I'm fuming!!!

[manning]

Yes you can be forced out of your room

http://blogs.usatoday.com/hotelhotsheet/2006/07/no_checkin_for_.html

 

[snowbunny]

That's why I don't use travel agents either. I just don't like handing over that much control to anyone.

ITA

Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if any of us got to our resort and were told "Sorry, the people who were here before you are still here, they had a change of plans?" No hotel can run like that.

Oh yes, hotels do run like that. I arrived late night on a business trip to a Marriott with a confirmed reservation and was told, sorry, people who were supposed to check out didn't. They phoned around for a room for me somewhere else (ie., 15 miles back at the airport) and offered to hail me a cab.

 

[CarolA]

Yes you are being unreasonable and I don't believe the "all I want was an apology" Had ALL you wanted been an apology I don't think you would have provided a DETIAL of your costs....

The fact is that WDW Travel DID contact you which is A LOT more then most TAs do. The other fact is that ONCE you have flown the first flight the airline takes over the booking. In other words a TA can't change it at that point, the airline has to. Now should WDW Travel have contacted AirTran. That's hard to say without knowing what both parties said at that time.....I generally don't have my TA do the contact simply because it's like a three legged race. TA puts me on hold, calls airline, gets info, puts airline on hold, comes back to me, I don't like option one and the WHOLE process starts over LOL!

While you seem to think Disney contacted you too late, they probably went in order. You had a late night flight, others were probably contacted who were flying before you.

EDIT I read your "other info" WDW Travel owes you an apology for NOT assisting you with a hotel room. Otherwise they did everything right. They do NOT owe your family an apology for missing a day at the MK, YOU DO. You had that day, you just chose to spend it on the phone with AirTran instead of taking the flight the next morning.

Also in the future it helps to write letters ONLY detailing the issue involved. Your very long paragraph about how AirTran moved the flight three times etc. pretty much devalues the rest of your complaint. Effective complaints focus on the issue and what you want done.


NONE of the flight cancellations were Disney's fault. You seem to be blaming them for the three intial changes also. Complain to AirTran about those.

 

[Hannathy]

Spending the entire morning on the phone and telling my daughters that we were not going to the MK that day was not a great way to spend our last day at DW.

I just checked back to see what else had been said and this line confuses me. You said you were a party of 8 I think, if this is so why did your DD's not get to go to MK? You knew you weren't getting out of there that day so why didn't your wife or someone else head to MK with the girls while you tried to make other arrangements and then caught up to them when you could. Actually they should have ended up with more time at the park since you weren't leaving until 6 AM the NEXT day. Heck you could have been at the park till 10PM! And even if you spent the morning on the phone why didn't you go after to the park?

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Add me to the lists that never use TA's. I just have to have that control and I know everything that needs to be taken care of.

CarolA...well said!

 

[MrsNick]

No offense to the OP, but there are two things in life:

1) How things are supposed to be done and the way people are supposed to perform in their job duties
2) How things actually transpire and how people actually perform in their job duties

There are two ways that a person can choose to take life:
1) Leave it up to other people to bird-dog situations and inform you (i.e. other resort guests or resort staff) and then attempt to handle a situation when you are already behind the 8-ball because you are in line behind everyone else who has already begun making arrangements.
2) Be prepared and informed (especially when you have small children relying on you) so that you can make arrangements for a situation that comes up while there are still some decent options available.

I've read some mixed posts here about what a TA is or is not supposed to do. Let's assume that the TA should have (and could have) informed the OP about impending changes (it's possible they were getting different info from AirTran than the OP did when he called them - things can change by the minute in those kinds of situations). If this is the case, then the TA goofed. If this is the case, then I guess the OP has a legitmate beef.

However, in my lifetime, I have learned to expect people to goof, and that in the end, it doesn't really matter whether they goof or not. I can get upset about it or not. But, I make the decision whether to plan for goofs and snafus or not.

Personally, I expect goof ups and snafus to occur, and because of that, I plan accordingly. I check the weather when I am scheduled to travel. If a storm is brewing, I try to plan around it, either by re-scheduling my transportation or accomodations or both.

I never want to be the person who is the poster child on the local news for the weather casualties camping out at the airport. If I have children with me, I am doubly vigilant. I do not wait for other people (not guests, and not even staff) to inform me that travel plans are being changed as a result of weather or other acts of God.

The OP can certainly expect that goof ups and snafus should not occur and that people should always do what they are supposed to do (again, assuming that people goofed - I don't really know whether they did or not). Hey, I agree with the OP in theory.

But someone please explain to me what the heck in theory has to do with the price of beans where my family is concerned? With my family, absolutely, positively nothing. The OP can certainly disagree with respect to his family.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

have to say i agree with a majority of the posters, everything that is in your complaint is really your responsibility.

 

[bavaria]

sorry to be joining the party a little late, and sorry OP for piling on to the other posts.

I think that your expectation of what travel agents and airlines can do for you is too high. I have travelled many many miles each year and even when United protects me on another flight as one of their elite flyers, I don't always end up on the 'best' flight.

You had a large party and it is more difficult to manage travel for a large group.

You chose not to have your children go to the parks - that is not the fault of the travel agency.

Unfortunately having false expectations can lead to disappointment. By educating yourself (whether as to airline schedules and the likelihood of change, the weather, or your responsibility as a traveller) you will make it easier on yourself in future.

That is probably not what you would like to hear in yet another post, but I do think that you expected too much and didn't take enough responsibility for the situation.

Things happen - it's all about how we deal with it...

 

[glass slipper girl]

I'm still confused here.

Pirate Dad, you have said a "Disney Representative" contacted you and that you booked with the Walt Disney Travel Company but you and everyone else keep referencing a TA. Did you go through a travel agency or did you call 1-407-WDISNEY (or one Disney's toll free #s) and book directly there or did you use a travel agent who booked with the Walt Disney Travel Company on your behalf? It sounds to me like you booked directly with Disney. Am I misunderstanding? I know Small World is now WDW Vacations or something like that, maybe you mean you went through them and they booked you with the WDTC but if that is the case then your beef should be with your TA and not with WDTC. Google Walt Disney Travel Company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company...in other words it is Disney itself not a travel agency like Dreams Unlimited or Small World. If you booked directly with Disney, you call them and speak to whoever answers the phone. If you book with a TA, you call your TA who you have a personal contact for and they contact WDTC. The reason I am asking is that there is a difference. Booking directly with Disney they would need to contact everyone who booked air with them. That includes people, like yourself, who booked directly with them and contacting TAs who booked their clients with WDTC. That is, I would bet, a huge number of people. They may have started calling right away and it would make sense to first call people with morning flights and go in order. Your 5 PM flight would not put you at the top of that list. Had you booked with a TA, their list would be shorter and you may have gotten a call sooner, who knows. I would say that the responsibility of taking care of it for you would be greater if booked with a TA who has had personal contact with you and would be more likely to guess what may be best for your situation than a phone CM who has never spoken to you before.

I don't get why everyone keeps referencing this like the OP had a bad TA when it sounds to me like he didn't book with a TA. This is one of those situations where it may have been helpful to have a TA advocating on your behalf. Of course AirTran is notorious for changing schedules around and that happens no matter if you book on AirTran.com, with a TA or through WDTC. Bottom line though...trip insurance can be a very good thing, and it's always a good idea to confirm things personally especially with a threat of bad weather.

 

[Jeanne B]

Sorry OP but I have to agree with most others here, I book all my travel on my own with the exception of my DCL cruises, I book those through DU but the cruise only, never do I book airfare or hotels through a TA. I want control of my flights (as much as is possible that is) and people need to be proactive when it comes to weather. We watch the weather in the few days prior to our flight, we watch the weather during our vacation and I will call the airline prior to our flight if it appears definite that weather is going to cancel our flight. If the airline knows there's a major storm coming you can usually change your flight without charge and the sooner you call the better because flights start filling up quickly once the cancellations start.

I think the majority of your complaints are unfounded although if you're not a seasoned traveler I could understand how one might have unrealistic expectations. It sounds like you had a great trip to WDW otherwise, let this be a learning experience for future trips.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Just to clarify a bit for folks...

When you call 407-WDISNEY and book "directly" through Disney, you are actually booking through the Walt Disney Travel Company (WDTC), which is a travel agency owned by Disney. So, yes... you are booking directly, but you are also still using a TA.

The only way to book Disney without a TA, is to walk up to a hotel, and book a room for that very night. (the hotel itself cannot book outside of same day)

 

[mousebit]

Just to clarify a bit for folks...

When you call 407-WDISNEY and book "directly" through Disney, you are actually booking through the Walt Disney Travel Company (WDTC), which is a travel agency owned by Disney. So, yes... you are booking directly, but you are also still using a TA.

Therein lies the problem. I really don't believe the OP was trying to get Disney to accept the responsibility for an act of nature. The real question is does the Walt Disney Travel Company represent itself as a true travel agency, but then not provide the services expected of a true travel agency? In this particular case, the OP obviously felt like he was "blown off" in the middle of a crisis situation instead of being offered reasonable customer service by his "travel agent." Maybe he expected more than any travel agent could have provided under the circumstances OR maybe he got a CM that just didn't do his job.

 

[bavaria]

and just to clarify... travel agents are sadly a dying breed. Look how many here book themselves over the internet, etc. Agents no longer get commission from airlines. The commision they receive on hotel bookings does not all go to them.

So on a $1000 stay, plus airfare totaling maybe $1000 more, the agent may get $100 commission less what they give the agency. For under $100 total, what does one expect? Frankly, I wouldn't expect someone to rush around finding me the best prices, changing my ADRs, keeping on top of any airline changes, changing my flights, and tracking me down on vacation.

I really feel for those who are still travel agents as they are facing very stiff competition. And yet the public places a very high expectation on them, as witnessed by this post.

 

[Jestocost]

This is what happened. I called WDTC as soon as I found out about the flight cancellations. The agent said that the airline booked me on a flight for 6am the next morning (meaning we would have to catch a shuttle at 3am for the airport) and that we would have a 7 hour layover in Atlanta. I said I was travelling with my parents and three children under 5 and this was going to be very difficult. I asked the agent if they could find us a more reasonable flight, preferably that day. She said “no!” Next, I asked about accommodations for that night. They said I would have to book that on my own at the front desk of the hotel (ASM). Keep in mind I booked my entire trip through WDTC. So, I spent the entire morning on the phone with the airline and managed to get us on a flight for 3pm that day (eight of us). I felt since I used WDTC to book my trip, they should have been more helpful. Spending the entire morning on the phone and telling my daughters that we were not going to the MK that day was not a great way to spend our last day at DW.

Had I booked my trip through another TA I know I would have received better customer care (and the cost would have been the same).

Let's deal with this part of that too. When flights are cancelled, the airline (hopefully!) "protects" you on the next flight that they deem reasonable. They don't provide that information to TAs (in most cases) and what they deem reasonable may not be the best fit as you see it. When this happens, your best approach is to deal with the airline directly. The only way a TA can deal with it is to get the airline on the phone like you would have to, only they don't know all the specific issues that may be important to you.

This is a tough situation for everyone--you, the TA, the airline, the resort--and NONE of you are to blame. It's just kind of a cost of doing business for the traveller.

 

[kimberh]

Tough call, I do feel TA's are a dying breed. I have had Great TA's and bad TA's. It is when a person has had a trip booked with a TA that goes out of their way to help you, we become spoiled, we expect service...especially when we feel that we have paid for it.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I just wanted to add to the list, I feel the op is being unrealistic. On our last trip we encountered the storms, and ended up with major delays. Delta didn't announce the delay on the delays until about 20 minutes before take off. Maybe the reason you didn't know was because disney travel hadn't found out yet. We were ready to board when we found out. Also how can you come down on them for not having a room, they didn't know that you were going to need an extra night. I am sorry you lost money, but I guess this is why we always buy trip insurance.

 

[BionicEar]

I don't think this is true at all. Why would you leave your cell phone back at the hotel, at least if you are traveling in the US?

We leave our cell phone in our room safe before hitting the parks because WE ARE ON VACATION! We have voice mail which we do check in the evenings, and we do leave contact info with one or two family members in the case of an emergency. And we leave the contact info with the family member(s) who actually know what constitutes an "emergency." We don't get to go on vacation every year, so when we're on vacation, we are truly in la-la land and don't come back to reality until we're home.


Which makes Disney the perfect place to escape from reality.

 

[kabbie]

Oh yes, hotels do run like that. I arrived late night on a business trip to a Marriott with a confirmed reservation and was told, sorry, people who were supposed to check out didn't. They phoned around for a room for me somewhere else (ie., 15 miles back at the airport) and offered to hail me a cab.

I hate to blow the secret on this one, but that's a white lie that hotel staff say. It's never true. What happens is the revenue mgmt/sales dept overbooks the hotel and expects the front desk to deal with it. I have had on occasion people extend when they were supposed to check out, but we can always turn them down and let them know we are sold out. Just so everyone knows, it's never the front desk fault so please don't take it out on them. They don't have much control over it. Wait to complain to the GM.

 

[MEK]

Pirate Dad -

You are obviously not the "luckiest traveler on earth" like I am. I have never had my travel plans seriously interrupted, delayed, altered or otherwise. (I did have my skis go to Miami once , but that was after I used them) But I know my time is coming and the only person I will have to blaim is Mother Nature.

 

[Lewisc]

That's a function of state law. Some states, according to other posters including FL, prohibit a hotel from evicting a guest who overstays their reservation. The hotel can charge rack rate but can't physically evict the guest.

I have had on occasion people extend when they were supposed to check out, but we can always turn them down and let them know we are sold out. Just so everyone knows, it's never the front desk fault so please don't take it out on them. They don't have much control over it. Wait to complain to the GM.