Worst Disney World hotel experience thread

[jaklgreen]

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

I am wondering why the cab did not drop you off closer to your room? Do they not do that if you ask? I know Minnie Van does. Just wondering.

 

[bpadair32]

I am wondering why the cab did not drop you off closer to your room? Do they not do that if you ask? I know Minnie Van does. Just wondering.

That would have deprived them of the joy of being able to complain. ;-)

 

[Ninja Mom]

It seems to me groceries , if assistance was needed should have been prearranged. You know they have a legal right to take a break and there is nothing that says they need to be at beck and call because someone chose to go grocery shopping on vacation. Personally I am on vacation, I cook the other 51 weeks of the year there is not enough money to pay me to buy groceries and cook on vacation.

There was no cooking in the room.
As far as the "legal right to take a break", all of them hanging out, taking a break at the same time, AT the bell station, was a major clue about what was really going on. If you were there, which you were not, you would have better understood what was going on.

I am wondering why the cab did not drop you off closer to your room? Do they not do that if you ask? I know Minnie Van does. Just wondering.

We arrived in the morning and our rooms were not ready. I was still waiting for the text that told me my room number. I didn't get it by the time I arrived back at the resort. My family had been hanging out in the lobby when I left them to go shopping. I thought that that's where they would be when I returned.

They managed to work with the front desk and get access to one of our connecting rooms, so they went there. They neglected to tell me that they were in one of the rooms when I was shopping. They probably thought that I would get the text and I would know. People on these boards have read accounts of people never getting that room ready text.

I was thinking that since I had not received the "Room Ready" text, Bell Services would just store my groceries like they have done before, but they told me there was no room in the fridge.

That would have deprived them of the joy of being able to complain. ;-)

And it would have deprived you of the joy of being able to complain about my post.
Good Job..... (not).

~NM

 

[ninjaprincesst]

There was no cooking in the room.
As far as the "legal right to take a break", all of them hanging out, taking a break at the same time, AT the bell station, was a major clue about what was really going on. If you were there, which you were not, you would have better understood what was going on.



We arrived in the morning and our rooms were not ready. I was still waiting for the text that told me my room number. I didn't get it by the time I arrived back at the resort. My family had been hanging out in the lobby when I left them to go shopping. I thought that that's where they would be when I returned.

They managed to work with the front desk and get access to one of our connecting rooms, so they went there. They neglected to tell me that they were in one of the rooms when I was shopping. They probably thought that I would get the text and I would know. People on these boards have read accounts of people never getting that room ready text.

I was thinking that since I had not received the "Room Ready" text, Bell Services would just store my groceries like they have done before, but they told me there was no room in the fridge.


And it would have deprived you of the joy of being able to complain about my post.
Good Job..... (not).

~NM

It just seems to me that expecting immediate golf cart service at a value resort is just a bit presumptuous, it seems like you should have arranged it a head of time, the same with the fridge, most of that fridge room is for guests who have to store their insulin or other refrigerated medications. All I was saying is I think I would have made some prior arrangements before rushing to the store and buying perishables, it's kind of like you expected deluxe service from a value resort.

 

[Ninja Mom]

It just seems to me that expecting immediate golf cart service at a value resort is just a bit presumptuous, it seems like you should have arranged it a head of time, the same with the fridge, most of that fridge room is for guests who have to store their insulin or other refrigerated medications. All I was saying is I think I would have made some prior arrangements before rushing to the store and buying perishables, it's kind of like you expected deluxe service from a value resort.

We will have to agree to disagree on the basic service responsibilities at Disney resorts.

 

[jaklgreen]

We will have to agree to disagree on the basic service responsibilities at Disney resorts.

I am sorry you had a bad experience with bell service. I have always been pleased with them on my trips but we don't generally stay at the values. I would maybe suggest in the future to hold off going to the store until you know for certain what room you are in. That way you can plan the delivery better by having the cab drop you off closest to your room. Or have your family waiting for you to help. We live our lives expecting to have to do everything ourselves. Not just because there is no guarantee, but my hubby HATES relying on anyone for anything. It gets a bit annoying at times. LOL But we a pretty good at getting stuff done ourselves now.

 

[disneyfireman]

Never had any bad issues. Staying and visiting WDW is a Wonderful privileged. So no complaints from me. At All.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I am sorry you had a bad experience with bell service. I have always been pleased with them on my trips but we don't generally stay at the values. I would maybe suggest in the future to hold off going to the store until you know for certain what room you are in. That way you can plan the delivery better by having the cab drop you off closest to your room. Or have your family waiting for you to help. We live our lives expecting to have to do everything ourselves. Not just because there is no guarantee, but my hubby HATES relying on anyone for anything. It gets a bit annoying at times. LOL But we a pretty good at getting stuff done ourselves now.

This experience was definitely a case of Bell Services employees not behaving as they had in the past. I feel it is their job to help me transport items to my room as they had every other time. Others disagree. I had done the grocery run many times before without any problems getting help from Bell services so, in this case, all the issues were unexpected. I would have loved to have taken care of things either myself or with my family. My experiences were that things unexpectedly did not work out. I could not have foreseen that the bell services kids were goofing off and were not interested in helping me (or from my observations, the other guests).

When I stay at Pop I always have the ride drop me off closest to my room and then I haul the groceries myself. Keep in mind that I had left the family off at the check in building and that I never received any texts, either from Disney saying that the room was ready or from my family saying that they were in a room. So Naturally I would go back to where I left everyone.

I didn't put this in my original account, but I had even asked Bell services for a luggage cart so I could get to the room and they refused to lend me one. So no cart for self transport, No room in the fridge for 2 plastic bags of cold groceries and no one interested in helping me out, transporting me to my room as they were on the way to go pick up a check out's luggage.

For the other posters that can't comprehend why this was a problem, I probably can't help you to understand it any better. jaklgreen, I appreciate your efforts to help with your suggestions. They are good ones which I do when the situation enables them. This experience was definitely an unexpected exception to my usual experiences with getting items, to my room.
~NM

 

[disneyfireman]

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

Wow. This was a first world issue. Lol. I’d love to respond to this but. Well. First world problems at its finest. Lol

 

[daisyduckie]

They don't let guests take luggage carts either.

Did you ever think maybe they were just busy? If they couldn't get a cart is was most likely that they were being used for runs for guests who had requested help before you. As I said before, guest services seems to run with a virtual queue. And it sounds like that queue was long and they were busy. Standing around aside, what did you expect them to do if a cart wasn't available to use to help you?

I don't know but I think at some point I would have called my family and told them I needed help carrying bags asap.

 

[bpadair32]

They don't let guests take luggage carts either.

Did you ever think maybe they were just busy? If they couldn't get a cart is was most likely that they were being used for runs for guests who had requested help before you. As I said before, guest services seems to run with a virtual queue. And it sounds like that queue was long and they were busy. Standing around aside, what did you expect them to do if a cart wasn't available to use to help you?

I don't know but I think at some point I would have called my family and told them I needed help carrying bags asap.

I think that most people would have just called the family and asked where they were, why they didn't tell them where they were going, and told them to get their butts back and help. But again, doing that doesn't lend itself to being able to complain loudly about poor service.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I think that most people would have just called the family and asked where they were, why they didn't tell them where they were going, and told them to get their butts back and help. But again, doing that doesn't lend itself to being able to complain loudly about poor service.

I'm pleased to be able to present you with a reason to do some of your own complaining.

 

[aliceismad]

As I said before, guest services seems to run with a virtual queue. And it sounds like that queue was long and they were busy.

The virtual queue is what I've been accustomed to with U.S. resorts. Now I have been to all-inclusives in the Caribbean where they do shuttle guests and their baggage directly to their room via golf carts if the rooms are spread among several buildings or your room is somewhere other than the building where you check in. It was quite a pleasant surprise!

 

[jaklgreen]

The virtual queue is what I've been accustomed to with U.S. resorts. Now I have been to all-inclusives in the Caribbean where they do shuttle guests and their baggage directly to their room via golf carts if the rooms are spread among several buildings or your room is somewhere other than the building where you check in. It was quite a pleasant surprise!

I think the issue at WDW is that the resorts are huge and the resources are finite. They also do schedule pick ups for those checking out, transfer luggage from one resort to another, coordinate with magical express, accept deliveries from groceries to ECV's. I can't imagine what it takes to juggle all of that. I checked into SSR last year and it was my first stay there so I was not familiar with the resort layout. I asked if he could take me to the room even though it was within walking distance because I had no idea which way to go. He had 1 other person to help before me and I was happy to wait. He was amazing! He took me on a tour of the resort and pointed out how to get to things and which way to go to walk to Disney Springs. Of course I tipped him well. But that has been more my experience with bell service, maybe I get lucky. I remember years and years ago when my hubby and I first went to WDW, we had and early morning ADR and asked at the valet desk what our options where to get to the other resort. Well he very quickly said to stay right there, that he will grab a car and take us. We were shocked, but he pulled up in a company car and drove us to the other resort.

 

[Chi84]

I think the issue at WDW is that the resorts are huge and the resources are finite. They also do schedule pick ups for those checking out, transfer luggage from one resort to another, coordinate with magical express, accept deliveries from groceries to ECV's. I can't imagine what it takes to juggle all of that. I checked into SSR last year and it was my first stay there so I was not familiar with the resort layout. I asked if he could take me to the room even though it was within walking distance because I had no idea which way to go. He had 1 other person to help before me and I was happy to wait. He was amazing! He took me on a tour of the resort and pointed out how to get to things and which way to go to walk to Disney Springs. Of course I tipped him well. But that has been more my experience with bell service, maybe I get lucky. I remember years and years ago when my hubby and I first went to WDW, we had and early morning ADR and asked at the valet desk what our options where to get to the other resort. Well he very quickly said to stay right there, that he will grab a car and take us. We were shocked, but he pulled up in a company car and drove us to the other resort.

It’s funny how much luck a positive attitude and a little patience will bring you.

 

[Ricky Spanish]

Instead of lying about melting ice cream.......

 

[disneyfireman]

Instead of lying about melting ice cream.......

LOL...it is melting......;-0

 

[larryz]

All I was saying is I think I would have made some prior arrangements before rushing to the store and buying perishables, it's kind of like you expected deluxe service from a value resort.

She stayed at a moderate... Port Orleans Riverside.

 

[disneyfireman]

We will have to agree to disagree on the basic service responsibilities at Disney resorts.

And NONE of what you have complained of is in any way one of Disneys responsibilities. At all.
Im still wondering if this thread is a joke. Its just odd. Pretentious yes, but i still wonder if it was a set up...just to get people riled up. I mean really.

 

[Chi84]

And NONE of what you have complained of is in any way one of Disneys responsibilities. At all.
Im still wondering if this thread is a joke. Its just odd. Pretentious yes, but i still wonder if it was a set up...just to get people riled up. I mean really.

I’m pretty sure it’s sincere. Odd but sincere.