Just back!

[Chucky]

I'm just back from a great 5 night trip to Disney World. And first, I want to say thank you to all the CMs I encountered. You were all wonderful, and I truly appreciate your cheefulness and the enthusiasm you have for you job.

I especially need to give a big thank you to the CM who was working Peter Pan Sunday morning. My group had split up, and I was left standing alone in front of the ride waiting for some of them, as they had not thought to turn their cell phone on, so they could find us. I was a little ticked off to be waiting for them as the rest of the group were on Peter Pan. :mad: I was giving the stragglers what-for when the CM came over and leaned on me, and started to mock me. :p: It was exactly what I needed to calm down and totally changed my mood. Big thanks!

I do have one question. What is going on with the busses? Only once during the whole trip did we hear the automated spiel on the resort busses. Are they not working, or is everyone overiding it? Also, I was rather supprised that when loading the busses on the way back from the parks people would stand on the rear stairs by the door, and the drivers would not make them move. This happened a couple of times. If they are stupid enough to stand there then it would be their own fault they were hurt, but wouldn't the driver be held responsible and get into trouble? Plus, 2 times the airconditioning was not working on the bus. Is Disney just not giving these busses the attention they deserve?

Once again, thanks to all of you for making my trip a great one! You guys are great! :)

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Oh my!!

Glad you had a good time! You are right, the CM's always seem to make the trip worthwhile!

as to the busses...

(I say duck, as there are some CM's who have a....STRONG...opinion about them!)

hehehe

[February]

The thing that scared me about the busses (which I still have to write to WDW about- I'm so behind in my after-trip Guest Service letter writing) is that all the human dispatchers are going away- soon.

I talked to man at the GF bus stop about this- he had a clipboard and I think he was some sort of transportation coordinator- when I mentioned to him that it had taken us forever to get a bus from HS to Epcot. I told him that I could hear the traffic over the bus radio and that it seemed the new system was hazardous at best when it came to guest service.

Then he told me that the human dispatchers were going to be a thing of the past and I was horrified! His response was, please put that in writing, because they will listen to the guests much more than they listen to us.

Cranbiz- can you speak to this? Are they really taking away all your people and putting Wall-E in charge of bus dispatching?

Bru

[Big Wallaby]

I can answer that one. That is the hope, but the more I see of this system, the more I believe it will never work in the final stage, though they'll be trying CPR a month after it's dead. Oh, well, let them get it out of their system.

Chucky, I am curious... when you say you were surprised and not happy with not hearing the automated spiels, is that because you weren't hearing anything? On my bus, you wouldn't have heard the spiels, because I would have been talking quite a bit. However, many drivers will mute it and then not say anything. Just want to know what you were dealing with.

In my experience as a driver for Disney, and as a Cast Member Bus Driver, I can say there are two kinds of bus drivers... the Cast Member and the Teamsters bus driver. How they treat you will be dictated by whether they are more closely affiliated with the Cast or the Union.

I don't wish to bash unions, I have enjoyed the union we have at Safari. I have enjoyed the shop stewards, whereas the shop stewards in buses, by the unsolicited admission of many of them, exist to be dicks for the union and occasionally the union members. In my time in buses, I gained a very sour view of that union. However, after watching the way the union I'm currently a part of chooses to deal with management and Cast, it's been easy to come to the conclusion that not all of the unions are like the bus union.

The union bus drivers want to get in a bus and drive, day in and day out, make a meager hourly wage, and go home having spoken to the fewest guests possible, letting the computer be friendly for them. The Cast members who drive buses will greet you as you board, make you feel welcome, and if that computer isn't working, they'll have a moment of celebration and then talk to you.

Any issues you have with buses, please pass them to guest relations. It's an area that is busy beating a dead horse, and I know many of the bus drivers hear several times a day that guests have been waiting long periods for buses to certain areas. I would love to be supportive of the system and say bear with it for a little while, but it's proving to be a cluster f###.

The system they are trying to implement has been installed in about eight other transit systems around the country, and it's been removed from about eight other transit systems. Cranbiz knows more about the technical operation of the system, but I know enough to tell bad guest service when I see it, and the computer system is, as it is now, bad guest service. Were I made President of Disney tomorrow, that would be the first fat I trim off the budget. Then, we'd see about knocking down the Swan and Dolphin. Next, we'd begin dismantling the BAH, and so-on.

[Cranbiz]

Yes, it's true.

When the MiMs system goes online 100%, everything will be dispatched by computer from one central location. Now the operators there are susposed to monitor the cameras at the "busy" bus stops to adjust the dispatches manually.

As to the lack of spiels, that is due to the phase of testing we are in right now. Many of the routes given by the dispatcher are "Dead Head" routes even though we are picking up guests. That's why you are not hearing a spiel.

No comment on your other concerns, I like driving a bus at WDW.

[Big Wallaby]

No comment on your other concerns, I like driving a bus at WDW.

What, are the problems so bad that they're now threatening that if you talk about them you'll no longer wear purple pants?

Not that the purple isn't being phased out anyway... I was at Westgate the other day for... reasons... and saw that poster.

[Cranbiz]

What, are the problems so bad that they're now threatening that if you talk about them you'll no longer wear purple pants?

Not that the purple isn't being phased out anyway... I was at Westgate the other day for... reasons... and saw that poster.

Sometimes, the electrons have ears. Not worth the chance.

Now, I'm not sure about my feelings on the proposed costume change. I don't feel the black pants really go with the shirt, but like the idea of being able to hop on over to my other job without changing pants. Now if the proposed change was to grey, I'd be very concerned.

[Randy B]

Were I made President of Disney tomorrow, that would be the first fat I trim off the budget. Then, we'd see about knocking down the Swan and Dolphin. Next, we'd begin dismantling the BAH, and so-on.

And don't forget expanding the monorails to ALL the parks. :D:

Randy

[Switchbeam 9]

And don't forget expanding the monorails to ALL the parks. :D:

Randy

Don't forget to add a bar car.

As for the buses, I find it to be an amazingly convenient system. Largely because I use a lot of mass transit and I know what delays really are. A few days ago my train was 4 1/2 hours late because of a storm which in areas with a lot of trees often means debris on the tracks and so forth. Not to mention all the other bus issues I have. WDW buses are very reliable in comparison to others.

I met some really awesome drivers as well. I would use the Disney buses quite a bit. They had a lot to deal with such as multiple ECVs (another reason for a monorail expansion. Much easier to accommodate ECVs) and really idiot SGs who jump in front of the bus because waiting upwards of 20 minutes might put a dent in their park commando plans to haphazardly do everything in all 4 parks in one day. Even after dealing with that many were personable. Of course I did meet plenty of drivers that ignored the guests. I have to admit that I found more interesting drivers on the CP buses. Especially the desired 'A' (MK and TTC) route. Found out one is a big Terry Pratchett fan so he gave me like an entir ebag of books I have yet to read in the Discworld series (like 44 books strong).

Plus, CP drivers often drive like they're on a mission. Faster they get to Chatham Square and leave early and get to Vista Way, the longer they can smoke a cigarette. There is one driver that would even make an adrenalin junky like me get revved up. For someone like me who is a very very bad driver to think someone else is a crazy driver takes a lot.

[Chucky]

I was suprised that the automated spiel wasn't working. Plus most of the drivers didn't try to chat with the passengers. I know that most of the drivers hate that spiel, but figured if they had shut it off they would be talking to us. But only one driver did. I had talked up the new system to my sister, about how music plays and it tells you where you are headed. So I was disappointed that she missed that part of the Disney experience.

We only ran into one driver who I thought didn't like their job. It was going to the ASMu Saturday from Epcot. It was very hot and humid that day, and the airconditioning wasn't working, so I could see why she wasn't happy. But she packed the bus to the gills, and then drove like the hounds of hell were after her. I was standing, and it was so humid that I could hardly hold on to the pole. There were no hanging straps on the bus. It was hard not to fall, especially going around corners. Kids were sitting on the gray part that has the sign above it for no sitting or packages, and people were standing on the steps by the back door. Definately not safe.

In general I have no problem with the Disney busses. They get me where I need to go in a pretty efficient manner, and I don't have to drive myself and worry about getting lost. Most drivers seem to enjoy their jobs, and that is probably why I was so suprised by the few who don't.