Writing a Letter

[irishone1979]

I don't know if this is the right place to be asking, but here it goes.
Have any of you written a letter to Disney letting them know if something happened on your trip that you weren't thrilled with. I don't mean a ride being closed. Let me explain.
My DH and I spent our Honeymoon there. We got the honeymoon grand plan (mainly because of all the "free" things we got) Well, when we got to our room we didn't have the bag of goodies that it said we were supposed to get. I had a list of all that came in it and everything (I like getting stuff ) Anyway, my DH being the wonderful man that he is (he didn't want to deal with my whining about it for 10 days) went to the concierge desk to see what the problem was. Apparently we were booked as a Grand Plan, not the Honeymoon Grand Plan. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but you still get a bag of goodies if you are on just the regular grand plan, right? Anyway, they said to switch it over would cost another $350!! No kidding, well my DH did it because he knew I really wanted the items in the bag. Mainly the Honeymoon Watches. It took 5 days for us to get the bag and when we did, No watches or alot of other stuff that we were promised a year ago when we made our reservations (we had alot of problems with the initial reservations also, but that is another story) Anyway, we asked the concierge desk about it and they said that they would talk to Randall and Megan about it (we were staying at the WL) When Randall Finally did get back with us (the next day- good thing we were staying 10 days- we were on our 6th day!) he said that the watches were for last year and they don't have them anymore. There was also alot of other stuff that wasn't in the bag. For $350 what we got was the Honeymoon bag, a box of chocolates (you can get at MK for $10) a picture frame (you can also get at MK for $25) and 2 laynards with pins on them. Not worth $350 in my opinion. Anyway, I am trying to come up with a nice way to write this letter because even now I am very upset about it and I can't believe that Disney would do that.

We are planning on taking our family next year, but will never go with a plan again, they aren't worth it. I am just upset because we spent a fortune there and didn't get the few things we were promised.

Sorry if this sounds like I am ranting, I just need some advice.
Thanks!!

Heather S

 

[tjmw2727]

Hey Heather

Congratulations on your marrage- sorry your stay was marred by the "plan". After booking a plan once I agree with you and will always plan my own trips from now on!

You can write to:

Walt Disney World
Guest Communications
P O Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

personally, I would also copy the WL management.

Try and keep it short and to the point while addressing all your issues! Good Luck
TJ

 

[eeyore74]

Hi Heather,

We had a similar problem with our honeymoon, too. I just finished writing a letter. We thought we had a honeymoon package, but it was just the regular one and we couldn't get anything fixed or changed. What really upset us is, on the cruise, we were seated at dinner with another honeymoon couple who had the package we wanted and they loved their extras. They had so many choices and stuff, too, that we weren't given. Gee... made us feel like garbage.

Our HM was great, otherwise. I'll just never book a package OR book through Disney reservations ever again.

Congratulations on your marriage! Hopefully Disney gets on the ball and makes things nicer for future honeymooners.

 

[irishone1979]

Allie,
What all did you say in your letter. I am a writer, but am having horrible writers block with this. It could also be because I am still fuming about it all. Our package cost us almost $10,000!!! And they acted like it was nothing!! What nerve....
Anyway, I just need to sit down with all my complaints and then write I guess....

TJ, Thanks for the address, I was going to send it to everyone I can think of at Disney. Even the WL where we stayed so that they can see it too.... Don't know if any of this will matter, but I need to get it out.

 

[AprilsZoo]

Remember if you are sending copies to multiple people to do the "cc:" list at the bottom. Somehow it seems to get more attention when whoever is reading it sees their boss and others are also recieving copies.

There is a good list of contacts and addys for disney officials on these boards. Try doing a search on "contacts", or "addresses."

April

 

[eeyore74]

I did remember to "cc" mine.

Heather,

I included our reservation #, the dates, and where we had stayed. I explained what we had booked and when we got our ressies that there was no mention of "honeymoon" anywhere and that when I called to check that out, was told we didn't have the hm package and that we'd have to pay more because it was our mistake. And how pissed I was at that. We refused that because it was already expensive and it should have been the darn package we wanted in the first place.

I also told them how we asked at guest services at both the resort and on the ship and they had known nothing about our hm, even though the reservation person had said she had made notes so they would know. And that guest services couldn't do anything for us, not even get us the honeymoon pins that come with the package. Also that we were really upset to miss all the extras and that we found out afterwards we could have done some of them without the package, but that no one had told us. And I mentioned about the other hm couple as I did in the post above.

I did make mention of how nice the cast members were that we came across in the parks and on the ship, but that we will never use Disney reservations again and that they need a massive attitude check. (Not in those same words.)

I just sat down and wrote out everything, then waited a day and went back to it and made a few changes. Then DH read it and had one suggestion. It was easiest that way - I was really angry after first writing it, so it helped to cool off and go back.

Good luck! Hope this helps some. Don't forget spell check!

 

[irishone1979]

Thanks April.
I went over all of our stuff last night (thank goodness I save things) When we first reserved our trip in January I wrote down what the lady said was all in the Honeymoon package. She booked us as the Honeymoon Grand Plan. In May we called back just to make sure everything was in order. Well, we found out that our reservation was for the Wilderness Villas not the WL. So that was changed and the lady said that the Honeymoon Suite was included in our Honeymoon Package. I am upset because everything we have says Honeymoon Grand plan and we got nothing that the first lady said we get. I am very unhappy with the way Disney is handling things now. I have gone to Disney all my life and have never had this horrible experience before. Or had to pay so much more money than we already did.
Thanks for the advice.
I am going to write that letter today!
Heather

 

[irishone1979]

Update on letter,
Well- I finally finished writing it. It's alomst three pages long. (longer than I wanted) but tells of everything that happened (yes, that much bad stuff did happen on our honeymoon) and so hopefully something will work. I am sending it to Al Weiss, Disney Guest Relations, Disney Guest Communications, Phil Holmes, and Karl Holz. Hopefully that will get something...I don't know...

 

[BostonTigger]

Hey irishone1979, just to make sure they understand what's going on, I'd make a copy of all the res. info that has Honeymoon Grand Plan on it and send it along with the letters. This way they can see for their own eyes that there was a huge mistake.



Steven

 

[Luv2Roam]

I don't know if this extra name will help, but it made all the difference for me:
Mr. Lee Cockerell
Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World Operations
1375 Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000

After our less than Disney-like POR experiences, I wrote a letter to the manager at POR and Mr Cockerell's office. (Nothing major, but items to be easily fixed and I just wanted management to know the good, bad and the ugly.)
That was MONTHS ago. I never have received any form of communication from the POR manager.
A very nice gal from Mr Cockerell's office called some time ago and we spoke. She ended up giving me some compensation, although I didn't ask for any. And that might have been part of the key.
I just tried to be friendly and factual and when she called we chatted. I never was rude or spoke in an angry tone, and I didn't ask for anything.
But that's not to say you shouldn't ask for compensation. You should at least get what you were originally promised.
I'm glad you kept such good notes. Our situation was differnet than yours. We didn't have a ruined trip, or Horrible experiences. There were just some easily fixable concerns we had. And I had dates, times, names, etc.

 

[irishone1979]

Thanks for all the advice. Well I sent out the letter on Friday. (thank goodness I wrote everything down and decided to keep a journal about our honeymoon or I wouldn't have remembered everything that was promised or what happened or who we talked to about it)

I also sent a copy of the emails to and from the Disney Photography people because they were less than helpful about my photography session and they refuse to send me the book because I haven't paid for it....well, that's not true, but I don't know how to get it.

I cc'd the President and 2 VP's of Walt Disney World Resorts...Hopefully that will help. If I hear nothing back at all, I will send It higher up.

I don't know what good any of it will do, but I had to do something about it. We have both been to Disney tons of times and are planning to go back in December of next year. We have never had this kind of problem before (we have both gone with other people)

Thanks for all the advice!!

 

[BostonTigger]

It never hurts to say something. If more people wrote letters detailing how bad their Disney vacations were, I'd be willing to bet that Disney would change a lot. I read this morning in my parents hometown newspaper about how the Amusement park industry is down in attendence...with this, I doubt Disney can afford to loose guests to bad experiences. So my suggestion to everyone who has had a bad vacation-write a letter detailing what has happened....who knows, you just might get something back in return.

 

[Rhonda922]

I hope you asked in your letter how they were going to "rectify" your situation. You spent a lot of money on your trip and its a shame that it was your honeymoon of all times for things to go wrong. I feel bad for you and you should've gotten what you paid for! Since Disney didn't do what was promised in the first place, they must now step up to the plate and correct their mistakes....no if's, and's, or but's about it!

 

[irishone1979]

I did write that I thought Disney was in meking magic and they obvously didn't do it in my case. I haven't heard anything from them yet. I sent the letter out December 19th so I figure that I will give them a month to do something and then if I don't hear anything at all, I am going to send it to the higher ups in California because I already sent it to everyone I could in Florida.

 

[irishone1979]

Here is an update and a question. I sent my letter out December 19th. Last Monday (December 30th) I recieved a message from a lady named Judy that they had recived my letter and that someone would be in touch with me soon. It is now the 9th of January and I have yet to hear anything. Judy didn't leave a last name or a phone number where I could reach her. The good thing is, I know they got my letter.
Here is my question, how long should I wait for them to contact me before I send a letter to Michael Eisner and Roy Disney (next on my list if I didn't hear anything....)
It's a dilema and I am not sure what to do other than keep sending things because I want something resolved soon. It's been almost 2 months since my honeymoon and Disney doesn't seem to care that I am still having to deal with all this junk.

 

[Puffy2]

Just some thoughts for others who might be planning a honeymoon - for the cost of these "packages" - I might rethink it and consider booking everything separage on my own and then getting Jane w/Gifts of a Lifetime to make your trip magical with extras - she would do a far better job, you would get what you asked for and I think in the end you would be happier. I'm sorry that still isn't an option for the original poster.

 

[cinmell]

Be patient while you wait for a reply. I wrote a letter in October (10th or 11th) and received a response 2 days ago. It took three months but they responded.

 

[irishone1979]

The thing is I did get a response from them saying that they recieved my letter on the 9th of January. They also said someone would be in contact with me soon. I just don't know how long to wait or what their definition of "soon" is.
Any ideas?? I want to get this resolved soon. I am still waiting on my Honeymoon pictures that were taken because Disney Photography refuses to give them to me saying that we never paid for them. I don't really care about the photos, because they are alot like the ones I asked other people to take of us, but it is the principal of the thing. I paid more than most people and they are ignoring me....Sorry to sound angry, I am just tired of having to deal with problems from my honeymoon almost three months after the fact....

 

[irishone1979]

Ok, so I just got off the phone with this lady named Joan from Disney. Yes, they finally called back, but nothing great to report. Are we shocked?? She asked me if we had put the reservation in my maiden name, I had to tell her, no it was in my husbands name. (She couldn't find the reservation history so she has to do some more research). Anyway, she and I talked for about 10 minutes about the whole thing and my letter. She said that the executives of Disney World already looked at it and all (then why didn't they call me??) Anyway, she told me that she was sorry for everything that happened and she was going to send me Disney Dollars. That's it?? No watch, no free vacation?? After all they put me through that is all I get, some Disney dollars. She said the next time we come to Disney we can go to dinner or something...so how much would that be- no more than $50 is what I am thinking....We paid WAY MORE than that to go to Disney...Anyway, then she asked me if I had worked everything out with the Photography people, I said no (duh, why would it be in my letter if I had...) and she said that she would talk to them and figure out what was going on with that.
I do have her name and number though so that's better than the last time. Paul is now getting more into this, he is upset that for all our heartache during the honeymoon they aren't giving us much but some disney dollars. He asked me if I told her that we sent 7 boxes full of Disney stuff home by regular mail because we couldn't fit everything into our suitcases, did I ask her how they could set us up for the Photography session when we weren't on the plan. Anyway, I am very disappointed still on how Disney is handling things. I know that they want to make money, but right now they are going to be loosing money if they don't work a little harder. Paul and I are talking about not going to Disney again if they keep this up (ok, so we will probably threaten, but we all know we will go again) I am just upset with how this is all turning out. Obviously spending more than $10,000 on a honeymoon in Disney and not getting what you paid for means nothing to those people....

 

[Big V]

I'm so sorry that Disney is helping you out here. I think they can do better than a few Disney Dollars. Keep on them for a better outcome.