I will NEVER go back to DisneyLand again!

[Harmony]

Weather! Of course, how could I leave that one out! LOL

I'm from STX and am used to the humid summers. Actually our summers last till about mid-Nov so I'm no stranger to heat and since the weather in FL is very similar to what I'm used to, it doesn't bother me. Imagine my surprise when we arrived in CA and it *wasn't* hot?!?! In summer?!?! The news said they were experiencing a heat wave that week but we didn't notice! LOL

 

[Clotho]

I have to concur that the BB desk staff has never struck me as having that Disney Magic. But frankly, they get the WORST kind of people jumping on them all day long. I have witnessed so many people being rude and pushy and downright awful to the BB staff--demanding particular seats, yelling at them when there is a delay, and people with no reservations screaming at them about their policies and how "wrong" it is to require reservations?!?!

I wish, of course, that they had some reservoir of kindness left for me, a very understanding, patient, non-complainer who is grateful to be there at all; but sadly, I think those women and men get really worn down very swiftly. They are used to having to respond with firmness and a stiff lip, and I think they forget to soften for people who are good to them.

I always thought it sounded very un-Disney to not replace lost tickets, regardless of whether you have a receipt or not. However, think about it. Someone goes into the park, "loses" their ticket and gets another set, hands them off to friends and voila--two people can get in. If there is no way to cancel the other tickets (and as I understand it, DL does not have a system in place for this right now, like WDW with their cards), then this can become epidemic with people cheating to get in.

I think once DL has a more elaborate system in place for tracking tickets (and I would think they are very close now with the biometric systems being implemented), the replacing of tickets will relax a bit, and the Magic can be spread some more.

I would like to add to those who ask the OP to be more open to the idea of returning to DL in the future. This is my home park, going once a year for most of my life, and I have to say that I have had 99.9% pixie dust, and only small pockets of anything near what you describe. So write it off as a bad day, and not a bad park!

 

[pxlbarrel]

It's a shame that your first impression of DL was an example of dubious customer service. I've been to DL and WDW many times and they both have their charms and they both have, on occasions, less than perfect CMs. On the most part, I've never been treated badly or rudely at either of the parks.

When I lost my cell phone on Indiana Jones, one CM told me I had to leave the ride (the park was already closed) and go to Lost and Found to report it. I explained I was flying out the next day so if they found it that night, it would be too late for me to claim it the next day. One other CM overheard me and told me to wait and he'd go look for it. Now, he didn't find it (oh well) but the effort was much appreciated. And in the end, they found it the next day and they mailed it immediately to me. I received it two weeks later (it took that long because of a combination of Labour Day, US Post and Canada Post.) This kind of service is above and beyond in my book.

Now...the Lost and Found CM at midnight that night was not the most friendly yet neither was she rude. She just seemed that she wanted out of there and who can blame her. It was closing time and there were still people behind me who were waiting to talk to her. And I have a feeling she doesn't get paid overtime. However, she was still courteous to me.

Give DL another shot. First impressions can be damaging but sometimes, they can be wrong too.

Besides...where else is there a Mr. Toad ride???

 

[G8RFAN]

We went for our first time last December and found the parks charming. I actually loved both parks and our DS05 couldn't get enough of Casey Jr. For months he kept saying he would rather go to DL. If I remember correctly, the passes at DL are not computerized but are manually read by the CM's and manually marked. Therefore, it becomes just like a bearer ticket unlike WDW. We have had our WDW AP's replaced on numerous occasions just because the magnetic strip stopped working and only once for a misplaced AP that was later found in our suitcase. So while I think technology is the key component in the differences in policy, I can definitely respect both. CM's at guest relations should be their best trained CM's, yet many times they are not. My DW and I keep joking about one experience at guest relations at EPCOT where I swear, the CM was a clone of the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. Inexperienced CM's or those that are socially challenged should not be placed in positions that routinely see negative situations.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I have not read the entire thread, but here are my thoughts.

1) The rude CMs are unacceptable.

2) You wanted to get special treatment on the lost tickets. They stated the policy (very badly) and you found that not to your liking. You did not rebuy the tickets and ended up comped that day, so you only had to buy a ticket for the next day.

3) You left DL over a dinner seating? You did this after the ticket problem the day before!!!

Did you really fly cross country (~3000 miles) to go to DL/CA for 2 days or were you there for another reason and then did DL/CA on the weekend?

The last statement " I would like for this letter to if nothing else advise someone in a position of authority how guests are being treated at "Walt's" park, the park that is supposed to be the "Happiest Place on Earth". " screams to me I want my money back.

 

[minnietoo]

Here's my thoughts on the original post and the thread (take it or leave it) -

Many of us do agree with you that being treated poorly was your main concern and complaint and we do understand that this is frustrating and can make or break an expereince. However, you started with "I will NEVER to back to DL again" - that indicates that the rude CMs did impact your expereince in such a negative way that you choose not to try again. ANd that is your choice - and you have a right to those feelings. So therefore you are getting responses that are trying to look at both sides of the situation and point out that the task you were asking the CMs to do for you was against policy. My thoughts are - had you not been asking them to break the rules for you - maybe things wouldn't have been so frustrating for them or for you. ANd some posters pointed out that what happened to you was not because DL made an error or was negligent - but because you lost your own tickets. So in summary, you were negligent and your tickets were lost, you expected the CM to replace your tickets and break policy (which could get them fired by the way) and the CM was rude to you (you stated you were not rude to them). However, you were frustrated and angry - and sometimes (I know in my case) that causes some to appear rude or aggressive and maybe the CM was responding to what they felt from you. We will never know this as we only hear one person's feelings about the interaction. So . . . I (we) are just pointing out that maybe something happened in that interaction that resulted in an out of proportion response from the CM. By saying this I am not saying that what you feel happened is wrong - I am just pointing out that maybe something else happened that you were not aware of and therefore cannot include it in your account of the event. Or . . . there are at least two sides to every story.

Unfortunately we expect Disney CMs to be more than human and have perfect attitudes and responses to each and every situation all of the time. THat is unrealisitic and perhaps we as guests put an unrealisitic expectation on them. Perhaps I am wrong and they should have higher than average customer service habits (but that is a different topic).

ANd since others have broken the rules for you on more than one occasion - I think this has made the situation worse. So both you (for not having a system in place that works to prevent loss of tickets) and the WDW CMs (for breaking the rules) have contributed to the problem that led to this interaction.

So on final thought - if you didn't want our opinions about the situation and your reaction (I will NEVER go to DL again) - then don't ask for it. And by posting it here - you were asking for out thoughts and input (even though you didn't use those words). ANd by the way, you were very brave to put your thoughts and feelings out there.

I hope we have helped you to see that this problem as more than one side. ANd I hope you have changed your mind about DL. But, as I said earlier, you have a right to your own feelings and if this has tainted your thoughts about DL negatively - then by all means . . .

 

[minnietoo]

I find it interesting that when some folks express an opinion or thought that is different than others they are accused of being hostile. I have re-read the posts in this thread and I don't see them as hostile - I see people discussing a situation and people having different viewpoints. Different is not wrong - or necessarily negative - it is just different.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Minnetoo: I agree with much of what you are saying. But I do want to clarify that at WDW tickets are replaced and to my knowledge it has never been, and is still not against the rules. Now it may be different since the last time I was there and saw someone getting their tickets replaced with my own eyes and since this OP had tickets at WDW replaced. Policies do change. But I doubt it since the biometric scanners link tickets to individuals. Also, they have a nummerical id system in place with their tickets. If you have those id numbers (they tell you when you buy them to photocopy the tickets and keep those copies in a separate place) they can cancel those original tickets and replace them. Also, most people have tickets that are part of a package and their tickets are their room keys as well. Again, very easy to cancel and reissue if they are lost. Any ticket window at the parks or the guest services at the resorts can do that very easily. Because Disneyland tickets don't have those id numbers, they cannot cancel the tickets. Therefore if they replace them, in theory, dishonest people could have two sets of tickets and get double the people in. Or somebody could find them and use them even though they didn't pay for them. That's why they don't replace them and it makes sense. As usual, the actions of a dishonest few make it hard for the rest of us when a situation arises.

 

[HydroGuy]

We visited DL for the 1st time this past summer. Though we had a great time, I wasn't able to fully relax the way I do at WDW and one of the major reasons was the paper ticket. It just didn't seem durable to me and I felt as if I could tear it or lose it at any moment. At WDW we stay onsite and get a plastic room key and just knowing that WDW will replace it should I lose it is a great comfort. At DL we also stayed onsite (GCH) and still got a paper ticket. And believe it or not, we ran into more...err, not necessarily rude CM's but I would describe them as "a bit less than thrilled" CM's. They didn't make us feel as if we were in a 'special' place. Lucky for us, we still felt the magic!

As mentioned by others in this thread, not everyone is aware of the labor problems at DLR. In some areas they have a turnover rate of 80%. Yes, 80% !!! During the summer they are asked to work extremely long hours and are not allowed to say "no", because they are so short of experienced staff. And they are not allowed to take time off.

For example, last summer one CM complained on a DLR forum that she had a toothache for a month and DLR would not give her time off to go see a dentist after numerous requests. In the end, the situation deteriorated and she had to have a root canal which she would not have needed if she had been able to see the dentist right away. This cost her more money personally.

Unfortunately, these kinds of stories have been very common over the last 1-2 years. What amazes me is how good the CMs there have been overall working under the conditions they have been in.

You might respond and say, "well, they should just fix the labor problems". And that is what I would say too. But so far DLR management has not been able to do that. In fact, some would say they are ignoring the problem. I do not know the real story. FWIW, on recent trips I have gone out of my way to express appreciation and encourgement to all CMs, especially ones who seem stressed.

 

[Rence]

I haven't read the entire thread - but one thing that really stood out after reading the OP - the title is "I will never go back to DISNEYLAND again".

DL and DCA are two seperate parks and in my mind, worlds apart. I hadn't been to DL in years - I found myself on a trip with an extra day and decided to do a quick visit to the two parks, focusing on DCA since I had never been there.

DCA was just plain AWFUL - the park itself wasn't that bad but it was one of the worst managed theme parks I have ever been to and I've been to a lot. Most of the cast members didn't seem to know how to treat guests or even what their job really was. We saw instance after instance of just plain bad treatment of guests. The attractions and the layout of the park wasn't as bad as I had heard, what made the whole day unpleasant was just how poorly run the place was. There was no Disney magic, they didn't even reach the level of Six Flags Magic (which isn't all that magical, but I have never had service that bad or food that bad at a six flags park).

After five hours I couldn't take it and we left DCA earlier than we had planned. I was having a miserable time. I feared greatly that whatever awful curse had befallen DCA had also befallen DL. We went over to DL and it was a whole different world. Disney Magic all around. Ever cast member was great, service was great, they knew what their jobs were and they were doing them. Smiles and friendly greetings abounded. I was so happy to see that DL was great as always.

Whoever is managing DCA should be fired at once and new management brought it. That place is an abomination and should NOT be wearing the Disney name. It is fixable, but it needs new management more than anything.

So to the OP, remember that DCA is not DL. It will be a long time before I set foot in the hell hole that is DCA, but I'd go back to DL in a second.

 

[Amy&Dan]

So to the OP, remember that DCA is not DL. It will be a long time before I set foot in the hell hole that is DCA, but I'd go back to DL in a second.

I am sorry you had such a bad time at DCA but I have to say your experience was based on one day. For those of us who have visited DCA many, many times and have found magic, fun and love it, our experiences are different. I have never encountered one bad cm at DCA and have been to Disneyland over 10 times in the past 3 years, with stays ranging from 4 days to 8 days. There is seldom a day I spend at the Disneyland Resort when I don't venture into DCA for at least part of it. I don't discount what you are saying, in that you obviously had a bad experience. But again, as others have said, you cannot necessarily dismiss anything in life based upon one, single experience. I would say to you that if you ever return to DL, give DCA a second try. But only if you can go with an open mind!

 

[pxlbarrel]

wow...While I think that DCA is not as fun packed as DL, I still find it enjoyable. It's just different. I certainly wouldn't have considered it a "hell-hole". In fact, my most enjoyable pin trade occurred there. I went to PT Flea (is that the name) and there was a CM trying to pawn off a particular pin and I started joking with him about it. Later that night, he was at the store near the Grizzley area (I don't have the various DCA areas memorized yet). And he was still trying to pawn off the pin...so we joked again but then...like magic, he produced a hand full of cast lanyard pins for us to trade. This was 7:30 pm...cast lanyard pins at that time of the day are rare...so I'm told. He was such fun as were all the other CMs that we met that day.

I found DCA to be kind of relaxing after DL since it wasn't as crowded as DL. In fact, we got a lot of character photos at DCA because of that.

I do find that you can't spend an entire day in DCA so we hopped back and forth until the Block Party Bash. And that parade is sooo full of energy and I watched kids having so much fun during it.

 

[minnietoo]

At the risk of being slammed: - if you'all feel the parks in CA are so bad - please stay away - then when I go there will be less crowds and the CMs will be less harrassed and will be pleasant

(No, I am not being hostile)

 

[andromedaslove]

mickeyfan2 -
1 - You are right the rude CM's are unacceptable.
2 - I didn't want special treatment from anyone. I don't like Disney's policy and I am entitled to that opinion and I am entitled to advise Disney (and that CM since she is an employee at Guest Relations at Disney) that I don't agree with that policy. I however, will never find it acceptable for a CM to be rude with me the way that she was.
3 - Yes. I left Blue Bayou because once again a CM was extremely rude to me, and in my opinion I had already dealt with enough attitude I wasn't gonna stick around for more.
4 - How does my last statement scream "I want my money back"? That isn't what I want at all. That statement is to let them know that CM's are treating guests very rudely in a place that is supposed to be the "Happiest Place On Earth". I would write the exact same thing if I had been treated that way at WDW. It is NEVER acceptable for a CM to treat a guest the way I was treated, and the only way I know of to address that is to contact DisneyLand and let them know about what happened.

minnietoo - Yes, the rude CM's did affect my experience. I wish they hadn't. Unfortunately, that's just the way things go. It doesn't mean that I felt my vacation was ruined. It just means that in large part due to the CM's behavior I didn't feel that the money spent on that trip was worth it. The rides and experiences at the parks that we did enjoy were not enough to make up for my frustration at being treated so poorly. I agree that there are two sides to every story, and won't even try to understand what that CM's day had been like or how hard it must have been to have me trying to talk to her about a situation that was out of her control. What I can tell you is that when I walked outside of the park to Lost and Found to report the tickets lost, as I was standing there in tears, the CM's had no problem listening to my frustrations without interrupting, they were able to tell me how truly sorry they were, and they calmly explained Disney policy, which I still don't agree with but at least I could understand. They were also willing to do what they could to help me under the circumstances which was to give me a one day ticket to both parks since we had already been in the parks, and since I had a receipt showing I had park hoppers. If the initial CM in guest relations had been as patient and understanding I wouldn't have broken down into tears, and I wouldn't have had a need to complain about how badly I was treated.

Also, let me make it clear that at WDW this is NOT breaking the rules. This is their policy. So NO, others have not broken the rules for me. This is what I had been accustomed to because it is WDW's policy as long as you have a receipt or the copy of the back of the tickets. I was wrong for assuming that WDW and DL would have the same technology and policies regarding tickets, but how was I to know ahead of time to ask something like that. It never crossed my mind.

I actually don't have a problem with people disagreeing with me. There have been a few that I felt were hostile. My opinion. I will say though that it is hard to understand the tone written by someone on a message board so it may be that I am reading it one way and you are reading it another.

Amy&Dan - I wish that the original CM at Guest Relations had taken the time to explain it to me they way that you just did. To be honest, that's all it would have taken, instead of just telling me over and over again, "That's DisneyLand's policy and there's nothing I can do about it.". I was not being irrational I was just trying to understand why it was so different between the two parks and she wouldn't even attempt it.

Unfortunately, I did go to DL assuming that things generally worked in the same manner. I figured both parks would have the same technology and generally the same policies since they are owned by the same company. I couldn't have even begun to fathom how different the two parks truly were. And that is my fault. I did alot of reading on here and in the books that I purchased and did not once see anything to make me feel that the parks would be so different, but I should not have made that assumption. I will NOT be making that trip again. Not because I think that DisneyLand is such a horrible place. There just really wasn't alot there, that I felt was better than WDW, and that would warrant a return trip with an 8 hour flight, and two small children. Not when I can drive 2 hours to Orlando and experience all 4 parks, and in my opinion better Customer Service.

 

[minnietoo]

mickeyfan2 -
1 - You are right the rude CM's are unacceptable.
2 - I didn't want special treatment from anyone. I don't like Disney's policy and I am entitled to that opinion and I am entitled to advise Disney (and that CM since she is an employee at Guest Relations at Disney) that I don't agree with that policy. I however, will never find it acceptable for a CM to be rude with me the way that she was.
3 - Yes. I left Blue Bayou because once again a CM was extremely rude to me, and in my opinion I had already dealt with enough attitude I wasn't gonna stick around for more.
4 - How does my last statement scream "I want my money back"? That isn't what I want at all. That statement is to let them know that CM's are treating guests very rudely in a place that is supposed to be the "Happiest Place On Earth". I would write the exact same thing if I had been treated that way at WDW. It is NEVER acceptable for a CM to treat a guest the way I was treated, and the only way I know of to address that is to contact DisneyLand and let them know about what happened.

minnietoo - Yes, the rude CM's did affect my experience. I wish they hadn't. Unfortunately, that's just the way things go. It doesn't mean that I felt my vacation was ruined. It just means that in large part due to the CM's behavior I didn't feel that the money spent on that trip was worth it. The rides and experiences at the parks that we did enjoy were not enough to make up for my frustration at being treated so poorly. I agree that there are two sides to every story, and won't even try to understand what that CM's day had been like or how hard it must have been to have me trying to talk to her about a situation that was out of her control. What I can tell you is that when I walked outside of the park to Lost and Found to report the tickets lost, as I was standing there in tears, the CM's had no problem listening to my frustrations without interrupting, they were able to tell me how truly sorry they were, and they calmly explained Disney policy, which I still don't agree with but at least I could understand. They were also willing to do what they could to help me under the circumstances which was to give me a one day ticket to both parks since we had already been in the parks, and since I had a receipt showing I had park hoppers. If the initial CM in guest relations had been as patient and understanding I wouldn't have broken down into tears, and I wouldn't have had a need to complain about how badly I was treated.

Also, let me make it clear that at WDW this is NOT breaking the rules. This is their policy. So NO, others have not broken the rules for me. This is what I had been accustomed to because it is WDW's policy as long as you have a receipt or the copy of the back of the tickets. I was wrong for assuming that WDW and DL would have the same technology and policies regarding tickets, but how was I to know ahead of time to ask something like that. It never crossed my mind.

I actually don't have a problem with people disagreeing with me. There have been a few that I felt were hostile. My opinion. I will say though that it is hard to understand the tone written by someone on a message board so it may be that I am reading it one way and you are reading it another.

Amy&Dan - I wish that the original CM at Guest Relations had taken the time to explain it to me they way that you just did. To be honest, that's all it would have taken, instead of just telling me over and over again, "That's DisneyLand's policy and there's nothing I can do about it.". I was not being irrational I was just trying to understand why it was so different between the two parks and she wouldn't even attempt it.

Unfortunately, I did go to DL assuming that things generally worked in the same manner. I figured both parks would have the same technology and generally the same policies since they are owned by the same company. I couldn't have even begun to fathom how different the two parks truly were. And that is my fault. I did alot of reading on here and in the books that I purchased and did not once see anything to make me feel that the parks would be so different, but I should not have made that assumption. I will NOT be making that trip again. Not because I think that DisneyLand is such a horrible place. There just really wasn't alot there, that I felt was better than WDW, and that would warrant a return trip with an 8 hour flight, and two small children. Not when I can drive 2 hours to Orlando and experience all 4 parks, and in my opinion better Customer Service.

Its nice to dialog and disuss our thoughts. THanks for doing that. Perhaps then, you might consider changing your letter to deal only with the rude CMs and not the policy in this letter - then write a seperate letter and discuss your thoughts about the policy. THat way the two won't become intertwined and the reader might not react as we have. I also think many of us reacting to your title of the thread - so with that gone the reader might not become defensive right away. Again - your feelings are valid and if you feel you have been treated poorly - you have a right to complain.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Dana, I am glad you came back to your thread! And I am sorry it got so long and that you felt (justifiably so in my opinion) a bit attacked by a few of the responses. I agree, on a message board its really hard to guage tone and attitude from some people. Hopefully Disneyland will implement some upgrades to their ticketing system so that this doesn't happen to some other poor soul. I don't blame you for avoiding it again, the 8 hour flight alone is pretty much a deciding factor all on its own in my book! Just know that what you experienced from those cm's in some ways maybe was the norm, in that they are having labor problems, have a huge turnover and that sometimes translates into less than stellar customer service. On the other hand, most of the time when you don't need something of the level you needed (tickets replaced = big financial risk = a no go and a no win situation for everyone), the cms at Disneyland do a great job. We are pin traders and social people so spending time chatting with cms at both DL and WDW is something we do a lot of. And we have great experiences and lost of good memories from all of our trips. At DL, they work long hours for little pay in a city with an extremely high cost of living. Frankly, many of them love their jobs, why else would they stay? Enjoy your future trips to WDW and at least you can say that you went to Walt's original park which I think every Disney fan needs to do! And again, I just want to stress that the best thing about this thread was that we all learned a huge lesson. I am sorry that one of us had to learn it the hard way.

 

[dizzyami]

"I wish that the original CM at Guest Relations had taken the time to explain it to me they way that you just did. To be honest, that's all it would have taken, instead of just telling me over and over again, "That's DisneyLand's policy and there's nothing I can do about it.". I was not being irrational I was just trying to understand why it was so different between the two parks and she wouldn't even attempt it."


This would be great - but odds are this cast member did not know the policies or procedures of a different park - I really doubt that part of their training is "this is how we do it at DL, but let me show we how it is done at WDW" The people doing the training probably don't even know either - why would they. Those that travel both parks would be the experts at the different policies and procedures. If you were to go to Six Flags and tell them that their procedures are different then WDW, they would respond the same way - just because both are Disney does not mean that the CM know the differences.

 

[PoohPrincess76]

mickeyfan2 I wish that the original CM at Guest Relations had taken the time to explain it to me they way that you just did. To be honest, that's all it would have taken, instead of just telling me over and over again, "That's DisneyLand's policy and there's nothing I can do about it.". I was not being irrational I was just trying to understand why it was so different between the two parks and she wouldn't even attempt it.

You previously stated that you have worked in customer service, you should know that not every person in customer service has the training or understanding to know why a policy is a policy. The CM told you that is was against policy. That very well may have been all she really knew. And, as a customer/guest that should be enough. It is not the CM's job to MAKE the policy, they just have the job of enforcing it. I have found if I am not getting the answer I like from customer service (in any place), I ask to speak to the manager. I don't argue with the person that can't help me, which only frustrates me, the agent and unfortunately the next person that agent deals with. CMs are PEOPLE too and can have bad days. You mentioned the 2 that were rude, how about all the others that were not?

 

[andromedaslove]

No... but when I "tried" to explain to her how they handle lost tickets at Disney World, if she had listened instead of interrupting me she would have been able to explain that they do not have the same technology or capabilities. Correct? All she had to do was listen instead of being rude.

 

[disneyfansmandl]

Too Bad you had a bad experience. My wife and I have had annual passes for a long time and have watched the CS really drop over the years. We still have great experiences with CM's but they are fewer and far between than in previous years. I would have asked for a manager to get the situation under control. No one should be rude to a guest ever. Writing a letter is all well and good but I have never gotten a response for a negative experience. The closest I came was a form letter stating that the matter would be looked into. I have found that if you get high enough in person with a manger that just about anything will be worked out. Everyone should realize that tickets if they could be would be used illeagally by a lot of people in Southern California so I can understand why Disney has that policy. Even though the CM was wrong in the way they dealt with you, you should put the blame on all the people that would abuse the system if they were allowed. don't let this sour you on Disneyland though. It still has great magic to it.