Tikiman has been silenced.

[mousehockey37]

Tikiman should tell Disney to go stuff it. No corporation has the right to stifle free speech. I don't care what anyone calls it. Call it speculation, rumor or fact, he has the right to provide the information. Obviously, people find the information useful. The downside is that Disney can control access to their facilities and refuse service to anyone (as long as it is not discriminatory).

No corporation has the right to stifle free speech, but they do have the ability to sue someone for defamation should they see fit. Not saying that Tikiman ever did that, but I've heard of cases where people are leaving bad reviews of products/services on blogs/websites and the company finds it and reads it and they sue for defamation because well, it was giving them a bad name.

Wow! If Tikiman was banned from Disney....it should be all over every newspaper in the United States of American. What an affront to the American people if he was refused services because of his informational postings! Outrageous!

He wasn't banned. He himself said that in an earlier post.

 

[brockash]

Again lots of inaccurate speculation here and people should stop guessing. I'll leave that there.

I get lots of information but don't report anything until it's official or nearly so and I am told I can. It just changes too much and can cause upset with the resort's clientele that shouldn't have occurred.

Tikiman's site has some of the best info about the Poly and I hope he continues to maintain that. But I also know that he has let out some things before Disney was ready or the decision wasn't final. It sounds from his statement that they may have had enough of that and yes I heard of some the outright anger about it for a couple of years.

As others have stated...it's pretty ironic that Disney of all ppl. are supposedly concerned with his possible "misinformation". They have a ridiculous record of misinforming their own guests and having severely misinformed cast members themselves. They need to fix their own problems and work on being proactive in their willingness to release info. to their guests in a timely manner. Silencing those who are willing to inform their guests is obviously not helping their guests/customers (nor that I am naive enough to believe that's any kind of concern of theirs.)

 

[mousehockey37]

As others have stated...it's pretty ironic that Disney of all ppl. are supposedly concerned with his possible "misinformation". They have a ridiculous record of misinforming their own guests and having severely misinformed cast members themselves. They need to fix their own problems and work on being proactive in their willingness to release info. to their guests in a timely manner. Silencing those who are willing to inform their guests is obviously not helping their guests/customers (nor that I am naive enough to believe that's any kind of concern of theirs.)

In this regard that they go after Tikiman is easy. He is one person and it's simple to silence one person. Fixing their own system of hundreds upon hundreds of employees and getting them all the correct information in a manner that they are not misinforming customers, is a lot harder to do.

 

[CoolPool]

I have been using the general info from Tikiman in its various incarnations for years. We were in the original "Tikigathering" (sic) several years back at the Poly. He has always been clear when he was posting rumors and he repeatedly stated that Disney plans change and change. Only a person with reading comprehension problems would misunderstand his reports. And you've made it clear who you are.

It was a fan blog and a labor of love that grew into a truly valuable travel resource. thank you Tikiman.

 

[Granite600]

I see he's starting to post photos of the resort again which I think is great! Thanks again Tikiman!

 

[midaroco]

Nope., no speculation at all. I know what I know but won't be dragged in further.

Yet you know the author is incorrect? It is speculation.

 

[midaroco]

lol I wasn't condemning anyone.

Just pointing out that in this case he was relying on "inside" info from CM's and others connected to Disney in his speculation that turned out to be 100% false, which is very different than admitting his info was likely not 100% true.

Now, do you think this speculation -- from a well know Polynesian "expert" -- carried weight with those that follow his website/blog/social media accounts? I do. I'm sure this news freaked a lot of people out. I'm sure a lot of people reconsidered future travel plans because of what he said.

I'm not sure how any of this is even debatable?

I'm sorry TM won't be contributing as much info that he previously had. But such is life.

Moving on from this thread.

Mahalo.

I feel perhaps you may have missed my point. We are talking about a post that is, what, 2 years old? It's quite possible it was entirely accurate at the time of the posting.

 

[margaret07013]

in some way I think its due to its own success. while it was in the form of a hobby with basic graphics and no commercial endorsements - it was OK. once he moved one step above the line - there might have been people who saw this a problem. I am not claiming he made money or lost money or saying he didn't work hard at it - all I am saying his success brought attention from people who couldn't handle it.

I am not going to debate if his info was 100% accurate or not - it was good enough for average people to make best educated decisions about Poly.

But popularity and steps to associate himself with DVC resales I think brought unwanted attention under the cloud of making money. Just like you had Disney going after homemakers on Etsy about Disney themed items. I would say - follow the money if something is not clear.

 

[kiki02]

Disney should welcome the free advertising but then maybe they don't want to call too much attention to the resort now. To be polite, it doesn't exactly look as good as it once did.

Yep and let's be honest, they don't feel they need the extra advertising I guess. Maybe they don't. Another reason WDW seems so different these past few years.

 

[The Uh-Oa!]

I agree with this. Although legally it may not be that simple. I question the timing of all of this. Tikiman has been doing his thing for years. He has never claimed that his information was 100% accurate. He just passed it along as it was given to him by what he considered reliable sources. That fact that Disney is now taking umbrage with his efforts I think has more to do with the fact that it may, in their perception, be hurting them financially at the Poly. Disney IMO has been making obvious efforts to notify their guests about the state of repair at the resort as late as possible. These boards and others are filled with people that are "jumping ship" and switching their reservations to other resorts because the construction is not as far along as they had hoped. The Lava pool construction is behind schedule and that may affect DVC or at least the initial DVC visitors who are now booked to be there before the main pool opens. Tikiman's facebook page provides anyone interested in a daily snapshot of what is really going on at the resort. He is not doing it with any malice, in fact quite the opposite. But it's the end result Disney is concerned with maybe. And Disney does not like that. I think all of this reinforces the idea that Disney should have "bit the bullet" and shut down the entire resort to tackle a construction project of this magnitude instead of trying to squeeze out every last dime from their consumers. Add to all of this, there are a vocal group of long time PThe oly fans that are not exactly impressed with how many of these changes are turning out. Disney may just be over reacting here.

I absolutely, 110% could not agree with this more.

Disney wanted to have it's cake and eat it too here, keeping the Poly open AND keeping prices the same, while keeping guests in the dark in order to do so. In terms of guest service, that's not okay. Tikiman was one major place (with one major source doling out the info - unlike message boards) which was giving out information they wanted to keep inside. Sadly, it is a relatively easy "fix".

And concerning the idea of rumors....c'mon folks. If you are reading Tikiman or ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET, REALLY, you have to consider that it could be wrong. But for everything I have seen on there....Steve was always pretty clear about what he "heard" and what was "rumor". If anyone took that as gospel fact, that's their own misinterpretation, not on Steve. As many have pointed out, if Disney was honest and clear with updates and even made an attempt to stay on timelines (which I realize are variable, but they seem to pick and choose what to "stay on track" for), and informed CMs well (or at least had CMs who don't know be sure and FIND SOMEONE WHO DOES), then this wouldn't really be an issue.

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I was at Poly last night. I asked two separate cast members at the front desk a question about the Hawaii building for next fall, I got similar answers. Then I stopped by the CL check in desk at Hawaii, same question, completely different answer. In my opinion, Disney has failed all aspects of customer service during this poly refurb. Their attempts to stay open and make money during refurb just indicates where their priorities are....$, with no regard for guest experience. Silencing a fan page doesn't change anything Disney, if anything it makes you look worse. Disneys attempts to deceive past and future poly guests by misinforming, not informing, or hiding the current state of the resort throughout this process is shameful, Walt would be disgusted. When they did inform guests with a letter, it was never in a timely manner.

For what it's worth the pool area looked great, they were still working at 8:30 pm power washing the pool deck.

Thank you Tikiman for all you do, you have the support and appreciation of many!!!!

 

[maxiesmom]

I was at Poly last night. I asked two separate cast members at the front desk a question about the Hawaii building for next fall, I got similar answers. Then I stopped by the CL check in desk at Hawaii, same question, completely different answer. In my opinion, Disney has failed all aspects of customer service during this poly refurb. Their attempts to stay open and make money during refurb just indicates where their priorities are....$, with no regard for guest experience. Silencing a fan page doesn't change anything Disney, if anything it makes you look worse. Disneys attempts to deceive past and future poly guests by misinforming, not informing, or hiding the current state of the resort throughout this process is shameful, Walt would be disgusted. When they did inform guests with a letter, it was never in a timely manner.

For what it's worth the pool area looked great, they were still working at 8:30 pm power washing the pool deck.

Thank you Tikiman for all you do, you have the support and appreciation of many!!!!

The web site does warn guests about the construction when you go to book the Poly. It is not being kept from guests. There have been posts from many people who were not bothered by the construction. If someone chooses to stay there during construction and are happy, that isn't a bad thing. Maybe there are some guests who would rather experience the Poly, even during construction, than stay somewhere else. Not sure how shutting it down would help the guest experience.

 

[LaidBackDad]

I feel awful for Tikiman. He obviously has a love for Disney and Poly, and it shows. He provided invaluable advice and insight to thousands of other Disney fans who are starved for information to make the best vacation they can for their families. To have suits come along and shun him / shut him down is shameful and borderline unscrupulous. Only Disney lawyers know the real reason why they don't want him to provide useful information that they are either too lazy or unwilling to provide. At some point, hopefully in the not too distant future circumstances will change and Tikiman will reconsider his decision and continue helping other Disney fans. Until then, Mahalo.

 

[Judique]

Tikiman, I'm not going to quote your whole post. I know you put out information you are told but as I said, because things change so much some can be wrong. The specifics are not actually important it's the fact that it happens and it can cause issues. I am in no way saying anything was intentional, clearly wasn't, but unintentional misinformation can lead to problems.

But as far as specifics, I promised people I would never put specifics online and I never will. They expect my trust and will get it.

So instead, you put innuendo on line to try to discredit someone without actually stating facts.

 

[mousehockey37]

in some way I think its due to its own success. while it was in the form of a hobby with basic graphics and no commercial endorsements - it was OK. once he moved one step above the line - there might have been people who saw this a problem. I am not claiming he made money or lost money or saying he didn't work hard at it - all I am saying his success brought attention from people who couldn't handle it.

I am not going to debate if his info was 100% accurate or not - it was good enough for average people to make best educated decisions about Poly.

But popularity and steps to associate himself with DVC resales I think brought unwanted attention under the cloud of making money. Just like you had Disney going after homemakers on Etsy about Disney themed items. I would say - follow the money if something is not clear.

Sadly there are others who are making money off the mouse that apparently the mouse thinks it's ok. Tikiman is providing info, there are others who are using Disney against itself for their own financial gain...

 

[HappyMomma]

I heard Mickey Mouse threatened to stick Tikiman on It's a Small World for eternity if he didn't stop posting info.

 

[capegirl]

in some way I think its due to its own success. while it was in the form of a hobby with basic graphics and no commercial endorsements - it was OK. once he moved one step above the line - there might have been people who saw this a problem. I am not claiming he made money or lost money or saying he didn't work hard at it - all I am saying his success brought attention from people who couldn't handle it.

I am not going to debate if his info was 100% accurate or not - it was good enough for average people to make best educated decisions about Poly.

But popularity and steps to associate himself with DVC resales I think brought unwanted attention under the cloud of making money. Just like you had Disney going after homemakers on Etsy about Disney themed items. I would say - follow the money if something is not clear.

The bottom line is always about money/profits, and you can bet your bottom dollar that it is at the root of this unfortunate incident. I am certainly no Disney expert, my knowledge is limited to my own expieriences, and whatever enlightening information that I gather from DIS experts, and yes, from Tikkiman.That said, I have to point out that on numerous occasions, I have been fed incorrect information from CM's. I am sorry to say that there have been instances when I was more knowledgeable than the CM, and I was actually embarrassed for them because they had not been properly informed. Disney likes to keep it's customers guessing until the big reveal, but they owe it to their employees to keep everyone on the same page.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A bit dramatic? No. I am not the only one on his Facebook site that has mentioned this very thing.

Then you're all overreacting.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Steve,

Just wanted to thank you for the incredible job you have done over the years.
Your information was invaluable, and you could really tell how much you loved the Poly.

Any time I thought about staying at the Poly, yours was the first site I would go to.

You did a wonderful job

 

[gdrj]

I'm sorry but the knuckleheads who are pointing out things that were posted 2 years ago from a site that does its best to keep people informed; are part of what is wrong with boards. Some people always have to try to "gotcha". I find it sad that instead of recognizing all the dedication and effort and accurate confirmed information you try to find what is wrong (which can be a difference of opinion). DVC originally was going to have additional building(s) and additional pool. Disney makes changes. Look at DTD and all the proposed makeovers it was suppose to have over the years. The elevated trestle near the food trucks was suppose to have seating. Disney changes things before the ink is dry.

If Steve was incorrect on his theory or rumor I can live with that. He has been much more accurate than Disney. The Disney website says it's under remodel. The have expanded what they have on the site because of complaints. Guests have called and been told wrong information on a consistent basis.

Tikiman has been right more than any other site. He is the reason we will be staying for the first time.

.