Terrible stay at GF

[wdwfan]

TammiMcMan,I am sorry to be misleading. I am responding to a poster who was responding to AuntPolly, but accidently deleted whom I was responding to. Anyway, I was also trying to express my opinion as well. I hope that makes things clearer.


On a side note, I am astonished that this thread has continued the way it has. The OP has a right to express her opinion and that is all that it is. It has to be kept in perspective. Her experiences can also help others in different ways. People will take from it what they want. My experiences at Disney resorts, both concierge and non-concierge, have been positive, but others at the same resorts have probably had negative experiences, and I am fine with that.

 

[Epcotgal]

But neither of these is suitable for what I was describing--a small, ultra high-end resort. I would imagine that *most* guests paying that kind of rate for a room wouldn't need to have basic etiquette enforced, rather it would come naturally.




Anne

Whoa. Just when you think you have read the most ridiculous statements ANOTHER comes along. You believe that the money you have in your bank account = the amount of manners and etiquette you have? Sorry to tell you, but I've known more people with more money than they know what to do with that have NO etiquette, no manners and no class partly because they think with their money that they don't need to be well mannered to get their way. Yes, they should build a wing or a whole hotel for that matter with those with that attitude. I know I don't want to share a resort with you. I'm sorry the OP had a bad time at the GF. Some of her grievances I agree with, some not so much, but I know when you get disappointed even the small things are a bigger deal to you at the time. So give her a break.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

this thread has gotten RIDICUlous
the OP had a bads stay its her PERCEPTION
she came wrote about it vented alittle and im sorry but some of these responses are mean and uncaring
we dont all have to agree but cant we be nice it expressing our opinions

i think this thread should be closed

 

[Epcotgal]

this thread has gotten RIDICUlous
the OP had a bads stay its her PERCEPTION
she came wrote about it vented alittle and im sorry but some of these responses are mean and uncaring
we dont all have to agree but cant we be nice it expressing our opinions

i think this thread should be closed

I have to respectfully disagree about the thread being closed. This IS a discussion forum and all the posters shouldn't have to "pay" because of some. Those posts just need to be removed and/or edited.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I have to respectfully disagree about the thread being closed. This IS a discussion forum and all the posters shouldn't have to "pay" because of some. Those posts just need to be removed and/or edited.

we are all entitled to our opinion This thread is now 17 pages long and i would be surprised if the mods went thru adn took out only the offensive stuff
i have seen threads closed for FAR LESS than whats going on here

 

[Aisling]

I think the internet boards have created unrealistic expectations. To expect a hotel employee to "play Tinkerbell" and arrange your child's gifts creatively is laughable.

During our stay at the Contemporary, I asked at the check-in desk for a CM to "play Tinkerbell", and the CM was happy to accommodate, doing a fantastic job to surprise my son. The same thing happened for my mom at AKL...I asked, and it was done. My expectations were not unrealistic, since they did indeed happen, making it reality.
If it's laughable to you, go right ahead, while I plan my next "play Tinkerbell" surprise for my kids.

 

[erinz]

And a comment on the inconsistent service (which I don't disagree with)...

If you do the math that the GF has around 1,000 rooms, the average stay is for 6 nights, and the resort stays at 80% capacity year round - that's close to 50,000 reservations a year. Even if GF has a 98% success rate, that is 1,000 screw-ups a year. So 1,000 people every year are going to leave unhappy with their experience. But if you're in GF management, 98% or 49,000 happy customers might be satisfactory. Moving the needle to 99% or 100% might not be worth cost and would have a diminishing return to get to that number.

If you think about it from a business perspective, the GF is probably doing just as they should. The laws of supply and demand will prevail in the long term. If their success rate goes to 75% and 12,500 people leave unhappy, they might see a slippage in their 80% capacity at the rates they charge. But as long as their success rate stays in line with the volume of buyers willing to buy at Disney's price, all is right in the business world.

Good point....

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I'm not going to read through all of these replies; seven pages was enough!

I ultimately think that although you wanted to share your experiences with the DIS boards, you should have addressed them with the Grand Floridian first. Why share them with us before talking to management about issues you dealt with? It makes no sense to me.

We for one will stay at the Grand Floridian in the future. We have no lack of faith in Disney and don't see that happening anytime soon. They have always gone above and beyond during our stays.

 

[letterdavidman]

bump!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Wow this thread is amazing. I am so sorry the OP had such an awful experience and I am so sorry her post created such an uproar! I have been lurking around this for awhile now so here is my two cents. We have never been lucky enough to stay at the Grand Floridian, we hope to someday. We did eat at 1900 Park Fare for breakfast in late April. I can say with complete honesty that the bathroom near the restaurant was so awful and disgusting my daughter and I could not use it. We were in agony (way too much tea and oj during breakfast) but waited to go at Epcot instead (don't know why we didn't ask somebody if there was another facility to use). DH said the mens room was somewhat dirty but not as bad as the womens room I described. When I told my daughter I had booked that breakfast again for our October trip she was excited but said she hoped their bathroom was cleaner! It was a small bathroom and gets a lot of traffic. Also, our ps was at 11:00 so we were at the tail end of the timeframe for this meal and I am sure somebody was going to clean it soon since the rush was over, just wish it would have been before we tried to use it! We looked around the lobby area some taking pictures and did meet some very nice cm's who were very warm and that made me want to stay there even more. I used the bathroom in the lobby of Pop the next day while waited for our ride and it was spotless and about 10 times bigger.

 

[robinb]

This is exactly what people do not understand. You pay a higher rom rate because of what the hotel offers, not the level of service.

Let me preface this by saying that I have never stayed at the GF. It's too rich for my blood . I just can't convince myself to spend over $200 per night on any hotel! Check that ... I spend $199 + $25 "resort fee" at the Sheraton Kauai and was upgraded to a suite with a view of the ocean from every room including the shower because my husband was SPG Platinum ... that was worth it! In order to earn my "chops", let me say that I have stayed at the Polynesian, the Contemporary, the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Beach Club and Boardwalk. I have stayed at almost all the other the "Deluxe" resorts and none of them have the same "Je n'est c'est qua" (pardon my fractured French) of the Grand Floridian.

I have to disagree with you, gonga. Yes, location is worth a lot. but at least half of the things on Snurk71's list are available to people staying at another resort or even **gasp** off-site and I have personally enjoyed many of them. Every high end hotel, including the GF, stresses service as their number one advantage. In the price-is-no-object set "service" is the Gold Standard. It is not unreasonable to expect the service of the GF to be the best in WDW, even for the non-concierge rabble. If the OP is disappointed in her stay it is the GF's fault and not hers. AFAIC, she had no unreasonable expectations given the hype that Disney itself lavishes on the "Flagship" of the WDW resorts.

 

[lmhall2000]

Wow, I miss a few days and whew! lots of pages I couldn't go through...but I have to say (first so sorry for OP...and thanks for posting!) and also that I truly believe these threads are a gem for marketing research for Disney. If I were the manager of the GF..I'd be perusing these boards for GF mentions. I'd read the good/bad/ugly at each staff meeting and the guilty parties would have a light bulb go off and realize they probably never thought their action/inaction affected a guest so adversely...sometimes it's not the one big bad action/inaction that ruins the impression the GF is trying to attain...but rather the constant nagging dripping faucet that finally floods the sink. And having too many drips running the show will kill a vacation...

So let these threads stay so hopefully they'll get sent to the management and they can brainstorm some common decency into their employees...come on, can't they hold open a door for a lady with double strollers after a long day at the parks? Heck, I do that when I've got my own strollers and the lady's 20 yards from the door.

Tara

 

[gepetto]

During our stay at the Contemporary, I asked at the check-in desk for a CM to "play Tinkerbell", and the CM was happy to accommodate, doing a fantastic job to surprise my son. The same thing happened for my mom at AKL...I asked, and it was done..

... and if it wasn't done, would you be on the Dis website whining about your "requests not being met" for 60,000+ people to read?


When you reserve a room, even at a deluxe resort, you are entitled to a clean room in a theme park and transportation. That's it. You don't get a personal shoppers and stuffed animal arrangers bowing to your every whim.

 

[Epcotgal]

we are all entitled to our opinion This thread is now 17 pages long and i would be surprised if the mods went thru adn took out only the offensive stuff
i have seen threads closed for FAR LESS than whats going on here

Have faith in our moderators. They don't have to "go back through" 17 pages because they are always on top of things and probably have known about and read this thread for the last couple of days. People can discuss things as long as they follow the rules.

 

[erinz]

... and if it wasn't done, would you be on the Dis website whining about your "requests not being met" for 60,000+ people to read?


When you reserve a room, even at a deluxe resort, you are entitled to a clean room in a theme park and transportation. That's it. You don't get a personal shoppers and stuffed animal arrangers bowing to your every whim.

Well...I've been in customer service for 15 years and have attended at least 20 seminars and workshops on Customer Service. As well as probably (Oh God) close to 1000 staff meeting regarding customer service.

Now, I may be hanging around a lot of misinformed or unrealistic people, but in every workshop, seminar, and meeting, the point that was emphasized over and over again was that you go above and beyond what is expected if you want to provide good customer service. Just doing what you "should do" doesn't cut it.

And I'd bet just about anything that there would not be one trainer who would feel that it was good enough customer service to just place the tinkerbell bags by the door when the customer specifically said that she wanted it to be a surprise for her daughter. Customer service done well is an art. The Tinkerbell thing was just sloppy work. No "contracts" or agreements were broken, it wasn't something they "should " have done. It was just.....how do they say in the UK?....not well done.

The reason that this message was/is seared into our brains is because you want to make the customer want to come back to you. You want your interaction with your customer to be more positive than their experience at the business across the street. So you'll do more business and therefore make more money.

The situation at WDW is unique however. Right now they are doing great business, people are happy to use their services, and the money is flowing in. They're really isn't a reason for them to go above and beyond what is expected. And its probably in their best (financial) interest not to.

So we're the ones who will need to instigate change there. By just not chosing to go to the resorts that offer just "OK' service if we feel as though we are paying for more than that.

But, I can't imagine that ever happening.

So I don't know....I think we just need to go expecting the minimum, and be OK with it. And then when we get a little extra, it will be that much more sweet!

 

[disneyholic family]

The parks were crowded as expected so that was no biggie, it was dirty though. I have always been amazed on how clean Disney is, but not this year. Trash overflowing, bathrooms very disgusting and trash piling up in the lines (esp. Peterpan and Pooh)

we're at WDW now and it is the most crowded i have ever seen it in over 30 years of visits...
and with the unrelenting heat, i don't think we'll ever come back in July again.....
the combination of heat and crowds has become unbearable....
last year it also stayed in the high 90s during our entire stay, but in years past it wasn't this hot non-stop throughout our stay....i guess another example of global warming.....
but even without the heat, the crowds are unbelievable....i have never seen WDW this crowded, ever....it's really too much, even for a disneyholic like me....

and i think the heat and crowds may be the reasons the CMs have been less CM like this year than in years past....the one thing i could always be sure of at WDW, was the CM attitude....that hasn't been true this year....

 

[ducklite]

Whoa. Just when you think you have read the most ridiculous statements ANOTHER comes along. You believe that the money you have in your bank account = the amount of manners and etiquette you have? Sorry to tell you, but I've known more people with more money than they know what to do with that have NO etiquette, no manners and no class partly because they think with their money that they don't need to be well mannered to get their way. Yes, they should build a wing or a whole hotel for that matter with those with that attitude. I know I don't want to share a resort with you. I'm sorry the OP had a bad time at the GF. Some of her grievances I agree with, some not so much, but I know when you get disappointed even the small things are a bigger deal to you at the time. So give her a break.

Like I said, *MOST* people. You'll find incredibly classy and classless people in every walk of life. And true, some people have an entitlement mentality. But my guess is that a lot of those would stay at a different resort where they can have dinner in the concierge lounge for a lot less money.

You'll find a boor in every crowd, but you don't seem to find as many at places like the Four Seasons and Fairmont Gold.

I don't know why you wouldn't want to share a resort with me. I'm quiet, mind my manners, don't come in drunk at 3:00am, don't take all the food in the CL, and am respectful of others. I'll make sure I let you know where I'm going to be staying in the future so you don't have to worry.

Anne

 

[DisneyMomx7]

... and if it wasn't done, would you be on the Dis website whining about your "requests not being met" for 60,000+ people to read?


When you reserve a room, even at a deluxe resort, you are entitled to a clean room in a theme park and transportation. That's it. You don't get a personal shoppers and stuffed animal arrangers bowing to your every whim.

I would have settled for a clean room. Of course I would have expected that at any resort.

 

[auntpolly]

FYI - I started a debate about what you should be able to expect at a deluxe hotel on the CB - if any one is interested. I'm not arguing here anymore, but I'd enjoy a good debate.

I thought about something about the package delivery to.

What if you were at the Ritz Carlton in a $600 room and asked that a bottle of wine be delivered to your room to surprise your husband for your anniversary and you found it stuck inside the door on the floor. Would you still be as forgiving? Would you say that it was an extra you didn't pay for and shouldn't expect it?

Me, I wouldn't stay at that hotel ever again!

 

[ducklite]

FYI - I started a debate about what you should be able to expect at a deluxe hotel on the CB - if any one is interested. I'm not arguing here anymore, but I'd enjoy a good debate.

I thought about something about the package delivery to.

What if you were at the Ritz Carlton in a $600 room and asked that a bottle of wine be delivered to your room to surprise your husband for your anniversary and you found it stuck inside the door on the floor. Would you still be as forgiving? Would you say that it was an extra you didn't pay for and shouldn't expect it?

Me, I wouldn't stay at that hotel ever again!

I wouldn't bring my own bottle and expect them to deliver it. If I did, I wouldn't expect more than to have it sitting on the bed or dresser. I don't feel it's a hotels responsibility to "set up" items not purchased through the hotel. (there are of course some limited exceptions to conference materials, etc.)

Now if I called the concierge or room service and ordered a bottle to be delivered, and it was just stuck inside the door, I'd be quite angry. That would be unacceptable, as when ordering a bottle of wine from the hotel you should expect that it would be delivered at the appropriate temperature and with the appropriate glassware.

ANne