Disney eliminates outside vendor drop off/pickup services. Must meet vendor for drop off/pickup (mobility devices only so far it seems)

[maxiesmom]

Accepting ECV deliveries are part of bell services jobs at high end resorts across the country. So it was part of what the were hired to do.

We all can agree that Disney resorts, even the deluxe ones, do not compare to high end resorts outside in the real world.

 

[JoJoGirl]

Buena Vista is reporting on Facebook that Disney has promised that all reservations taken prior to October 1, regardless of the actual rental date, will not be effected by the changes. This is to allow the vendors time to work out new processes as part of the transition. Tapering will surely allow them to plan better and will help everything go more smoothly.

Imagine the chaos if a large renters like Buena Vista would suddenly have to do meet-and-greets for all their deliveries on October 1! They surely could not have worked out the processes and staffing to do this properly with only 2-3 days notice. Let alone notify all their customers of the changes and make new arrangements last-minute. It will be challenging enough for them to do this over a period of a couple months, I don‘t envy them the job. There will be growing pains for sure.

I’m not sure how far in advance some people book rentals — my mom has never done it two months ahead before. This time she did it only because of our flight situation and not wanting to chance an imperfect early morning drop-off with our time constraints. My guess is that over 90% of the advance bookings will be worked through in a couple of months, but have no idea if that is remotely accurate, lol. A final cutoff date farther in the future would make sense, I wonder if the current (old) preferred provider agreement allows for this?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Having only one vendor, probably presented as a Disney operation should lower the number of ECVs stored by bell services.

Exactly. Th change should not reasonably expected to reduce the number, just storage space.

Gold seem to have perfected the personal delivery with quality product and pricing.

Well, really, long-existing companies like Walker, Randy's , and OMR seem to have perfected it. Gold just improve a on perfection.

Most guests will have no idea this is a change, and many who do won't book in advance.

When customers don't order in advance, it's only reasonable that the company they rent from inform them of conditions.

Accepting ECV deliveries are part of bell services jobs at high end resorts across the country. So it was part of what the were hired to do.

Citation or links please? The Dis Moms' Panel doesn't agree https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/question/bell-services-charge-355162/.

Could you be confusing Disney Deluxe with "luxury"? https://work.chron.com/duties-responsibilities-bell-service-21277.html

 

[KrazeeK120]

Buena Vista is reporting on Facebook that Disney has promised that all reservations taken prior to October 1, regardless of the actual rental date, will not be effected by the changes. This is to allow the vendors time to work out new processes as part of the transition. Tapering will surely allow them to plan better and will help everything go more smoothly.

Imagine the chaos if a large renters like Buena Vista would suddenly have to do meet-and-greets for all their deliveries on October 1! They surely could not have worked out the processes and staffing to do this properly with only 2-3 days notice. Let alone notify all their customers of the changes and make new arrangements last-minute. It will be challenging enough for them to do this over a period of a couple months, I don‘t envy them the job. There will be growing pains for sure.

I’m not sure how far in advance some people book rentals — my mom has never done it two months ahead before. This time she did it only because of our flight situation and not wanting to chance an imperfect early morning drop-off with our time constraints. My guess is that over 90% of the advance bookings will be worked through in a couple of months, but have no idea if that is remotely accurate, lol. A final cutoff date farther in the future would make sense, I wonder if the current (old) preferred provider agreement allows for this?

Yesterday, I rented a stroller for May 2020. The email confirmation I received indicates that the item will be delivered to bell services.

I’m not upset about the change, but I hope I receive some sort of communication if grandfathering is ceased at some point.

We could definitely get away with renting strollers at the parks, and we may do that if we can’t be grandfathered. I am just hoping for clear information as to what to expect regarding my rental in order to make the best decision for my family.

 

[gwynne]

Accepting ECV deliveries are part of bell services jobs at high end resorts across the country. So it was part of what the were hired to do.

Nope. Bell services are there primarily to assist with valet and baggage. Some additional duties (like taking deliveries) are reasonable. When the sheer volume of additional duties become basically unmanageable, it's not surprising some changes were made.
The equipment is large and expensive. It's not unreasonable for renters to have more responsibility in the process.

 

[gwynne]

Yesterday, I rented a stroller for May 2020. The email confirmation I received indicates that the item will be delivered to bell services.

I’m not upset about the change, but I hope I receive some sort of communication if grandfathering is ceased at some point.

We could definitely get away with renting strollers at the parks, and we may do that if we can’t be grandfathered. I am just hoping for clear information as to what to expect regarding my rental in order to make the best decision for my family.

I would call the company in April 2020 and ask how my reservation will be handled. They will know how the "grandfathering" process is going and if it is continuing into 2020.

 

[Lilsia]

Exactly.

Thank God things aren't like they were 20 years ago. The more we can do to support people and enable accessibility, the better.

I thought people had evolved to more of a place of sensitivity and empathy toward others...

It is not that people are unsympathetic or don't want people with mobility issues to go to WDW. No one is saying that they will stop renting ECVs at WDW. This is only a shift in who is handing over/picking up the ECV. It will now be the companies, which is how it should be. It will take a bit of adjustment and it you loose a bit of convenience, but that is it. Most people will still have a happy vacation and go about their business. You have to do a bit more planning or not having the instant convenience that you used to is minor in the grand scheme of things. Most people have something going on in their life where things are not "perfect". You deal with it and move on.

 

[Lilsia]

My guess (and I will fully and humbly admit this is a guess) is that they chose Oct 1st because it's the start of Q4. They can claim cost-cutting measures at the start of the quarter to their investors.



Yes, agree. It's not entitled to expect a higher level of service when you are paying luxury prices. Look, I don't utilize the special colorful Mickey luggage tags that enable you to check your luggage at your home airport and then have it magically appear in your room at your WDW resort. But if they cut that amenity, and people were upset, I would understand, even if I'm someone who hauls my luggage myself. It's a luxury amenity some have come to rely on and enjoy. I wouldn't lecture at them for not "bending with the change" when Disney cuts an amenity to save costs, especially as those cut costs are definitely not being passed onto the consumer in the form of lower resort rates.

But you are talking about an amenity that Disney is giving with their own product/services. The ECV/stroller situation is completely different because these are outside companies that are making the money but Disney is shelling out labor costs for it. Not many companies are willing to do this. And you are all talking about just the Deluxe resorts and the price that you are paying. Is cutting this service OK with you at the other resorts? What if they just stopped this at the values, how many of you would complain that you can't believe they are treating you like a second class citizen because you can't afford to stay at a Deluxe? I don't even consider this to be an amenity since it is not something that is really for everyone. I don't use an ECV, should I get a price break on my stay because I don't use this "amenity"?

 

[piccolopat]

At one time the hotels did offer complimentary wheelchairs to get to your room. Unfortunately, guests never returned them. Thus using the complimentary wheelchairs in the parks, etc without renting one.

The only way Disney can manage this is to hire staff to escort the user of the complimentary wheelchair to their room and then return it to bell services so it is available for the next guest. With this new change, they may need to consider doing this for people who need assistance and arrive or depart outside of the normal business hours of ECV rental places.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

But you are talking about an amenity that Disney is giving with their own product/services. The ECV/stroller situation is completely different because these are outside companies that are making the money but Disney is shelling out labor costs for it. Not many companies are willing to do this. And you are all talking about just the Deluxe resorts and the price that you are paying. Is cutting this service OK with you at the other resorts? What if they just stopped this at the values, how many of you would complain that you can't believe they are treating you like a second class citizen because you can't afford to stay at a Deluxe? I don't even consider this to be an amenity since it is not something that is really for everyone. I don't use an ECV, should I get a price break on my stay because I don't use this "amenity"?

Disney was not doing this for free.

 

[Searc]

Accepting ECV deliveries are part of bell services jobs at high end resorts across the country. So it was part of what the were hired to do.

LOL No, it wasn't.

 

[Lilsia]

Disney was not doing this for free.

How much exactly where they getting paid per ECV? Evidently not enough to have more cast members and space to deal with the amounts that they were getting. I am also curious as to how many people actually tipped the Bell Service cast members when they picked up and dropped off their ECVs or stroller with them.

 

[Anonomom]

This change won't affect my family, but I can empathize with the families who are dismayed by it. I had small children from our first visit in 2008 to our most recent visit in 2015. In that time, we visited WDW at least once a year, sometimes more. Why? Because it was EASY. For us, it seemed like the whole system was set up to make it as easy as possible to travel with small children, and every time we started looking into other vacation spots, the ease of WDW kept pulling us back in (this is also the reason why, in 2015, we started vacationing in other places -- once our kids were older, convenience wasn't as strong a draw anymore).

Those who think it's no big deal because families, particularly those who have members needed EVCs, can just pay more and/or spend more time planning/organizing their trips, are missing the point a tiny bit. Of course they can, and many (most?) will. But by changing this policy and removing one service that makes a WDW trip easier for some families, Disney is losing one of the things that might draw people to WDW in the first place. I'm not saying Disney is utterly wrong for changing its policy or that there may not be perfectly valid reasons for the change, but however you slice it, the change makes a WDW vacation harder for some people. And when Disney makes vacationing harder, it gives folks one less reason to keep coming back.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

How much exactly where they getting paid per ECV? Evidently not enough to have more cast members and space to deal with the amounts that they were getting. I am also curious as to how many people actually tipped the Bell Service cast members when they picked up and dropped off their ECVs or stroller with them.

A poster in another thread mentioned 6 figures, at least, from the vendors with commissions for each rental.

For whatever reason, and we can all speculate for sure, Disney is doing away with how they were doing things. But it isn’t accurate that Disney was incurring the costs while not seeing any revenue.

 

[Lilsia]

A poster in another thread mentioned 6 figures, at least, from the vendors with commissions for each rental.

For whatever reason, and we can all speculate for sure, Disney is doing away with how they were doing things. But it isn’t accurate that Disney was incurring the costs while not seeing any revenue.

I don't disagree that they are probably getting kick backs. But you have to wonder how bad it is getting that they don't even care about the money anymore. It is obviously either costing them more then what they are bringing in, or they have just run out of space, or they are having too many issues with ECVs being damaged/misplaced, etc. I can imagine that it has become more of a hassle then it is worth for them to stop and loose that income.

 

[piccolopat]

I know many are upset by this change but I really think it comes down to whether the rental companies can modify their business practices to work with this change. Some will do well but others will likely fall short. I would think they can have each person's flight information tagged to the rental of a stroller or ECV just like limo companies do. They can then track the flight arrival time and coordinate with that so they can be at the resort shortly before or after the person arrives. Done right, no one should have to wait more than an hour. Of course these companies will have to hire more staff and possibly extend their business hours but that is their issue to solve. Disney simply can't be expected to continue to devote large spaces to store these devices for other companies, have Disney employees managing the last leg of the rental process or assuming liability for damaged or missing equipment.

 

[VandVsmama]

This change won't affect my family, but I can empathize with the families who are dismayed by it. I had small children from our first visit in 2008 to our most recent visit in 2015. In that time, we visited WDW at least once a year, sometimes more. Why? Because it was EASY. For us, it seemed like the whole system was set up to make it as easy as possible to travel with small children, and every time we started looking into other vacation spots, the ease of WDW kept pulling us back in (this is also the reason why, in 2015, we started vacationing in other places -- once our kids were older, convenience wasn't as strong a draw anymore).

Those who think it's no big deal because families, particularly those who have members needed EVCs, can just pay more and/or spend more time planning/organizing their trips, are missing the point a tiny bit. Of course they can, and many (most?) will. But by changing this policy and removing one service that makes a WDW trip easier for some families, Disney is losing one of the things that might draw people to WDW in the first place. I'm not saying Disney is utterly wrong for changing its policy or that there may not be perfectly valid reasons for the change, but however you slice it, the change makes a WDW vacation harder for some people. And when Disney makes vacationing harder, it gives folks one less reason to keep coming back.

Exactly. It makes it almost enough of a total hassle overall that one wants to seriously explore staying off site. Or spending fewer days at WDW and adding in some Universal Studios time, beach days, and a Cape Canaveral visit. So instead of 7-10 days on site at WDW with 7-10 day tickets with Disney dining plan thrown in for the entire time, maybe we'll stay at an off site hotel the entire time, rent a car, and only do 3-4 days at WDW.

As a result, overall, WDW will get far fewer of our family's vacation dollars. And this is coming from a super mega Disney fan. If I'm seriously considering this, then perhaps a lot of other people are considering this, too.

** Edited to add **
I'm glad that @WebmasterPete mentioned on last week's WDW DIS Unplugged podcast that Dreams Unlimited Travel is going to expand its offerings to include some off site hotel properties because I would really be interested in something like that.

 

[kaytieeldr]

As a result, overall, WDW will get far fewer of our family's vacation dollars

True, but overall they won't lose vacation dollars.

 

[opal]

None of the services we get at WDW are free. You used to have to pay Mears to get you to the resort from the airport....Now Magical Express takes you there for “free” and those who drive pay nightly to park their cars at a Disney resort. The argument can be made that those who drive are offsetting the transportation cost from the airport for those who fly. Many companies...WDW included have a harder time attracting workers because they pay low wages and add to that low unemployment and our current immigrant issues, Florida is feeling this crunch. The argument has been made that high end hotels provide the service of accepting delivery and storing EVCs for incoming guests. Maybe...but it is unlikely that most high end hotels are receiving and storing the large numbers of EVCs and strollers that Disney does on a daily basis. A great number of high end resorts and hotels still have an additional charge for wifi, the cleaning charge for your pet, the bottles of water they leave on your dresser and in some cases a charge to use many of their “ammenities”. Once upon a time Disney sold me a mug and told me to bring it back every trip for the rest of my life. I know many will argue that particular statement but it was what I was told multiple time by castmembers at the resort I purchased the mug at way back when. Now there is a chip in mugs that render them useless at Disney at the end of your stay. The simple fact is that things change...prices increase. Personally, I have no issue with paying for the services my family uses when traveling and I expect other travelers to do the same. If you do not think you are getting value for your dollars spent at Disney, the answer is simple.

 

[SteveH]

Citation or links please? The Dis Moms' Panel doesn't agree https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/question/bell-services-charge-355162/.

I'm not sure about using the Disney Parks Mom's as reliable source of facts.

I can say that we stayed at the Sheraton Anaheim Park hotel this summer, my wife needed to use a scooter to avoid walking long distances. When we called they said just to have the scooter company drop if off any time on our arrive day. We got there and the bell staff checked us in and went over the scooter to note it was working, charged and no damage. They said we could leave it with them at night and they would have it charged and ready to go each morning. In fact, they seemed to prefer us leaving it with them each night. My take on it was there was probably less damage to the room and door if we didn't try to navigate it to the room. We did tip bell services for their service, but I know that was just a tip no their pay.

During our stay we saw only one other scooter, so I can only imagine what a PITA it would have been if there were a lot more. No way could the existing bell staff have handled it, so that would have been an additional cost to the hotel to hire additional bell staff and that cost would have been pass along some how.