Post here regarding WDW cutbacks, changes & Complaints

[CamColt]

Maybe they should take all these CMs who are dealing with us angry morning people off the phones, and put them working in the parks for EE and everyone will be happy.

 

[Carl]

an email telling me that the hours of operations during the time of your visit have not yet been set. They were in effect saying, "You don't know what the hours will be during your visit, so why are you complaining?" So, I guess I won't be getting a phone call like the rest of you did. My trip is planned for late February. I am supposing that the others who got a phone call are traveling to Disney soon.

 

[B3LM]

I just sent an e-mail, but I had to go to the WDW web-site because your link didn't work for me either.

I'll let everyone know if I hear back from them!
Thanks!
Beth

 

[RJmurphy]

I E-mailed them about the E-E mornings being cancelled(from the Disney site), about three weeks ago.I haven't heard a word yet?

 

[^^^ SnowBunny ^^^]

Those two dudes that used to stand outside the line of Test Track at Epcot. They were crash test dummies and would act like they were not real and then scare people. Didn't seem them when we were recently there.

Cutbacks ......

 

[Eeyore2U]

I don't remember seeing them in Feb of 2000 or 2001.

 

[Dagny]

I didn't see them in May 2001 either. Cute theming idea though.

 

[PinMan]

what is ee

 

[Jimmac]

PinMan, it's early entry, usually 1 hr. ahead of the normal opening into a selected park on a specific day for guests staying at Disney Resorts. Hope I said that clear enough

 

[WDW Lover]

Sorry if some of this is repeated, but I didn't have time to read all 295 posts to this thread.

We are going to WDW next week, and I too am a bit concerned about the cutbacks that I have heard about - no EE, shorter park hours, fewer parades and fireworks (Spectromagic and Fantasy in the Sky only on weekends last I heard) etc.

We are still charged the same price as before for park tickets, souvenirs, Disney resorts, and meals on property, but we get less for that money (examples above).

Are things really that bad? Attendance figures for 2001 were just released. MK was down 4%, MGM down 6%, AK down 7%, and Epcot down 15%.

Now those certainly aren't great numbers, but I believe those declines are down from record attendance in 2000. "Small decline still leads to industry's second best year ever" - Knight-Ridder

So does this decline really warrant all the cutbacks?

 

[LauraAngel]

I just returned from a weeklong trip from 12/28 to 1/4. Our last trip was a week back in March. After reading a lot of the posts on here I was concerned that this trip would have far less magic than the last one due to all the cutbacks. I can honestly say that while I understand much of the concern about cutbacks on here, things really have not changed that much in the last year. Yes, EE is gone, however, crowds were very managable the entire time we were there (no worse than when we went early in March last year) and it was supposed to be *the* peak period (the only exception was New Years Eve, where we chose to go to Downtown Disney instead, because all of the parks were closed by early afternoon, and while they were letting resort guests in, we didn't want to fight the crowds). There are a few things here and there that were minor, such as certain restaurants no longer serving certain meals (we used to love Tony's for breakfast), but on the whole we found things to be like they were before. It was a very enjoyable time, and they even had an e-night, which is unusual for this time of year. In fact, while it's always nice to have those couple extra hours for EE, we found that it evened out the number of people in the parks, so that you didn't have the phenomenon of one park being 10 times busier than the others. Bottom line: don't change your plans just over a few cutbacks... the magic is still there in good supply.

One last note: one thing we did find was it all depended on who you talked to as to the information you got about various things. For example, the guy we talked to at the front desk was adamant that there was NO e-night on 1/3, but when we checked back a day later with someone else, he told us there most definitely was and sold us tickets. So, take something you've only heard from one CM with a grain of salt until you've gotten a "second opinion."

 

[MKingdom]

Has everyone forgotten that we are at war and people are still afraid to travel? We tend to forget that Disney World is a business, and the owners have to run it as such. The cutbacks are directly due to a drop in visitors to the parks/resorts. I'll bet some of the changes were done for security reasons as well. (They were while I was there Sept. 22-29.)

As the economy improves, I'm sure Disney will reinstate the benefits that we have come to expect. If you want to see them reinstated earlier, keep staying at Disney and spending your money there!

You're living and breathing and going on vacation, for Pete's sake! You have a lot to be thankful for! Lighten up!

 

[eeyore0062]

We just returned after 5 wonderful days at WDW! Were there noticible cutbacks, were the castmembers disgruntled, did we miss EE mornings... to say it in just one word, ...NO!

Everything appeared to be operating...even Timekeeper, and Carousel of Progress. We encountered nothing but friendly, helpful and perky, happy to be there castmembers, and we had absolutely no trouble touring every park without the added benefit of EE morning.

Security at the parks ran very smoothly, check in and check out was a breeze at the Contemporary, the rooms were kept neat and clean, as were the grounds, public restrooms and parking areas. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus or monorail.

The food and service at every restaurant (and we ate at many in those 5 days), was out of this world.

Our only complaint was it was COLD, but unfortunately, even Disney doesn't control the weather!

 

[travisimo]

Hey Eeyore, glad to hear you had a good trip!!! I was in the CP for four months and flew back home on friday. I'm glad you got to see COP!!! I love that show, but I never saw the Timekeeper the entire time I was down there.

I read earlier in this post something about dummies in front of Test Track that surprised people. I worked in that area the entire time I was down there and never saw these dummies. And I've been down there before 9/11 or any of the cutbacks took place. Sounds like a very cute idea though!

 

[Tara8595]

I've been reading through some of these posts, and am reminded of a 'guest' I encountered in line at the Liberty Inn counter service at Epcot. He was so busy complaining about having to wait in line, that he was losing all the good things that were going on around him. Here he was, in the middle of all of these wonderful replicas of countries around the world, surrounded by tourists from around the world and cast members, from around the world, all preparing to "gather around the fire" for Illuminations, and he was talking about how bad the service was that he had to wait 15 minutes in line to get a hot dog. Sheeesh. Talk about not getting it.

The Disney corporation is doing everything it can to stay in business and keep operating without a loss. Think about how much it costs to put on Illuminations every single night - thousands and thousands. Yet they still do it. Every night. All of the new parades for all of the parks are fantastic. None have been cut. Fantasmic still goes on, every night. And though Spectromagic has been reduced generally to once a week, you still get to see it on Saturdays.

It amazes me that even with the drastic reductions in domestic air travel, WDW is able to keep distributing the magic the way it has. I was there for 7 days in October and again for 4 in December. Yes there were cutbacks, but nothing so monumentally bad that it warrants all the complaints and whining that I've heard both at the parks and on the net.

Look at all the things you get there still, for your vacation dollar. It remains a grand place to visit, the best place you could possibly go to escape the constant "Osama Osama Osama" that you hear on TV and the radio. The cast members are great; the characters are plentiful. After 4 visits, I've finally gotten to shake Mickey's hand - as he walked through Adventureland. Didn't even have to wait in line.

Not having Early Entry makes it easier to plan your vacation - you don't have to avoid any particular park on a certain day. The crowds are evenly dispersed and you can easily go from place to place without encountering a single park that is overflowing. Plus you get to sleep a little extra without missing anything. You get to have a leisurely breakfast and still be at the gate at Epcot when it opens.

Come on people. Focus focus focus. Dwell on the positive, the bright side, the Disney magic, not the few minor cutbacks that Disney has had to make to continue to bring it to you.

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

Very well put.

DH & I went for 5 days in December, which we had booked back in May of last year. I was very concerned about the tone of the comments on these boards, and wondered if we should go, both for concerns over traveling and over the value we'd get under current circumstances.
We were so pleased that we didn't cancel. There was nothing that we wanted to do that was deterred because of changes in park hours or show frequency.
We were there the week prior to Christmas week, and the decorations were beautiful, the crowds were mild, and it was as enjoyable as ever. I noticed a few kiosks or food stands closed here and there, but there were really not noticable gaps in services or entertainment. We felt as much magic as ever and had a wonderful time.

 

[booh]

We just got back from a TERRIFIC week at WDW! The weather was great, crowds were nonexistant. Sure, the park hours were shorter, but because there were so many less people, we actually got to do more than we normally do just because there were no lines. So instead of spending 30 to 60 minutes or longer in line, or running around trying to make your fast pass time, we just walked right in to everything we wanted to do! And since we normally have to get up early to work, it was nice to be able to sleep in a little and not feel like we had to rush, rush, rush all the time! I really must say that this was the most relaxing trip to Disney that I've ever made - I don't feel like I need to rest from my vacation!!

My advice to anyone who is not sure what to do is GO! NOTHING is better than a Disney vacation!!!

 

[Dopey & Grumpy]

We went to WDW the first week in December. First time ever going during the holidays. We had a WONDERFUL time! Not only were the lines short and the CM's plentiful, the MVMCP was awsome. We expected lines for that but we were able to see and do everything we wanted. The only fast pass we used was for Fast Track in Epcot. Yes, as noted in other posts, there were some things closed, but those were minor. We've been Disneyites since we first went in 1976. With all the neat information on these boards about budget travel, coupons you can use, discounts you can get, the savings can be tremendous and you can enjoy the parks for what they are - entertainment! We're going back again and again and again....

 

[AParabola]

thankyou to all of you who have posted your messages about recent trips. I am revisiting WDW for the first time in 3 years and this time I am taking my mother instead of the kids! She has never been and I was starting to worry with all the negative comments that it would not be as special an experience as I had planned. Your comments have renewed my hopes and my enthusiasm. Just a few more weeks. Animal Kingdom Lodge Feb 11-15.

 

[cforza]

I've read all of the previous replies and given this issue a lot of thought. The bottom line is yes, I do feel cheated and I do feel that Disney is not doing everything it can to cater to and maintain it's customers and I'll tell you why.

First let me say that we decided to return to Disney after a 3 year absence and quite frankly I saw a great rate on airfare. After I snapped up the air, I came to these boards to research and was VERY upset to learn of the cutbacks. We are going because we have non-rufundable tickets, but will spend 3 days at Disney and 3 at Universal, who hasn't cut back.

Disney's business is hurting but so is everyone elses. Aren't most of us fearing a job loss, or don't we know someone who's been laid off? I myself have had my hours cut in half just yesterday and now think we shouldn't go, but we're committed. If they have to cut the hours, I understand, cut them. Just don't expect guests who are paying FULL price to be content with REDUCED service! This is unjustifiable. The lull in business will blow over, the bitter taste left in your guests mouths will remain long after the economic slump.

I have a perfect solution. Why not give guests a 5 day pass for the cost of a 4? Or 3 day LOS for the cost of 2? This way, guests don't feel cheated, they stay at Disney longer, spend more money on food, lodging, etc. This is a win-win solution. This would entice visitors to Disney, make them feel that they've gotten value AND make lots of money for Disney. What's wrong with the executives at Disney that they can't see this as a great solution??? HELLOOOOO EISNER, are you listening? No need to thank me, just give me a few extra days!