We're home!!Highs and Lows

[River<3Mickey]

definately put it in writing asap, people have had free holidays for less. Send the letter to as many people as poss, manager of npb, cafe mickey, city hall and heqd office itself. my dh is a great believer in complaining to the top

THIS plus I'd copy in a few travel journalists too. The tall grey haired fella, does he write for the guardian, does This Morning sometimes too. As many Disney people as you can. Any travel ombudsman type of organisations. The more the merrier. I'd send it by email. I prefer email complaints. They're instant & everyone gets to see everyone else has just had it dropped in their inbox too. No chance of 'I didn't get it'

I am very at this. A free meal is the least of what should have been offered in the circumstances, you should have left thinking, 'oh dear it was an accident, never mind', because they went out of their way to make it up to you all.

As for the NPB, I was having a look on Trip Advisor the other day & you're not the only person to be making these complaints. I am gobsmacked at both incidences, but the money involved at staying in the hotel should of at least secured your room & them been keen to help you out. Let alone the rest of it.

This really makes me think twice about going at Xmas & spending what is a significant amount of money for us

 

[Reddy]

if you wanted balloons in the room - why didn't you ordered them ahead of time from the floral dept?? I saw a cute set that included a stuff Mickey.

From your post - it really sounded like you wanted them given to you for free & alot the CMs on here have said, they don't upgrade for people who ask to be.

As far as the Chef Mic, they should had clean her up & got her new clothes at least. I would be mad about that.

 

[DLPdaft]

if you wanted balloons in the room - why didn't you ordered them ahead of time from the floral dept?? I saw a cute set that included a stuff Mickey.

From your post - it really sounded like you wanted them given to you for free & alot the CMs on here have said, they don't upgrade for people who ask to be.

As far as the Chef Mic, they should had clean her up & got her new clothes at least. I would be mad about that.

to be fair theprincessofpink did say in her post that she'd told DLP she was happy to pay for any touches in her room. At DLP as far as I'm aware you do have to go through the hotel themselves to arrange this, there is no floral department.

 

[Michael623]

Sorry, but you're wrong with that one.
Each shirt will only cost Disney around $3 to produce.
So they've given out $600 and lost profits, but gained a good reputation in doing so, making more profit from future visitors.

Not attacking, just noticed you've done alot of rage posting on here recently and thought i'd set you straight on this one, no offence or anything.

There is an opportunity cost that is lost up to $5000, is that fair to say? And even if you want to stick with your $600 figure, it is still $600 vs not even an apology.

I have thick skin, It will take quite a bit more than this to offend me.

 

[Reddy]

to be fair theprincessofpink did say in her post that she'd told DLP she was happy to pay for any touches in her room. At DLP as far as I'm aware you do have to go through the hotel themselves to arrange this, there is no floral department.

yes, but she didn't say how much she would spend & they can't add something unless you agree to it. How would she feel if they added the biggest stuff animal & 5 balloons then billed her for the whole amount?? I'm sure she thought a balloon but they cost different amounts. She needed to pick the amount & tell them not say just add, I don't believe that is legal for Disney to do it the way she tried to do.

 

[elstoleno]

There is an opportunity cost that is lost up to $5000, is that fair to say? And even if you want to stick with your $600 figure, it is still $600 vs not even an apology.

I have thick skin, It will take quite a bit more than this to offend me.

Not quite because I guess it comes under "spend money to make money".
If everyone who got the free t, bought a 1 day park ticket after that day they'd have made back the money from the free ts and got people back into the park spending.

And no, she didnt get an apology, but she did get her food for free.
Which again is "spend money to make money" hoping it has cleared the air and she would go back and spend money there in the future.

If you get what i'm saying, its more of a business strategy, because fixing a problem leads to good feed back, and good feedback and word of mouth brings in the customers.

 

[Reddy]

http://www.disneyflorist.com/catego...WDW&utm_campaign=Celebrate_InRoomCelebrations

disney florist - this is what I was thinking of

 

[DLPdaft]

http://www.disneyflorist.com/catego...WDW&utm_campaign=Celebrate_InRoomCelebrations

disney florist - this is what I was thinking of

but thats in Florida, catering to WDW only, yes?

 

[Reddy]

don't know, that is what Disney sent me - I figure they would do it at both parks since it seems to be a big money maker - I got it as an email link - been drooling over it but know I don't have the money for it

 

[DLPdaft]

don't know, that is what Disney sent me - I figure they would do it at both parks since it seems to be a big money maker - I got it as an email link - been drooling over it but know I don't have the money for it

I don't blame you - some of those items are gorgeous .

 

[elstoleno]

http://www.disneyflorist.com/catego...WDW&utm_campaign=Celebrate_InRoomCelebrations

disney florist - this is what I was thinking of

I wish we had something like that here!

 

[Samf1971]

For me the problem with this upgrade business is one of consistency.

Whenever I have made my bookings I am asked "are you celebrating on this trip" or words to that effect, and when you tell them the reason for the trip they make a note of it on your booking, now this is where the inconsistencies start, upon reading many trip reports for DLRP on the board, you will read and see photos of various things such as plushies, chocolates, wine, flowers and even upgrades to other hotels and castle club etc, but this is not done for all, what makes one birthday trip more special than another Why bother asking the question at all if telling them is worthless. It should be a case of saying ok we can do xyz and the cost is 123 (pretty much like the disneyflorist link posted which is brilliant, rather than making some peoples trips magical and then building peoples expectations up higher than you can deliver.

With regards to the room options and requests, I understand that they cannot be guaranteed but for some requests like my own I don't understand what the problem is in carrying the request out especially when made so far in advance and then backed up again within a couple of weeks of the booking.

 

[theprincessofpink]

if you wanted balloons in the room - why didn't you ordered them ahead of time from the floral dept?? I saw a cute set that included a stuff Mickey.

From your post - it really sounded like you wanted them given to you for free & alot the CMs on here have said, they don't upgrade for people who ask to be.

As far as the Chef Mic, they should had clean her up & got her new clothes at least. I would be mad about that.

hi everyone and thanks for your responses im not sure how to multi quote so i will go through them one by one hope thats ok

Reddy there is no floral department in dlrp if you want special touches placed in your room you have to phone the hotel directly or email guest services and speak to them about it.

i maybe didnt make it clear in my original post but i absolutely was not asking for anything to be put in my room for free.....i discussed the possibility of a minnie mouse helium balloon being placed in room for us on arrival and explained my reasons for trying to make it as special a trip as possible (my dd had heart surgery just before christmas) i was advised the cost of these balloons was 7.50 euros and i stated i was more than happy to pay the cost for both these and an autograph book and pen to be placed in the room on arrival the cost of which were also explained.none of these touches were present on arrival however i do know of other people who have had soft toys, dressing gowns,chocolates, balloons etc placed in their rooms on special trips for free which is why i suppose im annoyed that my request for PAID items was not fulfilled.

upgrade wise again i was in no way after a free upgrade...i booked my package back in january at a large cost and paid for the admirals floor and lakeside room upgrades on booking.in terms of room when i booked i basically asked to be in the west wing of the hotel preferably in the room that we had the previous year which was an admirals floor lakeside with a balcony so the only extra i was after in terms of room was an allocation within the bracket i had paid for in the west wing with a balcony instead i got a room with multiple flaws in the east wing and no balcony....i didnt want a suite upgrade or anything like that and was aware that the exact room we had the year before may not have been available but i figured that by booking in january and requesting this for an arrival in late june and confirming with the hotel before arrival i wouldve stood a good chance.

i apologise if i didnt explain this clearly but didnt want to write a novel and bore everyone lol

 

[theprincessofpink]

Speechless

I hope you took the names of all the staff that you dealt with that were uncooperative, totally unprofessional and a disgrace to DLP

Did you go and make a complaint at City hall as I know that people do and often get immediate results ?

for you and your daughter and I hope you get a proper reply and result following your mail/letter to them.

hi carrie i didnt think to go to city hall to complain to be honest hotel wise i felt the only thing i could do was complain to the hotel and cafe mickey wise figured i was better waiting till i got home.....i was very angry about it the next day so some poor cm would have bourn the brunt of it!!!i figured putting it in writing once home would make it all clearer and more likely to get to the right people too

 

[theprincessofpink]

How terrible, and how rubbish of the manager.

Don't know if you did, but I would have been shaming them by taking loads of photos of the mess they left you in and be claiming damages for the autograph book, clothing, time spent cleaning up etc too.

again i didnt think to take any photos although i do still have the badly damaged autograph book.....i was too shaken up at first i think....i very much embarrassed myself by starting to cry also as dd was so shaken and tbh so was i it could have ended very differently with her being badly hurt and i think some sort of rethinking of the amount of weight being carried on each tray needs to done.

 

[**Clare**]

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience at Cafe Mickey, what a shame for your dd and for you too

Glad you had some highs though

I was very pleasantly surprised with cast member interaction too, it really makes a difference.

 

[Ms Poppins]

Glad you had some good things to remember

Re NPB: I'm afraid to say that many people have had similar experiences, I think the size of the hotel is often commented on and blamed for poor plumbing - though I've never stayed there so can't really comment. Hotel being full is of no relevance whatsoever - you've paid for a long awaited and supposedly magical holiday - the very least they could have done is move you to another hotel - I'm quite sure that not EVERY hotel was full

Re Cafe Mickey: I think this is a case of them thinking that by making it free, everything will be resolved. I'm willing to bet that if the manager had come over as soon as it happened, helped to move you, sat down for 10 minutes with you to apologise, offer to send over your dd's favourite character, give her a balloon, a special dessert and generally make a fuss of her, you may well have been happy to pay for your meal in the end.

I work in customer service, at the highest level for my employer and I have learned that people are not just out for compensation - they want their custom respected and appreciated. If good customer service is offered then people will continue you do business with you despite any mis-haps.

If they'd reacted in a more positive way, then you may well be writing about that wonderful experience here. A lost opportunity for Disney I think.

Anyway, hope you'll be able to pick out some treasured memories, and hope your dd is recovering well

 

[Samf1971]

Completely agree with you Julie, you want to see that your custom is appreciated and that you are valued as a guest, not just to be shrugged at, it's only when this type of thing happens that you then have to take matters further and start causing a stink

 

[River<3Mickey]

Glad you had some good things to remember

Re NPB: I'm afraid to say that many people have had similar experiences, I think the size of the hotel is often commented on and blamed for poor plumbing - though I've never stayed there so can't really comment. Hotel being full is of no relevance whatsoever - you've paid for a long awaited and supposedly magical holiday - the very least they could have done is move you to another hotel - I'm quite sure that not EVERY hotel was full

Re Cafe Mickey: I think this is a case of them thinking that by making it free, everything will be resolved. I'm willing to bet that if the manager had come over as soon as it happened, helped to move you, sat down for 10 minutes with you to apologise, offer to send over your dd's favourite character, give her a balloon, a special dessert and generally make a fuss of her, you may well have been happy to pay for your meal in the end.

I work in customer service, at the highest level for my employer and I have learned that people are not just out for compensation - they want their custom respected and appreciated. If good customer service is offered then people will continue you do business with you despite any mis-haps.

If they'd reacted in a more positive way, then you may well be writing about that wonderful experience here. A lost opportunity for Disney I think.

Anyway, hope you'll be able to pick out some treasured memories, and hope your dd is recovering well

You've just expressed what I was trying to get at, much much better. It's about how a situation is dealt with, that leads to your utimate overall feeling

it's slightly OT but a perfect example

last week we went to Subway & the counter & toppings were very messy, other toppings dropped onto the food tubs, the server didn't ask if I wanted him to change gloves & I didn't ask, (admittedly my fault), I'm a veggy & ordered veggy for myself & DD, DH ordered a meat sub & the server picked up one of his toppings, bacon, & proceeded to drop it onto the turkey, where there already was tuna dropped onto & it made me feel rather queasy. I insisted the server change gloves for mine & DD's salad toppings, which he didn't seem pleased about, but did. We paid, sat down & started to eat & I still felt unhappy, so I got another servers attention & briefly expressed my concerns.

More customers came in, he apologised & asked if I minded him going to serve & come back to hear me. Later he came back & asked if it was convenient to talk to me. He LISTENED to my complaints, offered to redo our sandwiches, explained it had been the busy period etc etc, didn't actually admit there had been a problem but was eager to explain how it was being put right straight away.

I went from being unhappy, to perfectly satisfied. Nothing had actually changed, but my worries had been handled in a very, very, very customer services 'good' way. I went from not wanting to return, to happy to come back.

This is a >£15 Subway meal.

How much would the Cafe Mickey meal have been?
How much is the cheapest booking at NPB?

A £35 a night B&B I expect a secure room & working bathroom, leaking taps are not acceptable.

My utmost disappointment in reading your post, is stating to Disney the medical problems & them not even allocating your room to your needs. I find that quite disgusting & if I was you when I did my complaint, I'd copy people at the top of a charity / association that deals with that complaint.

I very much feel for you, but am pleased you had such lovely character interaction

 

[theprincessofpink]

ms poppins yes i totally agree...im not (believe it or not lol) one of life's complainers and i just want someone at disney to admit i was treated shoddily and to apologise.

river mickey the cafe mickey meal would have added up to roughly 65 euros i think inc drinks and the hotel package inc return flights and park tickets for the 7 nights cost in excess of £2000 hence why im less than impressed.......

to be fair the room allocation was merely a preference not a medical necessity but she so loved being able to get out of bed everyday and go on to the balcony and see the castle which you would only have been able to do from the west wing which was why i requested it.

gaston and belle really made that holiday for us gaston was great i think grace really got to him...he asked her why she had come to disneyland and she told him it was because she had a broken heart and you could see him melt a little bit when she was explaining it to him-that was a chance meeting outside cinemagique he then made sure to find her and that she got lots of autographs at stars and cars by bringing people over to us that she wanted to see and even took her autograph book to mary poppins and bert for her as they couldnt get off their car.

we then went for lunch at auberge the following day (had not mentioned this at all as it was a surprise) and belle came to our table to chat to us...grace was dressed as aurora so she was calling her aurora hadnt asked her name, asked what we had been doing at disneyland and grace told her we met gaston the day before and that he had told grace to tell belle if we saw her that he was looking for her. this look of recognition spread over belle's face she broke out in a huge smile clapped her hands together and said 'oh my goodness are you grace?gaston told me all about you!!!' she knew that grace had been dressed as jasmine the day before and about her broken heart etc i was so touched that he had told people about the interaction even though he had no idea we would be going to auberge the following day belle made a big fuss of her and honestly it was pure disney magic