Worst Disney World hotel experience thread

[Raineman]

I started collecting my luggage myself and then going to the MDE. That solved that particular issue.

It seems as if some people aren’t aware that you can use the DME and take your luggage with you. Maybe they want to get to WDW as fast as they can and not wait for their luggage at baggage claim at MCO. I’d rather wait a little bit at the airport for my luggage and have it when I arrived at the resort rather than possibly wait for hours for it to be delivered to my resort and have no extra clothes.

 

[Todd H]

We stayed at Pop Century a few years ago. Turns out we unfortunately were staying the same time as a bunch of Brazilian tour groups. The next week consisted of non-stop noise, people running around screaming and knocking on doors all night long, prank calls at all hours (we eventually just unplugged the phone from the wall), banging on the walls, line cutting at bus stop and food court, trash thrown everywhere on the grounds...the list goes on and on. The first night I complained to the front desk which resulted in nothing being done. The next morning I chatted with someone at the desk as well as the manager. I got a "sorry but there's nothing we can do." That was the last time I ever stayed at a value resort.

 

[Ninja Mom]

We checked in to Riverside and while the rest of the family was waiting for the rooms to be ready, I took a cab and made a Walmart run to get snacks and drinks for the rooms (3 families worth). I get dropped off at the resort with the groceries and I need Bell Services to bring a golf cart and take me to my room. It's piping hot outside and I have cases of water and groceries that need to be refrigerated.

The college age kids hanging out in the Bell Services office tell me they can't get me a golf cart and 'can I just walk the groceries to my room?'. I show them the pile and tell them it's only me and I need help. Then they tell me they won't have a golf cart for an hour. Meanwhile they are hanging out, socializing in the office ignoring the guests. So, I ask if they can store the groceries in their bell services refrigerators and they tell me there is no room. I know that's B.S. but I must get the groceries to the room ASAP and get on with my trip.

So, I'm waiting about 25 minutes and seeing 3 or 4 empty golf carts pull up, watching the drivers taking a socializing break before being dispatched to their next pick up. I think to myself "why can't they drop me off on the way to their next pick up? The golf cart is empty when it leaves, how hard can it be to drop some groceries and a guest off on the way to the next pick up???" Well the reason is that a bunch of kids, who didn't care about the guests were working this bell service area and they weren't thinking things through.

So, I go over to the kiddies and I say "Look, you have to help me, I have Ice Cream in my bags.

Keep in mind there are NO FREEZERS in the room refrigerators, so I don't actually have ice cream in the bags, but I know that these kids don't have a thought in their heads about anything concerning the guests, they just want to flirt with each other and socialize.

When I said that you would have thought it was a fire drill to get a golf cart over to me, load up the groceries and make a run for my room. My family, who are in the rooms (Thanks for the help family!) were like "Where were you"? and I'm like check your phones!!

This is just another example of the way Disney expects ~You the guest~ to interrupt YOUR vacation TIME and MANAGE their problems. We are paying premium prices to put up with this crap.

I really like to be pro CM, but I am seeing a real decline with the attitudes that they exhibit. I can't believe the number of young CM's I see constantly on their phones and socializing with each other ignoring the guests. When you approach them, they finish their socializing and then, after making you wait, they grudgingly acknowledge you. I don't want to be rude when I approach the CM's so I try and be respectful and wait for them to acknowledge me after I say, "Excuse me, could you help me with _________". The whole time I am waiting I am thinking "I wonder if I should just be rude and interrupt?" But I don't want to be that guest. It’s definitely getting harder to not be that kind of guest...

This isn't every CM, but it is especially apparent with the younger age groups. There used to be a real pride that you could see when you had an interaction with a CM. Now, especially with the influx of the College Program CM's, I'm seeing a lot of lemons in the bunch. I realize that being a CM and working with the public is a tough job, but they signed up for that job, so they need to get with the Disney program.

Whenever I encounter a CM who goes above and beyond, I take the time to write a letter to guest services letting management know about that stellar CM. Now you can even tweet, but I think an emailed letter is a little more personal. I have a Sticky Notes App on my phone, so I write down the name of the CM, where they are from and the time and place of our interaction. Sometimes if I'm really on the run, I take a picture with their name tag, so I'll remember them when I have time to write. Then I describe what happened and why I was so appreciative of their efforts.

Here is the address to send your emails: wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

That works for complaint letters as well. Unfortunately, I have had to send a 2 or 3 of them for outrageous behavior. The behavior of those bell services kiddies triggered a letter to management letting them know what was going on. I even took the time to send a letter to the GM of Riverside, but I never heard back. That right there tells me a lot about why they are having problems.

The next time I will remember to use my phone to document the bad behavior. Keep in mind I'm not one of those guests looking for trouble. Sometimes you feel that management should be made aware of certain situations.

Tweet to @WDWToday with the hashtag #castcompliment
It's quick, easy and I think it puts a smile on everyone's face.

~NM

 

[Ricky Spanish]

Wow, never really had any issues at Disney hotels and we've been there 20+ times.
Stayed at many different properties, from the Contemporary and all the way down to the All Stars.
Never had any issues with bell services, either.
I've actually had bell services want to unload my car!
Luggage, cases of water/Gatorade, food, etc.
But I guess it's just because I start with a REALLY GOOD TIP.

 

[rob0519]

Twenty four + stays at CR, Poly, GF, CBR, AS and SS and never a horrible resort experience. Some small frustrations, yes, but that's to be expected. The worst experience was actually with a bus driver on the Saratoga Springs run one rainy night, but the resort management handled it well and quickly. Obviously we've been fortunate based on some of the stories here.

 

[righttrack]

My only negative experiences were related to the expectation of hotel wifi in the early days when it wasn't so good. Those were hardly noteworthy, just that WDW was really late to the game with that kind of stuff.

 

[larryz]

We checked in to Riverside and while the rest of the family was waiting for the rooms to be ready, I took a cab and made a Walmart run to get snacks and drinks for the rooms (3 families worth). I get dropped off at the resort with the groceries and I need Bell Services to bring a golf cart and take me to my room. It's piping hot outside and I have cases of water and groceries that need to be refrigerated.

The college age kids hanging out in the Bell Services office tell me they can't get me a golf cart and 'can I just walk the groceries to my room?'. I show them the pile and tell them it's only me and I need help. Then they tell me they won't have a golf cart for an hour. Meanwhile they are hanging out, socializing in the office ignoring the guests. So, I ask if they can store the groceries in their bell services refrigerators and they tell me there is no room. I know that's B.S. but I must get the groceries to the room ASAP and get on with my trip.

So, I'm waiting about 25 minutes and seeing 3 or 4 empty golf carts pull up, watching the drivers taking a socializing break before being dispatched to their next pick up. I think to myself "why can't they drop me off on the way to their next pick up? The golf cart is empty when it leaves, how hard can it be to drop some groceries and a guest off on the way to the next pick up???" Well the reason is that a bunch of kids, who didn't care about the guests were working this bell service area and they weren't thinking things through.

So, I go over to the kiddies and I say "Look, you have to help me, I have Ice Cream in my bags.

Keep in mind there are NO FREEZERS in the room refrigerators, so I don't actually have ice cream in the bags, but I know that these kids don't have a thought in their heads about anything concerning the guests, they just want to flirt with each other and socialize.

When I said that you would have thought it was a fire drill to get a golf cart over to me, load up the groceries and make a run for my room. My family, who are in the rooms (Thanks for the help family!) were like "Where were you"? and I'm like check your phones!!

This is just another example of the way Disney expects ~You the guest~ to interrupt YOUR vacation TIME and MANAGE their problems. We are paying premium prices to put up with this crap.

I really like to be pro CM, but I am seeing a real decline with the attitudes that they exhibit. I can't believe the number of young CM's I see constantly on their phones and socializing with each other ignoring the guests. When you approach them, they finish their socializing and then, after making you wait, they grudgingly acknowledge you. I don't want to be rude when I approach the CM's so I try and be respectful and wait for them to acknowledge me after I say, "Excuse me, could you help me with _________". The whole time I am waiting I am thinking "I wonder if I should just be rude and interrupt?" But I don't want to be that guest. It’s definitely getting harder to not be that kind of guest...

This isn't every CM, but it is especially apparent with the younger age groups. There used to be a real pride that you could see when you had an interaction with a CM. Now, especially with the influx of the College Program CM's, I'm seeing a lot of lemons in the bunch. I realize that being a CM and working with the public is a tough job, but they signed up for that job, so they need to get with the Disney program.

Whenever I encounter a CM who goes above and beyond, I take the time to write a letter to guest services letting management know about that stellar CM. Now you can even tweet, but I think an emailed letter is a little more personal. I have a Sticky Notes App on my phone, so I write down the name of the CM, where they are from and the time and place of our interaction. Sometimes if I'm really on the run, I take a picture with their name tag, so I'll remember them when I have time to write. Then I describe what happened and why I was so appreciative of their efforts.

Here is the address to send your emails: wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

That works for complaint letters as well. Unfortunately, I have had to send a 2 or 3 of them for outrageous behavior. The behavior of those bell services kiddies triggered a letter to management letting them know what was going on. I even took the time to send a letter to the GM of Riverside, but I never heard back. That right there tells me a lot about why they are having problems.

The next time I will remember to use my phone to document the bad behavior. Keep in mind I'm not one of those guests looking for trouble. Sometimes you feel that management should be made aware of certain situations.

Tweet to @WDWToday with the hashtag #castcompliment
It's quick, easy and I think it puts a smile on everyone's face.

~NM

The other approach is "there's a nice tip for someone if they'll help me get these groceries to my room(s)..."

 

[Disorbust]

We checked in to Riverside and while the rest of the family was waiting for the rooms to be ready, I took a cab and made a Walmart run to get snacks and drinks for the rooms (3 families worth). I get dropped off at the resort with the groceries and I need Bell Services to bring a golf cart and take me to my room. It's piping hot outside and I have cases of water and groceries that need to be refrigerated.

The college age kids hanging out in the Bell Services office tell me they can't get me a golf cart and 'can I just walk the groceries to my room?'. I show them the pile and tell them it's only me and I need help. Then they tell me they won't have a golf cart for an hour. Meanwhile they are hanging out, socializing in the office ignoring the guests. So, I ask if they can store the groceries in their bell services refrigerators and they tell me there is no room. I know that's B.S. but I must get the groceries to the room ASAP and get on with my trip.

So, I'm waiting about 25 minutes and seeing 3 or 4 empty golf carts pull up, watching the drivers taking a socializing break before being dispatched to their next pick up. I think to myself "why can't they drop me off on the way to their next pick up? The golf cart is empty when it leaves, how hard can it be to drop some groceries and a guest off on the way to the next pick up???" Well the reason is that a bunch of kids, who didn't care about the guests were working this bell service area and they weren't thinking things through.

So, I go over to the kiddies and I say "Look, you have to help me, I have Ice Cream in my bags.

Keep in mind there are NO FREEZERS in the room refrigerators, so I don't actually have ice cream in the bags, but I know that these kids don't have a thought in their heads about anything concerning the guests, they just want to flirt with each other and socialize.

When I said that you would have thought it was a fire drill to get a golf cart over to me, load up the groceries and make a run for my room. My family, who are in the rooms (Thanks for the help family!) were like "Where were you"? and I'm like check your phones!!

This is just another example of the way Disney expects ~You the guest~ to interrupt YOUR vacation TIME and MANAGE their problems. We are paying premium prices to put up with this crap.

I really like to be pro CM, but I am seeing a real decline with the attitudes that they exhibit. I can't believe the number of young CM's I see constantly on their phones and socializing with each other ignoring the guests. When you approach them, they finish their socializing and then, after making you wait, they grudgingly acknowledge you. I don't want to be rude when I approach the CM's so I try and be respectful and wait for them to acknowledge me after I say, "Excuse me, could you help me with _________". The whole time I am waiting I am thinking "I wonder if I should just be rude and interrupt?" But I don't want to be that guest. It’s definitely getting harder to not be that kind of guest...

This isn't every CM, but it is especially apparent with the younger age groups. There used to be a real pride that you could see when you had an interaction with a CM. Now, especially with the influx of the College Program CM's, I'm seeing a lot of lemons in the bunch. I realize that being a CM and working with the public is a tough job, but they signed up for that job, so they need to get with the Disney program.

Whenever I encounter a CM who goes above and beyond, I take the time to write a letter to guest services letting management know about that stellar CM. Now you can even tweet, but I think an emailed letter is a little more personal. I have a Sticky Notes App on my phone, so I write down the name of the CM, where they are from and the time and place of our interaction. Sometimes if I'm really on the run, I take a picture with their name tag, so I'll remember them when I have time to write. Then I describe what happened and why I was so appreciative of their efforts.

Here is the address to send your emails: wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

That works for complaint letters as well. Unfortunately, I have had to send a 2 or 3 of them for outrageous behavior. The behavior of those bell services kiddies triggered a letter to management letting them know what was going on. I even took the time to send a letter to the GM of Riverside, but I never heard back. That right there tells me a lot about why they are having problems.

The next time I will remember to use my phone to document the bad behavior. Keep in mind I'm not one of those guests looking for trouble. Sometimes you feel that management should be made aware of certain situations.

Tweet to @WDWToday with the hashtag #castcompliment
It's quick, easy and I think it puts a smile on everyone's face.

~NM

So I want to say about 6-7 years go Disney outsourced all Bell services, they are not Disney Cast anymore, unless there is something new I don't know Bell services in the past were always super helpful and available but I have noticed on our trips since it's been outsourced they just don't care.

 

[Ninja Mom]

The other approach is "there's a nice tip for someone if they'll help me get these groceries to my room(s)..."

I can assure you I'm an excellent tipper but I think it's really a low-class move to start waving money in people's faces to get them to do their actual jobs.

A tip is a reward for good service, not a bribe to do the actual job. Since no one was interested in doing the work I wasn't going to start rewarding them for that behavior with my hard-earned money.

 

[kong1802]

We've stayed at POR, POFQ, Sports, Music, Movies, YC, BW, Swolphin, CBR, CS, and Poly. The worst experience we had was at Poly. It started off amazing, however. Upon check in, we learned that we were upgraded to Club Level. So off to the club we go with our personal tour guide. Pretty awesome stuff, first time staying club level. The room is great, the location is great, the free beer is phenomenal. We get a great first night's sleep, but then it happens. The 7AM "stampede". We could hear everyone getting out and heading to the parks. Felt and sounded like a herd of water buffalo. Then that night, we can hear everything that is happening in the room next to us (must have been empty the night before). They weren't even loud. I felt like we should invite them over since we came to know quite a bit about them over the 3 days we were there. I've never stayed in a room with such paper thin walls. Made afternoon naps impossible as every time someone came within 100 ft of our room we could hear everything that they did. The resort was great. No issues with any other part of our stay, but DW won't ever let us go back, and our bank account thanks her.

 

[DisneyJoe]

So I want to say about 6-7 years go Disney outsourced all Bell services, they are not Disney Cast anymore, unless there is something new I don't know Bell services in the past were always super helpful and available but I have noticed on our trips since it's been outsourced they just don't care.

Interesting - I feel that they have gotten better over the last 5 or so years!

 

[larryz]

I can assure you I'm an excellent tipper but I think it's really a low-class move to start waving money in people's faces to get them to do their actual jobs.

A tip is a reward for good service, not a bribe to do the actual job. Since no one was interested in doing the work I wasn't going to start rewarding them for that behavior with my hard-earned money.

Normally, I agree, but at the 15-minute point, maybe a different approach could be effective.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Normally, I agree, but at the 15-minute point, maybe a different approach could be effective.

Hence the melting ice cream story that got them moving. That had zero impact on my wallet and it had no effect on my imaginary ice cream.

That "different approach" was in the original post.

I'm frugal and I refuse to waste my money, especially on people who don't earn it. I am however a 20% tipper and I include the tax in that 20% calculation when I get good service. I always say please and thank you. For outstanding service I contact the employee's manager or supervisor and let them know about the excellent service that I received.

People who leave ME out, standing in the heat, telling me to wait an hour, well... they get a letter too, only this one is calling them out for their poor service and lack of attention to their jobs because they were so intent on socializing with each other.

~NM

 

[bpadair32]

Never had a really bad experience and have had many stays. Usually whenever something has gone wrong they more than make up for it. There was one time, that we had asked housekeeping to bring some extra sheets as my toddler son had wet the bed and we needed to change them. We did not ask them to change them, just to leave extra sheets in the room so that we could do so. We got back late that night and there were no sheets, so I called and they sent someone right up and changed the sheets. Problem solved. The next night we got back from the park and there were two giant stuffed animals for the kids, and a bottle of champagne and some chocolates for my wife and I with an apology note from the resort manager. Turned a slightly negative experience into an overwhelmingly positive one.

 

[larryz]

Never had a really bad experience and have had many stays. Usually whenever something has gone wrong they more than make up for it. There was one time, that we had asked housekeeping to bring some extra sheets as my toddler son had wet the bed and we needed to change them. We did not ask them to change them, just to leave extra sheets in the room so that we could do so. We got back late that night and there were no sheets, so I called and they sent someone right up and changed the sheets. Problem solved. The next night we got back from the park and there were two giant stuffed animals for the kids, and a bottle of champagne and some chocolates for my wife and I with an apology note from the resort manager. Turned a slightly negative experience into an overwhelmingly positive one.

Was that a value, moderate or deluxe resort?

 

[aliceismad]

People who leave ME out, standing in the heat, telling me to wait an hour, well... they get a letter too, only this one is calling them out for their poor service and lack of attention to their jobs because they were so intent on socializing with each other.

~NM

Genuinely curious here. Is it a CM's job to help someone get groceries to their room? I guess yes if you consider groceries "luggage"? I dunno. Maybe it's just me. On one hand, I would expect Disney to help with such a thing if they can because that's what I've encountered with CMs, but on the other hand, I personally would never have expected them to help with my groceries or have asked them to. Especially if it was 3 families' worth of stuff. I would expect those families to be helping. But I've never gotten groceries at WDW so maybe I'm just unfamiliar with how that works? ETA: This does not mean I don't agree that the CMs were being rude or unhelpful. I'm just genuinely curious as to whether this is a common service at WDW.

 

[bunnyman]

Staying at the WL several years ago prior to the DVC makeover. We had a ground floor room in what is now the DVC wing, facing the courtyard. Had a very long and heavy downpour, and unfortunately outside our room on the "patio" was a downspout. Well, it must have been clogged, because the rainwater backed up into our room under the sliding glass door. We had to move all our luggage/stuff off the floor. Called the front desk, and they came in with mini sandbags which stemmed some of the "tide", but we still had a wet carpet. They never offered to move us, or do anything for our troubles.

 

[bpadair32]

Was that a value, moderate or deluxe resort?

Deluxe. Boardwalk.

 

[bpadair32]

Genuinely curious here. Is it a CM's job to help someone get groceries to their room? I guess yes if you consider groceries "luggage"? I dunno. Maybe it's just me. On one hand, I would expect Disney to help with such a thing if they can because that's what I've encountered with CMs, but on the other hand, I personally would never have expected them to help with my groceries or have asked them to. Especially if it was 3 families' worth of stuff. I would expect those families to be helping. But I've never gotten groceries at WDW so maybe I'm just unfamiliar with how that works? ETA: This does not mean I don't agree that the CMs were being rude or unhelpful. I'm just genuinely curious as to whether this is a common service at WDW.

I wouldn't consider it part of their job either if I went out and got the groceries. They do help if you have groceries delivered, but I believe that they have arrangements with the limited companies that are allowed to do that and I always tip well for that.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Genuinely curious here. Is it a CM's job to help someone get groceries to their room? I guess yes if you consider groceries "luggage"? I dunno. Maybe it's just me. On one hand, I would expect Disney to help with such a thing if they can because that's what I've encountered with CMs, but on the other hand, I personally would never have expected them to help with my groceries or have asked them to. Especially if it was 3 families' worth of stuff. I would expect those families to be helping. But I've never gotten groceries at WDW so maybe I'm just unfamiliar with how that works? ETA: This does not mean I don't agree that the CMs were being rude or unhelpful. I'm just genuinely curious as to whether this is a common service at WDW.

I wouldn't consider it part of their job either if I went out and got the groceries. They do help if you have groceries delivered, but I believe that they have arrangements with the limited companies that are allowed to do that and I always tip well for that.

Using this logic it wouldn't be part of a stay at at Disney resort to provide bus or other transportation to the parks, or games at the pool, or resort luggage check in, or package delivery including groceries from outside vendors, but they do. Suppose I arrived at the resort with a suitcase and a case of water. Am I then expected to hump it to my room because I have a case of water?

It's not the size of my grocery order or the fact that it was even a grocery order. It's that bell services is expected to help guests. I presented a reasonable request to transport items to my room and I was being ignored because the kids that were working the bell services desk were socializing and not paying attention.

I fail to understand the logic that because I had a large order and I was personally asking for assistance, THAT was an over the top expectation, but if I contracted with an outside grocery delivery provider THEN it would be ok for Disney to help with the delivery of groceries to my room.

Should the little kids or the 76 year old Grand Pop in my traveling party be expected to carry groceries to rooms that were located far from the main building? How about the cases of water? No.... I'm thinking that it was totally reasonable to request assistance from Bell services and if they were getting slammed with requests I would have to have waited. What I saw was that they were not busy and there was a lot of socializing, including from the cart drivers who were driving up and then departing for their next scheduled run after hanging out socializing for awhile. I was standing right there. I could hear the conversations.

If I had had a car then it would not have been a problem, but I took the magical express to the resort and a cab to the store. I really can't understand the "logic" you are using to think that bell service doesn't have to help their guests with items that need to be transported to their room. They transported me and my suitcases to my room. Why not my groceries?

~NM