News Disney Springs Bus Service to Resorts Now Requires Reservation Verification

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This all gets back to a recurring argument on these boards. To put it as simply as possible;

Disney works for the guest, not the other way around.

Or, to quote an old idiom that should be more true at a Disney resort then anywhere else;

The customer is always right.

Well they should work for us…but they don’t…it’s been flipped upside down by 20 years of Stanford issue management philosophy

And a huge problem (cover your ears) are the blind defenders online, vloggers, 10 “travel agents” in every suburban town…etc…that runs interference for every progressive anti customer move and gives license to the next one.

 

[easyrowrdw]

It doesn’t have the slightest thing to do with, “Do you know who I am?” It’s a practice that inconveniences guests further then other cost cutting measures have already inconvenienced them, all so the company can save 40 bucks. It’s a resort founded on the idea that every guest is a VIP explicitly assuming its guests are thieves and demanding they justify their presence. And I feel very similarly about the new gate check procedures put in place at the resort over the last decade.

Parking is still free at Springs and for guests visiting a resort. So if I want to shop during the day and then eat dinner at Grand Floridian, this policy won't cost me anything else. It is certainly an inconvenience for me to not be able to take the bus though. For sure.

 

[Chi84]

This all gets back to a recurring argument on these boards. To put it as simply as possible;

Disney works for the guest, not the other way around.

Or, to quote an old idiom that should be more true at a Disney resort then anywhere else;

The customer is always right.

Which customer, though?

As we see in every thread Disney has many guests with different preferences and circumstances. Not everyone can get everything they want from Disney. They need to do a certain amount of balancing.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Who is considered a guest? Should people who do not have a room be able to fill the parking lot at the Polynesian then take the monorail to the MK so the people staying at the Polynesian then have nowhere to park?

Why should the paying guests of a hotel be inconvenienced, why should their experience not be prioritized over people who want free parking?

If the person is going to the MK, they are by definition a guest. Heck, if the person is just wandering around the Polynesian to window shop, they are a guest. The whole, “guest tiers,” thing is one of the most repugnant things Disney has done recently - Eisner was just rightfully condemning it.

If there isn’t enough parking, that’s Disneys foul up, not the fault of the guests.

Not that I think it particularly matters, but how often have folks on here been unable to park at their resort because the hotel lots are too full? I’ve never encountered this - how often have others?

 

[Chi84]

If the person is going to the MK, they are by definition a guest. Heck, if the person is just wandering around the Polynesian to window shop, they are a guest. The whole, “guest tiers,” thing is one of the most repugnant things Disney has done recently - Eisner was just rightfully condemning it.

If there isn’t enough parking, that’s Disneys foul up, not the fault of the guests.

Not that I think it particularly matters, but how often have folks on here been unable to park at their resort because the hotel lots are too full? I’ve never encountered this - how often have others?

We usually stay at SSR or Kidani. SSR has never been a problem; Kidani was but it's because of not enough spaces.

There are signs restricting parking at many of the resorts and they do monitor it at security. So it shouldn't be a problem.

There are signs restricting parking at several hotels to guests so it really shouldn't be a problem there.

 

[LSLS]

Who is considered a guest? Should people who do not have a room be able to fill the parking lot at the Polynesian then take the monorail to the MK so the people staying at the Polynesian then have nowhere to park?

Why should the paying guests of a hotel be inconvenienced, why should their experience not be prioritized over people who want free parking?

Parking at Springs is exactly what prevents this from happening. Do you not consider someone who is going to get a reservation at Trader Sam's a guest? Or someone going to eat at Steakhouse 71? And I still have yet to be convinced about the inconvenience at the Springs busses from people who park there and go to the resorts.

 

[LSLS]

If the person is going to the MK, they are by definition a guest. Heck, if the person is just wandering around the Polynesian to window shop, they are a guest. The whole, “guest tiers,” thing is one of the most repugnant things Disney has done recently - Eisner was just rightfully condemning it.

If there isn’t enough parking, that’s Disneys foul up, not the fault of the guests.

Not that I think it particularly matters, but how often have folks on here been unable to park at their resort because the hotel lots are too full? I’ve never encountered this - how often have others?

I'd honestly believe it happens at Poly/Contemporary and MAYBE Beach/Yacht.

 

[Touchdown]

I'd honestly believe it happens at Poly/Contemporary and MAYBE Beach/Yacht.

The contemporary parking lot is much bigger then it looks and if you know where to look can always find a parking spot near a building, just not probably the building you want.

 

[mattpeto]

When there are capacity issues, I'm okay with resort guests having priority. That seems reasonable to me.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Not that I think it particularly matters, but how often have folks on here been unable to park at their resort because the hotel lots are too full? I’ve never encountered this - how often have others?

Parking at Yacht was so bad once they told us to go to Beach but that was just as bad so they let us in the reserved valet section. That was Fourth of July and I was having dinner not staying there, though.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

When there are capacity issues, I'm okay with resort guests having priority. That seems reasonable to me.

There’s unlimited parking at port orleans…all of BVL should park there and hop

 

[LSLS]

The contemporary parking lot is much bigger then it looks and if you know where to look can always find a parking spot near a building, just not probably the building you want.

It is, but between dining and if there is a larger convention, I could see that having issues. I could be wrong, it's been years.

 

[parksandtravel]

It looks to me like they want to add more value to staying on Disney hotels. That's alright but they should at least offer a bus pass option to other guests.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

This all gets back to a recurring argument on these boards. To put it as simply as possible;



The customer is always right.

I think anyone who has worked with the public in any capacity, especially post-pandemic, knows that the customer is often incredibly wrong and part of the reason we’re in such a mess culturally in this country in particular is businesses being too afraid to tell these people shut their mouths and stop behaving like entitled little children. When people are wrong they should be told so, not hand held.

All the phrase “the customer is always right” does is enable people to treat customer service workers horrifically with no consequences. The customer needs to be told no more, and we’d all be much better off if they were.

That does not mean deliver bad service. Not at all. But it does mean that if these places are going to be sustainable and especially keep employees, then you can’t let people do whatever they want when they want with impunity.

All that said, I’m confused why this is even the stance you’re taking when this is an EXTREMELY favorable move toward customers that many of you assert have been mistreated by Disney: guests staying at a Disney resort.

It preserves an on property perk and gives priority to guests who have paid for it. Is that not what some of you have been asking them to do? Actually treat perks like perks?

 

[phillip9698]

If the person is going to the MK, they are by definition a guest. Heck, if the person is just wandering around the Polynesian to window shop, they are a guest. The whole, “guest tiers,” thing is one of the most repugnant things Disney has done recently - Eisner was just rightfully condemning it.

If there isn’t enough parking, that’s Disneys foul up, not the fault of the guests.

Not that I think it particularly matters, but how often have folks on here been unable to park at their resort because the hotel lots are too full? I’ve never encountered this - how often have others?

So Disney should build enough parking at Contemporary to accommodate every visitor who would prefer to park there and walk to MK instead of using the established lots and monorail?

That's just ridiculous.

The people staying at that resort or eating there should be the ones with priority access to that lot.

There is enough parking for those people. There is not enough for everyone who would just prefer to park there and walk to the MK.

But maybe you think it's Disney's fault for making that lot too convenient for people not staying there.


It's almost as if a lot of people have forgotten that the reason the transportation system exists is so that guests staying on site wouldn't need a car to get around. The system should ALWAYS prioritize those guests.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

When people are wrong they should be told so, not hand held.

Are people visiting Disney world, without a car, wrong to want to use Disney Transportation?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It looks to me like they want to add more value to staying on Disney hotels. That's alright but they should at least offer a bus pass option to other guests.

That’s likely it

Instead of adjusting pricing to where it’s more reasonable…throw up more barriers and “give” something that’s costs nothing.

Not really bold tactics by the “new regime”…second verse…same as the first

 

[Casper Gutman]

I think anyone who has worked with the public in any capacity, especially post-pandemic, knows that the customer is often incredibly wrong and part of the reason we’re in such a mess culturally in this country in particular is businesses being too afraid to tell these people shut their mouths and stop behaving like entitled little children. When people are wrong they should be told so, not hand held.

I don’t think this country is having problems right now because major corporations and the uber rich AREN’T exerting their will and telling the population how to behave enough. Quite the opposite.

All the phrase “the customer is always right” does is enable people to treat customer service workers horrifically with no consequences. The customer needs to be told no more, and we’d all be much better off if they were.

That does not mean deliver bad service. Not at all. But it does mean that if these places are going to be sustainable and especially keep employees, then you can’t let people do whatever they want when they want with impunity.

This seems like it’s coming from a very personal place but you seem to be reading a common phrase in a very extreme way. And as someone who has worked in the service industry, yes, it is part of the job to tolerate rude behavior from the customers.

All that said, I’m confused why this is even the stance you’re taking when this is an EXTREMELY favorable move toward customers that many of you assert have been mistreated by Disney: guests staying at a Disney resort.

It preserves an on property perk and gives priority to guests who have paid for it. Is that not what some of you have been asking them to do? Actually treat perks like perks?

It doesn’t seem like you pay attention to a lot of the complaints about Disney. Creating tiers of guests is one of the most hated things Disney World has done during the Iger regime - Eisner was just discussing this.

The “mistreatment” of hotel guests has nothing to do with the parking lot at Disney Springs being too full. The complaints have to do with a host of issues like rising prices and slashed services like Magical Express, package delivery, room service etc. The complaints also have to do with declining maintenance and removed theming. None of these are remotely solved by making it more cumbersome for guests to get on busses.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not that I think it particularly matters, but how often have folks on here been unable to park at their resort because the hotel lots are too full? I’ve never encountered this - how often have others?

Never…not once. Because the contingency is they’d valet you…because that’s not full because it’s a blatant ripoff even most BS consumers can’t swallow

 

[Casper Gutman]

So Disney should build enough parking at Contemporary to accommodate every visitor who would prefer to park there and walk to MK instead of using the established lots and monorail?

Let me ask again - is this an actual problem? Have guests staying at the Contemporary regularly been unable to find parking? Also, how is the parking situation at the contemporary improved by making the lousy transportation system at Disney Springs worse or by asking for proof of reservations at Port Orleans or The Boardwalk?