Just returned today... quite a few complaints

[disneymom06]

I agree with you and we went in August of 09. (As well as 4/09 in the same year).

I understand cost cutting features, but above all Disney out shined the competition with quality, friendliness and cleanliness. That is why they could charge more!

I could enter a bathroom and KNOW that it was clean. I have not found that to be the case recently.

In the past EVERY CM had been warm, friendly and courteous. It is no longer the norm, on our last trip it seemed to be the exception.

WE have stayed at POP and I found their food not the same as POR or FQ. My boys eat hamburgers and they felt the hamburgers at POP were different from FQ. Don't know but just the way that I have seen the food prepared at POP, it wasn't the same as POFQ. I am speaking of food court food and that really shouldn't be different wheter value or moderate.

Merchandising has seriously declined over the last two years. We would see the same merchandise trip after trip. My son would drag me out of a store, last trip, I just gave a passing glance.


Disney needs to take notice. MAGIC. These are some of the reasons that many of justify staying on property, making this our family vacation, and return year after year. It takes more time to restore confidence that it does to take it down. Disney must stay vigilant, especially when repeat customers are not happy.

We have AP's and I passed on a last minute Christmas trip this year.

 

[udsweetpea]

disneymom This is what I've been trying to say. I used to look forward to the magic. Now I feel like another number to Disney. I used to feel special.

In regards to the food court food, I totally agree that the food at All Star tastes different than POR. We even drove over to POR one day to eat breakfast at their food court instead of All Star. I enjoyed the omelette station very much. And POR has Cherry Coke

 

[TagsMissy]

Oh I know that... I actually used to work front desk at Coronado Springs, so I know nothing is guaranteed. But it's weird that they ask you for your preferred options when you check in online, and it seems like they didn't even care. But if being near the food court costs more, why was it an option for us to choose from when we checked in online? Maybe it's just something new they need to work the kinks out on.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who doesn't like the generic mugs.

this confused me on one hand you say you understand it's not guaranteed then next you are upset that you didn't get what you wanted... so truly do you understand it isn't guaranteed?

LOL Take it from me I've never gotten my requests on the first try, I've often had to reask when I am there if a or b is available rather than what I got. Usually I've gotten what I wanted then, or close to what I wanted but never off the bat. There's really no point in complaining about it after the fact when you are home, who knows maybe if you asked while there they could have possibly moved you closer?

 

[udsweetpea]

this confused me on one hand you say you understand it's not guaranteed then next you are upset that you didn't get what you wanted... so truly do you understand it isn't guaranteed?

LOL Take it from me I've never gotten my requests on the first try, I've often had to reask when I am there if a or b is available rather than what I got. Usually I've gotten what I wanted then, or close to what I wanted but never off the bat. There's really no point in complaining about it after the fact when you are home, who knows maybe if you asked while there they could have possibly moved you closer?

My point was that we were asked for our preferences when we checked in online and it was like it didn't even matter. Why even ask? Most people who call for hotel ressies request room locations on their own without being asked. Online check-in asks for your preference. My point is that I didn't really care about our location, but if you ask someone's preference, you would think at least one of our preferences would have been met. Why ask otherwise?

 

[Teddys~Mom]

disneymom This is what I've been trying to say. I used to look forward to the magic. Now I feel like another number to Disney. I used to feel special.

In regards to the food court food, I totally agree that the food at All Star tastes different than POR. We even drove over to POR one day to eat breakfast at their food court instead of All Star. I enjoyed the omelette station very much. And POR has Cherry Coke

I agree with the OP and the PP. I will still probably return to Disney year after year, I have a son with special needs who adores it but I find less unique items. I used to have special drinks I enjoyed, special foods, and absolutely the shopping used to be special. Now it seems there are a few basic styles of everything afforded to us be it food, beverages or shopping. I'm just less tempted to splurge while on vacation now and often find myself coming home with quite a few hundred dollars I'd budgeted to spend on "extras".

I also work as a purchasing agent but for a small family owned company. We have the motto that we want to have available everything our customers want, in stock, until the end of the year. Maybe that's what we are all missing. It used to feel like you were getting family type service from a large company and now you are so clearly just getting large company service from a large company. Can I complain about that? Probably not. Can I lament the days when it felt like a family? Absoutely.

 

[mdinme]

When I'm on vacation, and paying several thousand for it, there is nothing an employee of wherever the hell I am can do to sour me.

Cheer up, it's vacation.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

We found the bathrooms to be less clean than previous times. I was very unhappy about that since I praise about Disney having the cleanest restrooms. Papertowels and soap was empty ALOT and trash overflowing.

A smoker was in our room next door and management would rather risk the guest safety than kicking those people out. (I have a thread about this)

I didn't find rude CMs but they weren't as "magical" as previous visits.

POR bus system stinks. The author of 'The unofficial Disney guide" says POR is the *******s for the bus system and I have to agree.

 

[So_Money]

We found the bathrooms to be less clean than previous times. I was very unhappy about that since I praise about Disney having the cleanest restrooms. Papertowels and soap was empty ALOT and trash overflowing.

A smoker was in our room next door and management would rather risk the guest safety than kicking those people out. (I have a thread about this)

I didn't find rude CMs but they weren't as "magical" as previous visits.

POR bus system stinks. The author of 'The unofficial Disney guide" says POR is the *******s for the bus system and I have to agree.

I sure do wish I knew what was blanked out.

 

[tinkmom2]

I was at WDW November 16-19th and they had the 2009 ornaments on clearance along with other 2009 merchandise. We didn't want to carry ornaments along with us on our Wonder cruise. When we got back I was able to find WDW Parks ornaments for half off at the disneystore.com site.

I have stayed at all the Value resorts and on this last trip we stayed at POP. When we got to POP we did request a preferred room online but they wanted to put us on the 4th floor facing the back. I refused it and they put us on the first floor by the Hippy Pool.

It's unfortunate some people refuse to supervise their kids. This is the first year we have gone during Christmastime. We usually go during March and Easter. I found the crowds in November to be much less and PoP seemed deserted. We didn't have any unruly kids near us thank goodness but in the past when the baseball teams and cheerleaders are in town it's total chaos.

The front desk should have sent someone there to control the situation. I was very happy with the food. We went during free dining and I thought all the food we had was great!

Our MVMCP day wasn't crowded at all but we are used to going to WDW during peak crowds.

I am sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I am a good complainer I guess! If I see something wrong I let someone know about it right away. If it's not corrected that person always has a boss and so on. I also make it a point to write a note when I get home.

 

[agnes!]

OP I am sorry that your stay was unmagical. Here's some for your next trip.

Agnes, I thought the same thing at first but then I looked at it again. The OP replied in black under Scanne's purple post. Hope that makes sense. Too much snow here. My brain is frozen.

Ah, thanks.
agnes!

 

[CrabbyPatty]

I got two 2009 ornaments online at the Disney Store for next to nothing. One was $1.99 and the other was $4.99 and postage was something like $2.50. Each ornament came in a sturdy cardboard box, and were packed into a larger sturdy cardboard box. I guess I would never think of getting ornaments at the park and then trying to get them home without breaking!

 

[udsweetpea]

I got two 2009 ornaments online at the Disney Store for next to nothing. One was $1.99 and the other was $4.99 and postage was something like $2.50. Each ornament came in a sturdy cardboard box, and were packed into a larger sturdy cardboard box. I guess I would never think of getting ornaments at the park and then trying to get them home without breaking!

Thank you for letting me know I can get them at the Disney Store. Thankfully, I have a store nearby!

I did end up getting an adorable Minnie Mouse ornament, which I only saw at Saratoga Springs, and the CM wrapped it up really well. We drove to WDW, so it made it safely home, but it was packaged so well I'm sure it would have survived on a plane.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

First, I was sad to see that all of the resorts have the same mug now. I liked having a special mug from my resort with the year on it from prior vacations. I'm still surprised to see people using Dixie Landings mugs... and getting away with it!

I am one of those people that still use Dixie Landings mugs. Why ? Because when we purchased them we were told that they were good for life. BTW I only use them at home or when we are at the two Port Orleans resorts. In fact , I am somewhat proud to be using them as I feel that it shows that I still enjoy the resort after so many years ( 10 for my family and I ). I'll be sure to take your thoughts to heart when I use that or one of the other 20 to 30 Disney mugs I have for a quick drink later on today .

We utilized the new online check-in option and selected 2 options that were important to us- close to food court and on the ground floor. We were far away from the food court and on the third floor.

Requests are just that - requests. Did you ask the cast member checking you in if there might be other rooms available later that would be more suited to you and your family ? I notices you were staying at one of the All Star resorts - in memory serves buildings closest to the food court area are listed as "preferred" with an additional cost . Was this the type of room you booked ?

I've not always received the specific rooms/views that I have requested but have often had cast members do the best they could. It often helps if you can provide specific building numbers or locations ( Toy Story, Magnolia Bend, etc. ) and list your highest priority first. The more you can help them, the more they can help you.

I'm sad to say it, but I really didn't enjoy this trip at all.

I wish you and yours better on your future vacations. Merry Christmas and may your New Year be better than the last

 

[YodasMom]

I experienced many of the same issues being discussed in this thread during my trip in Nov / early December ( as well as my May and Sept trips this year).

I dealt with many of the issues immediately, so I won't go into detail about those, even though in years gone by, those issues most likely would not have occurred.

I think one of the things, as stated on this thread repeatedly, is that I am so appalled at the condition of the public restrooms in the parks! This would have never happened in past years at WDW ....anywhere else, yes, but not WDW! I even left the Parks to use better facilities so I did not have to go in the Park restrooms as much. They were just filthy!

Also, as far as dated merchandise goes, that did go on clearance while I was there. But, I really miss not having anymore Resort dated ornaments. They cleared those out this past summer and early fall. I got mine for the year in May and Sept except for my 2009 Coronado ornament. It's obvious they're reducing the resort specific merchandise, but I'm sad about that.

As most have alluded, there are obviously a lot of very unahappy CM's, and I'm sorry that the economic conditions have led to that mood.

This is one of the few times I did not receive a survey to complete when I got home, so the general issues I did not deal with while I was there will be sent in an e-mail to Guest Services.

 

[udsweetpea]

I am one of those people that still use Dixie Landings mugs. Why ? Because when we purchased them we were told that they were good for life. BTW I only use them at home or when we are at the two Port Orleans resorts. In fact , I am somewhat proud to be using them as I feel that it shows that I still enjoy the resort after so many years ( 10 for my family and I ). I'll be sure to take your thoughts to heart when I use that or one of the other 20 to 30 Disney mugs I have for a quick drink later on today .

Honestly, I have several of those Dixie Landings mugs, and I was never told they were "for life". For those of us who didn't know, it seems like people aren't following the rules. How are the rest of us supposed to know they're lifetime mugs? I'd be proud to sport my Dixie Landings mug the next time I go. And your comments kinda makes my point about the generic mugs. I want to be able to use my resort-specific mugs at home. I'm proud of them. These new ones just look like I bought a cheesy souvenir .

Requests are just that - requests. Did you ask the cast member checking you in if there might be other rooms available later that would be more suited to you and your family ? I notices you were staying at one of the All Star resorts - in memory serves buildings closest to the food court area are listed as "preferred" with an additional cost . Was this the type of room you booked ?

I have responded to this question many times already in this thread. I am not upset about my room location. The point is that we were asked to choose a preference when we checked in online. Why ask us for our preferences if they were ignored?

I've not always received the specific rooms/views that I have requested but have often had cast members do the best they could. It often helps if you can provide specific building numbers or locations ( Toy Story, Magnolia Bend, etc. ) and list your highest priority first. The more you can help them, the more they can help you.

When we have made reservations before, we have requested Magnolia Bend and have usually gotten it. However, with this vacation, we made absolutely no requests. We were ASKED by Disney what we wanted, and it was ignored. Once again, I'm not upset about our room location just the fact their new online check-in system is kinda flawed.

I wish you and yours better on your future vacations. Merry Christmas and may your New Year be better than the last

Thank you, and same to you!

 

[scanne]

Quote:
Requests are just that - requests. Did you ask the cast member checking you in if there might be other rooms available later that would be more suited to you and your family ? I notices you were staying at one of the All Star resorts - in memory serves buildings closest to the food court area are listed as "preferred" with an additional cost . Was this the type of room you booked ?

I have responded to this question many times already in this thread. I am not upset about my room location. The point is that we were asked to choose a preference when we checked in online. Why ask us for our preferences if they were ignored?

It seems like the on-line check in is a very generic program. Why would they put that specific thing on there as an option if it's a room category you have to pay for? Who knows. But why waste time wondering/questioning? Just accept it for what it is - a poorly planned system with errors - and move on.

Hope your next trip to WDW is more magical. Stay at POR and bring your old mug. I bet that will bring some of the magic back!

 

[udsweetpea]

It seems like the on-line check in is a very generic program. Why would they put that specific thing on there as an option if it's a room category you have to pay for? Who knows. But why waste time wondering/questioning? Just accept it for what it is - a poorly planned system with errors - and move on.

Hope your next trip to WDW is more magical. Stay at POR and bring your old mug. I bet that will bring some of the magic back!

Oh, I've moved on. I wasn't even that unhappy with it.. hence it only being a 1 sentence comment in my original post. It was just a little thing in a long list of vents.

I'll definitely have to take my old Dixie mug! It will definitely bring back memories. My parents took me there for my high school senior year spring break trip as a graduation present. It was our first time staying in a moderate resort, and we thought we were really something! ;

 

[EvilQueenT]

You're not alone with having a bad experience. We went to the after hours christmas party and didn't find it to be to terribly crowded but we also went on a week night (tuesday 12/8). I've been to wdw more than 20 times in my life and I will say I didn't have any problems away from our resort but had the ABSOLUTE worst experience at the Boardwalk Resort. I was traveling with my best friend and staying club level. Let me say first that wdw is my favorite vacation spot because of the level of service and this trip was my christmas present to myself and to her as she's a single mom who'd never gotten to do this type of trip. We've been looking forward to and anticipating this trip for a long time. It was planned to be totally self indulgent and a grown up girls trip (my husband and both our teenagers stayed home). I went to great lengths to ensure we had a double queen room (1st when i'd booked the trip 5 months in advance, 2nd when they sent an email from the concierge asking if we had any requests and to confirm our group details etc, 3rd when we went to the front desk the morning we checked in and a 4th time when the front desk person took us to the concierge person) all of which said we had a double queen room and i quote "no problem". Our first day started out without our "guaranteed" notification of when our room would be ready, ok not a big deal UNTIL we got back to the hotel. We got in after the park closed (around midnight) and couldn't get into our room. the front desk clerk (only person there at the time) who'd told us housekeeping would be right up to let us in finally came himself about an hour later after two phone calls to let us in, only to be told if we left the room we'd be locked out... of the king bed room (separate problem that was making me madder by the minute). his advice was "to call the front desk"... i said you were the only one at "the front desk" and he said, "yeah" and left. they offered us a roll away bed.... for club level prices i don't think so... at which point he said they had open rooms but couldn't give us an upgrade at "this time." so i ended up playing phone ignore with the front desk (put on hold and left there until the phone hung up on their end) and finally got a woman named joyce who literally hung up on me mid discussion as she told me to have a magical stay (click...end of call). We ended up having to share a bed... which i guess wouldn't have been a big of a deal if they'd handled the problem better maybe with an apology for the mix up but ooohhh no, we were given the i don't care, shut up and go away treatment. I was firm but did not raise my voice but at this point i was ready to start by breaking the phone i was staring quite dumbly at in disbelief. I've always had fabulous service at wdw and have stayed on site more times than i can count and have never EVER been treated like this. after almost 3 hours of bs (yes it's not like 330am and we'd been up about 27 hours straight) we were told they'd give us a room if and when something opened up the next day and it would be after 4pm... uh no i told them... the first queen open would be mine. they wanted us to pack and leave our things with them downstairs and i told them my stuff would stay in the current room and they could call me when our new room opened up and we'd move it then... at this point i figured they'd be a little more motivated to correct the problem if it tied up our current room and quite frankly i didn't know if they'd "forget" and we'd end up without a room at all. we were told it would be after 4 before we could get a room and i firmly told them that it didn't take 5+ hours to clean one room and that we'd be ready for the first available double room. (mentally i'm visualizing my arms swinging like a windmill hitting anyone nearby who works there). by 10am i had a phone call that they had an open room and that our things were being moved at this time to the new room... we got in at 3pm, couldn't get into either room and of course our things were still in the first room with more yes, more waiting to get things straightened out (we've now missed our adr's). i have always had a great time when we go but after so much bs over things that are soooo stupid you get to the point that anyone associated with the resort saying good morning you want to scream "liar" at them, you can't do any shopping because you can't have things sent back with the room problem so we weren't able to take advantage of that service either. i would never stay at the boardwalk resort again even if it were free... that's how bad our experience with them was. i also thought the walk to dhs was a little scary at night for two women traveling alone... dark and isolated, and close to off property gas station with normal life type traffic and people (not the secure on site property feeling you get at some of the other wdw resorts) but that's another matter.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have responded to this question many times already in this thread. I am not upset about my room location. The point is that we were asked to choose a preference when we checked in online. Why ask us for our preferences if they were ignored?

So that IN CASE one's preferences can be granted, the Room Assignors will know what certain Guests prefer.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It seems like the on-line check in is a very generic program. Why would they put that specific thing on there as an option if it's a room category you have to pay for?

Because there are standard rooms that are closer to the desired location than are other standard rooms. Thus, if the person assigning rooms is able to locate a 'close to foodcourt' room in, say, Building 7 - they'll do that.