Disney got my money for the last time

[21stamps]

Turn off your wifi and try it.

This. I had horrible wifi service there.
I turned wifi off while in the parks.

OP, I am curious though. If you had the app, you're obviously on this site, and I assume that you chose park days before going, as well as booked fast passes... Wouldn't you have known the party days before the trip?

Regardless,
Don't let it ruin your vacation!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

However if it was something I really wanted to see I think I would have researched myself prior to arriving. Mistakes happen and unfortunately he was told incorrect information. All he deserves is an apology not compensation.

That family did do research. They figured out correctly that there were fireworks on Sunday. When that got cancelled, they double checked again for an alternative day.
Note that none of the beef is over cancelled fireworks. No unreasonable fishing for comoensation here at all.

I understand at some level that if you grant a family access to an upcharge event that then next week fifty thousand lifestylers scooter in looking for freebies with claims about some CM not predicting the exact temperature correctly 15 days in advance, and that the week after that all guest-CM communication will be asked to go through the legal department.

But what happened here is not correct either. A family saving up for three years so their daughter can watch Disney fireworks. Being sold tickets and told a day. Then on the grand evening being asked to fork over another $300 or else security will escort their crying daughter out.
Welcome to mean and sorry WDW2016.

 

[ford91exploder]

That family did do research. They figured out correctly that there were fireworks on Sunday. When that got cancelled, they double checked again for an alternative day.
Note that none of the beef is over cancelled fireworks. No unreasonable fishing for comoensation here at all.

I understand at some level that if you grant a family access to an upcharge event that then next week fifty thousand lifestylers scooter in looking for freebies with claims about some CM not predicting the exact temperature correctly 15 days in advance, and that the week after that all guest-CM communication will be asked to go through the legal department.

But what happened here is not correct either. A family saving up for three years so their daughter can watch Disney fireworks. Being sold tickets and told a day. Then on the grand evening being asked to fork over another $300 or else security will escort their crying daughter out.
Welcome to mean and sorry WDW2016.

This is what's wrong with the excessive number of 'hard ticket' events in that the cheat the normal day guest out of the experience they PAID for. Would not be so bad if the 'Hard Ticket' day's were discounted to reflect the diminished value they represent.

 

[xdan0920]

In spite of the general attitude here, its a) the concierge's job to provide this information and sadly b) now the guest's responsibility to be on top of scheduling, planning and trip satisfaction.

Gone are the days of ad hoc trips and laid back adventures, unless you are a regular who's goals are lessened.

The lesson here is that its ALL parties responsibility now for having a good time. Its jusy the way it is. Accept it or go elsewhere, unfortunately. They should probably publish that nugget somewhere, but one unhappy customer and 9 happy ones make better business sense.

If I was the type to post annoying GIFs, you know who you are out there, I would post a GIF of a hammer hitting a nail right on the head. You summed this up perfectly.

Checking for time and day of availability is exactly what the OP did.


If I ask where the bus stop is I don't go back up to my room to turn on the Disney tv channel and watch it for two hours to see if maybe the info provided was incorrect.

I guess asking the one person on staff who should know these things doesn't qualify as research. Should have watched some TV, or read a times guide, or made their smart app phone work. Simply expecting a CM whose job it is to know these things, is just not good enough.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

This is what's wrong with the excessive number of 'hard ticket' events in that the cheat the normal day guest out of the experience they PAID for. Would not be so bad if the 'Hard Ticket' day's were discounted to reflect the diminished value they represent.

Ummm, the "hard ticket events" are only at one park, and not every day. So plan on a different park that day if you don't pay for a park hopper. What the heck is so hard about that????

 

[Jon81uk]

Checking for time and day of availability is exactly what the OP did.


If I ask where the bus stop is I don't go back up to my room to turn on the Disney tv channel and watch it for two hours to see if maybe the info provided was incorrect.

I agree, the OP was given wrong information and the manager of their hotel needs to fix that.

But the guest services in the MK was never going to let them stay in the park, to me this is entirely the hotel at fault and they need to provide guest service recovery. Its not the fault of the Halloween party existing, its the concierge making an error.

 

[tglancy]

That family did do research. They figured out correctly that there were fireworks on Sunday. When that got cancelled, they double checked again for an alternative day.
Note that none of the beef is over cancelled fireworks. No unreasonable fishing for comoensation here at all.

I understand at some level that if you grant a family access to an upcharge event that then next week fifty thousand lifestylers scooter in looking for freebies with claims about some CM not predicting the exact temperature correctly 15 days in advance, and that the week after that all guest-CM communication will be asked to go through the legal department.

But what happened here is not correct either. A family saving up for three years so their daughter can watch Disney fireworks. Being sold tickets and told a day. Then on the grand evening being asked to fork over another $300 or else security will escort their crying daughter out.
Welcome to mean and sorry WDW2016.

I get your point, but they couldn't have done that much research if they didn't know that the Thursday evening fireworks were part of a ticketed event.

I do feel for the OP, but stories like this are the reason I NEVER ask for help from a concierge. Too much risk for human error, which it seems this was. There are a multitude of ways that one can get the information without having to rely on a human being. Those should always be the right way.

 

[21stamps]

Ummm, the "hard ticket events" are only at one park, and not every day. So plan on a different park that day if you don't pay for a park hopper. What the heck is so hard about that????

I would think that someone who knew how important it was to watch the fireworks would have checked park times before even setting foot on property. The schedule is posted on the website. Like I said before, they are on this website, so some element of pre trip planning had to be involved.

I get that everyone wants to rant about up charge events.. But there are other days of the week that you can go if you don't want to pay for a party.
The resort employee was wrong, but the OP should have also known. We all have smart phones. If you don't turn on the tv that's fine, if you don't look at flyers also fine. But no way the app was down all week, I've been on it several times checking for desert parties...and the website is also available from a phone.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Ahh...the wonders of Pixie Dust at work!

Direct your customers to a park. Tell them it is open all day long. Charge them a full day admission. Demand another $150 midway. Throw them and their crying kid out. Watch the audience cheer and applaud.

They aren't demanding anything. The party is optional, the times clearly communicated, is not every day, and you do get special entertainment for the money. If it's not valuable to you, you don't have to go. It's pretty fun and worth it just for lighter crowds. If you don't like it, watch Wishes on a non party night. Better yet, stay home.

Disney is trying to make money. When you open your theme park, you can charge a $10/person for all day entry and do a free Halloween party.

Disney is not making insane margins at its theme parks. They costs a lot to run, huge fixed costs, and they are trying to extract more margin, like any company. Apple sold the iPhone SE literally using old chips and inventory it had leftover from tepid iPhone 6s demand and sold it as new.

Disney has a product (parks) that is in demand. It's reasonable for them to do special event tickets to make more money. If people found no value in it, they wouldn't do it anymore.

 

[Chef Mickey]

This is what's wrong with the excessive number of 'hard ticket' events in that the cheat the normal day guest out of the experience they PAID for. Would not be so bad if the 'Hard Ticket' day's were discounted to reflect the diminished value they represent.

They manage it as a portfolio. EPCOT's illuminations is free nightly and there are other free options at DHS. They also extended AK hours just recently. Disney schedules their events so that you always have another option if you don't want to do a hard ticket event. The price is the price, including the "diminished" value of MK only staying open until 7pm 3 nights/week for Halloween Party. Maybe they already baked that in the price? Point is, the price is non-negotiable.

Why do people complain so much? It's not like these events are mandatory or even cost that much money. Just go to EPCOT if you don't like it. Better yet, don't go anywhere because you are so irate with the way the world works. The is not a Disney thing...it's a life thing. Go look at your cell phone bill and cable bill. Think you got something for that new tax or fee? At least Disney is transparent with their pricing up front.

 

[raven]

Disney does not lend itself to visit their parks without extensive planning anymore. It used to be that you can just plan what day you want to go to a certain park and that's all you needed. But with FPs being reserved 60 days out and dining reservations being reserved 6 months out, IMO Disney has shot themselves in the foot for the laid-back travelers or first-time visitors who don't know any better. I'm sure they get many of these complaints on an hourly basis more now than even 5 years ago, and it's all due to letting guests plan super early and swallow up dining and ride times. I understand it's to solidify money and time spent in the parks but with the good comes the bad as well.

As far as the fireworks go and the OP not accepting the FPs for their troubles, I completely understand. Getting a pass for a ride isn't equal to planning an entire day at a park specifically for their fireworks then being told you can't stay. Yes, it was the fault of the CM who gave the wrong information. I think if the OP were able to speak to a GR manager in a private room (which they have) and explain the situation in detail to them, then Disney could find a better solution. It isn't uncommon for GR to allow guests into a private viewing area for shows and fireworks. There are plenty of places to view the MK fireworks that could've been secured in this case. Even if they had to leave the park by 7pm, they could've been invited back right before the fireworks started and ushered up onto the train station platform for optimal viewing.

I work in the guest industry and everyone knows a single complaint that wasn't handled correctly can lead to worse situations and publicity. I don't believe the CM at the Disney GR used all of their resources to properly compensate this situation.

 

[tglancy]

I don't understand what Disney should have done to "properly compensate this situation" anyways. The fireworks were never going to be an option for the OP on this night even if the right time had been given, because they were only being shown to people who bought the extra ticket.

 

[pax_65]

It's reasonable for them to do special event tickets to make more money. If people found no value in it, they wouldn't do it anymore.

I agree - ultimately the people will be the judge of this. Right now these special events are very popular and people are more than willing to shell out the cash for them. For me personally, I've done them before and don't wish to spend the extra money to do them again. So... that puts me on the outside looking in. And while it's not necessarily a huge deal (I've been there during these events before and work around them), it is yet another thing that reduces the value I get from my WDW vacation - especially in the Fall (Halloween and Christmas parties). I think it's especially painful now with Epcot in sad shape and the Studios under construction. So it does contribute to my decision not to visit WDW this Fall.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I work in the guest industry and everyone knows a single complaint that wasn't handled correctly can lead to worse situations and publicity. I don't believe the CM at the Disney GR used all of their resources to properly compensate this situation.

I do agree with most of this. The problem - and you know this will happen - is that people will start to make up scenarios just to get something for free - or even that best viewing experience. You KNOW that will happen all over the internet. While it sucks that the concierge gave bad information - if the OP really understood what was said - there is no way that Disney should allow then in during ticketed party. No way.

 

[wdwfan22]

That family did do research. They figured out correctly that there were fireworks on Sunday. When that got cancelled, they double checked again for an alternative day.
Note that none of the beef is over cancelled fireworks. No unreasonable fishing for comoensation here at all.

I understand at some level that if you grant a family access to an upcharge event that then next week fifty thousand lifestylers scooter in looking for freebies with claims about some CM not predicting the exact temperature correctly 15 days in advance, and that the week after that all guest-CM communication will be asked to go through the legal department.

But what happened here is not correct either. A family saving up for three years so their daughter can watch Disney fireworks. Being sold tickets and told a day. Then on the grand evening being asked to fork over another $300 or else security will escort their crying daughter out.
Welcome to mean and sorry WDW2016.

The fireworks were not canceled Sunday evening.

 

[Kylo Ken]

I love these threads. Classic Pixie Dusters vs Realists.

I do feel for the OP but at the end of the day, the CM made a mistake. I'm guessing everyone calling for this CM's head is infallible? No one here has ever made a mistake? Let's get the pitchforks and torches and hunt the CM down!

Everyone's experience unfortunately may vary. Maybe the OP should've gone up the chain of command and speak to higher ranking CMs on duty such as a manager as another poster had suggested. I'm sure they would have resolved their issues WITHIN REASON. Heck, I know they would have since I've experienced it first hand at Coronado Springs and at Magic Kingdom.

The part about rides breaking down, sorry it happens. The reality of it is this, if you really don't ever plan on spending another dime at Disney World, I'm sorry to say, they won't miss you.

 

[raven]

The fireworks were never going to be an option for the OP on this night even if the right time had been given, because they were only being shown to people who bought the extra ticket.

... if the OP really understood what was said - there is no way that Disney should allow then in during ticketed party. No way.

Fair enough. But let me jot your memory back just a few months ago when MK started those hard ticket after hours events with a premium price. Didn't Disney GIVE AWAY a few hundred tickets?

So yes, it can be done if they wanted.

 

[21stamps]

I do agree with most of this. The problem - and you know this will happen - is that people will start to make up scenarios just to get something for free - or even that best viewing experience. You KNOW that will happen all over the internet. While it sucks that the concierge gave bad information - if the OP really understood what was said - there is no way that Disney should allow then in during ticketed party. No way.

Point being.. The customer is not always right.
A lot of people seem to think the opposite, but the fact is a company can not rectify everyone's dissatisfaction.
I get disgusted to read some of the demands, complaints, and resulting comps from them.
I feel for the OP, and especially his daughter. The entire situation could have been prevented, and I for one am actually glad to see that Disney has limits to what they will do for complaining customers.

 

[Patcheslee]

Why didn't you just ask a CM for alternate locations to view the fireworks outside the park if it was soo important? Seems like you could have spent your time enjoying them from many locations, is it possible a CM could have helped you get a good view outside had you been polite? Possibly . But hey if you wanna "take your ball and go home" have at it.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I agree - ultimately the people will be the judge of this. Right now these special events are very popular and people are more than willing to shell out the cash for them. For me personally, I've done them before and don't wish to spend the extra money to do them again. So... that puts me on the outside looking in. And while it's not necessarily a huge deal (I've been there during these events before and work around them), it is yet another thing that reduces the value I get from my WDW vacation - especially in the Fall (Halloween and Christmas parties). I think it's especially painful now with Epcot in sad shape and the Studios under construction. So it does contribute to my decision not to visit WDW this Fall.

Right, but I'm sure you take advantage of the many other options included with General Admission.

There are legitimate complaints about WDW. I just don't think special event tickets are even near the top. How about no WDW expansion since Iger took over until the recent announcements which remain to be seen?