When it comes time to fill up my car's gas tank, I love to pay at the pump. It saves me the time and hassle of going into the station and giving the cashier my credit card, returning to my car to pump the gas before going back to the cashier to sign my charge slip. Though they may be called service stations, they very rarely are known for good service.

Likewise, I do the majority of my banking through ATMs. I don't have to stand in long lines on payday waiting for a teller to cash everyone else's check ahead of me. I don't have to visit during banker's hours. ATMs are convenient for me to have access to my money 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

And I've even been known to utilize the automated box office at the movie theater to purchase a ticket to the show. Stick in my charge card, select the film I want to see and the time I want to watch it, and I'm given my ticket without having to stand behind the couple trying to decide on an alternate picture after they are told their first choice is sold out.

So why am I so bummed to learn that the Disneyland Resort is installing an automated ordering machine in Taste Pilot's Grill at Disney's California Adventure?

I guess, for me, using an automated machine is a way for me to avoid poor service. When I know that I can do it better, faster, cheaper by doing it myself, I go the self-automation route.

But Disney isn't supposed to give poor service. Disney is supposed to exceed my expectations. Disney cast members are supposed to be there to smile at me, ask if they can help me and wish me a Disney day. Having an automation option suggests to me that I may get better service by doing it myself. It isn't supposed to be this way.

I understand that the machines are just a test. Proponents of the machines remind me that I can still choose to order my food the old fashion way via a real person. But the fact that they are there still bothers me.

I wonder if these were installed at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port whether the idea of them would bother me quite as much. Wouldn't it be better themed to have these cashier-of-tomorrow machines in Tomorrowland? Would that idea be more palatable?

I don't think so. The idea that Disney is replacing its cast members with machines is a troublesome one for me. There are times when I'd rather avoid human interaction but the times I go to Disneyland is not one of them. I like the way cast members make me feel. They add to my enjoyment of the day.

But even more worrisome to me is that these automated machines may be a sign of things to come. Why bother to provide Disney-style service when people will gladly accept less? Maybe Disney feels that it is impossible to continue exceeding guests' high expectations so they are going to do less so that mediocre service now exceeds our expectations? Maybe they honestly believe that these machines will improve upon Disney's service?

On its own, I probably wouldn't give it that much thought. I'd be more open to the idea that a test is just a test rather than a trend. But with recent cutbacks in services around the Disneyland Resort in the past couple of months, I'm a little worried about what else is to come.

The exclusive entrance for Paradise Pier Hotel guests into Disney's California Adventure near Souvenir 66 has recently been shuttered. This was a nice perk for hotel guests staying at the third-most desirable Disney hotel at the Disneyland Resort. Patrons can still enter the park through a hotel guest-only entrance by making a longer trek to the turnstiles at the Grand Californian Hotel. But the move represents a disappointing reduction of service.

Once inside Disney's California Adventure, park-goers will find that their entertainment options have been reduced. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! has recently closed, joining its next-door neighbor, Superstar Limo, as attractions not in service. The attractions join a number of eateries -- Hollywood and Dine, Bountiful Valley Market and Lucky Fortune Cookery -- that don't even offer automated service at a service. I've always disliked the saying that DCA is half a park but it seems to be coming truer.

In addition to a reduction in facilities, DCA also suffers from a reduced schedule for Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular, which is dark a couple of days a week. Musical offerings, such as Chance to Shine, Groove 66 and the Bellhop Band, have also been eliminated.

The cutback in services have also crossed the esplanade to Disneyland. Reduction of hours of operation for attractions, stores and restaurants as many other facilities are closed completely to allow for painting and other refurbishments in preparation of Disneyland's 50th anniversary, scheduled to kick off May 5 of next year.

Perhaps if Disney lessened their reductions so that it didn't appear that services were being so badly cut in one fell swoop, the changes would be a little easier to take. It is understandable that cutbacks are sometimes necessary as business conditions dictate. But service is a major component of Disney magic and its reduction, no matter how justified, lessen the Disney experience.

It may be easy to think that my feelings about Disneyland's Dis-service are making mountains out of molehills but the reality is that these could be the first in a series of reductions that will ultimately weaken Disney's supremacy as a leader in world-class service. Say it can't happen? Ask those people who remember when full service at a gas station was standard and you do-it-yourself was never an option.

In My Humble Opinion,
Matt

Posted September 15, 2004

E-mail Matt at matt@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

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