Is Disney at fault for disappointment?

[Lorilais_mommie]

i know that most of us on Dis are uber planners.. However we are in the minority..
I have read many reports of friends and family of dis board member being VERY disappointed with there recent trips to WDW.. (Including my very own sister-in-law)

Upon their returning we all seem to hear "I'm never going back" And we always ask why... (Really should stop that)
A lot of the problems tend to stem from not doing research, trusting the TA or disney to much in making the right choice for your family, and not knowing that having ADR and FP+ are key.
But the biggest thing I've heard lately is "I didn't know I NEEDED those, I thought they were just options"

Could it be that disney is NOT expressing the importance of "NEEDING" ADR & FP+?
Many people who plan there WDW vacations still feel They can Walk right up the cinderella table and get a table, crowds will be minimal, and\Or will have limited wait for most rides.
One report on read on here made a good point,
- NO where on the site does it says "book your cinderella table ADR for 8 now, cause when you get to to the parks it will almost impossible to get a table"


So is disney at fault for not experssing the NEED for these or is the guest at fault for not doing there research or asking the right questions?

 

[supersnoop]

Disappointment occurs when the experience doesn't meet expectations. So, did the experience fall short, or were the expectations not appropriately set? One might be Disney's fault, but, more likely, it's all on the individual.

 

[kiramay]

I think it's the guests responsibility to do their research. If I'm going somewhere new, whether its WDW, a cruise, a foreign country, etc, it's my responsibility to research what I need to do to prepare for my trip. A quick Google search about Disney restaurants will give any novice traveling information about the necessity of booking ADRs far in advance.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think Disney is at fault. I think when people are dropping thousands of dollars on a vacation it is on them to do some research.

The information is out there to find, if you want to find it. Can't force knowledge on people.

 

[sbeets]

Had friends who booked through a TA last year for Christmas week. TA did not book any ADR or FP+, and it was their first trip so they were completely caught off guard. Hated the trip, and have sworn they will never go back. I blame the TA in that case. I hope she enjoyed her commission because she did nothing for it.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

I lean towards the guest being more at fault- Disney sends out those info brochures when you book your trip (that most of us think are redundant) to explain FP and ADRs to guests. Even if staying offsite I would like to think after shelling out thousands of dollars one would research the trip they are going on, if not- Disney isn't to blame.

 

[chris springer]

Is it a "hard" to get into restauraunt's fault when there are no tables available if you do not have a reservation? Part of vacationing is proper planning and if you look on the WDW website it states that reservations are accepted up to 180 days in advance, that in itself speaks volumes.

 

[DisDadDVC]

My baseball coach used to stress the 5 p's:

Proper
Planning
Prevents
Poor
Performance

 

[JimmyV]

I don't know about being "at fault", but Disney simply cannot emphasize the need for "uber planning" as a necessary strategy because in so doing, it would paralyze many prospective first timers and scare people away. Disney needs guests to believe that freestyle touring is still possible and enjoyable. And like clockwork, there will be some predictable replies to your post telling you that one doesn't really need to plan things in advance and doing so only ensures that such guests replicate your preferred style of touring, but that this is far from the only way to go to WDW. Sounds good in theory. But my experiences mirror yours. The people I know who aren't seasoned veterans and don't plan ahead come back with the "you've got to be kidding me...I'm never going back" attitude. In the most recent podcast, Pete briefly discussed one of the Top 10 Threads of the month that raised this exact topic--the failed expectations of people who either didn't plan ahead or got really bad advice. And Pete's response was..."This is why I started this website 14 years ago. So people would have a place to go to learn the ins and outs." There are some who believe that learning the ins and outs succeeds only in replicating my type of vacation and is not necessary to have an enjoyable vacation. I used to believe that. I don't think it is true any more. People without a firm understanding as to how WDW works are at a distinct disadvantage. Plain and simple.

 

[CarolynFH]

The WDW website, info brochures, etc. all explain that you "can" make ADRs and FP+, but I agree with others that they don't indicate how important it is to make them. For instance, look at the Dining pages on the WDW website. For the table service restaurants it says "Reservations Accepted" - I think they should say "Reservations Recommended" instead. That would at least give newbies a clue!

 

[DisDadDVC]

The WDW website, info brochures, etc. all explain that you "can" make ADRs and FP+, but I agree with others that they don't indicate how important it is to make them. For instance, look at the Dining pages on the WDW website. For the table service restaurants it says "Reservations Accepted" - I think they should say "Reservations Recommended" instead. That would at least give newbies a clue!

Thank God for newbies. Imagine if everyone at Disney was an expert? It would be much harder to get ADRs, FP+, etc. "If everyone is special then no one is...."

 

[maxiesmom]

The WDW website, info brochures, etc. all explain that you "can" make ADRs and FP+, but I agree with others that they don't indicate how important it is to make them. For instance, look at the Dining pages on the WDW website. For the table service restaurants it says "Reservations Accepted" - I think they should say "Reservations Recommended" instead. That would at least give newbies a clue!

And yet there are people who go to WDW and make no ADRs. There is no one way to do WDW that fits how every person likes to vacation. That is why research is so important.

 

[ErinCat]

I have observed that many people just don't believe it when you tell them what is needed in planning. And then it is certainly their fault. Diseny certainly does not make it 100% clear about ADRs and FP+

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

The WDW website, info brochures, etc. all explain that you "can" make ADRs and FP+, but I agree with others that they don't indicate how important it is to make them. For instance, look at the Dining pages on the WDW website. For the table service restaurants it says "Reservations Accepted" - I think they should say "Reservations Recommended" instead. That would at least give newbies a clue!

This one they use to do.. The removed it upon updating the site a while back.
I know back in 2010 (my rookie year) I was looking up different places to eat.. And I believe it was hoop-de-doo review that said "Reservations HIGHLY recommend" That did tip me off to look into it more.

However I do believe with all the research I did I would have found out it was one of those ressie that needed to be done at 180days

 

[dvcmom14]

I have to agree that if you're dropping thousands of dollars on a vacation, it's irresponsible to not do some upfront planning. Everyone knows that WDW is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and to not expect crowds is just silly. People have to start taking responsibility for their own actions and stop looking for people to blame all the dang time.

 

[LilyWDW]

I just don't understand people who pay THAT much money on a trip and then do no research. I'm not even talking about the planning that we often do around here, but a simple Google search and a little reading. One would easily find all the information on FP+ and ADRs.

 

[DM Minnie]

The first time stayed onsite was our honeymoon in 2008. We booked through a travel agent and they didn't inform us of anything. We walked in thinking it was like when we were kids and didn't have a adr and it took us 3 days to figure out the paper fast past.

Now every year when we go everyone has the same comment "why would you go there we had the worst time we couldn't ride or eat anywhere"

I totally think the TAs are at fault. If you book a trip that is thousands of dollars through an agent they better give you essential information like adr or fast pass.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Disney's site says this for Cinderella's Royal Table (just used it as an example since everyone knows about it)

Reservations
Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit.

Now it does require someone to go on their site at all, but why wouldn't you?

 

[klitteral2009]

I have to say, its the visitors fault! When I planned our first WDW trip the DIS was the second website I came across. I was able to ask lots of questions, read about others trips, and get a LOT of information. Before I came here I knew nothing about ADR's being so important to get as far out as possible...I didn't know ANYTHING about using FP, much less how to utilize it (of couse it was back in the day of FP Beta Version lol), I was able to learn which time of year was best to go, which resorts offered what, and I was able to find outside resources such as Josh over at easyWDW to help plan my days to avoid crowds. If you are spending the kind of money it takes to go on a Disney vacation, it seems only logical you would Google and find out all you could about how to maximize your vacation. It just makes no sense to me at all that people think its as easy as show up, ride all the rides, eat at the most popular places and have no crowds. I second a PP that said thank god for newbies! If they don't have the common sense to read up, it means more ADR's and FP for me!

 

[joannamet]

I was an uber-planner from the first trip but the other adults in my group wouldn't listen to me. I actually gave our friends a guidebook and they never opened it. They all laughed at me when i talked about FP and touring plans saving time in line. They said that spending hours in lines was just inevitable. One friend still loves to get into Park restaurants with no ADR and never fails to let me know about it.

I think most people are like my friends. They expect long waits and huge crowds so they don't make any effort to find a better way. And, no, Disney is not their favorite place. They go with us because our kids are friends otherwise they'd never set foot in WDW. Is that Disney's fault. Certainly not.