More Rules=My Broken Disney Heart

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I have no problem with resort mugs... sorry but it was always one per person not one per family (aka "we just pour our mug into something else" ) I think most folks hysterical over the mugs were probably the one's playing the game of not paying.

As for the other changes... Sadly the Disney dining experience has been reaching new lows. For my last trip I cancelled my only TS reservation (a day in advance as it was one that required that already) For my trip that starts next week and is 7 nights, not one TS reservation. If I want a good meal I plan to head off property for better options.

Disney has started to turn me off. For 2014 I am thinking of just doing a one week trip to the Food & Wine Festival. No AP etc... that will be a first. The glory days appear to be in the rear view mirror and MDE is such a big turn off that I don't feel like dealing with it.

 

[Tomader]

I hear you. It sometimes feels that we are less and less of a welcomed guest...Disney is not cheap, by any stretch of the imagination and it seems that every time I turn around is a new policy/procedure/rule that adds more pressure to plan ahead and stress over any possible change of plans.

I'm starting to get tired of paying money and spending my limited vacation time negotiating the hurdles put in place to deal with the "abusers" and to try and feel like I got my money's worth. The issues with linking my new AP voucher so that I can get FP+ ressies has really put me over the top....

I know the apologists will be out in full force, but I am as entitled to my feelings and opinions as they are. I'm not sure when the shift happened, as I am a hardcore Disney-fan, but the bloom is off the rose right now. I hope that at some point the powers that be shift back into customer 1st service that made them famous rather than what sometimes feels like I am supposed to be grateful they will take my money.

I totally agree. I go to Disney twice a year but I Think they are pushing me in the direction of changing my vacation plans. Same parks with the same rides. When a new ride opens it takes two years. The price though keeps going up and up. I'm a true Disney fan. I have been going there every year from when it first opened. It would kill me not to go but I guess you have to look at other options sometimes. When it becomes more work than rest maybe it's time? A small side note on those darn refillable mugs. I can't stand when people comment on the sharing of a mug, or who used a mug they should not have. Who cares!!!!!!! I think that has to be the most annoying topic on this site!!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I totally agree. I go to Disney twice a year but I Think they are pushing me in the direction of changing my vacation plans. Same parks with the same rides. When a new ride opens it takes two years. The price though keeps going up and up. I'm a true Disney fan. I have been going there every year from when it first opened. It would kill me not to go but I guess you have to look at other options sometimes. When it becomes more work than rest maybe it's time? A small side note on those darn refillable mugs. I can't stand when people comment on the sharing of a mug, or who used a mug they should not have. Who cares!!!!!!! I think that has to be the most annoying topic on this site!!

But it is ok to whine about them not letting me break the rules

 

[Tomader]

But it is ok to whine about them not letting me break the rules

What??? Not clear on what you are talking about?

 

[3Gsandme]

I totally agree. I go to Disney twice a year but I Think they are pushing me in the direction of changing my vacation plans. Same parks with the same rides. When a new ride opens it takes two years. The price though keeps going up and up. I'm a true Disney fan. I have been going there every year from when it first opened. It would kill me not to go but I guess you have to look at other options sometimes. When it becomes more work than rest maybe it's time? A small side note on those darn refillable mugs. I can't stand when people comment on the sharing of a mug, or who used a mug they should not have. Who cares!!!!!!! I think that has to be the most annoying topic on this site!!

It may be annoying, but the rules are the rules. The rules were one mug per person and a new mug each stay (unless you had luck getting a lifetime use mug refilled). People didn't feel the need to follow this rule, so Disney cracked down.

I've been thinking about this for a few days and am trying to phrase this carefully, so no one gets offended. Boards like this one specialize in helping people get the most out of their Disney trips. Sometimes, it's with great planning tips, ideas about how to manage the park with disabilities, how big the hotel rooms are and where you can get good coffee. Sometimes that advice is how to "game" the system and get more for your money or something for free. For instance, Joe Smith realizes that Disney only changes refillable mug designs every four years. He buys a mug during his 2005 trip and proceeds to use it, without paying again, until 2009. In addition, Joe realizes that no one checks to see if Joe is the only one using the mug. Prior to "tip" boards, Joe and handful of other people, would figure out that they could buy one mug every four or five years and just keep using it with no additional cost. With only a few people doing this, the cost of changing the system isn't supported and Disney "deals" with the people who are gaming the system.

But, let's say Joe goes to a tip board and tells everyone that their mugs are still good and no one will check them. Now, thousands of people are privy to Joe's tip and now it's costing Disney money. A lot of money? I don't know. But, while Disney was willing to overlook losing an occasional mug fee when people reused mugs or shared, they won't continue to take the losses when thousands of people realize they can do this. It doesn't work. The same without double/triple booking dining or pool hopping. A few people working outside the system aren't a big deal, but when dozens or hundreds of extra reservations are made every day by people never intending to use them, it creates a problem for Disney. Not only are they losing money with unfilled seats, but they're turning guests away which causes them to lose revenue as well.

 

[Pats Dragon]

I know that I will make people unhappy and defensive by mentioning this, but the new cancellation policy automatically assumes DW is right on top of computer matters. I can't count the number of times that they have messed up our adr's though. (they also have taken care of their mistakes most of the time.) When dealing with credit cards though, it has always been stressful having to deal with them. Now I think ff will be our choice. It is a loss for us. And yes we can (and probably will) go somewhere else after this trip.

 

[nkereina]

Sorry if this was already mentioned but I think the new ADR cancellation policy was more to prevent no-shows than it was to prevent people abusing the system. It's very easy for people to still double book, so long as they cancel one before the 24 hour mark.

I do agree, however, that maybe a 2 hour cancellation window as opposed to a 24 hour one would be better suited for people not sure how their day is going to go - whether its due to special needs kids, elderly people, illness, or those who have the mind set that they are on vacation and like to play things by ear. In the past, we have still been full from lunch and had to cancel dinner ADRs at the last minute. We did this a few times while on DxDP so I think it could have an impact on DxDP sales as well.

 

[troll buster]

I wasn't even going to answer that comment, because honestly I didn't want to get into a debate over it, but since it is still being talked about let me clarify:

We usually did buy a mug per person. However I think when my step kids were little we bought them one mug and they would share. And this was for like maybe one or two meals during our trip and the kids were too small to even finish one mug of soda. So stealing? Give me a break! And even if we were to "fill it up" say twice, which we didn't, does that mean the soda police should come around and confiscate our cup? Throw us in Disney Jail? You mean if I buy a can of soda at the parks, can I give my DD a sip or am I now a immoral thief?

Of course there are going to be people that try and take advantage of things, but I'm sorry, call me naive but I have more faith in my fellow mankind to think that it is as big a problem as people say.

I see nothing wrong with sharing a mug.

 

[HookdonWDW]

I see nothing wrong with sharing a mug. People share meals, why not mugs??

Because Disney allows you to share meals, and doesn't allow you to share mugs. Their parks, their rules...

 

[3Gsandme]

I see nothing wrong with sharing a mug. People share meals, why not mugs??

It's all in the verbiage of the offer. I've been to restaurants with a posted no sharing rule. If you're caught sharing, they'll charge you for two full price meals. If the rules in the mug stated one per resort guest, using one mug for two guests violates the rules. Do I think two children under the age of five can consume the same amount of beverages as my 6'4" husband? I do not. The difference between the refillable mugs and a counter service drink is the attached verbiage. If you're asked not to share, you shouldn't. If sharing is causing the Disney company to lose money, they're going to shut it down. It doesn't matter how little or how much you consume (though, I really do get it. There's no way I could justify a length of stay mug for most of my family. We don't drink that much pop/tea/coffee to even touch the cost of it! And, yes. If I had a mug, I'd get something that both the children and I liked and share it. Even if admitting that does make me a "thief")

 

[starousse]

I see nothing wrong with sharing a mug.

I'm with you.

 

[freshmanjs]

I wasn't even going to answer that comment, because honestly I didn't want to get into a debate over it, but since it is still being talked about let me clarify:

We usually did buy a mug per person. However I think when my step kids were little we bought them one mug and they would share. And this was for like maybe one or two meals during our trip and the kids were too small to even finish one mug of soda. So stealing? Give me a break! And even if we were to "fill it up" say twice, which we didn't, does that mean the soda police should come around and confiscate our cup? Throw us in Disney Jail? You mean if I buy a can of soda at the parks, can I give my DD a sip or am I now a immoral thief?

Of course there are going to be people that try and take advantage of things, but I'm sorry, call me naive but I have more faith in my fellow mankind to think that it is as big a problem as people say.

obviously, sharing a refillable mug is different from sharing a can of soda.

 

[ameliahyde]

This may be wildly unpopular to say, but is it absolutely necessary to have soda all the time? I mean, I'd rather go have a blast than worry about sharing a mug or drinking soda. This is just me. To each their own. However, I do not consider sharing a soda stealing and it is ridiculous If you do. But yes, their park their rules, I suppose.

 

[Spoot]

Because Disney allows you to share meals, and doesn't allow you to share mugs. Their parks, their rules...

Actually, they don't allow you to share all-you-care-to-eat meals or buffet meals - which is what the refillable mug is analogous to. The meals that they allow you to share would be analogous to a can or bottle of pop - which WDW is not going to stop you from sharing.

 

[DebbieB]

Is there a difference between "sharing" the mug with unlimited refills and filling the mug & pouring the contents into a non-Disney mug/glass for 1 person and then refilling the mug for the second person? Either way 2 people are getting drinks.

 

[freshmanjs]

This may be wildly unpopular to say, but is it absolutely necessary to have soda all the time? I mean, I'd rather go have a blast than worry about sharing a mug or drinking soda. This is just me. To each their own. However, I do not consider sharing a soda stealing and it is ridiculous If you do. But yes, their park their rules, I suppose.

"sharing a soda" is not stealing.

sharing a refillable mug, which is obviously (and explicitly by policy) and agreement for 1 person to get unlimited soda for a period of time is stealing.

not sure how you could argue otherwise? is it just because a soda is a small item?

 

[troll buster]

I can guarantee no cm will say anything if they see someone "sharing" or "stealing" (which ever way you want to look at it) a soda or anything else for that matter.

 

[freshmanjs]

I can guarantee no cm will say anything if they see someone "sharing" or "stealing" (which ever way you want to look at it) a soda or anything else for that matter.

that is true -- instead of fighting the battle at the level of CM-customer, they will do it with a policy change on the refillable mugs. oh wait, they already did that.

if someone asked me "will i get caught if i do this?" i'd say no. that doesn't really have much to do with whether it is right or not.

 

[fsupharm77]

"sharing a soda" is not stealing.

sharing a refillable mug, which is obviously (and explicitly by policy) and agreement for 1 person to get unlimited soda for a period of time is stealing.

not sure how you could argue otherwise? is it just because a soda is a small item?

I don't recall ever seeing anything that says that a mug can't be shared. We have only ever bought one in the past for our family of four and I don't ever remember seeing anything about not sharing one. I have never brought one back from a previous trip as that is stated.

 

[#1DopeyFan]

Those of you who share one mug between 2 kids, your whole family, whatever the case...do you also go into your local sit-down restaurants and order one drink for 2 people or everyone to share? I highly doubt it...nor would they allow it. So why should Disney?

Rules are rules. It is what it is. If the mugs don't work for your family...buy bottles of soda/water/tea.