True-Life Adventureland
How Disney could really please its customers

This past week Disney announced restructuring and layoffs. In its press release, Disney claimed that what guests want more than anything is a "One Disney" experience, a relief from the multiple reservation systems and support infrastructures that each park sports today, but presumably, will not sport tomorrow. To accomplish this, they're going to consolidate many parallel park operations under one roof.

I don't know enough to say whether the consolidation makes sense; on paper, it very well may. But here's what I do know: the idea that Disney guests desire a "one Disney" experience is silly, at least for the 99.5% of Disney park guests that visit only the park nearest to them. Most guests couldn't care less about whether the way they book their Disney World reservation is similar or not to how they book their Disneyland reservation. It just doesn't come up for normal folks that visit a Disney park once every couple of years. Disney, if you're consolidating because it's more cost-efficient, just say that. Don't blame your customers.

I just finished booking a trip to Disneyland. (March 22-25, if anyone wants to drop by and say hello.) If Disney really wanted to make vacations pleasant, what they could do is simplify the guest booking experience. I was inundated with offers for packages, dining plans, discount coupons, and the like. It's all presented under the guise of making things convenient for me, but having to consider all of those options isn't convenient; it's stressful. I just want to book a simple vacation for my family: what I get from Disney is akin in complexity to buying life insurance.

I'm certain all of these packages make money for Disney, but that's not a good enough reason to have them. Disney: just satisfy your customers, the money will follow. (They knows this; I'm sure their PowerPoint presentations say it up-and-down.) Don't act so paranoid about getting every last dollar from me. Make me happy and I'll give it to you willingly.