Gran Destino Tower, no power

[Scubadaddy32]

Regardless of whether management or the CMs were told exactly what the issues was, there still should have been some mass communication to the guests. It's not hard to leave a voicemail for all rooms/guest cell phones on file for those staying in the tower along the lines of "We are currently experiencing intermittent power issues. We are working on resolving these issues and while we don't currently have an estimated time of restoration, we will keep you posted throughout the day. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us via phone or at the front desk...."

I said, those that are easily angered can't be appeased. ha

 

[Farro]

Uh oh, power is out again!

Update - guests reporting being told it was a planned outage to get system up and running again. Makes sense.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Not angered because I wasn't impacted. But I work in Communications and Crisis Management is a key element to managing expectations. It's amazing how easily you can diffuse a situation by being transparent and sharing as much information as possible in a consistent manner.

 

[armerida]

I don’t know what everyone else experienced, but we did receive a voice mail around 9AM notifying us of the power outage. I then received a call on my cell yesterday around 3:30 letting us know that they had no projection for how long it would take to restore power and that they were preemptively relocating us. Upon inquiring, we were offered an upgrade to a tower suite and one night’s room credit. I feel they handled the situation well and fairly in our case. I hope that others experienced the same clear communication. There have been some bumps during our stay but I think it’s to be expected in such a new facility. All the CM’s we’ve encountered have been gracious and wonderful.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

I don’t know what everyone else experienced, but we did receive a voice mail around 9AM notifying us of the power outage. I then received a call on my cell yesterday around 3:30 letting us know that they had no projection for how long it would take to restore power and that they were preemptively relocating us. Upon inquiring, we were offered an upgrade to a tower suite and one night’s room credit. I feel they handled the situation well and fairly in our case. I hope that others experienced the same clear communication. There have been some bumps during our stay but I think it’s to be expected in such a new facility. All the CM’s we’ve encountered have been gracious and wonderful.

Oh.... So there is another side to the story. Amazing, who would have thought that their were actually two sides! Ha
I find that angry people omit the truth a lot when they are telling their side of the story. Ha
Communication is important, but understanding is superior!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I don’t know what everyone else experienced, but we did receive a voice mail around 9AM notifying us of the power outage. I then received a call on my cell yesterday around 3:30 letting us know that they had no projection for how long it would take to restore power and that they were preemptively relocating us. Upon inquiring, we were offered an upgrade to a tower suite and one night’s room credit. I feel they handled the situation well and fairly in our case. I hope that others experienced the same clear communication. There have been some bumps during our stay but I think it’s to be expected in such a new facility. All the CM’s we’ve encountered have been gracious and wonderful.

I’m glad to hear that they actually did communicate. I heard from many others that cast members were acting like nothing was happening, had little to no information and that it wasn’t well communicated. It’s the first I’ve heard of a voicemail notification and I’m happy that they took that approach. Good that it was well handled and resolved for you! Hope that you enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Oh.... So there is another side to the story. Amazing, who would have thought that their were actually two sides! Ha
I find that angry people omit the truth a lot when they are telling their side of the story. Ha
Communication is important, but understanding is superior!

Not sure why you keep thinking I’m angry. I am entitled to my opinion just as you are yours. I didn’t omit any information as I’m not onsite and never claimed to be. I also didn’t “tell me side of the story” but rather shared the experiences I had heard about the situation. I’ll also point out that I’m the person who started the current Coronado FAQ thread here on the DIS. So I’m certainly not a hater. I’ve enjoyed many stays at Coronado, I just didn’t like what I heard about the handling of this situation.

 

[HopperFan]

Regardless of whether management or the CMs were told exactly what the issues was, there still should have been some mass communication to the guests. It's not hard to leave a voicemail for all rooms/guest cell phones on file for those staying in the tower along the lines of "We are currently experiencing intermittent power issues. We are working on resolving these issues and while we don't currently have an estimated time of restoration, we will keep you posted throughout the day. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us via phone or at the front desk."

It isn't a matter of whether they had concrete timelines for when it might be fixed - but rather that they failed in communicating with their guests. It's Florida, in August. I imagine many guests that left prior to 7 a.m. for a full day in the parks returned to get cleaned up to discover their rooms were hot and water was unavailable. A simple phone call could have better prepared them for the situation.

When it became evident that it was a transformer, and as you say the repairs for which are lengthy at the best of times, they should have begun taking action to relocate guests. But based on the reports I've read - many guests weren't aware of the issue or offered a solution until late in the afternoon/into the evening. By that time the power had been out for 8-10 hours. I find it very hard to believe that management wasn't aware that it was a transformer issues with potentially lengthy repair timelines prior to that point.

SO MUCH THIS! ^^

I’m glad to hear that they actually did communicate. I heard from many others that cast members were acting like nothing was happening, had little to no information and that it wasn’t well communicated. It’s the first I’ve heard of a voicemail notification.

Most the reports I have seen are that it was handled poorly with no communication or responsiveness when they tried to get info. BUT this is Disney's basic operating procedure when things go wrong. Ask the folks who get stuck on monorails .... for way too long, or stand in ride lines wasting their time cause it's down .. way too long, or guests stuck on rides because Disney doesn't want to evac ... way too long. I think they seem to think everyone is just so happy at Disney they don't care their precious and expensive vacation time is being wasted.

 

[kaytieeldr]

See quote above. You really don't think this incident should influence people's decisions on whether they stay there or not?

Not two unique, one time each incidents, one of which apparently involved one single person. It would be helpful to know how far the elevator dropped each time. GoT height? An inch? Elevators have safety stops.

Do I think losing power is an issue? Sure,

It's an issue to the people who experienced it. If it happens again, it's a more general and more urgent situation. For know, it's just that a transformer blew.

to the posters saying Disney should have called the room phones- to what end? Anybody in the room to answer the phone or retrieve the message would already know.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Not two unique, one time each incidents, one of which apparently involved one single person. It would be helpful to know how far the elevator dropped each time. GoT height? An inch? Elevators have safety stops.

It's an issue to the people who experienced it. If it happens again, it's a more general and more urgent situation. For know, it's just that a transformer blew.

to the posters saying Disney should have called the room phones- to what end? Anybody in the room to answer the phone or retrieve the message would already know.

So, if it dropped a foot you won't stay at Gran Destino, but if it dropped an inch, you're all good with that? I don't know - me? I'm trapped in a brand-new resort elevator for an hour and it starts dropping multiple times - I might not be back anytime soon! ToT, sure! That's what I signed up for when I entered the que. Not Gran Destino. And it wasn't just a single person. It was my friend, her family and other guests who got stuck. I'm not sure what Game of Thrones has to do with this (but I do love that show!)? I think you meant ToT.

For me - elevator + transformer = Gran Destino is not ready for prime time. I guess it's understandable. New places typically need to get the kinks out, but it's no fun for the people who are there experiencing the kinks. It looks like a beautiful resort! I'm definitely looking forward to trying it, but I think I'll wait a little bit to see if these are recurring issues.

I certainly hope the guests who were inconvenienced are having a better day today!

 

[Jennasis]

FYI all elevators have emergency brakes. You will not plummet to your ToT style demise. If it drops, it will be a few feet at most before the brake kicks in. Power is not required to activate the brake.

 

[elsbit]

FYI all elevators have emergency brakes. You will not plummet to your ToT style demise. If it drops, it will be a few feet at most before the brake kicks in. Power is not required to activate the brake.

This is accurate. Random side story: I was once trapped alone in an elevator. It was grinding the gears so hard, it caused rubber to start smoking and set off the smoke alarms in the building. The emergency button did not work and I had no idea if there was a fire. Eventually, the elevator dropped a few feet (I figured because of the grinding gears). The fire department had to pry me out and I had to jump down as it was between floors. Scary and embarrassing for me (at a job site). Afterwards, I actually had a few nightmares about falling elevators, even though it didn't fall far. Needless to say, not a fan of TOT anymore.

 

[jo-jo]

Another side story. about 4 years ago at BLT I was in the elevator alone. I got in and press the button for ground level. For the next couple of mins . the elevator at a quicker than normal speed went up and down several floors on it's own. Door never opening. I was concerned enough that I was thinking should I continue to stand or should I sit and try to brace. Finally the doors opened on ground level. I went to the front desk to tell of the experience and got looked at like I had been visiting top of the world lounge too often.

 

[sethschroeder]

I cant decide for people what will or will not influence their stay.

I take what I read on the internet with a grain of salt. People tend to use hyperbole to prove a point.

The power was out, for less than a day. Certainly some people were greatly inconvenienced for the day.
For every unhelpful CM story I've read, I've read stories where people said they were very helpful in this situation.

So for me, no I wont be reconsidering my upcoming stay here for even one second.

Sorry but am I missing something? A large number of rooms without power and no explanation (at least that I saw yet). That doesn't have you worried even a little or thinking about switching resorts? This all less than a month after opening.

This isn't something to take with a grain of salt it legitimately happened unless you think they are lying? Regardless of how a CM reacts I wouldn't want to stay in a hotel that has those issues until its been issue free for more than a few months.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Just glad for guests (and CMs) that this happened during a slower season where they could relocate many guests and not during a crazy season like Christmas.

 

[hereforthechurros]

This is accurate. Random side story: I was once trapped alone in an elevator. It was grinding the gears so hard, it caused rubber to start smoking and set off the smoke alarms in the building. The emergency button did not work and I had no idea if there was a fire. Eventually, the elevator dropped a few feet (I figured because of the grinding gears). The fire department had to pry me out and I had to jump down as it was between floors. Scary and embarrassing for me (at a job site). Afterwards, I actually had a few nightmares about falling elevators, even though it didn't fall far. Needless to say, not a fan of TOT anymore.

I already have an unnatural fear of elevators and this isn’t helping!

 

[Farro]

Sorry but am I missing something? A large number of rooms without power and no explanation (at least that I saw yet). That doesn't have you worried even a little or thinking about switching resorts? This all less than a month after opening.

This isn't something to take with a grain of salt it legitimately happened unless you think they are lying? Regardless of how a CM reacts I wouldn't want to stay in a hotel that has those issues until its been issue free for more than a few months.

2 things.

1 - Don't put words in my mouth. I accused no one of lying, what I said is not the same and if you don't understand the difference between saying some posts can be hyperbolic and calling someone a liar, I'm not going to bother explaining because I'm sure we can all guess how that will turn out.

2 - No, doesn't have me worried in the slightest. Not one tiny bit. If it happens again next month, and then again, maybe I'll have a passing thought. These last two days? I won't even remember it tomorrow.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Now if it goes on for days, then they have a problem...and I do think it's weird that it's been all day and people are still reporting they are being told no one knows why it's out yet!

There have now been two days of power outages and a day two elevator outage on top of that, along with Dahlia Lounge down for the second night in a row, and still no proactive communication about what's going on.

 

[Farro]

There have now been two days of power outages and a day two elevator outage on top of that, along with Dahlia Lounge down for the second night in a row.

Sorry, going to take more than that! Today was them fixing yesterday. Here in Chicago they kept turning our power off for hours a day for a week to change light poles after a transformer blew (does that even make sense? why so many light poles...). It sucked. Annoying for you all there right now? Absolutely!

Like sick days at my job, I count this whole incident as one occurrence.
But again, if it keeps happening, I'll start to think a little more about it.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Lots of edginess here now. I got flat out yelled at by the GM of Maya Grill for complaining about a problem with a drink. The ridiculing of people sharing their stories about what they've been going through the past couple of days at Coronado is unfair. Bad things DO happen at Disney, and being at Disney does NOT somehow magically make them not bad. Pixie doesn't isn't actually a real thing.

Just because some people whish they were at Disney right now doesn't mean people should pretend that crappy situations they experience on property aren't really crappy--for what? To make other people feel better? Coronado is experiencing a systemic meltdown right now, and it is not a cool situation. And no one staying here right now has a duty to sugarcoat that for anyone else.

 

[Farro]

Actually, I think I'm getting a lot of grief because this isn't making me rethink my reservation. I've had a couple of insults tossed my way. Oh and @mikedoyleblogger, thanks for the side of condescension!

I'm sorry you all take offense that I'm not willing to cancel my reservation over this and I think people exaggerate on the internet? I said about 15 times (hyperbole) that I understand why people are upset who are there right now. If you don't find that satisfying, I'm not sure what else can be done.

As to not upset the moderator (I apologize, don't close thread!), I'll bow out. Carry on.