Bike & Boat Plan: Disney response

[Granny]

I had posted a couple of weeks ago about the discontinuance of the Family Bike & Boat plan that allowed so many to take advantage of these activities during their stays. Here's a link to that post:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=517486&highlight=+bike++and++boat

I did e-mail Disney at this address... wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com and I received a return e-mail that they wanted to talk to me.

I just got off the phone with them and the very nice lady (didn't catch her name) told me that they were following up to clarify my concern about the discontinuance of the Family Plan.

I explained that my family thought it was a great value, and it complemented our stays at WDW since we no longer were "park touring commandos" (she laughed at that).

She didn't know why it was discontinued...she was just following up on my e-mail.

I told her that if it was discontinued due to the Family Plan members tieing up the boats all day, that I had two suggestions:

1. Be stricter with the "return the boat every half hour or 45 minutes" rule. We were good about it, but maybe others weren't so considerate.

2. Offer the plan as a DVC Member perk....after all, the plan fits DVC members better than anyone as our stays tend to be longer and we don't always spend morning through night in the parks. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have as a selling point for prospective members (I could actually hear her pen scribbling when I mentioned that).


One thing she said was that they do monitor the topics of e-mails that they receive. So if anyone else out there has any concerns about the discontinuance of the Bike & Boat Family Plan ($199 for unlimited usage for a week) then please e-mail Disney at the address above with your concerns!


Thanks!!

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks for all the details - we are not users of the bicycles and boats, but hope the Plan returns for those that are.

I think it would be great if this were offered as a perk to DVC members (and perhaps to those who purchase the Dreammaker Pkgs or equivalent).

Appreciate the report!

 

[barrie]

Thanks for the address Granny - I sent an email this morning. Barrie

 

[Lesley]

Hadn't heard they were discontinuing this....figures....everything good seems to disappear before we get a chance to try it!

I may send an email to let them know its something we're interested in trying if they would choose to continue having the plan.

 

[Mic]

You're not alone, Lesley! It seems like Disney has my number. The first year we purchased AP's, Disney changed it's renewal policy(so the date of the renewal started the date the old AP expired), we fell in love with the lunch menu at a restaurant called "Spoodles", but that was stopped. They serve only breakfast and dinner now. My family decided to try Tony's for breakfast on one trip, and ended up there 2 more times by the end of the week(the cinnamon rolls were great!). By our next trip, that was gone, too! And they messed with the dinner menu as well! And what happens when I tell my daughter that we will be doing the Bike and Boat Plan for her birthday trip(in May), Disney discontinues that?! I do hope they bring it back!

 

[GrammieMame]

Me too. Now that my grandkids are a little older, I definitely had an e-night and the bike & boat plan on my list. Now they are gone. Guess we'll just have to find something else to do.

I'll send an e-mail too, but I doubt that it will be changed in time for my trip next week. With my luck, they will change it 6 months from now and then discontinue it for our next scheduled trip in March, 2006.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I sent an email.

We were looking forward to the plan in May.

 

[Guads6]

I sent an email too! Hopefully if enough of us do it they'll offer it again!

 

[rbuzzotta]

I sent an email but it came back to me, unable to deliver??!?!?!?

Is that the correct email address??

www.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

???

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by rbuzzotta
I sent an email but it came back to me, unable to deliver??!?!?!?

Is that the correct email address??

www.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

???

Rosemary,

That should be the one. I lifted it right off of the post from SimplyMagical who was kind enough to put it on page two of the original post (see my first post on this thread).

It should work...don't know why you'd be getting an error message.

And thanks to all who are sending those e-mails!

 

[kda]

Thanks, Granny. I sent my polite e mail. We've used the shorter plan at WL several times (?the Humphrey plan that was ~ $120 for 4 hours) since there's just the 2 of us. I'd like to see some type of plan available. There must be a happy medium in between 'unlimited use' and no discount at all.

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by Granny


I told her that if it was discontinued due to the Family Plan members tieing up the boats all day, that I had two suggestions:

1. Be stricter with the "return the boat every half hour or 45 minutes" rule. We were good about it, but maybe others weren't so considerate.

If that was the reason it was discontinued, then I agree that that should be enforced.

2. Offer the plan as a DVC Member perk....after all, the plan fits DVC members better than anyone as our stays tend to be longer and we don't always spend morning through night in the parks.

Have to respectfully disagree with you here Granny. We've been going since 1980 and have never been commandoes. We also go for long stays and I think many others do too, DVC or not.

We are DVC members now but have used the plan at both GF and Polynesian while staying on cash, not points. Stays of 9 & 10 days. Folks like us who are paying a pretty penny to stay at those two resorts should not be at a disadvantage to DVC members IMHO. In fact at those resorts, you had to be a guest there to use the plan.

Totally agree with you that it would be great if it was reinstated!!

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by BCV23
Have to respectfully disagree with you here Granny. We've been going since 1980 and have never been commandoes. We also go for long stays and I think many others do too, DVC or not.

We are DVC members now but have used the plan at both GF and Polynesian while staying on cash, not points. Stays of 9 & 10 days. Folks like us who are paying a pretty penny to stay at those two resorts should not be at a disadvantage to DVC members IMHO. In fact at those resorts, you had to be a guest there to use the plan.

Totally agree with you that it would be great if it was reinstated!!

Hey, that's cool. I respect your point of view too! My whole point was that if they felt that too many people were using the bike & boat plan, then one way to restrict it would be to offer it only to a particular group.

Personally, as I mentioned in my original post and to the nice lady from Disney, we didn't see any "hogging" of the boats or bikes, and never had a problem renting them out or returning them on time.

I'd love for them to just put it back in place like it was and maybe do a better job of monitoring it.


And this really isn't a crusade...just a nice plan that I thought would be a good thing to bring back in some shape or form.

 

[BCV23]

Granny, I knew if you answered, it would be a kind reply.

When my family used the plans, there did always seem to be a lot of water sprites available. In the middle of the summer, it might be different though...I don't know? Harder to tell about the bigger boats.

I do still think it would be hard to favor one group of guests over another...FL. residents/not, AP/UPH, DVC/hotel guests, etc..

 

[jcanary]

and want it back. Granny thanks for writing and I have since written and told them of our wonderful experience this past July. We had 4 16 year old girls that absolutely loved it. They were very good and would come in every 1/2 hour to check to see if they could stay out or had to come in. Only once did they have to come in and that was because they wanted them to get another ticket, don't know why, but then they were put right back on 4 more boats. This was in the middle of July and there never seemed to be a shortage of boats at WL. I hope they come back, we go down again in June/july and this is part of our trip, too hot to do the parks all day!!!