FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

4. Bizarre maintenance problems

Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World
Image: Disney

Maintenance issues are par for the course at theme parks to a point. Hundreds of complex technological and mechanical systems are utilized to make the magic of Disney attractions happen. Sometimes these systems just don’t cooperate, such as is frequently seen on advanced rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

What has felt different is the nature of the maintenance issues people are starting to notice at Disney parks—many are downright bizarre. A few border on scary.

Prior to 2020, I never heard of a situation where a Jungle Cruise or Splash Mountain boat straight up sank in the middle of a ride. That’s not a normal maintenance issue. Guests at Disneyland Resort recently recorded a situation where an Indiana Jones Adventure ride vehicle started shooting sparks. One family reported feeling traumatized after they got stuck at the top of Splash Mountain for an extended time—another batch of guests got stuck for over an hour on It’s a Small World (oof). We’ve had a visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge earlier this year where almost every major animatronic in the land was covered or shifted into B-mode.

Some of this may just be the nature of social media—ride malfunctions didn’t necessarily go viral a decade ago—but there’s no question some of the issues are eyebrow raisers. Disney has prided themselves on their thorough ride inspections, and it's hard not to feel like they are having trouble keeping up with basic ride maintenance in some situations. If that’s a result of cost-cutting measures, it’s an area the company definitely needs to address expediently to avoid a major incident or continued bad press.

5. Dining prices, portions, and quality

Two women enjoy food at Epcot Food and Wine Festival
Image: Disney

This is a very, very broad one, and it isn’t necessarily anything new—there’s been controversy about shifts in dining quality at Walt Disney World for a pretty long time now, ever since the arrival of the Disney dining plan. I would not go so far as to say this is an area of dramatic failure on Disney’s part necessarily. There are still a lot of great dining options throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and the company continues to expand dining selections with the return of fan favorites like the Tusker House buffet and Victoria and Albert’s.

That being said, there are situations where cost-cutting measures have been noticeable in Disney’s dining line-up.

These shifts have largely been subtle. At one location, prices may have risen. At another, portions seem strangely smaller. Those with a keen eye for culinary details may notice dishes that have been adjusted or ingredients swapped for the sake of cost-effectiveness. We’ve seen this on occasion with slight alterations in versions of popular dishes at Epcot’s seasonal festivals. New restaurants and counter-service locations are tending to lean towards playing it safe with their menus, sticking to familiar favorites likely to please picky eaters rather than embracing more adventurous offerings that might provide something truly unique you’d expect from visiting a Disney park.

Many of these areas of wobbling quality appear to be location specific. Still, it does bear mentioning being the root of the issue is tied to cost-cutting.

6. Tired cast members

Cast members taking a selfie with Mickey
Image: Disney

Cast members are the heart and soul of what makes Disney magical. Machines can break down, and technology can easily cause just as many frustrations as it solves, but cast members exemplify the personal touch that has earned Disney their high reputation--providing warmth, hospitality, problem-solving skills, maintaining clean parks, personal connections, and keeping guests safe all at once.

Over the years, most Disney cast members we have encountered are full of life, friendly, and seem to enjoy their jobs. These last few years seem to have definitely weighed on many cast members, however. It has become more and more common, in our experience, to encounter cast members who seem tired and more cautious to engage with guests. Some might even border on coming across as tight-lipped or harsh.

Much of this is a result of the expected aftermath of a global pandemic—Disney is still in the midst of a sloth-slow crawl back towards normalcy with things like drawing cultural representatives back to World Showcase or rebuilding entertainment options. Other issues have had more acute effects on cast members, however. Continued worker shortages have caused higher turnaround rates and possibly some shifts in Disney’s hiring standards (we think this may have affected some of the reduction in role-play interactions at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, for example). Attraction crews may be operating with much fewer cast members than before, increasing the weight on those in key positions.

Most significantly, many cast members have been worn out by the increase in guests acting out unpredictably in reaction to basic instructions or inconveniences—a similar phenomenon to that which has affected flight attendants regularly contending with unruly passengers who just seem to have lost all courtesy and sense these last few stressful years. Having someone scream at you, threaten you, or call you names just for doing your job can be a pretty traumatic experience, let alone if it happens often. This sort of repeated stress has most definitely had a negative effect on front line cast members throughout Disney parks.

On top of that, Disney continues to be called out in the media (particularly by major figures like Abigail Disney) for overworking and underpaying cast members in many positions, particularly in the midst of increasing pressures working in the entertainment/travel industry. At the same time, some cast members have allegedly reported frustrations with not having as much freedom to deliver “pixie dust” moments to guests as they used to for fear of getting in trouble for cutting into demand for Disney’s various paid services.

In short, cost-cutting measures affect cast members in myriad ways, for they are the ones who end up absorbing guest frustrations. They need lots of love, respect, appreciation, and gratitude from guests to continue to bolster morale, but guests only play so much of a role in the picture. It’s ultimately up to Disney to take measures to ensure that cost-cutting doesn’t place such a burden on cast members that they can’t maintain an encouraging work environment and a steady base of workers who want to make Disney parks their long term career home.

What do you think is the best and worst thing about each US Disney park? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Comments

Just returned from a December trip. Years ago, Disney was my happy place, but I can honestly say that for me the magic is gone for all the above noted reasons.

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...