1 of Disney's worst mistakes: soaps&[email protected]

[jcruise86]

INTRO SO I LOOK LESS NEGATIVE:
Many excellent decisions have been made for Walt Disney World over the years:
--GETTING MILES & MILES OF LAND
--SPACE MTN. as it appeared in the mid and late 1970s.
--EPCOT AS IT APPEARED IN 1983 (Of course, I'd've loved Walt's city, but it needed Walt.)
--THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
--THE ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
--THE WILDERNESS LODGE

AND THERE HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE DECISIONS--feel free to add those. I'm just bringing up one here.
One of the worst mistakes was the failure to create and continue to have resort-specific shampoos and soaps
at every Walt Disney World resort hotel.

This is one of the details making Universal Orlando's Cabana Bay Beach Resort so popular. Disney could & should top that.
This could help inspire some guests to visit more resorts. Like area-themed garbage cans, the Walt is in the details, & like 5-cent post cards, this could promote WDW & remind guests to return.

The Wall Street Journal had an article about the surprising number of people who love, save & collect hotel soaps and shampoos. My dad was one of them.

BUT HAVING COMMUNAL DISPENSERS IN BATHROOMS IS MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY & MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVING DISPENSERS IN SHOWERS (LIKE THE HAND SOAP DISPENSERS IN THE BATHROOMS AT McDonalds & in gas station restrooms, or the old share-the-one-glass Pepsi dispensers in Moscow back in the USSR) SAVES MONEY! ..M O N E Y!!! ..(Why are you shouting?)

OK, since most Disney-owned & run hotel rooms at WDW are moderates & value resorts, start the shampoos & soap boxes at the deluxe resorts and see how popular or unpopular they are. The Polynesian soaps could smell like coconuts, and the Grand Floridian soaps could smell like money. Any other ideas? I saw the hotel soaps below when I Googled hotel soaps. Hong Kong Disneyland apparently still has cool Disney toiletries -- not just H2O products with the word "Disney" on them.

Note how ugly the Contemporary soap is. It'd be easy to top that today.

[jcruise86]

Again, Cabana Bay has period-appropriate shampoo & soap (Zest & VO5. I guess the Grand Floridian could have Ivory soap, but guests might prefer something that seemed more expensive: "We didn't pay $700 a night for Ivory Soap!").

So someone at Universal gets Walt Disney & is a demon for details! Congrats to Universal & it's popular Cabana Bay, but the resort-specific theming could be even better.
COMPETE, Disney! We're a capitalist country, [email protected]^ it!

Cabana Bay has some Wizarding World of Harry Potter/Carsland/iPhone/Tesla,Tokyo Disney Sea-type thinking!

[savarese04]

I read this gibberish twice so pardon if I miscomprehended this rant, but resort-branded soaps, especially one-time use, are both expensive and wasteful. Plus Disney already has themed soap. Disney's exclusive H20 blend is EXTREMELY popular, to the point where they sell it in shops and people love it.

Yes, they are moving away from one-time use for the environment, but really it's because resort guests have been hoarding these things to the point where I've seen pictures on facebook of people with small suitcases of them. I don't know how, but it's ridiculous. Can you imagine if they went to resort-branded ones? People would be selling them on ebay rather than using them.

By the way, have you stayed in a Universal resort? They're well appointed, but nothing to brag about. The themes are okay and fit the Universal vibe, but you're basically paying $500/night for a plussed up Sheraton experience. They get away with this because nobody cares about staying in Universal hotels for any reason other than to get the Express Pass.

Disney guests are paying $700 a night at the GF for a superior theming, proximity to the most popular theme park in the world, and amazing resort amenities. These amenities are OUTSIDE the guest room and the theming is often meticulous.

In sum, I'd rather have a great overall resort with superior theming rather than an okay overall resort where the details are in the soap.

[Disnedude]

While it is nice to have some Disney soap to use after a vacation, I don't think anyone is going to a Disney resort for the soap.

[Bubu]

The attention to detail in hotels dictates the difference between a luxury experience, and an average experience. We know no matter WHAT Disney does, those rooms sell no matter what- I can see the "money people" not wanting to spend a dime more. In a COVID world, I don't think it is prudent to have soap dispensers and the like- yes, it's better for the environment, but who knows what/who has touched those communal soap dispensers. Not something I want to think about while I am lathering up. Most luxury hotels have a signature scent, as that is part of the experience. Even mid-range Westin had it's "White Tea"- and when I smell that smell, my brain immediately connects to the brand. Branding and "theming" should be evident in every aspect of a hospitality experience. The price dictates a level of experience beyond what a Sheraton provides. Smell is the #1 memory recall sense- and I personally don't see the problem for people to take them home and think about your brand EVERY DAY? Hmmm. Build on the H20 line with resort specific fragrances- no need to invent the wheel, (and no need for a mouse ear cap.)

[Disnedude]

I have yet to see any hotel highlight their soap in advertisements, which kind of indicates that people don't chose a hotel based on soap. Furthermore, a quick wipe will disinfect any germs on the soap dispensers.

A simple google search can inform you on the increasing problem of micro-plastics in our oceans, which a ton of little plastic bottles adds to. Thus, not using these smaller bottles is better for the environment. Regardless of the money spent on a hotel room, it is a better decision to move towards sustainable decisions. The argument that has been made seems to hint that we should be able to create more waste if we pay more money.

On the other hand, it is apparent that soap is important to some people, and possibly a compromising solution could be found.

[savarese04]

Worrying about getting COVID from the very thing that kills COVID seems asinine to me.

[PhotoMatt]

Now that Disney has eliminated resort-branded soaps, what other cost cutting measures will they take in the name of saving the environment?

While Cabana Bay currently has themed soap, will they follow Disney's lead and convert to a generic soap in all their hotels?

Will Disney start selling their H2O soap in the Disney Store section of targets?

Will we ever know if anyone got COVID from a soap dispenser?

All these questions, and more, might be answered in the next post.

(Will anyone under 50 get this post?)

[jcruise86]

I read this gibberish twice so pardon if I miscomprehended. . .

Jebidiah?! Glad to have you in Micechat!
NEXT.

[Stormy]

I got a HUGE giggle out of the Zest and V05! But back in the day Prell shampoo and Breck conditioner were the only ones to use!

As far as 'resort themed' toiletries I think it's a cool (but expensive) idea. I've never stayed at the WDW hotels, just Ft Wilderness. Don't all the resort hotels have different smelling toiletries?

And I really hate the dispensers, it reminds me of high school gym showers. Plus it just feels unsanitary even though I know the Mousekeepers clean them between guests.

[Bubu]

Worrying about getting COVID from the very thing that kills COVID seems asinine to me.

...

[jcruise86]

I have yet to see any hotel highlight their soap in advertisements, which kind of indicates that people don't chose a hotel based on soap. ....

Hotels also don't feature photos of parking lots prominently in their ads, but some nice shady trees could be one of 100+ little details that add up to a more impressive resort.

[Brian PieGuy]

I didn't realize until now that Disney resorts didn't have different soaps for different resorts. That would be great to have themed scents.

I once got Disney World soap in my stocking for Christmas. A great way to remember a trip

[7SeasSailor]

If that is one of their worst mistakes then they aren't doing bad.

[TheOscar58]

I've been getting into bar soaps over the past 3 or so years and paying more attention to body washes as well. It would be nice if Disney focused more on them as something cool for guests with how expensive Disney can be. To me, the bigger problem is the recent shuttering of H2O+. I'm lucky enough to have gone to Disneyland when it had recently been discontinued, but still had enough to supply the hotel room.

[jcruise86]

I've been getting into bar soaps over the past 3 or so years and paying more attention to body washes as well. It would be nice if Disney focused more on them as something cool for guests with how expensive Disney can be. To me, the bigger problem is the recent shuttering of H2O+. I'm lucky enough to have gone to Disneyland when it had recently been discontinued, but still had enough to supply the hotel room.

Gary Bembridge makes popular Tips for Travelers videos about cruise lines, & he posts them on Youtube; he recently mentioned that one of the ultra-luxury cruise lines (maybe Windstar?) has a unique scent in their line of toiletries created by a maker of upscale soaps & shampoos.