My beef with the resorts

[disneymyway]

I'll be bold and post a criticism - hopefully it will provoke an interesting discussion.

I really wish they would do things at the resorts a bit more like regular hotels.

I'd like a minibar. Trying to get a simple snack at the Beach Club after MNSSHP was ridiculous. I was reduced to a bag of doritos in the laundry room.

Why no pay per view? I mean, I know they don't want you staying in your room, but there are times that you just don't feel like going to sleep and everything is closed. At least have some more interesting tv channels.

On another board I read that you couldn't even get the baseball playoffs in your room at the resorts! That's just not right when you are paying all that money!

All the things that I would like are just things that would make money for WDW - why do you suppose they don't do them?

There's a hotel in NYC that I stay at and the rate is about $325 - sometimes more, sometimes less. If the WDW deluxes were run like that place it would be so wonderful! It has all the things I love and more - and impeccable service - never a screw up in 10 years I've been staying there.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE WDW and the resorts are adorable and fun. I just think there is room for improvement here.

Do you agree?

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I tend to agree with Disneymyway's points. I think resorts ought to have more around the clock services at least during peak seasons if nothing else. I work 3 jobs and end up eating very late. It's rather sad to have to fend for yourself and not have somebody fix you something. If Disney really wants to push this new celebrations promo through 2009 they better be ready!

I agree with that, too. I get annoyed whenever I stroll back in from the parks at a late hour and the QS is closed. It's not that I even want food; I'd like to be able to refill my mug.

 

[disneymyway]

You criticized WDW?!?!?!? That's it you're off my christmas card list. :ROFLOL:

Oh, I'll figure out some way to win my way back onto it between now and Christmas.

(To do list:

Do or say something really endearing so that everyone will forgive me.)

 

[daliseurat]

This thread does post some great points.

I have a feeling the reason that mini-bars and pay per-view movies are not made available is to keep you out of the room and in Disney's own bars and entertainment areas. In other words, it costs more than it makes.

Keeping stocked minibars costs money. The eat electricity. I'm guessing not enough folks use them. I actually haven't seen one in ANY hotel I've stayed at recently.

Pay-per view is a good question. I can understand not having , but why not the on demand regular movies? Does it cost Disney to make them available? Would n one use it?

However, with PI closing, I don't think Disney is doing a very good job of guiding folks who like later evening to places that are open. I know some resorts have late night bars, some of the BOARDWALK clubs are open late, as well as Downtown Disney. It would be very nice if Disney would post a LATE NIGHT OFFERINGS sheet in each room.

When I was a night owl, I never had a problem staying out late. I spent most of my time at DTD or BOARDWALK. And PI when it was alive. What we do now, is rent the fridge, bring our own wine or booze as well as a few snacks. Or I stop at the markets when I get back to the hotel to grab something before I go to my room.

The worst thing that happened to me happened on my BIRTHDAY. My wife and I were just having fun looking around the resorts and DTD and decided to have a LATE dinner. Well, it was almost 9 and most places were closed. We use WDW transportation to go to a couple resorts that had closed their DINNER facilities. I was stuck having my birthday dinner on a couch in the lounge of the HILTON (I think) at the DTD HOTEL AREA. Live and learn.

To the original poster: Just assume you won't be able to have anything and plan ahead with snacks and whatever you like. I do agree with you, it seems odd that these simple things wouldn't at least be made available as an option!

 

[slappy magoo]

Much easier, IMO to use a slingbox. When we hit WDW during hockey season, we stream HNIC games from our home to our WDW room via the internet.
We rip our DVD's to our server then make that available to the slingbox as well as our MP3's. We tried the portable media player and it just didn't work out for us that well.

Dude, I get the best of both worlds, the Archos has wifi, and will work with slingbox, or its inhouse equivalent, Archos TV+. You can rip the more pressing entertainment options & then access your DVR or tv feed too.

 

[luckyeye13]

Free Internet would be huge! Given Disney's resources, I think it would be nice if they offered free wi-fi to to all guests and ran it throughout the grounds.

Actually it is probably consistent with the industry, as many resorts, even high-end ones, don't have free Internet. I just stayed at the Four Seasons in Dallas as part of a training program for my job at British Airways and, while I did not take my laptop with me because I could do without the Internet for a few days, I did check the rate list because I was interested. Internet access (wired and wi-fi) was upwards of $20 a day with a $10 "connection fee." Granted that the majority of people who stay there probably consider those amounts as spare change or get reimbursed by their employers (if on business trips), but the point is that the Four Seasons is not cheap (I believe one of our facilitators said that the normal minimum rate for a room in Dallas is $750!), but does not have free Internet access.

 

[Thessair]

In my experience, the more upscale and 'out of the pack' a hotel is the less likely it is to have free internet. Most of the places I travel, I find that the middle of the road hotels like Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Ramada that have more direct competition will be the ones to give you free internet. The big, posh places don't have to in order to draw you in so they usually don't. Similarly, Disney resorts really don't seem to sweat their nearby competitors and, as such, don't need the extra push to get people in the doors.

Still, it'd be a nice thing to have.

 

[devoy1701]

I'll be bold and post a criticism - hopefully it will provoke an interesting discussion.

I really wish they would do things at the resorts a bit more like regular hotels.

I'd like a minibar. Trying to get a simple snack at the Beach Club after MNSSHP was ridiculous. I was reduced to a bag of doritos in the laundry room.

Why no pay per view? I mean, I know they don't want you staying in your room, but there are times that you just don't feel like going to sleep and everything is closed. At least have some more interesting tv channels.

On another board I read that you couldn't even get the baseball playoffs in your room at the resorts! That's just not right when you are paying all that money!

All the things that I would like are just things that would make money for WDW - why do you suppose they don't do them?

There's a hotel in NYC that I stay at and the rate is about $325 - sometimes more, sometimes less. If the WDW deluxes were run like that place it would be so wonderful! It has all the things I love and more - and impeccable service - never a screw up in 10 years I've been staying there.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE WDW and the resorts are adorable and fun. I just think there is room for improvement here.

Do you agree?

I assure you both TBS and FOX are available on the televisions at the resort...so there would be no problems with getting the playoffs at your resort.

And I know that the concierge levels at the deluxe resorts offer free movie rentals for those guests...at the rate you gave of $325/night, you could easily afford a concierge level room at the Wilderness Lodge

and sorry about the lack of a wetbar...but all mods and above have fridges in their rooms and we regularly bring a 12-pack of cola and both refridgerated and nonrefridgerated snacks with us...saves us a trip to the snack bar and $$!!!

 

[disney4life2008]

This is why I always rent a car. Staying on property is GREAT but having a rental car adds even more convenience because you can go off property when you feel like it. Further, with taxi costs - renting a car is cheaper!!! It is beneficial when the food courts close and you want food at midnight.. I-Drive and Kissimmee are right around the corner.

 

[durangojim]

My wife, kids, and I really miss getting boozed up from the minibar, while watching PPV on the tv.

Disney resorts have never been about good value, to me they're about getting you out of the real world, and it doesn't bother me one bit that they don't have the above things, although I wish the service was better.

 

[vwayfan123]

my biggest pet peeve is that they don't have coffe makers in the room!!!

i also noticed there is no FOX news, but they have cnn, nbc, msnbc.. wonder what that means....?

and $10 a day for the internet, come on!!

 

[November Girl]

After just visiting the WL, I really have just one beef, and I think it pretty much goes for all of the hotels inside the park. That is, the lack of counter service choices for food and the expense of the food at same. If McDonalds can turn out a cheap decent hot breakfast, with a variety of choices, surely Disney can do the same at each of the hotels given their volume. Same with lunch and dinner...look at Fuddruckers, or Pei Wei or any of the other newer counter service chains. They do a great job, maintaining quality, variety, speed, all at a decent price. Disney is supposed to be about having a fantastic experience. The instant gratification of a top-rate walk up meal should be part of that. (I still love the resorts for the most part though!)