Just back....some thoughts

[anne789bears]

We just returned from 3 nights at Hotel New York. Here are some of my observations:

Highs

- Inventions: the evening buffet was wonderful. Fresh, delicious food. Incredible range of beautiful desserts. Excellent service. The restaurant itself is lovely, with some wonderful views over the park and Castle. We really enjoyed our meal here, but despite this, it was VERY expensive - over 300 Euros for 5 adults.

- Walts: we did the quick menu and it was excellent. The food was delicious and very well presented and the restaurant itself is gorgeous; so many great pictures and artefacts and I love the small, intimate and individual dining rooms. We had a fabulous table overlooking Main Street. MK in Florida could really do with a dining experience like this. Only downside was the poor service we received: I ordered a Diet Coke and got given a regular Coke, when I asked the server to change it she was VERY stroppy!

- Some of the attractions: Big Thunder, POTC and Phantom Manor were all brilliant and definitely an improvement on the US counterparts. BTMRR was great - such a long ride and we really enjoyed it!

- Annette's: great food, great service, good value. Recommended even though we had a 30-minute wait for the table. Would be good if they took reservations.

LOWS

- Hotel New York Cast Members: downright rude and unhelpful. We booked lake view rooms and the view was of a tree, you literally could not even see the lake. We complained and eventually got moved to a better room with a great view over the lake and towards NPBC, but there was no apology and the CMs seemed annoyed that I complained and suggested I should take what I was given. Shocking customer service for a 4* hotel and throughout the entire hotel the CMs we encountered were not great.

- Hotel New York: filthy towels, old TVs, depressing dark hallways. Could do with an overhaul and refurb. On the plus side, the pool was nice and the location great.

- CMs as a whole: throughout all of DLRP we experienced consistent poor service. The CMs seemed disinterested and unfriendly. Many were texting on their mobile cell phones whilst operating the rides. There were no "have a nice days" and the vast majority seemed downright miserable. When I asked to have my purchase shipped to the hotel I was met with a big sigh and moan about the extra paperwork. TOTALLY unacceptable and the complete opposite of the CMs in WDW. I've had better service from the teenagers at Alton Towers! On POTC the ride operator split our party of 5 into a row of 4 and 1. I asked (nicely!) if we could have a 3 and 2 and was told outright "NO!". So I kicked up a fuss and the CM got ultra stroppy and shouted "well you'll have to stand in the corner and wait now". She then made us wait 5-10 minutes for no reason whatsoever. Absolutely disgraceful. I noted her name and will file a complaint. In addition, my mother asked for a coffee at a counter-service restaurant and was given a black coffee. She kindly asked the CM for some milk and was told no - she should have ordered a white coffee. What kind of service is that?! Yet another example of bad service was at Blue Bayou. I asked for a waterside table and was told outright no. Fair enough if there wasn't one available, but the CM could have said "sorry, we are booked up" rather than being so darn rude. Would never get that in the USA.

- The breakfast system: When we checked-in to HNY we were asked to choose breakfast times for each morning of our stay. Yet despite choosing times we still had a 20-minute wait on one morning. Also, the Manhattan restaurant was closed off for "conference guests only" and all "tourists" were put in Parkside Diner. Nice to see that they give priority to the conference guests.

- Police/Army: they were all over the entrances to the parks, complete with sniffer dogs, horses and big scary guns! Kind of took away from the magical Disney atmosphere, although I appreciate security comes first.

- Shareholder Club: every time I wanted to use the Shareholder Discount in a store the CM had to call their manager. I then had to wait 5-10 minutes for the manager to come over and authorise it, annoying all the people behind me in the line and wasting time out of my day. Such a ridiculous system. Furthermore, SO MANY items are excluded from the discount. I wanted to buy a book, but was told I couldn't get the discount. Same for drinks/snacks/sweets. Also, Salon Mickey was a waste of time. Far too busy and the CMs were very rude. It was literally "standing room only" and yet you can't take the drinks/snacks into the park.

- Half Board Vouchers: don't bother with them. At Blue Bayou we were treated like second-class diners because of the vouchers and they quickly whisked away the normal menus and gave us a "Special Menu" when they saw the vouchers. Needless to say this was FAR more limited than the main menu and the choices were disappointing.

- No evening entertainment: I find it disappointing that there is no evening parade or fireworks. I appreciate it's the off-season but surely it wouldn't be too much to have fireworks on Saturdays?

- Disney Village: really gone down-hill from our last visit. The shops sell the same tat and nothing special or unique from the parks, in fact many of the shops were half empty! Quality of souvenirs wasn't great. Disappointed those lights have gone from the "roof", that really added to the ambiance.

Sorry for the waffle. We had a good time but won't return in a rush. I think that the Disneyland Hotel is the place to be at DLRP - even though it costs more it's probably better value-for-money given the better service and standards. I was truly shocked by the quality of the CMs and think Disney need to address this at once.

 

[stitcher3000]

I completely understand where you are coming from re the lows, although the CM's that we came across where not too bad they were definately not up to the standard of florida as is the whole atmosphere of DLP so it doesn't really make you want to go back in a hurry also the European weather doesn't help
!
We did stay in the DLH and imho I don't think it is worth the money, as far as I can see the only real benefit is the location (the hot breakfast wasn't that great as everything was luke warm, not surprising really as it's buffet style and the turn down service with a few choc coins) no way is it worth the extra money.
I, like you think Disney need to address the whole issue of customer service with some urgency, it's the basics of being in the business they are in, perhaps if everyone was to send a letter to them complaining about the levels of service, something may get done, and perhaps not only to DLP but to Head Office (sorry don't know where that may be) also??
I do appreciate that the European mindset is different to the Americans, but this is an American brand and should be treated as such regardless of which country the park is in. Rant over
Glad you didn't let it all totally spoil your holiday and we too love Walts for the food and surroundings.

 

[disney_princess_85]

I'm glad you had a nice time overall.

- CMs as a whole: throughout all of DLRP we experienced consistent poor service. The CMs seemed disinterested and unfriendly. Many were texting on their mobile cell phones whilst operating the rides. There were no "have a nice days" and the vast majority seemed downright miserable. When I asked to have my purchase shipped to the hotel I was met with a big sigh and moan about the extra paperwork. TOTALLY unacceptable and the complete opposite of the CMs in WDW. I've had better service from the teenagers at Alton Towers! On POTC the ride operator split our party of 5 into a row of 4 and 1. I asked (nicely!) if we could have a 3 and 2 and was told outright "NO!". So I kicked up a fuss and the CM got ultra stroppy and shouted "well you'll have to stand in the corner and wait now". She then made us wait 5-10 minutes for no reason whatsoever. Absolutely disgraceful. I noted her name and will file a complaint. In addition, my mother asked for a coffee at a counter-service restaurant and was given a black coffee. She kindly asked the CM for some milk and was told no - she should have ordered a white coffee. What kind of service is that?! Yet another example of bad service was at Blue Bayou. I asked for a waterside table and was told outright no. Fair enough if there wasn't one available, but the CM could have said "sorry, we are booked up" rather than being so darn rude. Would never get that in the USA.

I'm sorry that you had such negative experiences. I agree with you- disgraceful and totally unacceptable.

-- No evening entertainment: I find it disappointing that there is no evening parade or fireworks. I appreciate it's the off-season but surely it wouldn't be too much to have fireworks on Saturdays?

I agree that it's disappointing but I believe they're only allowed to have a limited number of firework displays per year, due to an agreement with nearby residents.

 

[Jonjo]

Police/Army: they were all over the entrances to the parks, complete with sniffer dogs, horses and big scary guns! Kind of took away from the magical Disney atmosphere, although I appreciate security comes first.

I was in France the other day and security is very high at the moment. Lots of National Gendarmerie and Police Nationale around the train stations, airports and in public places.

 

[lil_stitch]

- CMs as a whole: throughout all of DLRP we experienced consistent poor service. The CMs seemed disinterested and unfriendly. Many were texting on their mobile cell phones whilst operating the rides. There were no "have a nice days" and the vast majority seemed downright miserable. When I asked to have my purchase shipped to the hotel I was met with a big sigh and moan about the extra paperwork. TOTALLY unacceptable and the complete opposite of the CMs in WDW. I've had better service from the teenagers at Alton Towers! On POTC the ride operator split our party of 5 into a row of 4 and 1. I asked (nicely!) if we could have a 3 and 2 and was told outright "NO!". So I kicked up a fuss and the CM got ultra stroppy and shouted "well you'll have to stand in the corner and wait now". She then made us wait 5-10 minutes for no reason whatsoever. Absolutely disgraceful. I noted her name and will file a complaint. In addition, my mother asked for a coffee at a counter-service restaurant and was given a black coffee. She kindly asked the CM for some milk and was told no - she should have ordered a white coffee. What kind of service is that?! Yet another example of bad service was at Blue Bayou. I asked for a waterside table and was told outright no. Fair enough if there wasn't one available, but the CM could have said "sorry, we are booked up" rather than being so darn rude. Would never get that in the USA.

.

That's just unacceptable and what a shame as we were talking about how good the CM's seemed to be this visit (26-29 sept) I only had one rude experience in Cable Car where the lady on the till wouldn't speak to me, and got my order wrong etc. I can't believe that they could get away with texting whilst working on the rides. I hope it didn't impact too much on the enjoyment of your holiday.

 

[loladelorean]

Sorry to hear about all the problems you had, but glad it wasn't all bad.
Bad reports about CMs seem to be more and more common these days which is very worrying. It's good that you took names for the really bad ones and you certainly should file a complaint.
That's worrying that shareholders discount is a lot of hassle - this trip will be my first as a shareholder and I'm hoping it isn't as bad as you say.
In the Disney shop the other day a CM told me anyone with discount cards whether shareholder or CM needs to use separate tills in a lot of DLP boutiques, anyone know if this is true?

 

[anne789bears]

I do appreciate that the European mindset is ]different to the Americans, but this is an American brand and should be treated as such regardless of which country the park is in.

Yes, I completely agree with you. One of the biggest draws to Disney is the legendary service and premium quality surroundings and Cast Members. These kind of things should be uniform throughout the globe and it does annoy me when people comment that European service can never be as good as in the US. It's a great idea about writing in, and I will certainly be doing so.

I agree that it's disappointing but I believe they're only allowed to have a limited number of firework displays per year, due to an agreement with nearby residents.

Ah, I didn't realise that. They could still do an evening light parade, though. The parks were really busy at the weekend so it just seems like a cost-cutting measure to me.

That's just unacceptable and what a shame as we were talking about how good the CM's seemed to be this visit (26-29 sept) I only had one rude experience in Cable Car where the lady on the till wouldn't speak to me, and got my order wrong etc. I can't believe that they could get away with texting whilst working on the rides. I hope it didn't impact too much on the enjoyment of your holiday.

Thanks. It didn't impact too much - we still had a nice time and tried to just brush off the bad experiences and move on. We first noticed a CM texting on her phone at the entrance to the Alice in Wonderland labyrinth -- and then I seemed to notice more and more over the next few days! One was texting whilst operating the Small World boats!

That's worrying that shareholders discount is a lot of hassle - this trip will be my first as a shareholder and I'm hoping it isn't as bad as you say.
In the Disney shop the other day a CM told me anyone with discount cards whether shareholder or CM needs to use separate tills in a lot of DLP boutiques, anyone know if this is true?

I'm not sure if you are supposed to use a separate cash register. I don't think so. It's more about needing a manager. The CMs can't physically apply the Shareholder Discount without a manager swiping their card and authorising it. When you're at Emporium at park closing and there are five guests behind you, it can be a little annoying having to wait. It just seemed petty to me. I felt like I shouldn't bother using the card, which defeats the purpose of it really.

 

[tennisfan]

We just returned from 3 nights at Hotel New York. Here are some of my observations:

- Shareholder Club: every time I wanted to use the Shareholder Discount in a store the CM had to call their manager. I then had to wait 5-10 minutes for the manager to come over and authorise it, annoying all the people behind me in the line and wasting time out of my day. Such a ridiculous system. Furthermore, SO MANY items are excluded from the discount. I wanted to buy a book, but was told I couldn't get the discount. Same for drinks/snacks/sweets. Also, Salon Mickey was a waste of time. Far too busy and the CMs were very rude. It was literally "standing room only" and yet you can't take the drinks/snacks into the park.

-

Sorry to hear you had rude CM's in Salon Mickey, i'm very fortunate that everytime I have been the staff have been amazing. I know its annoying about having to get a manager over to authorise the shareholders but I can see the reason behind it as they do spot checks to make sure its the right person using the card, I again have never had to wait more then a couple of minutes for a manager. Its a shame you had to wait a long time The discount has always excluded some items including drinks, snacks etc

 

[MinnieVanMom]

WE are also just back and now waiting a few hours to get to our final home in the States.

I won't do my full review now but wanted to first say that I understand your pain. The staff, hotel, parks and all about what was to be Disney was anything but. I felt it was a total loss of a huge amount of money. I was treated like crap on their shoes the entire time.

I am sorry you were treated the same, it is a disgrace and I don't consider what that was even Disney. It was so terrible that we took the RER back into Pairs and walked around in the light rain drinking a bottle of wine. We would not let DLP ruin our last day/nite in Europe.

 

[hildasmuriel]

Some thoughts:

The prices for visiting off-season are much lower - it stands to reason that the entertainment schedule is reduced. We take our main family (beach) holiday in May each year and know that the events laid on are not going to be the same as they are during August. We pay less than half what August visitors do in compensation.

I do not consider it rude to have a request for a certain table refused. This has happened a number of times to us and I don't expect the CM to give me an explanation. A 'no' will suffice.

The half-board voucher has always meant eating off a different menu. I doubt it is intended to treat holders as second class diners. One always has the option of using them at face value and paying extra. I'm presuming the Blue Bayou is the Blue Lagoon but the same is true of any restaurant.

The Hotel New York has certainly changed since we were there a few weeks before the OP. In fairness the TV could have been old when we visited, as I didn't register that, but we didn't encounter any of the other problems. I would not have been happy to find a filthy towel in my room.

Requests for certain rows or seats in rides - again we have had these refused in the past for whatever operational reason. I cannot imagine 'kicking up a fuss' at the CM. It just seems so undignified and unfair on other people around.

There have always been armed police around DLP as long has we have been going. I am glad to hear they are more obviously present now with the increased threat to European security.

On reflection, I have had CMs sigh when asked to arrange for things to be sent to the hotel for collection. But I hadn't even registered that fact until I read this post and thought back over my experiences! It obviously didn't seem important to me at the time (or now, TBH). I don't look for automatons in my customer service and am quite happy with quirky, individual real people.

As for further posts - I think that when people have had a disappointing holiday that cost them a lot of money, they tend to use hyperbole and a pinch of salt becomes handy for the reader.

 

[tennisfan]

Sorry to hear about all the problems you had, but glad it wasn't all bad.
Bad reports about CMs seem to be more and more common these days which is very worrying. It's good that you took names for the really bad ones and you certainly should file a complaint.
That's worrying that shareholders discount is a lot of hassle - this trip will be my first as a shareholder and I'm hoping it isn't as bad as you say.
In the Disney shop the other day a CM told me anyone with discount cards whether shareholder or CM needs to use separate tills in a lot of DLP boutiques, anyone know if this is true?

You can use any till to pay for your purchases so don't know what that CM was talking about, they just phone a manager over to swipe their card to authorise. Carry other id with you in case they do a spot check to see if its the right person. On my last trip I had a manager salute me when he saw I was a shareholder

I have never had any problems using my card

 

[loladelorean]

You can use any till to pay for your purchases so don't know what that CM was talking about, they just phone a manager over to swipe their card to authorise. Carry other id with you in case they do a spot check to see if its the right person. On my last trip I had a manager salute me when he saw I was a shareholder

I have never had any problems using my card

That's good then thanks for replying!
The CMs in my local Disney store are amazing they call me a VIP when i use my card and always ask how long it is to my trip now! Perhaps in in there too often....? It's nice to get a bit of Disney magical home though and they certainly provide that

 

[anne789bears]

WE are also just back and now waiting a few hours to get to our final home in the States.

I'm sorry that you too experienced poor quality of service from the DLRP cast members. Hope you enjoyed your Europe trip on the whole.

The prices for visiting off-season are much lower - it stands to reason that the entertainment schedule is reduced.

The prices for the visiting off-season are lower at WDW too, yet they still maintain a decent evening entertainment schedule.

I do not consider it rude to have a request for a certain table refused. This has happened a number of times to us and I don't expect the CM to give me an explanation. A 'no' will suffice.

The conversation went like this:
My mother: would it at all be possible for us to sit at the waterside please?
CM: no

The CM could have quite easily said "no, I'm sorry but we are very busy" or "no, I'm afraid not". That's not even customer service: it's just being polite

If you don't think that's rude, then fair enough, we clearly have different expectations.

The half-board voucher has always meant eating off a different menu. I doubt it is intended to treat holders as second class diners. One always has the option of using them at face value and paying extra. I'm presuming the Blue Bayou is the Blue Lagoon but the same is true of any restaurant.

Yes, I meant Blue Lagoon. My mistake for confusing it with the FAR superior Blue Bayou of Disneyland California. It would have been nice if the CM bothered to ask us if we would like the half-board menu or regular menu with the option to pay extra. When she saw the half board vouchers she just jumped in and said "you can't have those menus, you need special ones".

The Hotel New York has certainly changed since we were there a few weeks before the OP. In fairness the TV could have been old when we visited, as I didn't register that, but we didn't encounter any of the other problems. I would not have been happy to find a filthy towel in my room.

The TV is an old CRT and is very small. For a 4* hotel, this is unacceptable. Pop Century at WDW has better in-room facilities. The TV is not a big part of our trip, of course, but it was just one of the many in-room disappointments. The rooms were in desperate need of a refurbishment, particularly the bathrooms. Yet this wasn't at all the worst thing about the hotel - it was the quality of the service. You don't expect the CMs to be annoyed when you ask for a lake-view room since that is what we paid for.

Requests for certain rows or seats in rides - again we have had these refused in the past for whatever operational reason. I cannot imagine 'kicking up a fuss' at the CM. It just seems so undignified and unfair on other people around.

Excuse me?!! It's not as if we are asking for the front row or any kind of special treatment. We are a party of five, with a disabled child, and we did not want our party to be split up into a 4 and 1, so that one person was sitting alone. We go on Disney vacations to spend time together as a family. It's unacceptable that one member of our party should have been expected to sit alone. My mother was very upset when the CM refused to offer a 3 and 2 configuration, so I naturally "kicked up a fuss". Rather than act professionally and with the traditional trademark Disney service we were (literally) pushed to the corner and told to wait 5-10 minutes, for no apparent reason, whilst the CM rolled her eyes and embarrassed us in front of the line.

On reflection, I have had CMs sigh when asked to arrange for things to be sent to the hotel for collection. But I hadn't even registered that fact until I read this post and thought back over my experiences! It obviously didn't seem important to me at the time (or now, TBH). I don't look for automatons in my customer service and am quite happy with quirky, individual real people.

This is just funny! Next time I am feeling tired or stressed out at work, I'll be rude to my customers too. I'll just say it's my "quirky nature"

The hotel package delivery is a service Disney offer and CMs should not sigh or be frustrated when guests ask to use it. At WDW it's the complete opposite: the CMs actually *want* to help you and actively ASK if you are staying on-site and would like to utilise the delivery service.

I'm pleased you've not experienced the poor service that we have, but that's no reason for you to jump in and exclaim that my concerns are just "hyperbole". Yes, it seems clear that I probably have higher expectations of service than you, but this is something Disney prides itself on and I think many of the senior management would be highly disappointed if they knew how some of the DLRP CMs treated guests.

 

[wideeyes]

I agree that the rooms at the HNY need some updating, however we found the CM at the hotel very pleasant and polite in all areas of the hotel.

 

[TheTizardFamily:0)]

We too have never had any problems with rude CMs.
I think people get so excited and so 'into' the Disney thing that they forget these people are just that, normal people doing a job, they do have off days and may always not be as 'disney' as we would all like.

 

[TheTizardFamily:0)]

Some thoughts:

The prices for visiting off-season are much lower - it stands to reason that the entertainment schedule is reduced. We take our main family (beach) holiday in May each year and know that the events laid on are not going to be the same as they are during August. We pay less than half what August visitors do in compensation.

Have to agree with you on this, i don't think you should expect things to not br reduced during off peak times.

I do not consider it rude to have a request for a certain table refused. This has happened a number of times to us and I don't expect the CM to give me an explanation. A 'no' will suffice.




Requests for certain rows or seats in rides - again we have had these refused in the past for whatever operational reason. I cannot imagine 'kicking up a fuss' at the CM. It just seems so undignified and unfair on other people around.

Exactly, and having worked in customer service and experiencing such things i would imagine the 'kicking up a fuss' just made the CM even more determined to not help.

There have always been armed police around DLP as long has we have been going. I am glad to hear they are more obviously present now with the increased threat to European security.

I'd be worried if they weren't present! So, very glad they are! They don't kill my disney 'buzz'

On reflection, I have had CMs sigh when asked to arrange for things to be sent to the hotel for collection. But I hadn't even registered that fact until I read this post and thought back over my experiences! It obviously didn't seem important to me at the time (or now, TBH). I don't look for automatons in my customer service and am quite happy with quirky, individual real people.

As for further posts - I think that when people have had a disappointing holiday that cost them a lot of money, they tend to use hyperbole and a pinch of salt becomes handy for the reader.

Have to say i agree with you on pretty much everything, it's so easy to simple focus on the bad things. I choose to make a joke of such things, i would much rather this than let it get to me!

 

[Frances999]

I haven't posted in a long time but we recently got back from visiting friends in Paris and spent a few days at Disney. I was - to be frank - gob-smacked at the attitude of many CMs and shocked at the complete lack of customer service skills and basic politeness. I rarely even got a 'thank you' when making a purchase in a shop!

Needless to say, we won't be returning and I agree that Disney need to address this issue. I also thought that the park was looking very tired - many things were dirty and the back of the castle could do with a good paint!! The pirate ship is falling to pieces and I felt sad that a Disney park could be in such a state.

 

[disney_princess_85]

The conversation went like this:
My mother: would it at all be possible for us to sit at the waterside please?
CM: no

The CM could have quite easily said "no, I'm sorry but we are very busy" or "no, I'm afraid not". That's not even customer service: it's just being polite

I agree that "sorry, no", would have sounded much more polite than just "no".

When she saw the half board vouchers she just jumped in and said "you can't have those menus, you need special ones".

To be fair, you DO need to order from a special menu if you're paying with half-board vouchers. Maybe your server went about it in the wrong way, I don't know.

The rooms were in desperate need of a refurbishment, particularly the bathrooms.

I agree that the rooms are in desperate need of a refurb. They have just started a big refurb at Sequoia Lodge- hopefully the other hotels will follow suit.

The hotel package delivery is a service Disney offer and CMs should not sigh or be frustrated when guests ask to use it. At WDW it's the complete opposite: the CMs actually *want* to help you and actively ASK if you are staying on-site and would like to utilise the delivery service.

Yes, they shouldn't sigh. I agree that the CMs at WDW are much more forthcoming about this perk.

 

[hildasmuriel]

I'm pleased you've not experienced the poor service that we have, but that's no reason for you to jump in and exclaim that my concerns are just "hyperbole". Yes, it seems clear that I probably have higher expectations of service than you, but this is something Disney prides itself on and I think many of the senior management would be highly disappointed if they knew how some of the DLRP CMs treated guests.

Actually I wasn't referring to you - you said you had enjoyed your holiday overall. I was thinking of another person who suggested they were treated like excrement on a shoe. If I were unlucky enough to get excrement on my shoe I would scrape it on a curb, poke at it with a stick or flush it down a drain. I don't suppose these things actually happened to a Disney guest, so I am assuming they were using hyperbole. YMMV.

.......so I naturally "kicked up a fuss"...... .

I don't see this as 'natural. A lot of places now have zero tolerance from customers and won't put up with them kicking up a fuss. Staff should not be expected to put up with this IMO.

If you don't think that's rude, then fair enough, we clearly have different expectations.

Yes, we clearly do. Fortunately there are different places for different people to spend their holidays so we each get what we want.

 

[anne789bears]

I don't see this as 'natural. A lot of places now have zero tolerance from customers and won't put up with them kicking up a fuss. Staff should not be expected to put up with this IMO.

Haha, sorry if I gave the wrong impression...it's not as if I was screaming abuse or going in for a punch! I just firmly stated that we would require 3 and 2, as it was not fair for one member of our party to be seated alone.