It's 3/29 and if you're not here yet you must read this!!

[remotelyours]

My family an I are here as I write this an my wife and I are really angry. We have been here every Easter since 1991 and have always stayed on property for one reason. Past policy was that in return for your $1,000 per day, you got into one of the parks an hour before the crowds. Parks opened early on a rotating basis such that we could do 6 to 9 rides at MGM by 11-12, have lunch and as the masses rolled in, we would head back to the hotel for a swim.
By three, refreshed, we would head to another park and see 2 to 3 more attractions before dinner.

This policy is no longer in effect. So whether your spending $1,000 per night at the Wilderness lodge or spending $5,000 per night on a suite at the Grand Floridian, Disney views you as the same as the guy that's coming in for the day. It's a mess and I can't imagine now why in the world (if you've been here before) you would spend the extra money to stay on property. Stay at the Marriot World and save $500 per day?

Secondly, I used to think Disney was the best run organization in the world. What I thought was wonderful management was in fact a wonderful data base. Until 9/11, they could predict how many cheese burges they would sell on the second Tuesday in December +/- 12. What's happended, according to some of the cast members is that December was down 25%, January and February down the same and so Disney figured that Easter/Spring Breaks would be down a like amount.

Apparently, the whole world decided, about 6 weeks ago, the heck with terror and down they came. Disney, having cut back staff and hours is reeling. They seem short people and short on training -- and worst of all short manners, there're rude!

So come prepared. If you've come to expect a certain level of service and appreciation for your long-term patronage, I believe that you will be very disappointed. The crowds are huge and backup are enormous -- one hour and 20 mins for Peter Pan last night! Test track broken down, Blizzard beach closed at 10:30. And they weren't prepared for the volume. Use your fast pass smartly and above all, give them a hard time -- none of this will change (back) unless people tell them what a mess it is.

[josierac]

We have known this for a while. Sorry you weren't informed but it should have been in your document packet.

[jennymouse]

Yep, we've known it for months now...we also know the weeks surrounding Easter are always packed!

[puffkin]

Not to be rude, because I know Disney vacations are extremely expensive, but this information has been known for months now. Plus, these two weeks are traditionally one of the most busy during the year. A little planning and research go a long way towards making a vacation wonderful, no matter what time of the year. I don't think Disney will hire more people just for a two week period. Not isn't fair to the workers at all. Hopefully though, if the crowds continue through May, they will beef up staff for the summer. Hope you were still able to have a great vacation:D

[aprincessmom]

Test track broken down

I've been the WDW at least 5 times since Test Track opened and I've yet to ride it because it's always been down when I get there! So it's not just now, it's pretty constant. It's one of those rides that is up and down a lot.

As for early entry, as everyone said, it's been known for a long while.

[ivanova]

I don't think Disney will hire more people just for a two week period.

Puffkin,

This is not truly accurate. At least at Disneyland they hire employees seasonly to specifically work just the summer and/or holiday peak periods (typically 2-4 weeks around Christmas, 2 weeks around Easter, and Memorial Day to Labor Day).

What it boils down to is Disney has gotten caught with their pants down, and it'll take awhile for them to catch up.

In the meantime we, the guests, need to adjust to their short-sightedness.

[luvmy2sams]

Sorry that you're having such a rough start to your vacation! Did your reservation information not include information regarding the discontinuation of early entry? Our visit isn't until late fall, but all the information we've received has listed this elimination. Sorry that you didn't know about it before hand...I'm sure that was quite a shock!

As for why anyone who had been before would stay on property now, I can't speak for everyone, but for my family it's simple...we want Disney 24 hours a day, early entry or not. :D

[nicurnc]

Sorry your trip is not what you expected.

Been to WDW lots and enjoy staying on site because, well, we enjoy staying on site:)
We are not early risers on vacation, so EE has never been used by us, so I guess though I've known about this for awhile, it won't matter.

I read a post earlier that says, "a day at WDW is better than a day any where else".

Try to enjoy what's left of your vacation
:)

Loretta

[DisOrBust]

I am so sorry this is a shock to you! Please try not to let it ruin your vacation. It was packed last Easter and we found that if we went late at night the crowds were very manageable. Try sleeping in and staying out late. MK between 9-12 was like EE but everything was open. Try not to arrive/leave during Spectro. PLEASE let them knwo how dissapointed you are without EE.

[lookingforward]

Remotely yours, I totally understand your disapointment. I DO think Disney should have seen the crowds coming, they surely noticed the increase in bookings. In fact, we are going in one week and whenever I have spoken with CRO people regarding my trip they have told me that bookings were way, way up recently.

It is true that early entry was cancelled months ago, and I am sorry you did not know before hand. We are going to desperately miss it this trip. We used to do the same thing you did, early entry, back to the hotel, then back out at night. It worked like a charm. I also think that they should offer Disney onsite guests some perks and the rumor is that they have cancelled most e-nights for April which adds insult to injury. That said, we will still be staying onsite because the way I see it, the disney resorts are still wonderfully themed and an exciting way to spend down time from the parks.

I have emailed Disney with my complaints. I still have not heard back. I hope you can enjoy your vacation despite your frustration. But I do agree that Disney needs to hear from people about what they want restored. I am a true Disney fan and I know that a day at disney is still a great thrill. But we do spend large amounts of money to enjoy it and loyal customers should be heard.

Take care and have a good trip!

[Pin Wizard]

We stay on Disney property for that "Disney" feeling and convenience of getting to the parks without driving. At both our December and March trips, Blizzard Beach was closed the days we were there! DS wasn't very happy about that. December I could see, it was chilly when we went. But I haven't a clue why they were closed around March 15 this year.

[pumba]

first one.....for two days and the other for two days......they have been doing this for a while......last year as well.......I know it is disappointing not to be able to play all the time we are there......but that is the way it has been......We did Easter one year and I wouldn't do it again for anything......we took a bus from our resort to MK one morning.....I think it was Good Friday and we stayed on the bus and turned around and went back to go swimming......that was like four years ago......I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.......

[Pin Wizard]

Thanks, Pumba. I didn't know that was going on with Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. That stinks when you're paying prime rates for a ticket to "all" four parks. If certain parks are unavailable, shouldn't we get a discounted rate on park hopper tickets? Makes sense to me!

[remotelyours]

Several items:

1. Trip booked last Fall -- early entry discontinuance not announced, not disclosed.

2. Yes, it was disclosed in the package and subsequntly, but let's see, if you got here and suddenly found that you might not get the non-smoking room you wanted, because of a change in policy, or some other significant change in policy that was important to you, wouldn't you be angry?

3. Been here EVERY EASTER for 10 years, know it's crowded now.

4. What I'm saying is that COMPARATIVELY speaking crowds are up, cast members are down, training is down, but the price is the same or more. I have suddenly noticed that we will put up with alot here. $1,000 per day at any resort in America or even in NYC will get you much more value. Issue is quality and value.

5. Cab driver who also works part time at Majic Kingdom said that cast members are on manditory 6 days per week, can't hire and train fast enough. Late rush caught everyone by surprise.

[Kay1]

We saw signs saying that the water parks were closed because they were filled to capacity, and that was fairly early in the morning. We've gone the week before Easter umpteen years in a row, and we all agreed this was the most crowded we've seen. We go every Christmas and summer, too, so we know how busy busy can be. I imagine it will be worse next week, unless Disney decides to open early.

[J_Rae_A_Pex]

Can't please everyone all the time. My suggestion, chill out. Early entry deletion is not the early end of the world. I have a cast member relative. She is in management. They have not gotten caught with their pants down. Disney, the corporate entity, was terrorized as much as any other tourist industry on 9/11. Business decisions are made with longevity in mind. Disney is merely bending with the tourism climate. You are a "$1,000 per day" tourist and unless you are wearing rose colored goggles, things are still a bit "iffy" in our world. Cool your jets and enjoy your vacation. I'll be staying on property (AS ALWAYS) for a week beginning 4/4 and I simply cannot wait. As a New Yorker, quite frankly, this annual Disney trip might just be the best one ever. Cheer up lad, you're in a happy place.

[snuggles]

Just a reminder to keep this nice.

[Pin Wizard]

Number two is a definite yes for me because it happened. I always request a non-smoking room. In December they put us in a smoking room after removing all the ashtrays. The smell improved some after hunting down housekeeping to freshen it up. We were there the last week of December. I let Disney know what I thought of that room. When we returned home and I opened those suitcases, the smell was disgusting. Disney was all apologies, but nothing was done outside of that. When we went up this month, I made sure there was a non-smoking sign on the outside of our room. Now I know to look for it! On this trip it may have been a coincidence that we were in the furthest building from everything at AS Music, but I'm thinking that maybe we were in that building because we only stayed one night. Hmmm...

[Disney1]

I just returned from a one week stay and I have to say I am on the side of remotelyours in wanting to voice my opinion on the fall in standards I found at Disney. Disney has been such a long time leader in "exceeding expections", that it comes as a shock to find the organization is no longer making a great effort to do this anymore. Maybe I am being rude about saying this too, but I haven't found other vacation spots allowing their standards to fall to such an extent using "9/11" as an excuse !

[soccerchick]

Hi,

We were also there on 3/29, our last day and we planned to do only a half day and then drive to Savannah. Yes, it was crowded, but we were there at 7:45 am, at Cindy's at 8:05 and on Dumbo at 8:35. We rode Dumbo 2x, Pooh 2x (once w/fastpass), Peter Pan, carousel, tea party and got autograph from Mad Hatter by 9:50. A pretty good morning, I think... We did a few other things, like Country Bears, Hall of Presidents, Riverboat, etc. that we hadn't done yet and had to wait only until the next shows. Then we left.

We were there on 3/26 also and did much more...saw the crowds building towards Easter. I knew it would be crowded, and frankly, after reading predictions, I didn't think they were that bad. I was prepared for far worse.

Do the attractions that have FP with your FP. Space Mtn. was a 2 hour wait. 10 minutes start to finish for us w/ FP. We made sure we had a new one every two hours.

I had never stayed on property before with the exception of Ft. Wilderness w/my family when I was 13 or 14. We used the American Heroes certificate and figured this would be our opportunity to stay on property. I will probably never stay off again. We stayed at CSR. The bus service as so convenient, the character caravan was nice, and let's face it, it was far nicer than any Hampton Inn, Comfort Suites, etc. you'll stay in and not much more. I paid $55 for a Hampton Inn by Universal Sstudios and paid $89 for CSR. I am (usually) happy to pay for things that save me time, esp. sitting in traffic and parking lots.

I am sorry you weren't prepared for the crowds. I hope the rest of your trip goes better for you.

[newbee]

It is frustrating when you are paying so much per night at these deluxe properties, then not to get Early Entry or even a coffee pot for that matter! The employees are wonderful but I was put off that we didn't even have a complimentary coffee pot in our room, like millions of other hotels now have. I've been to many places worldwide with far nicer rooms and cheaper prices. When I'm there at Disneyworld- it doesn't feel so magical; I feel like I've been robbed. Usually, we leave disgusted with the greediness, vowing to not go back for a while or to give the outside hotels a try, but here we are going back for more in April! I even wrote them a letter about my disappointment with our room at the Contemporary-ANY other company would have sent a voucher or something. I didn't even get an apology, which is ridiculous. This is a room that would have been worth $80 per night anywhere else. It was nasty besides.
However,The value resorts are much better all around and I recommend Wilderness Lodge, too. Unfortunately, I have 4 children and don't want to get two rooms. I feel we pay enough as it is. If I was in charge, I would really bump up the amenities at Poly , Contemp, and others. They need some more neat pool stuff. THe expensive ones should have the best pools. I noticed they were doing a greatly needed improvement to the pools are Grand Fla. I went and checked out GF. Their pool was pathetic- I would have felt cheated. I'm sure the new area is better from the drawings I saw.
But I also would never, never go around Easter or any other holiday. To me, it's crowded enough even at offseason time. I hope things will improve service-wise by the time I get there in mid-April.
Remotelyours-write a complaint letter when you get back. It will make you feel better at least, but in my experience I can't guarantee you'll get a response! Christy

[Chattyaholic]

always go to Disneyworld in January! Crowds are very minimal that time of the year. We were last there in January 2001, spent four nights in the tower at the Contemporary Resort and had a beautiful view of the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella's Castle from our balcony. We went to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, before taking the 7-night Disney Magic cruise, and it was the first (but hopefully not the last!) time we had stayed on site. Next time we want the Animal Kingdom Lodge, or the Grand Floridian! :D Hubby especially liked staying on site so he didn't have to drive to the parks, we really appreciated Disney's transportation by monorail and by bus, it was great! We never cared much about "early entry" because in January the crowds are so little that you can usually walk onto just about any ride you want, maybe a 10-15 minute wait for the more popular ones. We never even bothered with using "fast pass" at all. Yes, the hours of operation are fewer but with no lines you can still do everything in the amount of time they are open. We did do e-ticket night and although we liked it really well, we kind of felt it should be a "perk" for those staying on-site and that we really shouldn't have had to pay that extra $10 to do it. I've heard they may discontinue that as well, and I can kind of understand that as the more popular rides were busy, but when we went on Pirates of the Caribbean we were the only ones on!! It was weird, but kind of neat too, to be on the ride alone, when normally it's full!! We will probably wait 2-3 years before going to Disneyworld again, but we always have such a good time when we go!! I hope the rest of your vacation was better. :)

[wdwfam]

We were there last week, and we agree that it was the busiest we've ever seen in the 15 times we been to WDW. The thing that helped us a lot was to be at the parks right at opening and going to the attraction you most wanted to do. I read where one family started at Adventureland in the MK and worked their way around. Since our kids are teens, we don't have to start in Fantasyland anymore. But until about 10:30 or so, everything was okay. We tried going back late in the evenings but found that crowds were almost claustrophobic. We got stuck in Tomorrowland, and they started letting people exit through a back CM parking lot straight to Tony's Restaurant. Wow, was that an easy walk through. Since we have been so many times, it wasn't necessary for us to do the rush, rush rush thing. We did a lot, but the crowds were the worst. DD and DH went to Blizzard Beach one day, and they said it was like "flies". They really couldn't do too much - it was jam packed.

[shooter364]

Remotely,

I am really sorry you aren't enjoying yourself. I would echo some of the things that have been said by others, though. Chill out, relax, enjoy what the things you CAN do, and the good things that are happening now. OK, I know the loss of EE has bothered a great many return guests, but it isn't the end of the world. The theme park industry (just like most industries in America) have been going through a lot... we all have to make some adjustments. I, for one, am pleased that Disney is still afloat and a going concern.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.

[CRCrazy]

Hi there -

Just a quick aside in Disney's defense - they are quite upfront that Easter Week is their BUSIEST time of the year - BAR None. When you decide to vacation at that time, you should expect to deal with lots of lines and crowds.

My family and I stayed at the Contemporary from March 2 - March 9. We feel that it is well worth the price, especially for a wing room. As it is always said, real estate is priced by LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. How many of those bargain offsite hotels with a coffee pot in your room(I don't want to make coffee, or clean out the pot on vacation anyway!) can look out their window at Cinderella's Castle and watch the Fireworks, or step out their door to stroll into the Magic Kingdom? The rooms are well equipped, with lots of nice thick towels, and plenty of complimentary soaps, etc. The beds are extremely comfortable - QUEEN SIZE - most resorts will only offer two doubles, and the daybed available allows you to sleep five adult size people quite comfortably. Mousekeeping did a great job for us, leaving special treats for the kids to discover after a long day at the parks.

I think Disney offers great value for the money - although I would love early entry - the convenient transport saves me plenty of time to justify being on-site. My kids loved the Character Caravan - plenty of interaction, with no lines to wait in - My kids played air hockey with Foulfellow and Geppetto in the arcade. With your refillable mug, you have access to HOT(my only complaint - it was actually too hot! My husband blistered his lip!) Coffee 24 hours a day. The setup of the resort is such that there are no huge walks to access the food court, except maybe from the South Wing.

I am sorry you had such a disappointing stay, maybe next time, you can see the MAGIC all around - we sure did!:jester:

[Kay1]

If Disney knew they would be entertaining such big crowds, why didn't they adjust the hours more as they have in the past. What are they doing opening Epcot at 10:00 am at such a busy time? OTOH, they did some things " right " opening both sides of most rides right away, but in the past, when expecting big crowds, they've opened all the very early so things weren't so jammed. To me, the 10:00 am opening at Epcot is inexcusable.

[tinkerbell1967]

I agree with aprincessmom, we have also been to Disney four times and have yet to ride the Test Track, it has always been broken down. The closest we came was a fastpass for it and never got to use it because it was of course, broken down!

[Ballybunion3]

I totally agree with you, the crowds were insane.

However, we went in 45 minutes prior to opening, and
we had no trouble doing everything we wanted to do before noon.
By noon, the parks were gridlock - it was truly scary.

All Stars Sports was fantastic - a great value!

One complaint on Easter Sunday, after Mass at the
Contemporary (which was nice), we planned on going to EPCOT.
The advertised opening was 10:00. We arrived at about 9:20, and
everything was open - Test track mobbed, as usual. We were
lucky enough to get an 11:20 Fastpass - and the ride was
working fine. My only complaint is that if they are going to open that
much earlier, they ought to advertise it.
It wouldn't have changed our plans - church
was our priority, but I think a lot of people might have
gotten shut out of test track if they arrived at 10:00.

As it turns out, everything worked to perfection as far
as our plans went - in the Parks at opening, out no
later than noon, back to parks early evening. Crowds
did not diminish much at night, so we pretty much just
took in sights and didn't worry about getting on the
most popular rides (if this was our first time at WDW,
I'd be pretty miffed, but we were OK with our
expectations). We did the most popular rides first thing in the
morning w/ Fastpass.

[daltonsdodisney]

A suite at the GF is $5,000? That's sick!

[JonHM]

I *think* that that was a bit of an exaggeration there. When we stayed at the Grand Floridian last June, we upgraded from a standard Garden View room to a Lagoon View room with a view of the Magic Kingdom - truly lovely - and that room was three hundred something per night. I really don't think there are *any* accomodations at WDW that cost $5,000 per night. The highest I've seen is a 2 bedroom villa at Boardwalk with a rack rate of about $1,000 per night in peak season. But that is with a full kitchen, washer dryer, Master bedroom, 2nd bedroom, living room (with TVs in each room), multiple balconies, jacuzzi tub. I would guess that in his anger he was exaggerating just a bit there.

I know that there are suites and Grand Villas with higher rack rates than that 2BR, but I can't imagine that they go *that* much higher... :rolleyes:

[minniek]

We too just ret'd from pre-easter week. I was a wreck reading about the crowds...but it seemed to be managed very well. We rec'd early checkin with pleasant service at both CBR andYC. I was looking for the "magic" attitude from CM's and I guess I got lucky because I found it almost everywhere.

One day a maid snapped at us about wanting to clean our room at 5:00 when we were getting ready to shower for the night, but the maid with her agreed to come back later and they did a nice job. This was at YC.

Although the crowds were there, the WEATHER was fantastic. Not one cloud in the sky and between 80-95 every single day of the 7 days we were there...To me that makes me think I would take that week again...

I guess we were just lucky that everything "clicked" for us because we hadn't been since '93 and don't really have any plans to get back...I feel bad for people who have bad experience because that trip cost quite a bit...

[yepod]

Remotelyours, are you chilled yet;)

I appreciate your candor & honesty;)

Ignore the flamers, as the fanatics will always be there when someone says anything even remotely negative about WDW LOL :eek: :eek: :eek:

I like newbee, will go back, because we still strive to enjoy the magic:)
But every trip seems more and more disappointing and less and less 'Walt like':(

I'm glad to see other NEW posters like Disney1 taking a stand for the honest opinion:D

I hope you were able to get some enjoyment out of the rest of your trip:)

Thanks again for posting:p

[shooter364]

I hadn't noticed anyone being flamed in ths thread... Hmm.