Help! I thought I understood Early Entry. . . guess not!

[Mandalou]

My parents just returned from a 6 night stay at POP and they said that they were told that the Early Entry to the parks did NOT apply to them because they were only staying at a Value Resort. The material they were handed when they checked in stated that the Early Entry only applied to guests who were staying at Deluxe Resorts.

That CAN'T be right. I even emailed Disney and asked them when Early Entry was for POP guests. Here is EXACTLY what was told me in an email:

"Walt Disney World® offers an exclusive time in our theme parks for Disney Resort guests. This benefit will allow entrance one hour prior to regularly scheduled park openings. This experience is opened only to guests Walt Disney World-Owned Resorts including Disney's Pop Century Resort, the Walt Disney World Dolphin & Swan Resorts, and the Hilton Resort at Downtown Disney." I did see Pop Century mentioned in there, right???

Here's the really bad part of this. My parents, who just returned from their trip, had NEVER stayed at a Disney Resort before and were looking forward to using every Disney benefit -- like Early Entry. In fact, their stay at POP was actually a GIFT from us. I wanted everything to be perfect for their trip, and I was really disappointed by what they were told.

What can I do? We're also going to be staying at POP in two weeks with DH's folks and I have scheduled every moment of the trip (which includes utilizing Early Entry), so this would screw up my itinerary. I also would like to find out if my parents were told something wrong. No, it's not a HUGE deal, but it didn't make their trip "perfect" like I was hoping. Should I call POP directly? or just Disney Customer Service?

Please give me some of that great DISBOARDS input!!

 

[sharonk]

Your parents were told something incorrect! We were there last week (at the Dolphin) and as I was entering the MK on an early entry morning, I struck up a conversation with a family from New Jersey who was staying at Pop.

Also, my brother stayed at Allstar Movies this summer and took advantage of early entry every morning.

Sharon

 

[Sammie]

Early Entry is available to ALL Disney resorts regardless of value or not. I have no idea what happened with your parents, obviously some huge mixup in communications.

Since you were not there to overhear the conversation then there is no way to ever know for sure what was said. There would be no way to know if they were given wrong information or misunderstood.

No offense, are you parents easily confused. I only ask this as mine have a way lately of getting most everything confused.

Do they still have the "material" handed to them at check in. If they have the material and it's wrong then I would definitely contact Pop and let them know about it.

Pop and all Values have access to early entry just as the Moderates and Swan and Dolphin and the Hilton.

It is now called Extra Magic Hour, do you think that contributed to the misunderstanding?

I really have no idea why someone would tell them this, but even more the daily schedule should have been in their planning materials given at checkin.

 

[snwarf]

Is it possible that they were thinking that EE was for any park on any given day? Instead of assigned days for specific parks?

 

[katgarbars]

Here is what it says on the Disney website.

"Every day, some of the most popular attractions at one Theme Park are open for EXTRA MAGIC HOUR exclusively for guests at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels (valid Theme Park ticket and Resort ID required)"

Maybe someone misinterpreted 'select'. It does seem to give them some leeway.

 

[BevS97]

I don't think they check for resort id's anyway - but even if they do, your room key only shows you are onsite, it doesn't show what hotel you are staying at. I am sure you will have no trouble accessing early entry.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

They do check for resort ID - I was just there and you were not even allowed on the monorail at the TTC to the Magic Kingdom without your resort ID

I would at the very least send an e-mail to Disney Communications telling them how disappointed you were that they were given this wrong information and would like them to make sure everyone of their hotels have the proper information

 

[cigar95]

Originally posted by BevS97
I don't think they check for resort id's anyway - but even if they do, your room key only shows you are onsite, it doesn't show what hotel you are staying at. I am sure you will have no trouble accessing early entry.

Lately there has been a move toward checking for resort ID cards. I was consistently checked last September, for the first time.

And although it doesn't matter in this case, the numbers at the bottom of the card do, in fact, tell which resort the card is issued from. Each resort has its own three-digit code.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I have not heard anything about this, but it wouldn't make sense for Disney to do this... the whole point of Value resorts is to lure folks onto property from off-site hotels... Early Entry was always a big draw.

I will ask my friends at Pop about this...

 

[HughJackman'n'me]

...on this whole situation was that perhaps your parents went to the wrong park on the wrong day. I appreciate how upset you must be. I'm sure, once you contact the correct source, you should get to the 'bottom' of it!

 

[kathylovesdisneyworl]

We just returned and the information given at check in stated which day for which park was early entry. It does not specify for certain hotels only. I think there was some type of misunderstanding since early entry is for anyone staying on site.

 

[shellybaxter]

Mandalou -

Who told your parents this? Was it a CM? Were they a resort CM or transportation or park CM? Just curious - I think I would contact Disney with this information so that others don't get told the some wrong information.

Shelly

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Originally posted by HughJackman'n'me
...on this whole situation was that perhaps your parents went to the wrong park on the wrong day.

Even if her parents did go to the "wrong park on the wrong day" they would not have been told that EE is only for Deluxe resort guests. I agree with what another poster wrote - if they saved the "materials" they were given you can check for yourself and possibly clear up any misunderstanding.

A note concerning Resort ID checks for EE - several years ago after EE had been going a few years we were staying at the Dolphin. It was our 4th stay and S/D guests were included in EE every summer.

Well, that summer no one told us anything different and we headed over to MK (on the bus) for EE - having planned our first morning around MK EE. When we handed the CM our resort ID they told us S/D was "not eligible" for EE. We were more embarrassed than disappointed as there was a long line behind us and it looked like we were trying to get in ....we went to CR for breakfast and called S/D Guest Services - sure enough - Disney had discontinued EE for S/D guests! Disney told us it was S/D and S/D told us it was because of Disney. For our ten day vacation we did not have EE access. We did not return to S/D again.

Only recently, reading these boards, I was happy to learn that S/D is again included in EE. I don't know how long the S/D were not eligible because after that we went back to Disney Resorts.

Anyway, I guess you never know when the rules might change! Still, I would not expect any Disney owned resort to be excluded from EE!

 

[zagafi]

When my 6 year old and I stayed at Pop this summer we made good use of EMH, so I can assure you it's a perk available to "value" resorts.

 

[spiceycat]

The material they were handed when they checked in stated that the Early Entry only applied to guests who were staying at Deluxe Resorts.

have you seem the material - I think they just misunderstood something.

also early entry is early - my mother has trouble even getting up that early - much less running off to the parks.

 

[webray]

Somebody told your parents incorrectly..definatley.

 

[Sammie]

Just curious if the OP had any additional info to add or a report on what happened?

 

[Beca]

Originally posted by katgarbars
Here is what it says on the Disney website.

"Every day, some of the most popular attractions at one Theme Park are open for EXTRA MAGIC HOUR exclusively for guests at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels (valid Theme Park ticket and Resort ID required)"

Maybe someone misinterpreted 'select'. It does seem to give them some leeway.

Hmmm....that is REALLY interesting! It makes me wonder if Disney was INDEED trying to discourage attendance at EMH during the particularly crowded "Jersey Week". It does seem strange to me that the website would say "select" instead of "all"...and then that other poster said that the S/D was discontinued for awhile. I don't know...I'm not so sure the parents were confused....maybe just another instance of "flexible" rules....not a good thing!!



Beca

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by Beca
Hmmm....that is REALLY interesting! It makes me wonder if Disney was INDEED trying to discourage attendance at EMH during the particularly crowded "Jersey Week". It does seem strange to me that the website would say "select" instead of "all"...and then that other poster said that the S/D was discontinued for awhile. I don't know...I'm not so sure the parents were confused....maybe just another instance of "flexible" rules....not a good thing!!



Beca

As far as I know, by putting "select" in there, they can exclude the Hotel Plaza hotels... they are technically on Walt Disney World property, after all.

 

[Sandi]

Mandalou -

Did you get the material your parents were given at check in? I'm really curious to find out what happened. This is just bizzare.