Boy, talk about striking a nerve.

When I threw together that “Message in a Bottle” piece to put up on the site this past Monday, I had NO idea that this article would provoke such a passionate response from JHM readers. E-mails poured in from all over, folks. From concerned Disney theme park guests to frustrated cast members to … Well, here. See for yourself.

First, Antin B. of Seaford, NY wrote in to say:

Jim:

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your honest and candid observations of the Disney experience.

My wife and myself visit WDW at least four times a year and have especially noticed such “bottles” much more frequently in the past year or so. Garbage notwithstanding, the condition of the park restrooms is even more appalling. Our last few visits have found us avoiding some filthy, fowl smelling and generally disgusting restrooms! Clearly cost-cutting is evident hear too!

Maybe we all have to become more politically involved before things get beyond the point of no return. Hopefully this pressure on Disney can bring about a positive change. Disney can even market this new initiative with a limited edition “Clean Restrooms are Back” pin.

Seriously, all your efforts to return Disney to its former glory have my support. I look forward to enjoying your column for many more years. Keep the honesty and truth coming!

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely

Antin B.

Then, Kenny H. — a former Magic Kingdom cast member — – chimed in to offer one explanation as to why his old theme park was looking so shabby these days:

Hello Jim.

As I read your letter regarding the upkeep issues at Splash Mountain, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of heartbreak. I myself am a former Tomorrowland cast member. For some individuals, including myself, working for Disney is still something to take pride in.

However.

Something I noticed in my time at WDW was how each of the lands was run almost as its own individual park. I’m proud to say that Tomorrowland’s maintenance (at least the visible stuff) was done with a great level of detail. Cast members scoured the attractions and area collecting garbage and lost and found. I can’t count the number of times I was there for an hour tagging items dropped by unwary guests…everything from hairpieces to $700 video cameras.

It appeared to me that some areas of the park, like Frontierland and Fantasyland, just weren’t paid as much care. This may be just chalked up to perception, since the metal and concrete structures in T-L were so stark in contrast to the other realms of Magic Kingdom, but I doubt it. But lately even Tomorrowland is starting to degrade a bit.

And I’ve noticed a HUGE staffing difference. When I worked there, we’d have nights where we’d be OVERSTAFFED, and CMs would have to go out on “buckets”…basically free times where we could go out and mingle with guests, entertain families, and create some “Magical Moments”. From what I’ve seen and heard, that isn’t the case anymore.

Why the difference? Well, one reason is the College Program, which once supplied a LARGE percentage of the workforce at the parks. The CP was dramatically cut this past year, and park operation and maintenance has suffered because of it. Many of these cuts are corporately-mandated, so Al Weiss and the area managers have to wait nervously for Casting to supply them with full and part-timers to fill spots that normally would be covered by the CP’s inexpensive, yet enthusiastic, labor.

What concerns me most, however, is the maintenance department. While experts in many trades and fast, efficient workers, there simply isn’t enough manpower or monetary resources to fix all the problems in the area, like Alien Encounter/Stitch Escape’s flooding issues in the preshow area, and the poor sidewalk drainage between AE, Timekeeper, and the Lunching Pad. Heck, in 2002, Carousel of Progress quietly shuttered because of an air conditioning problem that couldn’t be fixed.

But what can your readers do to help?

Well, for one…GET A JOB AT DISNEY!!! Okay, weird solution, I know…and no, I’m not some mole from Disney Casting But I’m betting one of the reasons no one is being hired is that no one is applying, thanks to a now well-deserved reputation the company has sadly obtained. If you’re a local in Florida, think about working at a Disney park, just one or two days a week. I learned something…the people you meet backstage…the people you eat with in the commissary, ride the bus to your work location with, watch TV with in the Break Room…they feel exactly the same about the company and the parks as you do, more than likely. Some even more so…they’ve dedicated YEARS of their lives to serving this company and trying to keep it at the peak of quality. I love Disney stuff, it’s what I grew up with. Working at those parks and seeing what was going on inside that company only made me want to do my job better.

One person doing their job to the best of their ability…well, let’s face it, won’t make a difference. But FIFTY THOUSAND CAST MEMBERS…well, that would be awesome.

As I leave, I would like to take this opportunity to thank some very special people who made my time at Disney one of the best times of my life…the Tomorrowland Attraction managers. So, to Art, Kelvin, Debbie, Jill, Todd, Jennifer, Hilary, Mike, Steve, Jeff, and anyone I’ve forgotten…YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

Kenny H.
Tomorrowland Attractions CPCM
Alien Encounter, Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain
May — December 2002

Next, BertCP sent in a rather lengthy letter, where he provided precise details on how poorly WDW’s “Splash Mountain” attraction is being maintained these days as well as offering up some insight about why Disney World’s cast members just don’t seem to care anymore.

Dear Jim,

First, let me say that I always enjoy reading your web site. As a cast member, it often helps to expand my knowledge of the Disney company, or have some questions answered that I can’t always ask at work. When I saw your article about the lack of up-keep on Splash Mountain, it was like déjà vu all over again.

I am a seasonal cast member at the WDW Resort because I am still in college, but I go back to work in the Entertainment department as a Disney Character on my school breaks because I love working there, a love that was fostered through my experiences on the Walt Disney World College Program. On one of the days that I was working, I was talking to my fellow entertainment cast members. We got on the topic of “Things that we would do different if we were in charge.” I brought up the topic of upkeep, and the floodgates opened.

My friend had been on Splash Mountain in the beginning of January and was just appalled at the lack of upkeep on the ride. He literally rode it 5 times to count the number of broken show elements and see what things needed to be fixed. According to his estimates, approximately 2/3 of the animatronics or show elements were not functioning, and as this is his favorite ride, he knows it inside-out.

Things like the beginning audio track not working, the shadow video where Brer Rabbit is being chased by Br’er Fox and the girl bunny (I forget her name) says “There goes Brer Rabbit again…yada yada” was not playing, the jumping fish was not working — WHICH by the way, is one of the neatest little things. As a tangent, I was talking to one of the CM’s who operate the ride and they said that they get at least 10 people a day asking them if that is a live fish. People like these small things. Also the laughing place section of the ride was almost all down, the alligator which is snapping at Brer Bear at the end was not working, the FSU gopher was not working, and the room with the Showboat was appalling — the wheel was not working, and there were cobwebs and cracks all over the place. I was skeptical of what he said, but sure enough, when I rode it, I too saw the lack of upkeep.

Now I am NOT a Disney basher. I LOVE that place with all my heart. Don’t think that the only thing I have to say about the company is bad stuff. I could write an encyclopedia on how much fun I have had working at Disney, and all of the magical moments that I have had interacting with guests. When I graduate this semester, I am planning on going back down to WDW to become a manager so I can try and make a difference in the company and help rekindle the magic in my own small way, so that maybe someday I will be in a position to do something (a long-term and lofty goal).

But at the same time, I am almost scared to do so because of the current state of things. Yes, Disney will never go away because of its ubiquity, but what happens in the mean time, well, I can only hope for the best.

But hopefully this story will have a happier ending. While I was in the parks during my days off, I noticed that Corporate was surveying the area around Splash Mountain. How do I know it was corporate? The two of them had the blue manager tags with the gold slash through it (which is the designation for corporate). So maybe they were experiencing for themselves the state of things, and hopefully there will be some action taken on that soon.

As a separate note, I wanted to just let you know about the cast members’ views on Michael Eisner’s visit to the WDW resort. It was January ***, and I had picked up an overtime shift at MK’s **** department. I asked my friends what they thought of the whole Roy vs. Michael ordeal, and (again) a whole can of worms was opened.

No one had anything positive to say about Eisner. In fact, they were laughing at Michael’s recent visit because everyone knew that it was a big internal publicity stunt. We saw through the marketing and PR that was trying to show that our top dog had our backs.

When you watched the video of Michael saying he was having a great time, it seemed so forced. He was not sincere about it at all — not to mention the fact that he looked very tired and worn out from things. Hearing him say that he appreciated our work was almost a slap in the face, considering that this was the man who had previously said that he could hire monkeys to put in the character suits and have them do the job for cheaper but look just as good.

It is a commendable effort if Eisner is going out there and doing the rounds because Michael finally has realized what he needs to do…but I think that’s not the case. Rather, I think someone in PR said “Hey, you need to do this” and he is doing this to try and save face. The funny thing is? I don’t feel he is saving face and that his efforts are not genuine. It’s not improving cast member morale.

Speaking of morale, I think that is directly related to why the upkeep is lacking. The CM’s don’t feel the need to go the extra mile. Why? Because people (specifically management) don’t notice. The company is so concerned with doing things by the rules and is very keen on handing out reprimands for small infractions, that they often don’t seem to appreciate the good that CM’s do.

YES, there is still plenty of recognition, and we still do try and honor those around us (Partners in Excellence is one of the best internal recognition for a company that I have seen), but I think a small example is that in Entertainment and ODF, they used to have these things called 5-star’s. Cast members could recognize each other when they did something that was above and beyond the call. About a year ago, they got rid of them. Every once in a while, it really does feel good to get a “paper pat on the back”, especially if you don’t get them often.

Another thing that just disheartened me was a phrase that I had never heard before, but had started popping up recently. Before we were going on set, I mentioned that something didn’t look right with (Unnamed character). The response? “We’re paid to wear, not to care”.

I had never heard that before, but that wasn’t the only time I heard it while I was visiting over the holiday break. It’s just another sign that things aren’t they way they used to be, or should be for that matter.

Oh well. I can only hope that Roy’s efforts are fruitful and that positive changes will be brought about soon.

I want to thank you for your time Jim — I know that you are a busy man. I hope you don’t think that I am a bitter CM who is jaded from working there. I love working at Disney, and I hope that through the combined efforts of all the people who cherish what Disney is and should be, that we can help to bring about positive changes for the company — both Cast Members and Disneyana fans.

I am reminded of the phrase “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” and I hope that this certainly holds
true for things here at Disney.

Sincerely,

BertCP

“We’re paid to wear, not to care” ?! Is that not the most depressing thing you’ve ever heard come out of a Disney cast member’s mouth.

Well, I thought so … Until I got this e-mail from Big Mike. Who suggests that the real source of all the misery and mess at Walt Disney World is that resort’s new cast deployment system:

Dear Jim,

I had to laugh when I read your article about the Splash Mountain trash. I know the precise reason why this problem seems to happen more frequently than ever. Why? I used to work in Frontierland at pretty much all of the attractions and I recently got terminated for improper use of cast deployment…let me explain why this little machine destroys cast morale and ultimately causes the now infamous “lack of cleanliness and care” at WDW.

Every day of every week of every year cast members wake up each day dreading the fact they will have to sign in to a computer which will ultimately decide what there day is going to be like. When you get to work at the Magic Kingdom, you park in a satellite parking lot…wait for a bus that now takes forever since they have less buses running than ever…wait for costuming which has less people than ever…and then you run to your attraction to sign in so the computer doesn’t think you’re late.

If you are, your manager has to stop whatever they are doing and get you back in the computer system which boots you out if you are late…and that is a good case scenario if you are not docked for being late despite the fact there are a lot of variables (I.E. the buses, costuming, etc.) that you cannot control. This happens every day.

Now we get to sign into the computer…hooray. The computer runs a system called cast deployment. Basically, it takes the union contract and from that contract inputs the bare minimum amount of breaks a cast member is entitled to as specified in the contract. The lovely part is that you don’t always receive all of your breaks or management will “tweak” the computer to fit the labor supply for that day. EX: the cast member receives their last break right before the end of their shift…I had many a days where I was off at 5 and received my last break at 4:30….makes a lot of sense considering I walk before the end of my break at 4:40 since we have a 20 minute walk time at MK.

During the course of the day, the computer decides where you go. How does this decide whether or not the care and cleanliness of the parks? In the past, cast members went through all of the positions at an attraction based on a rotational system where the people on break would come back, send a bump through the rotation, and the cast members would be bumped to the next position in rotation. Cast members also had the freedom to freeze in place at a position they preferred as long as everyone in rotation was ok with it.

Also, the old system helped in terms of cleanliness and care because people had the freedom to drop unnecessary positions(non-safety positions) to help guests with special situations or to clean up an unsightly mess that had occurred suddenly and couldn’t wait for custodial to show up. Also, because of the freedom, and because we typically got plenty of breaks, cast members felt they were being treated fairly and most always did their jobs with an honest effort and sincerity that has always been a hallmark of Disney cast members.

With cast deployment, it is completely different. No one gives a damn now because they feel they are being treated unfairly. This is an important point because we all know that cast members get paid very poorly so there needs to be other reasons for the cast to have some kind of personal fulfillment at work, I.E. make each day for our guests the best day of their lives if at all possible.

I used to know the people who work at Splash…Big Al and Wayne McSwain, good ol Shelly—miss ya girl—and the old days with Cory and Elton. These were good people who took their jobs seriously and always took care of “Splash” and complained when things weren’t right and needed “fixing”. Ever since deployment, the crew that works at this WDW attraction has begun slowly but surely to adopt an “I don’t give a damn attitude” which led to more lackadaisical work habits.

When a guest had a problem in the past, we always took care of it because no one worried about screwing up rotation or screwing up the computer. Nowadays, we pass the buck to someone else because we don’t want to leave rotation in case we get our break soon, because deployment is frugal when it comes to handing out breaks. If there is a mess, we don’t usually do anything about it because of our anti deployment attitudes. The hell with it…We are not getting a fair shake. So why should we return one in kind?

This is the kind of culture that is developing. No one likes being controlled by a computer. People like knowing they have some control over their jobs, especially when they are supposed to be incredibly helpful and smiling each and every day as they help people rid their memories of 9/11 and bills and everyday problems and help fill their hearts with childhood memories and facilitate their escape into days gone by and days that will never be.

Now it isn’t about that, Jim. For the cast member, it is all about “When am I getting my break?” and “Why haven’t I had my lunch?” These were never concerns of our old computer-free rotational system, but they are now.

Whether management wants to admit it or not, cast deployment, by far and away is the #1 reason why no one cares anymore. Every time we complained, the labor people always said that deployment has saved so much money and that this will help improve the guest experience in the future. I say that that’s Bull sh*t.

Sincerely yours,
Big Mike

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, folks. I got dozens of e-mails like this over the last 36 hours. From dispirited Disney World cast members to disappointed vacationers. Who all basically said the same thing: “The magic has gone out of the Walt Disney Company. It’s all about money these days.” And — most importantly — “Can’t something be done to turn this awful situation around.”

Funny you should ask. Come by JimHillMedia.com on Monday, February 2nd … when an entertainment industry insider will offer up his ideas about how Disney can start putting some magic back into its Magic Kingdom.

Your thoughts?