We noted right away how friendly the staff was. From the resort check in staff, to the costumed characters to the guy who cleaned the tops of the covered trash cans. Chris was his name, and he always stopped what he was doing to hold a door, greet guests, wave and say “Have a magical day!”
There was always activity touching things up. The bathrooms were clean, considering the volume of traffic seen per hour – hundreds of people, no doubt. Every morning, but never before 9 a.m., the concrete around the pool at the resort we stayed was power washed clean of debris and mulch. There was something being touched up with paint if you were a careful observer. The guys changing the light bulbs made sure to stop and greet you. One busy fellow even remarked, “Hadn’t I already seen you today?” on my second run to the café for another cup of coffee. They made it a point to remember me in the sea of faces seen that morning. Wow.
A good amount of this maintenance comes at a cost, for sure, but the basics of good customer service were free. Not only free, but these little steps actually generated revenue. Need proof? There was no sign of the recession at Disney World. There were eighty-minute waits at the rides, crowds at the parades, and bag full of over-priced merchandise in every stroller.
Consider this free gesture: A customer asks a staff member out on the grounds, “I have lost my wallet. Who can I check with to see if it has been found?” Does the staff member say, “Walk down that way, take a left at the last building on the right, find the little sign that says ‘Guest Relations’ and someone there may be able to help you.”? Or, better, “Let me walk you to someone who may be of assistance.” Nine times out of ten, the Disney staff did the latter. The tenth time was because the staff member was in a position where she could not leave her post. Does the extra effort cost the staff more money? Not in hard dollars. In time and productivity, maybe. Did that little gesture help pay their salary and benefits. You better believe it did.
Now here comes the ‘why’ the staff was so courteous. Was it because upper management said “Do it, or else!” Now, while I did not talk to anyone in upper management, the sense I got from the staff on the grounds was that they really loved their job. Or at least, saw value in what they contributed to the whole Disney experience. You don’t get that type of buy-in from staff with threats. No, that comes from valuing each staff member, providing them training, the resources they need to do their job, and, perhaps, incentives. Of course, if you provide staff with a positive and fulfilling work experience, that typically is incentive enough … at least for the staff who really take ownership in what they contribute to the company.
So, what is the cost to upper management? Provide customer service training centered on empowering staff, not on threats. Create value in every position from the princess character to the guy who power-washed the concrete. Really communicate how each staff contributes to the overall grand experience of the customer. Create a buy-in … a ownership feeling in the overall success of the company. Not, “You better be glad you work here,” but rather, “We’re so glad you work here.” And the benefit of extra staff training? Again, there was no sign of a recession at Disney World!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Doing Disney Cheap
Stay at a resort! This sounds contrary as resort rooms are inevitably more expensive than off site hotels. But if you stay off-site, the savings quickly dwindle. You can ride a bus at no extra charge to where ever you want to go if staying at a resort. That saves your gas money and time – time waiting in the car lane to enter the park, time at the park gates, and time in the car parking lot … And what is your time worth? That, and the buses pick you up at the resort you are staying at and take you to the park of your choice. If you stay at the Polynesian or Contemporary, for instance, you can catch a monorail to the different parks. How cool is that? Parking – expect to pay parking if you drive. One sign I glanced at read $14 to park. We did drive to that park, but had our resort parking pass in our car window, so did not have to pay parking. Cha-ching! There are other fringe benefits to staying at a resort. You can go to the parks at what is called Extra Magic hours – these are extended hours just for resort guests. The parks are relatively crowd-free during these hours. Hours range from an extra hour in the morning to up to three extra hours at night. Minimal line waits, and hardly any crowds (unless you just happen to pick the park where all the resort guests are heading, and even then, the crowds are manageable.)
Lay down the $13 and get a refillable mug. These mugs can be used at the resort food courts. Fill up on coffee in the morning, iced tea or pop in the afternoon. Refills are free. And, psst, two people can share one mug if you get your refill, and split the drink back in the room using the plastic cups that magically appear each afternoon! Or, if you don’t care about germs … or know the person you are sharing with … you can share from the one mug.
Do a package deal! Our package deal included 6 days and 5 nights, with no air fare. (Yes, we drove.) Certain packages deals include a pre-loaded gift card good at gift shops, restaurants and, you got it, the food court at the resort. We spent a total of $21 above and beyond the amount of our gift card, and ate very well, thank you very much.
Back to the previous paragraph ... Drive! … if you can, if your car is dependable, and if you live in a part of the country not terribly far from Orlando. We live about 1200 miles away from Disney World, so right at about a 19 hour drive, depending on who is driving. Even at an average of $2.66/gallon and at a highway average of 30 mpg, our two-way driving trip was cheaper than one round-trip airline ticket even through a (once good) service like Priceline. And, the sum total of the 4 hotels we stayed at on the drive there and back was also less than one round-trip airline ticket even through a (use-to-be-better) service like Priceline. There were four of us, so our travel costs were literally cut in half by driving, and we saw the seasons literally change there and back again on the scenic drive. PS: Marry someone like my wife who can still make Priceline sing and dance. She will save you a bundle on hotel fees.
Bring food. Dry goods. Boxed snacks. Nuts. Slim Jims … love the Slim Jims. Especially for the car ride and for snacks in the park. For the room, consider packing dry cereal, canned fruits and soups, microwaveable Mac and Cheese and tortillas, not bread. Tortillas are easier to store in your trunk and make for a tasty peanut-butter and jelly quesadilla. The resorts typically have microwaves you can use to heat your soups and Mac and Cheese. Just don’t forget to pack the cereal bowls and can opener! We ate most of our lunches out in the parks using our gift card. Sometimes dinner, too. Breakfast we typically had in our room with stuff we packed. Did you know you can make oatmeal with a coffee pot?
Pack snacks for the park. Bring a backpack or bag for your snacks and bottled water. While this will slow you down at the park entrance while they check your bag (which in these times, I appreciate that they did), you will save a bundle of loot on snacks and water for kids. Here’s a tip! Propel and Lipton make single-serving, flavored packs you pour into your bottled water to mix things up. I personally prefer the Lipton “Energy Tea” with a whopping 50 mg of caffeine. (Some mornings, I would put two in my bottle of water!)
Bring ponchos! While we did cave and buy the kids “souvenir” ponchos – on our gift card, naturally – we did pack enough ponchos for each of us. These were good for the water rides on the cloudy, cool days (we went in March), and for the mini-typhoon we experienced the last two days of our vacation.
Sorry, luggage services, but I suggest visitors haul their own bags. (It might be different if you fly in and use the shuttle service from the airport, but we drove in) Check out a folding dolly and haul your stuff to your room. Let the luggage services guys and gals be free to help the big tippers or those people that really need help. Besides, you will need the extra exercise to stay up with the kids every day!
Here’s a good one – buy your souvenirs and t-shirts NOT at Disney World. Find a Disney outlet near your home town or en route, stop there and buy your goodies. A $14 dollar t-shirt is a heck of a lot cheaper than a $38 one, and fits just as nice! Actually, we found t-shirts in an outlet that were unique and unlike any ones we found at Disney World. (I had the grumpy Mickey! Too cool!)
Lastly, two words – fridge swap! While I won’t say too much about it here, as I don’t want to mess up a good thing, fridge swaps are “legal,” the resorts allow the practice to go on, and it’s a great way to save $15 a day while giving you a more convenient option to keeping your dairy, lunch meats and other perishables cool … as opposed to icing down your cooler every night. The budget resort rooms do not typically have a mini-fridge in them, unless you want to shell out another $15 a day …. Again, two words – fridge swap! Look it up.
Lay down the $13 and get a refillable mug. These mugs can be used at the resort food courts. Fill up on coffee in the morning, iced tea or pop in the afternoon. Refills are free. And, psst, two people can share one mug if you get your refill, and split the drink back in the room using the plastic cups that magically appear each afternoon! Or, if you don’t care about germs … or know the person you are sharing with … you can share from the one mug.
Do a package deal! Our package deal included 6 days and 5 nights, with no air fare. (Yes, we drove.) Certain packages deals include a pre-loaded gift card good at gift shops, restaurants and, you got it, the food court at the resort. We spent a total of $21 above and beyond the amount of our gift card, and ate very well, thank you very much.
Back to the previous paragraph ... Drive! … if you can, if your car is dependable, and if you live in a part of the country not terribly far from Orlando. We live about 1200 miles away from Disney World, so right at about a 19 hour drive, depending on who is driving. Even at an average of $2.66/gallon and at a highway average of 30 mpg, our two-way driving trip was cheaper than one round-trip airline ticket even through a (once good) service like Priceline. And, the sum total of the 4 hotels we stayed at on the drive there and back was also less than one round-trip airline ticket even through a (use-to-be-better) service like Priceline. There were four of us, so our travel costs were literally cut in half by driving, and we saw the seasons literally change there and back again on the scenic drive. PS: Marry someone like my wife who can still make Priceline sing and dance. She will save you a bundle on hotel fees.
Bring food. Dry goods. Boxed snacks. Nuts. Slim Jims … love the Slim Jims. Especially for the car ride and for snacks in the park. For the room, consider packing dry cereal, canned fruits and soups, microwaveable Mac and Cheese and tortillas, not bread. Tortillas are easier to store in your trunk and make for a tasty peanut-butter and jelly quesadilla. The resorts typically have microwaves you can use to heat your soups and Mac and Cheese. Just don’t forget to pack the cereal bowls and can opener! We ate most of our lunches out in the parks using our gift card. Sometimes dinner, too. Breakfast we typically had in our room with stuff we packed. Did you know you can make oatmeal with a coffee pot?
Pack snacks for the park. Bring a backpack or bag for your snacks and bottled water. While this will slow you down at the park entrance while they check your bag (which in these times, I appreciate that they did), you will save a bundle of loot on snacks and water for kids. Here’s a tip! Propel and Lipton make single-serving, flavored packs you pour into your bottled water to mix things up. I personally prefer the Lipton “Energy Tea” with a whopping 50 mg of caffeine. (Some mornings, I would put two in my bottle of water!)
Bring ponchos! While we did cave and buy the kids “souvenir” ponchos – on our gift card, naturally – we did pack enough ponchos for each of us. These were good for the water rides on the cloudy, cool days (we went in March), and for the mini-typhoon we experienced the last two days of our vacation.
Sorry, luggage services, but I suggest visitors haul their own bags. (It might be different if you fly in and use the shuttle service from the airport, but we drove in) Check out a folding dolly and haul your stuff to your room. Let the luggage services guys and gals be free to help the big tippers or those people that really need help. Besides, you will need the extra exercise to stay up with the kids every day!
Here’s a good one – buy your souvenirs and t-shirts NOT at Disney World. Find a Disney outlet near your home town or en route, stop there and buy your goodies. A $14 dollar t-shirt is a heck of a lot cheaper than a $38 one, and fits just as nice! Actually, we found t-shirts in an outlet that were unique and unlike any ones we found at Disney World. (I had the grumpy Mickey! Too cool!)
Lastly, two words – fridge swap! While I won’t say too much about it here, as I don’t want to mess up a good thing, fridge swaps are “legal,” the resorts allow the practice to go on, and it’s a great way to save $15 a day while giving you a more convenient option to keeping your dairy, lunch meats and other perishables cool … as opposed to icing down your cooler every night. The budget resort rooms do not typically have a mini-fridge in them, unless you want to shell out another $15 a day …. Again, two words – fridge swap! Look it up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
