Disney insults us all yet again!

[Bob O]

I hope DaveO is correct!!!!

 

[tar heel]

Eeyore2U -- I must have missed all those posts from the people who now that they've gone see no real loss in ee! The posts I read say exactly the opposite.

We went three weeks ago and found the lack of ee to be a HUGE LOSS. I will have to say that the absence of ee was much worse than I expected it to be.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by tar heel
Eeyore2U -- I must have missed all those posts from the people who now that they've gone see no real loss in ee! The posts I read say exactly the opposite.

We went three weeks ago and found the lack of ee to be a HUGE LOSS. I will have to say that the absence of ee was much worse than I expected it to be.

Not sure what to tell you tar heel. Maybe we read different threads.

 

[Brier Rose]

I really don't see how Disney could be totally lying about the fact that they took into account what guests wanted when they made this decision.We were asked if while visiting we took advantage of EE?The answer...Nut of 22 trips,we have never used EE.
O.K. next question, would we like to see more character interaction at the resorts? We answered YES! Why, because in our opinion thats what makes it a DISNEY resort!!
Yes they have themeing that makes them different,and they are on Disney property,but what could make them more Disney than to have Disney characters to see you off on your way to the parks? I admit we don't miss EE, because we never used them anyway.We like the CC ,because we feel better it completes the expierence of staying at a DISNEY hotel.Surely, we cannot be the only ones who answered that survey question in that way,which would mean that as hard as it may be for you to believe Disney is not lying when they say that guests asked for it ..We Did!!

 

[All Aboard]

Survey question 1: "Did your party ride Pirates of the Caribbean today?" 51% of the respondents say "no."

Survery question 2: "Would you like to see more characters in the park?" 70% of the respondents say "yes."

Weeks later...

"You spoke and we listened. See your favorite Disney characters today under the old fortress!"

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Greg!!

Welcome to car #3!!






It's too bad any of us have to be here!!

 

[kenjean]

I would be happy if they just re-started EE at the Magic Kingdom. Just on Saturday. Anything.

We were there this past Saturday, and between the crowds and the heat, its tough. By the time the gate opens at 9:00, it is already 90 degrees.

Just one thought on whether the elimination of EE (and other things) has affected bookings at the hotels. I believe CBR had the most rooms for one stand alone hotel on property (if you count the All Stars as separate entities). If this is true, they have just closed their biggest hotel.

I can't really post the rates here, but I can tell you that, being a Florida resident, I can get a Disney room really cheap right now. Which usually indicates very soft bookings. From other things I have read, Universal is actually up this year, though very slightly.

Personally, we have not stayed in a Disney resort since the elimination of EE.

I believe the cutbacks have affected them more than they are letting on.

 

[All Aboard]

kenjean, sure you can post rates here (just not codes.) Florida Residents and Annual passholders can get the moderates for $79 a night through 10/2 and again in Nov & Dec. And that's with CBR closed for most of that period. $79 is the lowest I've seen in years.

Why the need to discount so heavily? Post 9/11 & economic woes? Some, without a doubt. How about being brought on in part by recent decisions to reduce the value of the stay (both at the resort and the theme parks)? Those factors cannot be overlooked.

Our business, which relies heavily on advertising from tourist based business has made a fantastic recovery this year. So, it's not "woes all around."

 

[drusba]

OK, I am one of those who was actually surveyed about ee and characters or at least I believe I was. It happened when we were there in June 2001. We were approached outside of AK and asked if we would answer some questions so we did. I particularly remember being asked how often we actually use EE which for us is seldom, and being asked if we would like to see more characters at the resorts to which we answered yes. Noteworthy, is that nothing was ever phrased as "Would you like more characters at the resorts in exchange for doing away with ee?" In other words, the "more characters" questions were not tied to doing away with something else (and thus obviously you would answer yes to having characters appear at the resorts) and we were never asked if we thought ee is a good idea or should be done away with. But you can see how Disney can claim its assertion about the survey is accurate--many like us probably said they seldom use ee and everyone likely answered yes to characters at the resort. Of course, no one knew they were saying "give us characters and do away with ee."

 

[Brier Rose]

I would think that Disney could come to the assumption that if someone answered that they don't use EE, then why would they care if it was taken away.
I really don't understand what all the big deal is anyway???
How much x-tra time did ee give, and hour,two at the most???
Why not just attend an e night , or go in the off season when crowds are not a problem at any time of the day??
Personally I think that people that only stay at a Disney resort to sqeeze in a little x-tra park time, are just missing the point of the Disney expierence anyway...

 

[kenjean]

We used EE every time we stayed at a resort and it was offered at the Magic Kingdom. Having two small children, it was a wonderful perk. We would be there when they opened the gate at 7:30, and could ride everything that was open with ease. No long lines in the heat of the day with grumpy kids.

It also had a special "feel" to it, being there early with smaller crowds. You felt like you were being treated special. My daughter would say they opened Disneyworld just for us. And it didn't cost extra.

By 9:30, when the park was starting to get crowded, we had hit most of the "kiddie" rides.

My family always considered it a special time, one we gladly paid resort prices for.

 

[All Aboard]

I really don't understand what all the big deal is anyway???

For you, clearly there is none. For many of us, EE was considered the nicest perk offered by WDW.

How much x-tra time did ee give, and hour,two at the most???

It gave us 1.5 glorious hours at MK in the morning. A HUGE value in my opinion.

Why not just attend an e night

Three reasons, 1) the extra charge 2) Fantasyland is not open 3) little ones are asleep

Personally I think that people that only stay at a Disney resort to sqeeze in a little x-tra park time, are just missing the point of the Disney expierence anyway...

Thanks for the value judgement.

 

[Brier Rose]

Maybe Disney could just compromise and do EE when it's peak season?
We always travel in the off season when the crowds are low enough that there has never been a need for us to take advantage of EE. Although we have never had the expierence ourselves, I can see how people that it was kind of a ritual for would be upset by it's being taken away.
All I'm saying is that I cannot understand all these people that are so HOSTILE over the whole thing.
In Disney as in everthing else things change.We were very upset when they closed the GG for character breakfasts.This was our "ritual" for 8 years,but it's not going to make us quit going to Epcot

 

[WDWHound]

Originally posted by Brier Rose
I would think that Disney could come to the assumption that if someone answered that they don't use EE, then why would they care if it was taken away.
I really don't understand what all the big deal is anyway???
How much x-tra time did ee give, and hour,two at the most???
Why not just attend an e night , or go in the off season when crowds are not a problem at any time of the day??
Personally I think that people that only stay at a Disney resort to sqeeze in a little x-tra park time, are just missing the point of the Disney expierence anyway...

Why not just attend e-night? In other words, why not spend extra for something that used to be free? They charge more, cut back hours and get rid of EE, then ask us to pay still more to get back some of the hours they got rid of. Its the charging more for less that bothers me. I plan to do e-night, but I'd much rather have EE. By the way, I always go in the off season and yet I still felt that EE anded substancial value to my vacation.

It is true that EE used to only provide 2-hours of extra park time per day, and in some parks, only certain attractions were open. Still, those 2 hours were a wonderful time to be in the parks. The crowds were low enough that the place didn't seem crowded and the available attractions were easy to get to. You could ride you favorite rides and have a nice lesiurely breakfast in the parks.

You may not have enjoyed EE, but I did. It was one of the 4 main reasons I stayed onsite. Those reasons were:
1. Location
2. EE
3. Free Delivery of items purchased in the parks to my room
4. Themed Environment

Notice that 3and 4 have been cut back, thus removing half my reasons to stay at the resorts.

It all boils down to this. Those of you didn't value EE have lost nothing. Those of us who did have lost something that we enjoyed a great deal. Just becuase you don't miss it doesn't mean we shouldn't complain. I never take advantage of character interactions, but I don't ask people what the big deal about character interactions is.

Different perks are valued by different people, and from what I understand, enough people valued EE to be complaining a lot to the Disney on this topic. Every CM I have talked too says they have receive a lot of complaints on this topic.

 

[Brier Rose]

I never said that people that enjoyed Ee should not be upset that they took it away.I get upset myself when something changes that I don't like.What I don't understand is why some people have even taken it to the exteme to say that now they won't even stay at the Disney resorts
EE was a nice perk for some, nobody is denying that, but it was , just that , a perk or a privilidge.
When I was growing up, and I argued with my parents about my curfew, they were always quick to remind me that that was a privilidge,and not a right given to me.
We enjoy CC, but we don't feel it's our right to have it always just because we do now.
If they take it away tomorrow,we'll miss it,but we're not gonna boycott our favorite resort because of it.

 

[All Aboard]

All I'm saying is that I cannot understand all these people that are so HOSTILE

I wouldn't consider myself "hostile", just very upset. But, your use of the phrase "all these people" shows that you recognize that there is at least a sizable group effected by the removal of EE.

When I was growing up, and I argued with my parents about my curfew, they were always quick to remind me that that was a privilidge,and not a right given to me.

No offense, but that's a ridiculous comparison. Your parents were effectively raising a child, Disney is running a business and has customers to keep happy. In fact, this "perk" v. "right" thing is not much of an argument. What if park transportation was removed as a perk? Would that be the same thing? Hey, it was never a "right."

Every CM I have talked too says they have receive a lot of complaints on this topic.

Me too. In fact, many get pretty irritated when you mention it. Why? Because they've heard it so much.

 

[Another Voice]

"EE was a nice perk for some, nobody is denying that, but it was , just that , a perk or a privilidge..."

Actually, it wasn't a "perk" - it was something people bought and paid. It was one of the of the reasons (if not the primary reason for many people) that they paid the substantial premium Disney charges for its hotels. People are upset because it greatly reduces the value they are receiving for their money.

The vast majority of people do not care about people in rubber suits. They have this odd habit of excepting value. And in truth, "value" is different for every person. While some have no problem with the elimination of Early Entry, it is clear that many people do. If Disney offers a product at a price people feel is not a value for the money, they have every right to "boycott".

 

[Brier Rose]

How can you compare taking away transportation to taking away EE.Disney didn't close the parks down, they just took away some of the x-tra hours.
I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone.I never meant it to sound like on the issue of CC versus EE that one was more important than the other.The truth is I really don't know why I even started with this at all.If they bring EE back,don't bring Ee back, get rid of CC , I know I can speak for at least my family when I say we truly don't care.We just love to be at DisneyWorld period.To us it's just like family,you take the good with the bad,but you still love them anyway.We have enough day to day problems to deal with at home,I just choose not to look for any while on vacation.Truthfully, I never even knew there was anything wrong with DW at all till I started reading these boards.I think I'll go back to my blissful state of ignorence now

 

[kenjean]

If Disney offers a product at a price people feel is not a value for the money, they have every right to "boycott".

I'm voting with my wallet. It is as much principle as dollars. As I said in a post before, I don't think I'm alone.

Besides, I'm saving a ton of money using priceline for offsite hotels.

 

[Jackie H.]

What is (was) the difference in Early Entry vs. Surprise Mornings? I thought is was only the name.....