First WD FW trip thoughts

[bstarz40]

Just a few thoughts on my trip to disney. Well I got down to fw a day early so the dw called to see if we could get in early. no chance booked full. So we stayed at a cg on I4 not a bad place about 2 hr from the fort. Apon arriving at the fort(11am) we were told to park in the holding area and they would text us when cs was ready. Well 1pm came and went. no text. the dw walked over to recption and was told they had to clean site. Finally got text at 2pm I guess 1hr late isnt to bad.( sarcasim) when we got to the site the housekepping person was still there cleaning up. That night we went to the Chip n Dale campfire which was nice and the dd dd got to escort them to stage.
The next day we went to mk not to thrilled about that place. long lines. the dw was asked to be time keeper 5 times, 1 ride broke down while we in line all that waiting for nought and three broke down while we were on them. ask to do survey. Disney really needs to take a look at asking good paying customers to keep time for them.
As for the rest of the three parks we went to they were great. All in all it was a good experience. A bit over priced but good

 

[4kids4karen]

Just a few thoughts on my trip to disney. Well I got down to fw a day early so the dw called to see if we could get in early. no chance booked full. So we stayed at a cg on I4 not a bad place about 2 hr from the fort. Apon arriving at the fort(11am) we were told to park in the holding area and they would text us when cs was ready. Well 1pm came and went. no text. the dw walked over to recption and was told they had to clean site. Finally got text at 2pm I guess 1hr late isnt to bad.( sarcasim) when we got to the site the housekepping person was still there cleaning up. That night we went to the Chip n Dale campfire which was nice and the dd dd got to escort them to stage.
The next day we went to mk not to thrilled about that place. long lines. the dw was asked to be time keeper 5 times, 1 ride broke down while we in line all that waiting for nought and three broke down while we were on them. ask to do survey. Disney really needs to take a look at asking good paying customers to keep time for them.
As for the rest of the three parks we went to they were great. All in all it was a good experience. A bit over priced but good

Sorry, you didn't enjoy your trip. My question is what is so hard about asking to help check the time? I don't see why WDW would want to pay someone for this. If your wife didn't want to do it, she could have said no.

The people on the site before you must have left some issues or the site needed some additional maintenance. Once you were able to check-it out yourself, were there any issues?

I have been on Buzz lightyear when it was constantly breaking down. With the rides running 365 days it is rough on the rides and hard to close down the entire ride for the day because people will complain about that too.

 

[bstarz40]

never said I didnt have a good time . just pointing out some issues. for the amout of money you spend from tickets to food to lodging you would expect better. and as far as time keeping,yes I would expect disney to pay someone. Im paying for a vacation not work. as for the site it was fine but yet again check in is 1pm not 2pm I payed for it I should expect it! I like how people on here come to disneys defense you must not expect much for your money but I work hard for that buck.

 

[kazlac4]

Ok..this may sound dumb but what is a "time-keeper" for Disney?

 

[bama_ed]

never said I didnt have a good time . just pointing out some issues. for the amout of money you spend from tickets to food to lodging you would expect better. and as far as time keeping,yes I would expect disney to pay someone. Im paying for a vacation not work. as for the site it was fine but yet again check in is 1pm not 2pm I payed for it I should expect it! I like how people on here come to disneys defense you must not expect much for your money but I work hard for that buck.

Yes we all work hard for our money. But the CM's at the Fort have to wait for someone to check out of your site before they come around to get it ready for you. The turnaround is not instantaneous. If someone didn't get off the site till 11am then it's a short turnaround. Did you do the early online checkin and advise them of the correct time you would be arriving?

If you don't approve of their level of service then there are other camping opportunities close to Disney that you should explore. I mean if you are that unhappy then that is the logical next step. It's that simple. Can we help you look at off-site opportunities?

Bama ED

PS - maybe the "time keeper" reference is when the CM gives the time card/lanyard to someone in line so they can measure that person's wait time and use it in reporting queue waits. Hardly heavy lifting.....

PPS - I hope you told the folks taking the survey what was on your mind.

 

[bstarz40]

answer me this than mister disney why have check out or check in times. do you see my point. Lets just say your having a big pool party at 7pm Im the pool guy that promised you that the pool would be ready by 3pm but i had a flat and couldnt get there on time to clean your pool. are you going to be a little upset that your guest wont have a pool to swim in? or r u going to pay me for a service that wasnt preformed . but thats enought of this. all that matters is the kids had a good time no matter what i thought of disney.

 

[North of Mouse]

never said I didnt have a good time . just pointing out some issues. for the amout of money you spend from tickets to food to lodging you would expect better. and as far as time keeping,yes I would expect disney to pay someone. Im paying for a vacation not work. as for the site it was fine but yet again check in is 1pm not 2pm I payed for it I should expect it! I like how people on here come to disneys defense you must not expect much for your money but I work hard for that buck.

For a venue as large as Disney, *not* having issues would be harder to understand than having them.

Yes, we pay a lot for out campsite, but we do it willingly because there are so many perks to it (close proximity to MK, etc.) As Bama Ed said, there are campsites other than Disney that are cheaper. We feel like we get our money's worth at FW. There is *no* other campground that we would pay these rates for, and yes we do value our hard earned $$'s also.

We have been asked to take the *time lanyard* to front of line many times - no biggie for us.

Yes, we might be a little defensive of FW, some of us feel like it's *partly* ours, we've been coming since it opened

Also, it would be frustrating to not be able to check in until 2pm. We have had to wait at times too. But, on the flip side, was presently surprised when we were there in Dec., got there at 10:30 and our site was ready Didn't do on-line check-in either.

Glad your experience, in general, was very good.

 

[bama_ed]

answer me this than mister disney why have check out or check in times. do you see my point. Lets just say your having a big pool party at 7pm Im the pool guy that promised you that the pool would be ready by 3pm but i had a flat and couldnt get there on time to clean your pool. are you going to be a little upset that your guest wont have a pool to swim in? or r u going to pay me for a service that wasnt preformed . but thats enought of this. all that matters is the kids had a good time no matter what i thought of disney.

By the absence of your answer you are telling me you didn't do the early check in.

You didn't tell Disney when you would be arriving (earlier rather than later).

You didn't give them adequate time to get ready for you.

If you expect 100% availability at 1pm then you are telling us you are willing to pay a LOT more for instant availability like that.

The Fort guys try to match early availability to early arrivals. And late availablity is matched up to late arrivals.

This episode reminds me of when I worked in a restaurant bussing tables. Busboys were even lower on the totem poles than wait staff. Some customers are unreasonable given the set conditions.

BTW your analgy is a bad one. Did the pool provider GUARENTEE service at a specific time? For that you'd be paying much more.

I agree, that's enough of this. You haven't made your case yet.

There are lots of campsites close to Disney and they're a lot cheaper too.

The internet is your friend.

Bama ED

 

[4kids4karen]

never said I didnt have a good time . just pointing out some issues. for the amout of money you spend from tickets to food to lodging you would expect better. and as far as time keeping,yes I would expect disney to pay someone. Im paying for a vacation not work. as for the site it was fine but yet again check in is 1pm not 2pm I payed for it I should expect it! I like how people on here come to disneys defense you must not expect much for your money but I work hard for that buck.

I am not coming to defend Disney. I am a seasoned traveler and understand that things happen. Just like in my job, things happen. Appointments in my office run late, the customer may be inconvenienced. Just like when I show up on time but the doctor is running an hour late, things happen. I would rather ensure that when my site or room was ready that it was up to my standards. Actually, I have pretty high standards and little patience.

So, based on Disney asking someone to be a time keeper, he should be paid. Then, Disney should charge people to be part of the parade, fast passes, and the extra magic provided to random guests as well. Disney is pretty good at compensating for inconveniencing guests. I have received special fast passes when our reservations ran late, or they forgot about us for CRT.

If I am unhappy with a service, I will let them know then and there. Usually they are very apologetic and willing to provide a small gift like the fast pass, or at Fort Wilderness, a s'mores package for the campfire, etc.

 

[serenitygr]

Honestly- I didn't even realize check in for the campsites was 1:00! Isn't it normally at 3:00 at most hotels or resorts? One hour doesn't seem like a biggie to me....

Regarding carrying those timer things- we got to do that quite a few times on our first (and only, so far) trip to Disney last February- we kind of felt honored, even tho I know we just happened to be the next "sheep" in line- it still felt kind of like we were "chosen"...

 

[North of Mouse]

Honestly- I didn't even realize check in for the campsites was 1:00! Isn't it normally at 3:00 at most hotels or resorts? One hour doesn't seem like a biggie to me....

Regarding carrying those timer things- we got to do that quite a few times on our first (and only, so far) trip to Disney last February- we kind of felt honored, even tho I know we just happened to be the next "sheep" in line- it still felt kind of like we were "chosen"...

Yes, check-in for campsites is 1:00. Campsites are not as big a deal as hotels to clean up. In fact, the way we leave ours, is the way we found it I think they do hose down all sites anyway though, for stray pine needles, etc. Some people leave the hose down - we have our own, don't even uncurl theirs.

 

[bama_ed]

Right.

The OP could have done a number of things to help themself.

They could have used early checkin.

They could have asked for a similar site that was already cleaned and ready.

Checking in one hour later than the earliest possible time is hardly an inconvenience.

A deserving complaint is reserving a Premium site and being given something less.

A deserving complaint is eating at Trails End and being served horse meat (the current UK scandal).

I sympathize with the OP's complaint about rides breaking down while they are on them or in line. I would be complaining long and loud.

But carrying the lanyard in line for queue wait times is no work. (I'm kinda glad the data I'm getting is based on REAL wait time and not some formula.)

I hate to pay various mixes of time/site levels at the Fort but I don't gripe about it. I believe in free enterprise. Suppliers can price their wares as they wish and we as buyers can decide to buy them or not.

All that matters is the kids had a good time. That's important.

Bama ED

 

[2goofycampers]

I actually get where OP is coming from. You've planned, saved, waited and gotten all pumped up for a magical stay. And the first moments aren't magical. Been there done that. When it happens on your first trip, well you know what they say about first impressions.

Glad you had a good time after a little bump in the road.

 

[bstarz40]

Well since you brought up horse meat, bamma. The ribs at the hoop de doo revue were kinda tuff.

 

[whiplash]

Easy people. High expectations can sometimes lead to dissatisfaction when really, it was no big deal. We've been to Disney many, many times. Most of the time everything is what we expected but there were a few times things could have gone better. Unfortunately your first time was a little disappointing. Trust me Disney service is second to none when it comes to Customer Service but like any customer service business NOBODY scores 100% all the time. I have found that detailed planning can help eliminate some problems. We are due to arrive on March 10th, we have ALREADY CHECKED IN !
We have planned park days and activities, we have which rides will probably need fast passes, we have made dining ressies, etc., etc. Next time...plan, plan, plan !!!!!! 24 days, can't wait !!!!

 

[North of Mouse]

whiplash, we hardly *plan* at all (except for a few must do ADR's) and can't say we've had any problems to speak of in the *many* years we've been at FW or the parks.
Some people love the planning/schedules. We *hate* them We leave all the scheduling at home and totally relax at Disney (also leave all the *driving* up to Disney) and get everything done that we want to.

If we feel like it, we like to have any option to *change in the middle of the stream*

Don't do on-line early check in either.

 

[super_camper]

never said I didnt have a good time . just pointing out some issues. for the amout of money you spend from tickets to food to lodging you would expect better. and as far as time keeping,yes I would expect disney to pay someone. Im paying for a vacation not work. as for the site it was fine but yet again check in is 1pm not 2pm I payed for it I should expect it! I like how people on here come to disneys defense you must not expect much for your money but I work hard for that buck.

I completely agree on the check-in time, I drive over 24 hours to get there and expect my site to be ready at the agreed upon time. If I recall correctly I was paying around $130/day last Christmas and about $200/day when you factor in the golf cart so the cost of that hour is measurable.

I've read many complaints about disney not enforcing rules, check-out times is just another example.

 

[lodge]

ok I had $0.02 to put in, then it sounded condescending. I'd say first off- sorry OP, that it wasn't optimal. Then I'd say- time will give you a different perspective on it all. The hassles will be minimal in your memory and the joy will prevail. Here's to father time hurrying along for you.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I'm sorry you had a few bumps, nothing is ever perfect, especially when so much planning and expectation goes into one vacation.

I do have to laugh, though. Sorry. Why in the world would you even give one second of negative energy to something like agreeing to help with the time?
I mean, really. You could have said, "no". Smiled and nodded and not taken the thing from the cm. At any rate, I know those strings with a card hanging on the end can become so heavy and burdensome in line.

 

[bstarz40]

I'm sorry you had a few bumps, nothing is ever perfect, especially when so much planning and expectation goes into one vacation.

I do have to laugh, though. Sorry. Why in the world would you even give one second of negative energy to something like agreeing to help with the time?
I mean, really. You could have said, "no". Smiled and nodded and not taken the thing from the cm. At any rate, I know those strings with a card hanging on the end can become so heavy and burdensome in line.

See you are are missing the point. I didnt even know what they were doing with the time thing. I thought since we had a first time buttons that this was a way disney rewarded a first time visitor. but to find out off of people in line, not disney well that was a little upseting. and look dont get me wrong we had a good time but not perfect. and these are my thoughts on the trip that I had.