Is Disney at fault for disappointment?

[Baklava]

Apart from when we go to Lundy Island (it's tiny: 3 miles by 1/4 mile) our holidays involve planning and research. When we don't do the research, we miss out. We went to North Wales and didn't pre-book the train up to the Snowdon Summit. We ended up getting the last seats on the last train for the day, and had to waste nearly 6 hours waiting for that train on a not-very-nice day.

NYC required a lot of trawling sites for opening times, best visiting info, we were months too late to get tickets to visit anything other than the island the Statue of Liberty stands on, and we missed loads of stuff we wanted to do.

In contrast, at least with WDW it's all one company you're dealing with. It was much easier to get the info we needed thanks to places like the DIS, and we had a great first trip... my DH didn't believe me when I said it would take as much work as other places we'd gone, but he was grateful of it once we got there!

This is ultimately why my husband lobbied hard for WDW this time. He is really attracted to the "it's handled" aspect. I do all the prep work but he loves the idea that once we get there, transportation is covered, the dining plan is paid for, the magic bands will handle the shopping... he just wants a vacation where he doesn't have to think too hard or plan too much and once we get there, that's what he's getting. *I* am doing a ton of planning, but I like that and it's all done before we get there. He likes the immersive nature of Disney and that's worth some effort up front.

 

[starsweeper]

I think Disney is at fault for many people's disappointment with their trip. Sure they tell you that ADRs and FP+ can be made in advance, but I think the advertisements are misleading. The ads portray it more as an option versus a necessity to enjoy some of the best meals or experiences that are popular. My own father, who took us to WDW 4 times growing up, looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned planning meals and rides for our recent trip months in advance or we'd miss out. The amount of planning required for some experiences is frankly over the top. I planned a 3-week honeymoon throughout Italy with less effort.

 

[jvncnt]

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.

I completely agree, at least so far as FP+ goes. As to ADR's, we make maybe 1 per trip. There are tons of QS restaurants and resort restaurants where you can eat without any reservations. We don't love to meet characters at meals, as it seems so rushed and just doesn't do anything for us. We much prefer to meet characters as we are touring the parks, and sometimes even just wait in line for them!

Now, if we had to wait in line for 120 mins to ride our favorite rides, that would ruin our trip, but I really do think FP+ has been well explained in the information that was sent to us when we fully paid our reservation. If some people choose to flip quickly through and not read what FP+ means, that is on them, not on Disney.

 

[Red1116]

If ANYONE books a vacation ANYWHERE without doing a basic amount of research into what kind of planning is required, then they are a special kind of stupid. I'm not saying you have to plan it out to have a great time, but if your expectations are high, you better be willing to put in the planning time and effort...and a simple Google search will tell anyone that.

 

[AquaDame]

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?

I'll go with both, but mostly that it is up to the guest to know what they are getting themselves into. Disney COULD breed goodwill by making it more obvious but with large purchases (and heaven knows a Disney trip is a VERY large purchase now) you should do your research.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Where the heck do you live?? lol heck the local olive garden doesn't even take reservations. most mid level mall restaurants do not accept reservations.

I grew up in NYC and now live in Philly. there isn't a place here that you cannot walk up to and is reservation only. Now don't get me wrong, if you go to Sullivans (upscale steak house) by the King of prussia mall on Saturday night at 6 pm without a reservation you will have to wait but you will most definitely be seated. AND you will not have to make a reservation 6 months out.

That's what I was saying..we don't have to make reservations for any restaurants around us. Sorry if that was confusing

 

[Turn the Page]

I live in a tourist area as well. As you indicated, I might expect to need to make reservations for fancy, adult only date night type places, but not family friendly restaurants.

Heck, there is a really casual, yet extremely popular, place up here that has an all you can eat fish fry on Friday nights in the summer. They don't take reservations. We got a table.....after a 2 hour wait.

 

[serene56]

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"

Everywhere I see Cinderella's royal table states Advance reservations are needed
EVEN on MDE it states"
Reservations
Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit.
But i am aware of that so know what i am looking for.

 

[JZCubed]

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?

I'm of two minds on this:

1.) For $thousand, it should not require that much additional work. For the amount of money, Concierge type service can be expected by many people - especially if you are paying a premium for a Deluxe Resort (that is sold as something Deluxe).

2.) Disney does inform people with e-mails and the like. Why do people avoid these clues?

On this 2nd point, if you have a friend/relative who frequents Disney, why not use them as a resource?

We've have friends who've gone to Disney and, I can only assume, seemingly felt intimidated by my knowledge (and I learn stuff here every time I lurk). I'd never tell someone else how to Tour, but at least gaining some simple insight (like avoiding certain Parks on certain days by looking at EasyWdw.com) can be invaluable. Why must some people simple avoid friendly advice? Thankfully, they did look at EasyWdw, but disregarded the data and wondered why some Parks were so crowded on some days.

 

[lugnut33]

Does anybody know if planning a vacation at Universal is any easier or more difficult? I know it's a smaller place, but they are busy too.

 

[cruisingtwins]

I guess it does not matter who is at fault at the end of the day Disney is making it a miserable experience for those who don't plan and no not everyone likes to plan. Some people see the fun in that but some people don't. The family is miserable and Disney won't get a repeat costumer so lose/lose.

At the very least I think Disney needs to improve their counter service so people can have a decent meal even if they did not make an ADR 180 days in advance. And yeah there are some CS places that are decent but in my opinion they all should be.

 

[rwdavis2]

Does anybody know if planning a vacation at Universal is any easier or more difficult? I know it's a smaller place, but they are busy too.

It depends. If you stay onsite with the free Express Pass then the only planning necessary,IMHO, is getting up for early entry for some the Harry Potter attractions that don't take Express Pass. Other than that it's way easier. Almost all of the restaurants inside Universal parks a mediocre at best. City Walk eateries are mostly pretty good and easy to get a table for.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Walt Disney World would have to publish a BOOK with every single trick to planning in it. Look how much goes around these boards.

There are several "unofficial" guides too. That's what I used when I was planning trips way way back. I bought a book. And it was a big book. Is it really expected that Disney should provide all of that to prospective guests?

 

[erin1715]

I guess it depends on what the disappointment is about. If a person fails to make ADR's and FP+ reservations, then it is most likely that person's fault for being disappointed (although Disney DID make the stupid choice to implement this crap). However, my in-laws just returned from Disney and they said that MK was so crowded that they couldn't even stand being there. They are DVC members and are now selling their DVC (not entirely due to the crowds but I think that helped make their decision easier). Disney isn't doing a very good job dispersing the crowds, and with Soarin closing for an extended period of time it is just going to make crowds at MK worse.

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess it does not matter who is at fault at the end of the day Disney is making it a miserable experience for those who don't plan and no not everyone likes to plan. Some people see the fun in that but some people don't. The family is miserable and Disney won't get a repeat costumer so lose/lose.

At the very least I think Disney needs to improve their counter service so people can have a decent meal even if they did not make an ADR 180 days in advance. And yeah there are some CS places that are decent but in my opinion they all should be.

But it doesn't have to be miserable if you don't plan. If you expect to have every meal at 6 pm, and expect to be able to walk on all of the rides the minute you get to it, then yes. You would be miserable. But that has more to do with having unrealistic expectations to begin with. We are all going to a theme park and sharing space with thousands of other people. How does it even make sense that you should be able to do everything you want without waiting in line? If people are flexible when they are at WDW then not planning is fine.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Totally agree, but not everyone has, or travels with, a smartphone. Incomprehensible to some of us (read:ME), but not having access to MDE on their phone would make finding table availability an arduous march around the park. Hangry marching. Not fun.

Never said you needed a smartphone. Stop by guest services in the parks. Stop by the concierge at an onsite resort. They can tell you what is available and book it for you. This will of course not work if what you really want is to walk up to ANY restaurant without any sort of reservation and be seated within a half hour. That is an unrealistic expectation. But saying people can't make some plans the same day is not true.

If you must have character meals each night at 6 PM for a party of 10, then yes, your options are going to be extremely limited day of.

 

[absolutmey]

I think it is the responsibility of the visitor to do research, as many have said.

My first trip was last year. I googled, read (many) articles all over the internet and lurked and asked questions here on DIS (the 2nd or 3rd site I found). When I didn't know how FP+ worked or which to choose, I read threads specifically devoted to the topic. When I needed info about how to tour parks (based on what my family would enjoy), I found free websites with crowd calendars and 'best day to visit' advice. I got all the ADRs and FP+ I wanted thanks to the help. The info is out there and it was invaluable; our trip would have been much less enjoyable and more stressful had I not taken it upon myself to figure it out. DH thought I'd gone crazy with the level of preparation and planning but once we were there, breezing through lines with 60+ minute waits and walking in to Be Our Guest for dinner, he got it.

So, long story short, I the DIS!

 

[EricInPA]

This is ultimately why my husband lobbied hard for WDW this time. He is really attracted to the "it's handled" aspect. I do all the prep work but he loves the idea that once we get there, transportation is covered, the dining plan is paid for, the magic bands will handle the shopping... he just wants a vacation where he doesn't have to think too hard or plan too much and once we get there, that's what he's getting. *I* am doing a ton of planning, but I like that and it's all done before we get there. He likes the immersive nature of Disney and that's worth some effort up front.

Your husband and I have a lot in common in this respect (I enjoy the pre-planning part as well). That we can sit down at the various window openings, and get everything roughly planned, makes our vacation so much better. I say roughly plan because there are no "make or break" experiences and we aren't picky diners. Throw in Magical Express, resort transportation, magic bands, etc, and it all makes it very easy-going for us. We always frame the trip planning as part of the fun, not hoops and hurdles.

On our first trip to Disneyland, we looked on the Disney website for places to eat and thought Blue Bayou looked great. The site said "reservations highly recommended", and we took that seriously, no forum browser insider-info required.

 

[Angel Ariel]

. But my neighbor? I understand. They both have full-time stressful jobs where they travel a decent amount and have 3 kids under age 8. I can see how they don't have time to click "refresh" 100 times a day to get a dining reservation. And how would they know they need to? She's thinking "oh a month or so before we leave I'll look into it". Most people don't think about making reservations 180 days before they need to eat. I think Disney should make that 90 days. Just my opinion.

I think the bolded is key to a lot of this. There are so many responses along the lines of "well, it's the guest's fault they didn't research." IME, people *are* researching. They just aren't researching until a month, 2 or 3 before their trip. Which, also IME, is pretty standard for non-Disney World vacations. (And I specify Disney World, because even for Disneyland, you can't make dining reservations until 60 days before. I leave in less than 1 month for DLR and we don't have our parks/day set in stone yet). It isn't that these guests aren't doing research *at all*, it's that they don't know they need to do that research more than 6 months in advance.

 

[cruisingtwins]

But it doesn't have to be miserable if you don't plan. If you expect to have every meal at 6 pm, and expect to be able to walk on all of the rides the minute you get to it, then yes. You would be miserable. But that has more to do with having unrealistic expectations to begin with. We are all going to a theme park and sharing space with thousands of other people. How does it even make sense that you should be able to do everything you want without waiting in line? If people are flexible when they are at WDW then not planning is fine.

I don't think anyone expects a meal at 6 pm or to walk on in every ride. 90% of their CS is junk and yeah so are other theme parks but people don't stay a week in any other theme park. The junk food was one of our biggest disappointments. The rides I think they need to build more stuff at a faster pace and build actual rides not "experiences" so not everyone wants to ride the same ride all day long.