I complained....and I actualy got satisfaction.

Just stayed 10 days at WL. Always visited the place and always wanted to stay there, but since I spend 90% of my time away from the hotel and on WDW property, I never really wanted to shell out $3000+ for a place to sleep. Granted, its got tremenous theming and since I've been to Yellowstone and Yosemite, its a fond reminder; but I basically will only be sleeping there. Regardless I took the plunge and booked it.

Now that I have done my thing there, I have to say there were a few things that just made my stay awful. I sent these complaints to Disney:

• 
  Why is it that I can stay at a $75/night motel and get a free continental breakfast, but at WL I would have to bump up to "concierge level" for $400/night to get a free pastry? I actually find this insulting!

• 
  Fresh brewed coffee? How hard is this to provide?

• 
  Roaring Forks? Menu could be printed on a postage stamp and there are only 18 or so tables to sit at. When you have a 700+ room hotel, where are we suppose to eat? The only other place is Whispering Canyons and as most people know, there are more non-hotel guests there and you cant eat unless you have a reservation! Compounded by the fact I can't even get a decent cup of coffee, it made each morning dreadful. ONE breakfast meat (bacon) and it was basically the texture and consistency of the Beggin Strips I give my dog. I can get custom cooked omlettes, french toast, and other things at the moderates and values. At this Deluxe hotel, all I can get is cafeteria quality scrambled eggs and 3 pieces of bacon. Ugh.

• 
  Sharing bus services with other hotels is getting ridiculous. At one point, it took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get from WL to Epcot causing me to miss my dinner at Le Cellier. I got through to the hostess stand and they held my reservation, but the only reason I even got there in 80 minutes was becuase I called the WL front desk to complain. And then once a bus showed up, it literally got haflway to Epcot and TURNED AROUND to go to Ft. W since they had also been waiting forever.

• 
  Samething happend going to Downtown and coming back since WL shares a bus with GF and Poly. RIDICULOUS!! Took an hour EACH way!
  

Sorry, but Disney has always been about the attention to details and little things that matter. I just felt that give the Deluxe rating on the place and the money I spent, it just wasn't worth it. The place is beautiful and the grounds/decorations equally stunning, but the lack of "everyday food" and simple creature comforts like a good cup of coffee really were downers.

Disney responded to me by sending me 3 4-day park hoppers and I'm suppose to get follow up calls from each particular section I complained about. Needless to say, I'm super impressed and I guess Disney really does care. Granted it did not make up for the shortcomings I experienced, but its nice to see that I did not get a canned answer from them or any other corporate BS.

bugsbunny said:

Just stayed 10 days at WL. Always visited the place and always wanted to stay there, but since I spend 90% of my time away from the hotel and on WDW property, I never really wanted to shell out $3000+ for a place to sleep. Granted, its got tremenous theming and since I've been to Yellowstone and Yosemite, its a fond reminder; but I basically will only be sleeping there. Regardless I took the plunge and booked it.

Now that I have done my thing there, I have to say there were a few things that just made my stay awful. I sent these complaints to Disney:

• 
  Why is it that I can stay at a $75/night motel and get a free continental breakfast, but at WL I would have to bump up to "concierge level" for $400/night to get a free pastry? I actually find this insulting!

• 
  Fresh brewed coffee? How hard is this to provide?

• 
  Roaring Forks? Menu could be printed on a postage stamp and there are only 18 or so tables to sit at. When you have a 700+ room hotel, where are we suppose to eat? The only other place is Whispering Canyons and as most people know, there are more non-hotel guests there and you cant eat unless you have a reservation! Compounded by the fact I can't even get a decent cup of coffee, it made each morning dreadful. ONE breakfast meat (bacon) and it was basically the texture and consistency of the Beggin Strips I give my dog. I can get custom cooked omlettes, french toast, and other things at the moderates and values. At this Deluxe hotel, all I can get is cafeteria quality scrambled eggs and 3 pieces of bacon. Ugh.

• 
  Sharing bus services with other hotels is getting ridiculous. At one point, it took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get from WL to Epcot causing me to miss my dinner at Le Cellier. I got through to the hostess stand and they held my reservation, but the only reason I even got there in 80 minutes was becuase I called the WL front desk to complain. And then once a bus showed up, it literally got haflway to Epcot and TURNED AROUND to go to Ft. W since they had also been waiting forever.

• 
  Samething happend going to Downtown and coming back since WL shares a bus with GF and Poly. RIDICULOUS!! Took an hour EACH way!
  

Sorry, but Disney has always been about the attention to details and little things that matter. I just felt that give the Deluxe rating on the place and the money I spent, it just wasn't worth it. The place is beautiful and the grounds/decorations equally stunning, but the lack of "everyday food" and simple creature comforts like a good cup of coffee really were downers.

Disney responded to me by sending me 3 4-day park hoppers and I'm suppose to get follow up calls from each particular section I complained about. Needless to say, I'm super impressed and I guess Disney really does care.

Click to expand...

I am sorry you felt this way but Disney does not have to provide you with any kind of food or coffee at all.

They do not say that they will when you reserved the reservations so you really should not expect it.

If you have been to WL before to visit then you know what the food court is like and that to eat th the other restaurants you need adr's.

As for the bus situation..I despise the Disney bus system and drive myself.

The fact that they sent you something is really nice but I do not think..in my opinion.. that you deserved anything..

They never promised that you would get a breakfast for free or coffee or anything else but a good room at a beautiful loacation and they provided you with that...so I think they did what they were supposed to do.

Interesting, I usually can't get no Satisfaction.

And I try.

epcotservo said:

interesting, i usually can't get no satisfaction.

And i try.

Click to expand...

No, oh no no no!

maggiegrace1 said:

I am sorry you felt this way but Disney does not have to provide you with any kind of food or coffee at all.

They do not say that they will when you reserved the reservations so you really should not expect it.

If you have been to WL before to visit then you know what the food court is like and that to eat th the other restaurants you need adr's.

As for the bus situation..I despise the Disney bus system and drive myself.

The fact that they sent you something is really nice but I do not think..in my opinion.. that you deserved anything..

They never promised that you would get a breakfast for free or coffee or anything else but a good room at a beautiful loacation and they provided you with that...so I think they did what they were supposed to do.

Click to expand...

every hotel i've ever stayed at has an inroom coffee pot. There's no reason disney can not do this, especially with a $400 a night room.

just because someone visited a resort doesn't mean they know whats on the menu or quality of food. when you visit a resort, do you actually go inspect the cafeteria?

Maybe the poster should have done more research on the hotel, but these are little things i would expect too, especially when the motel 6 down the street has a coffee maker in the room and free breakfast for $50/night.

I feel that disney should set the different levels of hotels apart more, rather than theming and price. things like direct bus service, coffee, free wifi etc. from this posters experience, there was nothing that set this resort apart from a value resort other than the fact the pool looks like a pond, and the lobby feels like a outpost. You can expect the same exact service from the pop century for a fraction of the cost. just my .02

and big deal, disney gave him a couple free passes. All it did was keep him happy, and get him to come back and spend more money. They're not losing any money by letting him in the park for free. Good business strategy.

maggiegrace1 said:

no no no!

Click to expand...

Hey hey hey!

That's what I say.
:shrug:

vwayfan123 said:

every hotel i've ever stayed at has an inroom coffee pot. There's no reason disney can not do this, especially with a $400 a night room.

Click to expand...

EVERY Disney Deluxe resort room I have stayed at HAS had an in room coffee pot.

I believe the OP was whining for fresh-brewed coffee...

At WL: In-room coffee makers and refrigerators available at no charge :shrug:

maggiegrace1 said:

I am sorry you felt this way but Disney does not have to provide you with any kind of food or coffee at all.

They do not say that they will when you reserved the reservations so you really should not expect it.

If you have been to WL before to visit then you know what the food court is like and that to eat th the other restaurants you need adr's.

As for the bus situation..I despise the Disney bus system and drive myself.

The fact that they sent you something is really nice but I do not think..in my opinion.. that you deserved anything..

They never promised that you would get a breakfast for free or coffee or anything else but a good room at a beautiful loacation and they provided you with that...so I think they did what they were supposed to do.

Click to expand...

I agree.

It's not fair to lodge complaints about a resort for things you knew would not be there (coffee, breakfast, etc...).

They provide coffee and coffee pots in the rooms so you could've made your own (even if you had to bring coffee from home).

Since you are an experienced Disney fan, you should've known to make ADRs.

Roaring Forks is a small CS. I would've taken my food out to the lobby and enjoyed the scenery if all of the tables were full.

Disney transportation can be a trying experience. However, the WL does provide alternative means to the bus system. You could've taken the boat to the Contemporary and monorailed to Epcot, for example.

I'm sorry you had a less than perfect experience.

Ouch. Some fair points. The Disney Difference is getting harder to justify by some accounts.

I agree the bus system is near meltdown. The GPS system that dosn`t work properly and demand outstripping demand is just begging for huge investment in property transportation. Last July, mid afternoon, we took 90 MINUTES from the CBR bus stop at Jamiaca to DHS. The resort and park are basically next door. The driver was so appologetic and suggested we write in to complain since HE`D had enough too.

I guess the difference is whether the OP was demanding a free breakfast to make up for what he "missed" by not staying at the Motel 6, or expressing dissatisfaction with the current model and suggesting they consider changing it.

I think the second approach is entirely legitimate. If you make the reservations and get what was promised, then yes, the company doesn't owe you anything. That doesn't mean you can't ask yourself if you're really getting your money's worth and tell the company why not if you conclude the answer is no.

I think the OP makes a pretty good point about the breakfast. You can at least get a donut or an apple pretty much anywhere. It's so common that I bet many people just assume it's part of the deal when they book a fabulous, world-class Disney stay.

Is that partly their problem, for making assumptions? Yes.

Is it also partly Disney's problem, for advertising itself as the king of all travel/resort experiences and then not throwing in something you can get at almost any roadside motel at no charge? In my opinion, it is.

They may not have owed this guy anything, but I think he still has a good complaint.

bugsbunny said:

Just stayed 10 days at WL. Always visited the place and always wanted to stay there, but since I spend 90% of my time away from the hotel and on WDW property, I never really wanted to shell out $3000+ for a place to sleep. Granted, its got tremenous theming and since I've been to Yellowstone and Yosemite, its a fond reminder; but I basically will only be sleeping there. Regardless I took the plunge and booked it.

Now that I have done my thing there, I have to say there were a few things that just made my stay awful. I sent these complaints to Disney:

• Why is it that I can stay at a $75/night motel and get a free continental breakfast, but at WL I would have to bump up to "concierge level" for $400/night to get a free pastry? I actually find this insulting!

• Fresh brewed coffee? How hard is this to provide?

• Roaring Forks? Menu could be printed on a postage stamp and there are only 18 or so tables to sit at. When you have a 700+ room hotel, where are we suppose to eat? The only other place is Whispering Canyons and as most people know, there are more non-hotel guests there and you cant eat unless you have a reservation! Compounded by the fact I can't even get a decent cup of coffee, it made each morning dreadful. ONE breakfast meat (bacon) and it was basically the texture and consistency of the Beggin Strips I give my dog. I can get custom cooked omlettes, french toast, and other things at the moderates and values. At this Deluxe hotel, all I can get is cafeteria quality scrambled eggs and 3 pieces of bacon. Ugh.

• Sharing bus services with other hotels is getting ridiculous. At one point, it took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get from WL to Epcot causing me to miss my dinner at Le Cellier. I got through to the hostess stand and they held my reservation, but the only reason I even got there in 80 minutes was becuase I called the WL front desk to complain. And then once a bus showed up, it literally got haflway to Epcot and TURNED AROUND to go to Ft. W since they had also been waiting forever.

• Samething happend going to Downtown and coming back since WL shares a bus with GF and Poly. RIDICULOUS!! Took an hour EACH way!

Sorry, but Disney has always been about the attention to details and little things that matter. I just felt that give the Deluxe rating on the place and the money I spent, it just wasn't worth it. The place is beautiful and the grounds/decorations equally stunning, but the lack of "everyday food" and simple creature comforts like a good cup of coffee really were downers.

Disney responded to me by sending me 3 4-day park hoppers and I'm suppose to get follow up calls from each particular section I complained about. Needless to say, I'm super impressed and I guess Disney really does care. Granted it did not make up for the shortcomings I experienced, but its nice to see that I did not get a canned answer from them or any other corporate BS.

Click to expand...

Disney does not give free food to all it's guests and really, you do pay for that "free" food at concierge with the higher rates. The off site motels give free breakfast as an incentive to stay there, Disney does not need to do that.

You can brew coffee in your room each is provided with a set up.

The Roarin' Forks is a SNACK BAR and that is different from a food court. The WL has 2 sit down restaurants and a snack bar, not a food court with multiple restaurants/counter service set ups. There are more than 18 tables, but I agree with you that it is way too small. Since we almost always visit in the summer, we head outside & eat by the pool. There was a time when the room on the left was the only room available and the one on the right was an arcade. There was also a time (right before the last re do) that tables were available in both rooms.

Yep, I hate sharing bus service too. You could have taken the boat over to the Contemporary and then the monorail to EPCOT or, if you had a car, driven over. Whenever we have to be somewhere at a specific time or plan to stay out really late we drive ourselves. In the EPCOT case you can park at the public lot at the Boardwalk and then walk in thru the back gate. WE always drive to DTD because the bus to there is always full & we have to many packages.

You need to do your homework. If you want food court and not sit down then don't go to a Deluxe because the food court does not exist, it's snack bars only (they kind of expect you to eat at a table service). We have never had a problem with the food or beverages, just brew your own coffee in your room if that is what you prefer (yes, bring your favorite blend from home or shop first).
If you want a free breakfast then stay off site at a motel that provides that service.

DisneyJoe said:

EVERY Disney Deluxe resort room I have stayed at HAS had an in room coffee pot.

I believe the OP was whining for fresh-brewed coffee. ..

Click to expand...

make coffee in your in room coffee pot = FRESH brewed coffee.

maggiegrace1 said:

I am sorry you felt this way but Disney does not have to provide you with any kind of food or coffee at all.

They do not say that they will when you reserved the reservations so you really should not expect it.

If you have been to WL before to visit then you know what the food court is like and that to eat th the other restaurants you need adr's.

As for the bus situation..I despise the Disney bus system and drive myself.

The fact that they sent you something is really nice but I do not think..in my opinion.. that you deserved anything..

They never promised that you would get a breakfast for free or coffee or anything else but a good room at a beautiful loacation and they provided you with that...so I think they did what they were supposed to do.

Click to expand...

You are kidding me, right? Your logic, or lack thereof, is awesome!

Based on your interpretation of it, they also do not need to provide me sheets, pillows, water, or anything else one would come to imagine you would get at ANY hotel. Since they "didnt say it when you made your reservation", I guess I'm the idiot who should have got it in writing.

And I am not asking them to PROVIDE it for me for free. Duh! Do you not grasp the point that when you are staying at a DELUXE hotel, that certian amentities should be available? Why can I get this stuff at a moderate or even a value resort??

I wasnt looking for a hand out and as I clearly stated (you didnt get my other point so why would I expect you woudl see this one), I was surprised Disney even responded. :hammer:

um the rooms at the Wilderness Lodge have coffee pots in them. :veryconfu If for some reason there wasn't one in your room, why didn't you call the Front Desk to request one? As for the free breakfast Disney has never offered one, nor do they advertise they do. I've stayed at quite a few resorts at other places around the world that also do not offer a FREE breakfast. I always found the free breakfast deals to be at the roadside motels instead of major resorts. The idea of a resort is to get you to spend money in the restaurants. I find it sad that Disney offered a park hopper ticket based on those complaints. Just my thoughts though

Sorry you did not enjoy your stay there. We've stayed there four times and have had an outstanding experience everytime and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I made myself coffee in the coffee pot in our room daily, and we never had a problem with Roaring Forks.

As far as your complaint about not having free breakfast, in general (not talking about just Disney) nicer hotels rarely free breakfast unless it is part of a package....at least none of the ones I've stayed at have (Four Seasons, Hyatt, etc.). If they do, it is more than likely mentioned when you book. I've found that it is usually the less expensive hotels (again I'm talking about hotels in general...not just Disney) that offer a free breakfast.

I agree about the buses, which is why we drive our own car. But to be fair, that is not the fault of the Wilderness Lodge....Disney is to blame for that.

And no, I'm not one of those people who wear Disney rose colored glasses and would defend Disney to the death....I just honestly think your complaints are not valid.

wdwfan22 said:

um the rooms at the Wilderness Lodge have coffee pots in them. :veryconfu If for some reason there wasn't one in your room, why didn't you call the Front Desk to request one? As for the free breakfast Disney has never offered one, nor do they advertise they do. I've stayed at quite a few resorts at other places around the world that also do not offer a FREE breakfast. I always found the free breakfast deals to be at the roadside motels instead of major resorts. The idea of a resort is to get you to spend money in the restaurants. I find it sad that Disney offered a park hopper ticket based on those complaints. Just my thoughts though

Click to expand...

Yes, I used the coffee pot. I brewed that stuff they have in the rooms myself. With its one sugar packet and powdered non-dairy creamer. It was suppose to be French Roast, yet it was weak and had no flavor at atll. And after doing it, house keeping never replaced my coffee packets. Ugh.

Look, I'm saying I demand or deserve a free breakfast every morning. In fact, all I want is a decent cup of coffee in the morning! THATS IT!!



Is there any coffee drinkers among these boards?? my god!

I can see your point about the bus service. Waits of that long (and multiple stops) should not be acceptable and this needs to be brought to the attention of the hotel manager. Disney advertises transportation as a perk to staying on site and so the service should be delivered in a reasonable fashion.

I have to agree with many others on the free breakfast and coffee. Some hotels offer it and some don't. Hotels that do offer it, list it as a benefit of staying at that hotel. Disney lists the benefits to staying on site at one of it's hotels, a free breakfast is not one of them. If it is important to you, it is best to look for a hotel that offers that benefit and stay there.

Choosing any hotel, you need to look at what they offer and balance that with what you are looking for. It's a choice.

As others have said, no one forced you to pay $400 to upgrade to concierge for a free pastry. I agree, it's not worth it, and therefore don't do it.

Fresh brewed coffee - I'd LOVE to find a hotel that offers that in the rooms, and I don't even drink coffee. You've got everything you need to make fresh coffee in your room. If you don't want to, do what everoyne else does and go to Roaring Forks.

Roaring Forks is small, but I never had any problems with it. You can always make ressies to eat at Whispering Canyon or get room service if RF isn't to your liking.

The bus situation, I agree with. I think it's bizarre that the Value Resorts have their own bus service which is 50x more efficient than any of the Deluxe Resorts near the Magic Kingdom. That needs to change.

As for the your other complains, if those things made your vacation horrible, I'd say you might not have had the best attitude going in.

bugsbunny said:

You are kidding me, right?..Um No Your logic, or lack thereof, is awesome!

Based on your interpretation of it, they also do not need to provide me sheets, pillows, water, or anything else one would come to imagine you would get at ANY hotel. Since they "didnt say it when you made your reservation", I guess I'm the idiot who should have got it in writing.

And I am not asking them to PROVIDE it for me for free. Duh! Do you not grasp the point that when you are staying at a DELUXE hotel, that certian amentities should be available? Why can I get this stuff at a moderate or even a value resort??You do get coffee..in your room..whether you liked it or not is your problem..they do provide it.

Also..at moderate and value hotels they do not provide you with a free continental breakfast there either..they do have larger food courts but like I said if you had been to WL before or even read up about it you would see what they have for guests..I believe a menu is even provided online...so once again,,,that is sonething you should have known before staying there.



I wasnt looking for a hand out and as I clearly stated (you didnt get my other point so why would I expect you woudl see this one), I was surprised Disney even responded. :hammer:

Click to expand...

Oh..I got your point.:wave:

I just do not agree with what you said..I do not think that Disney needed to provide you with anything else then what they provided.