Disney World is BROKEN!

[ucfknight]

They're giving DVC away for free now?

If I had known that, I might have actually stopped at one of those fancy kiosks they have every 20 feet.

 

[JimmyV]

Wouldn't they be better off writing to Disney directly, then? This is like standing on a street corner shouting at random passersby, hoping someone who can actually do something about your problems wanders by.

Actually, this isn't true at all. Companies such as Disney are far more interested in what is being put out there in social medial than they are a single letter of complaint. That letter gets seen by no one in the general public. A post on a Board gets seen by tens of thousands. Companies such as Disney have people employed full time just to monitor and respond/react to what is going on in cyberspace. Which do you think matters more to a restaurant, a letter to the chef stating that the salad dressing was watery, or a post on TripAdvisor, Zagat or Urban Spoon telling people to stay away from the restaurant because it is awful? Rest assured that Disney is monitoring the ebb and flow on the various Disney-centric Boards and will react if need be. Of course, if one writes a letter of complaint, that one individual might get compensation. But that one letter is unlikely to result in a systemic change.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

And some regular posters *gasp* actually have admitted to only coming here for the drama.

I keep hoping to pop in here on any given day and find the Disney has come to their senses and made some changes I can be excited about. I'm sure when that happens, I'll read about it here first. And I also like to pop into a lot of non-FP+ threads to offer advice about seeing shows and meeting characters based on our many years of enjoying that ourselves.

So, you are only hoping that Disney will look out solely for you, and the way you do Disney? Interesting.

Guess that wraps this up then. Disney just needs to call one person to double check when they want to make changes, because it's all about how 1 person does Disney.

Come on. I know we all want to have the perfect vacation over and over again, but there are millions of people who use WDW property, and over 100,000's of different ways they "do" Disney. The only way Disney can be profitable and continue into the future is NOT by ignoring B & C and catering to A, but to hope that everyone realizes that A, B, & C all need to make slight concessions in order for things to move forward.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Actually, this isn't true at all. Companies such as Disney are far more interested in what is being put out there in social medial than they are a single letter of complaint. That letter gets seen by no one in the general public. A post on a Board gets seen by tens of thousands. Companies such as Disney have people employed full time just to monitor and respond/react to what is going on in cyberspace. Which do you think matters more to a restaurant, a letter to the chef stating that the salad dressing was watery, or a post on TripAdvisor, Zagat or Urban Spoon telling people to stay away from the restaurant because it is awful? Rest assured that Disney is monitoring the ebb and flow on the various Disney-centric Boards and will react if need be. Of course, if one writes a letter of complaint, that one individual might get compensation. But that one letter is unlikely to result in a systemic change.

The only thing is, that when the person in charge over perusing the social media postings sees the same screen names posting over and over, it's still not a clear picture of what is being said. It would be just as beneficial if those people HAD written a letter, otherwise the report will just say, "Yes, there were 1000 negative postings, but they were made by only 20 unique screen names."

 

[mom2rtk]

So, you are only hoping that Disney will look out solely for you, and the way you do Disney? Interesting.

Guess that wraps this up then. Disney just needs to call one person to double check when they want to make changes, because it's all about how 1 person does Disney.

Come on. I know we all want to have the perfect vacation over and over again, but there are millions of people who use WDW property, and over 100,000's of different ways they "do" Disney. The only way Disney can be profitable and continue into the future is NOT by ignoring B & C and catering to A, but to hope that everyone realizes that A, B, & C all need to make slight concessions in order for things to move forward.

I didn't say that at all. Not sure how you read it that way.

But shocking as it may seem, my decision on when and whether to book a trip does indeed rest on whether it is a destination that I like and find value in. Do I need to consider how others like the system to decide if I want to go?

It's Disney's job to do what will please the masses. It's my job to spend my money on what pleases me. I do get that sometimes those things can be at cross purposes. But it doesn't change my desire to hope it's a system I like, and to stay plugged into message boards hoping it morphs into something I like.

I think Disney made a mistake with FP+. And I hope they make some changes. I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. And I'm pretty sure it won't be the last time. But I'm certainly not alone in feeling this way.

 

[Donut23]

I have tried to explain this before - I have watched it for years. It's all about where and when we hit that wall. The wall when we discover Pixie Dust in reality........is just dust.

It was easy to see it in DH's eyes. It was the moment he looked across World Showcase lake and there was no Lights of Winter. For Jim something changed forever.i



Lights of Winter in itself was not Earth Shattering. In Jim's case it was the cherry after the list of changes. He could no longer pretend.

Now FP+ has arrived. So we take our vacation $$$ to DisneyLAND instead even though that 2 1/2 hour flight is more convenient.

Funny observations......most co-workers have decided the $$$$ value has erroded so it's hardly worth the trip..... And that 's CASTMEMBER rates.

We LOVE our memories with Mickey. We met standing in line at BTMRR. We just hit our wall with WDW. We come here and hope. Jim watches from the inside. We are watching.....not liking what we see.

I really have to THANK Disney for tossing off our Rosé Colored Glasses. There is a great big traveling World out there and most of it far less expensive and far more interesting.

See how it all works out in the long run!

I'm curious how long Disney can feed this beast.

 

[JimmyV]

The only thing is, that when the person in charge over perusing the social media postings sees the same screen names posting over and over, it's still not a clear picture of what is being said. It would be just as beneficial if those people HAD written a letter, otherwise the report will just say, "Yes, there were 1000 negative postings, but they were made by only 20 unique screen names."

You are of course right when you point out that the person scanning the Boards notes that the posts come from a centralized group. But they make note of that and take it into account. But they do not dismiss it. Just as a restaurant would be crazy to dismiss a single bad review on TripAdvisor. Maybe a change gets made and maybe it doesn't. But it bears watching. The peruser has to take into account two things. 1.) The complaints might be coming from just a few people; and 2.) Those complaints are being read by hundreds of thousands. It is very difficult to know how much impact the negative comment will have on the general public. For every prolific poster here, there are tens of thousands of lurkers who might react to the post. It's a tough thing to balance. But I think I am safe saying that in the meeting rooms that matter, the people at Disney in charge of FP+ have noted the way it is trending in chat rooms every bit as much as they have noted individual letters of complaint. Someone might bring in a letter from Mrs. Smith and read it aloud, and someone else might say: "50% of the DisBoard discussions right now are pounding away at FP+". My point is simply that Board chatter is not the same as random shouting from a soap box.

 

[MichelleVW]

They're giving DVC away for free now?

If I had known that, I might have actually stopped at one of those fancy kiosks they have every 20 feet.

Yes...as stated ten times if you had just kept reading...I know it's not free...but when I price vacations at Disney, lodging isn't a factor because it's already been paid for. So for that reason I can vacation at Disney for cheaper than many other places. No need for snark.

 

[mom2rtk]

Also agree with Bob about the dresses.

Thanks Shalom.

FP- involved more walking, or at least it always did when I used one. You had to go get one, then you had to get back when it was useable. I am not disabled in any meaningful sense, but I definitely haven't logged the daily miles at WDW that a lot of people do and I plan my park days with a minimum of backtracking. Sometimes I'd have the kids run get an FP for me, but usually I just went without. Being able to do all my daily FPs in one shot from one place sounds wonderful... assuming it works as advertised and the band doesn't suddenly decide I don't exist or something.

I can see where this would be a better fit for your touring style. I have said all along that one's personal reaction to the new system depends greatly on their own personal touring style.

 

[manning]

I could also fill my gas tank for $4.32 in 1971...which equates to about $25 these days. Other than gas prices, Disney has increased their prices considerably higher than the rate of inflation.

Using your figures for gas the increase in price is 478.7 percent.

We stayed in a lagoon view at the Polynesian in March of 1972 for $45 a night plus tax.

For 2014 in the same time period the rate is $807 per night plus tax an increase of 1693.33 percent.

And if I remember MK stayed open to around 1AM.

 

[manning]

I, too, have been to WDW multiple times and yes, the crowds are growing. But...it is growing exponentially with the USA population AND the ease of international travel.

I agree that this new style of anal planning has taken a LOT out of the fun we once had. But...I don't see the crowds getting smaller in the near future.

UNLESS.. Disney would build a park in Brazil. They have one in Paris, HongKong etc etc, so why not build one in Brazil where there is an obvious love of Disney?

While I don't see crowds lessening, I do predict fewer people buying annual passes.

Yes, yes, Brazil. Get rid of those crazies chanting and yelling throughout the parks!!!

 

[Brian Noble]

Rest assured that Disney is monitoring the ebb and flow on the various Disney-centric Boards and will react if need be.

The "Disney-centric Boards" are more or less a closed echo chamber of a narrow slice of the total resort guests. Public social media channels (e.g. twitter and highly-visible bloggers) matter a lot more---and Disney has been very careful to court influence-makers in those channels over the last several years to make sure that their message gets out there.

 

[crostorfer]

Direct sales, I'd believe. If you include the contribution that the three top hotels provide? Doubtful. Those hotels probably can't charge anywhere near what they do without Unlimited Express as a perk.

Really? In August 2012 my room at the very deluxe Royal Pacific was $20 less per night than my room three nights prior at the very moderate POR. All of the Loews hotels are deluxe properties with deluxe amenities.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Direct sales, I'd believe. If you include the contribution that the three top hotels provide? Doubtful. Those hotels probably can't charge anywhere near what they do without Unlimited Express as a perk.

That could be true, the perk of Unlimited Express is definitely a part of the cost.

However, Disney hardly gets their rack rates. As evidenced by the near-constant discounts and offers, along with the five million offsite hotels perched nearby. Disney is delusional charging what they charge for their hotels.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

asking them to limit the number of persons they admit - while still under official capacity? Not gonna happen. Your best shot at that is a hard ticket party at MK - but they sell lots of tickets to those now...a sold out party can be pretty crowded.

Rather then build new attractions, they spend a billion bucks and more on FP+ to encourage better traffic patterns at the ones they have.

The Brazilians and other youth groups won't be going away. They are like printing money for WDW.

I don't think WDW can be considered a relaxing vacation anymore, if it ever was. If you would like to relax, try a nice beach, or camping. Best way to rebel is to vacation elsewhere. If enough of us do it, Disney will not be able to make up for it with luring first time guests or youth groups in.

 

[btk2333]

1. In busy periods, far fewer people should be let in. It's that simple. Just because they are legally allowed to jam a zillion people into the park, doesn't mean they should.

2. Even in slower periods, you're still stuck in crazy long lines for the main rides or forced to get there at rope drop to ensure fast passes. This has to end. How? I don't know, but I'm sure they could try something. Maybe they change park pricing to discourage multiple rides on popular rides. How about $60 park admission, but $10 extra for each ride on splash mountain, space mntn, soarin, test track, tot, and any other super popular ride. Or maybe they offer fast passes only to those who pay like at universal, or maybe they build a second soarin, test track, etc to cut lines down.

These might all be lousy ideas, but the point is, there has to be a good idea out there somewhere. It's time disney started trying harder to find it.

Please add to this post with your comments/ideas if you too would like to see change. Dis execs do read these boards and will notice this thread if it gets big enough.

I'm sorry you feel this way . My WDW trips remain as magical as ever- I really hope they don't implement your ideas though, this coming from someone who travels in both busy and not busy times of year

 

[shalom]

However, Disney hardly gets their rack rates.

Nobody else really does, either, especially touristy places. There are always deals in terms of coupons and discount websites and my hubby has been known to walk in, ask for the manager, point out how offseason it is, and get a deal on the spot.

OTOH, a surprising number of people do pay Disney's rack rates, particularly the seasons when those rates are highest. Disney discounts when it has to in order to fill the rooms, but even most discounts are limited to a certain percentage of particular hotels.

 

[mom2rtk]

Really? In August 2012 my room at the very deluxe Royal Pacific was $20 less per night than my room three nights prior at the very moderate POR. All of the Loews hotels are deluxe properties with deluxe amenities.

You got that FOTL deal with your POR room, right?

 

[btk2333]

You got that FOTL deal with your POR room, right?

arguably right now you get a significant fp+ by booking in advance and not having to wait at the kiosks in the morning... now that wasn't the case for the person you referenced- it is potentially a perk going forwrd

 

[JZCubed]

You're correct. You no longer need to arrive at rope drop for FP participation. However, if you have children that want to ride the same headliner attractions multiple times, and don't give a rat's patootie about character interaction or ambiance, or the pretty flowers, you still need to arrive at rope drop for RIDE participation.

We are able to ride RIDES with our FP+.

We can also wait in stand-by for the lesser RIDES without much delay.

As for the need for multiple rides on the same RIDE(s), we simply are not on the same page. There is always the next day or next trip if stand-by lines dictate we move someplace else.

For instance, we scheduled our last FP+ to meet Mickey in MK even though our child has not really shown an interest in characters beyond princesses. Her excuse for being afraid, "I wanted to see Minnie Mouse." My 4 y.o. was OK with her being told that we will visit Minnie on our next trip as since we were moments away from leaving to the airport and did not have time to wait to see Minnie.

Can stand-by time for 'E-ticket' rides be mitigated by arriving early in the morning? Yes.

But riding on rides multiple times in one day is not the goal of the typical family.