Post here regarding WDW cutbacks, changes & Complaints

[dixiegirl]

Although I am not thrilled with the loss of EE and the cut hours, I can't really blame Disney either. They have to do what is best to protect their business and from a financial point of view, they are choosing the worse of the evils.

It's either cut hours, etc. or mass layoffs which I'm sure they are trying to avoid. I am leaving for Disney in 9 days and I'm going to have a blast no matter what the changes. I have been looking forward to this trip and a few changes are not going to stop me from feeling the Disney magic.

 

[eeyore0062]

Miss Jasmaine, thanks for the link... I read it, and it explains everything very well. Hopefully, it will open some eyes as to why the cutbacks are necessary!

 

[ering]

For those of you intent on telling me that I should be grateful for being able to go on vacation in light of the recent tragic events and the economic downturn, as opposed to being annoyed at Disney for thier cutbacks...

...WRONG! I understand that the economy is taking a nose-dive. I was laid-off in July. My husband and I have had our Disney trip planned for over a year, so some misfortune was not going to change our plans. We have been gleefully counting down the days (posted on our kitchen calender) since mid-February. Despite the lay-off, we decided to go ahead with spending over $4000 on this vacation. I have every right to be furious with Disney over not delivering the services that they promised. I understand the basic economics of business, and if the company needs to lay-off some of its employees to keep a solid bottom line then so be it. Disney has an obligation to deliver on the services that they have promised, and they are clearly falling short of this. I am not spending this money at Disney as an act of charity, I am doing it because I expect something in return. Disney is going about its changes in a very back-handed way. They are not advertising them, and from some of these posts I am seeing that their staff members are being unusually rude. There is no excuse for this!

And to address the issue of being grateful... I live in Northern Virginia (not far from the Pentagon). My husband is a police leiutenant with the Metropolitan Police Department (DC). From the day of the attack until several weeks later, he was putting in horrifically long days. He is now responding to anthrax calls. Yes I am grateful to be alive, and yes I feel I am fortunate, and YES this means that we are entitled to a vacation. Do not question the loyalty and/or motives of people just because they want what they have paid for!

Thanks for the soapbox! and thanks to all of the other police, firemen, and rescue personnel-- GREAT JOB!!!

 

[eeyore0062]

WOW!!! I for one, am glad Disney chose to spare jobs. The perks are expendible, and have not always been there, people's jobs are not. I am sure that with the lower attendance the fun will far outweigh the inconvenience.

Kudos to the police, fire, EMT and military personnel and the jobs that they are doing in this time of turmoil!

Have a wonderful vacation

 

[DancingBear]

Originally posted by eeyore0062
I for one, am glad Disney chose to spare jobs. The perks are expendible, and have not always been there, people's jobs are not.

Well, I have come to believe that the cutbacks are, for the most part, logical, and most likely justified due to low attendance; however, don't the cutbacks mean layoffs by Disney?

I heard that they were asking some full-time CMs to take 20% cut in hours to save salary costs while still maintaining benefits--which is commendable--

otherwise, isn't elimination of EE, cutting back show days and hours (so one full-time cast can cover), not manning Fastpass all of the time, cutting operating hours, closing resorts in whole or in part, etc., all to save manpower costs more than anything else?

Not to mention all of the contractors who are now NOT working on Pop Century.

Again, I think Disney is probably making sensible decisions (although very poorly communicated), but I don't want to minimize the toll this is taking on the workers at WDW.

 

[eeyore0062]

No one is trying to minimize the toll that all of this has taken on the CM's at WDW--- believe me, I know the toll. Yes, the seasonal cast has been laid off, some of the part time staff is on "call in" basis, and the full time staff has been asked to cut hours by 20%... all commendable of Disney to try to keep as many of their CM's employed as possible. We just have to be patient and see what happens in the future. This is all unprecidented territory for everyone, and I am sure that WDW and the rest of the Disney company is trying to the best they can to satisfy the needs of the public, their CM's and their financial wellbeing.

Also, the Pop Century Phase I is still being constructed as of now... the grand opening has been delayed indefinitely, though.

 

[Heather]

Erin -
Bravo to your husband! I live near you and a neighbor of mine is with the Pentagon police and was on-site. True heroes, they are.

I also have to say I totally agree with you -- we too planned this vacation a very long time ago and have spent a large amount of money based on what Disney promised us. I respect everyone's right to their opinion and this is just mine.

Hope you have a great vacation!

 

[ering]

Thanks, Heather! Have a great time on your vacation as well!!!

 

[DW mouser]

Just remember, Disney is not the only place on earth for a vacation. We will probably set out a year or two and go to some national parks or elsewhere until we can feel like we are getting what we pay for at Disney!

 

[eeyore0062]

My husband keeps telling me the same thing about WDW not being the only vacation destination... and, I agree.. are also DL/DCA, DL-Tokyo, DL-Paris, the Disney Cruise line

If it is to be a real vacation, it must include the Disney!!!

 

[computerteacher]

I sent an e-mail with complaints about the end of EE and the late openings of several parks. I received a reply 2 days later saying they would check into it. They also asked for my phone # so that they could call me with information. Did you ever receive a reply?

Originally posted by Minnee
I was wondering if anyone has received a response from Disney?? I emailed a few days ago, just letting them know that I was Very disappointed about the end of EE, and had a few questions. I did ask for a response, and I'm still waiting
Have your heard from Disney? I tried calling, twice, each time, the CM didn't know anything about any changes.

 

[Figaro30]

I wrote them twice about the non-posting of November hours.

Yesterday I got a generic email stating where you can find the hours posted and a link of how you can get there.

VERY Generic! Thought for sure somebody might write back or call me.

 

[brett56543]

We are planning a trip just after the 1st (Jan 2-9) does anyone know if there will be any problems. Why I ask is, I have heard that the resorts are full for Thanksgiving and must be close for Christmas because we had a hard time finding a room then (26th-2nd).



2001 dixie
1989 offsite
1982 offsite

 

[IowaMagic]

If the only reason a guest stays on property is EE, then he/she is missing the whole Disney experience. Cutbacks are inconvenient right now but my two daughters who work at Disney see it as a way of keeping their jobs. One is lucky enough to still have 40 hours/week but the other one has been cut back drastically. If Disney didn't cut back on hours, parades, etc. there would be even more hours cut for employees. We need to trust that Disney is doing all they can now to make things better in the long run. Just be thankful you have the freedom to visit such a magical place.

 

[Rafiki USA]

Folks, there's a war on, one unlike any previously fought. September 11th was arguably the worst day in American history, the consequences of which will be felt indefinitely. The world changed forever that day, much as it did in Sept 1939 when war began in Europe. Will America recover? Of course, and prosper. However, it's really happening, and it's not going away.

I support everyone's right to have and express their opinions, so here comes mine. Yes, you pay alot of money at WDW. But are EE days the only deciding factor between on site and off site accomodations? If so, have you ever figured out how much extra you're paying for an extra, what? 4-6 hours of time in the parks over a week? What about the time lost commuting to and from your off site room?

Disney always cuts hours during slow times. That's why the parks aren't open as late in January as they are in April. Over 400,000 (yes, four hundered thousand) Americans have lost their jobs since the artocity, and WDW is trying to save as many jobs as they can. Considering the fiscal panic that has gripped many Americans, and the undoubtedly drastic drop in attendance WDW is experiencing, the cutbacks are relatively minor. Under the circumstances, closing of ALL WDW parks and hotels untill Christmas week would have been upsetting, but not inconceivable.

WDW, and the rest of America's economy, will recover. But if you stay home or change to off site accomodations (as is undeniably your perogative), you are not helping the recovery process.

God Bless America

 

[DancingBear]

RafikiUSA--

As I've stated elsewhere, as long as attendance is truly way down, the shortening of hours is a rational response by WDW and shouldn't significantly lessen the value of anyone's vacation.

That being said, I think that there one could still rationally decide that EE was a deciding factor in staying on-site.

--If you use EE 5 days, you get 7 1/2 extra hours of extra park time

--During this extra 7 1/2 hours, the attendance is extremely light, and you are able to "knock off" a number of popular attractions. This advantage continues to some extent after the rest of the park opens, as you have a jump on everyone else.

--The extra time comes early in the morning and substantially stretches the "park day", increasing the viability of taking a mid-day break and then returning to the parks in the late afternoon.

Obviously WDW thought that EE created additional bookings at the margin--that was why they offered the benefit in the first place.

Yes you are correct that staying at home (and holding on to your money) doesn't help the economic recovery, but spending your money elsewhere (whether on something for the house, on a trip to a different destination, or to an off-site hotel near WDW), does. It isn't any more patriotic to stay at the All-Stars vs. the Holiday Inn Family Suites.

 

[CuZbCuz]

Stayed @ AS Movies 10/27-11/3. Parks almost the same (crowd-wise) as our last trip during same period, which was in '97 during 25th anniv. Waited for nothing. Walked right on to all the biggies in every park when we got there early. The shorter hours were not too big of a deal.

Did Epcot Sat & Sun, 10/27 & 10/28. Lots of good wine & plenty of street/small performances. Got there @ opening so walked onto testtrak-later it was posted as 10 min wait in standby line but noone was visible outside so was likely much less than 10 min.

Monday 10/29 did MK. Walked right on Space Mtn & then on to Splash & Big Thndr. Fastpass booths were mostly closed but if they were avail the return time was almost always within 1 hour. The standby line times were posted as 0 or 10 minutes for everyother ride I can remember (except for Haunted Mansion-it was posted as 13 minutes!).

Walked onto Dumbo, Aladdin's carpet ride, sml world, Buzz Lightyear ( was asked if wanted to ride again without ever getting off ride-rode 3x!!).

Ak on Tues-late opening time meant everyone got there at the same time so thought K Safari would be long wait but only waited about 3-5 minutes. Stayed on (and got wetter everytime!) Kali River rpds. Walked into Leg of Lion King 5 minutes before show & were seated in 4th row. Walked on ( and HATED!!) Dinosaur. Word of caution--EXTREMELY loud, violent & not fun. Not even the teen ager liked it. Very Un-Disney like, even compared to Alien IMHO.

Studios on 10/31 (wed)-walked onto ToT and them Rock'n'roller cstr, no waits for either. Muppet vis 3d was 1/2 empty the 3 times we saw it.

Re-visited fav's in MK & Epcot Thurs & Studios on Fri (50's prime time cafe with no ps was still no wait-we were seated for dinner @ 5:30 right as we walked in. That place was a hoot! Food was good & prices a bit steep but the 'floor show" was well worth it.

AS movies seemed about 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Oh Yeah...Tiffany Towncar...they were GREAT!! Bob picked us up & was very helpful (even helping out other groups while we were waiting for our luggage) and Ronnie brought us back to MCO--Super nice guys & excellent service!!

 

[eeyore0062]

As DancingBear said, the attendance at EE mornings was very light, and since it was so light, it was an expense that Disney thought could be expendible. If the attendence at EE mornings had been huge, it would not have been cut. They are trying to save money by cutting things that were not being utilized to the fullest degree. I know that many of us on these boards really liked EE mornings, and used them to the fullest extent, but if you read back to the posts about it prior to their cancellation, you will see that many resort guests did not take advantage of them. Many reasons were given, including "I'm on vacation, I want to relax and sleep in.", " I could never get my kids, my husband and myself up and ready to be at the parks at 7:30 am". If you must find someone to point fingers at for the cancellation of EE morning, then point them in the direction of the ones who stayed onsite, and didn't use it. Really, if you have to blame anything at all, and it makes you feel better to do so, blame the slow economy and the events of Sept 11th. I have to agree, there really are more important things to be worried about than an extra 7 1/2 hours in a park per week. We will be going, and we will enjoy sleeping in an extra hour in the mornings... we will also enjoy the nightlife, which we have never had the time or inclination to enjoy before. I can't wait!!!!

 

[dan-tot]

I have been trying to read all the replys before I make one but I can't keep up with the flow. This will be the second time my family has gone to disney in December. We had a rough time with my sister last year and she was put into celebration hospital for three days. When you go during the winter time people need to expect that the parks are closing earlier and that some of the rides are down for rehab. Thats the only time they have so that there is little downtime during the summer period. We are not a show family so Beaty and the Beast and other shows like that have little meaning to us. Since we stay offsite in a time share EE perks have never really been an issue. I had the opportunity to get an EE at Disneyland and I felt that it was a waste of $10 because I didn't really get a chance to ride alot of the major rides. We stayed in the part at the contemp in a package deal. I think the perk is that when the park closes all those people are trying to get to their cars while you take the resort monorail to your hotel. The other perk is that the resort monorails go till way after the parks close so you can ride and just enjoy looking at Disney at night. If the Cof Progress is closed I will be disappointed because this will be number two favorite ride (timekeeper) that they have closed. I feel that Disney is only looking for the bottom line. They could care less about their workers and their customers. I think their attitude is like Mc Donalds they don't care if one person or a group of people are p-oed because there will always be ten or twenty people or groups who will be taking their place. I know that CoF is a minor ride as you would like to call it but to me it was a fun ride for my sister who doesn't do the mountains and as far as spacemountain they shuld upgrade it or close it down. It is in really bad shape it reminds be of the matterhorn ride in disneyland. I would of liked to have seen spectromajic but if it isn't there then I won't be that disapointed. I think if you are stuck in your hotel you ought to rent a car for a day and drive up international drive and see the sights. I know you have Disney but go to the Florida Mall on Sand Lake get out do something else. I know when you go to Disney you want to see everything while you are there. I think if you go with the flow of the park and take everything in stride you will be alot happier I bet.So slow down and smell the $2.50 box of popcorn LOL. We are going Dec 8 -15 I will be there having fun. We have been when the tour groups from Brazil was suspose to be over crowding the parks. We saw some groups but had no problems. I would complain as much as I could I would keep asking for a supervisor untill you got someone other than the operators and their supervisors. I would use the spanish speaking CRO line it is an 800 number. WOW this is a long reply.

Dan-tot

 

[Rafiki USA]

Dancing Bear-

You're 100% right about spending $ one place being no more patriotic than the other, and I certainly did not mean to imply that it was. However, not spending money at WDW does have an effect on services they're able to provide. Do you find that off site savings make up for the time lost commuting?

I feel fortunate to be able to visit at all. We had a trip scheduled for 9/21, but had to postpone (we live in Manhattan, my sis lives a mile from the Pentagon, my bro-in-law's a National Guardsman; I know many of us have similar stories). I just can't wait to get there. I'll sleep in the car if I have to.

God Bless America