5/9: Waiting For Nemo

[Al Lutz]

DCA's Twilight Zone Numbers, Sub & Mansion Updates, Job Fair Headaches. Discuss it all here!

[kcnole]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Disney has a big problem on their hands with the casting and here's the problem. If you want your cast members to give the kind of service you want them to give, then working their should be a fun and exciting job. If an employee is underpaid, overworked, and treated horribly that's the image they're going to show to guests.

My father worked at Walt Disney World the year after it opened and still has fond memories of working there. It was fun he says, he was treated well (even though he worked in a cast member cafeteria). He loved his job and talks about it often. I don't think the current people working at most locations at Disney will be able to say the same thing 25 years down the road and that's the problem.

Disney is suffering from the same problem the rest of America is, everything has to make a profit and if something is costing a few cents then it has to go and that's just not the way to keep happy and productive CM's.

I would love to work at Disney, I love the parks, and if I could afford it, I'd quit my job and go work there, but if working there isn't a magical experience then I wouldn't stick around either. That's what Disney has to figure out, how to get working there to be magical again.

[Dustysage]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Thank you Al. Reopening the Subs is going to be a huge traffic problem for Disneyland. All those people (myself included) waiting for hours to ride one of the lowest capacity Disneyland attractions ever. Perhaps they should offer FastPass only during the weekends and holidays on this ride. No standby at busy times. At least they could control the hourly wait to the actual capacity. It would encourage people to get to the park early and in many cases to stay late (if your return time is near closing). In the worst case scenario, if the fast pass people get fed up and go home before their return times, either more tickets could be given out, or a standby line could be opened up. But with the tremendous lines that we've seen for little things like the opening of Monsters and Buzz, I can only imagine the chaos of a new E-Ticket opening. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for the subs to come back, I just don't want to wait 4 hours for them.

Disney's staffing problems go deeper than just hourly wage and a tight job market. The standards of the available applicants has dropped over the years as well. We no longer have a culture of "Nice" and most kids today were raised to have a much more hostile tone toward strangers. If Disney really wants to improve the quality of its cast members for years to come, they should send representatives to the grade schools and junior high grades to offer culture and etiquette training. As the kids get older, they should send recruiters to tell the kids what it takes to get hired at Disneyland and what they would need to pay attention to in school to get hired as an hourly employee as well as what subjects to take in college to get hired in management or Imagineering later in life. The quality of castmembers isn't just falling at Disneyland, all companies are facing this problem right now. Kids come out of High School these days with questionable job skills.

As usual, thank you for the great update Al.

[Mara]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

DCA's Twilight Zone Numbers, Sub & Mansion Updates, Job Fair Headaches. Discuss it all here!

My 18 year old daughter just got hired at Disneyland and the process went very well for her (in her opinion).

She asked for a job in the show department (she was a stage manager in high school and really likes the tech side of it such as lighting) and was offered a job later that week in "Show Support". Of course that could mean crowd control but she was told it would be everything from helping move characters around the park to driving a parade float (in fact they requested a DMV report before finalizing the offer).

She asked for a minimum of $8 an hour to start and they offered her around $9.25.

She starts training this weekend.

She does heve to take out the earring she has at the top of her ear while she's working.

[tloolgb]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

She asked for a minimum of $8 an hour to start and they offered her around $9.25.

Wow see that isn't bad, and at least for the east coast that is a high starting pay rate,

But Al:

The feedback from Disney's Guest Research department coming back on the Monsters Inc. ride hasn't been exactly stellar, with the numbers showing an approval rating almost exactly that of the Winnie the Pooh ride that opened in 2003.

I've got to question this because the lines say other wise. How after 5 months of being open does it still pull 90 minute waits if it gets the same "rating" as Pooh? Obviously something was done much better with Monster's Inc than Pooh.

[bornagainaz]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Anyone happen to know why Al stated how many Ap'ers were at DCA but not DL?

[Brer Bear]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

There's an old saying that says, "what goes around, comes around"; and Dustysage said it, "We no longer have a culture of 'nice'." What Disney management has done to their employees over the years, airing songs like 'I Love Trash' on DisneyRadio, and just plain greed, I think they are reaping what they have sown. They can afford to send a family on vacation and rebuild them a house in seven days, every week, but they can't pay their employees a decent wage? As much as I want to say,
'serves you right', it's just a shame what the organization has come to.
Thank God Michael is gone.
<steps off soapbox>

[Baloo]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Anyone happen to know why Al stated how many Ap'ers were at DCA but not DL?

It would not serve his point about DCA being the stepchild and failure he claims it is.

Obviously if it was that bad the 10,000 apers would not be visiting it.


The numbers he displayed show exactly what other people have said, DCA has maintained the numbers predicted by TDA wether it be with the 2fer or not. I wonder why he also did not mention that the so-called numbers he said did not also include the huge Easter break crowds.
As if that did not have an impact on both parks.
If he is so sure of the numbers, maybe next time he will finally reveal that DCA has broken the 7 million mark since the 2005 attendance numbers.

I doubt he will ever admit that though.

[Crazy Larry]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

You get what you pay for. That sums it up for me.

[MickeyMania]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

If they want non-APs to notice the F&W event, they need to stop advertising in the AP newsletter and start advertising in the Times and Register. Don't give APs information any sooner than anybody else and let the frenzy commence.

[merlinjones]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

They would be wise to get the Monorails, PeopleMover, Rocket Jets on the platform, refreshed Carousel of Progress/Innoventions and some revised film in Honey's theatre to diffuse crowds headed toward the Submarine Voyage.

A selection of returned Tomorrowland favorites would divvy up the big lines and keep people happy.

It's the best solution - - and there is still time to fix some of this if there is a will. Why can't they really be practical here and cough up the dough to fix things sooner than later?

[MasterGracey]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

They would be wise to get the Monorails, PeopleMover, Rocket Jets on the platform, refreshed Carousel of Progress/Innoventions and some revised film in Honey's theatre to diffuse crowds headed toward the Submarine Voyage.

A selection of returned Tomorrowland favorites would divvy up the big lines and keep people happy.

It's the best solution - - and there is still time to fix some of this if there is a will. Why can't they really be practical here and cough up the dough to fix things sooner than later?

I agree. If theyre truly concerned about this, they'd be dishing out the dough to make sure the impact isn't as rough as it could be.

Tomorrowland is still the weakest link in Disneyland (next to Toon Town). Its rare people wait over 20-30 minutes for Star Tours, Innoventions is a waste, PeopleMover track is dead, Honey I Shrunk the Audience is a laughing stock...

Something NEEDS to be done to Tomorrowland. I don't care if they have to shut the whole land down for a complete overhaul until Nemo opens, but something needs to be done.

More quality attractions in that area of the park would help tremendously. Right now all we really have is Space, Buzz, and Autopia (and this is questionable since it isnt much of a people eater, right?). The rest are all dead weight, really.

[RenMan]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Disney's staffing problems go deeper than just hourly wage and a tight job market. The standards of the available applicants has dropped over the years as well.

I agree with you, but I can't help but be continually amazed at TDA's devotion to low hourly wages for the CM's. It seems to go deeper than just number crunching on a spreadsheet. I know the numbers add up quickly on the bottom line, but in the big picture, would offering a dollar or two per hour more not make everything work out better? Where does their commitment to not paying more really come from?

I'm not saying that just throwing money at the situation will solve it, but isn't it abundantly clear that they're going to have to, sooner or later? I don't mean these as rhetorical questions; I'd really like to know what paradigm is preventing them from offering more money. I guess I'll email Al.

[ni_teach]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

The subs have always been a nightmare with loading and unloading. I remember as a kid how long the lines took.

With the remodel I really wish that they would have build a second loading deck in the sub storage area. That way they would be able to load 4 subs at a time and not just the two.

[kcnole]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Dusty's point is also a good one. Most kids coming out of high school today do not have the attitude of a disney employee like they did in the 50's and 60's. Also Disney isn't the end all be all like it once was. It's no longer an aspiration of that many people to go work at the most magical place on earth. I do think that Disney has had a hand in that though. If you treat your employees like crap they'll go find something better.

Give your employees a decent wage, give them some great benefits (My uncle worked in the contemporary at the same time my father worked in the Magic Kingdom and his favorite part of working there was that the contemporary had a staff restaurant that served the same food they served the guests in the main restaurant but dirt cheap. He still says it was the best job he had before he made it to his career.) I don't see many people looking at Disney as their best jobs ever anymore.

Disney may not be able to do anything about kids coming out of high school with tattoos all over their body, piss poor attitudes, horrible personal and work skills, and lack of pride in a job well done; but they can find things to do to make those that they do find want to continue to work there.

[nish221]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Thanks, Al! You made my Tuesday (as you always do when there's an update!)

Thank you Al. Reopening the Subs is going to be a huge traffic problem for Disneyland. All those people (myself included) waiting for hours to ride one of the lowest capacity Disneyland attractions ever. Perhaps they should offer FastPass only during the weekends and holidays on this ride. No standby at busy times. At least they could control the hourly wait to the actual capacity. It would encourage people to get to the park early and in many cases to stay late (if your return time is near closing). In the worst case scenario, if the fast pass people get fed up and go home before their return times, either more tickets could be given out, or a standby line could be opened up. But with the tremendous lines that we've seen for little things like the opening of Monsters and Buzz, I can only imagine the chaos of a new E-Ticket opening. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for the subs to come back, I just don't want to wait 4 hours for them. . . .

I think that's a great idea, Dusty!

As for the staffing issue, Disney needs to be multi-pronged. IMHO, they need to:
* improve working conditions (at least from what I hear).
* raise pay (but Disney just have to be competitive)
* raise perceived benefits.

As for community outreach, Disney should enter a consortium w/ other
local companies in the service industry and hold classes/seminars on
what it really takes to be in customer service (which is really a
strong part of what CMs do) and what impact that has. I used to
be on a phone as a cust service rep (a l-o-n-g time ago), but that's helped me
a lot over the years.

Anyway, just my ramblings.... :-)

[Disneyfreak]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

They need to focus on college students, not high school students. They need to bite the bullet and pay 12 dollars an hour even if it means getting rid of free entry to the park whenever they feel like it.

Monsters may not be on the same scale as pooh in quality, but it sure is in the same catagory. In a year or so it will be dead just like pooh if they don't do something about the bland queue and lackluster AA's in the ride.

[nojarama]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Thanks for the update. I agree about alot of what Al had to say:
-I think that chaos will ensue for "Nemo" is justified. I, myself, can't wait to see the new ride. It seems that Disney management clan just don't learn from past mistakes in regards to planning a queque (much like Caltrans seems to do when they build new freeways or roads- ridiculously).

- Again they've (management) gone through as many changes as the cast members I'm sure. I am especially surprised at a business that has been very strict in it's hiring process, would treat their employees so crasly (and underpaid as well). They really should pay more highly & go after college-aged students to fill all the castmember jobs IMO.

- The HM refurb looks fantastic from what I've seen footage/photos of. I agree, it will all look right, when they fix some of the other parts (especially the graveyard, the birthday scene- I know there are no plans but I can dream), the hitchhiking ghosts and even the loading area could use a good re-design/furb. I'll see what they've done thus far in July myself (after the brilliant POTC refurb is complete).


Regarsdarama,

Jon

[gimpboy76]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

What Disney management has done to their employees over the years, airing songs like 'I Love Trash' on DisneyRadio,

What's wrong with "I Love Trash" now that's just classic Sesame Street!

[Schmoogie]

Re: 5/9: Waiting For Nemo

Thank you so much for another fabulous update, Al! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I agree with so much kcnole and RenMan had to say. A few extra dollars to castmembers, a few extra perks, and so many problems would be solved. Disney is Disney not just because there was a guy with a dream, but because there were hundreds of thousands of CMs who believed in that dream and gave it a face. I never met Disney, I've only met one Disney exec and he wasn't all that, but I've experienced the magic. If you don't keep that foundation strong, it will all collapse.

My sister served in the college program at DW last year and loved it. Absolutely loved it. She is a clean cut kid with a lot of Disney action going on for her. If she could go back, she would do it in a heartbeat. She made some of the best friends and has such pride in her job.

But she can't go back. After taxes and money Disney took out of the intern's paychecks for housing ($400 a month to share a room with three other people in Disney owned housing), she had $60 a week of take home pay. Frankly, I would like to see any executive at Disney live on $60 a week and come back for more.

The cost of living here in California, as gas hits $3.50 a gallon and expected to hit $5 by July... You have to make that choice. Work in a fun place or afford food.

P.S. Love the "All Fastpass" idea for solving the "Nemo" que problem.