Resorts that have taken a down turn

[Disney Fool]

Thank you! for finally being the one to report something on a positive note! I love the YC/BC, and I'm glad to hear you had a nice stay.

 

[eah7]

We were at the YC during Thanksgiving week. We enjoyed our week. Rooms were clean, hallways were clean, common areas seemed fine and as someone else noted, on rainy days there were wicker baskets filled with towels. I thought that was a very nice touch.

Nothing is ever perfect. I always tell people if you don't say something, nothing will change or be done about the concern. I can't fix what I don't know. Same goes for the hotel managers. BC and YC have the same manager...

 

[jfsdrv6]

I truly expected the BC to have gone downhill from what I had noted on this board, but instead I was amazed at how lovely everything looked, especially considering the crowd of Christmas visitors. The wall coverings, carpet, draperies and linens all looked very nice, the vanity/bath were gleaming and the windows and chairs on the balcony were spotless (thank you Gertha) Instead of replacing the porcelain sinks they had obviously been resurfaced in an off-white color, but I suppose Disney can't afford to update everything. If our room had not been clean, I would have politely contacted housekeeping otherwise things never improve.

 

[maxiesmom]

POR is getting a rehab starting next spring, as soon as POFQ is completed.

I won't go back to POR until I know their management staff has been replaced or retrained. And I have no clue on how I would find that out. I used to love POR but rude jerk of a manager forever changed how I feel about that resort. I had a small issue, and all he was interested in doing was stating that it wasn't his fault or responsibility. All I wanted was for him to hear and understand what I was saying, and he refused to. Still makes me very sad as POR was my favorite resort.

 

[disneyag]

I think if anyone has issues with their room/resort, they should contact Disney management during their stay. Disney can't fix many problems once you arrive home. About 5 years ago, we had issues with the room cleanliness at AKL. I alerted management to the problem (politely) and it was taken care of beautifully. Sadly, a "Deluxe" hotel at WDW isn't a "Deluxe" hotel in the true sense of the word. The Poly, AKL, CR, BC etc don't compare to the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton chains.

Is it any surprise that the resorts at WDW need work? Just look how many threads on this board are dedicated to "decorating your hotel room" and mention taping/gluing/sticking decorations to windows/doors/etc. There are also numerous threads about people bringing crock pots into rooms (other than DVC rooms) or preparing full meals. Finally, the attitude of "it's not my problem" seems pervasive everywhere--not just Disney. I've seen kids run down hallways and jump on furniture and spill beverages as parents look the other way.

OP--sorry you had a frustrating stay at the GF. It's expensive even with a 40% code!!

 

[cm8]

We just checked out of the Beach club resort after a horrible stay, we did complain and got us nowhere, they just give you a business card with an address to write a letter, complaining doesnt do anything. It was sad as we had 14 in our party and we cancelled our cruise for next summer on disney and most have no plans to return to disney for at least 5 years, and will not stay in one of their deluxe resorts.

Sorry you had a bad trip, but ours was alot like yours, dirty carpet, rude service and a no care attitude.

could not have said it better

 

[WUVmyDISNEY]

I expect they know what their room conditions are. They should know what they are selling.[/QUOTE]


I agree 100% with you on this. Yes, there are certain things that need to be reported while you are there but room conditions, meaning showing wear and tear and other reports of common areas not being vacuumed etc......management walks around the resort and rooms are inspected so yes, they know without us having to report it.

 

[disneydonaldduck]

You should always complain if it is not up to your expectations. I mean its not like your stay is free. Just don't be rude when you complain.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You should always complain if it is not up to your expectations. I mean its not like your stay is free. Just don't be rude when you complain.

Agreed. There is a difference in complaining, whining and being a total pain in the butt. Be courteous, explain the problem and see what they say.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I agree 100% with you on this. Yes, there are certain things that need to be reported while you are there but room conditions, meaning showing wear and tear and other reports of common areas not being vacuumed etc......management walks around the resort and rooms are inspected so yes, they know without us having to report it.

That is exactly how I see it. Management knows. They are paid to know.

You should always complain if it is not up to your expectations. I mean its not like your stay is free. Just don't be rude when you complain.

I do know how to complain without being rude.

Agreed. There is a difference in complaining, whining and being a total pain in the butt. Be courteous, explain the problem and see what they say.

Again, I do know how to bring something to management's attention without being a pain.

We had quite a long wait to get one room and an even longer wait for the adjoining room. It was a madhouse to get in. We were glad to finally have a room. I think I mentioned up thread the room itself was clean. We found it sub-par. One or two of those things wouldn't have been a blip on my radar. But added up, it became something to us.

IMO The resort had some issues. They should have been on top of it. They have staff to be on top of it. Some people want to put it on me, fine. But at the end of the day it's about quality and the guests shouldn't be telling the GF what the litmus test for quality should be. YMMV.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

Thank you! for finally being the one to report something on a positive note! I love the YC/BC, and I'm glad to hear you had a nice stay.

Here is another positive report. We were at BC CL last week, and had a wonderful experience. Our room was immaculate, and did not look worn at all. Mousekeeping was excellent. The CMs were all very friendly, and helpful. We have always been loyal to the Poly, but I do believe BC has won us over.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I won't go back to POR until I know their management staff has been replaced or retrained. And I have no clue on how I would find that out. I used to love POR but rude jerk of a manager forever changed how I feel about that resort. I had a small issue, and all he was interested in doing was stating that it wasn't his fault or responsibility. All I wanted was for him to hear and understand what I was saying, and he refused to. Still makes me very sad as POR was my favorite resort.

Thank you for posting this. I, too, am avoiding POFQ & POR forever because of some serious management issues.
My issue was in July 2008. I had my AAA papers with me indicating the need for a handicapped room & shower. The manager told me I didn't have a HC room at POFQ because anything that the AAA agent promised was just a request, and that requests are not promises.
We then went to POR to speak to their manager. I think the two managers shared a brain. Same excuse, same uncaring attitude, etc.

Our problem worked out OK because both CBR & CSR came to our rescue with HC rooms for the dates we were there. But - I can NEVER stay at POR or POFQ again.


Back on topic - Yes, the resorts are showing their age. Yes, they can be remodeled. Yes, there still can be an issue, even at a remodeled resort. BUT - there is a huge difference when management actually responds to the needs of the hotel guest.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

For the OP: the GF rooms were fully remodeled in 2007, and the resort has been undergoing outside renovations every year since then. I'm sorry you got a room that had so many issues, I can understand your frustration. We've had very good luck in the last few years, but we did get a room last summer that had mold in the bathroom; I politely called and asked to be moved, and they accommodated us and said they would take the room out of inventory until the issue was resolved.

Speaking up while at the resort is the best suggestion, perhaps previous guests had recently made a huge mess in the room and housekeeping has not yet notified management. However, I sometimes get busy and forget, or it simply doesn't bother me enough to make an issue of it. When you are on vacation, running to the front desk to make a complaint takes time and stress, so I understand how people can let it go.

For those who are pondering the BC: DD and I had not stayed there since 2003; nothing wrong with the resort at that time, it just wasn't our favorite. We didn't feel the magic there, and I had no plans to return anytime soon, especially after the recent renovations - the rooms seemed generic, like a Holiday or Hampton Inn.

This summer, we took a friend of DD's along, and decided to do a split stay with BC and the GF for the convenience factor. All I can say is WOW! We were so impressed! The resort was beautiful, the new rooms are much prettier than the photos, and the staff was pleasant and helpful. We enjoyed our stay there so much that the BC is now tied with AKL as our second-favorite resort (GF being the first).

I guess my point is that any guest can have a one-time bad stay, and it doesn't mean the resort has gone down hill. On the other hand, WDW is an expensive vacation, and a bad experience can understandably cause you to avoid that resort in future.

 

[DisneyMouser]

We just returned from a stay at the BWV & we had a wonderful experience there! The only thing I would make a comment on is that the couch was not in good repair & very uncomfortable to even sit on but that doesn't seem like much of a complaint to me in the long run when everything else about our visit was so great.

I also have to say that it seems it would be easier to be a bit kinder to each other on these boards. Doesn't seem necessary to be quite so curt at times when people are merely expressing their opinions. After all, isn't that what the boards are for? It can be done with courtesy ...... I'm sure I'll now get reamed myself but had to say it.

 

[OceanAnnie]

For the OP: the GF rooms were fully remodeled in 2007, and the resort has been undergoing outside renovations every year since then. I'm sorry you got a room that had so many issues, I can understand your frustration. We've had very good luck in the last few years, but we did get a room last summer that had mold in the bathroom; I politely called and asked to be moved, and they accommodated us and said they would take the room out of inventory until the issue was resolved.

Speaking up while at the resort is the best suggestion, perhaps previous guests had recently made a huge mess in the room and housekeeping has not yet notified management. However, I sometimes get busy and forget, or it simply doesn't bother me enough to make an issue of it. When you are on vacation, running to the front desk to make a complaint takes time and stress, so I understand how people can let it go.

For those who are pondering the BC: DD and I had not stayed there since 2003; nothing wrong with the resort at that time, it just wasn't our favorite. We didn't feel the magic there, and I had no plans to return anytime soon, especially after the recent renovations - the rooms seemed generic, like a Holiday or Hampton Inn.

This summer, we took a friend of DD's along, and decided to do a split stay with BC and the GF for the convenience factor. All I can say is WOW! We were so impressed! The resort was beautiful, the new rooms are much prettier than the photos, and the staff was pleasant and helpful. We enjoyed our stay there so much that the BC is now tied with AKL as our second-favorite resort (GF being the first).

I guess my point is that any guest can have a one-time bad stay, and it doesn't mean the resort has gone down hill. On the other hand, WDW is an expensive vacation, and a bad experience can understandably cause you to avoid that resort in future.

Thank you for your thoughtful post.

We did have very good experiences 2 out of 3 stays at the GF.

Honestly, upon entering the room and looking about I did briefly think about requesting another room(s). My heart sank. As I stated before, we had a long wait to get our room and an even longer wait to get the adjoining room. I didn't think we'd get lucky enough to get another adjoining room as these are not guaranteed. And the thought of waiting again while we were ready to start our vacation "now", wasn't appealing.

On the bright side, we were out of our room more than we were in. We did enjoy what the resort had to offer (other than the room), and we enjoyed the parks.

The troubles with this room and the area in the hall in front of the door, wasn't done by any one guest. It was over time. That was the roll of the dice for us. I would have said something upon check out, but we had another issue to address. I didn't want to give them an avalanche. I *do* think they should know the condition of their rooms and hallways. But I also know oversights can happen.

The staff was nice (other than the loud entries in the morning), and the grounds beautiful as ever. We had a wonderful meal at Narcoosee's. I love the GF at Christmas. That's why we chose this resort.

I won't say I'll never stay at the GF again. There is still much to be loved. At some point we will come back.

Anyway, I agree with you. This one stay hit a sour note. I don't know if the resort has taken a down turn *overall* but our room sure did! I would venture a guess that we have all had a sour note at a vacation spot a time or two in our lives.

 

[Disneyadore]

The "room" wasn't dirty. It was the hallway. The rest was just sub-par.

I'm glad for you having excellent experiences. We also had excellent experiences 2 out of 3 times.

The hallway in the Sugar Loaf building was also quit dirty but that was only because the "guests " made it dirty. Putting out dirty trays with stinking food,strollers,evc in the middle of the hallway. Dirty wheel marks marks on the carpet,electric cords loading the evc every where. I saw the cleaners EVERY day with big steam machines cleaning but I hardly think that you can say that this is Disney's fault. Most people are obviously used living in a pig stall at home.

 

[OceanAnnie]

The hallway in the Sugar Loaf building was also quit dirty but that was only because the "guests " made it dirty. Putting out dirty trays with stinking food,strollers,evc in the middle of the hallway. Dirty wheel marks marks on the carpet,electric cords loading the evc every where. I saw the cleaners EVERY day with big steam machines cleaning but I hardly think that you can say that is Disney's fault. Most people are obviously used living in a pig stall at home.

The carpet in all the areas looked really nice where we were, except near the exit door area where we stayed. I don't really think it's Disney's "fault". I just think that one area was very unsightly and it seemed like something could be done about it. It may be time to replace that area. It was pretty bad. I don't know.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We just returned from a stay at the BWV & we had a wonderful experience there! The only thing I would make a comment on is that the couch was not in good repair & very uncomfortable to even sit on but that doesn't seem like much of a complaint to me in the long run when everything else about our visit was so great. ....

Most of the sleeper sofas in DVC are better for sleeping than sitting. The old ones with the bars were much better for sitting than sleeping. But the ones at BWV were recently replaced, so I'm surprised your's was in bad shape.

 

[Disneyadore]

The carpet in all the areas looked really nice where we were, except near the exit door area where we stayed. I don't really think it's Disney's "fault". I just think that one area was very unsightly and it seemed like something could be done about it. It may be time to replace that area. It was pretty bad. I don't know.

In the opposite I really must say we had very clean rooms every time. Everything was clean but again burning stains from cigarettes in the bathroom,scratches on the furniture obviously made by strollers or evc are not Disney's fault.
Several times when we left the building we could peek into a room where Mousekeeping was working of there bu-xxx . We saw really unbelievable tabloids of mess filth and dirt in these rooms. We called them "Katrina" rooms. They looked like New Orleans after Katrine came along. There is no way any hotel firm can keep up with the behavior of some "guests".