Post here regarding WDW cutbacks, changes & Complaints

[Mogs30]

In regards to the EE. I am not going for another 10 months, but it will be my first time ever there. I have- heard you have to stay on-site to get the EE perk, but now it's gone. I have never experineced it for myself, so will not miss it. I still like being able to charge everything to my room, so I don't have to carry tons of cash around, and the transportation service. I wish the parks would stay open later, so I could at least spend more time in each park, now that they are closed so early, what do people do??? OH and another question I have. If the park schedules don't come out till a month before you go, but we can book PS 120 before, how do people work around parades, fireworks and what-not????. I know illuminations runs nightly, so will try to get into the R&C for that show, but MK will be a tough call. What are peoples thoughts on this. Any help would be great. Thanks.

 

[eeyore0062]

Mogs, if you are going in 10 months it must be next February when the parks would normally close early. For after hours enjoyment, you might check out Downtown Disney... the boat from PO-R should still be running and is a great time.

Also, you could enjoy Boardwalk... it goes on into the night.

The miniature golf parks stay open later.

Plan your sitdown meals around the closing of the parks.

E ticket nights are still offered, and a good way to see the MK without all of the crowds.

Go to Hoop de Doo review, or at the very least, visit Fort Wilderness and go to the campfire. I hear the Trails End buffet is good, and inexpensive.,

Resort hop and start planning your next vacation.

Go in the hottub at the resort.

Sit on the beach at the 7 Seas Lagoon or Bay Lake with a drink and watch the Electrical Water Pageant.

Go to Disney Quest.

Go see La Nouba

Stay until 9 pm and see Illuminations at Epcot.

You would be surprised at how many things you can see when the parks close early. It is a whole other side of WDW!

Have a great time!

 

[Mogs30]

eeyore, thanks for the tips. If we do not stay at a beach resort, are we still able to go watch the water electric parade??. We do have reservations for 1st night at the Hoop De Doo show, I am hoping to go earlier so we can walk around, maybe see the petting zoo. What are our chances in February to see Spectromagic, or fireworks at MK???

 

[jrgutknecht]

Last year we had a wonderful vacation at the WL and 7 days on property. When we got home, I quickly booked a 7 day stay for this year.

However last month, I cancelled that and moved to the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal.

I'll get many more perks there for the Universal parks than I would have gotten at the Disney resort. Even though I have to drive to get to Disney Parks, to me the Front of the Line access at Universal far out weighs any perk I would have gotten at a Disney Resort.

 

[eeyore0062]

Mogs, yes you can still watch the Electrical Water Pageant from the beaches of the MK resorts even if you aren't staying there. You can take the monorail or park in one of the resort parking lots and tell the sentry that you are visiting the resort to plan your next vacation, or that you are eating there...etc. If you are planning on going to Hoop de Doo, why not drive to the WL afterwards and explore and watch the EWP from there?

Even in February, Spectro should be showing on Saturdays. Check the calender for that when the time gets a little closer.

Glad to have helped...have a great time

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by jrgutknecht
However last month, I cancelled that and moved to the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal.

I'll get many more perks there for the Universal parks than I would have gotten at the Disney resort. Even though I have to drive to get to Disney Parks, to me the Front of the Line access at Universal far out weighs any perk I would have gotten at a Disney Resort.

I laugh at FOTL. We went to both US/IOA on our Feb trip. We did both parks in one day. Do you know why the can give FOTL? Because thay are much less crowded then WDW. We never waited for anything at US/IOA. I'm glad you made a choice that works for you, jrgutknecht. But imo, I can get the same thing by walking through the gate.

 

[raidermatt]

Mogs- eeyore2U has given you some great suggestions. I just have a few other things that may help.

I wouldn't worry too much about availability of park hours yet. Until a few months ago, park hours were being released 3 months in advance. Its possible ( I think probable) that the short notice is temporary. Once attendance falls back into some kind of predictable pattern, Disney may again begin posting hours earlier.

Remember, however, that they will make adjustments even after the hours are posted, if they find that their projections were not accurate.

If your getting close to the time you want to begin making PS's, and hours are not available, look at the previous year. Right now, this only works if you subtract and hour or two from closing, but by February, if the economy is doing well, as it is expected to by then, there shouldn't be a need to subtract hours.

Unless things change, the only questions as far as shows go are Spectro, Fantasy fireworks, and whether or not a second Fantasmic will run on a given night.

Look at the previous year, plan for the minimum schedule, and make your PS's based on that. That way, you'll still have a schedule that works, even if hours are longer than you thought.

Also, if you want to be sure, make a PS on two different nights. But as a courtesy, when hours are released, be sure to promptly cancel the PS you do not want.

Hope that helps!


jrgutknecht- Its great that Universal works for you. We still value the advantages of staying on WDW property more than Universal, and the Disney parks are far better suited to my family's needs and wants. So even though we could get FOTL and a cheaper price at Universal, WDW On-site is still best for us.

Since you're staying at Universal, a plus for you is that Disney offers FastPass to all guests, regardless of where they stay or what ticket they purchase.

 

[Mogs30]

Thanks for the help. I will have to go back and look into last years schedule. I hope they do start showing parks 3 months in advance. I wish we were staying longer there on vacation.
Glad I'm able to experience any of it, so guess I'll take in as much magic as I can. Thanks again for help and ideas.

 

[cforza]

jrgutknecht,

You will LOVE FOTL, and as someone who just returned from visiting both WDW and Universal during Spring Break, There were definitely long lines and waits at Universal and IOA and FOTL let us breeze right past them. Not to mention that the Hard Rock is an awesome hotel. We stayed 3 days at the Swan, and endured horrendous waits at Disney (with the exception of our first day at Epcot, and a day at Typhoon Lagoon), then moved to the Hard Rock. What a treat!

My husband could not stop raving about FOTL, every time we walked on a ride he said "That pass is big, really big". As someone who absolutely hates to wait, it really was a tremendous perk. We saw Terminator, which IMHO, is the best attraction anywhere, 4 times. Also, The Hard Rock is a gorgeous hotel. You won't be disappointed.

Another favorite was Typhoon Lagoon, which we visited while at WDW. We went early and were able to avoid long lines until 2:00 in the afternoon. Next time we go to WDW, which will likely be during Spring Break again because of school schedules, we'll spend 2 days at a Disney resort and 3 at Hard Rock. Again we'll visit the waterparks at Disney and maybe MGM, but we'll save the Theme Parks for Universal where we won't have to wait.

 

[Disneydenise]

I have just returned from a wonderful 5 days in DW. The park was not crowded but just comfortable. I enjoyed the young children and fantasyland. The weather was great and I was able to spend the entire day in the parks. The cutbacks were only a minor inconvenience. I found the CM's to be pleasant and attentive. DW has changed and so has our world, I found that I had a wonderful stay because I had the right attitude. I love Disney often the way you treat people is the way they will treat you. Many of the interning CM's were anxious to talk about where they were from and how they got to DW and how they were doing away from home. I feel so blessed to have been able to take my children to DW in the 80's but I am sure that there are lots of Grandparents who feel they were blessed to have been there when it was smaller and more manageable. Those are the folks on the Monorail with the biggest grins in the parks.

 

[Disney1]

Disney has to consider many things as they cut costs. With their business in a down swing, they don't want to make a fatal mistake of lowering the quality of their service to the point where other vacation spots begin to look more attractive. This would put them in the uncomfortable position of being unable to attract the new tourist dollar as the economy picks up again.

 

[madcoco]

Exactly why they didn't raise their tickets prices yet.Usually when one does the others follow suite almost immediately.Not this time around.

 

[traceycooper]

is there anywhere you can get a list of all the cut backs etc?
i did find something last year but can,t remember it.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I got in kinda late on this thread, so I haven't read all the way back to page 1, but the few pages I read seem to be comparing WDW and Uescape quite a bit. Concerning WDW: We go several times a year and I am an addict, so don't think I'm bashing it , I'm not. But I really don't see that WDW tourism is suffering that badly. It seems kinda like a cop out to me. Our next visit is in May, and I have been reading about rest. that already have no PS available. At others there is very few PS times left to choose from. I realize this is normal for Cindy's, but we go every year around this time for one of our mini trips to WDW (my b-day & Mother's Day combined trip) and we have never encountered so many full restaurants. So either the crowds are back or those few who have returned to the parks are ALL eating at full service rests. Not likely! I'm concerned that this will be the most crowded 1st week in May we have ever experienced. We don't mind this because we have SP so if it's too crowded we stay a couple hours and leave to do other things. I do sympathize w/ others who only go once a yr. Hope it's not too crowded for you guys!
Now for Universal: They must be doing something right! Those great discounted hotel rates are now few. We booked club level for HRH in Oct. and there were no discounts avail. This is still a much better rate than we could have gotten elsewhere. (Won't mention where, don't want to step on toes!) The perks are much better! Restaurants need some work! We've decided the best option for us, is to do both. WDW to eat (love Epcot)!!! Universal, especially IOA to ride. By the way, don't remember who mentioned this earlier, but Uescape has the same set-up as FOTL for all guest, it's just not called the same thing. The difference is: On-site guest don't have to get the pass and come back later. Love both, defending both!!!

 

[denisenh]

I didn't read back on the posts, but we just came back from Florida.
We visited WDW and stayed on site 3 times last school year Dec00, Feb 01 and April 01.
We went to WDW in Nov 01 and stayed at the Contemporary. That trip was planned in August and we didn't cancel due to 911.
I decided that would be our last trip to WDW for a while. It is quite an expense and just didn't seem worth it anymore. So in Feb. 02 (our usual WDW week) we did the Florida keys. Had a great time.
We took advantage of friends fly free and made a trip this month to Florida. If I could have gotten a major discount on FW cabins I would have been very tempted (I would have definitely stayed at FW cabins for the week. I would have adjusted the budget and been happpy to do so) to stay on site. I did call for a price and it was so high, Just over $200. a night. I would have paid $100 a nite. So we stayed off site (while in the WDW area) for the first time in years and made only a one day trip to the MK and used our past parkhoppers plus option to go to Typhoon Lagoon.
I think that it would do them some good to lower their resort rates for a limited time, and I mean put it out on the table in black and white, widely advertised, give it a fancy name or something. "Donald Ducks Deliriously Deep Discount Days at Walt Disney World! This Ducky Deal ends September 30th! Call for your Duck package today! Mention the words 'my duck quacks' and get a free bag of Donald Duck crackers".
Anyway, I would definitely spend time and money there, just not as much $$ for now. Yes, it is a business and there is a lot of competition...get a clue WDW.

 

[dove643]

You know all of you are complaining about the prices of the Disney Resorts, they have a business to run also. If you can't afford to stay on property quit complaining and stay somewhere else. There are so many benefits that you get staying on Disney property and if you have to splurge a bit, then do so, because all of you know nothing can get better then a Disney reosrt in the Orlando area. If you think your ever going to get a 2BR villa the at the Boardwalk Villa's for the price of the Vistana YOUR DREAMING!

 

[raidermatt]

In its quarterly earnings call late last week, Disney said that period for period attendance was down in the "high single digits" at WDW. (meaning 7-9%). This number has been getting smaller and smaller over the past months. In the months after 9/11, Disney said attendance was down 20%. A couple of months ago, they said 10-15%. While crowds are not back to normal, its apparent that things are getting closer. They seem to know what they are doing.

So regardless of anecdotal reports, attendance is still down. However, it is returning to normal even though Disney offered far fewer discounts than Universal. It seems they know what they are doing.

Remember, Universal is striving to become a complete resort destination, just like WDW. If they are offering deeper discounts (and they have been), there must be a reason.

 

[Allyk]

Just got back last week from Visiting WDW.

Bit of a complaint about MK. We were there for 2 weeks, from 27/4 to 11/5 , and had travelled from UK.

That meant that the only available day for seeing the Fire in the Sky Fireworks and Spectro Magic was Saturday 4th May.

As we were staying at Westgate Villas for one week and then Fantasy World for the second week, we were moving resorts on that day, so couldn't go for the whole day, plus with the temperatures being in the mid to high 90's, don't thik we could have lasted. Anyway, we decided to visit MK just for the evening.

We arrived at MK Carpark about 7:00 pm, we then had to travel to MK via Tram from Carpark, then Ferry Boat. Usual Large queue for the bag checking, and then through the turnstiles and through to Main Street, where the crowded throng had already gathered for the spectromagic parade.

We decided to hop on the train and get round to toontown, disembark there and make our way towards the castle from that direction.

Needless to say we couldn't get very near to the castle because of the volume of people, staking out their spot for the parades.

Once the parade started, the only way my 5 year old son could see anything was on my shoulders, which is were he spent the half hour duration of the parade, much to the discomfort of myself.

After the parade we decided to sit down on one of the benches on the spoke that leads from in front of the Castle towards the starlight cafe, thinking we would have a good view.

But no, once the fireworks started we discovered that the majority of them were obscured by several very large trees, and we could only see the fireworks that exploded high in the sky.

To be honest, the display was not a patch on what we had seen at Epcot a couple of nights previous.

Then came the fun bit, exiting the park, and making it back to the Car lot, with several thousand other people who had the same idea.

In the crush, I lost count of the number of times my shins were attacked by bad stroller/wheelchair drivers (We had a stroller ourselves, but we were conscious not to run into people with it). Also the number of people who decided to stop dead in their tracks, to search there bag for something, or to double track back to a shop etc.

Once we got out of the park, it didn't get any better as the CM's (does it stand for Cattle Marketeers?) cattle herded us onto the various transports away from MK.

All in all it was a nightmare, with children crying, and tired parents losing there tempers. It was especially harrowing for my wife, who has a phobia about crowds.

It was an altogether different experience to the one I had in Disneyland, CA a few years ago, where they have the fireworks every night (Do they still do that?)

To sum up, I feel Disney ruined what should have been a better experience, by cutting the number of nights they have fireworks/parades, even if one extra night in the week was used, it may have alleviated the crowds that needed to gather there on that night.


Disappointed with Disney

AllyK

(Rest of Holiday was Brilliant)

 

[eeyore0062]

I hope that one incident didn't ruin your entire Disney vacation and that the rest was a success. I know that you were disappointed, but entering at 7 pm and trying to stake a spot is difficult, at best, and impossible, most of the time. Sorry you were disappointed!

 

[dove643]

ALLKY... Even if the MK has fireworks more then one time a week, there would still be huge crowds... and if your wife has a fear of crowds maybe you should have taken that into consideration before picking WDW as your vacation spot! When the park closes it is always a zoo, thats why you hang out for a little bit (15-20 minutes) and then you miss the huge rush of leaving the theme park. Anyway if crowds aren't your thing maybe you should try comming in Sept or early December next time!