Disney testing new Express Fresh in-room dining

[drizgirl]

These are still binary statements. It's still operating under the premise that moving forward with this service somehow is preventing resources from being spent on what you perceive as faults when the evidence at hand dictates otherwise.

If you can't move past an either/or conversation then the discussion becomes circular.

If you see it as circular, you probably see it as a frustrating exercise in futility. So you should probably let it go.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I guess whether it's technically an "upsell" depends on the price point. I just look at it as part of a trend of new offerings lately.

Sorry you don't appreciate my posts. And sorry you don't understand how I could opt to use a given service while still raising an eyebrow about how it fits into the greater scheme of what I've been seeing from the parks lately.

I think what many posters like you don't get is that many of us who are critical of some of these things still love the parks, still love visiting, still look forward to our trips with great anticipation. It doesn't mean that we like the trend of where we see them going, and don't like every little thing they throw at the wall.

Except that this particular service has nothing to do with the parks and how they are updated and managed. How is offering a different service to resort guests an "upsell"? Regular in-room dining is not affected at all by this, and nothing in the parks is changed by this offering.

I understand that you probably love the parks, and can be critical of certain things, but you seem to be critical of everything there. If you read my posts, you will see that I don't agree with everything they do, but I'm certainly not going to be negative about a service that has absolutely zero affect on my vacation. And please don't try to go into - well, it MIGHT affect it in the future. A pointless argument there, but one I see all the time here lately.

 

[COProgressFan]

I get that Disney wants to provide a service that more people would probably partake of than traditional room service.

But in the meantime, we still have concerns about the quality of housekeeping and the physical condition of resort rooms - outdated furnishings, poor quality materials, etc. To the point Disney has hired a third party to basically re-train their housekeeping staff, along with hiring more managers; hopefully more housekeepers too. And just about every DVC resort is undegoing renovations.

For me, these things are more important and directly related to the enjoyment of my visit to WDW than a new type of room service.

This is my issue as well lately. They come up with all sorts of schemes for new revenue, and all sorts of plans to cut their expenses. All this happens while they completely ignore the basics, property wide. Provide clean, comfortable rooms with great service, and appropriate guest amenities. They seem to ignore what should be their core competencies and instead focus on the trendy new plan of the week cooked up by people who never get to see or experience the product they are selling to customers. What good is food delivery or upcharge events if the hotel room is dirty or worn?

The housekeeping thing is the one I find most dumbfounding -- once the leader in guest service and hospitality, and successfully running hotels for 45 years and suddenly needs help figuring out how to clean hotel rooms effectively? To me that seems to highlight the major organizational and management issues the company has.

As far as this food option -- I actually see it as a positive. There were many times a few years ago when we stayed at AKL and the Mara food court was jam packed (and understaffed) at dinner. I might have considered ordering some pre-packed to-go items for delivery to our room in an hour rather than deal with the chaotic situation with 2 small kids downstairs. Honestly though, the real issue in my mind is that they didn't staff the location appropriately to deal with the crowds.

 

[drizgirl]

Except that this particular service has nothing to do with the parks and how they are updated and managed. How is offering a different service to resort guests an "upsell"? Regular in-room dining is not affected at all by this, and nothing in the parks is changed by this offering.

I understand that you probably love the parks, and can be critical of certain things, but you seem to be critical of everything there. If you read my posts, you will see that I don't agree with everything they do, but I'm certainly not going to be negative about a service that has absolutely zero affect on my vacation. And please don't try to go into - well, it MIGHT affect it in the future. A pointless argument there, but one I see all the time here lately.

I'm talking about the overall direction of WDW. The parks and resorts.

And I'm sorry you feel the need to be critical about me being critical.

 

[drizgirl]

This is my issue as well lately. They come up with all sorts of schemes for new revenue, and all sorts of plans to cut their expenses. All this happens while they completely ignore the basics, property wide. Provide clean, comfortable rooms with great service, and appropriate guest amenities. They seem to ignore what should be their core competencies and instead focus on the trendy new plan of the week cooked up by people who never get to see or experience the product they are selling to customers. What good is food delivery or upcharge events if the hotel room is dirty or worn?

The housekeeping thing is the one I find most dumbfounding -- once the leader in guest service and hospitality, and successfully hotels for 45 years and suddenly needs help figuring out how to clean hotel rooms effectively? To me that seems to highlight the major organizational and management issues the company has.

As far as this food option -- I actually see it as a positive. There were many times a few years ago when we stayed at AKL and the Mara food court was jam packed (and understaffed) at dinner. I might have considered ordering some pre-packed to-go items for delivery to our room in an hour rather than deal with the chaotic situation with 2 small kids downstairs.

That's very much how I feel. Depending on the price, I might actually take advantage. But I can still raise an eyebrow about the other issues resort wide that you mention.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I'm talking about the overall direction of WDW. The parks and resorts.

And I'm sorry you feel the need to be critical about me being critical.

Sorry you think I'm being critical, but it would be nice to simply discuss the ONE topic of the Fresh Express service, instead of every single thread devolving into how Disney has sucked lately. I guess that is just to much to ask from the kids around here though. Sad.

 

[jakeman]

If you see it as circular, you probably see it as a frustrating exercise in futility. So you should probably let it go.

Yes, it is frustrating to converse will folks that continue to buy a product they are not satisfied with at a premium price because of an extreme emotional attachment.

So you are correct I will bow out of this conversation and place you back on ignore.

 

[drizgirl]

Sorry you think I'm being critical, but it would be nice to simply discuss the ONE topic of the Fresh Express service, instead of every single thread devolving into how Disney has sucked lately. I guess that is just to much to ask from the kids around here though. Sad.

It's a discussion board. People discuss. Did you have more to add? Maybe something like a menu or list of prices?

 

[drizgirl]

Yes, it is frustrating to converse will folks that continue to buy a product they are not satisfied with at a premium price because of an extreme emotional attachment.

So you are correct I will bow out of this conversation and place you back on ignore.

Whatever works for you.

Although I think it's interesting that you think you know me well enough to judge how satisfied I am with the product and whether I continue to buy it and for what reasons.

 

[Nubs70]

So WDW, a hospitality innovator, is now a replicator.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I think what many posters like you don't get is that many of us who are critical of some of these things still love the parks, still love visiting, still look forward to our trips with great anticipation.

Although I think it's interesting that you think you know me well enough to judge how satisfied I am with the product and whether I continue to buy it and for what reasons.

Satisfied or not, you still made a statement about still visiting and looking forward to your trips with "great" anticipation.

 

[drizgirl]

Satisfied or not, you still made a statement about still visiting and looking forward to your trips with "great" anticipation.

Yes I did. I can compartmentalize. I can be critical of certain things and enjoy other things greatly.

 

[emcclay]

Maybe guests will use Fresh Express for taking food into the parks.

 

[LAKid53]

Being that we have made over 20 trips in the last decade - we have never had a dirty room, nor poor quality furnishings or a resort room that was in bad shape. How many trips have you made where any of this was true, and what resort were you at?

While we may never use this particular service, it really has nothing to do with any other part of the resort operations. They aren't asking housekeeping staff to take time from cleaning to deliver food.

I know they don't use housekeeping to deliver food to guests rooms.... But housekeeping is part of the overall guest experience at a resort...and the one that impacts every single resort guest.

I'm an AP and DVC member with contracts at GF, Poly and WL, so guess where I stay for the 5-7 trips we take each year? Yes, I've had issues with room cleanliness at all three home resorts upon arrival. Dirty floors, dirty kitchens, dirty counters in the bathroom, tubs that don't drain, found several used and discarded bandaids on floors in bedrooms, closets and bathrooms. I opened the microwave to heat up some food for dinner shortly after unpacking and it was filthy with cooked on food from previous users. Had to clean it before I would dare put my food in it. I now travel with a spray bottle of Mr. Clean and a sponge since housekeeping doesn't always clean a room properly during turnover. The worst? Finding a pair of obviously used underwear a guest had mistaken left behind in the corner of my room behind a chair.

Then there's the time housekeeping never informed maintenance that the battery in the lock on our room door died and they were unable to service our room. Which we didn't find out about until we returned to our room in the late afternoon for a short nap and cleanup before returning to MK for my daughter's birthday dinner at CRT. Needless to say, the 3-4 hours I had allowed for a nap, showers and the hour to get from our resort to the restaurant turned into just enough time to shower, throw on clothes, run to the bus stop and run our way through the crowds gathering in the Hub for Wishes so we wouldn't be late for our ADR - we ended up arriving 10 minutes late.

So, yes, I've had issues with housekeeping... Not every trip, but enough to make me realize their standards had declined. Which I mostly credit to insufficient staff to handle the volume of work.

 

[Laketravis]

Regardless of how you feel about it one way or another, this is just one of many "new offerings" coming down the pike for WDW. As uncle Bob so eloquently stated yesterday, we can all "expect continued cost management......."

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I know they don't use housekeeping to deliver food to guests rooms.... But housekeeping is part of the overall guest experience at a resort...and the one that impacts every single resort guest.

I'm an AP and DVC member with contracts at GF, Poly and WL, so guess where I stay for the 5-7 trips we take each year? Yes, I've had issues with room cleanliness at all three home resorts upon arrival. Dirty floors, dirty kitchens, dirty counters in the bathroom, tubs that don't drain, found several used and discarded bandaids on floors in bedrooms, closets and bathrooms. I opened the microwave to heat up some food for dinner shortly after unpacking and it was filthy with cooked on food from previous users. Had to clean it before I would dare put my food in it. I now travel with a spray bottle of Mr. Clean and a sponge since housekeeping doesn't always clean a room properly during turnover. The worst? Finding a pair of obviously used underwear a guest had mistaken left behind in the corner of my room behind a chair.

Then there's the time housekeeping never informed maintenance that the battery in the lock on our room door died and they were unable to service our room. Which we didn't find out about until we returned to our room in the late afternoon for a short nap and cleanup before returning to MK for my daughter's birthday dinner at CRT. Needless to say, the 3-4 hours I had allowed for a nap, showers and the hour to get from our resort to the restaurant turned into just enough time to shower, throw on clothes, run to the bus stop and run our way through the crowds gathering in the Hub for Wishes so we wouldn't be late for our ADR - we ended up arriving 10 minutes late.

So, yes, I've had issues with housekeeping... Not every trip, but enough to make me realize their standards had declined. Which I mostly credit to insufficient staff to handle the volume of work.

Sorry for the bad experiences. We are AP and DVC as well, and I guess we are just luckier than most in that we have never seen any of those things happen to us. The worst thing was my wife's MB wouldn't open the door (mine worked), and less than 2 minutes at Guest Services fixed the issue.

I am hoping that in every situation where the room was not up to par, that you notified the manager, in person, in every case, detailing what wasn't right.

 

[ford91exploder]

I understand that. But if Disney wants to provide something that will benefit guests (and isn't just a money grab, as some allege), then clean, comfortable rooms that are properly maintained is more important than adding a service a small percentage of guests will use.

I'm wondering if this new service was picked up through any of the surveys.

I think this is one of the Efficiency Initiatives in the most recent earnings call. I.e. How to reduce the cost of in room dining. Not realizing that there is a show aspect to in room dining.

Disney is a bit psychotic in they want the dollars for the high end guest yet they are completely unwilling to make the investments in the services high end guests (or even the average buisiness traveller) expect.

I could see using the fresh express if it was 'your order in 45 minutes or it's free'. No it will be we will deliver your damn food when we are good and ready and you will like it and 2 hours will be the norm because Disney will staff too few runners.

 

[LAKid53]

These are still binary statements. It's still operating under the premise that moving forward with this service somehow is preventing resources from being spent on what you perceive as faults when the evidence at hand dictates otherwise.

If you can't move past an either/or conversation then the discussion becomes circular.

Jake, that's not what I'm saying. My issue is that there are more important things for the resorts management to focus on that affect every guest staying on property. That should be their focus, not proving a new type of room service..... Yes, they can do both at the same time. But delivering a packaged salad from Gasparilla's to my room isn't going to improve my guest experience if my room was not properly cleaned before I arrived or while I was at a park....

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I think this is one of the Efficiency Initiatives in the most recent earnings call. I.e. How to reduce the cost of in room dining. Not realizing that there is a show aspect to in room dining.

This has got to be one of the most idiotic statements I have ever seen. In-room dining is a money MAKER for Disney every time someones utilizes it. How you can continue to make totally off-the-wall statements like this is completely amazing to me.

 

[ford91exploder]

This is my issue as well lately. They come up with all sorts of schemes for new revenue, and all sorts of plans to cut their expenses. All this happens while they completely ignore the basics, property wide. Provide clean, comfortable rooms with great service, and appropriate guest amenities. They seem to ignore what should be their core competencies and instead focus on the trendy new plan of the week cooked up by people who never get to see or experience the product they are selling to customers. What good is food delivery or upcharge events if the hotel room is dirty or worn?

The housekeeping thing is the one I find most dumbfounding -- once the leader in guest service and hospitality, and successfully running hotels for 45 years and suddenly needs help figuring out how to clean hotel rooms effectively? To me that seems to highlight the major organizational and management issues the company has.

As far as this food option -- I actually see it as a positive. There were many times a few years ago when we stayed at AKL and the Mara food court was jam packed (and understaffed) at dinner. I might have considered ordering some pre-packed to-go items for delivery to our room in an hour rather than deal with the chaotic situation with 2 small kids downstairs. Honestly though, the real issue in my mind is that they didn't staff the location appropriately to deal with the crowds.

By the way trying all sorts of harebrained schemes while ignoring the basics is one of the key 'tells' of a organization in the process of failure