You guys were right - the GF "Ain't what it used to be"

[Desnik]

For me, I hate leaving so much of my happiness with my vacation in someone elses hands! We have had numerous reports of just plain bad service at the GF concierge, maybe incompetence was the right word. If I were paying for a service and did not receive it as I should I would be angry and complain. You(Gonga)paid alot of money and expected the level of service they claim to offer and did not receive it. I would write a letter of complaint.
I have never stayed at conceirge level, but have stayed at the GF. I will only stay there with a discount with an AP, or code. I wouldn't pay rack rate anywhere. With that said we usually only request non smoking ground floor rooms when we vacation and have never had a problem. I can't help but think that the more you request, the more chance you have of things getting screwed up. We enjoyed our stay at the GF, 2years ago. We had a lovely clean room and were treated nicely. That is why we are going there again. I make my own PS's even if it means getting up at 7am. I have always gotten what I wanted, like CRT.
If you want something done right, do it yourself!
It really stinks that you can't count on people to do their job right, but that is reality.
When we stayed at the CSR, it was my B-Day, DH arranged a cake and card to be in our room the day of my B-Day. It never came. They told him they would "take care of it" but had "forgotten". Anyway, they also made a mistake and checked us out 2 days early. We were swimming in Nov., walked back to our room, freezing, just trying to get back in our room, then our key didn't work. We were really PO'ed and they apologized and sent a fruit basket to the room. You can have problems and incompetence at all levels of resorts and I know it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Because of those incidents, and a few others, we won't stay at CSR again.
I would like to think if the "higher ups" get enough complaints about the level of service at the GF concierge they might try to rectify the problem.
Gonga, please reconsider writing a letter of complaint, it might help someone else out. Also, I think you did everything you could do to ensure they had all your info correctly, like getting confirmation and such, it is amazing to me how they can mess that up

 

[KaterBell]

Originally posted by Mainebound
I'm sorry to hear about all of these poor GF experiences. When we were there last a CM told us Disney would never allow GF to become part of DVC (adding condo units), and when we asked why he said "because they're going for five stars". Guess they'll have to try harder to get that 5th star!

I think I've mentioned this before on here, but I heard from someone that the GF would never the 5th star b/c of the monorail going through the hotel itself..... I wonder if that's still true.

 

[BCV23]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed in your trip, gonga.

When we have stayed concierge at WDW, I have still made my own PSs. You have to make the call one way or the other and I prefer to hear the options myself from Disney Dining and select what I like best. It also eliminates the middleman. Otherwise it can be like a game of "Telephone." You will still receive the printed list of your PSs when you check-in.

We love Narcoossee's and think the food has never been better. However when my family dined there in March they had a really bad waitress, too. First time that has ever happened to us there. Maybe the same one.

 

[Ziggie]

Upon leaving I did speak to the manager. He was very nice actually and asked me what I wanted to make me happy. I told him I did not want anything.

I most definitely would have told him I wanted a refund for several of the services (the limo? the champagne and tuxedo strawberries?) No way would I let them off.

 

[jenniferk97]

Regarding PS arrangements...I was under the impression that a small percentage of those were set aside for Concierge to be able to dole out? So that people paying more CAN get into Cinderella's breakfast or whatever? I can't afford Concierge, but I think that would be acceptable. If so, then that's why some people DO want to book all their PSs through Concierge, I would think.

Jennifer K. in TX (turned 40 at WDW two weeks ago at the Poly and it was heaven!)

 

[freediverdude]

Well, just my opinion, but I have a feeling that, at least for AAA, the reason that the Grand Floridian gets 4 diamonds instead of 5 is probably that the service is similar to the other Disney resorts, and is not "extra special" service. Victoria & Albert's did manage to get 5 diamonds as a restaurant though. The resort itself, the buildings and grounds and amenities, is worthy of 5 diamonds in my opinion, but I don't think Disney trains the staff at GF any differently than the other resorts, and that shows up when an association like AAA is evaluating for their top rating. AAA usually gives 5 diamonds only to properties like most Four Seasons or Ritz Carltons, which have service that goes above and beyond, even when the guest gets rather demanding. A situation where a cast member would say to a guest "I'm not sure", or "You can call dining for a priority seating", especially on a concierge level, would not be worthy of 5 diamonds for AAA. Just my opinion, but I think Disney would have to have special training and evaluations for staff at the GF in order to make 5 diamonds.

 

[BCV23]

Jennifer K, that might be correct. I don't know because I've always had good luck getting what I need myself. Even if it is true, I still think it's easier and I'm more likely to get exactly what I want if I do it myself. Concierge could always follow up if one can't get that Cindy breakfast or whatever. I did have the Polynesian concierge get a couple 60 day PS when we were going to be in the North woods of Wisconsin with no phone in our cabin at the 60 day mark. I forgot about that. They did a fine job.

 

[jenniferk97]

Freediverdude,

I understand what you are saying. We stayed seven nights at the Poly, April 29-May 5, then moved to Universal's Portofino Bay. As nice as the Poly was, the staff at PB was really noticably better. I'd stay there again ANY time! They made you feel really special, and went above and beyond to be super-nice and accomodating.

Jennifer K.

 

[gonga]

Freediverdude,

You are correct.......the only thing is that the GF actually charges more per night than the Four Seasons or the Ritz! The service in these places far surpasses the GF, these kind of things would never happen. They seem to mess up the little stuff which means a lot to us as as guests. Since we do not have any children, we travel often and very well. We love the small botique type hotels that are big on service and seem to anticipate your needs. I know it may seem self absorbed, but these places exist for people like us. The GF has no porblem talking the talk ($$) but does not walk the walk. Here is one of our favorite places to go, take a look if you like www.capjuluca.com. The reason I put this here is because here is an island where every single thing has to be shipped in, the service is perfect, the people work so hard to make you happy. They make their money on tourism as well as GF/WDW and the price is the same as GF( actually we spend much more at the GF). It may seem like comparing apples and oranges at first, but a happy customer is a happy customer! If they can get it right(like many others do for the same $$), why cant the GF for the money they charge?

 

[ducklite]

The service at the GF is simply not up to that of a 5 star hotel.

If you go to Mobil's travel ratings guide online and look through the qualifications to be a five star, you'll see that the GF barely qualifies for four stars in a lot of areas.

I'm heading off in a couple of days to

The Mirror Lake Inn which is only a four star, and has infinitely better service...although the prices are somewhat higher...

Anne

 

[dahess]

And the executives wonder why??? Disney's attendance is so low???!!!!???!!!

 

[Jen D]

AAA usually gives 5 diamonds only to properties like most Four Seasons or Ritz Carltons, which have service that goes above and beyond, even when the guest gets rather demanding.

Exactly right. The truly great hotels make it a point of pride to please a demanding guest. When I was passing through Cleveland last year, I read a funny piece in the Cleveland Magazine about their new Ritz-Carlton. It was a first-person piece, and the writer was a realy wise guy, and basically the premise was he checked into the R-C with his wife for a night and made a series of outrageous demands (when reserving he specified eleven pillows, and five be feather, that sort of thing) and wildly outrageous and specific room service orders about food preparation-- basically, posed as the guest from hell, and he reported that the staff never lost their smiles, never blinked or paused at an outrageous request, and basically refused to be thwarted by his plan. He got everything he asked for and more.

Of course, after he checked out and reported to R-C pr, they were delighted. They passed the test. that's what it means to be a 5 star.

 

[Gillian]

Gonga, I'm glad you posted your experiences. I know you've been a big supporter of the GF in the past, and have defended it when others have had problems. It can be tough to come back & say things are different than they were on your past visits.

It's funny that everyone keeps saying how clean the resort is. My friend just got back (regular garden view room) and although they had a wonderful trip, she commented that the room was just okay, and that it wasn't very clean. She specifically mentioned how dirty ("icky" was the word she used) her socks got every day, just from walking around the room.

 

[gonga]

Since we go to WDW every yar and we switch off every other year with the Poly, it had been2 years since we have stayed at the GF. I was really shocked at the change.............once again if you want the truth ask the people

 

[suevee]

gonga - you should be reimbursed. You paid for concierge service and did not recieve it.

 

[freediverdude]

Gonga,

I couldn't seem to get to your link- it seems to be down or something. Maybe I'll try later.

But yes, in a 5 star hotel, if a guest came up to the concierge desk, asking if they could obtain a reservation for one of the restaurants (either on property or off), the person behind the counter would say, "Just a moment sir/ma'am, I'll check for you", and immediately pick up the phone and obtain a reservation. Likewise, if a guest had booked a limosine to pick them up, it's the concierge who should be calling the guest on checkout day to inform them that the limo will be arriving at a certain time, not the guest having to inquire at the desk about it. But I think just the way Disney handles their computerized information and their thousands of cast members doesn't lend itself very well to this type of service. That's why I would think that the GF would have to have separate training for their cast members, and possibly give them a little more leeway with their rules, in order to provide the 5 star service.

 

[lkg61]

Before I start let me say that I love the GF, but I too found our last visit there a little disappointing. The trip overall was great, but some things had changed at the GF. There were just several "little" things that happened that had never happened on our five previous trips to the resort. First when we were checking in our CM kept trying to chat with the CM next to him. This CM was not busy and she kept trying to ignore our CM, but he just kept going on and on. Not a big deal, but he did not seem interested in helping us out with anything. I was also quite disappointed in our view. We had a lagoon view and my number one request was a view of the castle. I understand that it was just a request, but the resort was not even half full. Actually, we didn't receive any of our requests. I asked for two things: a view of Cindy's castle and a dormer room. We received neither. Also when we arrived at our room, it was not very clean. You could see little handprints all over the mirror in the bathroom--very noticeable. The last thing negative thing that happened on the trip was that we took a short break (less than an hour) during the mid-afternoon. Appararently, the maid service came by at that time(we had the do not disturb sign on). We received a phone message later that evening (7 or so) saying our room could not be cleaned because of this. Now mind you that turndown service came and left us clean towels, but no attempt was made to clean the room. Not a big deal, but when you are paying that kind of money, it would be nice not to have to make up your own bed. To end this, I do really love the GF and we did have a fantastic trip. I was just disappointed that things weren't taken care of like they had been in the past. Also on a more positive note, we are returning in July and once again we are staying at the GF.

 

[PoohSizedDH]

Gonga,
Its not too late. Call and ask to speak to the Hotel manager, and simply tell him, at that point, when you were asked that question, you were so disappointed, you just wanted to leave, before you caused some sort of scene. but now that you have thought about it, and had a moment to take a few breaths, you feel that some retribution is in order.

The Manager will work something out with you. It wont be comping your stay, but you dont sound like that is what you want.

But simply tell them YOUR TIME, is vaulable as anyone elses, and all the time you put in to planning, only to have them mess it all up, should warrant something in return from the Hotel the stature of GF.

 

[Ashley's mom]

Originally posted by Jillpie
But as far as booking PS's...I JUST DON"T GET IT. It literally takes me five minutes to book about 15 reservations a couple of months before our vacations. It couldn't be easier. If I read one more person who complains that concierge didn't book something right or they wouldn't pick up the phone for me, I think I will scream. Please tell me why you just don't pick up the phone and do it yourself? I have NEVER had one single problem entering the Disney restaurants and they haven't had my PS right there. Does anyone else agree here? It just seems like too many complications for something so simple a task.

After reading that post I am going to be all pissed off for the next hour....HOW RUDE!?!?!....and it wasn't even a stab at me....but it still ticked me off. What the heck?

When I am on vacation I expect the room type I paid for to be ready at the posted checkin time, my room to be clean, my bags arrive at my room and not be lost enroute, my food to be hot when served, my waitress to bring me the food I ordered and not blather about her personal life, and my transportation to arrive when arranged to take me back to the airport so I don't miss my flight. Gee, I'm such a b****. You ABSOLUTELY are not unreasonable to EXPECT what you pay for....give'em hell Gonga...OK OK...don't give them hell, but DO write the letter - um, type the letter. It looks more official. Sorry your stay at GF was lousy. Give the Dolphin a try. It isn't the GF, but Balcony room 8029 (we were there March 2003) had a lovely view of the Epcot ball and Illumination each night (lovely view of the fireworks) and you'll pay 1/3 of what you did at GF. Transportation is extremely convenient as well - no monorail, but the boat was great - My husband is an attorney and he is used to having everyone tend to his needs and he had no complaints. We are Starwood Gold and so we were almost "upgraded" out of our balcony room - but insisted on getting the room we paid for and wanted...so we just got club level privileges - which is the best of both world - which basically means turndown service and access to the club lounge for breakfast and afternoon hordevours/etc. It isn't a stuffy posh resort, but it is nice and with the current renovations, I guarantee after the stays we've had at the Disney resorts, we won't go anywhere else. We were VERY happy and relaxed there...it was quiet and the pools weren't overrun since mostly businessmen seem to stay there - which is nice because we weren't getting knocked down by wet, shoeless 12 year old boys. Again, sorry for your visit being so hectic. Nobody needs that on vacation

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

gonga,

I am sorry that your stay was less than magical. I've been following all the GF threads because I thought we might stay there for 2004 trip. After reading your post and all the others I am certain we will not be staying at the GF. Thank you so much for sharing the link to capjuluca..OMG it looks heavenly. DH and I were planning a special 10th anniversary trip and by golly, I think I have found it!! Do you think 4 or 5 nites is enough time?

Thanks