MNSSHP Oct 11 NOT so great...long...anyone else have problems?

[idofabric]

11 of us attended the MNSSHP on Thur.,Oct 11, this is our 9th year in a row. This is our Son and Dauther-in-laws Honeymoon/1st Anniversary. They became engaged 2 years ago at the party, and quite a few of the wedding party came along this year to celebrate. We had major problems, rides down or malfunctioning, candy stations closing early, rude CMs, low merchandise/no merchandise available, and transportation problems...

The first ride we did was Space Mountain, and it went down while on the ride, several times. Next we did Buzz Lightyear, and the guns were not working... we had 4 cars of people, 3 of us got 999,999 points...The car I was in my daughter in law got the highest score, my gun added points to her score-we saw me hit a target and she was not shooting and the points were added to her score. Pirates was never up, it has been up and down all week, and Splash was down. So at a major event there were 5 rides not performing correctly, or down.

The candy lanes closed early in the back, and the rest closed exactly at midnight. This might be new, we have always been able to hit the candy on the way out. Not this year. And it was at the Splash candy lane that our Daughter in law asked a CM,"May I please have 1 Sour Patch, it is my favorite and this is the first we have seen them." The CM replied, "NO,better luck at the next station, you might be able to get one there. Or not." She was not joking. We were to shocked to get her name, which was our mistake. There were several CMs that did not care, they were "Tired". We asked a few if they were alright, or have had a good evening, that was the answer we got from them.

When we left the party I tried to buy an event T-shirt in 2x, they were out of all sizes that we larger then a Medium in or Large in the several places I checked. A manager said they started the evening with only a few of those sizes. (On Sat. we saw a man in 3x, he said they told him at the Mon. party stock was low and he got the last one...) .

When we exited the party there was no candy at the exit, shocking to me, but it did take 30 minuets to exit the park. We saw that the only Monorail was the Resort line, no express, and that was backed up to the exits/boat lines. So we went with the big boat...major mistake. After loading, about 1:30 am, we waited at the dock for the other boat to go off line. It took over 1 1/2 hours to reach the tram to the cars.

I went in to Guest Services and asked to write a complaint out. I was refused...the CM last night(Sat, Oct 13) said they were aware of the problems on the 11th party. I asked her to take my name and she said that Disney would not respond to a complaint from people about the party, but they were aware of the problem. When I asked what they were going to do about it she shrugged and said "Look into it". What good will that do me? I asked, she shrugged again....

At this point I am glad I paid with a credit card- I plan on refuting the charges on the ground we did not receive the service we paid for. I know I won't get the money back, but our credit card company will at least let Disney know they have a problem and maybe that will get attention.

This is the first time we have had major, major problems... I am now questioning why I bothered renewing my Premium Annual Pass!

We do understand that problems occure, but this was on a much larger scale then we have ever incountered...and we had CMs attending the party with us, they were even more upset then we were! And they have no power of any of this either....

 

[juliebug1997]

I am only going to address the transportation part of your post.

Last year, over a year ago, Disney announced that the express monorail line was going to be closing early. Yes, even on party nights. It was all over the DIS this time last year. No changes in that policy has been announced so far as I have seen.

 

[ThroughLookingGlass]

It's unfortunate you had a bad time but honestly I think the cranky CM's and ride breaking is justified, it has been INSANELY crowded and unbearably hot. Hence thing's selling out and rides breaking. I searched all over for a shirt in my size and had no luck I was bummed too. So many guests have been inexcusably rude to CM's and I can understand them getting frustrated. They give their all, for little money, just to get cussed at and humiliated? Not fair at all. I think that's why they opened Fantasyland super early, more room to put crowds and it seemed to raise morale tremendously.

Despite all this you should still get your money back, I would call and e-mail until you get an answer.

 

[rachel09985]

No offense but these reasons do not seem like reasons to try to get your money back from the party..

They seem like reasons to put in a complain with Disney but not get your entire money back.

If the party closes at 12 I don't see what the big deal is about not getting candy past 12.

Did you have a good time watching the parade and fireworks?

 

[ghosty1000]

You stayed for the ENTIRE party....and now you want your money back? Go for it, I'm sure Disney will accommodate you very well, they always do. I'm not saying they never should, but it seems the boards are rampant right now with everyone demanding Disney refund them for Nonrefundable tickets it is only a matter of time before some of that great customer service goes away because it is taken advantage of. We attended the party on 10-4 which had horrible weather, delays and cancelations. We stayed for the entire party and made the best of the situation. I wouldn't ask Disney to refund my money since we did attend and stay for the party. Just saying.

 

[Senator Tressel]

It's ridiculous that it takes them so long to transport the guests out of the party. There is simply no excuse for people to pay upwards of $60 per ticket and Disney still has people waiting to get back to their cars 90 minutes after the party is over. Shameful.

 

[d1gitman]

i would suggest sending an email to Disney stating what your experience was. we recently had a 1n stay at the Contemporary and it was one of those things where by themselves, the issues were small, but in aggregate it was a sitation where everytime we turned around there was another thing not right. i sent an email and they contacted us. they ended up comping us 2n value or 1n moderate for our troubles. not saying they will do anything, but a well written letter has a better chance of a response. when i have a complaint or problem i try to remind myself that one gets more flies with honey than vinegar.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

11 of us attended the MNSSHP on Thur.,Oct 11, this is our 9th year in a row. This is our Son and Dauther-in-laws Honeymoon/1st Anniversary. They became engaged 2 years ago at the party, and quite a few of the wedding party came along this year to celebrate. We had major problems, rides down or malfunctioning, candy stations closing early, rude CMs, low merchandise/no merchandise available, and transportation problems...

The first ride we did was Space Mountain, and it went down while on the ride, several times. Next we did Buzz Lightyear, and the guns were not working... we had 4 cars of people, 3 of us got 999,999 points...The car I was in my daughter in law got the highest score, my gun added points to her score-we saw me hit a target and she was not shooting and the points were added to her score. Pirates was never up, it has been up and down all week, and Splash was down. So at a major event there were 5 rides not performing correctly, or down.

The candy lanes closed early in the back, and the rest closed exactly at midnight. This might be new, we have always been able to hit the candy on the way out. Not this year. And it was at the Splash candy lane that our Daughter in law asked a CM,"May I please have 1 Sour Patch, it is my favorite and this is the first we have seen them." The CM replied, "NO,better luck at the next station, you might be able to get one there. Or not." She was not joking. We were to shocked to get her name, which was our mistake. There were several CMs that did not care, they were "Tired". We asked a few if they were alright, or have had a good evening, that was the answer we got from them.

When we left the party I tried to buy an event T-shirt in 2x, they were out of all sizes that we larger then a Medium in or Large in the several places I checked. A manager said they started the evening with only a few of those sizes. (On Sat. we saw a man in 3x, he said they told him at the Mon. party stock was low and he got the last one...) .

When we exited the party there was no candy at the exit, shocking to me, but it did take 30 minuets to exit the park. We saw that the only Monorail was the Resort line, no express, and that was backed up to the exits/boat lines. So we went with the big boat...major mistake. After loading, about 1:30 am, we waited at the dock for the other boat to go off line. It took over 1 1/2 hours to reach the tram to the cars.

I went in to Guest Services and asked to write a complaint out. I was refused...the CM last night(Sat, Oct 13) said they were aware of the problems on the 11th party. I asked her to take my name and she said that Disney would not respond to a complaint from people about the party, but they were aware of the problem. When I asked what they were going to do about it she shrugged and said "Look into it". What good will that do me? I asked, she shrugged again....

At this point I am glad I paid with a credit card- I plan on refuting the charges on the ground we did not receive the service we paid for. I know I won't get the money back, but our credit card company will at least let Disney know they have a problem and maybe that will get attention.

This is the first time we have had major, major problems... I am now questioning why I bothered renewing my Premium Annual Pass!

We do understand that problems occure, but this was on a much larger scale then we have ever incountered...and we had CMs attending the party with us, they were even more upset then we were! And they have no power of any of this either....

~Wow! That's terrible, I can't believe Disney did not allow you to file a complaint or properly address your concerns, even though they admitted to being aware of the problems with the party that evening. I think you should send Disney an email and let them know exactly what happened. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mking624]

My best friend wears a 2x, sometimes 3x. He knows not to expect stores to carry his size...not many do. He usually orders things he needs online because a store's website is more likely to carry the larger sizes. Why? Because there are not enough people buying them to justify carrying a huge stock of them. This includes Disney. When he came with us for a trip, he had a difficult time finding any shirts in his size. He wound up customizing a shirt in DTD that he could wear. And even with that, his shirt options were very limited. So I can understand the frustration...but that's basically standard practice anywhere you go, especially when it deals with an event specific shirt.

As far as candy lines go...I am not sure why you'd be upset that the lines closed at midnight. It doesn't matter what has happened in the past, consider those times a bonus for you. The party ends at midnight, and they are in no way obligated to keep anything open past that time. And it looks like they decided to close the lines when the party ended. Nothing that should be complained about...because the lines were open during the party hours. As far as lines closing early in the back, it is possible they were trying to direct people closer to the front as the night went on, so there weren't stragglers in the very back of the park when the party ended. It really doesn't surprise me. I am not sure why there is a big fuss about a CM turning down a request for a particular candy and why you felt you should have gotten her name. Can you imagine if EVERYONE made a request? Can you imagine the time it would take for a CM to dig through the bin to find the one candy someone might want over and over and over again? Turning down the request seems reasonable to me. If you want specific candy, go to the store...otherwise, trick or treating is a take what you get. Maybe the CM wasn't as cheery as you preferred, but I don't think it really is THAT big a deal.

I've had employees no matter where I shop tell me they are tired. My response? "Oh I understand...I hope you get some rest soon!" More often than not, I am thanked because they realize I am not going to rush to complain about them for being human...especially in an environment where tourists are going to complain about every little thing. I roll with the punches. I am not one to get all flustered because CMs might not be having a good day.

As far as refuting the charges...I'm sorry, but I am going to be blunt. That is absolutely ridiculous. Just because the party didn't go the way YOU wanted it to go, services were rendered. You stayed for its entirety, you still got to participate in the events (did you not still trick or treat? Were the parades still going on? Did the fireworks go off? Were there meet & greets? Rides still open? etc?). Yes, rides breaking down is frustrating, I get that. It happens during normal park hours as well. You need to contact Disney directly if you feel you are owed compensation. Not refute charges....because no matter how disappointed you were, the services were rendered.

 

[Just_Trish]

My daughter and I went to MNSSHP on the 11th (and the 12th too!) And had a fabulous time...perfect weather, short waits, tons of candy and encountered no problems whatsoever!

In all the years we've gone I don't recall there ever being candy at the exit. And the candy lines have always stopped at midnight

Can't wait until next year!

 

[Tropical Wilds]

We went on the 4th... The cancelled the first parade without telling anybody, delayed the fireworks 4 times, the final parade 3 times, there were no characters out, no Photopass photographers until the last 30 minutes, and even no candy until well after 9, all due to weather. Despite all that, we had a blast.

That said, I'd never DREAM of refusing the charge on my credit card for the tickets... And if it were me in your shoes, I'd never do that either. You stayed for the whole party, used the services, so really I don't think you have grounds to refuse it. It'd be like refusing the charge on a meal because you didn't like the service, or refusing the charge on your park admission tickets because you were upset that rides went down.

Complain to Disney if you must, but refusing the charge? I can't believe that'd even enter somebody's mind.

 

[maxiesmom]

And that fact that it did enter the OP's mind leaves me with no sympathy for them whatsoever. To stay the whole party, and then complain when they shut everything down right at Midnight, when the park closes?

Wow. When Disney stops being nice and giving out compensation for their non-refundable parties, we will all know why. Too many people with this kind of thought process. I can't understand enjoying a vacation someplace, and then taking advantage of them at the same time.

 

[princessallegra]

Write an email to disney and you will get your money back or whatever compensation you want. They are very good about that. I think it's really odd a Guest Services CM "refused" to file your concern/complaint. But disputing a charge on your credit card is really out of line and completely unjustified.

We went to the party on 10/4 with thunderstorms, canceled parades, substancially delayed fireworks and second parade, wet ruined candy, and candy stops deflated and down way before party end. We still had a blast! Soaked, but a blast! We insisted on having fun and not giving up. When we got back I wrote an email to disney to give them my feedback on how the party went, and some things I felt could be handled better. I am looking forward to hearing their response. I'm not looking for anything except them acknowledging my concerns.

 

[princessallegra]

We went on the 4th... The cancelled the first parade without telling anybody, delayed the fireworks 4 times, the final parade 3 times, there were no characters out, no Photopass photographers until the last 30 minutes, and even no candy until well after 9, all due to weather. Despite all that, we had a blast.


Complain to Disney if you must, but refusing the charge? I can't believe that'd even enter somebody's mind.

Ha! We had almost the same post! Totally with you!

 

[kaytieeldr]

At this point I am glad I paid with a credit card- I plan on refuting the charges on the ground we did not receive the service we paid for. I know I won't get the money back, but our credit card company will at least let Disney know they have a problem and maybe that will get attention.

Okay, so, first you might want to check with your bank on how they handle (or feel about) frivolous disputed charges. A person at the bank is going to have to take time to research this, be in contact with the vendor, determine whether you have a legitimate complaint - and ultimately you're going to have to pay for the tickets. You already know Disney knows there was a problem, you were told that by the person with whom you attempted to record a complaint.

Space Mountain went down a few times? During a single cycle? Did you ask to ride again?
It can be frustrating to have a short coaster ride interrupted multiple times. While it's too bad some of the Buzz Lightyear guns malfunctioned, any 999,999 score (for those guests) I worth bragging about...and should at least somewhat offset others not scoring so well. While it must have been disappointing that PoC an Splash weren't operating during the party, if they were down at other/all times during the week as well, there just isn't any way to make them magically okay during a party - not even at The Most Magical Place on Earth. But that's only four attractions. What else wasn't working, and what about everything that was operating fine?

Ir's been a while since I've been to a party, so I don't recall where all the candy distribution points are - but I agree with Mking624. Anybody who wants a specific candy needs to be directed to a retail outlet. Requesting a particular variety from a tub containing hundreds of pieces, late on an apparently hot humid tiring night, isn't any more reasonable than is getting irritated when the person distributing the candy declines to comply. While 'in past years' things may have been done a certain way, this year candy distribution apparently stops at midnight or earlier. I've been to MNSSHP parties where not all the distribution points were open the entire five hours.

That you chose to wait until the end of the party to attempt to purchase shirts in sizes that, just from general consumer knowledge, tends to have less availability, is an additional invalid excuse to dispute any payment. As a couple of posters have indicated, you went to the party, you stayed for the party; you (apparently*) enjoyed multiple attractions and the parade/s and the fireworks and got candy just not the exact candy you wanted and maybe saw characters and enjoyed the atmosphere and maybe ate in a less crowded restaurant and possibly even got into the Magic Kingdom as early as 4PM with just your MNSSHP tickets...*


Disclaimer: everything between the asterisks (*) is fully and completely assumption on my part based on typical MNSSHP Guest behavior and experience - including my own; nothing the OP posted indicates she/her party actually did any of that.

 

[mesaboy2]

I went to the party on the 21st. Rained for first two hours. First parade cancelled, second parade slammed/crowded. No Headless Horseman. No Villains shows. Hard to find characters, as they moved to get out of rain. Long candy lines. Candy got wet.

Left with smiles all around. Attitude is everything.

 

[gator girl]

I too was at the party on the 11th. I rode POTC during the event, at about 7:30 after I had finished meeting & getting autographs from 7 characters already. Queue was 3 boats long. The ride was not down all night.

I was trying to squeeze in one last candy stop in Tomorrowland at 11:59pm. The CMs at the entrance to the line were yelling for people to come get candy, but by the time we walked the 25 yards in the queue to the barrel, the CMs at that end of the line had stopped handing it out & were rolling the barrel away. While I thought that was odd, I just shrugged & realized that apparently 12:00 was a hard cutoff time. No big deal. I'm not going hungry because I didn't get one more pack of skittles. I've only actually seen CMs handing out candy at the exit at one party, out of all the ones I've attended, so i didn't really expect it.

When I left the park at about 12:40, there were only about 15-20 people at any of the bus stops, except AoA & Pop, which both had about one busload in line. I didn't notice any lines for the monorail, and the ferry line was well down the covered area towards the dock. It looked to me like the transportation was running fairly smoothly. I was back in my room at Pop before 1:15 am.

Both parades were excellent, as were the fireworks & the Villain show. Dance parties were hopping, with lots of kids & characters enjoying themselves.

Sorry, OP, but I don't think "no one extended the party activities past closing time or set aside merch for me to buy" is grounds to dispute a credit card charge. And my experience with at least one ride that you claim was closed all night contradicts yours.

 

[LarryNabisco]

Give me a break. Total entitlement post right here and a boderline scam when the statement is made you will dispute charges after using the event tickets until close. Patrons like the OP are the reason Disney has had to scale back on proper complaint handling. Scams and people taking advantage of a good companys reputation. IF Disney has gone down hill as so many like to claim its because of guests like this who want to spend zero dollars and get back everything above and beyond in return. Sickening behavior.

 

[frymaker]

We were at the party on the 4th as well. It was pretty funny to see the angry mobs descending on town hall. Yeah it wasn't the smoothest party ever and it was wet. But dang it my wife and I had a great night. And the fireworks rocked. We are still enjoying the candy we got that night. It is all about enjoying what your given. I don't get to Disney as often as I want so I was just super excited to be enjoying a night that was different and exciting.

 

[aaarcher86]

Stick another in the camp of disputing credit card charges looking childish.

Frankly, if I was working at Disney and noticed someone disputed the charges who had stayed for the duration of the party it would absolutely look like someone trying to get their money back after enjoying the party tickets. That to me would make me take you far less seriously.

If you had an issue, it should have been brought to Disney's attention in person at the park.

Having a CM tell you 'too bad so sad' about wanting to file a complaint is unacceptable, however. Send an email with your grievances if you still feel the need but most of these complaints are ridiculous... particularly now that someone else at the same party had a totally different experience with the things you're complaining about.