Suppose Chapek was fired, and YOU were named CEO…

[k5xs]

What five immediate changes would you direct at WDW to restore the faith of WDW followers and CMs?

 

[Dis Dragon]

1. Restore Magical Express.
2. Get rid of ILL, and put everything into Genie+ - I realize paid passes are here and will stay but ILL just really feels slimy.
3. Some of this would be dependent on staffing issues - but restore resort hospitality services to what they used to be, including daily room cleans.
4. Turn on parking trams.
5. Have Harmonious shipped to Animal Kingdom and start development on a World of Color-esque show at Epcot that is completely hidden during the day.

Bonus: Develop an after hours event program that is specific for CM's, that has multiple events in a calendar year.

 

[hhisc16]

1. Magical Express (internal with CM drivers)
2. Parking Tram return
3. Announce nighttime plans/shows at HS and AK (loss of night revenue)
4. Consolidation of Genie+ and ILL$- Flat rate (IT nightmare atm)
5. 5th gate plan or expansion details within next 5 years

 

[Schneewittchen37]

1. Shorten the lines. Drop LL and Fancy Rides and emulate Universal. Abandon useless tech. Provide limited numbers of prohibitively expensive Fastpass Lanes that you just walk into hovering around $100 - $200 per person per day in addition to park admission. New rides continue to have both virtual queues and a stand by line as well. Maybe make Fastpasses a perk of staying at a deluxe resort. EDIT: Need to adjust the FP to standby ratio. I *think* it's 80/20. It should be closer to 50/50.
2. Improve internal and external parks transportation. More busses, more boats, more transportation CMs. Restore Magical Express. Restore trams. Expand Skyliner. New monorail vehicles and new lines.
3. Improve the food situation. Reopen all of the restaurants. Hire more food service CMs. Build more outdoor dining seating. Scale back mobile ordering emphasis and focus on improving processes in the facilities.
4. Hire more customer service (phone and in-person) and front line ride CMs. People are overwhelmed. The customer to CM ratio isn't working.
5. Develop plans for a 5th gate or focus on creating new lands in existing parks or expand existing lands. The rides per new land ratio is sad and too low. It's shameful that New Fantasyland, Galaxy's Edge and Pandora only have 2 rides each. You need at least a 3rd and possibly a 4th ride in each area - ideally they should be giant people eaters - aim for 2000-3000 riders per hour. And it's okay if they are off-the-shelf lightly IP'ed amusement park rides too. Literally, you need attractions to occupy little kids and old folks too.

 

[BigDogDaddy]

1-ask every department head for 5 quick and easy fixes to make the guest experience better, implement them in the next 14 days
2-bring back the year of a million wishes.....it is your 50th anniversary
3-reward people who are your most valuable asset, the employees. There has to be something you can do for them to bring back the trust
4-every company has a frequent shopper card, where is Disney's?
5-lose the jewelry store resort pricing...quit inflating the nightly room price just to 'discount' 30%.
*-bring back the Disney savings account....newsflash to the new CEO....Disney is not cheap and anyway you can help people come to see you has to benefit both parties

 

[dkostel]

1) Hire back Buridka, Grand Flo society orchestra, and any other entertainment that was let go.
2) Get rid of parking charge at resorts
3) Get rid of pay per ride rides. Everything in Genie+. If that doesn't work back to virtual queues for some rides.
4) Start planning 5th gate, that is the best way to alleviate crowds in existing parks.
5) Sell Fox to highest bidder to help finance #4. That one still doesn't make any sense.
Also apologize for last 2 years.

 

[BrianL]

You guys would hate me, but Parks wouldn't be my first priority. I would:

1. Absolutely clean house at Marvel Comics and replace all staff editors and end all freelance contracts to create a new writers bullpen actually based together in NYC to rebuild the Marvel Universe from all the damage of the recent years (like past 20 or so).
2. See if Alan Horn really didn't want to retire and get him back if possible.
3. Get more classic titles onto Disney+ that are often overlooked and put a little more of a push behind some of them to introduce them to new generations.
4. Now, we can start working on the parks - and yeah, I have a wish list, but primarily it would be to staff up and double-down on maintenance in some of the shabby lookign on-stage areas.
5. Completely overhaul the FP system and eliminate it for many rides that really work better without. Some rides would still offer it, mostly newer stuff.

 

[Moliphino]

1. Scrap Genie and return to Fastpass+

 

[mshanson3121]

What five immediate changes would you direct at WDW to restore the faith of WDW followers and CMs?

1. Improve IT & hire more CMs to man the phones, chats etc...
2. Get rid of GP+/ILL+ and bring back FP+
3. Bring back EMH with some modifications: tiered perks: 1 hour in the am and 1 hour in the pm for Value and Moderate guests, every day, all parks. 1 hour in the am and 2 hours in the PM for deluxe guests, every day, all parks. And ONLY for actual Disney resorts. For DS hotel guests either 30 minutes extra am only every park every day, or 1 hour extra am only, on select days.
4. Nightime parade again, ideally at AK, since it's now the only park without night time entertainment.
5. 5th gate (Villains!)

 

[BrianL]

Also, for WDW, once current contsrutcion is complete and the parks are maximized, I would move to a fifth gate. But first...

• Resurrect some Mk plans liek the MK theater and add something to the Tomorrowland north show building, plus get the Speedway changed over to electric vehicles.
• Finish Epcot projects, including the new Festival Center and try to get at least one new World Showcase pavilion or expansion done, maybe adding attractions.
• Get the shows at HS back up and running, especially Fantasmic! and get soemething new in the Animation Building area that is not currently in use.
• Get somethign for hte footprint of PRimeval Whirl for AK and maybe add soemthign more significant to Planet Watch.

Then we can work on a fifth gate, which I wouldn't pigeon-hole to one theme like villains. I picture something more like DisneySea with sort of historic but legendary areas.

 

[MICKIMINI]

1. Intense CM training, especially at resorts and parks. Creative rewards for these hard working front line folks!
2. Clean up everything - the parks (soap & water required), IT (I'm begging...),
Genie+ (perhaps lose it altogether), resorts and especially management. Does the CEO and top/middle management even walk the parks in street clothes to see/hear guest reactions?
3. Bring back Magical Express even if it means a smallish charge. Real CM's. Please let me send my luggage from my airport and fetch it when we return!
4. Bring back the MAGIC! Okay, so resorts and meals are expensive, however "frequent flyer" type rewards/credits...free soda, free ap or dessert with $500 meal or some such thing. And what is with the lack of creativity in merchandising and clothing? Check out Etsy for goodness sakes...
5. Class up all the resorts so you don't over or underdo theming. Great examples are Jambo House which takes your breath away as you enter. OKW which I love, has lost 99% of it's Disney theme. Details (lots of them) do count!

Get moving and get it done...enough foot dragging, poor decisions, cheating guests and excuses! D O I T N O W!

My credentials: 48 years of WDW, 26 years of DVC and who knows how much $$$$$$$$$$$ spent!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

1) like many, I recognize Genie plus is here to stay but I’d pull a universal. Deluxe would have unlimited included, moderate a certain amount, value a certain amount, add in for everyone else
2) Eliminate eBay resellers completely. Yes I’d hire people to report it.
3) More muppet content
4) figure out a fifth gate/new location situation
5) hire more disney and theme park fans in admin. The people who saw everything that went on (and in some cases a rehire/bringing people out of retirement)

Then, once I had done that, I’d launch both Hercules and a revival of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. And film them for Disney plus.

Oh and the trams. Cant forget the trams!

 

[dkostel]

3) More muppet content

LOVE this one!

 

[OldDisneyFan]

1. Simplify G+ with some of the great solutions already mentioned.
2. Bring back parking lot trams
3. Make customer service a priority ( in person and on the phone)—staff up, so CMs are not so overwhelmed.
4. Make mobile ordering an option, not a mandate.
5. Fully reopen—bring back all shows and open all closed restaurants and shops.
6. Bring back package pickup at the gates/resorts.

 

[Carol_]

1. Housekeeping for EVERYONE, EVERY DAY. (If you don’t want it, you don’t have to have it.)
2. Increase that magical Disney Hospitality training across the board. More pixie dust!
3. More kids’ programs on Disney+, perhaps an educational arm?
4. CM events.
5. Invest more in upkeep. (Eg peeling paint)
5a. Bring back the trams and Minnie vans.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

1. Simplify G+ with some of the great solutions already mentioned.
2. Bring back parking lot trams
3. Make customer service a priority ( in person and on the phone)—staff up, so CMs are not so overwhelmed.
4. Make mobile ordering an option, not a mandate.
5. Fully reopen—bring back all shows and open all closed restaurants and shops.
6. Bring back package pickup at the gates/resorts.

I forgot about package pickup…..

 

[Tigger's ally]

Wow, with everyone complaining about the prices already, all these suggestions would add big $$$'s. I agree that staffing is the main concern but in this country right now, the only way you add staffing is to pay big $'s for it and pass on the cost to the customers. My top five-

1. Magical express- I am fine with letting Mears run it and charge but please let them use the Disney themed busses and video's.
2. Longer park hours
3. Minnie vans- These actually make $$ as it is
4. More Skyliners. I love the boats from OKW, SSR, and PO resorts to Springs, but two legs of Skyliners would work wonders there. Same for AKL to AK.
5. Family oriented hotel rooms like Nickleodean had....

 

[Sandiz08]

Magical express
Minnie Vans
Character meet and greets
Bring back fast pass
Bring back Happily ever after

 

[Dean Kennedy]

What five immediate changes would you direct at WDW to restore the faith of WDW followers and CMs?

Give the cast members a raise
Bring back the Magical Express
Have just Genie+
leave the classic rides alone for Gods sake
Bring back the Osborne Family light show

 

[pwdebbie]

1. No charge for parking your car at resorts (and if a resort guest, no charge at parks either) -- I don't want to be punished for driving 16 hours to get there in the first place.

2. The little things throughout the parks that made Disney special -- street performers / pop-up shows in particular.

3. Someone else mentioned bring back Year of a Million Dreams -- YES! Make it all "magical" again. Give people a sense of expectation and anticipation.

4. Senior citizen pricing and perks -- If I am spending all my money for a bed and a shower, I'm less likely to spend money in the parks or at DS. Senior citizen lines at attractions (because we might have trouble navigating Genie).

5. Dining plan more like it was in the beginning -- appetizer OR dessert, tips included