Another move by Disney negatively impacting guests (re: Caribbean Beach)

[rteetz]

If the pools at a resort are closed they will usually allow you to hop to a specified other property. I know while the Poly pool was down they were actually taking people over to Blizzard Beach complimentary. That's the Poly though.

Correct. I believe they also offered the GF pool for a bit.

 

[rteetz]

When resorts are having this many closing they should discount how much it costs to stay there. Would solve everything.

Anywhere else but Disney would. Disney knows people will pay so they won't. Look at the Poly or WL for examples.

 

[Tonyz]

Anywhere else but Disney would. Disney knows people will pay so they won't. Look at the Poly or WL for examples.

True. I don't understand why anyone stayed at The Poly during the construction at full price.

 

[maxiesmom]

Believe it or not Disney's policy in this situation is to just send out a letter notifying guests. They don't have to give any sort of compensation or have to move you. We saw from early reports that people were not getting anything when calling. I think Disney noticed that this was going to be a bigger problem that originally thought. Disney thinks the average vacationer won't care this is happening.

And to think I was whining about the construction at CSR! If I had booked at CBR I would be one angry camper. They should just close the resort down and move all of the guests to other resorts at no cost. And then stop taking bookings until all the food services are up and running. I usually think Disney is pretty entitled to the decisions they make, but not this time.

 

[rteetz]

And to think I was whining about the construction at CSR! If I had booked at CBR I would be one angry camper. They should just close the resort down and move all of the guests to other resorts at no cost. And then stop taking bookings until all the food services are up and running. I usually think Disney is pretty entitled to the decisions they make, but not this time.

Well my guess is that's not feasible. I don't think they would be able to move everyone from that resort to other resorts because of a space issue. They should at the very least discount the resort.

 

[maxiesmom]

Well my guess is that's not feasible. I don't think they would be able to move everyone from that resort to other resorts because of a space issue. They should at the very least discount the resort.

They were able to shut down POFQ before. I know it is a lot smaller, but Disney does have a lot of rooms and DVC units.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Gee - I have a novel approach - THINK before they ACT.

 

[rteetz]

Gee - I have a novel approach - THINK before they ACT.

That's too easy.

 

[rteetz]

They were able to shut down POFQ before. I know it is a lot smaller, but Disney does have a lot of rooms and DVC units.

Disney isn't going to put these people in villas.

 

[Tonyz]

And to think I was whining about the construction at CSR! If I had booked at CBR I would be one angry camper. They should just close the resort down and move all of the guests to other resorts at no cost. And then stop taking bookings until all the food services are up and running. I usually think Disney is pretty entitled to the decisions they make, but not this time.

They're going to close an entire resort and move thousands of people month after month because Shutters and the food court are closed for a while?

I think there's a little overreaction going on about all this.

 

[Tonyz]

Well my guess is that's not feasible. I don't think they would be able to move everyone from that resort to other resorts because of a space issue. They should at the very least discount the resort.

They should provide a free table service to anyone who had a reservation at Shutters. Aside from that, in this particular scenario with only those two places being closed, I don't think Disney needs to give the guests anything extra. If more things close like giftshops and pools, then they should start to discount the rooms.

 

[Tonyz]

They were able to shut down POFQ before. I know it is a lot smaller, but Disney does have a lot of rooms and DVC units.

Going from Carribean Beach to DVC villas because you can't eat at Shutters would be the deal of the century.

 

[NuttyDisneyDad]

Close the WHOLE resort and transfer guests to another resort at no cost? Ummm.... come on. You guys are freaking out waaaaay too much about this. Have you ever eaten at Shutters? They are actually doing you a favor lol

 

[Disneylvr]

It isn't just Shutters that is closing. Old Port Royale, the gift shop, arcade, Banana Cabana pool bar.....plus the construction is going to be major in Centertown, not just village by village room renovation. Centertown is the heart of the resort. Our Dreams Unlimited agent was unsuccessful on the day (Tuesday) that we received the email from Disney on getting us moved at no additional cost but yesterday she tried again and we are now at POFQ. She worked magic for us!!! The move is bittersweet because CBR is our favorite moderate, or at least it was. Not sure if the peaceful, quiet charm will still be there after the construction. I know I am probably am in the minority, but we have dined at Shutters twice and had great meals there!

 

[NeuroCindy]

It isn't just Shutters that is closing. Old Port Royale, the gift shop, arcade, Banana Cabana pool bar.....plus the construction is going to be major in Centertown, not just village by village room renovation. Centertown is the heart of the resort. Our Dreams Unlimited agent was unsuccessful on the day (Tuesday) that we received the email from Disney on getting us moved at no additional cost but yesterday she tried again and we are now at POFQ. She worked magic for us!!! The move is bittersweet because CBR is our favorite moderate, or at least it was. Not sure if the peaceful, quiet charm will still be there after the construction. I know I am probably am in the minority, but we have dined at Shutters twice and had great meals there!

This! Acting like it's "just shutters" is minimizing the disruption to the resort, and probably exactly what Disney wants people to do.

 

[LSLS]

Yeah I get it. And yeah the 60 day thing does suck. But most people are getting enough time I think. And again, it's Shutters and a quick service. Are food trucks really that much worse??

I will ask again, where are you getting the food truck info? I have not heard that at all. I have heard there will be some food for breakfast and dinner at Centertown. And what about the people who wanted to have a resort day? Telling them to enjoy a box lunch is cool with you when they had fully expected to eat at the resort?

I will also reiterate I think the shops/bar being closed is just as bad. It's not just all food places. It's also drinks and any shopping needs you may have. You essentially have an under construction hotel (with construction right next to the main pool) with no food/drinks/shopping, and many being told "Well, you can pay and upgrade if you want." I honestly believe at this point they realize some will complain and they will need to give some discounts, but many others will not, and they can just milk the money from them and stick it to the customers.

By the way, you state about how you know ahead so you know not to book for September (so it's only affecting a small group of people that are a few months out). I just clicked to book for a week in September. Here is he message I got:

"In an effort to make future visits more magical, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is currently undergoing refurbishments. At this time, you may see and hear construction work during your stay, particularly Guests in the Trinidad South region of the Resort hotel.
Throughout the refurbishment, the Trinidad South Village Pool will be unavailable for your enjoyment. However, you can still make a splash at our feature pool—Fuentes del Morro Pool—or any of our 5 other leisure pools.
To minimize disruptions, we will attempt to limit work until after 9:00 AM. We apologize for any inconvenience this refurbishment may cause. Be sure to check back here in the near future for further updates!"

So, if you weren't on these boards, how would you know that you would have no food/shopping/bars available?

 

[maxiesmom]

As to knowing about construction Disney's web site alerts you when booking.

 

[Sean91]

People who booked through Disney's UK travel branch are being offered stays at PO as of last night.

 

[Sean91]

Edit, people are being offered either a change in resort to PO or a $75 per night room credit... I suddenly wish I had booked CBR!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It seems like Disney is doing a bit of damage control now after the negative reaction initially - just wish they thought ahead a bit more but hopefully the take it as a learning experience. I think most people just want to be heard and understood that this impacting their vacation/changing something they likely did a lot of research on before selecting this resort

Still seeing some people not being offered anything so would be nice if there was more consistency