Not Gonna Lie......not the best week

[Inlovew/disney]

M husband and I booked a six day trip to WDW for Thanksgiving week. We really looked forward to the trip and escape from our cold winter temps in our part of the country. We were booked at Wilderness Lodge; our second time to stay there. Overall impression - the lobby is drop dead gorgeous; especially his time of year. I’ve always loved the lobby here. Our room was fine. Second floor, nature view. But, the room was tired looking and dimly lit. But all in all, it was ok. As we were processing our trip tonight, we both agree we won’t be going back to WDW any time soon. It it is just too expensive for what you get. The CMs at WL were, for the most part, disinterested in serving their guests. Two separate CMs appeared almost annoyed when I asked for information on a couple of occasions. One gave me totally inaccurate information about automatic airline checkin. Disney now seems content to let the guest do most of the work; from booking Fast Passes and dining reservations to online room check in. Maybe it is just me, but I liked it when CMs actually made you feel like a valued guest. Now days the guest seems to be an annoyance to them. Nothing seemed magcal or special about this trip - unlike previous trips. The prices are high and service is on the decline. A reflection on the overall service industry, I fear.

 

[vinotinto]

So, what made it not the best week? Sounds like you enjoyed WL?

 

[Inlovew/disney]

So, what made it not the best week? Sounds like you enjoyed WL?

Sorry, I hadn’t fully completed the post and have edited it.

 

[hereforthechurros]

So, what made it not the best week? Sounds like you enjoyed WL?

You can get a nice hotel anywhere, seems OP was a little bummed that the Disney magic wasn’t there.

 

[vinotinto]

Sorry, I hadn’t fully completed the post and have edited it.

Ah! Makes sense!

 

[kaytieeldr]

But, the room was tired looking and dimly lit.

Can't speak to the tired appearance, but aren't all the WL (and AKL) rooms more dimly lit as part of the ambiance?

Two separate CMs appeared almost annoyed when I asked for nformation on a couple of occasions. One gave me totally inaccurate information

I've had this experience there, but with a park transportation question. I just go with the theory that Front Desk CMs know everything and more about registration, etc.; restaurant CMs know everything and more about their restaurant; boat captains know everything about boat transportation...for airline check in, I would expect only the RAC staff to have accurate information.

Disney now seems content to let the guest do most of the work; from booking Fast Passes and dining reservations to online check in.

This confused me. Unless you were staying Club Level, these are all actions the guest is expected to do all the work - just like always.

 

[Inlovew/disney]

The rest of the story is the overall vibe of the trip. Too many people, too few attractions per park, waiting for busses wasted a lot of time. The food is just so-so and overpriced. I had higher expectations of Disney but the experience just wasn’t the same as it has been our previous trips, the last of which was three years ago.

 

[Inlovew/disney]

Can't speak to the tired appearance, but aren't all the WL (and AKL) rooms more dimly lit as part of the ambiance?

I've had this experience there, but with a park transportation question. I just go with the theory that Front Desk CMs know everything and more about registration, etc.; restaurant CMs know everything and more about their restaurant; boat captains know everything about boat transportation...for airline check in, I would expect only the RAC staff to have accurate information.

This confused me. Unless you were staying Club Level, these are all actions the guest is expected to do all the work - just like always.

I’m refering to all of the time spent upfront arranging dining, fast passes, etc. it didn’t used to take quite so much planning ahead of time.

 

[Inlovew/disney]

Duplicate post

 

[Inlovew/disney]

You can get a nice hotel anywhere, seems OP was a little bummed that the Disney magic wasn’t there.

Exactly.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I’m refering to all of the time spent upfront arranging dining, fast passes, etc. it didn’t used to take quite so much planning ahead of time.

Okay. I guess I'm still confused how this 043-5480 arranging made it a bad week.

 

[Inlovew/disney]

Okay. I guess I'm still confused how this 043-5480 arranging made it a bad week.

For us, it was a lot of work up front making the arrangements; and while there, constantly checking to be sure we were on time for FP's, planning travel to dining so we arrived at the appropriate time, waiting in lines, fighting the crowds, some unfriendly cast members, etc. We pay a lot of money for Disney and I feel as if we aren't getting the bang for our buck that we used to. Your experiences may be different than ours. But for now, we're done with Disney.

 

[RCID]

I feel so bad that you had a less than magical stay.


I too soured on the mouse about ten years ago. We visited Universal and Sea World instead. Gave my return to the Magic Kingdom a lot of thought and patience.

Now I return with very focused visits and make certain I enjoy those.

The parks are always changing, the cast members at the resorts walk through a revolving door. I hope that your sabbatical away from the parks brings you back with more magic and improved guest service.

 

[bumbershoot]

For us, it was a lot of work up front making the arrangements; and while there, constantly checking to be sure we were on time for FP's, planning travel to dining so we arrived at the appropriate time, waiting in lines, fighting the crowds, some unfriendly cast members, etc. We pay a lot of money for Disney and I feel as if we aren't getting the bang for our buck that we used to.

I've only been going to WDW since late 2010, and this is how it's always been. Main change is that instead of doing the FP dance while there at the parks, you do it 60 days out. And at the parks LOL.

And your experience with transportation was our first experience. It's why I almost always rent a car, and choose to take the bus when I want to, for some reason, take the bus. Like when my bestie, a city planner who needed to take a field trip to Celebration to look around while we were on our friends trip, wanted to take the bus to see how they do it all.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Disney has evolved with time.
The average person wants full control of their experience which takes customer service out of the equation.
Just like self check out at the grocery store or mobile ordering from a restaurant.
My guess is the CM's were not "annoyed" but rather surprised with the amount of interaction you wanted coupled with the fact that CM's these days aren't given half the info you seek.
If this new age of Disney giving the guests full control is not your thing then yes you may want to choose another destination to try.

Out of curiosity what is automatic airline check in?
Haven't heard of this feature at Disney.
I have only heard about EBCI for Southwest Airlines which I don't purchase because its just not worth the price.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

For us, it was a lot of work up front making the arrangements; and while there, constantly checking to be sure we were on time for FP's, planning travel to dining so we arrived at the appropriate time, waiting in lines, fighting the crowds, some unfriendly cast members, etc. We pay a lot of money for Disney and I feel as if we aren't getting the bang for our buck that we used to.

We are all paying a lot of money and we are all planning dining, FP+, and appropriate timi9ng.
I guess the only difference is that some people enjoy that part and some don't.

 

[Haley R]

We also got a little “disneyed out” after our recent trip in October. We went 3 times this year so that might be why but we had some issues with other guests and that was mainly what did it for us. We also just need to take some time and take vacations elsewhere because we feel there is more to see out there. We will definitely be back eventually but it’ll be nice to have a break.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Sorry to hear that OP. We too just returned, but had a Very Good visit and pleasantly surprised with several things.
Though, must admit food/beverage costs have skyrocketed and saltier than ever..
I’ll be posting shortly.

 

[Nancyg56]

I get it. Several years ago we arrived for our much anticipated vacation at the BC. Oh my gosh, our expectations were huge, and somehow things were just not what we anticipated. We stayed CL, and honestly that is all that saved us. The parks were fine, but at the time Hurricane Hannahs was close for renovation, which see,s liek a small thing, however the resort was incredibly busy, and the CM's were overwhelmed IMO, giving us some less than stellar interactions.

WE had spent over $10,000 on that trip, and left with some buyer's remorse. I think that for us, it was a combination of high expectations, and overwhelmed CM's that left us waving feeling we missed some of that Disney magic we always loved. We have been back, and honestly for us the magic is back, but it took a while to let some of that feeling go.WHat helped me was to contact guest services and let them know what had occurred, and what I was expecting from a vacation in Disney. Yes, preplanning is crucial for many in terms of a WDW vacation, and most of us like to do it ourselves, but if upon arrival we need assistance, there should be people at the resort capable and willing to provide some help. If CM's at a resort are providing inaccurate information to guests, and concierge services are unwilling to assist in booking a meal, Disney needs to be made aware of this. What I found at teh BC at taht time is that while management thought everything was running smoothly at ground level, they were either unaware or unaccepting that those CM's were overwhelmed trying to manage food for Thanksgiving crowds with a major CS restaurant closed. The options were simply not adequate, and they were paying the price. Perhaps there is some of that going on at WL, and you could point out what you experienced as a guest.

 

[LMO429]

M husband and I booked a six day trip to WDW for Thanksgiving week. We really looked forward to the trip and escape from our cold winter temps in our part of the country. We were booked at Wilderness Lodge; our second time to stay there. Overall impression - the lobby is drop dead gorgeous; especially his time of year. I’ve always loved the lobby here. Our room was fine. Second floor, nature view. But, the room was tired looking and dimly lit. But all in all, it was ok. As we were processing our trip tonight, we both agree we won’t be going back to WDW any time soon. It it is just too expensive for what you get. The CMs at WL were, for the most part, disinterested in serving their guests. Two separate CMs appeared almost annoyed when I asked for information on a couple of occasions. One gave me totally inaccurate information about automatic airline checkin. Disney now seems content to let the guest do most of the work; from booking Fast Passes and dining reservations to online room check in. Maybe it is just me, but I liked it when CMs actually made you feel like a valued guest. Now days the guest seems to be an annoyance to them. Nothing seemed magcal or special about this trip - unlike previous trips. The prices are high and service is on the decline. A reflection on the overall service industry, I fear.

You should write a letter to guest relations with all your points. Seems like you did not feel as if you got your monies worth this trip and have some valid concerns that should be forward to guest relations. They can not improve unless they are aware. I love Disney I always will but lately it has been too crowded at the parks they need to stop building hotels and add more parks/attractions