Reply from WDW Guest Communications

[lovin'fl]

They could have said thank you for your business and the recommendations. And, that they hope to see you in the future when the 'test' is over.

I do agree with this. I think Disney's canned response was laughable.

 

[sonofanarchy]

I understand people not wanting change. Personally, I am gutted that Spectromagic has gone! Sadly in some cases time must move on. Would this stop me from going to WDW? Certainly not. Change brings exciting new things....

Most people don't have a problem with change. It's when the change isn't for the better that people get upset.

I've used this analogy before: What would you do at work if your boss said, "We expect you to do the same amount of work, but we're going to cut your pay by 25%. It's all part of an exciting new direction for the company."

Disney is taking away something that they previously offered. How difficult is this to understand?

 

[sonofanarchy]

I do agree with this. I think Disney's canned response was laughable.

Yeah, I was pretty surprised by it too. Laziest copy and paste reply I've ever seen from Disney.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

lol, I don't understand why you assume this, or where you pull this from.

On the days that they travelled, was Disney at 100% capacity ? Were they telling people "sorry, we are all full" a the door ??? No, they weren't. Was Disney trying just as hard then to get people into the parks ??? Yes, they were. So how do you assume there is this magical list of people just waiting to get into Disney to replace the OP ????

I mean, I have seen this trotted out by the Disney apologists several times "there is someone waiting to take your spot" .... WHERE !?!?! I don't see anyone ?

It is not necessarily someone filling a vacated spot, but rather the fact that more people attend Disney every year, that the loss of a customer is easily filled new customers.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Agreed.
This whole FP+ complaining is getting old. You don't like it then don't use it. If something like this gets someone so worked up that they are angry the whole trip and need to go home and write a letter then maybe it's time for a change.

We were there in January and, while the FP+ was a bit of a pain, we sucked-it-up and enjoyed our time at the Happiest Place on Earth.

We have tried the system and hated it (and that was when we could still pull paper FP+) We are giving it one more try before we will make our decision about returning.

If you want to return to Disney, go for it. If we don't, we don't have to. If we want to come on a Disney World discussion board and talk about a major change in the parks, we will. Isn't that the point of a discussion board? We don't all have to talk about positives of Disney World.

Also, as a long term customer, I would want to tell Disney why I'm not returning. Whether or not they care is another matter. But I'm well within my rights to contact Disney to tell them if I'm unhappy with a service they provide.

 

[DividedSky]

"We expect you to do the same amount of work, but we're going to cut your pay by 25%. It's all part of an exciting new direction for the company."

how about an analogy that actually plays out in millions of households every year

"We expect you to do the same amount of work, but your deductible, or share of the premium is going to go up on your healthcare."

You going to take your ball and go home over that one too?

 

[Disney_Princess83]

If you call BS on that number you obviously are unaware of Disney prices.

I have no idea how OP spends their money, but a couple weeks a year onsite plus tickets, food and souvenirs can get up there easily, especially if they stay deluxe.

We stayed in October/November for several weeks, 2 adults and spend almost 1/4 of what the OP stated they had spent in 10 years. It's not hard to rack up those dollars.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Most people don't have a problem with change. It's when the change isn't for the better that people get upset.

I've used this analogy before: What would you do at work if your boss said, "We expect you to do the same amount of work, but we're going to cut your pay by 25%. It's all part of an exciting new direction for the company."

Disney is taking away something that they previously offered. How difficult is this to understand?

Having read countless of FP+ threads, it seems this point is VERY to understand!

 

[sonofanarchy]

how about an analogy that actually plays out in millions of households every year

"We expect you to do the same amount of work, but your deductible, or share of the premium is going to go up on your healthcare."

You going to take your ball and go home over that one too?

Horrible analogy. Deductibles on healthcare aren't the fault of your employer. They're the fault of the insurance companies. It's unrealistic to expect the employer to cover the increased cost for every employee of the company. There is a HUGE cost associated with that.

Disney went to Fastpass+ not to enhance the guest experience, but to make money off of them. Ironically, it's backfired thus far.

 

[WillAustin]

how about an analogy that actually plays out in millions of households every year

"We expect you to do the same amount of work, but your deductible, or share of the premium is going to go up on your healthcare."

You going to take your ball and go home over that one too?

You can always look for another employer, I guess.

WDW is a vacation choice and certainly not the only place to find fun.

Any smart business wants to know why it loses a customer, especially a previously loyal customer. If they hear enough complaints, things will change.

 

[JimmyV]

I find it fascinating that when people are preceived to be "whining" on this Board, they are told to stop doing so and to take their complaints directly to Disney. And then when a person does that, they are then told that their letter to Disney was pointless and unnecessary. While I will agree that the words "Shut up and go away" were never used, the clear implication is that people who have an issue that they wish to take up with Disney should simply slink away silently and not return. Tell me one time in all of recorded history when that strategy worked to affect change.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Any smart business wants to know why it loses a customer, especially a previously loyal customer. If they hear enough complaints, things will change.

We spoke to Guest Relations several times during our vacation last year. We weren't happy with the FP+ system and we were strongly encouraged to get in contact with any complaints or feedback.

 

[Hannathy]

IMO the people who are the most upset about FP plus are the people who "gamed" the old FP system and pulled fastpasses and used them when ever they wanted with no regard to the times on them. I would bet a house payment on this.


Disney is not going back to a paper fast pass. Not going to happen they will not go back to old technology. for cost and it is just antiquated technology.

They are calling this a test so they can adapt and change things as this rolls out without people screaming if they change anything cause "that's the way it was written" like it was the ten commandments written in stone. I don't blame them, think it was actually a smart thing to do.

I think they should up it to 5 and let you pick whatever 5 you want, wherever you want and then I think it would be good to go.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I find it fascinating that when people are preceived to be "whining" on this Board, they are told to stop doing so and to take their complaints directly to Disney. And then when a person does that, they are then told that their letter to Disney was pointless and unnecessary. While I will agree that the words "Shut up and go away" were never used, the clear implication is that people who have an issue that they wish to take up with Disney should simply slink away silently and not return. Tell me one time in all of recorded history when that strategy worked to affect change.

I find it amusing that some people complain that people are discussing things on a discussion board. Isn't that what it's for? I guess if it's not all Rainbows and Pixie Dust, we should hush up about it?

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I can't speak for everyone but this wasn't us and we do NOT like FP+ at all. We usually pulled 3-4 FP's per day, depending on the park and how busy it was. We returned within the time frame.

In many ways, FP+ should suit us. We have NEVER made rope drop and never will. We arrive between 10am-midday. With FP+, we could guarantee Soarin and TSM everyday we were in those parks. And we will hated the new system. We are giving it one more try and if we still hate it, we wont be returning.

IMO the people who are the most upset about FP plus are the people who "gamed" the old FP system and pulled fastpasses and used them when ever they wanted with no regard to the times on them. I would bet a house payment on this.

Disney is not going back to a paper fast pass. Not going to happen they will not go back to old technology. for cost and it is just antiquated technology.

They are calling this a test so they can adapt and change things as this rolls out without people screaming if they change anything cause "that's the way it was written" like it was the ten commandments written in stone. I don't blame them, think it was actually a smart thing to do.

I think they should up it to 5 and let you pick whatever 5 you want, wherever you want and then I think it would be good to go.

 

[sonofanarchy]

IMO the people who are the most upset about FP plus are the people who "gamed" the old FP system and pulled fastpasses and used them when ever they wanted with no regard to the times on them. I would bet a house payment on this.

You'd lose a house payment on that.

The people who are the most upset are the people who used Fastpass properly (and wisely), got about 8-10 per day, and were able to see every attraction they wanted to because of the system.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Sounds like the canned response that anyone would get when contacting Disney with a complaint about the new FP+ system. I'm not sure what kind of response you were expecting since you didn't ask a question, just made a comment voicing your opinion.

Multiple DISers have reported contacting Disney with opinions on FP+ and getting personal phone calls in response to their letter. I am one of those DISers. When I first sent in my e-mail, I got a canned letter, but about 2-3 weeks later, I received a phone call specifically to follow up on my e-mail. I spent about 20 mins talking to the CM about my concerns.

In my original letter, I also emphasized how often we have gone to Disney and how Disney has played an important part in many family milestones for us, and how we want that to continue as our daughter grows up, but depending on how this entire situation plays out, we may have to change our plans. I don't think that is in any way saying "do you know who i am" as a PP implied. I think it's valuable to reading the letter and understanding how important Disney has been to a person to understand that it is not a decision or a concern that the person is voicing lightly.

OP - I originally got a canned response as well. I hope you get a follow up communication to your e-mail.

 

[flutterby3744]

If you call BS on that number you obviously are unaware of Disney prices.

I have no idea how OP spends their money, but a couple weeks a year onsite plus tickets, food and souvenirs can get up there easily, especially if they stay deluxe.

Agreed. It is VERY easy to spend 10K at Disney. Too easy!

 

[JimmyV]

IMO the people who are the most upset about FP plus are the people who "gamed" the old FP system and pulled fastpasses and used them when ever they wanted with no regard to the times on them.
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I think they should up it to 5 and let you pick whatever 5 you want, wherever you want and then I think it would be good to go.

First of all, people who "gamed the system" (if that is supposed to mean: "used it to its full value") would get 5 or 6 FPs a day. There will be people who chime in that they used to get 7 or 8, and while that is probably true, in reality, super-users were really topping out ar around 5 or 6. The percentage of such guests was probably less than 10%-15%. So those people were the problem. And your solution is to now employ a system whereby 90% of all guests will use FP+ and get 5 FPs for whatever they want? So a system with 10% of all guests using 5-6 FPs a day was a problem, but a system where 90% of all guests get 5 FP is the solution? Sometimes I wonder if people actually read their own posts to see if they make any sense.

 

[JanaDee]

IMO the people who are the most upset about FP plus are the people who "gamed" the old FP system and pulled fastpasses and used them when ever they wanted with no regard to the times on them. I would bet a house payment on this.

Did you ever use the old FP system? Pulling them and using them "whenever you wanted with no regard to the time on them" was not possible.