A long time Disney fan turns sour!

[DryerLintFan]

Having a room that was in dis repair, would be a big crap out to a vacation. I hope you asked for another room, or some form of compensation for not getting what you paid for. That is not too much to ask. We paid for a DDP on our trip and enjoyed Character meals and sit down meals all trip long. We hit a few quick service if we felt like it. I paid and planned for my trip 2 months out, so many dining options were hard to come buy. Yes, I found that open times ended up during shows and fireworks. Food was fine for a wife with a sleave surgery and a very picky 10 year old girl. I spread my FP+ out across the day, and we just did what we want till we had our FP to go to. Yes it is hard to figure out what you want to do so far ahead, but take the time to get a base plan together and then just roll with it, your on vacation. TS Vs QS dining has always been a point of contention on this board. QS has always been fast food, and some of the places we went like Cosmic Rays getting a chicken sandwich wasn't too great for my wife and I. I am an Army Vet, and even I would prefer an MRE to that sandwich, but then that reaffirmed having sit down meals. Taking the time for the sit down meal and get off your feet for a while.
The buses, yes it is public transportation no doubt about it. We stayed at the ASMo resort, which is the last stop on the All Star stops. So either the bus was full when we went to board or last ones off and had to jostle around as others needed off. If you left first thing before the rush crowds it wasn't bad in the morning at night we would be waiting for a bus, and seeing moderate and premium resort buses come and go. That's when you remember , oh ya i got a value resort. Our next rip toe WDW, we plan to stay at the Poly. Because we will pay for the upgrade to have a bit more options for a way back to the resort. Bus, Boat, or Monorail.

Hey, some MREs are delicious!!

 

[Driver]

My two cents:
We stayed at BWV 11/11-11/19.
We went to MVMCP on the 14th. It was very crowded. We saw the parade,& Holiday Wishes. The lines for most of the attractions were too long.
Being that MK had multiple party nights this week there were only 3 nights the MK was open late for everyone. On those late days the park was insanely busy all day. I feel that Disney is double dipping on our our possible park time to make more $$$.

Buses: Over our last 5 visits to WDW the busing TO the parks has been generally timely. Trying to return to our resorts has been another story. We have waited 45mins or longer at times. As we watch empty buses come and go from neighboring stops. I would love to know how and who dispatches the buses. I have to believe that the dispatcher knows which stops are full and which are empty.

As frustrating as it is to see an empty bus come from a neighboring stop. 1) busses still have to service all resorts equally
2) There is always the possibility that the empty bus will p/u guest at the resort it is going to.
Not sending a bus to a resort with an empty queue would be upsetting to the guests on the other end waiting for a bus ( thus bad bus service!) Also during the day most busses are dispatched by computer. It is only in the evening or other special circumstances that it is done manually ( like big crowds) And lastly dispatch has a visual on the queue if it backs up faster than the normal dispatch can keep up they will send extra busses as needed to help. I have seen busses triple stacked in a queue. The drivers walking around with orange vest on have hand radios to tell dispatch the needs in real time. There is a lot more going on than you think.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

I think this thread turned sour

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

As frustrating as it is to see an empty bus come from a neighboring stop. 1) busses still have to service all resorts equally
2) There is always the possibility that the empty bus will p/u guest at the resort it is going to.
Not sending a bus to a resort with an empty queue would be upsetting to the guests on the other end waiting for a bus ( thus bad bus service!) Also during the day most busses are dispatched by computer. It is only in the evening or other special circumstances that it is done manually ( like big crowds) And lastly dispatch has a visual on the queue if it backs up faster than the normal dispatch can keep up they will send extra busses as needed to help. I have seen busses triple stacked in a queue. The drivers walking around with orange vest on have hand radios to tell dispatch the needs in real time. There is a lot more going on than you think.

When I see empty buses stop at the same empty stop multiple times. While I'm in a full que waiting 45 mins for bus it's a problem. The system is broken it needs to be fixed.

 

[21stamps]

I think this thread turned sour

Add in some sweet..

As far as the OP’s room concern. I completely agree that it was unacceptable, they should have moved his family.
See, I’m not always a “Disney apologist pixie duster”

 

[Driver]

When I see empty buses stop at the same empty stop multiple times. While I'm in a full que waiting 45 mins for bus it's a problem. The system is broken it needs to be fixed.

I won't dispute what happened to you or question your integrity. However I will tell you that after numerous claims of outrageous claims of extended waits almost all were proven to be grossly exaggerated. When a bus opens the door at a stop a time stamp is recorded on the computer. This makes it easy for the OPs center to investigate these claims. And believe me they do, Disney does not want a bad guest experience. I am not saying what you posted did not happen and I'm sorry it did.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

We are also trying a new resort in Port Orleans Riverside. But I have heard plenty of horror stories about the bus service there and the 4 each bus stops....so wondering if I may as well drive to a park each day and just avoid the buses altogether. We may try a bus the first day and see how bad it is.

I went to Port Orleans Riverside this year and I was through a couple days past Labor Day. I waited a long time for MK, but AK was actually much worse. 1 out of the 2 times was caused by the bus driver in training actually taking the guests to the wrong theme park, but I blame it more on Disney themselves due to the bus driver not having the route down properly on Labor Day Weekend. The first time, I waited over 40 minutes due to bus being already full by the time it went to the bus stop I went at.

I also did see stuff like one DHS bus at the bus stop, but another DHS bus came the next minute as an example. My younger brother and I seen the same with Riverside last year for the waiting time between buses from the same park.

 

[larryz]

Buses: Over our last 5 visits to WDW the busing TO the parks has been generally timely. Trying to return to our resorts has been another story. We have waited 45mins or longer at times. As we watch empty buses come and go from neighboring stops. I would love to know how and who dispatches the buses. I have to believe that the dispatcher knows which stops are full and which are empty.

I can't believe the drivers can't call in to dispatch and say -- "my stop is empty, but there are at least 120 people waiting at the stop for All Star Sports... I'm switching to that run..."

 

[DisneyDoctor]

I can't believe the drivers can't call in to dispatch and say -- "my stop is empty, but there are at least 120 people waiting at the stop for All Star Sports... I'm switching to that run..."

Imagine the issues if, after said driver helped with all star sports, the resort he was driving for filled up all of a sudden. Disney would now have two problems on their hands rather than one.

 

[RustySpork]

I don’t post here very often but I read the forums all the time. So, believe me when I say I’m not here to stir anything up. I just wanted to relay my thoughts from my recent trip (Dec 10 – 16).

I just got back from my 14th trip to Disney World and I have to say I was disappointed. For the first time ever, I have to say I don’t look forward to going back. My family started going back in 2002 so I may not be a super Disney goer but I have been enough times that I have plenty of experience and have seen things come and go.

We stayed in an Art of Animation Nemo suite. The room was nice enough with a few things wrong … the fridge didn’t work, the remote in the bedroom wouldn’t turn the TV on, the piece that keeps water in the shower from coming out under the door was missing, and a light over the table was blinking. Not terrible things but annoying.

The parks were crowded for an early December trip (10 – 16). However, I knew crowds have been picking up lately so not unexpected. I remember the days when a trip in December meant a walk on, on all rides!

But here is what really got me. Disney is chipping away at its exceptional guest experience. This is the first trip that I CAN'T say felt awesome or magical. I have worked for a large corporation for better than 20 years and they do the same thing. They chip away at their employees until they can no longer give their loyalty. In fact, I have quit that job and moved on. The same thing is happening to Disney. In the past, I would have argued anyone down that Disney was the best vacation a family would ever take. But not anymore. Like at my former job my loyalty to Disney is fading.

So, what is different? I have been thinking about it and this is just some of the things I have come up with.

Fastpass+

This system is not thought out well and I believe has ruined a positive Disney experience for guests. 60 days prior to arrival I logged in to make my fast pass reservations. Much to my surprise there were no Avatar Flight of Passage or Frozen or Seven Dwarf Mine Train fast passes until 5 days into our trip. What? NO fast passes? I finally got a fast pass for Avatar Flight of Passage for a Thursday night but there was one problem with that. We were going to EPCOT that morning. Therefore, we could make no fast passes for EPCOT that day. You can’t have fast passes spanning parks. Also, how am I supposed to know two months in advance what ride I want to ride at what time. This is beyond crazy. People who know me know that I am a big planner. I have multiple spreadsheets and create food lists and all sorts of things. But when it comes down to it, you just can’t always know exactly where you want to be on any particular day and certainly not minute by minute. And heaven forbid you might change your mind and want to go to a park you haven't planned for. I pity the folks who can’t plan the way I do. I bet they don’t get to do anything at Disney with this new system.

In addition, the system of fast passes is driving traffic to other rides. I saw a 40 minute wait for The Land! During a “slow” time, “off season” time there was a 40 minute wait for The Land! Now, I have read on this great forum that Disney wanted to do that. But now there are no rides that have short waits. This can really make for a long day. What do you do when you are waiting for your fast pass. I guess you wait 40 minutes for The Land.


Food

We got the free quick service dining this time. We have had it many times before. We no longer want the table service dining. First everything was covered. Then tips were not covered. Then you no longer could get appetizers. And I don’t know what all may have changed since the last time we had that plan. Can you see the trend? Chipping away at the guest experience until someone like me no longer even wants it. The quick service food is the same way. Disney has streamlined everything. You can get the same hot dog no matter where you go. The thing is I don’t want the same hot dog or hamburger everywhere. The choices are really limited too. I can remember when quick service restaurants had all kinds of choices, including free hot cheese which my daughters loved. Sorry, they don’t have the cheese any more or maybe they do for a buck. (Chipping Away!)


Buses

Don’t even get me started on the buses. Waited 45 minutes on a bus at Disney Springs. Stood on every single bus back and forth from the parks except maybe once. They let every single scooter and their families on the bus FIRST even if I had been waiting there forever and they just pulled up. The driver refused to go until we had so many people standing we couldn’t even move. “Keep moving back! I can see you can still breathing there sir so there must not be enough people on this bus!” If a bus had an accident we would most likely all be dead. If I drove around with no seat belt I would get a ticket. How can they get away with 10000 people on one bus? You talk about not a good guest experience. That may be the worst of them all! Or how about when they drop you off, not at your bus stop, but at no place in particular nowhere close to the park.


Anyway, sorry for my rambling on. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m getting older and I don’t see things the same way I used to. But I won’t be going back for a while. A long, long while. Disney has chipped away at costs and such until they have ruined my guest experience. I don’t pay top dollar to go to Disney so I can go to an average park. If I wanted that I’d going to that other place. They need to get back to what made them great and not just settle for “okay” with a lot more profit.

Ignore the pixie dusters, they're so drunk on the dust that they'll find fault in anything anyone says that doesn't toe their line.

Also, anyone who says "katiebug" should be punched in the face by a moderator.

 

[RustySpork]

That works... if you want dinner at 9:20 am

Who doesn't have dinner at 9:20AM! At least ONE restaurant had availability, you people and your lack of ability to make your own magic!

 

[Disneyworld_here_we_come]

I do apologize that stress and timetable were confusing to you. On your first post you appeared to almost understand..now you don’t.
You replied to me saying that the timetables are necessary.. 180 and 60. They are not. If you want to plan at 180 then go for it...but it’s not a requirement to have an amazing Disney trip, or to eat at table service restaurants daily, and yes, without park hopper tickets.
We complain that we need 6 month in advance reservations for all dining, and the stress of spreadsheets and daily touring plans in hour blocks.. we don’t need them.. they should only be done if you enjoy them...but it’s crazy how many people think that they’re necessary.

If that is difficult to comprehend then I’m sorry that you feel that way.

I totally agree with everything you've said. I went this October and I decided not to pre plan my every move as this is what I did in 2010 and things did not go as planned. I have a friend who was there the week before, she planned every second of each day. I don't know why exactly it worked out like it did, but if you ask her about her trip she sounds like OP, she was unhappy and her trip was not a good one. Yes she got FPs all day long and walked onto almost every ride thanks to crazy app stalking but she complained about everything else about the trip. I on the other hand, planned a couple meals and some FPs , thank god for a FoP one that I got, but spent the rest of the trip just walking around and enjoying myself, deciding on the fly what we wanted to do. I had a wonderful trip.

As for the buses, I never waited more than 15-20 mins. Maybe because we were at a deluxe, I don't know because this was my first experience with the buses but I was very pleased. I will say this though, peoples perception of time is often greatly exaggerated. I work in pharmacy and I cannot tell you the number of times in my life I've had someone scream at me that they've been waiting for 45 mins for their prescription and they just scream and yell. Well guess what, everything is time stamped or we would write the time down on an RX that was dropped off, and I could often prove to them that they had not been waiting anywhere near that long, didn't matter. This happened at least once a day. My own mother is guilty of this, as we waited for the buses or food she said the same thing countless times, and we never really waited that long.

 

[OneofThree]

This post represents my initial activity on this forum, as someone who felt compelled to weigh in on this.

The first week of this month (Dec. 17'), marked the first time I had stayed at the WDW resort since 1991, when I was a teen. The family back then had begun vacationing at the Mouse in 1984, and we typically visited 3+ times a year for stays as long as a month during the Summer. After having left the Northeast to live in Orlando until 2005, my wife and I would occasionally visit the parks where I would notice the gradual changes from the experiences I knew as a kid. I wish I could say that any of these changes were ones I would characterize as for the better, but I really hesitated to pass judgment realizing that my perspective as an adult was likely a significant departure from that of a child. That said, I have to say that my wife and I had an absolutely wonderful time at the resort earlier this month. The deluxe accommodations were perfect, the food was excellent, and the customer service everywhere was, for the most part, phenomenal. What I also have to admit however, was the fact that the greatest difference I noticed were the crowds. We were in Epcot on Thurs, Dec 7, and the sea of bodies was such that we actually had to wait in line to be able to walk past the funnel cake stand in front of the American Adventure! We did utilize a FP for Soarin', having anticipated a long wait. Beyond that, we mostly walked around, ate, drank, and enjoyed each other's company. What I really want to express however, is just how disappointed I was to find the park as crowded the first week of December as I had ever seen it on the 4th of July in the 1980's! I feel safe in saying, that for people actually visiting WDW in hopes of seeing all the attractions and enjoying all the parks have to offer, well, it seems nothing at all like what I was able to enjoy as a kid. Yes, during those Summers I recall waiting for Space Mountain or Spaceship Earth for an hour plus, but you didn't need fast passes back then and could actually see most of a park in a day or so. Sadly, I believe that Disney guests are a victim of Disney's success. For those who don't know the World I knew, WDW may still be one of the greatest vacation experiences one could dream of. For those of us who know, that World exists only within a bunch of good memories I am thankful I have so many of.

 

[jbolen2]

We just left today after being there from dec 15th at the fort. We all noticed from day 1 of this trip that the bus intervals were longer than last year or any other dec that we have came for the past 20+year. The boat to magic kingdom was at its normal pace. the small boat from the fort, to wilderness lodge and contemporary is really suffering from only running 2 boats at roughly 30 min intervals.

All in all we still had a great trip and will be back same week next year, just hope they hire a few more drivers.

 

[Jae99]

You can tell yourself that you could have just popped into FoP at rope drop with no issues but you are lying to yourself. We couldn't get the fastpass for it this year and decided to try rope drop for it while we were there, the line going there at rope drop was already over an hour and a half. From what we learned from the CMs the people start lining up for FoP at the front gate as soon as the parking lot opens. If you aren't willing to wait in line at the front gate prior to opening for 2 hours you aren't going to get on any quicker than a 1 and half to 2 hour wait. So don't spread rumors because some poor soul will believe it and find out the hard way that you were just wrong.

And yes you can get reservations after 180 days, but if you do you can't be picky as to when they will happen. That's a problem for a family that doesn't have a park hopper if the only two places they wanted are in different parks and the only reservations happen to be on the same day.

Now since you think you can have a magical trip without any planning, please share the rides you did ride on your trip... Don't include the ones you think you could have gotten on just the ones you actually rode. Maybe some people will agree with whatever you experienced as being enough to make it a magical trip and be able to forgo any planning... then again it might just give people an indication of what they can expect if they don't plan which would also be helpful.

On our trip this past Dec 4-11. We did not dine at one single restaurant that I booked at 180 days. We ate at Sanaa, The Wave, Boatwrights and Chefs de France which were all booked the day of.

We changed FP’s to different parks and different times to coincide with where we decided to go that day. We never waited for more than 30 minutes to get on an attraction, most waits were in the 15-20 minute range. While spending 4 out of 7 afternoons by the pool.

On a morning with an 8 am opening I was able to ride both FoP and Navi river journey by 8:23. I arrived at the park at 7:10. Was it luck? Possibly, but I was able to accomplish it. I was also able to get 2 FP’s for FoP as well on days 4 and 5 of the trip.

It is possible to do WDW without booking well in advance.

I find it is more beneficial to use ones time to read and research rather than obsess over every last minute of your trip.

 

[Jae99]

My two cents:
We stayed at BWV 11/11-11/19.
We went to MVMCP on the 14th. It was very crowded. We saw the parade,& Holiday Wishes. The lines for most of the attractions were too long.
Being that MK had multiple party nights this week there were only 3 nights the MK was open late for everyone. On those late days the park was insanely busy all day. I feel that Disney is double dipping on our our possible park time to make more $$$.

Buses: Over our last 5 visits to WDW the busing TO the parks has been generally timely. Trying to return to our resorts has been another story. We have waited 45mins or longer at times. As we watch empty buses come and go from neighboring stops. I would love to know how and who dispatches the buses. I have to believe that the dispatcher knows which stops are full and which are empty.

The buses are now dispatched by computer to have the buses arrive at each stop every 20 minutes. There is a transportation person at each park to identify long lines and dispatch extra buses to help out. The bus driver doesn’t know what stop he/she has until crossing a certain point when arriving at the bus drop off at the parks.

 

[RustySpork]

We never waited for more than 30 minutes to get on an attraction, most waits were in the 15-20 minute range.

I'm not buying that story at all.

On a morning with an 8 am opening I was able to ride both FoP and Navi river journey by 8:23. I arrived at the park at 7:10. Was it luck? Possibly, but I was able to accomplish it.

Getting to the park nearly an hour before it opens to ride a ride isn't luck.

I was also able to get 2 FP’s for FoP as well on days 4 and 5 of the trip.

I find this hard to believe as well, that's pretty much impossible.

It is possible to do WDW without booking well in advance.

Even licking a frozen flagpole can be fun if you go into it with low enough expectations.

 

[21stamps]

I totally agree with everything you've said. I went this October and I decided not to pre plan my every move as this is what I did in 2010 and things did not go as planned. I have a friend who was there the week before, she planned every second of each day. I don't know why exactly it worked out like it did, but if you ask her about her trip she sounds like OP, she was unhappy and her trip was not a good one. Yes she got FPs all day long and walked onto almost every ride thanks to crazy app stalking but she complained about everything else about the trip. I on the other hand, planned a couple meals and some FPs , thank god for a FoP one that I got, but spent the rest of the trip just walking around and enjoying myself, deciding on the fly what we wanted to do. I had a wonderful trip.

As for the buses, I never waited more than 15-20 mins. Maybe because we were at a deluxe, I don't know because this was my first experience with the buses but I was very pleased. I will say this though, peoples perception of time is often greatly exaggerated. I work in pharmacy and I cannot tell you the number of times in my life I've had someone scream at me that they've been waiting for 45 mins for their prescription and they just scream and yell. Well guess what, everything is time stamped or we would write the time down on an RX that was dropped off, and I could often prove to them that they had not been waiting anywhere near that long, didn't matter. This happened at least once a day. My own mother is guilty of this, as we waited for the buses or food she said the same thing countless times, and we never really waited that long.

I’m so happy to see someone else do this, and know that it can be done. I hope that more people realize that trips can be so much better if we stop putting the stress of so much preplanning every hour of the day..and there is no possible way that you will be stuck eating at counter service restaurants the entire time

 

[Dave B]

I believe it, we have had a similar experience in Nov, its about timing, a little luck and perseverance

BUT

Definitely possible

 

[The_Jobu]

Am I the only one that feels planning out the trip in detail is half the fun at WDW?

It's one of my favourite things to do. No, really. I love it.