Construction at Boardwalk during April 2016 Wedding

[jean_gen]

My fiance and I (along with several of our guests) were informed yesterday via a letter in the mail that there is a possibility of "loud noises at times" and "seeing and hearing work in progress" during our upcoming April 2016 stay. In addition, "several venues at Disney's Boardwalk are currently unavailable", including Flying Fish Cafe... a venue we have been considering to host our "Welcome Party". This notice from the hotel manager comes at an implausible time, as exactly one week prior, Disney Fairytale Weddings received a payment of an extraordinary amount towards our upcoming wedding. We have yet to receive any notice from our wedding coordinator and are left with many questions and concerns. Most pressing, why were we not told of this undoubtedly planned renovation at any point during our planning process, and what guarantees can be made that this will not disrupt our ceremony or the costly stay of our guests? Unfortunately, this is not the first instance during the planning process where we feel we have been duped. After being assured we would be allowed to hire a band outside of the vendors provided by Disney and hours of planning and communication with a band we loved (with a very reasonable price), we were told they were not "Disney-approved" and could not serve as entertainment at our reception being held at Atlantic Dance Hall. Strangely enough, this band plays every Tuesday night in Disney Springs yet they still do not meet the qualifications (which are what, exactly?). Notification of this came at an untimely manner, via an e-mail from our coordinator late Friday afternoon, with no opportunity for answers to our concerns until Monday.

Knowledge of these restrictions and scheduled maintenance prior to any payments being made would have been respectable; receiving this information in an informal and unprofessional manner, within DAYS of payments being sent, is distasteful.

My fiance and I are embarrassed by the fact that our guests are paying $350+ to stay at this resort, and were not informed of possible "work in progress" until receiving this letter at the same time we did. Knowledge of this may have changed our venue choice, and resulted in a more affordable stay at a different (not under construction) resort.

At this point, contracts have been signed, money has been sent, travel has been booked, and reservations have been made. We are appalled by the lack of communication and respect for both ourselves and our guests.

Our "fairytale wedding" experience has been anything but, and we look forward to hearing what options and accommodations will be made.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Sorry but the Flying Fish and Boardwalk renos have been planned for months and the information readily available online... I'm sure that's not what you want to hear but it's entirely possibly that your wedding coordinator believes that you'd already know that information.

 

[jean_gen]

Flying Fish was suggested to us as a venue for both a rehearsal dinner and a welcome party within the last 2 months. I don't agree that it would be my responsibility to find this information, as the resort was capable of writing a letter to inform all guests of the potential disruption. At the very least, the same courtesy should be extended to brides and grooms during the planning process. Thank you for your reply. I'm sure you can see how concerning this is to me.

 

[lurkyloo]

The majority of the work occurring at BoardWalk Inn is on the restaurants at the BoardWalk, plus some exterior painting. There is nothing being done to the guest rooms. The only rooms that might be affected by noise are those directly over Flying Fish, which are among the most expensive rooms at the resort, so probably not among the ones in your wedding room block. BoardWalk Inn is HUGE. Unless you specifically requested BoardWalk-view rooms when you set up your block, your guests will be placed in Standard View rooms, which are far from the construction.

Also, Disney does a great job of concealing and mitigating the impact of construction at its resorts. It is quite possible your guests won't even notice it.

 

[lurkyloo]

That is weird about your band, though. I would request more information about why a band who is approved to play outdoors at Disney Springs for all guests to see is not allowed to play an indoor, private wedding event at Atlantic Dance Hall.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Flying Fish was suggested to us as a venue for both a rehearsal dinner and a welcome party within the last 2 months. I don't agree that it would be my responsibility to find this information, as the resort was capable of writing a letter to inform all guests of the potential disruption. At the very least, the same courtesy should be extended to brides and grooms during the planning process. Thank you for your reply. I'm sure you can see how concerning this is to me.

I'm sorry I'd been awake over 20 hours when I replied and I should have just waited. I did not mean to imply that it should have been your responsibility just that I could believe they thought you would already know. I can't explain why they would offer you FF as an option when the Disney site has had it listed for a refurb for a long time (I believe since around the time I got married at Boardwalk in August) again sorry if I came off as rude I should have waited before replying.

 

[OrlandoDJChuck]

It is possible the band playing at Disney Springs is not an approved Disney Wedding Band. All Bands and DJs must be Disney Wedding Approved to play inside the parks and Atlantic Dance Hall. Exceptions can be made at the resort ballrooms, where you pay an outside entertainment fee (about $950 for DJs). That fee covers dance floor, lighting, staging, etc.

Hope this helps!

 

[jennypenny]

Tim posted about this recently. It's a lot of work to the outside which IMHO might affect your wedding. http://dvcnews.com/index.php/resort.../3254-major-exterior-work-begins-at-boardwalk

In addition to the closure of FF, the ice cream parlor, and the retail portion of ESPN, there is scaffolding going up around the resort ... "Elsewhere, large sections of the BoardWalk resort are surrounded by construction walls and scaffolding as crews work to repair and paint the building exterior. The Village Green to the rear of the resort's lobby is significantly impacted by work, with many sections walled-off and the main building tower surrounded by scaffolding."

Check the DVC forums here for more info and pics.

I'd be rightly pissed about not being told if I were you. OTOH, the work is being done by DVC and it's possible that the scope of the project was not communicated to event planners at disney.