No EMHs for "Shades of Green" Guests

[Spike1968]

It was quite disappointing to find out that Shades of Green guests were no longer aloud access to Extra Magic Hours.

I went to the Army MWR site (they operate the Armed Forces Recreation Centers) and sent a comment expressing my unhappiness via their website. I would urge all other prospective guests of Shades of Green and other patriotic-minded Disney fans to send a message to Army MWR to ask them to allow Shades of Green's military guests the same EMH priviledges guests of other "on site" Disney resorts have.

Here is the link to make your comments:

http://www.armymwr.com/portal/helpcomments.asp
(In the "Subject" box, select "AFRCs")

Here is a copy of my comments:

I am writing in reference to the new policy at Shades of Green concerning the Disney parks "Extra Magic Hours" program. I was told by the staff there that Shades of Green no longer participates in the "Extra Magic Hours (EMHs)" program.

When we stayed at Shades of Green last year (Mar '05), guests were able to participate in the "EMHs". We very much enjoyed this option as we were able to stay in the parks for three extra hours with limited crowds.

I currently have an eight day trip to SoG/Disney planned for the end of Feb and in scheduling my families activities for this trip, I factored the "EMHs" into it heavily. I was extremely disappointed to learn of it being discontinued.

Another thing that upsets me about this policy change is the fact that there is nothing on the SoG website that indicates that guests are not going to have access to the "EMHs". Also, it would have been nice to gotten some sort of e-mail notification of this change of policy. If I would have known about it earlier, I could have altered my plans and stayed at one of the Disney resorts at the reduced annual passholder rates. It is now too late to take advantage of those rates and, more importantly, to participate in the "EMH" program.

I respectfully request that you reconsider this policy and reestablish the "EMH" program immediately. While it is a great benefit to have SoG, it would be nice to be afforded the same priviledges that other Disney "on-site" guests have access to including guests at the other non-Disney owned "on-site" hotels such as the Dolphin and Swan.

Thanks.

 

[Empress Room]

The problem, Spike, is that Disney no longer has any ownership or lease interest in Shades of Green. It is independently owned and operated and any affiliation with Disney (because of its Disney Inn status) has been terminated.

EMH are only given to hotels that Disney has an interest in. Although the Swan and Dolphin are not technically "on site," Disney either leases to or has some relationship with the companies that manage those hotels on behalf of Disney.

 

[wannab@dis]

Maybe someone can back this information up, but I seem to recall reading that the EMH privilege was actually billed out to the resort division by the parks division. In other words, anytime a Disney Resort guest entered the parks during EMH, their resort was billed a certain amount.

So, if true, it would seem that Shades of Green may have discontinued it and not that Disney does not allow them to participate. They just didn't want to pay for that perk for their guests.

 

[PhilharMagician]

The problem, Spike, is that Disney no longer has any ownership or lease interest in Shades of Green. It is independently owned and operated and any affiliation with Disney (because of its Disney Inn status) has been terminated.

EMH are only given to hotels that Disney has an interest in. Although the Swan and Dolphin are not technically "on site," Disney either leases to or has some relationship with the companies that manage those hotels on behalf of Disney.

I would more likely say that the other non Disney hotels onsite are paying Disney to allow their guests access to EMH.

Disney has to be getting money from SoG, Dolphin, Swan and DTD hotels for propery rental or lease since they site on Disney's land.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I would more likely say that the other non Disney hotels onsite are paying Disney to allow their guests access to EMH.

Disney has to be getting money from SoG, Dolphin, Swan and DTD hotels for propery rental or lease since they site on Disney's land.

Yes...and I believe one (and only one) of the DTD Resorts also has the EMH privilege (I don't remember which...it's in the Birnbaum's). It has to be a money issue.

 

[Spike1968]

The problem, Spike, is that Disney no longer has any ownership or lease interest in Shades of Green. It is independently owned and operated and any affiliation with Disney (because of its Disney Inn status) has been terminated.

EMH are only given to hotels that Disney has an interest in. Although the Swan and Dolphin are not technically "on site," Disney either leases to or has some relationship with the companies that manage those hotels on behalf of Disney.

I don't believe Disney has ever had any ownership or lease interest in Shades of Green. But guests of Shades of Green have been able to participate in EMHs. So, I don't think it's a matter of "Disney doesn't have an interest in SoG", but more a matter of Shades of Green paying Disney a fee so that guests can have that priviledge. Which is why I directed my efforts towards the owners of Shades of Green (Army MWR) than to Disney.

Hopefully the management of Shades of Green will see the value and reverse the policy. Even if it means bumping up room rates a few dollars a night, it would still be well worth the price to stay at SoG to have the EMHs.

Again, I just want to encourage everyone to contact Army MWR and ask them to reinstate the EMH for SoG guests.

Thanks!

 

[ToTBellHop]

I don't believe Disney has ever had any ownership or lease interest in Shades of Green. But guests of Shades of Green have been able to participate in EMHs. So, I don't think it's a matter of "Disney doesn't have an interest in SoG", but more a matter of Shades of Green paying Disney a fee so that guests can have that priviledge. Which is why I directed my efforts towards the owners of Shades of Green (Army MWR) than to Disney.

Hopefully the management of Shades of Green will see the value and reverse the policy. Even if it means bumping up room rates a few dollars a night, it would still be well worth the price to stay at SoG to have the EMHs.

Again, I just want to encourage everyone to contact Army MWR and ask them to reinstate the EMH for SoG guests.

Thanks!

I'm sure it's not that easy. Disney is clearly charging the resorts a LOT of money to use EMH or more resorts would be taking advantage of it.

 

[Spike1968]

I'm sure it's not that easy. Disney is clearly charging the resorts a LOT of money to use EMH or more resorts would be taking advantage of it.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Hey, if the military can spend a billion dollars a week for the war in Iraq, surely they can spend a few bucks for EMHs....

 

[PhilharMagician]

I'm sure it's not that easy. Disney is clearly charging the resorts a LOT of money to use EMH or more resorts would be taking advantage of it.

They would have to be charging a lot. It is the main draw for Disney along with transportation to stay at a Disney Resort. If they just let other hotels use EMH then Disney's occupancy percentages would most likely come down.

 

[mkt]

The Army MWR is a self sustaining department... it doesn't use any federal funds.

 

[kodiak5bears]

I have reservations in March at SOG and they told me they DO get the extra magic hours! :veryconfu hmmm.... looks like I need to make a phone call!

 

[Spike1968]

I have reservations in March at SOG and they told me they DO get the extra magic hours! :veryconfu hmmm.... looks like I need to make a phone call!
<!-- / message -->

Kodiac - I e-mailed Shades of Green a couple days ago and got the "no EMH" answer from them. I'd be interested in hearing what they tell you when you give them a call. We'll be at SoG from 25 Feb - 5 Mar. So hopefully the EMH issue will get resolved by then. I still haven't gotten a response from Army MWR on my letter.

 

[PixiePower]

I have emailed and phoned SOG this week. Their email response to lack of EMH -


We are disappointed as well. However, Disney increased the price it costs to be able to participate in the Extra Magic Hours. In order for us to keep our prices as low as possible for our service members, this was the best option for us. On average, less than 50% of our guests actually utilized this "perk", had our guests used it more, our decision may have been different.

We appreciate your understanding the need to keep our prices low in the best interest of the service member and their families.

Kindest Regards,

Erin
Shades of Green
888.593.2242


"Serving Those Who Serve"

 

[PixiePower]

SOG GMs email address

GM is James McCrindle email is

jmccrindle@shadesofgreen.org

When I asked on the phone this morning who to complain to at SOG I was given this information

 

[PixiePower]

Parking fees

SOG guests used to enjoy free parking at all parks. Now SOG guests will only receive free parking at Magic Kingdom. If you drive, you will be charged $9 per day at the other parks. This is in addition to the $5 per day fee to park at SOG

 

[Spike1968]

Pixie - Thanks for the info. I e-mailed Mr. McCrindle. Here's what I sent to him...

Mr. McCrindle – My family and I were extremely disappointed to hear that Shades of Green guests are no longer eligible for the Extra Magic Hours program. We stayed at Shades of Green in March of last year and we really enjoyed the EMH benefit.

From some of the information I’ve seen, less than 50 percent of Shades of Green guests utilize the EMH program. While I’m sure those numbers are correct overall, what percentage of families with children that stay at Shades of Green use EMH?

<OI feel that this is a case where military families are getting “second class” treatment. While I certainly appreciate the value of Shades of Green (we are coming for an eight night visit in Feb/Mar), I think this should come with the other benefits that the other Disney resort guests receive. Wasn’t that the goal of Shades of Green to start? To provide military members an affordable alternative at Disney that gave them the “Disney Experience” at a lower cost?

<OAs I stated, we are coming for a stay in Feb/Mar, and I have planned my itinerary for the trip around the EMH program. It was disappointing to not receive an e-mail to let me know about the change in policy. (I’ve had my reservations for almost a year.) And the SoG website does not mention anywhere that SoG guests are not eligible for the program. This should be included in the FAQ section at a minimum. I can’t imagine the disappointment of someone arriving at Disney for the first time ever, who is staying at SoG, to be told that “Sorry, you can’t participate in the EMHs.” I would have been crushed, as would my children, if that would have happened when we arrived last year. Alternatively, if I would have been informed of the new policy, I could have switched to a Disney resort at the passholder rate. (It has to be booked at least 60 days in advance, so I missed by about a week of being about to get the reduced passholder rates once I found out about the new SoG EMH policy.)

<OIs the EMH program just that cost prohibitive? I would be interested in how much Disney charges SoG for that privilege. I’m sure this has been thought of, but has anyone asked Disney for a “price cut” on what SoG has to pay for EMHs. (Is there someone at Disney that I could e-mail to ask about this?)

I hope that this can be worked out so that we can receive the benefit again. I know that a lot of people are disappointed about this change.
<O</O

Thanks for your time.<O</O

 

[Spike1968]

Here's the response I got back from Shades of Green.

Thank you for sharing your concerns about the cancellation of Shades of Green's participation in Disney's Extra Magic Hour program. First of all let me assure you that we value your service and take seriously our goal to provide the best vacation experience to Service Members and their families.

The decision to cancel our participation in this program was based upon the fact that prior to 2005 this was available at no cost to Shades of Green or our guests. As Disney changed and enhanced the program last year from what was originally an additional 1 hour early admission to the current version which includes early admission on select days and late closing on others, a fee was charged to Shades of Green to offset the costs of operating the program. In 2005 we made the decision to pay the fee and monitor guest usage of the program. We found that a majority of our guests never participated in the program. This year the cost to Shades of Green to participate in the program was slated to be in excess of $200,000.00. We simply could not justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a program which most guests would not use. You mention that this seems like second class treatment and that the benefits available to the Disney resort guests should be available at Shades of Green as well. While we do try to match their services where possible, please keep in mind that Disney covers the costs for their resort guests one of two ways: the average rate for a similar Disney hotel to Shades of Green (a Disney "deluxe" resort) is more than twice our average rate and the Disney "Value" resorts have 2000+ rooms to spread the cost versus the 586 rooms we have at Shades of Green.

We do realize that for those who participate in the program, it can be a valuable amenity. We have had many discussions and continue to work with Disney on alternative proposals (including as you mention price cuts; allowing guests who want to use it to pay for it; and numerous other options) to try to find a way to allow the guests who want to participate to do so (for an additional fee), but thus far we have been unsuccessful in finding a solution acceptable to both Disney and Shades of Green. Our discussions with Disney continue and I assure you we are making every effort to reinstate this program.

I will be happy to keep you up to date as any alterative course of action may develop. In the meantime, if the Extra Magic Hour program is a "must have" feature for your upcoming vacation, I would be happy to have our reservations team work to secure you reservations in an eligible Disney Resort. Please let me know if I may be of assistance.

Sincerely,
Mark Hendryx
Deputy General Manager
Shades of Green Resort

 

[wannab@dis]

Interesting information that you received. It appears that what I had heard was correct, but I'm surprised the cost is that low. The basic response that it would cause them to raise their rates to cover the costs is fine, but it appeared in his response that the rate increase would be large. That doesn't seem correct to me.

The cost is $200,000 per year or less than $4000 per week. Now, they have 586 rooms. Let's assume they only have 500 rooms occupied (85% occupancy -- basically the norm for Disney resorts). That turns out to be an $8 increase per WEEK or $1.15 per night. I don't think they should worry about raising rates by that amount to offer their guests EMH as a perk.

In fact, that amount seems low for what Disney would need to keep the parks open. Based on double occupancy, it's $4 per person per week to keep the parks open for an extra 20 or so hours per week. In other words, about 2.5 days of park hours (8 hours per day) for $4. Not a bad price.

 

[Spike1968]

The cost is $200,000 per year or less than $4000 per week. Now, they have 586 rooms. Let's assume they only have 500 rooms occupied (85% occupancy -- basically the norm for Disney resorts). That turns out to be an $8 increase per WEEK or $1.15 per night. I don't think they should worry about raising rates by that amount to offer their guests EMH as a perk.

I made that same point when I e-mailed Mr. Hendryx back. Shades of Green didn't seem to be that concerned when they started charging for parking. (I think it's $3 or $5 a day.) No one would even flinch at a $2 a night increase in the room rates at Shades of Green. The cost for a room is so ridiculously low compared to other resorts. (The standard rooms at SoG are noticably bigger than any other Disney resort I've stayed at including the Dolphin and AKL.)

I decided to e-mail some Tampa Tribune columnists (I live in Tampa) and let them know that Disney is now charging for something they previously gave to the military for free. Not sure if anyone will be bored enough at the Trib to follow up on it, but it's worth a shot. Last thing I think Disney would want is a lot of negative "anti-military" type publicity.

 

[wannab@dis]

Keep in mind that Disney is not charging "just the military" for this perk. They charge any resort that wants to offer the perk. By leaving out that fact, your request to the media may not be viewed as plausible.

You shouldn't be upset with Disney, but with SOG. Disney charges all resorts for access to EMH. More than likely, it's based on the number of rooms and whether or not the resort is "owned" by Disney. However, if SOG charges were compared to the Dolphin, I'd say the costs are very similar if not the same.