Disney World website substandard?

[crbrown25]

Does anybody else find the Disney World website to be substandard? It's ok just for browsing and getting general info. But it's really not very user-friendly, especially when it comes to user-specific applications. In particular, the reservation retrieval system is a mess and seems to always be experiencing trouble. I remember a year ago having the same problem as i have for the past couple days. I keep getting a message that it can't show reservations right now. Another thing i notice is that it tends to take the user through endless loops... you can be logged in, but it still asks for a password...then you have to enter your password a couple times for it to take, and you can't get back to where you were. Is it just me? I consider myself at least somewhat tech savvy, but i find the Disney site to be very difficult to navigate most of the time.

 

[C.FERNIE]

i always have trouble with the wdw website and have done for years, i used to complain but nothing every changed, last time we went i tried reserving everything through the website, i managed to reserve everything but had constant trouble every time i logged in! think i may just do it over the phone next time! :wave:

 

[onelivelygirl]

The same is true of the Disney store online website. It's kinda crazy that Disney online technology is so below standard.

 

[rsoxguy]

Yes. It has always been a poorly designed website, and they have made no effort to improve it in a practical way over the years. I have never understood the poor quality of a website designed to represent a company like Disney, and a destination like Disney World.

 

[flynnibus]

Simply put.. their design priorities are out of wack. Instead of streamlining they are focused on 'more more more' and overloading.

If you want a single sign of just how screwed up Disney's online properties are.. all you need to do is look at why on earth are they still using the GO.com portal domain they bought ages ago.. ages after any usefulness at all.

 

[captainkidd]

It's gotten better, but it's still definitely slower than it should be and lacking some pertinent information.

 

[mickeysshoes]

Lack of website goes right along with NO 800 phone numbers. Never did understand why they did not have 800 numbers.

 

[rwdavis2]

One indication is that if you search the Disney jobs web site they always have multiple posting for web programmers. Either they are understaffed or don't pay well causing turnover.

 

[Master Yoda]

Lack of website goes right along with NO 800 phone numbers. Never did understand why they did not have 800 numbers.

Simple reason there....the lack of a 1-800 number did not decrease business enough to justify its expense. Quite honestly, in this day and age of plentiful free unlimited long distance, I am surprised that any company still has a 1-800 number.

 

[devoy1701]

Disney's online presence/experience has been horrible since they started. It was always a sore spot on Eisner's Annual Reports and it never really improved.

 

[powlessfamily4]

Simple reason there....the lack of a 1-800 number did not decrease business enough to justify its expense. Quite honestly, in this day and age of plentiful free unlimited long distance, I am surprised that any company still has a 1-800 number.

100% correct. The reason 800 numbers were supplied by companies was to defer the cost of a long distance call. Those of us over 40 remember a time when long distance calls were 40 cents or greater per minute. Now that it is free with just about all phone companies, it makes no sense to pay for a call that is already free. They are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

 

[Rowdy]

:brick:

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Their website has always been horrible.

I can't tell you how many times I've had a momentary panic attack when I've logged in and its told me I have no current reservations.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I can't tell you how many times I've had a momentary panic attack when I've logged in and its told me I have no current reservations.

That's not necessarily the website's problem. Disney has many different systems that talk to each other, and sometimes they just don't.

 

[freakman]

Crappy Web Sites with multiple logs in ect with large companies that are made up of several divisions go hand in hand. I work with IBM products and they may have the worst web site for information in the history of the internet. Try cruising microsoft and oracle...and Disney's buddy HP...all crap Your better off hitting google and wading through forms than looking at their site...like Wendys..I got a big bun but where's the beef

 

[mickeysshoes]

Simple reason there....the lack of a 1-800 number did not decrease business enough to justify its expense. Quite honestly, in this day and age of plentiful free unlimited long distance, I am surprised that any company still has a 1-800 number.

I agree that today there is no need for 800 numbers but back when we first started going to Disney (95-96) i just killed me to have to pay the long distance charges to make a reservation. The vacation bill started before we even left home! But what you said does make since..if enough people will pay to call why spend the money.

 

[DisneyDad53]

Pretty sure they have been in the planning process of overhauling all of Disney.com. Not sure how the Parks sites will be affected, but since they all family, I would assume it would be updated as well.

Also, with the rumors of being able to do more pre-planning from home (fastpass, show reservations), I would assume there is a fair amount of work to update the site for that as well.

In this article from June, Iger gave a timeline of less than a year.

Time will tell.

 

[chrissyw14]

yeah the website has problems but I don't think it is as bad as a lot of others. The Rutgers website drives me crazy and looks different after every click. I got mad at the disney website because it does act like it always keeps you signed it but it continuously asks for your password but anyway after my trip i'd go to it and it would always tell me i have 1 day til my next trip and that depressed me lol.

And the reservation thing if i sign in and it doesn't show up i always click retrive my reservations and it works so try that [:

 

[devoy1701]

2X - and then some . I work with local Home Remodeling Companies that have a better grasp of the value of a functional business website . The WDW site SHOULD be as well engineered as Amazon's.

Amazon really has a great website...don't they? I wish all websites ran as well as Amazon.

This one runs pretty well too! :wave:

 

[Tom Morrow]

I've always hated the website. Despite being over-done, poorly integrated into the "Disney.go.com" platform, and having a confusing layout, it does not do WDW justice in terms of showing what the place actually offers. I feel like its just like their PR and media. Relying heavily on magic, nostalga, dreams, and other buzzwords. Its no wonder people who have never been assume its entirely just for kids - thats ALL they ever show.