Wrote a negative Trip Advisor review (Coronado) about my stay, CS told me to stay somewhere else...

[BuckeyeBama]

Mentioning the buttons on the phone is patronizing and intended to be snark. It adds no other value. It is insulting.

Same applies to the comments about staying elsewhere. It adds no value. It is purely meant to deflect from the deficiencies reported.

You guys can defend the response if you wish, but someone working for my company would get fired for saying something like that in that setting.

 

[MDIME]

Just to point out, this wasn't an email directly to the OP. This was a public post on a travel website. The vendor's response is more likely intended to counter negative reviews for others reading them, not necessarily to placate a disappointed customer who chose to make a negative public review rather than address their concerns directly through the vendor. It would be an inappropriate direct response if emailed from the resort to the OP; however it is intended for general public viewing.

Exactly! I own a vacation rental and list it on VRBO. We have always been advised to write our responses to reviews (good or bad) for future guests. I feel Disney did that, as they should. OP, sorry you did not have a great experience. It seems that not receiving a connecting room soured your mood for the rest of the stay. When we feel angry or frustrated, it doesn’t make much for us to see other things that also cause irritation.

 

[cobright]

Having read both sides of the exchange, I think the OP overplayed the complaint just slightly in an otherwise fair review. And I think the response was fair, if matter of fact, and polite, if a little cool.

So... only a couple things on the OP side:

1. When you "know you don’t always get what you ask for" then you don't complain when you don't get what you ask for. You're faulting the hotel for something even while acknowleging that the hotel was living up to its end of that bargain.
2. Accusing the hotel of dishonesty over being told the middle room had been booked. First, whether or not it had been booked doesn't matter, you're not entitled to it even if it were empty. It would be great if they could have swung something but not every rain can be pixie dust. Second, booked rooms go empty all the time. A lot of rooms booked for employees of a business will go empty as employees pair up for late night team-building activities and the like.
3. Complaining about the décor is another one of those things that's both fair and pointless. Like the people who leave negative reviews of the Willis tower because they liked the name Sears Tower better. While I actually agree that the post-refurb Coronado décor is lousy, that's feedback I make directly to the resort.

That said ... I have had a dirty room once or twice. There's a little bit of righteous indignation available to you because these rooms really aren't cheap. And... I too found the overall state of Coronado a little run down in some places (and this was pre-pandemic). I don't think there was anything in the OP review that was completely unfair, but these are some tricky times and a lot of people, guest and cast, are strung pretty tight.

There's an unwritten rule when dealing with a business that has fallen short. You set your expectations to 'reasonable' and if they are not met you give the business an opportunity to make it right before making a public complaint. I've been given a dirty room a few times, it's one of those things; they'll send someone to fix it. If you don't want to wait so you clean up yourself, factoring that into a review seems like piling on.

 

[stlrod]

I can see why you would think that it is snarky. Most responses are generally, please try us again. I did that once after giving a restaurant a poor review that charged about $60pp for a brunch and they called me to set up a date and time to come back. Second time around, service and table location were better but definitely not by much. I guess I was expecting a drink or dessert on the house. Nada. No subsequent review, just won't visit again.

 

[Farro]

Having read both sides of the exchange, I think the OP overplayed the complaint just slightly in an otherwise fair review. And I think the response was fair, if matter of fact, and polite, if a little cool.

So... only a couple things on the OP side:

1. When you "know you don’t always get what you ask for" then you don't complain when you don't get what you ask for. You're faulting the hotel for something even while acknowleging that the hotel was living up to its end of that bargain.
2. Accusing the hotel of dishonesty over being told the middle room had been booked. First, whether or not it had been booked doesn't matter, you're not entitled to it even if it were empty. It would be great if they could have swung something but not every rain can be pixie dust. Second, booked rooms go empty all the time. A lot of rooms booked for employees of a business will go empty as employees pair up for late night team-building activities and the like.
3. Complaining about the décor is another one of those things that's both fair and pointless. Like the people who leave negative reviews of the Willis tower because they liked the name Sears Tower better. While I actually agree that the post-refurb Coronado décor is lousy, that's feedback I make directly to the resort.

That said ... I have had a dirty room once or twice. There's a little bit of righteous indignation available to you because these rooms really aren't cheap. And... I too found the overall state of Coronado a little run down in some places (and this was pre-pandemic). I don't think there was anything in the OP review that was completely unfair, but these are some tricky times and a lot of people, guest and cast, are strung pretty tight.

There's an unwritten rule when dealing with a business that has fallen short. You set your expectations to 'reasonable' and if they are not met you give the business an opportunity to make it right before making a public complaint. I've been given a dirty room a few times, it's one of those things; they'll send someone to fix it. If you don't want to wait so you clean up yourself, factoring that into a review seems like piling on.

What was run down? The older buildings? We are staying at Gran Destino next October. First time trying out a moderate.

I have to be honest, I hate burnt out lights. I was watching a video of Yacht Club recently and the marquee type lights outlining the roof - a few burn out bulbs scattered about. Just looked bad.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I have to be honest, I hate burnt out lights. I was watching a video of Yacht Club recently and the marquee type lights outlining the roof - a few burn out bulbs scattered about. Just looked bad.

Ha, personal pet peeve of mine. They’ve been like that at times for awhile. GF too. Drives me nuts and I think it’s lazy on Disney’s part.

Not a safety issue like hallway or grounds lights of course like what OP identified, just seems like something they should “do better.”

 

[Farro]

Ha, personal pet peeve of mine. They’ve been like that at times for awhile. GF too. Drives me nuts and I think it’s lazy on Disney’s part.

Not a safety issue like hallway or grounds lights of course like what OP identified, just seems like something they should “do better.”

It does seem like laziness. It's so visible!

 

[Dug720]

Accusing the hotel of dishonesty over being told the middle room had been booked. First, whether or not it had been booked doesn't matter, you're not entitled to it even if it were empty. It would be great if they could have swung something but not every rain can be pixie dust. Second, booked rooms go empty all the time. A lot of rooms booked for employees of a business will go empty as employees pair up for late night team-building activities and the like.

Agree.

I also think it's creepy that they were taking the time to look in and examine it every time they passed by.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We had a similar experience in October, I chalked up to the room had been empty for months and we were the first one in it. It's really sad the same issues are continuing. I complained about our fridge not working, they brought another one. Went to take a shower and the soap had rust in it.. yes it had been sitting in the room for 7 months so I get it. But the room was dirty i was using the towels to wipe the floor down. And I asked for a new room and they kept putting me off... then they called at 9:30 pm to tell me my new room was ready but my kids were in bed so we did not move.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Given that there is no such thing at Disney as guaranteed connecting units, it even has some truth that maybe CSR isn't a good fit. A 2BR or an off site condo might provide what is needed more reliably. CSR is built as a business resort.

It is a little like going to a steak restaurant as a vegetarian and being displeased. They are not equipped to do what you want.

 

[Animal]

thinking about starting a thread on twitter to discuss this disboards thread discussing the tripadvisor thread.

 

[DodgerGirl]

If you go to the Coronado Springs Resort's Yelp page you can see why Coronado Springs Resort has so many awful reviews and when you read the Coronado Springs Resort's Yelp reviews you can see why the resort has so many problems. I LOVE reading Yelp reviews of anything from restaurants to hotels to help out my mom find good restaurants and great places to shop. On some Yelp reviews of Coronado Springs Resort the problems began before the remodel of the resort and the debut of the Gran Destino Tower and the problems range from dirty rooms to lighting problems and the complaints about the front desk staff and rooms not being ready. So I think on your next Walt Disney World trip if you're serious about wanting to stay at another WDW resort or Coronado Springs again it is best to read the Yelp reviews on each resort before you make a choice. And if you want to write about your experience try writing a Yelp review on Coronado Springs Resort's Yelp page and you'll get high marks and responses. I'm very sorry that you had a terrible stay and hope this advice helps you Orion

 

[Amy&Josh]

I read your complaint, and see nothing wrong with the response that you received with Disney.... not happy in one place, move to another...

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

After reading your review I don’t find their response too bad.

Also you don’t know what was going on with that room. Maybe they had already slotted someone to stay in there arriving a couple days after you and they cancelled. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t just make things up to annoy you or make your life difficult. You aren’t guaranteed connecting rooms. If it was that important to you then maybe you should have stayed in one of the family suites or a DVC resort and gotten a 2 bedroom.

Total agreement with this post. I don't see anything nasty or distastefully written in their review response.

Imagine you have a restaurant that you own and someone comes on Yelp or some other site and negatively writes about every aspect about the interior of the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant would probably suggest that eating somewhere else next time might be a better fit.

As a side note, respectfully, an adjoining room might indeed be "reserved" or "occupied" and the people just aren't showing up. I've seen that situation numerous times.

I'm sorry you had a tough experience though! CS has had a rough go of it the last few years between the endless amounts of construction, etc. - hoping you have a better experience next time!

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

I did that once after giving a restaurant a poor review that charged about $60pp for a brunch and they called me to set up a date and time to come back. Second time around, service and table location were better but definitely not by much.

I never understood how anyone could go back to a restaurant after they personally invite you back for a "second try"! I'd feel so uncomfortable sitting there knowing they are trying harder for you just because you wrote a bad comment about them. It automatically isn't a genuine experience and you KNOW they've spoken about you before, during, and after your arrival for the "second try".

 

[Eastern]

I think it's weird that Quinn said she liked the changes.

 

[Disneylover99]

I also think it's creepy that they were taking the time to look in and examine it every time they passed by.

If the room next to yours had their curtains open the entire time you were there, I’m pretty sure you’d notice it wasn’t occupied.

 

[sdk1231]

"We conveniently have preset buttons on your in-room phone"... that statement is pure, unadulterated snark. It cannot be viewed in any other light.

 

[_19disnA]

I read your complaint, and see nothing wrong with the response that you received with Disney

I agree, it read mostly like standard form letter verbiage that any company might use to reply to someone who had an issue. Honestly, on Trip Advisor, I only glance over the reviews to get a general sense of what people have experienced at a particular hotel or restaurant. Means more to me if a large number of people are saying similar good/bad things about their experience. I don't focus on any one review since you have no idea of the total context of the issue and perhaps someone always writes bad reviews. If there are already 150 good reviews, why even both being yet one more person to comment?

I never use Yelp after I read about their scheme to get the business owners to pay them some kind of 'fee' so bad reviews get moved down or disappear while good reviews move up higher. Any website that makes a business out of manipulating reviews isn't one I would find credible.

 

[Makmak]

This isn’t super helpful now, but relatedly when I talked to a CM at CBR about arriving really late (2am) for our check in, she told me that if I paid my balance in full my room was guaranteed regardless if I showed up or not, so when I showed up was irrelevant to them. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is—could someone have paid in full and never cancelled at all? So the room was waiting as a guarantee that the CMs had no control over?

It still sucks that you had a bad experience. I love the story of an earlier poster of the ceramic Mickey when a lamp was burned out! I miss CS like that everywhere nowadays!

This actually happened to us. We got a flight cancellation from southwest at 3am before our 10am departure. I slept through it and when I woke up the next possible flight was SIX DAYS later. The charge for the room had already gone through shortly after the flight cancelled so our room sat empty.