Disney is different now

[Rip]

What the review said is that AKL is worth the extra cost. I didn't get the impression that they paid it and I can't imagine someone feeling positive about the price per night doubling. I wouldn't. I think they were suggesting to pay the extra cost and book into AKL, not that they paid extra.

They rated it 1 out of 5 stars, didn't sound very positive to me.

 

[3Gsandme]

They rated it 1 out of 5 stars, didn't sound very positive to me.

That's what they rated POR. I'd rate POR a 1 star if I got a room covered in blood, vomit and urine, too. They were upgraded to AKL since there were no rooms for them at POR.

 

[ellie05]

It absolutely does

The bottom line is, for the majority of us, two things go a long way to make good:

1) An apology. We are so sorry. We messed up so ...
2) Let's make it right.

When you take a problem to the front desk or anywhere else to be addressed most of the time all we want is for someone to acknowledge the problem (not make you feel like you are making a big deal out of nothing!) and to do something to rectify the situation.

I don't think that's asking for too much and the folk on here who are voicing their dissatisfaction did not get that. That would not be ok by me. So I don't expect it to be ok with them.

I totally agree with you. What was the most upsetting about the situation is that we didn't get even and apology! The housekeeper manager never showed up, the front desk manager pretty much rolled her eyes and didn't even wanted to see the pictures. It is not only about the dirty room, but how it was handle by multiple members of the staff.

The same things that happen in peoples homes! Like many hotel chains Disney is moving to sheets only which are laundered regularly in lieu of bedspreads.



Since they're so awful, why would you waste your time here bashing them instead of going camping, skiing, fishing, or something else?


How have your rooms been Hatter? Generally when I have an issue at a WDW room, they rectify it pretty quickly.

This has been our experience too until this last stay. We had housekeeping issues literally every day of our stay and we didn't even got an apology!

Oh, I see the issue. The problem is I admit that I don't take everything someones says at face value and use information to draw my own conclusions. Yes, I see how that could bother some people.

Yes, it's true. Regarding reading reviews, I do view them all with a bit of skepticism. I'm okay with that and I'm okay with admitting that. The point of this thread, again, is that "Disney is different". Supporting evidence was CMs aren't as friendly/pleasant, room was dirty, etc. It's all there in the OP. I only addressed the room cleanliness issue when another poster asked why no one had addressed that. Again, I'm sorry that the OP had such an unpleasant time, but I don't think that's evidence that Disney service is slipping. This is, of course, based on my ideas about mathematical averages and my own personal experience. We're just back and didn't experience any of the issues that the OP had. I don't know if we were particularly lucky or if she was particularly unlucky. I don't have enough data. People are also reporting the parks are dirty. This, too, wasn't my experience. Are my standards different? Am I just lucky? I don't know.

It is different viewing something with skepticism and calling someone a liar, which is what you did. Not only I saw it that way, but multiple people saw it that way.

 

[Minniesgal]

Not to worry. If the line and tech problems continue, Disney will have even more of those optimal low-crowd days.

Cool!

 

[Bullseye]

I never said they were terrible? I said if I was in Disney like the poster I was addressing I wouldn't be wasting my time arguing with people on the DIS, especially if I felt the parks were so spectacular right now.

I'm not in Disney right now, not really missing out on anything super awesome to respond to you, so don't worry about me .

We'll in that case... sorry for being a budinski

You're right, I should have read the whole thread

 

[Davey Jones II]

Yup, and in the case of the cards that's exactly what they did. We had an issue with paper tickets (hate those) one year and they were also easily replaced.

I have no idea what would happen if somebody needed a MB replaced. We were told at TL that they find a bunch in the lagoon every day -- and I believe it... the waves pulled the elastic right out of my hair one day. We also found 2 in bathrooms in the parks and 3 on the ground at our resort (but that's in 10 days). I have no idea what those people did after they lost theirs (I assume the ones lost at the resorts would get back to them).

It's unacceptable for Disney to stop offering cards as a backup. I've already read lots of posts from people who had persistent and recurring problems with their MBs, which marred their whole vacation. If the damn thing can't be replaced, then Disney has an obligation to provide a backup.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I totally agree with you. What was the most upsetting about the situation is that we didn't get even and apology! The housekeeper manager never showed up, the front desk manager pretty much rolled her eyes and didn't even wanted to see the pictures. It is not only about the dirty room, but how it was handle by multiple members of the staff.



This has been our experience too until this last stay. We had housekeeping issues literally every day of our stay and we didn't even got an apology!




It is different viewing something with skepticism and calling someone a liar, which is what you did. Not only I saw it that way, but multiple people saw it that way.

My advice: complain directly to Disney. That is an unacceptably bad level of service and surly attitudes.

You can write to www.guestservices@disneyworld.com

 

[Tisha82]

Wow...I've read about 75% of this thread. The last time I was there was March 2008 with my DH and sons (ages 11 and 14 at the time). We were there in 2005, 2007 and 2008 springbreaks! Fantastic vacations.

I was thinking about maybe another visit in the fall. The boys will be 18 and 21 then. A different experience for sure, but one that might be alot of fun now that they are much older.

However, after reading this thread...I'm not so sure. I was at Universal with the youngest last year and pretty much hated it. I thought it was dirty, I refused to pay for their FastPass which was more than the tickets...and only rode 4 rides the entire day. The attractions were lame...I just kept saying how pitiful it was next to the Cleanliness and friendliness of WDW.

Now..it seems that it has spiraled down. But some say it's fine. It just makes me pause if we want to spend the money. It typically costs us around $5,000+ for plane tickets, tickets, park hopper. We stay at a moderate resort. I'm not sure I like not being able to park hop and do the fast pass that way.

Well..just wanted to let everyone know (and maybe Disney reads) that future customers are now rethinking their plans.

 

[disneyworldluvr349]

We just got back from a great vacation. On our arrival night we stopped at Wendy's to grab a bite to eat. There were some Disney CM there getting food complaining how horrible it is to work there. They were very loud and they were calling MK Tragic Kingdom. I know they were not at work at the time but there were little kids there listening.

I worked for Disney a couple of years ago for an internship, and unfortunately many of the CM's used that nickname. I think the majority of people working at the parks are students doing this internship, and from personal experience most were all given night shifts. Some of us were up until 4am working at Magic Kingdom (I worked in the Emporium). It's very hard to stay in the Disney spirit when you are working a mandatory 45-50 hour week and having to stay up so late. I can only imagine adding all of the new changes and guest complaints on top of it.

 

[ellie05]

My advice: complain directly to Disney. That is an unacceptably bad level of service and surly attitudes.

You can write to www.guestservices@disneyworld.com

I did and attached all the pictures. We will see what happens

 

[dominiondad]

Perhaps we need to consider that we may play a role in all of this. Yes, it's troubling that garbage can be seen throughout the ride lines, but how did it get there? I'm sure everybody here will say they always use the trash cans, but somebody isn't. And maybe when we get to the park, we need to let the whole FP+ thing go for a week. If you have a question about how FP+ will impact park hopper sales, maybe call CS or address it in an email to Disney, rather than bring it up with the lowest paid employee on the Disney payroll.

I'm sure Disney is changing, but the customer base is changing as well. I'm not so sure it's for the better. Just a thought.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Perhaps we need to consider that we may play a role in all of this. Yes, it's troubling that garbage can be seen throughout the ride lines, but how did it get there? I'm sure everybody here will say they always use the trash cans, but somebody isn't. And maybe when we get to the park, we need to let the whole FP+ thing go for a week. If you have a question about how FP+ will impact park hopper sales, maybe call CS or address it in an email to Disney, rather than bring it up with the lowest paid employee on the Disney payroll.

I'm sure Disney is changing, but the customer base is changing as well. I'm not so sure it's for the better. Just a thought.

Absolutely! Disney has a responsibilty to keep their parks clean, but the guests also have a responsibility to avoid acting like litterbugs and slobs. Unfortunately, these days there are plenty of both.

Aside from trash cans, I do think there should be more recycling facilities in the parks and resorts. It's sometimes very hard to find one!

 

[muushupork]

Perhaps we need to consider that we may play a role in all of this. Yes, it's troubling that garbage can be seen throughout the ride lines, but how did it get there? I'm sure everybody here will say they always use the trash cans, but somebody isn't. And maybe when we get to the park, we need to let the whole FP+ thing go for a week. If you have a question about how FP+ will impact park hopper sales, maybe call CS or address it in an email to Disney, rather than bring it up with the lowest paid employee on the Disney payroll. I'm sure Disney is changing, but the customer base is changing as well. I'm not so sure it's for the better. Just a thought.

When it comes to anyone in a service level position at wdw i am as understanding and as courteous and as patient as i would expect them to be. I dont think disney is very honest about what they will have to endure for slave wages and i cant imagine what its like to come to that realization at a time when the parks are much more hostile environments then ever before.

 

[Disney/Universal Fan]

Are you suggesting that small world and pirates are walk ons all the time? That the standby times are not longer now for those rides? That people don't need to consider the likelihood of longer lines on these rides?

No, I am not suggesting that at all. Just giving my experience that I had this past Monday. Just as others are suggesting that the standby times are now always longer, I am just saying that is not always the case.

 

[quagmire0]

In my experience, most any vacation is a YMMV scenario, no matter what company you are dealing with. Think of those stories we hear about cruise ships a couple times a year or maybe every other year. They do thousands of cruises without a blip and then - boom - a bad cruise. Same applies to individual experiences at resorts, hotels, airline flights, etc.

While you'd love to be guaranteed a worry-free vacation, it just doesn't always happen. In this case, it's up to you to report the problems to the front desk and it is up to them to remedy the situation to your satisfaction. That's the best you can hope for. Sending an email afterward is useful info for Disney, but doesn't help *you* much.

 

[Angel Ariel]

This is exactly correct. When on vacations, problems can and DO occur. I don't think I've ever taken a vacation in my life that went off without a hitch!

On the flip side, I can't remember taking a Disney vacation where I've ever had a problem that Disney was responsible for. That's not to say there haven't been hitches - but family issues aren't Disney's problem I can honestly say I've never had a problem with my tickets, my dining reservations, any resort stays...everything from Disney has been top notch, 100% of the time I've been there (whether it was WDW or DL).

So with that perspective, if we were to go and have a very opposite experience, it would absolutely surprise us.

Have any of you dealt with cable or phone companies for MONTHS trying to resolve a problem....I have. Have you been in line at a retail store during Christmas Shopping when their systems went down....I have. Have you made a reservation at a non-Disney hotel or restaurant only for said reservation disappear into "the interwebs"....I have. It happens, usually at the most inconvenient times. Your attitude is what determines the outcome though.

They will figure it out. In the meantime, have some patience - you're on vacation!!!!!

Not a cable or phone company, but medical insurance. I'm currently going on about 18 months of trying to get a billing issue resolved. Every month (b/c you "have" to give them 30 days to process, etc) it's the same thing over and over again. Companies don't always figure it out. Sometimes it is just a mess.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I do like that part.

I don't like the awful app that takes 10 times longer than it should, the limits placed on said FP, and all the issues switching to using technology had brought along with it.

Knowing what we know now, I would rather "run" from place to place (and push over innocent children in my way) collecting FP-. The way they have designed the system causes you to be on your phone way longer than you should to do anything. Hopefully that's fixed in the future.

Let's also add in that I don't like that the awful app drains my battery faster than any other app on my phone. Thus, in order to actually use it in the park I'm not only required to carry my phone, but also a battery re-charger for when my battery dies before the end of the day.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

In case you haven't watched, The DIS Unplugged podcast selected this thread as inspiration for the subject of their next poll. I really encourage everyone to participate. You can find the poll by going to the show's Facebook page and "Liking" it. You'll see it after you do so.

https://www.facebook.com/disunplugged

 

[2Tiggies]

In case you haven't watched, The DIS Unplugged podcast selected this thread as inspiration for the subject of their next poll. I really encourage everyone to participate. You can find the poll by going to the show's Facebook page and "Liking" it. You'll see it after you do so.

https://www.facebook.com/disunplugged

Thanks Nikki

 

[rteetz]

In case you haven't watched, The DIS Unplugged podcast selected this thread as inspiration for the subject of their next poll. I really encourage everyone to participate. You can find the poll by going to the show's Facebook page and "Liking" it. You'll see it after you do so. https://www.facebook.com/disunplugged

I also encourage those who don't watch the weekly podcast to watch or listen to this weeks episode and when Pete talks about this thread a common thing happening here and in other threads on the disboards. I really think Pete does a good job talking about what is happening and asks those that have experienced FP+ to email the dis and talk about their experience with the system. It's really a good discussion I hope you guys listen to it. Pete raises some good points. You can go to disunplugged.com or go to their YouTube page thedis to watch the episode.