This is the second time in less than a month that I am down here in Disney World.
While I completely appreciate the opportunity to do the work, there are just somethings that need to be talked about.
This show is at the Walt Disney World Dolphin. Some of the staff here are amazingly rude, and you ask them for something and you get a blank stare. I am not talking about front desk staff, they are actually pretty helpful all things considered.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I just saw a client struggling with the door to our meeting room, and went over to help.... We are totally locked in... the door is jammed and there are about 50 people now stuck in this room. This is just one more thing to add to the list of why this hotel is so crappy.
Anyway.. back to the staff. They are all magicians (fitting for the magical Disney experience) Except their magic act is them disappearing. If you are not really quick.. they run for the hills rather than check in with you to see if you need anything.
I asked a houseman to put the skirt on the tech table after we put the equipment on it, and instead of giving me the standard hospitality smile and answer.. "no problem" He avoided looking at my eyes, and said... "You Can Do it" and threw the skirt clips on the table and walked away.
The other thing that just makes life miserable is we are staying at the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort. This place is only about 1 mile away so you would think that getting a cab to take you there shouldn't be an issue at a "World Class Resort" like Disney.
But those guys at the Valet at the dolphin have a major racket going on. You walk up to the Valet guy and ask for a taxi, and he immediately shouts, "TOWNCAR" at the top of his lungs. Moments later this nice Lincoln Towncar pulls around and they help you into it.
You might be thinking something like "wow, Disney has nice taxis" But really what just happened was, that the Valet just got a kickback from the Towncar driver, and you are paying for it!
If you take an actual metered taxi cab from the Dolphin to the Coronado Springs, it will cost be tween $4.50 and 5.00 depending on traffic.
In your nice Lincoln Towncar, the driver will ask you for $17.00 and expect a tip on top of that.
There is no meter in the Towncar and you really have no recourse but to pay the guy what he asks for.
Three weeks ago, I took a taxi from the airport to the Dolphin, and payed the driver $60.00 for the ride. it was about $47.00 for the fare, and the rest was tip. At 5:00 am on the way back to the airport, I asked for a taxi, and got a Towncar, and the fare was $63.00 before the tip. So, it ends up being $75.00 instead of $60.00. That was where I learned my lesson.
The flip side to the equation is that the taxi drivers expect every fare to be going to the airport.
so, when you tell them that you are going 1 mile away. they moan and groan like you stole their first child. Then they drive aggressively and basically make you uncomfortable like you did something wrong by getting into their cab!
They are in the same racket with the Towncars, and valets. So, much so that last night when I got into the taxi and told him that I needed to go to the Coronado, he looked at the valet like "you screwed me" and the valet looked at him and said... "I got you covered... open your trunk"
when the Taxi driver opened the trunk, the Valet through two $5.00 bills in the trunk, it was very slick and on the downlow... makes me wonder if this either illegal, or against hotel policy. otherwise, why wouldn't the valet just give him the cash directly?
It all just feels slimy.
And the real problem is, that families... save every last penny to bring their kids to see Mickey Mouse and drop huge coin on hotel rooms that are beat down... dirty and you have to walk so far from the front desk to get to your room that you have to train for a marathon just to make it... oh, and then give a fat tip to the bellman because he pushed a cart for you, and then these nice families get ripped off by the staff at the hotel.
The good news is... the show is going well, and the clients are all great. They are treating us with a great amount of respect and are happy we are here to help them. This is the way business should be done.
Thats all for now... I am sure I will have more to rant about by the end of the day here at Disney World.
Have a Magical Day!
S.
Anyway.. back to the staff. They are all magicians (fitting for the magical Disney experience) Except their magic act is them disappearing. If you are not really quick.. they run for the hills rather than check in with you to see if you need anything.
I asked a houseman to put the skirt on the tech table after we put the equipment on it, and instead of giving me the standard hospitality smile and answer.. "no problem" He avoided looking at my eyes, and said... "You Can Do it" and threw the skirt clips on the table and walked away.
The other thing that just makes life miserable is we are staying at the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort. This place is only about 1 mile away so you would think that getting a cab to take you there shouldn't be an issue at a "World Class Resort" like Disney.
But those guys at the Valet at the dolphin have a major racket going on. You walk up to the Valet guy and ask for a taxi, and he immediately shouts, "TOWNCAR" at the top of his lungs. Moments later this nice Lincoln Towncar pulls around and they help you into it.
You might be thinking something like "wow, Disney has nice taxis" But really what just happened was, that the Valet just got a kickback from the Towncar driver, and you are paying for it!
If you take an actual metered taxi cab from the Dolphin to the Coronado Springs, it will cost be tween $4.50 and 5.00 depending on traffic.
In your nice Lincoln Towncar, the driver will ask you for $17.00 and expect a tip on top of that.
There is no meter in the Towncar and you really have no recourse but to pay the guy what he asks for.
Three weeks ago, I took a taxi from the airport to the Dolphin, and payed the driver $60.00 for the ride. it was about $47.00 for the fare, and the rest was tip. At 5:00 am on the way back to the airport, I asked for a taxi, and got a Towncar, and the fare was $63.00 before the tip. So, it ends up being $75.00 instead of $60.00. That was where I learned my lesson.
The flip side to the equation is that the taxi drivers expect every fare to be going to the airport.
so, when you tell them that you are going 1 mile away. they moan and groan like you stole their first child. Then they drive aggressively and basically make you uncomfortable like you did something wrong by getting into their cab!
They are in the same racket with the Towncars, and valets. So, much so that last night when I got into the taxi and told him that I needed to go to the Coronado, he looked at the valet like "you screwed me" and the valet looked at him and said... "I got you covered... open your trunk"
when the Taxi driver opened the trunk, the Valet through two $5.00 bills in the trunk, it was very slick and on the downlow... makes me wonder if this either illegal, or against hotel policy. otherwise, why wouldn't the valet just give him the cash directly?
It all just feels slimy.
And the real problem is, that families... save every last penny to bring their kids to see Mickey Mouse and drop huge coin on hotel rooms that are beat down... dirty and you have to walk so far from the front desk to get to your room that you have to train for a marathon just to make it... oh, and then give a fat tip to the bellman because he pushed a cart for you, and then these nice families get ripped off by the staff at the hotel.
The good news is... the show is going well, and the clients are all great. They are treating us with a great amount of respect and are happy we are here to help them. This is the way business should be done.
Thats all for now... I am sure I will have more to rant about by the end of the day here at Disney World.
Have a Magical Day!
S.
2 comments:
Nice reportive work on the dirt behind the castle walls. Customer service is dead; long live apathy!
apathy
woo.
hoo.
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