custodial, come on!! The more you do, the more you do. I LOVE Disney. The current state of the company has me down, but, I am smiling at each guest, listening to the disappointment of the regulars, and truly enjoying the wonder of first time visitors. BUT...Disney has been on a slide. When I first started, I was seeing Eisner in the park at least once every 6 weeks. I haven't seen him in months. He (and the board) have chosen to ignore what they don't want to see, and stretch the resources of the company to the limit with building things we don't need. This was going on long before Sept.11th, so thats not an excuse. I respect the fact that you are still following the mantra...I hope we still have a place to work in 10 years. I am not in the same park, so maybe you are in a better work enviroment. Good Luck.

 

[Safari Steve]

This seems to be a problem that varies greatly from park to park. Have you expressed any concerns to Al/ the Diary? (break down those barriers to communication-- there's another mantra I'm stuck on... but that's how I got new belts for Jungle Cruise!) By the way, BIG press event filming @ MK this week, 160 different characters will be at MK on the 5th, some that haven't seen the light of day in decades. Also, pop-up character appearances are still happening, which is something that has been asked for lots and lots (at times quite irately) by many guests over the last few years. Seems like this program (which has been a very big guest-pleaser) has been ignored. Is everyone too busy looking for cons that they miss the pros? What about the mime in France (not on the guidemap, but very talented and lots of fun). Just throwing those out there as a reminder.
Final Exams start Tuesday... Wish me luck!


-Steve