We're very upset with Disney

[Disneymom83]

I'm not usually one to comment on threads like this but these three things are not sitting well with me.

I'm trying to figure out when it became Disney's job to tell you about all the changes that have occurred between your trips. I take a trip to Disney every year and have done so since I was 3. There have been changes in between each of our trips. Should Disney have contacted us each year to tell us about said changes? As a frequent Disney traveler I make it MY job to be well informed and keep up on the changes that are occurring.

How on earth is Disney supposed to know how their guests are going to feel about a new system unless they let us test them? Who do you suggest should be testing them? With their guests trying them out we get to give them feedback on what we like and dislike about them so when they are rolled out 100% they can work out kinks and make the product even better. And I was invited to test it, I didn't have to but because I know that it's going to be something that's going to impact every Disney trip from now on I wanted to test it and get to know how it works.

And this last one is killing me. Have you learned nothing from Walt? He said that adults are only kids grown up anyway. I understand that you shouldn't stand in front of a child who wants to see the parade. But I also wouldn't appreciate someone shoving their child in front of me if I couldn't see over them.

The parades are NOT just "children's parades" as you have said. They are for everyone who is at the park. Often times I find that I am more excited for a parade than the children around me. Adults can have a deep love for the parade too.

Nicely put!!!

 

[nicynot]

Do not have enough time on lunch to read this whole thread, but the parades are not just ment for children! If so why we're you watching

 

[Lorelei528]

Are you serious? She said there's kids taller then her...if they're taller then her and they stand behind her they can see..if I was standing in front of someone shorter than me (.doesn't matter how old) I'd let them go in front of me. And if its a tradition to watch the parade, just because you're not a kid anymore doesnt mean you should stop

Thank you for this, because what the OP came back with is very upsetting to me....very upset.

And I've been at concerts, had big 6'3" men come and stand in front of me and have tapped them and told them to move over. I'm little, but I'm not scared of anyone.

Also, you know OP, I have just as much a right to see the parade as anyone....as other posts have said.

And if there are kids who are littler than me, of course I let them in front. But at 5'1", they have to be pretty little! LOL

Thanks to all the posters who came to my defense on this post!

 

[kimbo0569]

I had to go back and read the OP post again and I'm a bit confused. We came back from CSR a couple weeks ago and were notified before we arrived about the magic bands. But I had also heard about it over the summer and a friend of mine had gone before I did so I was able to get her take on it. However, when we checked in (and my friend had the same experience), we were also given KTTW cards in case our bands were having issues. We were still able to get FP with those as well. Were you not given cards when you checked in?

I loved the days when you could just grab a map and go, as another poster said and while I don't think you have to plan to the minute, you do have to go into a Disney Trip with some degree of planning and have an idea of what you absolutely must do and what's not going to break you if you don't get to it, as is any vacation, not just Disney. Just gives us more reason to go back over and over. Some things we got to do more than once, some things we didn't. I was surprised to see the crowds when I was there in October, but now I know that maybe I might change to a different time of year for next trip,

 

[mrsflynnrider]

I would just like to comment on this thread. I am a new poster to the Dis but have been a lurker for years. But I was an avid poster on WDWMAGIC for years. It got very negative over there and it started to bum me out so I decided to join over here. I still love WDWmagic, just needed to hear more positive about a place I love! So HI!!!!
First, I think it is obvious to everyone that you had a very disappointing trip and that can be a very emotional experience, especially when we have Disney built up in our heads to be such a magical place. The problem is you came back and joined the Dis in November, right after your trip and posted a pretty awful review of Disney on a site dedicated to Disney fans! You may has well called someones baby ugly....lol!!!! Second, many posters probably feel that if you had joined the Dis and got involved here before your trip you would have had more than enough great information and tips to have a successful trip.

OK......regardless, she spent a lot of money for a vacation and it was bad. Exaggerated or not, it sounds bad. For that I feel so bad and we all should. But not because we feel the need to defend Disney, but because it is a magical place and we want everyone to love it as much as we do. This forum is for a family of people who share a love for Disney and there are always going to be bad experiences as well as good. Disney has changed a lot and making money has become the elephant in the room. But it is still a business and some of the changes they make may not appeal to our funloving Disney side. But on the upside, some of the changes will add to our experience. And everyone can agree that the crowds are way worse than they use to be. Probably because the Dis caught on and made everyone DISNEY OBSESSED (which I am as well and LOVE IT)!!!!! LOL.

I hope you stay active on the board and give Disney another chance. I look forward to hearing about your next trip and if you fall in love with Disney again. I would also like to hear more about this trip, maybe in a trip report. Your experience could help a lot of readers. I haven't used the Magicbands yet I have heard mixed reviews. I also am scared of the new fastpass system! I definately need to do some research before my trip. There are so many great additions in the future that I cannot wait to see....Avatarland and a DHS refurb. And if I may suggest, check out some of the blogs out there as well. I love Disney Tourist Blog. Tom and Sarah Bricker are a well known name (WDWFIGMENT over on WDWmagic) and there blog is full of great posts, tips, trip reports and awesome pictures! And he addresses all the issues you just had on your trip. There are others out there too, but I really enjoy that one. Again, I feel bad. I had a bad trip in 2007, shook it off and went back in 2008 and had such a great trip! Of course I splurged and stayed at the Poly for 10 days....so that helped!!!! But I have been back every year and am getting ready for my first January trip in 2014! Even though I will miss out on the warmer weather, I hear the crowds are awesome!

So that is my "short" post. I hope you enjoyed following along and stay tuned for my next post....oh wait that is a trip report! HAHAHA

 

[HippieChickadee]

I was at the party on Halloween night. I had my issues with typical "rude people" syndrome, but we really enjoyed our night. Got on lots of rides without waiting longer then 10 minutes, saw the parade from a nice spot and got tons of candy.

Sorry you didn't have the same experience. Must have been at the wrong spots at the wrong times

 

[PinkiePie Cupcake]

I'm a die hard fan--20+ trips and I see where the op is coming from. Used to be that a newbie could arrive with no knowledge of the parks, grab a map and have a great day.

Now a person arrives with no advance planning at their peril. I'm trying these new bands beginning tomorrow. I'm also canadian and they are being shipped to my hotel. They don't get shipped to canada. I'm reserving judgement.

My mom spoke with the travel agent on the phone multiple times, even up to, basically, when we left. The package was picked-up at CAA (which is the Canadian AAA) and the travel agent there didn't say anything about the bands either (but I'm guessing it's because Disney did not inform them as well).
Since we neither were informed about them, nor received them with the package, we had no way of even pre-booking any fast-passes to begin with. And if this is common for residents outside of the USA, than that's completely unfair

I do believe that it has become near impossible to have a great disney day without planning. I don't see this as progress. All of us on these boards like to plan and I'll even venture to say that for many. Of us disney is a hobby much like stamp collecting or scrap booking. Others figure they've booked a trip, they take a look at their travel pack and they'll be good to go. Not so anymore and I think that's too bad.

When I hear someone is heading to wdw I always try to encourage them to plan. Most people cannot even wrap their minds around what needs to be done. Adrs 180 days out, fast pass plus, magic bands. Most people just don't get it. Not their fault either. I think the planning had gotten ridiculous.

That's the impression I'm getting here, but I doubt the majority of people who visit Disney, myself included, do not think "Disney" as much as the people here do.
For me, this was a vacation, I didn't except a figurative essay was necessary to have fun at a Disney park....

I wouldn't expect your package info to say anything about Magic Bands since they are still in the testing phase and not an part of a package just yet. What I was wondering was if you had received an invite to participate in the test. Most people have been able to customize their band because they were invited, or they just checked on their own through MDE on the WDW website and found they were able too. Maybe because they don't ship to Canada you weren't actually invited. When you checked in they should have told you it was optional to use them.

We didn't receive an invite

I still have to wonder if you checked out the WDW website at all? If you look at POR and price rooms, you will see different levels of Royal Rooms based on the view. It sounds like you got a standard view. (We had a standard view club level room and it was of rooftops because it was the lowest price of the club level choices). Granted the pics do show a bed that is more made up, but I believe that the resorts have sinced changed to a more modern looking decor. When we stayed at BC we saw that it did look like a sheet on the bed, but it was actually the top cover, and there were covers underneath. Anyway I digress.

We did, and I just re-checked the site and they still don't list "parking lot" as a possible view for a Royal Room, unless "Landscaping" is a euphemism for it. All the rooms are shown as looking identical, as well, whereas we didn't have a comforter (and only one long pillow) but we saw that there were other Royal rooms, in the front and side, that were made-up as shown.

Like I said, had we known that "back of building" or "parking lot" and "only some rooms will look as advertised" we NEVER would have paid for a Royal room, but that is not what they advertised and certainly not what we were told by Disney

I am sorry you had such a bad time, and there are things that could have been handled better by the Disney CMs, but I still don't think you can totally blame Disney for your own lack of prep for your trip. You can't really expect Disney to tell you every single detail,

This is not a mere detail, suddenly changing your rooms, and not informing customers of crucial changes that will affect their entire stay (like the bands) as well as not even SENDING the bands until two days into the trip is horrible customer service.

I find all this blatant defending, here, of a multi-billion dollar companies shady policies to be nauseating

what may have changed since you last were there. You have to take some personal responsibility when planning your vacation. Also, you say you booked through Disney, did you just call the number or did you actually hire a travel agent to make your plans? If its the latter I get why you would be upset, if you just called to book through Disney directly then I don't.

It was both done through Disney directly, and through their affiliates at a CAA (Canadian AAA) travel office near us. None of it was done online but directly through agents

I'm not usually one to comment on threads like this but these three things are not sitting well with me.

I'm trying to figure out when it became Disney's job to tell you about all the changes that have occurred between your trips. I take a trip to Disney every year and have done so since I was 3. There have been changes in between each of our trips. Should Disney have contacted us each year to tell us about said changes? As a frequent Disney traveler I make it MY job to be well informed and keep up on the changes that are occurring.

Disney doesn't have to contact you, but if you're booking THROUGH them they should at least bring it up, I mean they have no problem pitching things to people to buy but suddenly get quite when it comes to something that you need to know about, prior, to enjoy your vacation?...
Oh right, because they don't profit off of your enjoyment, once the checks are signed and sent their job is done

How on earth is Disney supposed to know how their guests are going to feel about a new system unless they let us test them? Who do you suggest should be testing them? With their guests trying them out we get to give them feedback on what we like and dislike about them so when they are rolled out 100% they can work out kinks and make the product even better. And I was invited to test it, I didn't have to but because I know that it's going to be something that's going to impact every Disney trip from now on I wanted to test it and get to know how it works.

The multi-billion dollar company can afford to send people on pre-paid vacations to test their new systems and provide feedback, only than, when all the kinks are sorted out, should it be made available to paying guests

And this last one is killing me. Have you learned nothing from Walt? He said that adults are only kids grown up anyway. I understand that you shouldn't stand in front of a child who wants to see the parade. But I also wouldn't appreciate someone shoving their child in front of me if I couldn't see over them.

The parades are NOT just "children's parades" as you have said. They are for everyone who is at the park. Often times I find that I am more excited for a parade than the children around me. Adults can have a deep love for the parade too.

You're talking to an adult called "Pinkie Pie" who is dressed *as* Pinkie, so I totally get that adults can love things that are made for kids.
ftr, I'm not suggesting someone shove their children to the front, I believe this should be regulate by the cast members who are patrolling the streets; the front row should be for kids and people in wheelchairs only

If the children or children's parents cared about the parade viewing they should have got their butts to the curb earlier. :/

This is a really cold thing to say. Maybe they did try to get to the parade, but the crowd was blocking the way, or a child had to use the restroom, etc.

Are you serious? She said there's kids taller then her...if they're taller then her and they stand behind her they can see..if I was standing in front of someone shorter than me (.doesn't matter how old) I'd let them go in front of me. And if its a tradition to watch the parade, just because you're not a kid anymore doesnt mean you should stop

I get that some people are shorter, some people are even literal dwarfs, but there's got to be a time when you acknowledge that you're an adult, which means you don't try to compete with children because it's...pathetic

Exactly. Disney is a place where adults can be kids!

Of course, but no need to ruin a kids dreams because you want to have fun

Do not have enough time on lunch to read this whole thread, but the parades are not just ment for children! If so why we're you watching

I didn't say I dislike kid things, but I know that them being in the front and closer to the characters is more important to them than it is to us (for them, these are real characters, not mere actors playing dress-up); that's why I happily stand behind any child at a parade, and have given my spots up for them on a number of occasions

 

[Ofinn]

Sorry you had a bad experience. Op you have to understand people on these boards are Disney obsessed, and they think anyone that goes to WDW without spending hours and hours researching and reading the disboards is an idiot. Sorry some people are so hard on you. You should be able to call the reservation line ask questions and get the answers you need. Unfortunately the CM's are so poorly trained and uninformed it's impossible to plan a trip off information they give you.

I have been to WDW many times I have had good trips and bad ones. Disney sometimes drops the ball. They should have informed you about the magic bands before your arrival. A paying guest should not have to resort to a message board to get information about something that simple. They should not false advertise on their website. The pictures should look like what they are selling. We went to MNSSHP and I thought it was a huge waste of money. Never again. Some people like it, but I wasn't one of them. Hopefully your next trip will be better.

I agree with you about giving your spot up for the kids. It's ridiculous to see adults behaving like children over people dressed up in silly costumes.

Another thing you will learn for from these boards is not to say anything bad about Disney. People take it real personally. You would be better off insulting their first born child than insult Disney.

 

[wiigirl]

I was at the party on Halloween night. I had my issues with typical "rude people" syndrome, but we really enjoyed our night. Got on lots of rides without waiting longer then 10 minutes, saw the parade from a nice spot and got tons of candy.

Sorry you didn't have the same experience. Must have been at the wrong spots at the wrong times

My experience also...

 

[Disney38Girl]

They only thing that I want to comment on is the CM's that are working parade control. I have personally worked those shifts. It is literally impossible to police guests in the way you are suggesting OP, even if we had a kids-up-front policy. If we did attempt to do this, we probably wouldn't be met with smiles and polite "ok, no problems". It would be met with "we got here first, tough cookies" or "what are you gonna do about it" and way, way worse (think physical violence). We are there to keep guests and the performers safe. And that was a chore in and of itself most days.

 

[Bethpremier]

Ill say it since I havent seen anyone else mention it.

I blame the magic band misinformation or lack thereof on your travel agent. They knew. They should have known. Makes me wonder how CAA informs their staff. Disney has sent numerous information to all agents preparing them for the changes since this past summer on Magic Bands including a special learning class in their Disney School of Knowledge. Thats one of the points of a travel agent, yes? To be the eyes and "ears" of a guest so they can have full knowledge of the location before their arrival.

Thats why its best to go with an agency that specializes in Disney travel.

MB was totally not your fault by any means. I think for some DISers its hard to understand not knowing "everything about everything" before you arrive because they spend alot of time on these boards. I know some things about attractions at Disney I wish I didnt know.

However, its still a great place to gather info and hope you will continue to use these boards in the future. There are some wonderful trip and event reviews that are priceless for us all.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I get that some people are shorter, some people are even literal dwarfs, but there's got to be a time when you acknowledge that you're an adult, which means you don't try to compete with children because it's...pathetic

Of course, but no need to ruin a kids dreams because you want to have fun

I'm really not one to argue, but this is just really bothering me.
1. So you're saying if there's a dwarf who really wants to see the parade, its their first time let's say. Theyve been sitting in their spot for an hour before the parade starts. But oh, because they're an adult they can't see the parade?
2. It's going to be my first time going to Disney. Are you saying I can't get a good view of the parade so kids (some who have seen it multiple times) can watch it? Yes, I would like to have fun on my vacation im paying lots of money for. Do I plan on ruining it for kids? No. But I (adults) have just as much of a right to see the parade as anyone else. I don't plan on standing in front of kids, no.

 

[foodrocksluver]

The multi-billion dollar company can afford to send people on pre-paid vacations to test their new systems and provide feedback, only than, when all the kinks are sorted out, should it be made available to paying guests


You're talking to an adult called "Pinkie Pie" who is dressed *as* Pinkie, so I totally get that adults can love things that are made for kids.
ftr, I'm not suggesting someone shove their children to the front, I believe this should be regulate by the cast members who are patrolling the streets; the front row should be for kids and people in wheelchairs only

I will not ever agree with the first comment here. My family is DVC which means that I will be going to WDW for a long time to come with my future family. We need to test them, we need to give feedback. How many families do you expect them to send on these "free trips"? Are they people who have been there before? Are they people who will never go again?

Why shouldn't those of us who go often get to test something that will impact our trips for years to come? If you're so against testing them then why didn't you say "No thanks, I'm not interested in participating in the test?"

You're complaining about not knowing about something but then you turn around and whine about how you shouldn't even be testing it in the first place.

And as far as the parade comment goes: you need to go back and reread what you said to that lady that is 5'1" and can't see over many people. You basically told her she's "competing with CHILDREN to view a children's parade". If she got there an hour before the parade starts to make sure she has a nice view than what's wrong with that? Should my 69 year old mother who is about 5'2" allow kids who tower over her to go to the front? She's shorter than them just like the PP so obviously they are going to be able to see.


WAIT...I just saw your comment about "competing with children" and being "pathetic". How do you know adults aren't there for their first time? How do you know they aren't ill and it was their dream to go to WDW one last time? I LOVE kids but there are other circumstances that you aren't thinking about.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I plan on riding Dumbo. Am I ruining the kids time because they might need to wait an extra few minutes to ride if I was in front of them..?

 

[amberg93]

You know what? You're being really cruel to adults who love parades.

Yes, if I was standing, I'd let kids in front of me and know what? I was in a wheelchair last trip and I offered kids to sit in front of me because I was sitting pretty high and I didn't want to block them.

But last year, I went for the first time and guess what? I sat down on the curb for the parades. It was my first time and kids could easily see over me if they were standing or (as they were more often) still in their strollers. I never got any complaints.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

You know what? You're being really cruel to adults who love parades.

Yes, if I was standing, I'd let kids in front of me and know what? I was in a wheelchair last trip and I offered kids to sit in front of me because I was sitting pretty high and I didn't want to block them.

But last year, I went for the first time and guess what? I sat down on the curb for the parades. It was my first time and kids could easily see over me if they were standing or (as they were more often) still in their strollers. I never got any complaints.

Yeah if I was on the front row, I'd probably just sit down...

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I think you were at the same party Halloween Party Juan was at. Was it smellier than usual too?


I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. Hopefully you will give WDW another chance and it will be magical as ever!

 

[Chuck S]

I have to wonder whether the OP had an email address on file with Disney. I swear, I've received nearly 15 emails from Disney about magic bands, MyDisneyExperience.com and FP+ for my trip (flying out tomorrow ) I started getting these things around October 27th.

 

[Minniesgal]

The lady at our resort check-in said that we should have gotten them sent to our homes, since we're Canadian. Disney sent us a package full of information but said NOTHING about the Magic Bands An expansion would help a lot; all I saw them building was the dwarf ride though. Another good idea would be to keep the parks open later than they are (except for Animal Kingdom, because of the animals well being) opps, sorry for daring to blame a multi-billion dollar corporation for not informing their customers of crucial changes and wanting them to send the necessary bands we required on time, it's clearly our fault for not doing THEIR job for them... I never said it was; I stated I went on four rides and listed Soarin after the 3 I listed we went on at Magic Kingdom My mom booked the vacation through Disney travel directly, DisneyParks I'm so sorry that happened to you. Things like this is exactly why they need to have staff regulating these things, because there are too many people like this that are shamelessly out for themselves. And cast members who can't deal with needed confrontation should not apply This is exactly what I meant by them being poorly organized. I strongly dislike that they're using paying costumers as guinea pigs in their new experiment We're waiting to see if they'll respond back to the survey my mom did for them, so we'll see how that goes, but right now, we are pretty livid with them Are you seriously saying you're competing with CHILDREN to view a children's parade? Really? This is so... I would have been frightened to say something to them, these guys were burly 6 foot plus men. I just don't think it's unreasonable to expect a cast member to use their authority to ensure kids can view the parade. In Toronto, they do the national Santa Clause parade annually, and the staff ensures the front row is for kids, because...the parade is *for* kids, just like Disney is. Don't get me wrong, I'm an adult and love a lot of kids stuff too, but I will not ruin a child's day for my own benefit Thank you Honestly, I wasn't even complaining about the regular crowd increase, just the over-selling of the party tickets. However, I do think Disney can do A LOT more to cater to the growing crowds, like expanding attractions and keeping the parks (outside of Animal Kingdom) open a few hours longer. They're a mega rich company, they can afford it We went on Soarin on a different day, I apologize if I was not being specific. My reply was about how many rides we went on at, Disney, not just the Magic Kingdom. But I do think one of the biggest reasons their line rides are so long is because they simply don't have many rides to accommodate the number of people that come to their parks We're not complaining about outside incidents, this is about totally preventable problems that Disney could have prevented. We're mad at their lack of communication, the disorganization, the over selling, the reduction in quality (but not prices!) and the general cheapness of the corporation that makes BILLIONS. I don't hate Disney, I hate what they've become and I can't say I'd want to continue lining the pockets of their big wigs while they continue to treat their costumers as if they're disposable

Disney are not sending magic bands to Canada they have to be picked up in resort. The CMs should have known that on check in.

 

[SoarinSC]

Sorry the trip was less than happy. As far as the crowds at MNSSHP on Halloween night...I mean it's Halloween Night. And call me jaded, but I'm no longer surprised by how rude some people are...just roll with it as best as possible...because I run into plenty of nice people too. So it all evens out.