SO Disappointed In Disney's Early Check-In Now...

[bama_ed]

Wow,

It's been two years since I was last at WDW World. Way back then the early check-in option in the new MDE was actually quite useful for specifying a loop, indicating your arrival time, and in general being helpful for us Fort Folks.



Now in the last few months, I'd heard references to the early check-in that said updates had taken place and it was less user friendly. I don't know what it was before for the resort hotel people but this is positively pathetic - it's a huge step BACKWARD in focused customer service.

Here is the new early check-in screen. Anyone notice anything different?



They look almost the same, dontchya think?

It's one thing to give crappy customer service in the first place. It's another thing to take things BACK from customers little by little, drip by drip, which is what Disney is famous for doing. Of course, being a financially driven company they should WANT to encourage their customers to prepay and earn interest for a few weeks while sitting on a few million $. That's Finance 101 stuff - maybe WDW Management can get their interns to explain it to them.

I'll save my cash for the day I check in, thank you.

Bama Ed

 

[burnaroonie]

Wow,

It's been two years since I was last at WDW World. Way back then the early check-in option in the new MDE was actually quite useful for specifying a loop, indicating your arrival time, and in general being helpful for us Fort Folks.



Now in the last few months, I'd heard references to the early check-in that said updates had taken place and it was less user friendly. I don't know what it was before for the resort hotel people but this is positively pathetic - it's a huge step BACKWARD in focused customer service.

Here is the new early check-in screen. Anyone notice anything different?

View attachment 209470

They look almost the same, dontchya think?

It's one thing to give crappy customer service in the first place. It's another thing to take things BACK from customers little by little, drip by drip, which is what Disney is famous for doing. Of course, being a financially driven company they should WANT to encourage their customers to prepay and earn interest for a few weeks while sitting on a few million $. That's Finance 101 stuff - maybe WDW Management can get their interns to explain it to them.

I'll save my cash for the day I check in, thank you.

Bama Ed

Such is the nature of the corporate Disney Beast, it has woken and on the loose at the Fort. In the interest of supposed monetary savings and to smooth the influx of outsourced techs, the first casualty will always be the customer they depend on. With the number of new guests coming in,they can slowly weed out their older knowledgeable guests with the newer ones that have no memory of the former customer service or the older price structure. They are trying to make more money with fewer guests, there by reducing their costs for maintenance and expansion but, still returning greater profits. You probably will see less service and higher costs continue. Other businesses do it, I suspect they will too.
Just my humble opinion.

 

[Teamubr]

I guess the infamous "lower level" and "close to elevator" options are in the Room Location Request section?

So how do you request a loop now? Last time I was at the Fort, I had option 1 above.

j

 

[wonderlandwego]

What were the room request options?

 

[peg110]

We have never used the "Early Check-in" although we were going to do so on our last trip (November 2016). We could NOT find the early check-in option on the MDE (Mobile) although the DW and I looked on our phones multiple times.

We are not at a point where we have a STRONG opinion of the loop/site we want as long as we can FIT in.

I will say, though, after the last trip, I really DON'T want the 500 loop (for a couple of reasons).
I guess we just need to make sure we put our requests in on our reservations and then call 2 weeks ahead of time to make sure they are still on there.

 

[North of Mouse]

Have never used the early check-in option. Always get there late morning and except for once have gotten our choice of two loops (preferred). Would rather be able to decline a loop
'on the spot' and be able to change it immediately, than have them hand me 'pre fixed' reservation info, then have to go through the process of changing things if not to our preference.
Works much better for us. Our check ins are usually quick and painless. Dh likes me to handle the check ins - says they are more receptive to women than men - says I can turn on the charm and smiles! Actually, don't think that's true, but it just comes naturally to be happy and smiley at one of my favorite places! And, whatever works!!

 

[ruthies12]

well that sucks! Does anyone know if you can fax a request like you can at the hotels? I faxed my room request to Pop for my last trip and got the exact room I asked for which was awesome!!! I'll definitely want to make a loop request on my next trip to the fort next October.

 

[sippican]

We no longer use early check-in. We arrive late morning or early afternoon and just request what/where we want upon check-in. No problem whatsoever. even during Halloween week and this past week. We have never made a "special site request", although we do prefer the 800 loop, around the back part for the ease or walking the dogs. Cast members have been happy to oblige. I don't understand the preoccupation with getting a certain site, but to each their own.

 

[tiggerdad]

I had fully decided after our last trip that I was going to pass on early check-in as it gained me nothing. I can remember when you checked in you used to have a separate line if you had done early check-in but haven't seen anything out of that in the last two trips. Also, typically I always ask to see the open sites list on arrival since my assigned site was never ready despite my noting on the early check-in that I would be arriving around 7am, so again, it gained me nothing.

Now this...huge step backwards off a cliff has happened.

Well, for sure no more wasting time with early check-in

 

[bama_ed]

I've called the Disney reservation line and added my loop request. Not so hung up on a site per se but I would like to get my favorite loop within the class I reserved.

My Disney "angels" proofread my original post and want me to clarify that it hasn't been two years since I've been to the Fort. It's been less than that but I had in my head that I was coming in for a Disney run and the last time I came in for a Disney run was Jan 2015 (2 years ago).

I had hoped to get a text that arrival morning telling me my site (I'm spending the night before close to the Orlando area) and that I could drive right in having already paid and go straight to my site without having to stop at the checkin at all. I wanted to pre-pay the balance due on the site a very few days before arrival to take that off the table. I would owe nothing driving in the gates, so to speak.

So I guess I'll go in and pay my balance due and negotiate what sites are available like tiggerdad does. I bet the Disney Resort Hotel CM's asked to take this level of detail away from the guests - too much time spent in negotiations at the check-in counter. Disney Management would rather us show up, pay our bill, and take whatever they give us, and be gone as quickly as possible.

Bama Ed

 

[tiggerdad]

Disney Management would rather us show up, pay our bill, and take whatever they give us, and be gone as quickly as possible.

You're probably not too far off on this. It would eliminate some dissatisfaction from guests who had their hearts set on particular sites or loops and then argue because they didn't get it. In fact, it just about removes nearly all the hassle for them as now they just say "Oh a premium? Ah, 500 loop has least occupants, just put em there".

 

[5kidsmommy]

I am disappointed the loops were taken off the on line check in. I just did my online check in for our February trip. I didn't like that I couldn't request near the comfort stations either. Usually those were my requests, near the comfort station and the certain loop.

I guess we'll show up and ask for a different site if the one we are assigned isn't what we want. I wonder if I should still fax in a request or call and add it to my reservation.

 

[peg110]

Ah, 500 loop has least occupants, just put em there".

After my recent experience in the 500 loop, I am sure that is what is said a lot.

 

[tiggerdad]

You know, I can't help but wonder how much longer it will be before Disney removes the right to choose another site if you don't like the one you got.

 

[Teamubr]

You know, I can't help but wonder how much longer it will be before Disney removes the right to choose another site if you don't like the one you got.

It's funny that I can go on ReserveAmerica, select any number of state parks or COE campgrounds, look at pictures of individual sites, have all kinds of stats about the site, then pick the exact one I want out of those that are available for my booking period, but Disney only lets me pick my arrival and departure date and whether I'd like to be close to the stairs.

I wonder how long before they hand booking your site over to Reserve America. If Illinois, the most financially insolvent state in the country uses it, Disney would have to save some money.

j

 

[bama_ed]

If Illinois, the most financially insolvent state in the country uses it, Disney would have to save some money.

j

Well Florida uses it too, Jim, for their state park system so Disney could leverage off that....

Bama Ed

 

[tiggerdad]

Hey! I want my campsite close to the stairs!

 

[FortForever]

It's funny that I can go on ReserveAmerica, select any number of state parks or COE campgrounds, look at pictures of individual sites, have all kinds of stats about the site, then pick the exact one I want out of those that are available for my booking period, but Disney only lets me pick my arrival and departure date and whether I'd like to be close to the stairs.

Same here for Florida state and local parks. I wish FW would do this. It makes me very uncomfortable flying blind into whatever site they choose to put us in. My anxiety order likes knowing what to expect.

 

[amcc]

I never use early check in because I have strong opinions about not wanting to be backed up to a canal. They can definitely have a better interface for reserving sites.

 

[peg110]

I hadn't really thought about it much until this thread (and the more recent discussion about Reserve America). I just accepted that Disney would assign my site based on my preferences such as Premium/Preferred/Full/etc... and size of rig (a 40 foot rig won't fit comfortably in some of the full sites).

As I read this post

I can go on ReserveAmerica, select any number of state parks or COE campgrounds, look at pictures of individual sites, have all kinds of stats about the site, then pick the exact one I want out of those that are available for my booking period

I first thought "Why would they do that? I could see the smaller trailers taking all the big sites (or something similar) and that is not fair."

But then the more I thought about it, I had to think back when I was a kid and we would go camping every year (locally). Mom and Dad (and us kids) would take a trip to the campground well in advance (and for our local campground that meant 2 months) to scope out the site they wanted. We would walk through the area and they would look at 2 or 3 they wanted (in case their first choice was unavailable) and then go to the front desk and reserve it. Really that's the same thing.

So my re-think thoughts are, "Yeah, why don't they let us pick?" and if one picks a site that is not appropriate for their vehicle (i.e. pad to small for your rig...) the so be it.

I don't know.... Mixed opinions all around. Mostly, if I get a spot that isn't out in the north forty somewhere (which you should have an idea based on type of site) and I fit, I deal with it. I figure it just adds to my repertoire of camping experiences. Really, I think I have more concerns that I DON'T want to be in a particular site or Loop rather than the ones I DO want to be in.