Post here regarding WDW cutbacks, changes & Complaints

[sgtdisney]

Did she offer to give you Eisner's email address?

Just an FYI, the Early Entry Benefit is no longer listed on the Disney World Website in their resort benefits page. Just more fuel to feed the rumors?

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wa...enefits/resortbenefitsindex?id=ResortBenefits

 

[wuzfuz]

For what it's worth, I personaly would like to see the parks open later but stay open later at night(except animal kingdom since you can't see the animals at night). All of the parks are really beautiful at night, it's cooler and things just seem more exciting in the evening; the parades, fireworks, the landscaping etc... . Just a thought.

 

[Annie'sMom]

I have found this whole thread rather interesting. Obviously, every person has a "breaking point" for when visiting WDW becomes not worth the expense or time. For many, the elimination of Early Entry, the cut in operation hours and the general reduction in park attractions is that point.

For those of you who have not reached that point, what is your "breaking point?" When, if ever, will WDW reach that point for you? In other words, what would it take to make you not visit WDW? Is there anything that would ever make you give up WDW?

 

[Toby]

I can't believe that Disney has closed the Carousel of Progress. What's next? Shorter hours, no EE, no E-ticket nights, and now one of Walt Disney's favorites has been closed....I thought we were suppose to be celebrating 100 years of Walt Disney's birthday - nice present Walt - they've closed your favorite...We've got reservations for 6 days in Dec. - our 15th trip there, and I'm reluctant to even go...Instead of enticing people to come down there, everything is being cut....all the $$ went to DisneySea, Toyko, and DW is just closing favorites, with no new exciting rides, except Space, in the coming future....Hello, Disney you've got to do better than this for the faithful!!

 

[wdwguide]

Just FYI, Tokyo DisneySea is not owned by the Walt Disney Company, and was paid for by the Oriental Land Company.

 

[YoHo]

Just as a note. All of Miss Jasmine's addresses and more can be found on the rumours board as a sticky post. Also, Floating around there is a phone number that will get you to Eisner and Pressler's secretaries. This is a legitimate phone number and it is not private.

 

[t_arlotti]

I was thinking of starting an online petition stating our displeasure with the recent the changes at Walt Disney - Specifically the removal of the early entry and the reduction of park hours. Then we can forward the list to Disney.

What do you think? I think we could get a large list of names.

Tony

 

[RAD]

I returned from 5 days at WDW last week and while attendance seemed to be a bit lower then in the past it wasn't a ghost town. They even added a 2nd SpectroMagic parade on Saturday night because of the crowds that they had at MK.

I feel that Disney should make good, via either a discount on hotel reservations or some freebies for folks that have had long standing reservations. We all know that park hours change all the time but historically you can figure out what the hours are going to be year from year, but these changes go way above the normal changes. Even when the parks are open there's so many cutbacks with shows and restraunts that we started to feel cheated. Disney made an implied promise to their customers and they should at least offer something else since they broke those promises.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

So the parks may open an up to an hour later, and may close earlier than previously proposed. The schedules are always subject to change and Disney doesn't have to offer an explanation why they are changing the hours. There are less travelers due to the tragic events of 9/11 and a slow economy, it doesn't take a scientist to figure that out. The loss of EE is not detrimental to enjoying your WDW visit, it is an enhancement, a perk. Is EE the ONLY reason you choose to stay on WDW property? We chose to stay on-site because of the "Disney Magic". We loved the theming of the resort (ASMo), and if we wouldn't have driven our own car we would have used resort transportation. There is more to Disney World than EE, e-night a few minor attractions that are "temporarily" closed, and reduced show schedules. It's not as if they shut down Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, stopped the parades, completely stopped the performance of the Lion King in AK, etc. It costs money to keep WDW in business. If the money's not coming in, they aren't required to operate at full capacity. I'm sorry that so many of you have been upset and displaced by the cutbacks. Be thankful that you have the ability and the means to spend time at WDW and bring back magical memories to last you a lifetime.

 

[kpgclark]

I just got off the phone with Disney. I was transferrd to a supervisor because I wanted to voice my unhappiness about the lack of EE and reduced park hours. She told me they have survey forms there and have been surveying potential guests to see how they feel about cancelling EE and reducing park hours. I encourage everyone to call! I phoned CRO. She said if enough people complain they will probably change things. I'm not sure if it is true, but we should give it a try.

By the way, I've seen postings before about whether or not this Character Caravan is or is not a replacement for EE. The CM I spoke with said it was meant to be the replacement for EE. Her words.

Call or write if you are unhappy about cancelling EE or reducing park hours like EPCOT opening at 10am!

 

[Minnee]

iNTeNSeBLue98,
Do you have plans to go to WDW in the next month? We do, your right, EE is a perk, which we would have enjoyed, (we have small children that are up early). I feel that for the $$ I am paying to stay at the Polynesian, I want the perks, I want all the bells and whistles. This is a trip that I have planned for almost a year with my entire family!!! These few minor attractions that are temporarily closed, are probably going to be closed while I'll be there. These are things that when we booked our vacation 9 months ago were listed as benefits or perks of staying at an onsite property and now they're just taken away. I just feel that it was part(NOT COMPLETELY) of why we decided to stay at the polynesian.
Sorry, I'm just disappointed . Sorry to vent like this..........

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

No Minnee, I do not plan on going to WDW this year. But I do plan on next year, in November. Before all of these cutbacks were announced, I had my days planned as to which parks we'd visit. I didn't incorporate EE in the schedule, as right now we plan to stay off-site because we want to see USF and Sea World too. I guess I might be upset too if these features were taken away from me, I can't say for sure. But I'd still be grateful that I got to go at all and had the priveledge of spending my nights in such a beautiful place. Do your best to enjoy your trip.

 

[Synonymous]

Being grateful has nothing to do with it. You pay good money to go to WDW and you have to decide whether or not it's worth it. Yes, Disney is hurting and yes they have to make business decisions. But there is such a thing as BAD business decisions. It's not a moral issue- it's a business transaction.

I took alot of these cutbacks in stride until I saw the recent changes in operating hours. MK closing at 6:00? Epcot opening at 10:00? What am I supposed to do with my 4 year-old daughter when the park closes at 6:00? We're there for the parks, not to hang out at the hotel.

This is a serious reduction in what I'm going to be getting for my money. We're supposed to go in February, and now I'm wondering about it. I just can't see sitting around the hotel until 10:00 before we can go to Epcot.

T

 

[Super Mom]

I just got home from my Disney trip 6 hours ago. We had a wonderful time, but the cutbacks were frustrating. EE was actually discontinued while we were there. We never actually got to MGM. On our last day, Sunday, we were planning to go to MGM for EE do ToT, RnR coaster , Star Tours and Millionaire, before hitting Typhoon Lagoon one last time. we got to MGM at about 8:15 -- My DS's (9 & 7) took one look at the crowd waiting to get in and said let's skip this and just go to TL.

I agree with the posters who would not stay on site right now. Without EE or E-night, I would have spent a lot less money and stayed off-site.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says......................................................... Hey, ukcatfan, that may be one less person to deal with at the resort but with later openings and no EE, you'll get to meet your 150,000 friends all at the same time when they swamp the parks at the same time. And no special deals for you, because as soon as they come out all the people that left and then some will flood WDW hotels! Enough said. Disney is slitting it's wrist with this move. They are aleinating their core business, the Returning Disney Families. I can not cancel my trip in 18 days. BUT, we are offsite for 6 out of ten days, instead of zero. No Character Meals, only a couple sitdown meals because we are out of the parks by dinner time!! The good news is I just saved $500 that is now going to be spent in Hawaii next year. The bad news for Disney, the money they are saving on all these changes for my familes share is about $10.

 

[Disney-down-under]

As an employee of the Travel and Tourism industry, I can
completely understand Disney's reasoning behind cutting park
hours.
This is the worst time in history for the tourism industry, and we
are all being forced to tighten our belts.
I'm sure we would all prefer less hours at the Parks, than the
obvious alternative of involuntary staff cuts, or worse still, Park
closure.
While it may be inconvenient for us to miss out on our Early Entry,
or have to shuffle a few reservations, just think how anxious the
Disney staff must be - unsure whether they'll have a job after the Holidays.

Just a thought.

 

[Tori 2001]

It takes a lot to make me complain, but now I'm going to, for what it is worth.

Those of us who travel in the "off season" have always been at a disadvantage with Disney - park hours shorter, more rides down for rehab, some water parks closed.

Now, in addition to that, we are told that park hours are being cut further, some shows are being canceled and parts of some hotels may be closed, some restaurant meals are being eliminated despite longstanding reservations, and the EE option perk all seemingly at the whim of the park managers with no advance warning.

All this, and yet the ticket price is the same as people pay in summer, with all those perks included.

It is understandable that Disney is concerned, with the impact of the Sept. 11 tragedies on their budget just like everyone else's. Yet most on these boards report pretty normal crowds of late, so could it be the company is just using this as an opportunity to cut services while keeping the same old price?

Disney tickets are worth every dime, but let's face it - they aren't cheap. Cut enough of the fun and people will begin to stop being so excited about the trip, and maybe travel to other locations where they get a full day's entertainment. If what we are told is true, it would be very strange for Epcot World Showcase not to open until noon or even 1 p.m. - and Magic Kingdom to close at 7 p.m. which makes it simply too short a day to see everything. And how many more jobs can they eliminate or cut hours on before that famous Disney CM responsivess, charm and positive attitude falls by the wayside as it has elsewhere in corporate America?

It simply isn't right. If Disney plans to keep cutting services and on-site perks, it better be ready to continue discounting those hotels and to cut down the price of the park tickets. The Disney way used to be over-the-top magic - "how much can we possibly give out customers so they will keep wanting to come back." Now it seems to be "how much can we get away with cutting before they stop coming?" If they deliver the product, the people will come back, more than ever, and finances will take care of themselves over time. If they don't, it will be on its way to becoming just another amusement park.

Maybe it's just the disappointment talking, as I had to cancel my trip with my children due to the disrupted flights in September, and then lost the flight we could afford when America bought out Delta and tickets instantly changed from $94 to $300+ for the very same flight.

I wonder if Disney bothers to monitor sites like these. They should, if they want to know what people are thinking. I wish we were there. I wish we could go. But when we do, I want it to be the magical place I've always known, not something less.

'Nuff said.


Tori

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Considering it was only your second post, you covered the frustration that many of us are experiencing very well. We have planned our trip since January. We deliberately planned for the "off" season so we could enjoy the parks. All four of us work and we had to coordinate time off. We can't just drop everything and travel from PA to FL for a weekend or a quick 3-day trip, etc. I wish we could be spontaneous and just go with the flow.
Like you, we absorbed the first "cuts" and thought that it still would be a super trip. We don't go very often and knew with the economy that this might be our last trip for a while. But then the super shortened hours really caught my attention. Yes, we may have time to do other things, but when we go to WDW, that's what we go for. Not for fancy sit-down meals every day, not for Universal, etc. If it wouldn't cost us a bundle, we would probably cancel.
My husband has been accusing me for years of trying to keep the economy going singlehandedly! Disney has never been a "cheap" vacation and we've never had a discount. We're going to go because we can't afford not to at this point. But I am not thrilled at waiting with however many others decide to go for Epcot to open at 10. Unreal.
We never did EE either because we don't have small children and we do the attractions, shows, etc. that adults enjoy and we can travel at our own pace.
But the early park closings and late openings ---- even for November ----- are just too much.

 

[livsea2]

Yesterday we called CRO to confirm the latest changes in cancelled shows and the CM told me decisions on park hours are being made week to week. How can anyone decide when to go?

 

[Teri1]

I just got on the boards to find out EE is gone along with E-nights(which I absolutely loved) . What confuses me is when I called WDW Dine to make my PS arrangements last month I was told how crowded it was going to be the first week of Nov. I couldn't get early PS for Chef Mickeys any day that week. The CM kept saying how overbooked they were because people had rescheduled vacations. I was given the impression that I had picked the wrong time to visit. I was so upset when I got off the phone but thought oh well, I have EE and E-nights to make up for the crowds. I won't let it ruin my planning. Now to find out the park hours are shorter and no EE and E-night! I don't know what to do about the PS arrangements I made. I guess I will wait til I get there and cancel and try to reschedule as I go. I just wanted everything to go well because I am bringing my best friend along who has never been to WDW, she has lost 135 lbs. and is starting a new life with a split from her husband of 20 years. I thought this would be a great way to celebrate her new life. My husband and I have been here before so we could skip a few things but I wanted her to have the best time. Thanks for letting me vent. Teri.