Consistency versus the Carousel of Policy

[bicker]

Disney suffers more rule-breaking because of the vast online communities spreading word of how to abuse Disney's leniency.

However, I wouldn't say that everything that has changed has changed due to abuse. For example, Dawn's example of coffee vanishing from the hotel lobby is more likely attributable to the fact that guests were not sufficiently rewarding Disney for offering the coffee. Anytime you see anything given away for free by a business, it would be safe to assume the business is doing it because of how it fosters the tendancy for its customers to pay more for what they do pay for. When customers no longer show such loyalty, you can expect the freebie to vanish.

 

[DawnCt1]

When customers no longer show such loyalty, you can expect the freebie to vanish.

I don't think it has a thing to do with loyalty. Loyalty only matters when they are seeking returning guests to fill the rooms. Certainly guests that stay at Day's Inn, Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, rarely do so out of loyalty. They are price sensitive and are shopping for the best price with the most perks. If they get coffee and danish in the lobby, so much the better, that's one meal that doesn't have to be purchased. Disney knows that the only hotels that offer comp. coffee is at the hotel plaza at Lake Buena Vista where perhaps most if not all do, because they are in direct competition with each other. Disney doesn't offer it because they know that their guests will buy it and no other Disney hotel offers it that they are in direct competition with. (They are competing against themselves).

 

[Free4Life11]

I prefer consistency. But most of the time, I think people need to stop worrying about what OTHERS are doing and focus on their vacation and their actions. If someone is able to get the rules bent, so be it. I'm not going to harp on them for it or try to get them bent in my favor. I feel good following the rules and that's all the matters. I'm not going to lose any sleep if Disney doesn't police the refillable mugs or start demanding thump print scans for pool access.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

As others have pointed out, it's not as black and white and "Consistency vs the Carousel of Policy? How about a middle ground. If WDW wants to give exceptions to policies that would not cost Disney a lot or affect my stay, I don't really care. If you're talking pool hopping, that would affect me if I was staying at the resort that others were hopping to. I'm talking about the little things that might make the stay more magical to an individual or family that would not be considered a blatent cheating of the system.

IE, one time my son and I were staying at Riverside for a few days and on day 2 my mother and sister joined us. I went to the front dest and got them room keys, expecting to pay the extra person fee since there were now 3 adults in the room. I wasn't charged the fee even though I was going about things the way I was supposed to (didn't sneak them into the room, tell them one was a child, etc). It was Disney's decision to not charge me and I probably ended up spending the extra $, anyway, and it was a nice surprise.

I would vote if there was a middle ground, but won't since it's only presented as a black/white situation.