Monorail slides at DLH are CLOSED????

[Wahlee]

And why are the upgrading people from PPH to GCH? How is that fair for guests who paid the insane amounts for a room at GCH? Are they getting upgraded to Club Level? My guess is no.

I'm one of the ones who got the upgrade, and I think it was only during the SW:GE reservation period. We had booked PPH premium view for a birthday/girls trip and got moved to the GCH premium view for the same price (we paid about $500/night; the same room was available for $900/night on the website when we checked). We ended up with a wonderful view of DCA, right next to Soarin'. We definitely felt really lucky and, honestly, didn't really believe it until we gave our name at the gate and they let us in. The hotel didn't seem busy at all, judging by the lines for security in the mornings and how many people we met in the lobby, in the hallways, or at the pool.

The reason we got told was "due to demand." My guess is that since PPH is the cheapest of the hotels it was nearly sold out, but GCH wasn't selling. They would make more money by moving some of us to GCH into what would otherwise have been an empty room, then re-selling our room to someone else. So that's what they did. I'm also guessing we got picked because our reservation was Monday through Friday morning and didn't have any weekend days. I'm thrilled I got to check an item off my bucket list--the PPH was a big-time splurge for us, and the most I'd dreamed of is getting to maybe stay at the GCH one night on a honeymoon, if I ever get one.

Anyway, I'm glad the OP was able to get moved! I can see how not having the slides would have been very upsetting.

 

[fly girl]

I'm one of the ones who got the upgrade, and I think it was only during the SW:GE reservation period. We had booked PPH premium view for a birthday/girls trip and got moved to the GCH premium view for the same price (we paid about $500/night; the same room was available for $900/night on the website when we checked). We ended up with a wonderful view of DCA, right next to Soarin'. We definitely felt really lucky and, honestly, didn't really believe it until we gave our name at the gate and they let us in. The hotel didn't seem busy at all, judging by the lines for security in the mornings and how many people we met in the lobby, in the hallways, or at the pool.

The reason we got told was "due to demand." My guess is that since PPH is the cheapest of the hotels it was nearly sold out, but GCH wasn't selling. They would make more money by moving some of us to GCH into what would otherwise have been an empty room, then re-selling our room to someone else. So that's what they did. I'm also guessing we got picked because our reservation was Monday through Friday morning and didn't have any weekend days. I'm thrilled I got to check an item off my bucket list--the PPH was a big-time splurge for us, and the most I'd dreamed of is getting to maybe stay at the GCH one night on a honeymoon, if I ever get one.

Anyway, I'm glad the OP was able to get moved! I can see how not having the slides would have been very upsetting.

I am glad you got the upgrade. That is some extra pixie dust!

 

[DizMe]

Thank you. My older son was disappointed, but he would have gotten over it. The younger one is 13, but his autism makes him mentally closer to 6 or so, and he is just a very emotional child who gets super, super excited about things, which is sweet, but when something doesn't go as planned, it means he feels the disappointment SO MUCH and it consumes him and he just falls apart. We are working on teaching him to manage expectations and accept life's disappointments, but he is also taking my husband leaving soon very hard and this was to be a bright spot during a rough time. So, I just really want this to be a fun stay. He is excited about the Grand now...saying "I have never stayed there" even though he has stayed there twice when he was a toddler, he just doesn't remember. He is already watching videos that show the pool and slide and he is excited.

DLgal, I'm so glad this worked out for you. I have an Aspie and have been taking her to DLR since she was 4. I totally understand how difficult it can be when things don't go according to plan!! She really has made a lot of progress on managing unexpected and disappointing situations and most people at this stage in the game are unaware of her ASD (unless they are around her in private when she lets loose!!). She is now 19.

 

[Caropooh]

Thanks for the real time update. I didn't know what to believe when I was told 2 different things regarding the yellow slide just this morning. Before we switched to the GCH, I asked my kids if the yellow slide being open would be okay, but both were pretty adamant that the red slide was the one they were looking forward to.

I also found out (inadvertantly) that the room we had booked at DLH would not have had a daybed, which would have been another issue, so we booked a room at GCH that specifically has a daybed as well. When I made the reservation, I did mention that we would like a daybed and was told "all rooms at the DLH now have daybeds." Seemed fishy to me, but I took their word for it. Clearly the booking agent I got dropped the ball more than once.

If they all have daybeds now, then ours must have been hiding somewhere when we were just there the beginning of June. There was a chair, but both of my daughters looked to see if it turned into a daybed and it didn't!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I'm one of the ones who got the upgrade, and I think it was only during the SW:GE reservation period. We had booked PPH premium view for a birthday/girls trip and got moved to the GCH premium view for the same price (we paid about $500/night; the same room was available for $900/night on the website when we checked). We ended up with a wonderful view of DCA, right next to Soarin'. We definitely felt really lucky and, honestly, didn't really believe it until we gave our name at the gate and they let us in. The hotel didn't seem busy at all, judging by the lines for security in the mornings and how many people we met in the lobby, in the hallways, or at the pool.

The reason we got told was "due to demand." My guess is that since PPH is the cheapest of the hotels it was nearly sold out, but GCH wasn't selling. They would make more money by moving some of us to GCH into what would otherwise have been an empty room, then re-selling our room to someone else. So that's what they did. I'm also guessing we got picked because our reservation was Monday through Friday morning and didn't have any weekend days. I'm thrilled I got to check an item off my bucket list--the PPH was a big-time splurge for us, and the most I'd dreamed of is getting to maybe stay at the GCH one night on a honeymoon, if I ever get one.

Anyway, I'm glad the OP was able to get moved! I can see how not having the slides would have been very upsetting.

You’d think this would get across the point that they’ve out priced themselves. And no discounts.

 

[DLgal]

If they all have daybeds now, then ours must have been hiding somewhere when we were just there the beginning of June. There was a chair, but both of my daughters looked to see if it turned into a daybed and it didn't!

You know, I had a feeling that wasn't true, but we hadn't stayed there since 2015 and I haven't really kept up with room refurbishments at that hotel, so I assumed maybe I had missed something. We always had a daybed when we stayed at DLH previously, so I didn't dig too deep when I was told that over the phone. I guess since we were 3 days out yesterday, our room at DLH had already been assigned and the reservation agent told me "your room at DLH did not have a daybed" when I asked if the one at GCH would have one, and she was able to ensure that our room at GCH would, in fact, have one.

I mean, a daybed isn't make or break for us. The boys can still share a queen bed if necessary, but the younger one is kind of a restless sleeper and makes it hard for the other to get quality sleep, so we prefer separate beds if possible. I'm happy to know we will have a daybed at the Grand.

 

[DLgal]

You’d think this would get across the point that they’ve out priced themselves. And no discounts.

I can't believe they are charging $500/night at the Paradise Pier. Talk about overpriced. IMO, $500/night is steep even for the Grand. IMO, Paradise Pier should be in the $250-400 range, DLH $300-500, and GCH $350-600. The upper end prices, Club Level.

Our discounted rate at the Grand for this weekend, excluding taxes, is $455/night. That is for a Woods View Courtyard room, the second tier up after standard. That's crazy when you consider we only paid $100 more per night to stay on the Tower Club level, MK view, at the Contemporary last July 4. Same discount percentage at both resorts (40% off). I mean, I love the Grand, but come on. We are only doing this because we aren't taking a big trip this year. I don't know how anyone justifies the rack rate at the DL hotels. They need to get back to offering discounts when they are this empty. They haven't even offered AP discounts recently, like they used to.

 

[gottalovepluto]

You know, I had a feeling that wasn't true, but we hadn't stayed there since 2015 and I haven't really kept up with room refurbishments at that hotel, so I assumed maybe I had missed something. We always had a daybed when we stayed at DLH previously, so I didn't dig too deep when I was told that over the phone. I guess since we were 3 days out yesterday, our room at DLH had already been assigned and the reservation agent told me "your room at DLH did not have a daybed" when I asked if the one at GCH would have one, and she was able to ensure that our room at GCH would, in fact, have one.

I mean, a daybed isn't make or break for us. The boys can still share a queen bed if necessary, but the younger one is kind of a restless sleeper and makes it hard for the other to get quality sleep, so we prefer separate beds if possible. I'm happy to know we will have a daybed at the Grand.

Just an FYI for maybe a future trip daybeds aren’t really bookable at either hotel, just requestable and parties of 5 are given priority. For whatever reason the DLH room assigner/system chose not to honor your daybed request, nothing to do with your booking agent. My guess is they were able to assure you of a daybed at GCH because rooms were already being assigned for your dates. You are going to love GCH! The remodel has made it so much more beautiful and the rooms are much more practically designed now!

 

[DLgal]

DLgal, I'm so glad this worked out for you. I have an Aspie and have been taking her to DLR since she was 4. I totally understand how difficult it can be when things don't go according to plan!! She really has made a lot of progress on managing unexpected and disappointing situations and most people at this stage in the game are unaware of her ASD (unless they are around her in private when she lets loose!!). She is now 19.

Thanks for the encouragement! He has come so far with being able to "go with the flow" and accept changes in plans and such. I purposely change things up all the time so that we don't get stuck in a cycle of predictability and sameness. It's a fine line between keeping them stress free and knowing when to push things so they can learn to be flexible. Sometimes things happen that we cannot fix/or the solution is out of our hands, and they have to be able to deal with those situations.

This was one of those situations, though, that we COULD change, not something completely out of our control. This was a lesson in "when something goes wrong, is there something WE can do to make it better? Let's try and think of a solution." I sat the kids down and said we could stay at the DLH and walk to Paradise Pier for a bigger slide, we could stay at DLH and be okay with just the small yellow slide, or we could try and move to the GCH and stay there. I asked them what they would think was the best solution. They unanimously chose moving to the Grand.

 

[DLgal]

Just an FYI for maybe a future trip daybeds aren’t really bookable at either hotel, just requestable and parties of 5 are given priority. For whatever reason the DLH room assigner/system chose not to honor your daybed request, nothing to do with your booking agent. My guess is they were able to assure you of a daybed at GCH because rooms were already being assigned for your dates. You are going to love GCH! The remodel has made it so much more beautiful and the rooms are much more practically designed now!

I knew that was the case for most Disney hotels. We have had mixed results with that request at WDW. And yeah, the agent yesterday said "we looked for rooms with daybeds since you have 2 teens, but there weren't any left in the standard category, but we have some in the Courtyard Woods View category." I told her we would prefer one of those and it was an additional $9 per night, so I told her go ahead and book that one, so our rate is actually $25/night more than what we had paid for DLH.

I love the renovated rooms at the Grand! I stayed there last August with my BFF for 2 nights and it is such an improvement! My husband was ecstatic when I told him we switched. He doesn't really love the DLH but agreed to it for the kids. He far prefers the proximity to the parks and the better dining options of the GCH. We are already planning to pop into NR lounge for drinks and desserts one night and just saw that the new pool bar looks like it will open any day now! I think this whole situation was a blessing in disguise.

 

[Aurora0427]

We were there this weekend and both slides were closed. I was shocked it wasn’t splashed all over the website, because WDW puts very specific hotel refurb info on their website. I cannot believe they are charging almost $600 a night for that hotel and the slides are down in the summer of all times. I am SO sorry. My kids would’ve been devastated if we’d stayed there and I would’ve been furious paying those prices and no slides. I hope they get you hooked up at the GCH.

 

[Alliecat33]

WELL I just called and I'm really disappointed. Our stay is July 13-18 and she said it is very unlikely the pool slides will be open. She said oh you can just walk over to the Paradis Pier hotel and swim there. SO CONVENIENT. We scheduled FIVE DAYS with the sole purpose of having leisurely days at the park and plenty of pool time. I was hoping she'd be like oh let me just upgrade you to GCH but um yeah she was like oh you got an extra $2k?

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

WELL I just called and I'm really disappointed. Our stay is July 13-18 and she said it is very unlikely the pool slides will be open. She said oh you can just walk over to the Paradis Pier hotel and swim there. SO CONVENIENT. We scheduled FIVE DAYS with the sole purpose of having leisurely days at the park and plenty of pool time. I was hoping she'd be like oh let me just upgrade you to GCH but um yeah she was like oh you got an extra $2k?

I personally would press the issue. The slides are a key feature of that (expensive!) hotel. It’s in the hotel description on the website for goodness sake! I get that things break but to give absolutely no notice to booked guests or have anything on the website is really not acceptable!

 

[Alliecat33]

You know, you're right. I have a feeling my not-afraid-to-hurt-feelings-or-step-on-toes husband will have a different approach....
Thank you!!

I personally would press the issue. The slides are a key feature of that (expensive!) hotel. It’s in the hotel description on the website for goodness sake! I get that things break but to give absolutely no notice to booked guests or have anything on the website is really not acceptable!
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[DLgal]

WELL I just called and I'm really disappointed. Our stay is July 13-18 and she said it is very unlikely the pool slides will be open. She said oh you can just walk over to the Paradis Pier hotel and swim there. SO CONVENIENT. We scheduled FIVE DAYS with the sole purpose of having leisurely days at the park and plenty of pool time. I was hoping she'd be like oh let me just upgrade you to GCH but um yeah she was like oh you got an extra $2k?

I am so sorry. I really don't understand why they don't feel it is necessary to notify upcoming guests of this issue. Just smacks of poor management and makes me hesitant to stay at the hotel in the future. I have had better communications from hotels that cost 1/4 of what these hotels charge.

 

[maltdizzy]

And why are the upgrading people from PPH to GCH? How is that fair for guests who paid the insane amounts for a room at GCH? Are they getting upgraded to Club Level? My guess is no.

Overbooking, just like moving someone up to first-class on a plane. No reason to turn a money away and leave a room empty when it can be earning something for that night. They can oversell the PPH room stock knowing they can fall back on overstock elsewhere, and they can fill unsold GCH rooms without reducing the advertised prices for GCH.

 

[fly girl]

Overbooking, just like moving someone up to first-class on a plane. No reason to turn a money away and leave a room empty when it can be earning something for that night. They can oversell the PPH room stock knowing they can fall back on overstock elsewhere, and they can fill unsold GCH rooms without reducing the advertised prices for GCH.

If only they would heed that advice right now and open up discounts. I still cannot get over how many rooms are still open, losing money.

 

[maltdizzy]

If only they would heed that advice right now and open up discounts. I still cannot get over how many rooms are still open, losing money.

I agree.

But, playing devil's advocate,... if they give discounts, people expect and hold out for discounts in the future. But if they overbook PPH, and upgrade some to DLH or GCH, then they can fill those rooms at a discounted price without actually advertising one.

 

[poptart90]

Wondering if anyone there now can give an update on the slide situation? Any updates or news of opening dates? Thx!

 

[Daisy*Duck*y]

Wondering if anyone there now can give an update on the slide situation? Any updates or news of opening dates? Thx!

The red slide was unwrapped by Wednesday morning. No water running through it at that time.

We left on Wednesday. Every time I saw the yellow slide it was open!