Our un-magical Day

[book_junkie]

you would think that, even being a non-Disney TA and as clueless as she is seeming to be in the first post, that "trying out" another Disney park "during spring break" would ring warning bells all over the place.

I would LOVE to see an update about THAT.

And if anyone has a Which Wich near them, try the Red Velvet shakes.

 

[maxiesmom]

Not defending her at all, as I think she's a stuck up, entitled witch, but she never said she was a Disney TA. You do have to be certified by Disney to be an official Disney Travel Agent. However, a little bit of common courtesy and common sense would have gone a long way. I just had to laugh my way through the entire post, after picking my jaw up off the floor of course.

But she did say she had been to Disney World at least 20 times. You would think at a minimum she would know about the Ticket and Transportation Center. And where Norway is in Epcot.

 

[dvczerfs]

If I were Disney, I'd give her season passes to Universal on the condition she doesn't come back to Disney. Win-win! Disney gets rid of her and Universal has to put up with her.

 

[oneprincessjo]

"Update added by user 20 hours ago
I received a phone call from Joan Martin at Disney Customer Relations. She was very gracious and understanding. Ms. Martin offered to make us reservations at our favorite restaurant at Hollywood Studios and offered my family tickets to go to the Magic Kingdom again and set up meet and greets personally for Cinderella. I am happy with Disney's response and glad that they were willing to listen. I sincerely hope that changes are made so that other families don't have to experience the same frustrations."

http://www.pissedconsumer.com/reviews-by-company/disney-world/un-magical-day-20140306478339.html

Also, on her other DIS boards profile, her birthday is listed as April 10th. I don't know about you, but March 3rd is not the same day as April 10th.

I know that sometimes people celebrate a few days off of the actual day due to time constraints, but really? You don't get to be pissy that nobody wished you a happy birthday when your birthday is still over a month away.

OMG... I can't believe that if this is true that Disney would give her all of that to make peace... just... wow... they probably just helped her make a fastpass reservation to see Cinderella at Fairytale Hall... and I bet she will come back screaming that she didn't get a private tour of the castle... I just want to walk up to her and shake her back into reality.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

This post is the epitome of entitlement...and it makes me want to smash my head into a wall.

 

[squirrel]

Great! Now we will get more people like her that read the response from Disney

 

[North of Mouse]

Great! Now we will get more people like her that read the response from Disney

Sure hope it wasn't true about Disney rewarding her for her bad behavior entitlement attitude - just like all the other 'not true' things she posted.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

No way this isn't a joke.

 

[jnadelman]

ok, this is a very long thread and I don't have time to read the whole, so my response is just about the OP.
Disney has, and will probably always have, some of the best customer service in the country. Those "issue" mentioned that you did not like are in place to make it so the other 99.999% of the guest do have a pleasant experience.

No table without food - makes sense when the place is packed. Don't like it. Eat before the crowds or eat somewhere else. You said your husband was online for 30 minutes. Well, had you sat down, you would have wasted that table for 30 minutes. Meanwhile a whole family could have eaten and left in that time.

Paying $14 for parking? Big deal. Don't like it. Stay on property and parking is free and you can take the bus. Try parking at an airport. In NY parking is over $20 a day. I'll take $14 thank you.

Too far from the parking lot to the parks? Stay at a hotel on the monorail. Stay on property and take the bus which goes right to the entrance. And plan a little better so you know how long it takes.

You didn't see Cinderella? That is your own fault, not the CMs. If it was such a high priority for you, then you should have made it your business to do it.

Castle was under construction. Hmmm, maybe to make it better? If they didn't do construction and maintenance the place would look like a dump. What it is, 40 years old?

Putting down a credit card to get a reservation. That is so people like you who didn't make an ADR can actually get a seat. It stops the no shows. And people that have 4 kids are always late. Seriously? Did you miss your flight too?

I have had several issues with Disney, and CMs have always been great. Stuff does happen and they have and always will address them. Problem is that what you pointed out are more your issues than theirs. Trust me when I say if you have an issue that is genuinely their fault, they will make good.

 

[Liza111577]

I found a post where she states she works for Funjet Vacations.

Now you know who not to EVER call when planning a vacation.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=2145100#post2145100

 

[wunkmom]

I also found one delightful post from 2004, where she innocently asks what a troll is. Ha ha ha ha.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Do I believe that she talked to the person she names? It's possible
Do I believe she received ANY kind of compensation at all? Nope.

 

[Fivesacharm]

I just can't even...Just Wow.

 

[becpee]

May I just reiterate? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[disneywalkers]

I can't believe that some of you are defending some of the stupid "new" rules that Disney has implemented and just accept them. I have not been to the Magic Kingdom in at least five years because I recently had two babies so yes I was unaware of the changes. Perhaps if you had been to Disney ten years ago before the economy crashed and they let go of all their good cast members you would realize how much it sucks now. You never had to wait in line for an hour to see a princess. They were strolling in the park. They were not locked up in the "Princess Fairytale Hall". I was at the park for twelve hours and it was my 40th birthday and NO cast members even said happy birthday! Three! I've gone on my birthday or kids birthdays before and we got fastpasses for the day, free dessert at the restaurants, a happy birthday autograph picture from Mickey. Um, do you guys not remember this stuff. It's wrong that nobody is complaining especially when Disney set such a high standard of customer service. Are you all in La La Land? "It's okay. Disney can do no wrong even if they are making me wait in line and pay up the a** for everything!" And don't tell me I'm a bad mother for "not doing a little planning". This was an improptu trip. Hubby said, "Hey it's your birthday. Surprise we're going to Disney!" So I had no time to plan "180 days" in advance. Now you have to prompt the cast members to be nice to you? The CM's are very good now at saying "NO". Seriously! I'm through trying to defend myself. Below is a list of things that suck now. Go ahead and try to come up with more lame excuses about why it's okay. Pleasure Island - Gone - That sucks NO ADVENTURERS CLUB - REALLY, REALLY SUCKS Toon Town and Mickey and Minnie's house - Gone - That sucks Having to wait in line for over an hour to see characters - That sucks The new Fastpass system - only 3 for the whole day - That really sucks Having to give a credit card to make a reservation at a restaurant - sucks Not letting a mother with two small kids sit down at a restaurant while her husband purchases food from the restaurant - sucks No McDonald's french fries - sucks Running out of pineapple Dole Whips - only had orange - that really sucked Both Splash Mountain and Pirates were broken - sucks Nobody to trade pins with - or very few cm's - sucks Cinderella Castle Closed - sucks TERRIBLE customer service - sucks No variety in food (only burgers) - sucks Highest Ticket Prices EVER for a TERRIBLE experience - sucks A 'LOCKED UP' Mickey Mouse (REALLY!?!?) - Totally SUCKS I find it horrible that everyone on this board seems to defend Disney. Responses from people on here who claim that if we cant afford the prices then don't go, it's not whether we are able to afford the prices it's the value and the experience that we are supposed to get from it. Further more Walt Disney created Disney World to give 'EVERYONE' a magical experience not just the super rich. "Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends." -Walt Disney "You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes PEOPLE to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney "You reach a point where you don't work for money." - Walt Disney "I only hope that we don't loose sight that it all started with a mouse." - Walt Disney "To all that come to this HAPPY place: Welcome; Disneyland is YOUR land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." -Walt Disney "I don't want the public to see the world they live in while they're in the park. I want them to feel they're in another world." -Walt Disney "We believed in our idea... a family park where parents and children could have fun together." - Walt Disney "Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea to make money." - Walt Disney Changes and improvements to the park are fine but making it such a corporate experience rather than a magical guest oriented experience is ridiculous. The prices at every other park in the Orlando area are much less expensive sometimes by half so you can bet that my money will not be going to support a non-existent mouse. You all may be willing to roll over, hand over your cash and say "thank you sir may I have another?" but for me and my family we will not willing to roll over. As a travel agent as well, I will not be recommending any Disney Parks to my clients their time and money are better spent elsewhere. When I took my teenagers ten years ago, it was a much different, better and easier experience. I'm not mad because I didn't get my way. I'm mad because Disney's way of doing things now is sub-standard.

If you're a travel agent surely you know that not everyone would have the same travel experience you had. You are going to not recommend or talk down Disney based on your experience only? Not the kind of TA I would want nor would I want one who doesn't have any knowledge on WDW. Even if this was an impromptu trip for you, if you're a TA it's your job to know more. I have 6 kids ages 2, 4, 7, 8, 13 and 16. We have been going to Disney yearly since my 7 year old was a newborn. I've never had any of the problems you've had. We have taken 6 week old babies. My 2 year old has already been 3 times. At some point you just gotta start thinking maybe this is a you thing and not WDW. I also had a last minute 40th birthday trip this year. I wore my birthday pin and heard happy birthday a hundred times a day and received cupcakes at TS restaurants. I snagged some last minute ressies online for our trip and me and my 6 kids made it on time to all of them, early in fact because we planned. Did you try to make any ressies before going? In all my years of going I've only ran into maybe 4 semi rude CM's. You must have a target on you.

 

[disneywalkers]

Everyone posting on here sounds as though they are the entitled ones not the OP. Look if a family goes to a place specifically billed as "The Happiest Place On Earth" why should she not totally expect that kind of experience for her and her family. Yes the food is very sub-par, the customer service is quite lacking from what it was in the past, the entire experience has become very corporate and financially motivated. Then the response that that I read that claimed "hunting down the characters" is part of the magic. Really?!?! When children invest so much into their favorite characters why should they be expected to do the work to find them. I agree with the OP, 10 years ago you could walk into any restaurant without having to make reservations with the exception of the character meals and the characters were walking all over the park. I can even remember the characters greeting me while waiting in line for rides or other attractions. After they completed a show they would come and greet guests that had just watched it. The idea that a person should do research and plan ahead of time is ridiculous! You are paying for both the service and experience it is not the guests job to make their own experience they are specifically paying Disney to do that for them. That's like saying you should cut your own hair at a barber shop and then pay them for it. How well did that work for Brittney Spears? Now getting on her case for typos, misprints or wrong names (MGM vs Hollywood Studios) c'mon guys grow up. She sounds very upset. I don't see anything wrong with the fact that she wanted to voice her concerns and issues after having a bad experience. Again, if you pay for a product you expect to get that product otherwise you will want to return it to the store. Should I then call all of you entitled because you've returned something to Target. Oh wait, that's right I already called all of you entitled. Lets not forget that it was Disney World that had already set the expectation on the high level of service and the magical experience that everyone should have while visiting their parks so I don't think that she or her family is being unreasonable. Additionally, I feel that the quotes from Walt Disney do indeed apply, do you not think that he had the same expectations for DW as he had for DW? To those of you that have questioned her intelligence, maturity and her dedication to her family to have a wonderful time you should be ashamed of yourselves. Maybe you should take a class in bullying because that is exactly how you all are coming off. Shame on you!

You two related?

if I go to Hawaii I'm spending a lot of money and I'm going to learn as much as I can to find out what activities I can enjoy, best eating places, etcetera.. Why would it be any different if I'm paying a lot of money to go to WDW?

Anything I pay a lot of money to do I'm going to learn something before going.

Heck even when going to the zoo I get on their website find out about prices parking food etc.

Disney has grown in popularity over the years and in spite of the economy more people can actually afford to go. Crowds are higher. They can't possibly do the same things they did years ago. Heck last visit we saw Goofy leaving his meet n greet area and he was bombarded so bad they had to stop and clear the area. Another day a kid on top of his dad's shoulders bopped Mickey in the head on his way from his meet n greet. Times have changed. Can you imagine the chaos if Anna and Elsa were on the loose?!?!

 

[disneywalkers]

I used the OP as a travel agent once. She booked my flight, hotel, rental car, and dinner reservations. When I got to the airport they had the nerve to put me in coach! Coach, not first class. The in flight movie was horrible and they wouldn't change it for me! I was so disgusted with the trip at this point that I asked them to turn the plane around and take me home. Can you believe they had the nerve to tell me no, something about FAA regulations. I was so upset, they wouldn't even give me a free dessert! I got on another plane and went straight home. This "Travel Agent" wouldn't even give me my money back!! The nerve of some people!!

Omg rotfl!!! That is so funny it hurts lol

 

[disneywalkers]

I realize the op report is extreme, however, there is a definite downward trend in customer service, food, experience, and cleanliness in the parks.

I guess I'm in a Magical Fog every September when I go to WDW. I've seen none of this?!?

 

[momrek06]

OP, we have tons of tables and chairs at DisneyLAND and no one is ever guarding them! Come WEST!

 

[knewton64]

I am going to Disneyland in December!!








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