Do we expect more because it's Disney

[eliza61]

I first posted this question on the DVC board where I normally hang out but after reading alot of complaints on this board, decide to repeat it here.

First, let me say I love to travel. Luckily, I have a job that allows me to do this so between work and vacations I probably spend 3-4 months on the road. I pretty much have stayed the entire gamut of hotels, from Motel 6 to $700/night 4 stars.

Second, I love Disney. Any man who can take Florida swamp land, plot a castle in the middle of it, make me spend a fortune to play with a gaint mouse, duck and a dog deserves a state named after him.

But with so many dissatifaction post, I wanted to ask are our expectations way higher when we vacation at Disney? For example.

1. Transportation. Transportation is free here. From the minute you step off the plane until its time to go home. We get free and for the most part efficient transportation. Yet we gripe if we have to wait for a bus after the parks close and god forbid the bus is crowded. Tell me where else do you go on vacation and get free, reliable bus service. Folks in deluxes complain that they should not have to share resort buses. Pleezzz, if you go to the Waldolf,(at $700 a night) a four seasons or a Marriott in any major city or vacation spot we may get a doorman to call us a cab that's it.

2. Freebies. Why do we assume that we should get an upgrade just because we asked? Why are we upset if its our childs birthday and nothing special happens. In all my travels (Europe, carribean and US) I've never gotten more than a "happy birthday" except maybe at TGI Fridays where they will sing to you. Yet there are post after post saying how disappointed we are when we are not upgraded or because the cm's are not our best buds upon arrival.

Do we naturally have higher expectations because its Disney?

 

[mickeymousemom]

Actually, yes. I think ALOT of people do. I know my family doesn't. We love WDW and in many trips have never really had alot to gripe about. We love WDW. It feels like home to us. We don't mind waiting on busses. We thoroughly enjoy 99% of the food, and totally love the atmosphere. I think more often than not, it's the first-timers that expect too much. They hear how amazing everything at WDW is, or just ASSUME it's a perfect place because it's, well, DISNEY. It isn't perfect. There are lines for rides. Sometimes you might see 6 busses for other parks before you finally see one for yours(we rarely have this problem). There are rude guests everywhere who yell at their kids, threaten, cut in lines, push you with strollers, stand in front of you at a parade(when you were there first), don't take showers, wear extreme too-revealing clothing(and I'm a very open-minded person), etc. My BIL's BIL(yes..my BIL's BIL...) and his wife took their 6 yo down for the first time a few years ago. They hated it. After talking to my BIL's wife about it, I realized they had done NO research and the gripes they had could have been TOTALLY avoided.
Most of us that have been going for years know exactly what to expect. We go. We ignore. We conquer. We see the magic in all things Disney and we rarely see anything past that. We are DIS'ers, TGM'ers, and whatever else it takes to get to know how to deal with it all in a proper way.

Yes....I do believe there are too many people who just expect perfection. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Disney IS magic. It always will be for us. Keep Mr. non-believing gripey pants out. Just one less guest I have ahead of me at the Beer Kiosks

 

[Cee]

Going anywhere else makes me see what's lacking in THOSE places. Disney
4-EVER.

 

[Heluvsme]

This is a great question! I personally think that I haven't raised my expectations because it's Disney, but I do think that Disney has raised its own bar to a certain level and now my expectations from Disney are that high, does that make sense?

I love to travel also, and I've been very fortunate to be able to travel, for pleasure. I never expect Disney to do something for me that I haven't paid for or isn't included. I've never asked for, nor received, an upgrade, yet I know they do it when they can for some families and I think that's great! If a company can do that occasionally I think it just reflects on their values and their commitment to their customers. Disney set their own standards of cleanliness and courtesy, they've gone WAY above industry standards in my opinion, therefore they always not only meet, but far exceed, my expectations. I know there are isolated incidents you hear about, but I think that's exactly what they are---isolated incidents.

And to reiterate what the OP said, yes, I think that when folks get upset about various bus schedules or the occasional short tempered CM, I think some perspective might be in order....they're Disney, but they're also human, and CM's can have bad days just like us. Since it's not 'across the board' rudeness, or 'across the board' bad bus schedules, some slack cutting should be in order, in my opinion. Just my 2 cents worth!!

 

[punksmom]

So true...
(There are rude guests everywhere who yell at their kids, threaten, cut in lines, push you with strollers, stand in front of you at a parade(when you were there first), don't take showers, wear extreme too-revealing clothing(and I'm a very open-minded person), etc.)

My only visit to WDW was Dec/Jan 06 and I was completely shocked at the behaviour of the quests. I was not prepared at all for what I experienced but this is not the fault of disney. It is the fault of all the obnoxious, me-me-me, I am better than you, more important than you, I paid all this money, people who can ruin a trip for many first timers. I am going back in August and all of "you people" watch out cause here I come and you are not going to ruin it for me this time. So if you see someone laughing at you because of your obnoxious behavour and completely enjoying myself - THAT WE BE ME!!

 

[themudd4]

Yes, I agree to some degree. I do think that I expect more from Disney, but as a pp stated Disney set the bar.
I have been disappointed in certain things, and I guess more so becasue it was Disney but nothing to where I have ever had a "fit"...at least none I remember.
I also expect the expectations to go higher as the price does as well.
I love Disney and probably always will.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

I also expect the expectations to go higher as the price does as well.

I think this is hitting it right on the mark...most, if not all, of the complaints I've heard/seen were from people who had a sense of entitlement because of the amount of money they've spent for their WDW vacation. Each and every single time we've seen some guestzilla having a meltdown at WDW when they don't get their way one of the first things out of their mouths is "do you know how much this trip cost me".

 

[eliza61]

Each and every single time we've seen some guestzilla having a meltdown at WDW when they don't get their way one of the first things out of their mouths is "do you know how much this trip cost me".

This always makes me laugh, I posted the same thing on the "abusing cm thread". I was there in March and a questzilla was at Tony's Town square, ranting (she actually told the greeter to go to H$%%%) because she had to wait an hour for a table. Evidently she had no adr's and had been to every TS in the MK and couldn't get seated without a wait. First thing she said "do you know how much this trip cost me?"
Why did she feel she should be seated right away with out a reservation, I mean you have to wait an hour at the Olive garden or TGI Friday's on a Saturday night.

 

[irisbud]

I thinik a good part of it is the expense: people have difficulty seeing outside themselves. If they would take a moment and look around, they would see all of the other people around them that also dropped a ton of money on their vacation.
I think another part of it is the entitlement factor. This, unfortunatly, seems to exist everywhere. "Do something special for me because I'm me!" I worked in a department store and got it all of the time. I now see it in my office all of the time. And it really isn't the majority of people; they are just the ones that stand out.
Lastly, I think some of it for people on here might come from these boards. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE DIS! DIS made my vacation what it was, by giving me information that was relevent and true, and I believe that that is how it works for most of us on here. We can assimilate the information, extrapolate what is important, and realize what is likely. There are some here, and everywhere, however, that can't get past someone else's great fortune and believe that they are automatically entitled to the same. People are more likely to post about the really good and the really bad than they are to post about the middle of the road just-what-I-was-expecting-nothing-more-nothing-less parts of their trip.
JMTC

 

[Anything Disney!]

Do you know who I think I am????? This happens more and more nowdays. My DH and I travel quite a bit too, and we see this happen everywhere. I am constantly amazed by the attitudes. I'll bet that Disney offers "How to deal with guestzillas 101" for all the CM's!

 

[SonicGuy]

We have been to WDW many times and the only time we have had problems have been with other guests. Both of my daughters are in wheelchairs and oftentimes we just hope and pray that someone wont come and sit in front of our parade spot we've been sitting in for an hour plus, just five minutes before the parade starts and the kids cant see. One time we actually had a rude guest push me out of the way to get in a ride line and knocked DD's wheelchair out of my hands and sent her free wheeling down a small incline in EPCOT - forcing my big 'ole rearend to have to chase her down. On that particular trip we had decided as a family that we would not come back. NOt due to Disney - but to the other guests. Then we came across a wonderful CM named Alice (yes we still remember her name after 9 years) in the the American pavilion that changed the entire trip for us. She could tell we were frustrated, DD had not been able to get up to ANY characters all day because parents and kids kept crowding in front of her chair, and Alice took her - yes pushed her chair, and got her up to see many characters. She was so loving and intuitive to our families needs that my love for Disney cemented itself. I am always amazed at the magic that I see from CM's and oftentimes other guests that it can override those difficult, self serving guests that feel they should be the only ones in the park.

We have a goal as a family to each day do something to make another families time a little better. Any small, simple thing goes a long way and helps continue that magic. It is up to us as Disney lovers to do our part in the magic. Oftentimes it is what we do with it that determines the overall magic of the park.

 

[eliza61]

We have a goal as a family to each day do something to make another families time a little better. Any small, simple thing goes a long way and helps continue that magic. It is up to us as Disney lovers to do our part in the magic. Oftentimes it is what we do with it that determines the overall magic of the park.

Sonic guy,

You are my personal Hero for the day! Way to go

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Actually, yes. I think ALOT of people do. I know my family doesn't. We love WDW and in many trips have never really had alot to gripe about. We love WDW. It feels like home to us. We don't mind waiting on busses. We thoroughly enjoy 99% of the food, and totally love the atmosphere. I think more often than not, it's the first-timers that expect too much. They hear how amazing everything at WDW is, or just ASSUME it's a perfect place because it's, well, DISNEY. It isn't perfect. There are lines for rides. Sometimes you might see 6 busses for other parks before you finally see one for yours(we rarely have this problem). There are rude guests everywhere who yell at their kids, threaten, cut in lines, push you with strollers, stand in front of you at a parade(when you were there first), don't take showers, wear extreme too-revealing clothing(and I'm a very open-minded person), etc. My BIL's BIL(yes..my BIL's BIL...) and his wife took their 6 yo down for the first time a few years ago. They hated it. After talking to my BIL's wife about it, I realized they had done NO research and the gripes they had could have been TOTALLY avoided.
Most of us that have been going for years know exactly what to expect. We go. We ignore. We conquer. We see the magic in all things Disney and we rarely see anything past that. We are DIS'ers, TGM'ers, and whatever else it takes to get to know how to deal with it all in a proper way.

Yes....I do believe there are too many people who just expect perfection. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Disney IS magic. It always will be for us. Keep Mr. non-believing gripey pants out. Just one less guest I have ahead of me at the Beer Kiosks

I can totally relate to what you're saying. We just came back from our first trip this week and loved everything about Disney. Now my husband (who wasn't too enthused before the trip) only wants to go back and we talk about it constantly. Yes, we encountered rudeness, smelliness on an elevator coming out of Astro Orbiters at MK. Honestly, I thought it the elevator didn't stop at that second I was going to lose my beignets (we stayed at POFQ!). All in all, I planned the trip for 4 months, made ADRs for every day and wouldn't change a thing!

 

[disneydreamin-gang]

I agree with the idea of holding Disney to a higher standard. We don't get to travel often with our family because money is quite tight. But we do scrimp and save and do odd jobs so we can take a WDW vacation.

Now my point all this is
Where else can you go and get the service and quality you get at WDW. We have researched several different vacation spots and always come back to Disney. The money we spend for Disney is worth it in our book. Yes it seems like a lot of money at the time but there is no place else in this world where you can get free transportation, free dining(at certain times), great entertainment(included in package), great thrill rides, great accommodation's, and feel like a royal family. The bottom line is Disney far exceeds them all.

 

[susieq76]

Okay- now I feel guilty for complaining about the bus service at POR.

We Love WDW- and I mean love it. But, yes, we do take for granted those little Disney things like busses etc. I think we're just so anxious to get to the park that we get frustrated when the 3rd bus passes you by full. I know, we're brats- but never had problems like that in 3 Allstar stays- even during Pop Warner week! So in my mind "don't stay at POR again- poor bus service" Maybe because we have other Disney Resorts to compare it to?

We do have the foresite to KNOW its not the poor bus drivers fault and take it out on him they way we saw people do during our 2 days there.

 

[I Love Pluto]

We love Disney - we're absolutely thrilled to vacation there yearly and spend half of what we would at the Jersey shore.

Comparison shopping would cure all of the complainers.

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

What I have found is that I have come to expect more BECAUSE of Disney. Not at WDW, but elsewhere.

I saw a fireworks display after a baseball game a few weeks ago, and as people around me ooohed and aaahhed, I found myself missing the castle and the music.

I have been to amusement parks and watched people nearly fall on their faces getting off rides because the workers weren't paying attention.

And I have often wondered why the kindness and understanding that so many people extend to others while at WDW doesn't end up packed up in luggage so it can come home like any other souvenir and spread around to share.

The bar at Disney is very high, but it is totally attainable.

 

[eliza61]

We love Disney - we're absolutely thrilled to vacation there yearly and spend half of what we would at the Jersey shore.

Comparison shopping would cure all of the complainers.

You are so right Pluto,

We are going to Ocean City, NJ 7/16-7/21 5 days Monday-Friday. The room alone was $1,110.00 for a block away from the ocean, not even ocean front. No DDP, no transportation... nothing. My dh keeps wondering why didn't we just go to disney

 

[KingdomHearts]

For myself I know my expectations are higher in WDW. But different expectations, not ...I demand a free upgrade, or I want a Happy Birthday card. The expectations that are raised for myself when I am down there are: I expect the parks, hotels, DTD, to be clean, no trash, or anything that would take away from the beauty of Disney. I do understand, however, that there are not a million cast members walking behind every guest in the park to clean up after them, nor should they have to!!! But I do expect there not to be a huge mess just left there with 5 cms just standing around.I also expect the behavior of all the guests in the park to be good. I dont mean your normal over tired children, or someone upset they didnt get to go on a ride. I mean, I do not expect to see other guests walk the streets of Disney and be cursing, so rude, or disrespectful. Because everyone has paid alot for their vacation, whether you are staying at a value or a deluxe, we still are paying with our hard earned money. So I do hold Disney to higher standard in that sense. So ensure that every family have a magicial time when they are done there. We all do our part to ensure that!