Never thought I'd do it- Cancelled.

[Grumpy by Birth]

• We reserve the right to enter any room at a Disney Resort hotel for maintenance, safety, security or any other purpose, even if the Room Occupied sign is displayed on the room door.

It may also be worth noting that they replaced the "do not disturb" signs with "room occupied" signs. In other words, it lets them know if they will be disturbing someone in an occupied room, or entering when no one is there. But either way, they're coming in.

 

[MainMom]

I don't want to be contrarian, but when FP+ was in place, lots of people seemed to spend all day on the phone. And people on these boards constantly touted the virtues of refreshing and moving your FPs earlier in the day, and all the related strategies. For our travelling party, we always used the kiosks, and got by with that. But there was an army of smartphone warriors. Under the current system, do people really use their phones more than before?

it’s more screen time for me. I usually travel with a large group (11-13 people) so trying to get 4th FP’s for everyone in the same time frame was a pain and frankly we didn’t need it. I also only had to get up early one day and it was before my trip. I always managed to get everything I wanted even for a large group. It was just never a problem. And then I could play around with times in the comfort of my own home before the trip. I had a great strategy & we rarely waited in lines. Pre-pandemic our travel was in the summer, EE/RD, 3 FP’s for 10/11/1, throw a lunch in between 11-1, hotel to rescale the heat back out in the late evening for a dinner & evening show or a few short line rides. If I tried to book a 4th FP it was usually on our break where I would just be sitting around and seeing what I could get. No stress at all.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

it’s more screen time for me. I usually travel with a large group (11-13 people) so trying to get 4th FP’s for everyone in the same time frame was a pain and frankly we didn’t need it. I also only had to get up early one day and it was before my trip. I always managed to get everything I wanted even for a large group. It was just never a problem. And then I could play around with times in the comfort of my own home before the trip. I had a great strategy & we rarely waited in lines. Pre-pandemic our travel was in the summer, EE/RD, 3 FP’s for 10/11/1, throw a lunch in between 11-1, hotel to rescale the heat back out in the late evening for a dinner & evening show or a few short line rides. If I tried to book a 4th FP it was usually on our break where I would just be sitting around and seeing what I could get. No stress at all.

So then you were someone who didn't utilize FP a whole lot aside from pre-booking. That's probably going to be a different type of person who used their phone to get repeated FP while inside the parks. That kind of person (the one who used their phone already a good amount in the parks) may not have much or at all increased phone usage.

I've always prefaced my comments with my experience with FP+ at WDW was during Hurricane Irma so a lot different but I also did have two separate trips in DLR with MP. I honestly can't imagine using my phone more than I did during Hurricane Irma because I was using it pretty consistently to gain more FP. The parks were pretty much empty. We also were in the parks 12-14+ hours per day (using morning EMH and evening EMH). And with MP at DLR we were picking up FPs and stacking them (and then making sure to get our FPs for World of Color and Fantasmic! which could run out at any point of the day)

I do think the 7am stuff is over the top to have to do that but I'd imagine that for guests who used their phones to book FP and refresh them they aren't using their phones any more than they did before. I *think* that's more who the person was referring to. For someone like you you never really placed much importance on subsequent FPs while actually at the park so yeah it's going to be more phone usage with the Genie+ and LL system which has migrated much to an app usage (for better or for worse).

I will say I don't have experience with Genie+ and LL but as someone who already, but not in a negative way, used their phone enough to get or change FP or to use mobile ordering (which we loved using), etc I imagine I'd be using it the same as before

 

[luv2cheer92]

Just wanted to make a note since I've seen people talking about the EP at USO. The park to park unlimited pass for today was $340 per person, just for today. No, that doesn't include the park tickets either, which is another $200+.

Thats close to what it was when I was looking to book a trip there this past summer (I'm fairly certain it was $330). And booking at a deluxe hotel to get the included EP wasn't an option at that time as all rooms were full. Haven't looked to see what availability is like this week.

Prices are going up everywhere, for everything.

 

[pindecisive]

... As to these types of threads truly they become a dime a dozen over the years. Again only been here since 2015 but it's been pretty common to see these "done with Disney" or "I'm so upset with Disney" or "the magic is gone" posts....

In 2015 I had a "I'm done" moment. The crowds were insane, the pin trading experience was so bad, that for me, I didn't come back for 4 years. The things I valued just weren't there. Then, when I came back in 2019, there they were. So I've been coming back more regularly ever since. It just took a few years for them to change the stroller policy, up the pin trading game and get rid of vinylmation.

 

[georgina]

Just wanted to make a note since I've seen people talking about the EP at USO. The park to park unlimited pass for today was $340 per person, just for today. No, that doesn't include the park tickets either, which is another $200+.

Thats close to what it was when I was looking to book a trip there this past summer (I'm fairly certain it was $330). And booking at a deluxe hotel to get the included EP wasn't an option at that time as all rooms were full. Haven't looked to see what availability is like this week.

Prices are going up everywhere, for everything.

True, but I looked just now and I can get a room tonight at Royal Pacific Resort for an AP rate of $204 + tax, that's free express pass for 2 days for 4 or 5 people. Worth buying one AP for. Just like Disney, takes a little advance planning.

 

[luv2cheer92]

True, but I looked just now and I can get a room tonight at Royal Pacific Resort for an AP rate of $204 + tax, that's free express pass for 2 days for 4 or 5 people. Worth buying one AP for. Just like Disney, takes a little advance planning.

Thats great! I will say when I was looking to plan my trip for this past summer I was looking about 4-5 months out and everything was full. I checked back several times up until about 2 months out and still nothing. I typically go solo, so having it for extra people wouldn't make much difference for me. And I only go once a year for one, maaaaybe two days, so an AP isn't always the most economical. But I know everyone is different.

But I agree about the planning. I see so many posts of people saying they will just go to Universal instead and not have to plan at all. I strongly disagree with that.

 

[fsjking]

While it may not be something some guests have experienced, Disney clearly states on their Disney Resorts page, the following:

Please note that:

• If you’re a Disney Vacation Club Member using your Membership to stay, you’ll receive service on the 4th and 8th days, unless you decline that service.
• If there is more than one room on your reservation and you choose to decline service, your selection will apply to all rooms on the reservation.
• We reserve the right to enter any room at a Disney Resort hotel for maintenance, safety, security or any other purpose, even if the Room Occupied sign is displayed on the room door. View Walt Disney World Resort Property Rules.

I understand not everyone may choose to read all the published information (myself included), Disney has made it very clear that they may enter a room at any time in spite of signs being displayed.

Sadly it is needed for safety reasons both after the Las Vegas situation and due to child trafficking.

I'm aware they have the right. Every hotel has the right to go into any room at any time. I'm not disputing that they aren't allowed. The rule you quoted gives them the right to put Mickey Mouse in your room to watch you take a shower if they want. It would be a pretty bad business practice though. Saying they have the right, isn't the same as saying "we are going to come in your room every day whether you want us to or not". Doing daily checks suggest probable cause. ie - treating your guests like spring breakers.


Ironically though, they sure used that card as a reason not to do our 4th day service. We didn't decline it, and they never showed up to do it. I'm fine with that as we aren't high maintenance. Just in the context of this conversation, it's relevant that they didn't do it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I see so many posts of people saying they will just go to Universal instead and not have to plan at all. I strongly disagree with that.

When people talk about planning they mean in the parks. They aren't talking about booking a resort and checking availability of the resort.

By far Universal does not have the planning needed. There's no ADR to grab, no pre-booking of rides (pre-pandemic at Disney), etc. Presently there is no waking up at any time to get a slot for a ride, nadda. With EP if you have it you just walk up to the dedicated line whenever you want.

About the only thing one does at Universal is join the virtual queue lines when they are activated.

I caveat this with you can do planning like picking out the rides you want, picking out the places you want to eat and I do include that in planning personally speaking but when people gripe about the level of planning involved with WDW and say they'll go to USO instead they are talking about the other stuff.

The advanced planning the PP is talking about (at least my interpretation) is saying "I'm going/wanting EP what's the best way to do this" so there's the cost analysis into whether an AP would be worth it or whether staying as a Premier resort (even without the AP) because you get EP for both check-in and check-out dates or paying completely out of pocket for EP when you get there but when it comes to planning it's fairly low-key with Universal and not so with Disney hence all the complaints.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm aware they have the right. Every hotel has the right to go into any room at any time. I'm not disputing that they aren't allowed. The rule you quoted gives them the right to put Mickey Mouse in your room to watch you take a shower if they want. It would be a pretty bad business practice though. Saying they have the right, isn't the same as saying "we are going to come in your room every day whether you want us to or not". Doing daily checks suggest probable cause. ie - treating your guests like spring breakers.


Ironically though, they sure used that card as a reason not to do our 4th day service. We didn't decline it, and they never showed up to do it. I'm fine with that as we aren't high maintenance. Just in the context of this conversation, it's relevant that they didn't do it.

I think you got blindsided and thought how dare Disney do this but the reality of the situation is/was that hotel brands (even high ones) were in fact doing this in the past. Dropping the practice is up to each hotel and as of right now Disney isn't. But it never was a Disney only thing.

Here's an article from end of December 2017 where it talks about Disney and Hilton: https://thepointsguy.com/2017/12/hilton-disney-do-not-disturb-rules/

Here's an article from January 2018 about Disney, Hilton, Boyd Gaming, Marriott, and Hyatt: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-hotels-revise-room-security-measures/

No one is trying to say you can't be upset, a lot of people were upset, it's just trying to get you to see that it was something in place several years back. If it's the reason you don't want to go back (or part of the reason you don't want to go back) a lot of people would understand this. It doesn't change the fact that this has been in place for several years and was a reaction multiple hotel brands did (with some variations) afterwards. The pandemic caused some hotel companies to remove housekeeping entirely and I can see where ones had probably dropped the safety checks due to the pandemic or before the pandemic. For Disney they have opted to maintain at least the option in their language to do daily safety checks.

 

[Mickeynutty]

As my original post said, I hadn't been to WDW in 10 years. No other hotel I've stayed at has ever done that. There isn't a big sign out front that says "we are going to inspect your room daily". Exactly where was this info supposed to come from? Was I supposed to somehow just know to search for "Will Disney search my room"? Just because you are a Disney veteran who has dealt with this issue before doesn't mean every guest automatically does.

As for the purpose of the cards, they know they mean the guests don't want to be disturbed. One of their staff told me that directly.

 

[luv2cheer92]

When people talk about planning they mean in the parks. They aren't talking about booking a resort and checking availability of the resort.

By far Universal does not have the planning needed. There's no ADR to grab, no pre-booking of rides (pre-pandemic at Disney), etc. Presently there is no waking up at any time to get a slot for a ride, nadda. With EP if you have it you just walk up to the dedicated line whenever you want.

About the only thing one does at Universal is join the virtual queue lines when they are activated.

I caveat this with you can do planning like picking out the rides you want, picking out the places you want to eat and I do include that in planning personally speaking but when people gripe about the level of planning involved with WDW and say they'll go to USO instead they are talking about the other stuff.

The advanced planning the PP is talking about (at least my interpretation) is saying "I'm going/wanting EP what's the best way to do this" so there's the cost analysis into whether an AP would be worth it or whether staying as a Premier resort (even without the AP) because you get EP for both check-in and check-out dates or paying completely out of pocket for EP when you get there but when it comes to planning it's fairly low-key with Universal and not so with Disney hence all the complaints.

I always spend just as much time planning my Universal days as my Disney days. And the same for any and every vacation I take. But its never really been much for me for Disney at all, and I find it to be significantly less now than ever.

Planning is planning, I don't believe I ever specified what specific kind of planning I was referring to.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I always spend just as much time planning my Universal days as my Disney days. And the same for any and every vacation I take. But its never really been much for me for Disney at all, and I find it to be significantly less now than ever.

Planning is planning, I don't believe I ever specified what specific kind of planning I was referring to.

I was talking about your comment and the other person's. The vast majority of people who say USO doesn't require planning compared to WDW are doing so because of what I mentioned. That's all the point I was making. I don't plan the same amount as I know a lot of people do for WDW but even I get the remarked difference between USO and WDW in that respect. It's so relaxing at USO when so much of the stuff doesn't exist that does at WDW even of you personally don't utilize all the things at WDW that exist there. Clearly YMMV but many people say they'll go over to USO because it doesn't have the stuff that Disney does. You disagree that's fine just explaing, spend some time over on the Universal Boards it's fun

Anyways carry on, not really the point of this thread to compare merits of a USO vacation in depth.

 

[Govolz1]

After all these years, and so many great trips, magical moments, and a lifetime of memories, I never thought I would get to the place where I'm just not excited and looking forward to WDW; but that is where I am right now. Yesterday I did the unthinkable and canceled our February reservation and our 8-night stay at the Yacht Club. I'm just having a hard time getting excited about spending 9K for just the room and park tickets. In addition, this Genie, Genie+, iLL$, slave to a smartphone, no Magical Express, more cutbacks, more add ons for extra money, closures, limited experiences, masks, the uncertainty of the near future of this nearly 2-year pandemic, I have just lost interest.

I guess I'm just getting old and not feeling the magic this time around. I'm sure I'll get flamed and there are some who will say, "Good, fewer people for me." I would say, "Your Welcome." To each their own. I'm not attacking Disney, just that I think they are starting to move in a different direction than I am going. I guess I'll just take some of that money, pack up the truck, attach the boat, and head from N.E. Ohio and find a nice cabin on the lake somewhere in Kentucky, NY, Tenn, or somewhere that's a several-hour drive away and enjoy a quiet and relaxing vacation this time around.

I just got back from being there 8 days. I have been going for over 40 years and have been about 25 times I’m guessing. This was my first time for Christmas at the parks. While I enjoyed the Christmas stuff everywhere, the lines and crowds were insane. Prices were increased for everything and lots of things taken away. I can honestly say this was the first time that I was ready to leave and not be sad getting on the plane. All the joy that I normally had just wasn’t there. I believe that the money I spent for my 2 girls and myself wasn’t worth it for the first time. This is the first time that I can remember not planning my next trip back. Maybe things will change in the future, but my thoughts on vacations for families have been pushed to other places as of now. With prices increased and Disney taking more and more away and you getting a less enjoyable experience, I think that it has run its course. I hope things change for me and everyone else in the future, but I believe that they don’t care about the fan’s right now as much as the pocketbook.

 

[Jennasis]

$4.50 for a bottle of Coke drives me insane (anywhere...not just at Disney).

 

[wisblue]

I think you got blindsided and thought how dare Disney do this but the reality of the situation is/was that hotel brands (even high ones) were in fact doing this in the past. Dropping the practice is up to each hotel and as of right now Disney isn't. But it never was a Disney only thing.

Here's an article from end of December 2017 where it talks about Disney and Hilton: https://thepointsguy.com/2017/12/hilton-disney-do-not-disturb-rules/

Here's an article from January 2018 about Disney, Hilton, Boyd Gaming, Marriott, and Hyatt: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-hotels-revise-room-security-measures/

No one is trying to say you can't be upset, a lot of people were upset, it's just trying to get you to see that it was something in place several years back. If it's the reason you don't want to go back (or part of the reason you don't want to go back) a lot of people would understand this. It doesn't change the fact that this has been in place for several years and was a reaction multiple hotel brands did (with some variations) afterwards. The pandemic caused some hotel companies to remove housekeeping entirely and I can see where ones had probably dropped the safety checks due to the pandemic or before the pandemic. For Disney they have opted to maintain at least the option in their language to do daily safety checks.

it‘s important to remember too that some of these increased security measures, such as allowing staff to enter rooms periodically, came as a direct result of the Las Vegas hotel shooting.

In addition to checking to make sure a guest isn’t trashing the room, they would want to make sure someone isn’t using the room to accumulate an arsenal of weapons.

It might not be what we want, but it’s a reflection of the world we live in. In the overall scheme of things it’s a pretty minimal inconvenience.

 

[jade1]

Ok, I realize hitting refresh over and over does not seem like fun, but this was for like our 5th genie+ ride to go to our 3rd park and get test track without a line… did it while on bus hopping to AK, so it wasn’t like I was missing anything, and seemed small price to pay to skip line and Get yet another pass. fastpass system would not have let me do what I did… could not keep switching between parks for the LL like I did.

I'm disappointed the meme didn't transfer-her face as she swiped is hilarious.

But your just using what's available-appreciate the advice going forward.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

it‘s important to remember too that some of these increased security measures, such as allowing staff to enter rooms periodically, came as a direct result of the Las Vegas hotel shooting.

In addition to checking to make sure a guest isn’t trashing the room, they would want to make sure someone isn’t using the room to accumulate an arsenal of weapons.

It might not be what we want, but it’s a reflection of the world we live in. In the overall scheme of things it’s a pretty minimal inconvenience.

Correct, that was actually my very first comment on the topic of daily safety checks

I had my own thoughts back then when Vegas happened and the daily safety checks were announced and when other brands enacted their own versions (I had really strong thoughts thinking back and I was in Vegas hours after it occurred) but time I suppose has adjusted that. Admittedly this pandemic with all the other things I've had to do also tempered whatever I had back then and so has time.

As I've said I don't want the PP to feel like people aren't getting why they are frustrated we are big users of don't disturb but I also didn't want it to be like Disney and Disney alone was trying to make everyone's life harder, the reality was multiple hotel brands enacted measures afterwards. I also understand it's usually a cumulative rather than a singular thing that makes someone just fed up with a particular destination. All completely understandable. The more things one finds undesirable about a particular destination the less one wants to go there (hence the OP's other posters and the poster who brought up the daily safety check's comments )

 

[wisblue]

$4.50 for a bottle of Coke drives me insane (anywhere...not just at Disney).

And even that is less than what you pay in a lot of other entertainment venues, like concerts, major sporting events, etc.

 

[wisblue]

Correct, that was actually my very first comment on the topic of daily safety checks

I had my own thoughts back then when Vegas happened and the daily safety checks were announced and when other brands enacted their own versions (I had really strong thoughts thinking back and I was in Vegas hours after it occurred) but time I suppose has adjusted that. Admittedly this pandemic with all the other things I've had to do also tempered whatever I had back then and so has time.

As I've said I don't want the PP to feel like people aren't getting why they are frustrated we are big users of don't disturb but I also didn't want it to be like Disney and Disney alone was trying to make everyone's life harder, the reality was multiple hotel brands enacted measures afterwards. I also understand it's usually a cumulative rather than a singular thing that makes someone just fed up with a particular destination. All completely understandable. The more things one finds undesirable about a particular destination the less one wants to go there (hence the OP's other posters and the poster who brought up the daily safety check's comments )

Oops, I just jumped in at the back end of the thread.