LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AND DISNEY SWITCHED OUR EMH MORNING!!

[3DisneyFanz]

I have not read all replies so I am not sure if someone already suggested this to you...

Please email your frustration to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

The more they hear that we aren't happy the better.

While I love the magic band and love the idea of fast pass+ i have and always will dislike having to choose my dining and what ride I want to ride on Tuesday at 10 am SO EARLY! (And unlike someone on here suggested - YES I HAVE to and Disney is FORCING us - unless of course in want to waste a fast pass on its a small world and want to eat at some random eatery that does not appeal to my family!!!).

So let guest services know - they really do forward the feedback they get!

Since wait times have grown pretty heavy at small world since the implementation of FP+ I don't think it's a waste to use one there at all. It may be horribly sad to have to use one but it's even sadder that people are now waiting 45 minutes plus to ride it.

 

[whiporee]

I just don't see what is so complicated about honoring a schedule you put in place and expect people to plan around to help you better staff your company. Disney has complete control of their schedules and its not unreasonable to expect them to follow the same rules they put on their guest. They drive people to make ADRs and FP well in advance so they can know where to cut staff and they know that people are planning their vacations around these events and the calendar they create. Changing things after these period have passed is simply not being guest focused. This has nothing to do with concerns about money grabbing and is more of an issue of Disney not holding themselves to the same expectations they make of their customers.

Because they have limited staffing and need to put people in places where they make the most sense. And as long as they aren't force cancelling things on you, they would say the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Or is that the wrong franchise

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Because they have limited staffing and need to put people in places where they make the most sense. And as long as they aren't force cancelling things on you, they would say the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Or is that the wrong franchise

Do they have limited staffing or are they choosing to limit staffing? There is a pretty significant difference there.

 

[Day-Day]

For those who didn't know the meanings for the abbreviations of EE and PS, they are listed in A List of Common Abbreviations. I get frustrated when posters use abbreviations that aren't listed and the poster does not provide an initial definition; these two are on the list.

 

[mummabear]

I have no advice just some sympathy. It is very frustrating as people have already said. Disney expects us to be organised at 180 days out and they should be too. I dont really mind them increasing hours to meet demand (although this can mess with people PPO ADRs) but move EMH days is a real PITA.
I know on its own it wont achieve much but I am a big believer in sending them an email, if everyone did they may get the message.

 

[Planogirl]

I know it's a popular sentiment, but I don't think that's true at all. Disney is not perfect, but I believe guest experience is important to them. It's just that the issues they face are a lot more complex than people think they are.

I don't think execs are a bunch of philanthropists or anything, but I don't think there's much real evidence that Disney is callous toward guest experience. If they wanted they could double admission prices (or resort rates) and the place would still be full more often than not. If you want to see money grubbing execs, look down the street where they double the price of admission for an Express Pass during busy times because they know it's needed. That's money grabbing far more extreme than anything Disney does.

What that place down the street does has absolutely nothing to do with what Disney does. Disney is supposedly the standard so maybe they should act like it occasionally.

 

[pigletgirl]

I have no advice just some sympathy. It is very frustrating as people have already said. Disney expects us to be organised at 180 days out and they should be too. I dont really mind them increasing hours to meet demand (although this can mess with people PPO ADRs) but move EMH days is a real PITA.
I know on its own it wont achieve much but I am a big believer in sending them an email, if everyone did they may get the message.

Haha, they should be organized?

Disney can do whatever they want and they know it!

 

[crazycatlady]

Do they have limited staffing or are they choosing to limit staffing? There is a pretty significant difference there.

Totally agree!!

 

[Minnesota!]

I think them screwing with the plans will backfire....they promote that you can "lock in" and then they change what you lock in. People will just stop the preplanning madness because they get screwed either way.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

I'm sorry to hear about this.
Here's the thing: Disney doesn't expect you to do this planning and they certainly don't force or require you. They expect you to be like the majority of guests, who do far less planning. As near as I can see, the notion that you must do all this planning comes largely from the community of expert planners here. And that planning does have value, but please don't forget the thousands of people who don't read things here, don't plan every details, and still have wonderful vacations.

All this may not help you feel better now. But maybe for the next trip, it will help manage your own expectations. Mostly I'm just trying to point out that these uber-planning requirements aren't coming from Disney; they're coming from the uber-planners here.

And this is a perfect example of the sort of unrealistic expectation that hurts more than helps. It is absolutely possible to have a totally satisfying experience over a 2-3 day period, with no pre-planning at all. Because a satisfying experience doesn't mean seeing everything. It doesn't even mean seeing the things highest on your list of things to see. It means making the most out of the hand you're dealt. Give me airfare, hotel rooms, and tickets for as soon as I can book reasonable flights down and back, and I guarantee you I'll have a lovely time. (Well, maybe not if I forget to get my car inspected before the end of the month, and get the wrong type of ticket as a result .)

I really disagree with this. I used to plan ahead because it was fun. Now I do it just so that I can be assured that we will be able to ride on a grand total of 3 rides (1 at Epcot - Test Track OR Soarin'!) that we'd like to experience without waiting in line for an hour. Disney no longer sells "no-expiration" tickets, so that the price of a day can be locked in, and as the prices and crowds go up and up, we are at the point where the value just isn't there.

We used to be able to just show up at the park we happened to choose on a particular day, run around collecting fastpasses, and let the day roll out. (Once my "uber-planning" even resulted in one great day of taking our niece from park to park, experiencing the top attractions at each one, eating a great meal at a reasonable price, before heading back for the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom!) Now my "uber-planning" skills will, at best, yield the opportunity to fight through ever-increasing crowds at one park a day; force me to decide where we want to eat, where we want to be, and what we want to do 60 - 180 days in advance to avoid being shut out of our favorites; and pay huge $$$$ for the "magic".

I would totally agree with this poster if the cost of going to WDW weren't so high - if we could pay a small fee and just wander around, experiencing the Country Bear Jamboree, a counter-service restaurant, shopping, and the sight of other people standing in a 75 minute line. When we had reasonably-priced annual passes, that's exactly what we used to do and it was a lot of fun. But as long as Disney is committed to avoiding the need to build another park to siphon off some of the crowds, and shaking every last dime out of our traveling budget, while continually lowering the quality of the dining and park experiences, I don't think "managing my expectations" is the problem here. There are other places we can go where we aren't blamed for not having a "magical" time.

The least Disney can do, if they expect guests to plan 180 days ahead, is to have the respect for their customers to do the same. And maybe it's time for some Disney executive somewhere to remember that "good will" is an actual accounting term with actual value. Many companies have found to their dismay that, once used up, it can be very hard to recover.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I'm sorry. Late changes like that are a real pain. There have been a LOT of changes lately, but 2 years ago they changed EMH on me a few weeks out on Memorial Day as well, so it has happened in the past. Makes me glad I have no trips planned, so I can watch from the sidelines and see how it ends up.

Happened to us Sept of 2014. And if I remember correctly, in Jan of 2012. It was a pain, but these changes aren't new. They certainly aren't because of the early morning offerings.

And I don't think Disney expects guests to plan out 180 days ahead. They limit so that you can't plan dining more than 180 days ahead. If there was no limit, people would be hoarding ADR years ahead of their possible vacation.

(Before anyone says that I don't understand, that the OP's daughter has lupus. So do I.)

 

[K_Jordan]

lorilori- I am so sorry that your family's extremely important trip is being affected by their disorganization. I hope all the headache and planning is worth it and you have a wonderful time with your daughter!

We are going to be down there the same weekend, and unfortunately planned two ADRs (before park opening character breakfasts) and all of our fast passes around the EMH. We stay offsite and will only be there for 2 and a half days, and want to avoid EMH crowds as much as possible. I emailed them yesterday just to express my disappointment. I understand things change (plus something like this surely won't ruin a trip), but it's very unprofessional to alter hours with so little notice.

I got a laughable "we have gotten many complaints over this subject and appreciate the feedback" response. No apology, nothing personal, just the type of careless customer service you'd receive at a cheap county fair. Maybe I'm biased because so many in my family work corperate customer service jobs, but when you're charging a premium price, the customer should get premium organization and customer support.

 

[Pesky]

Ugh, that totally stinks. And is one of my biggest fears. Granted, I'm deliberately NOT working around anticipated EMH for this very reason but if WDW has dining at 180 days out and FP+, and either lives under a rock or knows full well that certain desired dining locations are pretty much gone at the 180 mark, it makes little to no sense not to lock in the park hours at that 180 mark. It's like an exercise in sadism to watch people run around and plan on rides and dining and then switch hours.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We are going to be down there the same weekend, and unfortunately planned two ADRs (before park opening character breakfasts) and all of our fast passes around the EMH. We stay offsite and will only be there for 2 and a half days, and want to avoid EMH crowds as much as possible. I emailed them yesterday just to express my disappointment. I understand things change (plus something like this surely won't ruin a trip), but it's very unprofessional to alter hours with so little notice.

I got a laughable "we have gotten many complaints over this subject and appreciate the feedback" response. No apology, nothing personal, just the type of careless customer service you'd receive at a cheap county fair. Maybe I'm biased because so many in my family work corperate customer service jobs, but when you're charging a premium price, the customer should get premium organization and customer support.

Ugh, that totally stinks. And is one of my biggest fears. Granted, I'm deliberately NOT working around anticipated EMH for this very reason but if WDW has dining at 180 days out and FP+, and either lives under a rock or knows full well that certain desired dining locations are pretty much gone at the 180 mark, it makes little to no sense not to lock in the park hours at that 180 mark. It's like an exercise in sadism to watch people run around and plan on rides and dining and then switch hours.

I totally agree!

 

[mom2rtk]

Disney isn't making changes to benefit the majority of their guests. They're making changes to benefit Disney and executive bonuses. The days of being concerned about guest experiences ended about 11 years ago.

Disney used to make decisions that benefitted executives and stockholders by making decisions that made customers happy and wanting to spend more. Lately it seems much more like they are ok with skipping that "making customers happy" step on their way to benefitting themselves.

 

[mom2rtk]

Do they have limited staffing or are they choosing to limit staffing? There is a pretty significant difference there.

Not only are they choosing to limit staffing, but they are choosing to limit staffing at a time of record profits. That's the part most of us just can't get past. This isn't post 9/11 where they are cutting because the economy crashed. This isn't 2008 where they are cutting because the housing market collapsed. This is significantly cutting staff at a time of record profits and attendance.

 

[cgattis]

Not only are they choosing to limit staffing, but they are choosing to limit staffing at a time of record profits. That's the part most of us just can't get past. This isn't post 9/11 where they are cutting because the economy crashed. This isn't 2008 where they are cutting because the housing market collapsed. This is significantly cutting staff at a time of record profits and attendance.

I need an "ugghhhh" button for this one! (Can't find the "bursting into flame" smilie...)

 

[lorilori]

I appreciate everyone's comments and will send an email, if only to make myself feel better. We have been going to Disney World for many years and have always rolled with the changes, some I liked, some I didn't. Now, I just miss the days when things were easier I guess.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

You're definitely not alone!

 

[AshleeH]

I don't understand how losing an EMH changes your plans dramatically. Did you have FPs planned for that time? Did you have ADRs that were cancelled? Had you planned your day around having the EMH?

Was this ever answered? I couldn't read the whole thread, but I'm confused about this too. Is this DEFINITELY a new Magic Morning or whatever they're calling it? Or was it just a case of EMH hours being swapped? Because an ADR would still be honored, even if the park is closed - just like they let people in through the specific gates on normal mornings when there's no EMH if you have an ADR. And if you had a FP selected for that time, well, it's not needed. Handy, yes, but morning FPs are pretty much a waste since standby goes about as fast as the fastpass line until about 9:00-10:00.

It does suck when plans get altered at the last moment, but it's easiest to make the best of it, complain if you feel it's warranted, and put it behind you. People complain about Disney A LOT on these boards (surprising, really, considering), but in general they do try to make it right and their customer service is still the best in the business. People state on here all the time about money grubbing executives (I haven't read the whole thread, but it wouldn't surprise me if that topic has popped up here as well), but for being a business, they do seem to genuinely care that their guests are happy. I've never seen another company with even a fraction of the profitability that Disney has, go the extra mile the way they do so often.

Hopefully that falls in your favor as well, if you called or emailed, and it all works out for you. Regardless, I hope you have a wonderful trip!!