Absolutely unacceptable

[Hieatt]

Would you still go through the roof if Disney provided you an alternate, if lesser, form of transportation during the hours the boats were unavailable?

The primary purpose of this temporary change is for construction of the Grand Floridian DVC property - not maintenance. Sure, necessary maintenance will be done, but the MK monorail loop is being closed in case a multi-ton steel beam falls, or the crane topples, or something.

As for advance notice, check out this http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44259923&postcount=481 really informative thread on construction permits, timing, authorization by creativeamanda from a few pages back. It helps explain why there's often not a lot of advance notice TO give.

I absolutely would still go through the roof! Monorails and buses are not the same. Rip down the monorail and the prices of GF, Poly and CR rooms drop $50/night easy. That's a big piece of what people pay for. Same with the boats. When's the last time you heard a kid ooh and ahh and beg to ride a bus?!

They need to do what they need to do, but

 

[minnie mum]

I absolutely would still go through the roof! Monorails and buses are not the same. Rip down the monorail and the prices of GF, Poly and CR rooms drop $50/night easy.

Well all I can say is that if they drop their rates I am so totally going to be booking ASAP! I'll happily settle on a nice boat ride or two.

 

[katieam1]

We leave for our trip on Friday and it was only posted yesterday that the Magic Kingdom monorails will not be operating between 11:30am and 6pm EVERY SINGLE DAY WE ARE THERE

So let me get this straight. I'm paying 300 dollars a night to ride the bus to MK? During crazy Spring Break crowds we all know how long the boat line will be to get back to the Poly. Why would Disney schedule this during such a busy time???

Where do I email my complaint?

OP any update? How was your vacation?

 

[smidgy]

i have to say.. i have stayed at the Dolphin 2 times, beach club villas once. boardwalk villas once..

a BIG selling pointof those resorts was the transportation!

if I arrived at the boardwalk, and discovered that the walkway to the international gateway was shut down for refurbishment, but I had Equal, but alternate transportation to epcot, I would be SO SO SO urset!!

what if they said the boats, to were shut down?


suppose they said, "the whole crescent lake is under refurbishment, incuding the bridge, but you people at boardwalkand beach club can still access epcot and DHS via bus. BUT!!! we have a TON of extra buses!!!

you are staying at an "epcot area" resort. and you are provided transportation to the parks. that is ALL you are promised. (just as Caribbean beach and POR are "epcot area resorts" ) so, you would be happy with this?


in this scenario, as long as they provide plenty of buses, ie, the transportation promised, this should be ok?

 

[Bob NC]

if I arrived at the boardwalk, and discovered that the walkway to the international gateway was shut down for refurbishment, but I had Equal, but alternate transportation to epcot, I would be SO SO SO urset!!

what if they said the boats, to were shut down?


suppose they said, "the whole crescent lake is under refurbishment, incuding the bridge, but you people at boardwalkand beach club can still access epcot and DHS via bus. BUT!!! we have a TON of extra buses!!!

you are staying at an "epcot area" resort. and you are provided transportation to the parks. that is ALL you are promised. (just as Caribbean beach and POR are "epcot area resorts" ) so, you would be happy with this?


in this scenario, as long as they provide plenty of buses, ie, the transportation promised, this should be ok?

According to many posters here, if THEY are happy with it, YOU should be too, end of story.

 

[maxiesmom]

Hi everyone! We were at WDW last week, in fact, this is my first day home. And while we did not stay at a monorail resort this trip, we did have breakfast at the Kona Cafe Monday. And I can tell you that the line to use the monorail at 11 am was massive. I'm not sure how they are even able to close it down by 11:30, there were that many people in line to use it.

Even so, once you see the scope of the construction at the Grand Floridian, you quickly understand Disney really has no choice but to close down the monorail for a while each day. There is a lot more construction going on than I would have guessed.

I think we all need to realize that Disney does not offer discounts for rides being down for maintenance, or for resort areas being closed. This is the same thing. As much as it stinks, they really have no choice but to shut down the monorail so that they can work on the Grand Floridian.

If anyone has ever had any work done on their home they should understand that construction dates are not set in stone. It is impossible to state that work is going to be done on any date with 100% assurance. Heck, we just had a roof put on, and they were done with it a week before they thought they would start work on it!

There is really no way to know ahead of time what dates any work will be done. There is no way Disney could have known the exact dates they would have to shut the monorail down ahead of time. As helpful as it would be to have had that info.

 

[Alesia]

I don't know why some posters assume she is "outraged" or "angry".

The title of the thread is "Absolutely Unacceptable." That denotes both outrage and anger. Had the title been "Kinda Bummed Out," I would agree with you.

When a person starts a thread they set the tone for the whole thing. If the first post (or even just the title) is overly dramatic, the rest of the thread will generally follow the same tone.

 

[mesaboy2]

According to many posters here, if THEY are happy with it, YOU should be too, end of story.

Conversely then, according to many posters here, if THEY are ticked with it, YOU should be too, end of story.

I'm sorry that the lack of service from a HIGH mode of travel impacts your Disney experience so much due to construction and MAINTENANCE.

 

[AvaLovesMickey]

I understand now. Yesterday when I was reading the posts, I kept thinking about if it were me not the OP. If it were me, I would not think it is absolutely unacceptable because I understand the construction issue. Also, if it were me, I would decide how often I would be using the monorail during that time frame. If I felt it would interfere too much, I would probably just downgrade resorts to save money since for my family the main reason to stay there would be the monorail. I'm sure Disney would allow me to switch resorts if there is availability. When I first read the OP's post, I thought maybe she would be thinking like me. Maybe she was, who knows.

The title of the thread is "Absolutely Unacceptable." That denotes both outrage and anger. Had the title been "Kinda Bummed Out," I would agree with you.

When a person starts a thread they set the tone for the whole thing. If the first post (or even just the title) is overly dramatic, the rest of the thread will generally follow the same tone.

 

[nurtz]

Hi everyone! We were at WDW last week, in fact, this is my first day home. And while we did not stay at a monorail resort this trip, we did have breakfast at the Kona Cafe Monday. And I can tell you that the line to use the monorail at 11 am was massive. I'm not sure how they are even able to close it down by 11:30, there were that many people in line to use it.

Even so, once you see the scope of the construction at the Grand Floridian, you quickly understand Disney really has no choice but to close down the monorail for a while each day. There is a lot more construction going on than I would have guessed.

I think we all need to realize that Disney does not offer discounts for rides being down for maintenance, or for resort areas being closed. This is the same thing. As much as it stinks, they really have no choice but to shut down the monorail so that they can work on the Grand Floridian.

If anyone has ever had any work done on their home they should understand that construction dates are not set in stone. It is impossible to state that work is going to be done on any date with 100% assurance. Heck, we just had a roof put on, and they were done with it a week before they thought they would start work on it!

There is really no way to know ahead of time what dates any work will be done. There is no way Disney could have known the exact dates they would have to shut the monorail down ahead of time. As helpful as it would be to have had that info.

Exactly.

I have been following this thread since it started. I love the Poly...my favorite place to stay while at WDW. I do like having the monorail but it is not the most important reason I stay there. For me, it is all about the ambiance, decor, tiki lights, etc. The monorail is nice but I wouldn't change my reservation because it was down at some points during my stay. I enjoy the boats too. I understand others don't feel that way and that is fine. I also understand that construction/maintenance needs to be done to rides, resorts, pools, transportation, etc at some point. Someone will be inconvenienced...I am not sure how they can do things differently.

I hope the OP ended up having a lovely trip even with the closures. I know I would have been somewhat disappointed that the monorail wasn't running throughout the day but it certainly wouldn't have made me change my plans or expect some sort of compensation. I would just roll with it. But that's me.

 

[Reddog1134]

Over on WDWMagic, they are reporting that regular monorail service goes back into effect tomorrow.

 

[kneedeep]

i have to say.. i have stayed at the Dolphin 2 times, beach club villas once. boardwalk villas once..

a BIG selling pointof those resorts was the transportation!

if I arrived at the boardwalk, and discovered that the walkway to the international gateway was shut down for refurbishment, but I had Equal, but alternate transportation to epcot, I would be SO SO SO urset!!

what if they said the boats, to were shut down?

This kinda happened to us about this time last year when we stayed at Beach Club with my mom. After check-in, we walked out back and saw a sign notifying us that the BC/YC boat dock was being refurbished and the boat wouldn't be available at our resort. Our options were either to walk to the parks, or to walk to the Boardwalk or Swan/Dolphin docks. It wasn't too bad since the boats were available there, but still something that we thought at least the CM at check-in should have mentioned. Once again, it all boils down to communication.

 

[mesaboy2]

Over on WDWMagic, they are reporting that regular monorail service goes back into effect tomorrow.

What a buzzkill.

 

[Reddog1134]

 

[TDC Nala]

There are a few posters on this thread who are outraged and angered because to them, nothing can replace the monorail. They don't want the resort if access to the monorail is disrupted at all. Nothing wrong with their feeling that way, but there's also nothing wrong with saying you don't mind taking alternative transportation and you don't consider it a dealbreaker. I wouldn't, especially since the alternative transporation appears to have been operated efficiently.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I absolutely would still go through the roof! Monorails and buses are not the same. Rip down the monorail and the prices of GF, Poly and CR rooms drop $50/night easy. That's a big piece of what people pay for. Same with the boats. When's the last time you heard a kid ooh and ahh and beg to ride a bus?!

They need to do what they need to do, but

I adressed the specific scenario you presented, asking if you would still go through the roof if Disney provided YOU an alternative to the hypothetically-cancelled BOAT you demand. I didn't ask if A = B = C. Over forty pages of this thread indicates transportation isn't transportation isn't transportation So if there's no boat and no other firm of transportation will satisfy or appease you - what will?

 

[goofyernmost]

Apparently after today the title will have to change to...Absolutely OK Now, Please Loosen The Restraints! My Wrists are getting Chaffed! Can't wait!

 

[TLSnell1981]

There are a few posters on this thread who are outraged and angered .

Well, I don't know about "angered" and "outraged", but (IMO) it is "absolutely unacceptable".

 

[goofy4tink]

Wow, I'm really shocked at the posters who are saying the OP is ranting, should just suck it up, and adjust her schedule accordingly! I would be just as furious. A Disney trip is a huge investment of time and money, and someone shelling out $300/night MINIMUM for a deluxe resort is doing it for the premium location/transportation and service to make the most of the trip. We are at Boardwalk now paying a lot for room - probably double the cost of a similar quality offsite room. If I got here and the boats to DS and Epcot weren't running half the day, I would go through the roof! I mean, who thinks the Poly could get by with its outrageous rates without the monorail?

Maintenance is necessary - but MUST be communicated in advance. Disney should be offering all affected guests room credits, fastpasses or some other form of compensation for the inconvenience.

I stay at BW primarily...wouldn't bother me one iota if the boats were down. As long as some type of transportation would be provided to get me to my destination.

i have to say.. i have stayed at the Dolphin 2 times, beach club villas once. boardwalk villas once..

a BIG selling pointof those resorts was the transportation!

if I arrived at the boardwalk, and discovered that the walkway to the international gateway was shut down for refurbishment, but I had Equal, but alternate transportation to epcot, I would be SO SO SO urset!!

what if they said the boats, to were shut down?


suppose they said, "the whole crescent lake is under refurbishment, incuding the bridge, but you people at boardwalkand beach club can still access epcot and DHS via bus. BUT!!! we have a TON of extra buses!!!

you are staying at an "epcot area" resort. and you are provided transportation to the parks. that is ALL you are promised. (just as Caribbean beach and POR are "epcot area resorts" ) so, you would be happy with this?


in this scenario, as long as they provide plenty of buses, ie, the transportation promised, this should be ok?

Nope, again...wouldn't bother me one bit. BUT...that's me, not the OP, or many of you. Personally??? I find the monorail to be tedious and slow. BUT...again, I go to WDW often. My trip isn't a once in a lifetime thing. I suppose that you could say that if the monorail is something you want to ride, you can ride it to Epcot.

Is it an inconvenience? Sure. But, inconvenience happens all the time at WDW. Man, have you seen the posts from people that say they are going in Feb, but are outraged to find that some attractions are down and being refurbed??? They say it's the only time they can go. Well...sadly, this is also one of the slowest times at WDW, so Disney schedules refurbs for this time of year.

As long as Disney is providing you with some way to get from point A to point B, they are within the bounds of what they 'have' to do. If you look on the official site, you will find many 'subject to change' lines everywhere...and transportation is not exempt from that!!

Thank heaven the monorail is going back to it's normal, slow self.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, I don't know about "angered" and "outraged", but (IMO) it is "absolutely unacceptable".

And IF you were visiting WDW this month, which it appears you're not, you could prove this temporary change is "absolutely unacceptable" to you by, well, not accepting it. You would change your resort or your dates.

We have no idea what procedure the OP followed - possibly it was an empty threatp.