Why SO Many Complaints?

[RayaniFoxmur]

And Disney very much wants to meet and exceed that expectation. However, I think it also needs to be said that Disney doesn't create 100% of the magic. Some of that has to come from you too. You either decide to have a great vacation or you decide not to -- and that's true wherever you go and however much money you spend.

If you decide that you're going to have a great vacation in your backyard, sitting in a kiddie pool with a glass of wine, watching your kids play in the sprinkler and listening to CDs of French accordian music and making believe you're on the Riviera, then I guarantee you that you will have a great vacation. If you decide that you're going to have a lousy time at WDW staying at the Grand FL and having a VIP guide every day and eating at California Grill while watching Wishes, then I guarantee that you will have a lousy vacation. Disney is not 100% responsible for you having a great vacation. You hold some responsibility there as well.

My biggest worry with all the complaining and back-and-forth discussions about the cuts and the economy is that people will walk into WDW EXPECTING to be unhappy. They will EXPECT their trip to be less than the last one. They won't go in thinking, "I'm going to have a great Disney vacation with my family!", they're going to go in thinking, "Oh man ... Disney's cutting back and that's SO going to spoil this trip." It's up to you to decide whether you still get your money's worth from WDW even without Fant! every night or three concierges at the desk or 45 characters on the street instead of 48. And if the value isn't there for you, then please do complain to Disney. Ask for your money back. Cancel your next trip. Stop buying the DVDs. Whatever you need to do to let Disney know. But if you do still have a magical time and you enjoy yourself and you find that it was just as great a vacation as last time, let people know that too.

 

[psindone]

During these hard economic times everyone and every business is feeling the pinch. Disney is no different. We are vacation club members who try to go to Disney as much as we can. We were at Disney in January and did not see any difference, however I know that now they are cutting back on parades and other shows. I'm just happy that they still are having any parades and shows. If they had to cut them all together that would be sad...... Disney has been a wonderful place that I took my children to when they were young and have memories that will last a lifetime. So far for me I can say that Disney has never dissappointed me and I will continue to return for as long as I can. To all the people who don't feel that they are getting enough for their money, maybe it's time to find another vacation spot, that will leave the parks and little less crowded for everyone else.

 

[mmtska]

I guess I can see both sides. I love Disney and get teased about the fact that I'm a 29 year old woman that still loves 'kids' stuff. Ok I do. And when I go to a park that is Disney, I want to feel the magic. It gets hard when you pay more, get less and it SUCKS. It does! End of story. But it's also what you make of it. You want to go to WDW, you have to pay the money. But it's how you act when you get there. Attitude is everything. In today's world you still get what you paid for, but because it costs businesses more to provide that service, you get less, you get what they can afford to provide. So a few years ago Disney could afford to provide you with A, B, C and D. Well this year they can only afford A, B and C. You pay for A, B, and C now-that's what you get. They don't pretend to have D around. Maybe next year they can provide just A and B-that's what you'll pay for. Stinks.....but welcome to the crud we call the economy.

 

[CTH3]

I'm saying your paying for a Disney Vacation. jsut like anyone else.
It doens't matter how much you pay. You get what Disney offers.
Paying more doesn't entitle you to get a show or attraction when you think it should be.
When you walk through the gate your as entitled to what Disney offers equally. No more than anyone who spend the bare mimimum.
Just because you've been there before and it was there doesn't mean it has to be there when you come back. Or it's less of a vacation. It's a different vacation. Different Experience each time.
To complain because it's a different schedule or if it's on one night not another? That's complaining because you think your entitled.

And with that I agree. I apologize that I misunderstood your meaning.

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

Really? I just paid $3500 for a vacation and I'm not entitled to anything? I should consider myself fortunate if Disney gives me anything for my $3500? Is that really what you're saying? If not, then...what are you saying?

For 3500 dollars you are entitled to stay on Disney property, go to the parks, and have as much fun as you desire to have. You are entitled to enjoy yourself and have CMs that are happy to see you there. But past that, I fail to see what else you would be entitled to exactly. There may be some expectations of what Disney should provide, but it certainly is not something anyone is entitled to.

 

[styron]

I guess I can see both sides. I love Disney and get teased about the fact that I'm a 29 year old woman that still loves 'kids' stuff. Ok I do. And when I go to a park that is Disney, I want to feel the magic. It gets hard when you pay more, get less and it SUCKS. It does! End of story. But it's also what you make of it. You want to go to WDW, you have to pay the money. But it's how you act when you get there. Attitude is everything. In today's world you still get what you paid for, but because it costs businesses more to provide that service, you get less, you get what they can afford to provide. So a few years ago Disney could afford to provide you with A, B, C and D. Well this year they can only afford A, B and C. You pay for A, B, and C now-that's what you get. They don't pretend to have D around. Maybe next year they can provide just A and B-that's what you'll pay for. Stinks.....but welcome to the crud we call the economy.

What a GREAT post this is!

 

[jm106]

When I go to the World I have certain expectations to see shows, rides, good food, general entertainment and I expect to get what I pay for. ......

But it will still, in the end, be a mutually successful business transaction, not a "blessing" from Disney.

[/QUOTE]

And You will get what you paid for, a trip to disney world, a nice hotel, a meal... but you are not contracting specific entertainment or a certain number of employed cast members(who by the way I am sure would love to be guaranteed a job and be there to service all of us and not concerned about unemployment). I have never seen disney commit to keep things the same forever and ever. Otherwise you also wouldnt have a chance to see and do new shows, and other attractions they add for your enjoyment. You will get to do and see all of the things on you list "shows, rides, good food, general entertainment"
No Disney isnt blessing you, and we all work to afford our trips, but some of us do feel blessed or lucky, if you prefer, grateful... to have a job to go to everyday which is how we pay for the trip. If I didnt still have my job, I would be at home, looking for work, cutting my own budget not in DIsney next month. That is a blessing to me, not a disney blessing just a blessing.

 

[joestein]

I would just hope that people here can understand that there is no "magic" that can protect WDW from the recession, and it's extrememly selfish and unrealistic of them to expect the exact same thing at the exact same price they got before these hard times. Is the "magic" really ruined because of these small changes?

:

Why shouldn't we expect the same service for the same price?

I am saying at a DVC resort 5/2 -5/9 and using the remaining days from the non-expiring tickets we bought for our last trip. I am not getting any discount, and I don't want to deal with large crowds. Thats why we go in May. I am not sure how to define the "magic", but I know that if there is limited entertainment (like Fantasmic & Spectromagic only twice a week) many more guests than usual will show up, and it will be difficult to view, without "reserving" a spot far in advance. If i have to line up an hour before a show or parade to see it, or wait an hour on line for a ride, my vacation is anything but magical. The ease of which I can get on rides or see shows makes all the difference.

As I stay at DVCthrough an exchange and I have already paid for my airline tickets, canceling is not an option. Now, Universal sent me a free one week ticket and offered to sell me more at $99 apiece. That means $300 for my family to tickets to Universal for the week, which my kids have never been at and I haven't been to since 2000, versus Disney which we visited in 2007 and 2008.

I am going to monitor the boards closely for the next couple of weeks, if I still feel that it will be more crowded than normal, we are going to Universal instead, cancel the dining plan and eat most of our meals offsite. We will save the tickets for another year.

Disney usually does provide a nice vacation, but they are GOUGERS! They just keep pushing and pushing with their prices. I will not give them any money unless they provide me with what I expect. Anyone who doesn't think so should take off their disney colored glasses, which way too many people have here.

 

[topmonkeygirl]

And You will get what you paid for, a trip to disney world, a nice hotel, a meal... but you are not contracting specific entertainment or a certain number of employed cast members(who by the way I am sure would love to be guaranteed a job and be there to service all of us and not concerned about unemployment). I have never seen disney commit to keep things the same forever and ever. Otherwise you also wouldnt have a chance to see and do new shows, and other attractions they add for your enjoyment. You will get to do and see all of the things on you list "shows, rides, good food, general entertainment"
No Disney isnt blessing you, and we all work to afford our trips, but some of us do feel blessed or lucky, if you prefer, grateful... to have a job to go to everyday which is how we pay for the trip. If I didnt still have my job, I would be at home, looking for work, cutting my own budget not in DIsney next month. That is a blessing to me, not a disney blessing just a blessing.[/

I work retail and the amount of money we make defines how many hours our store gets, that being said if there is a line to the doors at the counter service restaurants then they need to have all lines open to better serve the public.

What is the reasoning behind having certain attractions open seasonally? Like the Carosel. Which is one of my favs. This was Walt's pride and joy, it's not important enough to have it running all of the time?

Why can't they get that stupid yeti running right most of the time? I hear more complaints about that dump thing.

It's like the park has gone down hill with things that they can't fix or don't care about and that leaves me feeling like they don't care about their consumers.

Alot of talk of how they have cut back on the parades and firework shows, well in the off time they do that. When summer hits the shows will probably be back to every night. I understand that.

Don't get me wrong I do feel grateful that I get to go but blessed no.

 

[dawgsgirl]

Ok, I have not read this whole thread. I know the economy is rough and that any trip is what you make of it. I guess my problem is that things have been going downhill at WDW for awhile now, even before the economy took a dive south. I am worried that now, since they have an excuse, things will really suffer. I have trips planned in May and June and will be very interested to see how things are going!

 

[jm106]

I work in service industry and when we are slow(now) things get cut and unfortunately for us the cuts are coming from our pockets first(employees, pay/hours cut and or commission cuts). But there will be other things that need to get cut, and that would be what we consider extras, but our clients have come to know as normal and expected. We still give 110% customer service, but we may not be able to staff as many ppl, so things run slower and the consumer is affected. We may have to stop offering specialty coffee or WiFi, maybe we need to update but can hold off a bit longer. Doesnt mean that what the consumer is paying for is cut, which is the service but they will probably feel it is since they do come to expect the whole package.

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

I work retail and the amount of money we make defines how many hours our store gets, that being said if there is a line to the doors at the counter service restaurants then they need to have all lines open to better serve the public.

What is the reasoning behind having certain attractions open seasonally? Like the Carosel. Which is one of my favs. This was Walt's pride and joy, it's not important enough to have it running all of the time?

Why can't they get that stupid yeti running right most of the time? I hear more complaints about that dump thing.

It's like the park has gone down hill with things that they can't fix or don't care about and that leaves me feeling like they don't care about their consumers.

Alot of talk of how they have cut back on the parades and firework shows, well in the off time they do that. When summer hits the shows will probably be back to every night. I understand that.

Don't get me wrong I do feel grateful that I get to go but blessed no.

Carousel of Progress doesn't run seasonally as far as I know it's open even in the slowest of times. In fact there's not much at this point that does only run seasonally.

The Yeti has cracks in the foundation from the way it was intended to run. It would need an extensive rehab to fix, and is not something that is absolutely necessary at this time.

There actually is very good reasons for things being closed, even if we as consumers don't understand them. Disney isn't the type of company to just go "Oh, what shall we close today? I think we'll close _______ just for the heck of it!". I'm not asking for blind faith in some of the things that Disney does, but please know that there is reasoning for why they do things the way that they do.

Honestly the people in the park or the park being crowded excuses are getting on my last nerve. Yes, people are in the park. NO they are not spending money!! About the only thing that has hit it's projected numbers right now is Food and Beverage, most other things are below. Are people there? Yes, but they're not spending the way they used to. It's one special thing or two special things instead of a suitcase full of product as an example.

If you're unhappy with the product that Disney is currently putting out, don't consume the product. It really is as simple as that.

 

[tinksgilrs251520]

I am going to Disney regardless of what they are cutting when we getthere and i see show schedules that is when we make plans if you are ticked becuase you cant have your days planned well i guess thats what its is...
IT IS WHAT IT IS ...... SO what if they only run 1 or 2 parades a day , so what if they run Fantasmic 2 or three days then plan when you get there so yo know what is running and not running ... We went in 07 and the haunted mansion was closed for refurb but we did not let that ruin our vacation we just said we will see next time.... If you we all are cutting costs the it should be a no brainer.... If you get crappy attitudes from a CM then go to guest relations tell them the name os that Cm and make a complaint but if you choose not to then you have no room to complain... Its like when you stay in a hotel and the room next to you is loud call to the front and tell them right away... They cant do anything 4 dyas later.... And if you dont want to go to disney when they are cutting back then wait and go when things are better , which i hope is soon..... And as for magic DEFINE IT its what YOU make it.....

 

[twokids0204]

OK **Deep breaths** now folks...

Don't we all feel better, we got that off our chests.

Now let's move on.

I vote we close this thread!!!

 

[tinksgilrs251520]

me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i second that

 

[SuperTink]

I would just hope that people here can understand that there is no "magic" that can protect WDW from the recession, and it's extrememly selfish and unrealistic of them to expect the exact same thing at the exact same price they got before these hard times.

Weren't prices also raised from last year to this year? So why wouldn't someone expect the same rate of return?

 

[saratogadreamin09]

I am going to Disney regardless of what they are cutting when we getthere and i see show schedules that is when we make plans if you are ticked becuase you cant have your days planned well i guess thats what its is...
IT IS WHAT IT IS ...... SO what if they only run 1 or 2 parades a day , so what if they run Fantasmic 2 or three days then plan when you get there so yo know what is running and not running ... We went in 07 and the haunted mansion was closed for refurb but we did not let that ruin our vacation we just said we will see next time.... If you we all are cutting costs the it should be a no brainer.... If you get crappy attitudes from a CM then go to guest relations tell them the name os that Cm and make a complaint but if you choose not to then you have no room to complain... Its like when you stay in a hotel and the room next to you is loud call to the front and tell them right away... They cant do anything 4 dyas later.... And if you dont want to go to disney when they are cutting back then wait and go when things are better , which i hope is soon..... And as for magic DEFINE IT its what YOU make it.....

 

[darlak]

I, as all of us here, love WDW. This September will be my 4th trip there in the past year. So far, I still feel the magic every trip and I’ve never been disappointed in any of my WDW vacations.

However, WDW is in the industry of providing a non-essential service. As such, they and other providers of luxury services such as vacation locations must compete even more vigorously for dwindling expendable dollars in today’s tough economy. I believe Disney recognizes this, as is evidenced by their most recent promotion of the 4/3 deal and the fact that they choose to advertise, for the first time (I think), the free dining deal on national television.

I believe that WDW must strive to continue to provide the same level of service they have in the past if they hope to continue to compete for expendable dollars that may have been harder to earn this year and, in these uncertain economic times, are almost certainly harder to part with.

WDW is a business and I, as a consumer, have every right to voice my dissatisfaction, if at any point, I become dissatisfied with the vacation I have purchased from them. We all have the right to take our money elsewhere of course, but before that point, doesn’t it make sense to voice our dissatisfaction directly to the service provider?

I will never understand why so many posters take it so personally when anyone voices any dissatisfaction with WDW!

 

[KigerKat]

I will never understand why so many posters take it so personally when anyone voices any dissatisfaction with WDW!

There's a big difference in saying "I'm disappointed that they have cut the Fantasmic! schedule down to one show a week" and implying that despite the economy, Disney should not sacrifice one iota of "magic" they have provided over the years and expect nothing to change at Disney at all. And let's face it, a lot of the people expressing their dissatisfaction here are coming across as feeling entitled to all these things Disney has cut back on. Maybe they don't mean to, but that is how I am reading it.

I'm sure it states somewhere in the fine print of everyone's reservation that Disney reserves the right to alter or cancel attractions at any time, with or without notice and that guests understand and agree those terms when they book their vacations.

And has anyone thought that perhaps these "cuts" are only temporary? I have a feeling when the economy improves, Disney will be able to bring back some of the things they could not afford to keep during these hard times. It may be several years and Disney may make several more cuts before then, but I have to believe that they know people are disappointed and they want to bring these things back as soon as they can.

 

[disneybridetobe]

There's a big difference in saying "I'm disappointed that they have cut the Fantasmic! schedule down to one show a week" and implying that despite the economy, Disney should not sacrifice one iota of "magic" they have provided over the years and expect nothing to change at Disney at all. And let's face it, a lot of the people expressing their dissatisfaction here are coming across as feeling entitled to all these things Disney has cut back on. Maybe they don't mean to, but that is how I am reading it.

I'm sure it states somewhere in the fine print of everyone's reservation that Disney reserves the right to alter or cancel attractions at any time, with or without notice and that guests understand and agree those terms when they book their vacations.

And has anyone thought that perhaps these "cuts" are only temporary? I have a feeling when the economy improves, Disney will be able to bring back some of the things they could not afford to keep during these hard times. It may be several years and Disney may make several more cuts before then, but I have to believe that they know people are disappointed and they want to bring these things back as soon as they can.

Well, yea! ITA. I don't doubt for a second that these cuts are temporary. The economy *will* recover. Disney *will* recover. Most of our finances *will* recover. I'm not going into this trip thinking "OMG! This is going to be the best most magical trip EVER!" and expect soup to nuts, 5-star treatment. Because it won't be. BUT it'll be a darn good vacation because I'll be at Disney in the warm Florida sunshine with my family. It also won't be our last trip!