Jollywood Nights-Hearing Some Negative Feedback...

[AnnaKristoff2013]

That’s ridiculous. We were all at the same party and had, essentially, the same experience. If they are going to refund tickets, they should refund to all who request them or offer the same guest recovery option, similar to what they do on DCL when something, ship-wide, goes awry. Thanks for the update.

Bingo, it shouldn't be the first 500 people to complain get their money back. There are life reasons as to why someone may not have been able to request the refund the night of or even the next day.

I think they underestimated just how many people hated the event enough to request a refund.

 

[BeachMouse1]

We are not going so we dont have a dog in this fight but most of the vloggers and podcasts I have listened to had a negative review. One however said it was excellent and they hoped they have it every year and would go every year. They were not invited by Disney but they said the one thing that really bothered them was the fact that Disney had a lot of media and “influencers” (term used loosely) there and catered to them. They said they actually saw media being put in meet and greet lines and other things in front of guests waiting on line. They said they felt that the mass of media and “influencers” made the party seem very crowded and that if they weren’t there the event would not have seemed as crowded. They claimed the special treatment of these people negatively effected the experience of the paying guests but they would go back every year

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

We are not going so we dont have a dog in this fight but most of the vloggers and podcasts I have listened to had a negative review. One however said it was excellent and they hoped they have it every year and would go every year. They were not invited by Disney but they said the one thing that really bothered them was the fact that Disney had a lot of media and “influencers” (term used loosely) there and catered to them. They said they actually saw media being put in meet and greet lines and other things in front of guests waiting on line. They said they felt that the mass of media and “influencers” made the party seem very crowded and that if they weren’t there the event would not have seemed as crowded. They claimed the special treatment of these people negatively effected the experience of the paying guests but they would go back every year

Probably the one who’s afraid to lose free access to Disney events. One of my fav bloggers DEV was kicked off the media list for giving bad feedback on Disney events he didn’t feel felt the price worth

 

[BeachMouse1]

Probably the one who’s afraid to lose free access to Disney events. One of my fav bloggers DEV was kicked off the media list for giving bad feedback on Disney events he didn’t feel felt the price worth

You’re probably right. That’s why I take the vloggers “advice” with a grain of salt although I do enjoy watching a few. I like to see the experience and then decide what I want and don’t want to do

 

[scrappinginontario]

View attachment 810493

Any live brass going on?

There is a live band in the show in the theatre where Beauty and the Beast plays.

 

[Marthasor]

There was a saxophonist at the Tip Top Club, what is even more disappointing was they used a backing track. You could hear a trumpet despite no trumpet being played in person.

Top bad they sacked the GF Orchestra, they would've been amazing at the Brown Derby Jazz Club.

Yes, GF Orchestra would have been amazing and sort of what I imagined would be at one of the "clubs. Throw in a few professional swing dancers and you would get the place jumping! It's funny - we saw Big Bad Voodoo Daddy the night before we went and we all commented THEY needed to be at Jollywood! I also attended Club Villain years ago so know what an, amazingly produced Disney floor show could look like - I really thought they might move some of the tables at HBD and have a bigger band or production numbers. Obviously, my expectations were WAY too high for this event!

Sounds like a lot of those who attended first night are already miffed - plus - as I understand it - are eligible for a refund…I wouldn’t think adding a free little bag of popcorn going forward would make anyone ‘miffter’…

Based on reports in this thread, they have stopped refunding people, so, no, not everyone is eligible for a refund. I can tell you I have been offered nothing as of yet though I have called and then, as directed by the CM on the phone, e-mailed guest services. I received a pat, well-rehearsed response when I called - they are at least apologizing for the experience. I honestly don't care what they do moving forward. What is shocking is that this first night debacle happened in the first place. They have been running hard ticket events for years. You would think they would know what they are doing by now.

 

[thenicefamily]

I hear ROTR and Slinky Dog mentioned a lot on these threads re: Jollywood but, what about the other HS rides? We're really going mainly to have less wait-times for rides. We're going to Jollywood on December 20th so, hopefully by then they'll have sorted out some bugs with food and entertainment but, if not, we'll be thrilled if loads have cancelled and we get even better access to the rides.

Were these rides available during Jollywood and, if yes, how were the times (I got the Slinky Dog 20-minute thing and the ROTR broken-down most of the time message) for these?

M&M Runaway Railway
Millenium Falcon
Rock 'n Roller Coaster
Star Tours
ToT

IF the five I've noted above are short waits/multiple rides then, IMO, I'm happy to pay for the event. If not, I'll start lowering my expectations, even lower than they already are after the first night feedback.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I wonder if they’ll offer some cheap freebie snacks via the carts as an ‘improvement’ next event…

OMG imagine the lines at the carts if free stuff was on offer!

 

[gottalovepluto]

…which will include some golf, a cruise or two, and a 5K race to finish amongst other things.

I aspire to that (minus the 5k situation, more the “a cruise or two”) #LifeGoals

I don't know how lines were as bad as they were for the Tip Top Club when they were utilizing pre made big batch cocktails that only required a simple garnish which they apparently ran out of before the end of the event…
…I weep for the Guest Relations CMs who were most likely peppered all night with how inept the ops and planning of the event was.

They ran out of garnishes? Goodness gracious they cheaped out on this event even more than it sounded like they did originally. “Stop Bob! If you cut up one more orange the company will spend $1. $1 BOB!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO WITH $1?!!”… And yes. I’m picturing that little insurance dude yelling at Mr. Incredible.

Those poor Guest Relations CMs. You’re absolutely right. No way they didn’t know this would blow up in their manager’s faces. Serious guts showing up to work anyway

This whole event reeks of Cheapek Era budget choices but that man is forever gone. Who is change of DHS these days anyway? Do they have a past as a Bean Counter Extraordinaire? When you fail to distribute pre-made cocktails that’s on you. Restaurants with Booze 101: The Bar makes you. Restaurants with Booze 201: The Bar makes you. All F&B where alcohol is allowed THE BAR MAKES THE MARGIN. They should have had 3 bar carts at Tip Top Club. No one should be waiting more than 10 mins for a drink. People waiting in a line aren’t spending money What freaking idiot put this plan together?!

I think they underestimated just how many people hated the event enough to request a refund.

I am flabbergasted they only refunded X amount of people. I get not refunding future parties but anybody who went through Inaugural Night deserves a refund + an I Survived Jollywood’s Inaugural Night T-shirt.

…One however said it was excellent and they hoped they have it every year and would go every year. They were not invited by Disney but they said the one thing that really bothered them was the fact that Disney had a lot of media and “influencers” (term used loosely) there and catered to them. They said they actually saw media being put in meet and greet lines and other things in front of guests waiting on line…

Considering most influencers & bloggers are panning the event left and right I call bologna sandwich. Especially because they claim Select Others were being put in front of them in already egregious lines and yet they had an excellent time. Doesn’t pass the sniff test.

 

[Apiary]

I hear ROTR and Slinky Dog mentioned a lot on these threads re: Jollywood but, what about the other HS rides? We're really going mainly to have less wait-times for rides. We're going to Jollywood on December 20th so, hopefully by then they'll have sorted out some bugs with food and entertainment but, if not, we'll be thrilled if loads have cancelled and we get even better access to the rides.

Were these rides available during Jollywood and, if yes, how were the times (I got the Slinky Dog 20-minute thing and the ROTR broken-down most of the time message) for these?

M&M Runaway Railway
Millenium Falcon
Rock 'n Roller Coaster
Star Tours
ToT

IF the five I've noted above are short waits/multiple rides then, IMO, I'm happy to pay for the event. If not, I'll start lowering my expectations, even lower than they already are after the first night feedback.

all those rides were open and had short waits.

 

[CoasterGT24]

I hear ROTR and Slinky Dog mentioned a lot on these threads re: Jollywood but, what about the other HS rides? We're really going mainly to have less wait-times for rides. We're going to Jollywood on December 20th so, hopefully by then they'll have sorted out some bugs with food and entertainment but, if not, we'll be thrilled if loads have cancelled and we get even better access to the rides.

Were these rides available during Jollywood and, if yes, how were the times (I got the Slinky Dog 20-minute thing and the ROTR broken-down most of the time message) for these?

M&M Runaway Railway
Millenium Falcon
Rock 'n Roller Coaster
Star Tours
ToT

IF the five I've noted above are short waits/multiple rides then, IMO, I'm happy to pay for the event. If not, I'll start lowering my expectations, even lower than they already are after the first night feedback.

Yes, they were quite short according to the data captured at https://www.thrill-data.com/jollywood-nights/2023

 

[loislane]

I really loved the band at the soirée and yeah, I think the band itself got really positive reviews. They really drew a crowd. But the area, they were in just seemed way too small and narrow. I know they need to be near The Tower of Terror, but maybe they could move this to the Cars Academy Courtyard? At least they’d have more space and The Tower of Terror would be the backdrop. I don’t know. Just a thought.

I like that idea. Basically, when you came off ToT, you walked right into the soiree. Which means people trying to get INTO the soiree had to walk through everyone getting off ToT. Even if they found a way to utilize the queue area - most of which was bypassed for the ride - that would've been better than putting it at the exit.

 

[loislane]

At this time, I'm just coming for the inauguration T-shirt. Anything else will be a bonus.

Made sure to get mine - just in case "inaugural" becomes "only" lol

 

[loislane]

It seems like all the issues have been with the party-exclusive events. I'm curious to hear how the lines were for the normal attractions, since this is replacing my Studios day on my next trip.

The longest we waited to ride anything was about 30-40 minutes for our second round on Toy Story Midway Mania. Millennium Falcon:Smugglers Run, Alien Swirling Saucers, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, were walk-ons. Runaway Railway was maybe 10-15 minutes, and we waited between 20-30 minutes for Slinky Dog but regular guests were still in the queue at that time.

 

[saskdw]

I hear ROTR and Slinky Dog mentioned a lot on these threads re: Jollywood but, what about the other HS rides? We're really going mainly to have less wait-times for rides. We're going to Jollywood on December 20th so, hopefully by then they'll have sorted out some bugs with food and entertainment but, if not, we'll be thrilled if loads have cancelled and we get even better access to the rides.

Were these rides available during Jollywood and, if yes, how were the times (I got the Slinky Dog 20-minute thing and the ROTR broken-down most of the time message) for these?

M&M Runaway Railway
Millenium Falcon
Rock 'n Roller Coaster
Star Tours
ToT

IF the five I've noted above are short waits/multiple rides then, IMO, I'm happy to pay for the event. If not, I'll start lowering my expectations, even lower than they already are after the first night feedback.

All the reports and vlogs I've seen said those were open and basically walk on. We are going for the same reason on Dec. 6th.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I hear ROTR and Slinky Dog mentioned a lot on these threads re: Jollywood but, what about the other HS rides? We're really going mainly to have less wait-times for rides. We're going to Jollywood on December 20th so, hopefully by then they'll have sorted out some bugs with food and entertainment but, if not, we'll be thrilled if loads have cancelled and we get even better access to the rides.

Were these rides available during Jollywood and, if yes, how were the times (I got the Slinky Dog 20-minute thing and the ROTR broken-down most of the time message) for these?

M&M Runaway Railway
Millenium Falcon
Rock 'n Roller Coaster
Star Tours
ToT

IF the five I've noted above are short waits/multiple rides then, IMO, I'm happy to pay for the event. If not, I'll start lowering my expectations, even lower than they already are after the first night feedback.

Reports were they were all basically walk-ons, except for MMRR which had some downtime during the event, but was otherwise a short wait/walk-on. The mix of bloggers to normal guests though was likely different for the first party than the one you're going to though, so it's possible more people will ride the attractions at yours.

 

[Eeyore's the Best]

We were there the first night as well. We thought it was going to feel like a long time but it flew by.

We loved seeing everyone dressed up and the atmosphere was really fun. We did dinner and Hollywood and Vine and came out at 8:30 just as crowds were thinning.

My top tip for the shows is don't wait in line, just go right before it starts. We walked over to the Christmas Show that started at 8:45 and walked right in. Really enjoyed it. After that our Rise boarding group was called, we got group 19 at 6 pm. Super low crowds in Galaxy's edge and Toy Story land. We did Rise, Smugglers Run, Aliens and Slinky. Everything was a walk on except Slinky we waited 15 mins.

We weren't really interested in any of the speciality food or drinks and we aren't photo op people but we did see long queues for both.

After that we walked right into the Nightmare Before Christmas show and waited about 2 mins for it to start.

We enjoyed that show as well, the Jack Skellington was really cool.

We decided to skip by Minnie's Runaway Railway to make sure we made it on Tower. Came out of tower into the party, there was a band playing, seemed like a cool vibe.

We were just about to get a spot for Jingle bam but then it started to rain so we bailed.

All in all, we would do it again. We thought initially we would have some much time but ended up running out of time!

 

[tx911]

We were there the first night as well. We thought it was going to feel like a long time but it flew by.

We loved seeing everyone dressed up and the atmosphere was really fun. We did dinner and Hollywood and Vine and came out at 8:30 just as crowds were thinning.

My top tip for the shows is don't wait in line, just go right before it starts. We walked over to the Christmas Show that started at 8:45 and walked right in. Really enjoyed it. After that our Rise boarding group was called, we got group 19 at 6 pm. Super low crowds in Galaxy's edge and Toy Story land. We did Rise, Smugglers Run, Aliens and Slinky. Everything was a walk on except Slinky we waited 15 mins.

We weren't really interested in any of the speciality food or drinks and we aren't photo op people but we did see long queues for both.

After that we walked right into the Nightmare Before Christmas show and waited about 2 mins for it to start.

We enjoyed that show as well, the Jack Skellington was really cool.

We decided to skip by Minnie's Runaway Railway to make sure we made it on Tower. Came out of tower into the party, there was a band playing, seemed like a cool vibe.

We were just about to get a spot for Jingle bam but then it started to rain so we bailed.

All in all, we would do it again. We thought initially we would have some much time but ended up running out of time!

If Eeyore likes it, how bad can it be??

 

[Mikey15]

OMG imagine the lines at the carts if free stuff was on offer!

I will say from the Trick or Treat lines & cookie/cocoa lines at the MK parties that lines move much more quickly when no order has to be communicated and no payment had to be taken.

A free line is good for us though, not Disney so much!

 

[BeachMouse1]

I aspire to that (minus the 5k situation, more the “a cruise or two”) #LifeGoals


They ran out of garnishes? Goodness gracious they cheaped out on this event even more than it sounded like they did originally. “Stop Bob! If you cut up one more orange the company will spend $1. $1 BOB!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO WITH $1?!!”… And yes. I’m picturing that little insurance dude yelling at Mr. Incredible.

Those poor Guest Relations CMs. You’re absolutely right. No way they didn’t know this would blow up in their manager’s faces. Serious guts showing up to work anyway

This whole event reeks of Cheapek Era budget choices but that man is forever gone. Who is change of DHS these days anyway? Do they have a past as a Bean Counter Extraordinaire? When you fail to distribute pre-made cocktails that’s on you. Restaurants with Booze 101: The Bar makes you. Restaurants with Booze 201: The Bar makes you. All F&B where alcohol is allowed THE BAR MAKES THE MARGIN. They should have had 3 bar carts at Tip Top Club. No one should be waiting more than 10 mins for a drink. People waiting in a line aren’t spending money What freaking idiot put this plan together?!


I am flabbergasted they only refunded X amount of people. I get not refunding future parties but anybody who went through Inaugural Night deserves a refund + an I Survived Jollywood’s Inaugural Night T-shirt.


Considering most influencers & bloggers are panning the event left and right I call bologna sandwich. Especially because they claim Select Others were being put in front of them in already egregious lines and yet they had an excellent time. Doesn’t pass the sniff test.

as I said Im just repeating what this podcast said. I really don’t care either way just stating what I hears. Not going and have no desire to