dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
classic example of first world problems. ^^^^^^^
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Monorail system to operate on new timetable to accommodate automation work
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
cw1982
Well-Known Member
Agreed, but if someone is paying a premium to be able to make full use of a first-world service, does the fact that it's a first-world problem really justify Disney dropping the ball here? A trip to WDW costs too much money for Disney to not give their guests more courtesy than this, especially when all it would take is an email so that they know to plan accordingly.
ETA: I'm not really fully sure what your point was. Most issues at Disney World could be considered "first world problems." Why single out this one?
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
I agree it was a strange comment to make, especially since their status update would indicate their work involves "first world problems" regularly. Secondly, and more on point, I agree with you. The issue is notice and level of service. I do believe it's possible to make up for lack of monorail availability with watercraft and buses (which allows for fixing service), but the lack of notice is pitiful. We all know this operational change was not deciced "on the fly." And if it was, well in the words of Little John in Walt Disney's Robin Hood, "Hey, who's driving this flying umbrella?"
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
of course this whole discussion board is first world and its associated problems... but it beats the 'what did i kill for supper tonight? will i starve?' was just trying to illuminate the splitting of hairs here. anyone with half a brain can google what is going on at the world, this is not the 80's. if they fail to plan, then they should plan to fail. dozens of websites and other information services are available. And of course, any party can change their resort and not incur penalty charges, hell, i had to cancel outright and reschedule, no harm.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
What sane person constantly checks on their hotel to ensure major, advertised services and perks will be available? And did you miss that part about Disney failing to communicate this to the very people one would ask such a question? That is not premium customer service, something Disney used to define.
cw1982
Well-Known Member
Ok. I highly disagree, but why not just come out and say all of that? And why was my post singled out for your commentary? It's not like I'm anywhere near the only person who expressed annoyance towards TDO for their chosen lack of communication here. Heck, I'm not even staying at WDW during the times impacted, and may very well never be able to afford to stay in a monorail resort. But the principal of the thing still bothered me.
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cw1982
Well-Known Member
This. Exactly.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
And just to elaborate on how this is a pattern, during at least one of the recent day time closure periods Disney did not even have the guts to have the front desk of the Grand Floridian tell people at check in. The day before housekeeping left a little note in the room.
flynnibus
Premium Member
again blaming the customer for Disney's shortcomings. The people already have reservations - they shouldn't have to be stalking the news sites checking for Disney changing the game on them. A decent hotel actually reaches out to their guests.
Mike730
Well-Known Member
A DECENT hotel.
A good hotel makes sure you know. (So you don't complain later after your plans are ruined)
A great hotel offers you something that will improve your stay after they removed something they said you would have when you booked.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Yup.. and Disney's highest properties can't even match the opening ante..
I"m sure watercraft will pull a cruiser to the gf/poly route to handle the extra crowds, but the problem then becomes that the campground has reduced capacity and its ONLY method of getting to MK is by boat.
They will probably use the MK boats, but those things go about 5mph so...yeah expect a long ride especially if staying at the GF. They r also not ECV compatible. Oi what a mess!
I agree with others here, I have sat back as I often do with issues like this because I believe Disney is making the difficult but necessary choice with these upgrades/maintenance work just as they did when they stopped the monorail from running during all of EMH. However, since this is temporary, they are clearly taking a reactive, not proactive approach. It seems they think letting people know ahead of time will just make a much larger number of people upset and complain, whereas by waiting, only the most irate customers will likely complain which means less potentially less compensation overall. It certainly is not the Disney of old...
They will probably use the MK boats, but those things go about 5mph so...yeah expect a long ride especially if staying at the GF. They r also not ECV compatible. Oi what a mess!
I agree with others here, I have sat back as I often do with issues like this because I believe Disney is making the difficult but necessary choice with these upgrades/maintenance work just as they did when they stopped the monorail from running during all of EMH. However, since this is temporary, they are clearly taking a reactive, not proactive approach. It seems they think letting people know ahead of time will just make a much larger number of people upset and complain, whereas by waiting, only the most irate customers will likely complain which means less potentially less compensation overall. It certainly is not the Disney of old...
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
Had the "pleasure" of riding on the MK boats a few months ago during one of the daytime rail shutdowns. I felt terrible for the watercraft cast assigned to crew them, those boats are an embarrassment. It's painfully obvious those boats were pressed back into service after a long stint in storage (that's not the bad part) AND only the most bare, half-@$$ed refurbished was performed before sending them out for guest service. Cobwebs lined the gunwhales, the benches and boats appeared as is they last saw a coat of paint sometime around, oh say, 1971. And you're right, they were quite slow, though I thought that had to be my imagination, given the deplorable visual condition of the boat.
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
you should ALWAYS be responsible enough to check to make sure your confirmations are correct, right? why would it be any different to check before you leave to be sure of the closings in the parks, its right there with the operating hours of each park on all ears... or do some people not d oPM on their car until the check engine light comes on? come on guys, personal responsibility... and @cw1982 was not trying to single any one post out, i meant the whole thread, sorry to make you think i singled one post out.
cw1982
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the clarification about being "singled out"... I couldn't quite tell from the flow of the posts and wanted to be sure that mine in particular hadn't offended in some way.
The problem is, based on what I've seen in the parks and what others are describing here, many people going to Disney don't know about All Ears, Touring Plans, or even WDWMagic. People are actually spending thousands of dollars for a Disney vacation and don't even know about prebooking FP+, and some even think FP+ costs extra because that's the way many other parks do it. It's true that the information is available on a few websites, and that those who are in the know will probably think to check on refurbs, etc, before they leave for their trip, but this is a little different from the TTA being down. No one's entire day will be altered based on not getting to ride Astro Orbiter. It may be a disappointment if that happens to be Junior's favorite ride, but there are plenty of other things in the parks that the family can still enjoy.
IMO, this is different because this can easily alter how much time people have in the parks, and if they don't know about it in advance because they have a reasonable assumption that the monorail will be available, then they are not going to feel like they are getting their money's worth, and could even possibly lose money if they miss an ADR due to the monorail not being available. If Disney was making an honest effort to send out a blanket email to everyone whose ADR's and resort reservations fall in this time frame to warn them about this, complete with alternative transportation option explanations and directions about who to call if they have further questions (and, BTW, they would need to be sure that all CM's who answer the phones know what they are talking about with this stuff; I've seen too many instances lately where people are getting conflicting information about other issues from different CM's), then I would completely agree with you that the guest should take responsibility for not planning.
But if their paperwork all says that they will have access to the monorail during their stay, and they have always been able to use the monorail during certain hours, why would they feel a need to verify this if no one has told them?
As a high school teacher, I'm all for personal accountability. There's nothing that annoys me more than when people insist on pointing at others instead of admitting when their own actions lead to a problem. But in this case, we may have to agree to disagree, because to me, this still reeks of Disney not taking the simple steps necessary to ensure that guests know what they need to know in order to prepare for their trips.
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
would assume that this would be posted
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but for WDW of course
but for WDW of course
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
and they could also use a parking lot tram to pick up the slack from GF and Poly to the MK for the hour before rope drop
Figment2005
Well-Known Member
Signs will be out, but not that fancy. Also, cast members will be posted to help direct guests to the bus and boat services. This isn't just the TTC, all of the monorail resorts will have cast helping to redirect as well.would assume that this would be posted
but for WDW of course
kbmum
Well-Known Member
Anyone who thinks it's no big deal to change a reservation on short notice during a busy time of year should think again. I leave for my trip in 11 days. I called DVC to see what's still available. There are no comparable accommodations available July 3, 4 or 5. The CM said those dates sold out long ago. In addition, any points we used for this vacation that don't get used if we change resorts will end up forfeited because we won't be able to do another trip before this use year ends.
I called guest services, explained the situation and asked to speak to someone who might be able to help. After a brief hold, the CM said the appropriate person would not speak to me because there was nothing she could do. She suggested I send an e-mail that will be forwarded to the "right" people. I wasn't too happy, but just for the record, I was very nice to the CM who answered the call. I'm now working on an e-mail. I don't expect anything to change, but Disney should know how the schedule change with no advance notice is going to impact guest vacations.
I called guest services, explained the situation and asked to speak to someone who might be able to help. After a brief hold, the CM said the appropriate person would not speak to me because there was nothing she could do. She suggested I send an e-mail that will be forwarded to the "right" people. I wasn't too happy, but just for the record, I was very nice to the CM who answered the call. I'm now working on an e-mail. I don't expect anything to change, but Disney should know how the schedule change with no advance notice is going to impact guest vacations.