This article, while overall being fairly positive towards Disney, still barely scratches the surface of how smart they really are in regards to customer service.

First off, as anyone who's ever been part of or even heard the basics of the Disney Institute knows, they have a very clear idea of what your return business is worth to them. Consequently, they take great pains to keep you happy. A few years back, I recall the number was something like $250,000 per visitor in lifetime revenue--that includes the person's various visits and those of the kids, grandkids, etc. In contrast, airlines routinely act as if they couldn't care less if you ever fly them again.

Disney is also quite strict with their employees. They're expected to be polite and also to be very conformist. You won't see visible tattoos, multiple ear-piercings or wild haircuts. Their employee handbook is huge and most of it dwells on appearance and behavior.

I am known as a curmudgion and a huge cynic, but I honestly believe that Disnyworld is the happiest place on earth. As a general rule, I dislike large corporations, but Disney has it's act together when it comes to it's theme parks. I is always clean, yet you never see anyone cleaning up. They just appear and disappear doing their jobs. This is due to a large series of tunnels under the park where all the service work such as cleaning, food distribution, etc. goes on without the public being aware of it. In all my visits to their parks, I have yet to see an employee that looked tired or unhappy at his job.

This article brought back many memories of when I participated in the Walt Disney World College Program in 2001. Overall they do treat their employees well. They were very open to overtime, especially in the summer, and I loved the way they compounded it (anytime over 8 hours in one day is overtime, your sixth day is considered overtime even if you haven't hit 40 hours yet, etc.) I smiled at the comment about how strict the employees have to look. If there was a manager that really inforced the look (such as the day I wore nylons with shorts because I forgot my socks) they were referred to as "Disney Look Nazi's". Also they don't slide on anything. A knew a girl who worked at a fruit cart and was caught eating ONE grape and they fired her.

I'm surprised that Disney's amusement park business is actually doing pretty well. I've only heard bad things about them, how they were in financial trouble and so forth. But then again, I might be thinking of Euro Disney or Tokyo Disney Land. I've been to Disney World in Florida once and I loved it. I wish I could bring my whole family there some day.

One of the main things Disney World does well is their transportation system. Any urban planner, especially the people who designed the light rail project in Phoenix, should be required to spend at least three days studying the Disney bus and other systems. If you want to see how a city could actually work, go to YouTube and find Walt giving a presentation on the original plans for the city of Epcot. I only wish “Magic Your Way,” “Fastpass” and “Extra Magic Hours” were terms I could use at work.

I Love Disneyland. But get a reality check. Last time I was there in April 2007, they were lacking...

getting off space mountain near closing the "cast members" yelled in unison, "Get Off, Go Home."

at the Disneyland hotel the 'cast member" were rude when they thought they were out of guess ear shot behind a door, they weren't.

the manager at the same hotel was unappologic of her rude employee.

in the park we had a 4 passes each with the same last name for four groups of 2 to 4 people, the "cast members" refused two of the groups access saying the pass was already used, why issue the pass in the same name.

I do love Disneyland. But I do miss the Disneyland of the past, the customer service of the past, the experience of the past Disneyland. That experience seems to be lost. The "cast" seem to think it's a job and a joke, not an honor to be working for Disney. I think Walt would have been dismayed at the current customer service and experience decline.