Anyone else less than thrilled with homecoming?

[scotthart]

Just back from our Homecoming/Cruise vacation. Anyone else less than thrilled with the homecoming? My wife allowed DD 4YO and I to attend the Homecoming by ourselves, meeting us later in the week after the rest of our kids got out of school. This was to be a very special time for DD and I as it was our first trip to the World by ourselves. We spent the first day of the Homecoming at MGM Studios as it is DD's favorite park. We took the Friendship Boats over to Epcot for the Homecoming. On the boat we met a nice couple that had the great lanyards and pins that were given out. Since I did not receive these in our package we received in the mail I asked them about them, they said they were in their welcome home package at the resort. We did not receive this package, so I made myself a mental note to check with the front desk when we returned to the resort. Upon arrival at Epcot, it was still several hours until the fireworks/dessert reception started so we meandered our way around the World Showcase until the scheduled start. When we got to the reception it was packed to the gills! DD was very tired and in a stroller and I made two attempts to get to the desserts with no luck. I finally gave up and was leaving the area to try to find a spot for ROE, when I spotted a CM with the Homecoming logo on his shirt. I mentioned to him that it was to crowded to get in, he was very sympathetic and told DD that having the rides all to ourselves after ROE would make up for it. DD was very excited as she just reached 40 inches earlier this year, and TT is her favorite ride. We ended up watching ROE about 20 people deep near the San Angel, we could have been only two or three people deep if we would not have tried getting into the reception. After ROE we hightailed it to the MS and TT area only to be stopped by the same CM we talked to earlier, then waiting 1/2 and hour before he would let us in. In the meantime DD fell asleep, and when we finally were allowed to queue up to TT I had to carry her sleeping through the queue. We did only have to wait about twenty minutes for our first ride which DD woke up for and she was very excited. We immediately got back into the line, which stretched back to Innoventions and proceeded to wait 45 minutes for our next ride. DD was very tired at this point and starting to get cranky. After our second ride was over, we went to get back inline, and when we saw the line was still almost to Innoventions, we headed back to AKL. We waited about 30 minutes for a bus. I stopped at the front desk on my way in and they knew nothing about the lanyards and pins. It was now 1:00 am and DD was wiped out. We slept in the next day, the plan was DD to have Tea with Alice at the GF, spend a few hours at the MK, then dinner with Cindie at 1900 Park Fare, then the Homecoming at MK. DD really enjoyed the tea with Alice, we spent our couple of hours at MK, but DD fell asleep on the monorail to the GF so we skipped dinner and the homecoming and went back to the room. I stopped at the DVC desk in the lobby to inquire about the lanyards and the pins, the CM there said I should have gotten them at the entrance to Epcot. I told him there was no one at International Gateway representing DVC when we entered Epcot, and he was sympathetic but could not help.

We were transfering from AKL to OKW to meet the rest of the family on Thursday, so we did not even try to make it to the SS Grand Opening. So what did we get out of our Member Homecoming? Bad seats for ROE and two rides on TT. Now I know it is not DVC's fault that DD was in a stroller and we could not get in the reception, and I know that it is not their fault that she was to tired for MK on Wednesday, but it seems to me that the Epcot portion of the Homecoming was not very well planned. They knew exactly how many tickets were sold and should have had a larger area for the dessert/ROE party. They also know the ride capacities for MS and TT and should have sold fewer tickets (even at a higher price) or opened more attractions, ie HISTA, JiI, Spaceship Earth, Unvierse of Energy, or something so that lines were not 45 minutes long. I think we probably would have enjoyed MK as it appears that more atttractions were open, but we were so wiped out from being out so late the first night, that it was not possible for us to make MK. I really though that we would have ridden TT two or three times by 10:30 or 11, but between the delay in letting us in and the long lines, that did not happen.

Anyone else not happy about the Epcot portion of the Home coming? Anyone have a great time? I would love to hear about it.

I know there have probably already been posts about this subject, but we just got back from our cruise yesterday, and I did not see much on the first few pages of the boards.

 

[Dan Murfman]

[Scott I don't know if you saw this thread but there is alot of talk about the event in the thread.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=578203

 

[scotthart]

Thanks, Dan!

 

[WDWLVR]

Scott,

My thoughts of Member Homecoming are pretty well known on the other posts. I'm sorry that it didn't live up to your expectations.

I will say that when Member Homecoming was announced we did some major changes in our plans because of it. We were orginally booked at AKL but changed to OKW. We also had originally planned more park time in the mornings, but changed that to allow for rest time during the day and get us ready for the night. The second part of that was really important with the heat.

Due to those changes we were able to be well rested for the events and I think that helped us enjoy them.

I think part of the fact that I'm a compulsive planner helped as well because we were early for Epcot event which got us in the area before the crowds, got our desserts/drinks, make it to the front row by the rail and a great seat for Illuminations.

It is sad that you missed Magic Kingdom night because I did feel that was the best night of all!

 

[DemoBri1]

I have a sneaky suspicion that the reason you didn't receive your Member Homecoming packets was that you weren't staying at a DVC resort. I'm betting that DVC didn't have a clue that members might not be staying at a DVC resort.

As for the Homecoming itself I did not attend, and there have been various conflicting reports as to how much it was/was not worth. I guess it's all a matter of opinion, but judging by your post, if I went through all that, then I'd probably have the same general opinion.

Sorry to hear it, but I feel even worse for DD who really seemed to be excited at the outset.

Brian

 

[rocketriter]

There have been several postings about DVC members who didn't get all their trinkets and had to beg for them. In your position, I'd tell the whole story to Member Services and ask them to either forward you a full set or, if supplies are gone, send you equal value for your money.

 

[gmboy95]

I will say that hearing that makes me quite dissapointed....one of the resons we chose not to attend homecoming was 1) the price in my opinion was way over inflated...2) the sneaking suspicion that it would be way oversold, and crowds would be difficult...in my book if you had a ticket for the price they charged, you should not have had to wait in line to get a desert or 45 minutes to get on a ride (just my opinion)...3) I am still in the camp that believes disney needs to offer more tangible reward for the loyalty shown by their customers, and I dont want to here any nonsense about the great resorts and the friendly people, we all pay for that and deserve that at a minimum....I can only equate it to being a season ticket holder for a pro sports team ( I have 4 for the world champion NE Patriots)....every year they throw us a bone, special seating section at training camp, discounted tickets at the draft party. Last year they gave all season ticket holders a chance to order tickets to a very poular concert two days early.

All of these things send the message by the team that they value the commitment that their season ticket holders make. I believe disney should do the same.....how about holding this type of event more often during the year, cut the cost in half, only sell limited tickets so there is space to breathe....that way people can plan on attending throughout the year.....listen it is just a thought...but please let me tell you that the reason they keep building these resorts, is because we keep buying them ,and they are making money...I just feel like this was not very good customer service. Yes i am sure that those that enjoyed themselves will go apoplectic on me right now, but just recognize that there are plenty of DVC members who did not attend this event because of one of the reasons I stated, and that just stinks!!!

 

[MarkRG]

I think some overwriting is happening here. The Illuminations portion of the event lasted an hour tops, then we had all the room to breathe we wanted.

I will stress this part; they got us all into one limited space to make it much easier to keep us separated from the Epcot crowd leaving after Illuminations was over.

Could they have made that space bigger? I seriously don't know how and still give a good view of the fireworks. Any further back and the area is actually sloped the other way, not conducive to viewing. And even if they spread it out more to the sides, people would still have crowded the railing, that is just human nature and there is nothing DVC could do about that. And I will admit right out to being one of those people. I went right up to the railing and sat down. The only thing people actually running that event could have done was told people up front to sit down or move. A lot of people up there had no courtesy for others whatsoever. I'd draw a map, but the way the area they used is laid out, they used as much of it as they could without doing some really strange things.

But that night's event was just a warmup for the real special night, the night at MK. That was the real focus of the MH events and if anyone skipped that, they really missed out.

Now, Scott, did you enjoy the event at all or was the focus of this your DD? The next logical question is this: is your DD used to being up till midnight or later? If not, then frankly this event was not for her. Even with as incredible as the MK night was, you were right in skipping it if she would have kept dozing off. This events schedule of being at night, into the wee hours, it is of course first and foremost that people would have to stay awake to enjoy them.

And, amazingly we didn't run into much of the lines you describe. We didn't rush over there as soon as Illumination ended. We also chose Mission Space first as TT did have a line to the door when we got there. And Mission Space was a less than 10 minute wait. We did do TT next and it had also about a 10 minute wait. And when we exited it, the line was completely inside. Now, this was at about 11-11:30 when we exited TT. Your DD would have been fully asleep by then, more than likely. And the events at the MK night were no earlier. I'm not about to repeat details that are linked in trip reports at the bottom of this post, feel free to read them at your leisure.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by DemoBri1
I have a sneaky suspicion that the reason you didn't receive your Member Homecoming packets was that you weren't staying at a DVC resort. I'm betting that DVC didn't have a clue that members might not be staying at a DVC resort.

DVC knew there were members attending MH who were not staying at a DVC resort. Members were staying at every WDW resort even Fort Wilderness. From a logistics point of view, I imagine it was difficult to get everything to everyone at thesame time. DVC is aware of this & CMs have talked about better to handle this next time.

 

[goofyforwdw]

Hi Scott
Are you the guy who like my self and my friends moaning about the lack ofadult refreshements.
I belive we were talking while waiting for the rope to drop for TT and MS. I was the one who kept yelling the big guys name (can't think of it at the moment). any way sorry you did not get to the rest of the events. MKwas awesome, opening day was good but just to hot for me. Our friends staying at AKL got all their gifts I hope that worked out for you to. Hope you enjoyed your cruise.
Brenda

 

[scotthart]

Could they have made that space bigger? I seriously don't know how and still give a good view of the fireworks. Any further back and the area is actually sloped the other way, not conducive to viewing. And even if they spread it out more to the sides, people would still have crowded the railing, that is just human nature and there is nothing DVC could do about that. MarkRG

I was not so much dissapointed that we did not have a good view of the fireworks. I was dissapointed that we could not even push our stroller into the area to try and get a dessert. I am not the type to push a stroller over people to get to something, and people certainly were not rude, it was just to packed for anyone to really clear us a space. They could have made the area larger for comfort even if that additional area did not give a ROE view. This was not rocket science x number of people, x amount of space. I am very sure Disney has an idea on how much space was needed, and I think they used the smallest amount possible.




Now, Scott, did you enjoy the event at all or was the focus of this your DD? The next logical question is this: is your DD used to being up till midnight or later? If not, then frankly this event was not for her. Even with as incredible as the MK night was, you were right in skipping it if she would have kept dozing off. This events schedule of being at night, into the wee hours, it is of course first and foremost that people would have to stay awake to enjoy them. MarkRG

I enjoyed the time with my DD. I was dissapointed with what I would call the lack of foresight that was used for the Epcot night. DD has done many Eride and MVMCP nights and done fine. My biggest gripe was the 1/2 hour wait between ROE and the opening of the 2 rides, and the fact that only two rides were open. Since no advance info was sent as to what attractions would be open I assumed (I know my fault and always a big mistake) that the better part of Future World would be open. At the very least SE, TT, MS, HiSTA, and Journey into Imagination. Had I known that there was to be only two attractions open, I probably would not have gone for the Homecoming, or at least not the Epcot night to begin with. I honestly thought that it would be like an Eride night and we would have hit TT and SE and been out the door by 10:30 or so, not 1:00. Two and a half hours is a lot of sleepy time for a little girl.

Hi Scott
Are you the guy who like my self and my friends moaning about the lack ofadult refreshements GoofyforWDW

I WAS! I am so excited I did not think I met any DISers while there! It was nice to meet you Goofyfor!


WDWLVR and MarkRG I am very happy to hear that you both enjoyed the homecoming, I wish I had. DD woke up in time for the MK night, but I have to say I was so dissapointed the night before and with no one being able to help us with our trinkets, that I decided we would go back to our usual plan which is early to rise, early to the parks, and early back to the room. I may have put a strike against myself by bringing DD to the Homecoming, but I do not think that it is unreasonable to have expected the following (IMHO):

1. A list of events and attractions open before arrival at the Homecoming.
2. Receiving our trinkets even if it took a day or two. I have to stress that every CM we discussed this with was very nice and seemed sincerely sorry that we had not received them, but no one took that extra step to actually get them for us, and that was very disappointing. This includes two DVC CM's and the concierge at the AKL.
3. Enough attractions open that there is something open for all ages that has a line of less than 45 minutes.
4. Enough room at the dessert reception for people to at least get in the door, even if they have a stroller (DVC'ers have kids to don't they?).

The bottom line is that I spent some very precious time with DD at our favorite place in the World and nothing can change that. I just wish that things could have gone a little more smoothly for us. I think what really got to me was not the money for the Homecoming tickets, but the fact that if we had skipped the Homecoming we could have spent a lot more time doing what DD wanted to do, instead of waiting for a 10:00 rope drop and waiting 45 minutes for TT, which we would never normally do. I know some things, like people crowding to the rail to watch fireworks, is out of DVC's control, but other things like knowing the # of people that have bought tickets and ride load capacities of a limited number of attractions are in their control and for a hard ticketed event like this one, that should be something that is considered. I plan on writing Member Services and explaining our story, and I have very little doubt that we will get our trinkets and a return phone call or letter, as DVC has always treated us wonderfully. Thanks to all of you for your feedback, it makes me happy to know that someone enjoyed the Homecoming more than we did.

 

[JudithM]

I believe in the written announcement we received in December about MH that it mentioned Test Track & Mission Space were the two rides that would be open at EPCOT. That was part of the attraction to us to attend MH!

I agree that it was quite crowded in the area for desserts, & it was hard to figure out where the desserts & the drinks were. However, no one "made" us stay in that area. I stood next to a catering CM manger type waiting for more cold drinks - we had not gotten any up to that time. I finally went to wait with my husband just before Illuminaitons began. Another catering CM found me & brought me two cans of lemonade when they were finally available again - I thought that was very nice on his part. He did not have to find me.

I have mentioned in another post that we left shortly after Jim Lewis & Dee Vee Cee were on stage. For us it got even warmer with the lights for the stage, etc. No one kept us in the area ... we were free to leave at any time. After Illuminations no EPCOT CM made us stay in any given area. We waited for the rope to drop before entering the after hours area. We were delighted to see more desserts & cold drinks available in the TT/MS area.

 

[WDWLVR]

Judith is right - the early stuff we got had the event schedule and listed access to Test Track and Mission Space. It also listed the hours as 8:30 to Midnight. If you want to see it click on the homepage link below and then on Member Homecoming as Mark has it all scanned in already.

Like I said I did some changes of our plans to accomodate that. I'm usually a very early to rise and we are usually back in the room by 8:30 or 9. To make MH work for us I had to change our plans.

I think it was Cindy who had her 4 year old with her. If memory serves me right she came to the DIS meet at 3pm alone while her kids rested/napped back at WL with her DH.

We stuck around singing with Carol Stein while EPCOT emptied out. By the time we walked over to Mission Space there was a line but it moved pretty quickly. Of course as I said before it could be that time passed quickly because we had a great group of DIS'ers with us and we were having such a good time.

I do plan on writing to DVC management with my views of Homecoming. I had some problems as well, but the good time far outweighed the problems. Getting constructive feedback from those who attended can only help them with future events.

 

[DisneyMeMa]

I have posted earlier that I have mixed thoughts about MH. I would like be complimenting DVC and saying I am looking forward to the next event. However, in the future, my DH and I will be reluctant to attend such events without knowing in advance what it will actually be. I think DVC played it "too close to the vest" for our enjoyment. IMO they should have had adequate funds to have done better (my estimate $500K to $600K based on 2000 to 2100 attendees).

That having been stated, I am addressing the Epcot evening, especially the Epcot viewing area and the refreshments.

Refreshments first. I thought the rice crispie bars, etc. were too simple for a special event. Again, JMO. Before Illuminations they ran out of cups for coffee and drinking water. Pardon me? This is one of the events that Jim Lewis was saying DVC was treating us like royalty.

During our January, 2001 we took my elderly DF to see Illuminations. He was in a wheelchair. We selected the same viewing area as the MH event. In 2001 prior to the time for Illuminations, there were many people sitting on the ground while they were waiting. I decided to take Dad to the very back, so he would not obstruct the view of the people that were seated. A considerate CM came over to me, and told me my Dad would not be able to see when Illuminations started because the crowd would stand up. He told me where the HA area was, and I took Dad to that area. My point is, DVC should know that almost everyone will be standing. At MH it was very crowded, and IMHO a limited view. I really expected better.

We had a good time at HH the week before MH and overall an enjoyable vacation. I like DVC and look forward to many more terrific times in DVC accommodations.

Maybe we have all learned something from the 2004 MH. I, for one, would like more details up front, and then in true Disney fashion, give everyone just a little bit more. Oh, and a little pixie dust never hurts either.

 

[dcfromva]

DisneyMeMa,
My experience was similar to yours in some ways.
Some parts of the event were very enjoyable and some parts of the event needed work so that all the participants could have a great time.
The EPCOT event--my expectation was to be able to see Illuminations in a non-crowded environment and a reserved spot and enjoy some extra special out of the ordinary treats. My view was no different than any other time I go to EPCOT. The treats were okay, but nothing out of the ordinary. I could have purchased a Mickey Rice Crispy Treat and a can of Lemonaid and stood in the back of the crowd and watched Illuminations and experienced the same thing (in a less crowded environment). I did not experience the special treatment I was hoping for.
Later on, I expected the TT and MS to go about as it did--with all the people competing for two rides, I expected there would be a line. I thought the tables set up and the drinks (and they continued to serve the treats--which I did not expect) and the music was nice.
The MK event would have been great if I had not stood in line for 30 minutes to get something to eat. I had been expecting that they were going to serve sandwiches (grab and go). It was nice they allowed you to order anything off the menu, but the process was incredibly slow (I was at Cosmic Rays). If I had known that between ordering and eating it would take 45 mins, I would have either skipped it or eaten much later. I thought the 11pm "surprise" at the castle was lame and if I had known what was going to go on, I would have skipped it entirely. The rides were supposed to be running until Midnight and that is where I would have been.
The other thing for the "special" Fantasmic showing they did not allow folks to sit on the curves in "Town Square" between the Fire Station and Tony's--there was no reason for that. Instead, they insisted folks had to be squeezed in along Main Street to see Fantasmic. So, to my way of thinking, it made Fantasmic just like any other night it was being shown--having to stand way in back. Luckily, I was able to stand near Tony's (over by the pin cart) which they said was acceptable and I had a pretty good view, but that was after getting told off for standing in the wrong place a couple of times. The good parts of the event --ordering anything off the menu and virtually no line on the rides I went on. I went on Buzz Lightyear 8 times in a row and I came really close to making the Galactic Hero rank (My favorite ride, but I'm not real good at hitting the targets ). And twice on Peter Pan.
The Grand Opening ceremony... It seems to me that in FL, there are a couple of scenarios--one is pouring down rain and the other is heat. Why didn't they have a tent over the seats? I thought the ceremony was pretty nice--I watched it from afar in the shade as I couldn't take the blazing heat. They did provide little fans and some water which was nice. The food was excellant and the Cirque Du Soliel entertainers were excellant. I waited in the shade for an hour before I tried to make my way through the line--which most of the line was gone by then. I tried some of everything and everything was delicious. It would have been nice to have a little tray to take one of each of the selections and take it somewhere in the shade to eat. I quickly ran out of hands. They had tables set up in the blazing sun (what about a little bit of shade?)--there were plenty of vacant tables.
I liked the parade. God Bless those High School bands who marched in that heat! They were very good. It was cool to see all the Disney characters in the parade, too.
I also watched the trivia game (in the cinema--AC on the way back to my room) I really liked the MC--he was very entertaining.
Overall, I am glad I attended. But, I won't say I wasn't disappointed with some of the aspects.
On reflection, I think if this had not been the first time this event had been done, I think I would have had the benefit from the experiences of members of this board to see what some of the potholes would have been for the event and I could have (hopefully) avoided stepping in them .... That is why, I hope they do offer more things in the future. I want to have another try at it.

Who do we write our letters to for the feedback?

-DC

 

[JudithM]

I would think if you want to write to DVC about MH, you could send an email to Member Services. I know it will get forwarded to the correct CMs.

 

[MarkRG]

Hi Scott, Sorry it wasn't the prefect experience you expected.

Originally posted by scotthart
I may have put a strike against myself by bringing DD to the Homecoming, but I do not think that it is unreasonable to have expected the following (IMHO):

The only strike you made there was not anticipating her exhaustion and doing so much during the day. A good long nap in the middle of the day would have made it so much better. Neither the mrs or I are much of night persons, but for this case prepartaion was half the battle.

1. A list of events and attractions open before arrival at the Homecoming.

This what you recieved in the promotional packet for the event, Before you even bought anything. It does list the rides for the Epcot night.

And note there is no mention of the Royalty thing. People were not paying good attention to Jim, He was talking about the MK night with the royalty thing. Which they did play up in a kind of corny way that night. I have it all on video, and when I get it off the camcorder into the pc you will be able to watch for yourself.

2. Receiving our trinkets even if it took a day or two. I have to stress that every CM we discussed this with was very nice and seemed sincerely sorry that we had not received them, but no one took that extra step to actually get them for us, and that was very disappointing. This includes two DVC CM's and the concierge at the AKL.

This is something they really screwed up and they are very aware of it and will probably do something a lot more secure the next time. The people doing the deliveries were very irresponsible.

3. Enough attractions open that there is something open for all ages that has a line of less than 45 minutes.

Yes the Epcot night was too ride limited I agree. But I disagree with the 45 minute wait; never waitied more than 10 minutes, but again, that was too late for your DD. Didn't have to be the first one on the ride. Patience was the real key to enjoying the evening. Rushing to the next step of each event and wait is just boring.

4. Enough room at the dessert reception for people to at least get in the door, even if they have a stroller (DVC'ers have kids to don't they?).

I don't think they anticipated the stampede that ensued when they opened up the area. That was way too narrow an opening without anyone on the outside directing traffic. If they'd had us line up to get in, it would have been far less chaos.

Again was it a perfect event? No, absolutely not. But some patience and a little thinking ahead in consideration of the events would have made it much more enjoyable.

And yes, some of it IS perspective. We went in looking for a good time, not looking for faults. Faults happened, and we didn't let any of them take away from the fun time we had.

And I would like a VERY straight answer from everyone who was disppointed with the desserts offered; What were you expecting exactly? I would appreciate names of types of desserts you expected there, not some vague references. The one point I would make here is they needed to stay with things easily edible and not messy. Could you imagine the mess everywhere if they offered things like, say, cream puffs? They obviously wanted to stay with simple finger food. I cannot find fault with that, and would have done no different in their place.

 

[lightningcoach]

We were staying at SSR while MH was going on. We had thought about going but the price wasn't right, however we were invited to participate in the Opening Ceremonies at SSR, which included the freebies, games, lectures and parade. We thought that was awesome.

We spoke to several MH attendees and most said they had a much better time at MK than Epcot. The ones that did not like Epcot said that it was too crowded, poorly planned and they felt trapped to move anywhere else until what several called a "lounge lizard" act was over.
Everyone learns from their mistakes so I am sure the next MH will be better planned.

"Way to go Lightning!!! Stanley Cup Champs!!!!-(our ears are still recovering!!!)

 

[dcfromva]

"And I would like a VERY straight answer from everyone who was disppointed with the desserts offered; What were you expecting exactly?"

This is what was advertised from the literature the night before: "decadent desserts"

This is a dessert that was distributed to each guest at the "This is Love Event" held in Feb 04 at the MK

This would meet my definition of decadent dessert:

Or how about some of those wonderful fruit tarts they make over in Norway or some of the French pastries?

(I will see if I can find some additional pictures for you)

-DC

 

[dcfromva]

Here is another menu from a special event:
White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Caramel Fondues with an assortment of Angel Food Cakes, Pound Cakes, and Merigues to dip with
Assorted Petit Fours
Assorted Eclairs
Assorted Cream Puffs
Seasonal Fresh Fruit Tarts
Cheesecake with Assorted Toppings
Coffee bar with Coffees, Teas, and Decaf
Lemonade

-DC