Pre-GO Package-Holders Unite!

[giant4203]

You know what? I'm too exhausted to try to explain yet again all the reasons why 'we are getting exactly what we paid for' is a false statement. But it is.

My guess is you probably live in FL, Giant. Maybe not. I don't know. But my guess based on your answer before--the one where you said you would not be disappointed at all to find out your general admission ticket to IOA was suddenly limited to a few hours--my guess is that you've been to IOA many times and you can go back practically any time you want. Because if it was your first and possibly only visit which you had paid a tremendous amount and gone to great effort for, I don't think your answer would be quite the same.

You don't seem to understand where those of us who are upset are coming from or what exactly we're upset about. I'm not trying to be whiny or greedy; I'm not spoiled. I'm simply trying to get full delivery of the product I was sold.

And unless you were on the phone with each of us when we booked our packages, I don't think you can know what it is we were told we were paying for. So how can you say we're getting what we paid for?

I hope you're right. I hope we have an amazing experience. But right now I'm feeling quite frustrated because all I can do is hope. I have no confidence. No one at Universal is able/willing to tell me what the product I've already paid for in full will ultimately include. How many other expensive products would anyone be willing to purchase under those same conditions?

If they really are unable to know from one day to the next what each day will hold, fine, but the least they should do is contact the pre-go package holders and give us some reassurance that they will either have restricted crowds for those few 'preview' hours - assuring a chance at a pleasant experience, OR that if crowds are not going to be restricted then the hours won't be restricted either. Because if one of those two things doesn't happen then I am not at all getting what I paid for.

If I have to line up at 6:45 or 7:00 am and then power walk all the way to FJ with my fingers crossed that I get in and the ride works, and then have to run from store to store and ride to ride trying to experience everything I want to experience because the crowds are high and the hours are severely limited then it will most certainly not be amazing. I just want someone at Universal to tell me with certainty that's not going to happen.

But the thing of it is, they won't tell me if what I will get to experience will be either of those or something else entirely. I've had no reassurances from them that I won't get all they way there to find out we have massive crowds and huge lines and only 2-4 hours to experience it all. I don't REALLY expect it to be that way (limited hours/massive crowds), not in my heart of hearts--I think they'd be crazy for doing that--but I've also been given no reason to believe they won't. They've made no effort whatsoever to give us any reassurances, not even when we call to ask.

At the very least I'm glad I've been keeping up with the day to day changes online, because if the only knowledge I had about our upcoming vacation came from my communications with Universal, my head would probably have exploded when I got there to discover just how limited the hours are for the area. I feel really sorry for anyone who's finding out that way. And I think by leaving that a real possibility that many people may find out exactly that way is, in my opinion, not an ethical business practice.

Knowing what I know from online though, I will be fine with the limited hours as long as the crowd too is limited. But if I come to find out the hours are limited but the crowd is not...well, then...my head = kablooie!

I'm sorry but what is listed on the website shows what it is that's being paid for and therefore what Universal is contractually obligated to provide to the guests. And yes, I have had experience with being disappointed at theme parks worldwide (Haunted Mansion at DLP and Journey to the Center of the Earth at DisneySea were down when I was there...I was upset (even though those were my most anticipated rides) but I couldn't be mad at the park because things break down). I've worked in the theme park industry in lots of facets, including engineering and project management (in fact I have a few little trinkets in the WWoHP) and I can tell you from experience, opening up even a ride for the first time is a nightmare, let alone an entire themed area. Sometimes it's necessary to try public exposure to limited times, see how the attraction reacted to the public, and test and adjust to make things run better. And I promise you, even if the public is allowed in (it's been extremely limited until now) you'll be having too much fun to notice them plus the longer it is before you get here, the more likely the island will be open as they'll be able to handle longer hours I really hope you and your family have a good time...just try not to think about it and worry. And I'm not sure about this (this is from what I've heard, but I don't know how true it is so you'd have to check with Universal) but I think you get the exclusive early access for all the days you go to universal. I can't swear to that though

 

[black562]

Ya know, I have a room booked at the Best Western just across the street. Last weekend I sat and priced out what it would cost to stay on-site. I never made any changes to reservations because it just never made sense. The only thing I woudl be getting is the one hour early access and that's about it. Once I heard they charged 15 bucks just to park at the hotel, that did it for me....include it in the price, don't nickle and dime me. This whole fiasco with promising one thing and giving another is part of what did it in for me too.

I think, at this point, I'm going to get to the gate early, and take my chances at the 9am opening. I'm also purchasing express passes so we can ride the other rides with no wait (once each). I'm going on the last day of August so I hope it won't be an issue with a crazy wait time on FJ, but I think if I'm there when they open the gates, I should be fine.

This whole thing woudln't have happened at Disney, as I was at the first day of soft opening for Animal Kingdom. It was smooth as silk, no issues, no bugs, nothing. I was totally impressed and didn't have to get a special package to attend it either. I'm also not a Disney appoligist as some have called me. I have always spent the first day of my vacation at Universal from the first year they opened (a theme park and a giant parking lot). Universal holds many special memories with me and my late father.

How hard is it to do something right and, if you screw something up, come clean and make things right again?

 

[mjohnson96]

Ya know, I have a room booked at the Best Western just across the street. Last weekend I sat and priced out what it would cost to stay on-site. I never made any changes to reservations because it just never made sense. The only thing I woudl be getting is the one hour early access and that's about it. Once I heard they charged 15 bucks just to park at the hotel, that did it for me....include it in the price, don't nickle and dime me. This whole fiasco with promising one thing and giving another is part of what did it in for me too.

I guess if you are paying full price for a hotel with no discounts then it would not make sense. But I still dont' see how buying express passes and then booking the BW is less expensive? Maybe it is the time you are going, we are in June so a family of 4 would be $200 a day for the Express Pass. We have a room for $159 a night at RPR for 2 days and if we had a car that would bring it to $174, compared to BW maybe around $50 + $400 for 2 days of Express Passes it is less for us to say onsite.

This whole thing woudln't have happened at Disney, as I was at the first day of soft opening for Animal Kingdom. It was smooth as silk, no issues, no bugs, nothing. I was totally impressed and didn't have to get a special package to attend it either. I'm also not a Disney appoligist as some have called me. I have always spent the first day of my vacation at Universal from the first year they opened (a theme park and a giant parking lot). Universal holds many special memories with me and my late father

Trust me Disney is not perfect I used to work there and they have problems all the time and things never run as smooth as you would like. I am glad that you had a great soft opening for AK but allot of people did not, I guess you did not hear or see all the problems they had with the animals.

 

[black562]

I guess if you are paying full price for a hotel with no discounts then it would not make sense. But I still dont' see how buying express passes and then booking the BW is less expensive? Maybe it is the time you are going, we are in June so a family of 4 would be $200 a day for the Express Pass. We have a room for $159 a night at RPR for 2 days and if we had a car that would bring it to $174, compared to BW maybe around $50 + $400 for 2 days of Express Passes it is less for us to say onsite.

The Express passes are $55 for both of us for that day and the BW is $136 for both nights. Compared to $492 for two nights at the Royal Pacific. Even with a discount, the cheapest I can get the Royal Pacific is $301, but then I have to buy an AP so the ticket cost is $131 more, so that's like paying $432 for the room if you look at it that way.

 

[damo]

The Express passes are $55 for both of us for that day and the BW is $136 for both nights. Compared to $492 for two nights at the Royal Pacific. Even with a discount, the cheapest I can get the Royal Pacific is $301, but then I have to buy an AP so the ticket cost is $131 more, so that's like paying $432 for the room if you look at it that way.

You only need one night's hotel to get two full days of unlimited express. Then you get early entry as well.

 

[Rip]

Ya know, I have a room booked at the Best Western just across the street. Last weekend I sat and priced out what it would cost to stay on-site. I never made any changes to reservations because it just never made sense. The only thing I woudl be getting is the one hour early access and that's about it. Once I heard they charged 15 bucks just to park at the hotel, that did it for me....include it in the price, don't nickle and dime me. This whole fiasco with promising one thing and giving another is part of what did it in for me too.

I think, at this point, I'm going to get to the gate early, and take my chances at the 9am opening. I'm also purchasing express passes so we can ride the other rides with no wait (once each). I'm going on the last day of August so I hope it won't be an issue with a crazy wait time on FJ, but I think if I'm there when they open the gates, I should be fine.

This whole thing woudln't have happened at Disney, as I was at the first day of soft opening for Animal Kingdom. It was smooth as silk, no issues, no bugs, nothing. I was totally impressed and didn't have to get a special package to attend it either. I'm also not a Disney appoligist as some have called me. I have always spent the first day of my vacation at Universal from the first year they opened (a theme park and a giant parking lot). Universal holds many special memories with me and my late father.

How hard is it to do something right and, if you screw something up, come clean and make things right again?

 

[black562]

Keep in mind, I'm not downing the actual Wizarding World, because I think it looks incredible and the theming is bar none. I'm basing my thoughts on the management of this whole ordeal. Have a listen to Pete's Wizarding World podcast, he isn't too happy about how things are run but is floored by how nice it all looks.

I have to agree with some of the other posters, if I would have bought into this package, I would've been upset as well.

 

[black562]

You only need one night's hotel to get two full days of unlimited express. Then you get early entry as well.

I actually thought about that, but then it would mean one night in the BW and one night in Royal Pacific, then off to yet another resort the next morning...might get hectic.

 

[bbangel]

The thing I am most upset about is the lack of communication from Universal to people who purchased a product with certain expectations (contractual, stated our otherwise). When Universal sold the product they had the same expectations (at least I assume they thought they would be up and running) but when they knew that was not going to be the case it would have been easy to communicate with all package holders that there was still an opportunity to see what they had booked their vacations for with certain limitations being likely and offering people some choices around either rebooking for a different time or modifying what they had booked so that they could enjoy their vacations. Simply put for me this will be the last time I book anything with Universal. I booked the pacakge to make things easier not to be stressed.

And for those making assumptions of their ows: not all packages are at the on site hotels and therefore we do not have FOTL to the rest of the park. This also makes anyone not driving have issues with making it to the park in time for the opening. And to say it isn't costing me anymore than a regular package is not a good comparison because without the package I either wouldn't be going at all or would be going for many fewer days.

Also given that the tickets sold with the package are not hoppers, you are stuck in IOA once you go in. In fact that is what I would have requested had they bothered to contact me about the situation - upgrade me to hoppers as part of a good will gesture.

Am I prepared to still enjoy my vacation as best I can? Yes. Has this whole situation left me with the warm fuzzies for Universal? No.

Where they dropped the ball is on communication and nobody can say they have done a good job with that regardless of their challenges.

 

[Magpie]

The thing I am most upset about is the lack of communication from Universal to people who purchased a product with certain expectations (contractual, stated our otherwise). When Universal sold the product they had the same expectations (at least I assume they thought they would be up and running) but when they knew that was not going to be the case it would have been easy to communicate with all package holders that there was still an opportunity to see what they had booked their vacations for with certain limitations being likely and offering people some choices around either rebooking for a different time or modifying what they had booked so that they could enjoy their vacations. Simply put for me this will be the last time I book anything with Universal. I booked the pacakge to make things easier not to be stressed.

And for those making assumptions of their ows: not all packages are at the on site hotels and therefore we do not have FOTL to the rest of the park. This also makes anyone not driving have issues with making it to the park in time for the opening. And to say it isn't costing me anymore than a regular package is not a good comparison because without the package I either wouldn't be going at all or would be going for many fewer days.

Also given that the tickets sold with the package are not hoppers, you are stuck in IOA once you go in. In fact that is what I would have requested had they bothered to contact me about the situation - upgrade me to hoppers as part of a good will gesture.

Am I prepared to still enjoy my vacation as best I can? Yes. Has this whole situation left me with the warm fuzzies for Universal? No.

Where they dropped the ball is on communication and nobody can say they have done a good job with that regardless of their challenges.

This is definitely an example of why it's SO much better to book online. I was able to change the number of days in the package, upgrade my tickets to two-park tickets, change the date of my breakfast reservation and even subtract the 100 dollars they charge for insurance! All my options were clearly laid out for me, including a bunch I'd never have thought to ask an agent about.

My package in no way resembles the packages they were advertising, but I still have all the package perks listed on my e-ticket (which is another thing I like having - concrete proof!).

In future, I'd strongly recommend booking on-line.

 

[bbangel]

I did book online. And I did change the package from the original advertisement that got me to the website. Never having been to the parks it is difficult to judge how many days I will want and whether to hop or not. I decided to wait until I was there to determine whether I wanted that option. . All I was saying is that if Universal had contacted me and asked how they could ensure I still had a good experience that is what I would have suggested. It would lessen the impact of having the WWOHP open for only a few hours. What I was really reacting to was all the people on various threads who have harped on how we are getting what we paid for and we should just feel lucky, etc., etc., without really knowing what each individual had been told or what the various packages even looked like. People were making assumptions based on what they would have purchased.

And again, the biggest beef I have is that Universal didn't bother to try and communicate anything with package holders, even if that communication just said that you would get the breakfast and the one hour access but that everything else could change as the situation changed. At least then you would be anticipating the letter at check in clarifying the situation as it pertained to you. Imagine how many people first hear about any of this on check in!

 

[black562]

I just don't understand how/why anyone could think Universal did nothing wrong here. If they only intended to offer two hours, that should have been very clearly stated ("open for a limited time per day" or "2 hour preview"), but it wasn't. Hundreds of people filed complaints with customer service and, as I understand it, when guests arrived that first morning, nobody at the gates/customer service even knew anything about the land being opened for these package holders (no communication).

I'm guessing then that the folks who say Universal did nothing wrong would feel the very same if this had been done by disney?

 

[Lewisc]

I just don't understand how/why anyone could think Universal did nothing wrong here. If they only intended to offer two hours, that should have been very clearly stated ("open for a limited time per day" or "2 hour preview"), but it wasn't. Hundreds of people filed complaints with customer service and, as I understand it, when guests arrived that first morning, nobody at the gates/customer service even knew anything about the land being opened for these package holders (no communication).

I'm guessing then that the folks who say Universal did nothing wrong would feel the very same if this had been done by disney?

That's OK. I don't understand why anyone can think Universal did anything wrong. The fine print clearly states hours are subject to change. We're really talking about one new attraction. The Forbidden Journey seems to be opening about a month after the projected date. Test Track was delayed more then a year.

Package holders were given an opportunity to take part in the soft opening.

The package included breakfast at the 3 Broomsticks. Are you saying package holders weren't allowed to enter the HP? I'll speculate many of the complaints were from non-package holders who were upset they weren't able to participate in the soft openeing.

I'll accept the possibility Universal might have done a better job telling package holders the "secret password" to enter HP.

I don't blame Universal for delaying the official opening until it's ready.

 

[keishashadow]

Okay. So lets say you buy an admission ticket to IOA. Does it say explicitly on there that you will be allowed to actually enter IOA at a specified time and then won't have to leave until another specified time? Or is there all kinds of legal jargon that tells you any given ride can be closed at any given time for unspecified reasons? But all admission tickets pretty much say that, right? So wouldn't you assume when buying an admission ticket that they are selling as a perfectly normal, full-price admission ticket you will be getting a ticket that will be good for the whole day?

So now lets say, you've got this admission ticket you paid full price for and you believe to be a regular admission ticket (except for in this particular example lets say the ticket is non-refundable and only good for one specified day, but otherwise as far as you are led to believe this is a perfectly normal admission ticket in every other way).

Now lets say you've booked hotels all along the way for a 40+ hour road trip just so you can get into IOA with your ticket. But when you arrive you're told 'oh, yeah, by the way you're only going to be allowed in until 10am.'

Are you seriously telling me you wouldn't be upset because after all it didn't explicitly say on your ticket that you'll get in all day and besides they have tons of legal mumbo-jumbo on there to protect themselves for just such an occassion?

You wouldn't be mad at all?

You would walk away happy believing you got what you paid for?

so, are u saying u thought u bought a 'special event ticket' ala disney's MNSSHPor U HHN in lieu of solely getting a perc of early limited entry into park/HP attached to a standard 1 park U tix. Unless it stated something to the effect of: all-day, exclusive right of entry, i don't understand how it could've been misconstrued that you'd have the entire park operating day set aside for package holders.

when i read the offer, it appeared to be a twist on the early entry/FOTL perc currently granted to onsite guests that offsite patrons could utilize. As i understand it even FOTL for onsite guests can be limited to once during peak hours/days/events, so it's really not unreasonable to expect that they'd limit the perc for package holders either imo.

fyi, i just so happen to have copy of U PAP @ my desk for planning purposes, here's the verbage on back of ticket.

Operating hours and attractions may change without notice or liability. Not valid for separately ticketed events. Some CityWalk venues may require 21 years of age or older. Valid photo ID required. You are required to comply with all safety rules and are cautioned to heed all warnings. By accepting admission with this ticket, you agree to release us from all responsibility for any loss, injury or damage which you may incur as our guest. User agrees that Universal may refuse or eject any person whose conduct is objectionable and claims against Universal shall be litigated only by Orange County.

The thing I am most upset about is the lack of communication from Universal to people who purchased a product with certain expectations (contractual, stated our otherwise). When Universal sold the product they had the same expectations (at least I assume they thought they would be up and running) but when they knew that was not going to be the case it would have been easy to communicate with all package holders that there was still an opportunity to see what they had booked their vacations for with certain limitations being likely and offering people some choices around either rebooking for a different time or modifying what they had booked so that they could enjoy their vacations. Simply put for me this will be the last time I book anything with Universal. I booked the pacakge to make things easier not to be stressed.

And for those making assumptions of their ows: not all packages are at the on site hotels and therefore we do not have FOTL to the rest of the park. This also makes anyone not driving have issues with making it to the park in time for the opening. And to say it isn't costing me anymore than a regular package is not a good comparison because without the package I either wouldn't be going at all or would be going for many fewer days.

Also given that the tickets sold with the package are not hoppers, you are stuck in IOA once you go in. In fact that is what I would have requested had they bothered to contact me about the situation - upgrade me to hoppers as part of a good will gesture.

Am I prepared to still enjoy my vacation as best I can? Yes. Has this whole situation left me with the warm fuzzies for Universal? No.

Where they dropped the ball is on communication and nobody can say they have done a good job with that regardless of their challenges.

sorry, but unless you see a specific package perc listed on any travel offering; not sure why/how you'd expect anything 'extra' to be offered in the package

I just don't understand how/why anyone could think Universal did nothing wrong here. If they only intended to offer two hours, that should have been very clearly stated ("open for a limited time per day" or "2 hour preview"), but it wasn't. Hundreds of people filed complaints with customer service and, as I understand it, when guests arrived that first morning, nobody at the gates/customer service even knew anything about the land being opened for these package holders (no communication).

I'm guessing then that the folks who say Universal did nothing wrong would feel the very same if this had been done by disney?

i posted above what a 'normal' Universal ticket has stated...does anybody have the info from the special pkg tix ie back of tix media or the travel contract which i assume they issue ala WDTC's rather lenghty one? if the time period isn't stated in it (which would be quite a shock to me) then, it's time to file the complaints

 

[bbangel]

I am not expecting anything "extra". But good customer service means you communicate so people have as much information as you can give them. On a recent flight I took on an airline known for having in seat tv's they sent a communication to every person taking a flight within a certain time frame to let them know that they were doing maintenance and couldn't guarentee that the tv's would be working on their particular flight. Then when on one segment of my flight they weren't working, the attendants had credit slips for future flights to hand out as a gesture. This is good customer service. Not communicating anything at all is not. I am not going to argue this anymore.

 

[damo]

so, are u saying u thought u bought a 'special event ticket' ala disney's MNSSHPor U HHN in lieu of solely getting a perc of early limited entry into park/HP attached to a standard 1 park U tix. Unless it stated something to the effect of: all-day, exclusive right of entry, i don't understand how it could've been misconstrued that you'd have the entire park operating day set aside for package holders.

when i read the offer, it appeared to be a twist on the early entry/FOTL perc currently granted to onsite guests that offsite patrons could utilize. As i understand it even FOTL for onsite guests can be limited to once during peak hours/days/events, so it's really not unreasonable to expect that they'd limit the perc for package holders either imo.

fyi, i just so happen to have copy of U PAP @ my desk for planning purposes, here's the verbage on back of ticket.

Operating hours and attractions may change without notice or liability. Not valid for separately ticketed events. Some CityWalk venues may require 21 years of age or older. Valid photo ID required. You are required to comply with all safety rules and are cautioned to heed all warnings. By accepting admission with this ticket, you agree to release us from all responsibility for any loss, injury or damage which you may incur as our guest. User agrees that Universal may refuse or eject any person whose conduct is objectionable and claims against Universal shall be litigated only by Orange County.



sorry, but unless you see a specific package perc listed on any travel offering; not sure why/how you'd expect anything 'extra' to be offered in the package



i posted above what a 'normal' Universal ticket has stated...does anybody have the info from the special pkg tix ie back of tix media or the travel contract which i assume they issue ala WDTC's rather lenghty one? if the time period isn't stated in it (which would be quite a shock to me) then, it's time to file the complaints

Do you mean the exclusive access time? It said from 8-9 am.

 

[black562]

You only need one night's hotel to get two full days of unlimited express. Then you get early entry as well.

I think I found something. The off-site hotel packages also include early entry (but no express). For $30 more than what I'm paying now at the Best Western, I can get the Hilton Garden Inn that includes early access to the parks. I don't mind buying the express as we'll probably only ride each ride once anyway, but early access will let us do all things Potter before the GP are in there to crowd it up. So it looks like I'll be switching reservations in good time this weekend.

 

[mjohnson96]

On one had, yes it is not that hard for Universal to email every person that bought a package (given they gave them an email address and it was not thought of as spam by their isp).

On the other hand, I have purchased several packages to WDW and I don't remember once getting any email, phone call, letter or anything stating what attractions would be down during my visit. I had to go out to the website to get this information.

So if WDW expects people to use the web and BB like this one, why can't Universal expect the same. Really was it a complete shock that the Opening was pushed out to June 18th? Did you just buy a package and say ok I gave them money and that's that. If your on this board I am assuming you like to go out to the websites and the boards so there has been over a month's notice now on when the actual Grand Opening will be as well as over the past several weeks what to expect when you get there.

I mean if a Hurricane was heading toward Orlando the week before I was to leave on vacation I don't expect WDW or Universal to call me up and say "Hey you want to change your plans?" I expect that I would make that decision based on what I see happening. Or "Hey the Dumbo ride is broke, wanna come next month?"

 

[keishashadow]

Do you mean the exclusive access time? It said from 8-9 am.

okay, that is what i was asking

so, it was stated 8 to 9 am from inception & there is still confusion as to it being all day private access i give up trying to figure out what the issue is

regardless, sorry to hear there seem to be more than a few unhappy campers heading to U with their expections crushed (for whatever reason), typically not the best frame of mind to start any vacation...try & have a good trip

 

[mysteriouspnai]

On the other hand, I have purchased several packages to WDW and I don't remember once getting any email, phone call, letter or anything stating what attractions would be down during my visit. I had to go out to the website to get this information.

See if that were the case, I would like to be able to go to the HP website and see that we have a limited time in the park. I agree that US isn't communicating with the Pre-GO package holders and it's true that many people are going to be upset at this. Even if we didn't have the internet and upon check in we found out we only had two hours in the park, I would still be upset. Some people speculate that we'd be happy with what we would get, but I truly believe that purchasing a Harry Potter package means that I want to be entirely immersed in Harry Potter galore. At least that's how I feel. I expected to dress up, spend a hefty amount of time in the land, and spend my nights at the hotel marathoning HP movies. I don't know about you, but that's my idea of a HP package. If it weren't for the Wizarding World, we would be vacationing at Disney instead. I am very disappointed in US's lack of communication, and needless to say, will not be booking any other vacations through them any longer.