Wish Disney cared.

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I did an Internet search on IPad on Google, recognised three good TAs on page one and two more on page two, the first two places were log in for Disney themselves, took circa 30 seconds. PS to find a surgeon for an operation I searched the Internet for the best one who knows what they were doing, guess I got it right as I am still here.

 

 

Sent from my iPad.

[MizDaisy]

I did an Internet search on IPad on Google, recognised three good TAs on page one and two more on page two, the first two places were log in for Disney themselves, took circa 30 seconds. PS to find a surgeon for an operation I searched the Internet for the best one who knows what they were doing, guess I got it right as I am still here.

 

 

Sent from my iPad.

 

Recognized them how? Someone you'd already heard was good? Heard where?

 

The point was that the OP....same as my niece....had NO IDEA how to recognize who was good and who wasn't.

 

 

I definitely do check online for reviews for new doctors, but I don't take anyone's review as gospel. I've learned THAT on boards like these. One person could say the sky is blue and the other could think it was black....or is that the hull of the Disney ships?? ;);)

 

You have to actually talk to people who've experienced whatever it is you're wanting/needing to do. In my case, I'll be looking for a new orthopedic surgeon soon...I'm going to go talk to the physical therapy office nearby. They continue treatment on people all the time, and would have a better idea than anyone which doctor's patients are doing well, and which aren't.

 

 

But back to the topic.....if you are completely, totally clueless about cruising...it just seems to me that the best place to start would be with the cruise line itself. Which is what the OP did, and obviously that didn't go well. SO....lesson learned for everyone......DISNEY NEEDS TO TRAIN THEIR PHONE REPS FAR BETTER THAN THEY DO.....and if they won't, then they need to be responsible for the mistakes that happen. Granted, that's a little harsh....the OP paid for a cruise and got one....but learned a hard lesson in the process.

[nuthut]

Exactly what are you trying to get? A free cruise or something?

[VillaHappy]

We went on Disney Magic two years ago. We had a few similar things happen that you experienced...not exact...but it reminded me that often times, even though they pride themselves on great customer service, it is not always the case. We haven't been back to the Disney line since. Our money is much better spent elsewhere!

[gelo7]

I hope that your next cruise, will be a better experience.

[MizDaisy]

Exactly what are you trying to get? A free cruise or something?

 

I didn't see him/her asking for a free cruise.....it sounds like just a sympathetic ear would have been sufficient. No one likes to feel as though their concerns are being blown off.

[MizDaisy]

Is it okay to wear shorts and flip flops in the main dining rooms? :D

 

Just your undershorts. It's required. :p

[MizDaisy]

Fully agree.

 

I recall once being at the Polynesian and from the DCL desk there they called DCL in Celebration, they said there were only three staff in at that time, it was 8am but a day of a cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad.

 

 

In total, with full time, part time and seasonal, they have an average of 200.....but obviously they aren't all working the phones at the same time. The cruise line reservation phones are all answered in one building. They have one floor where they have rooms for the reps. The times that they have the most reps on the phones are when new bookings open, but otherwise, they have a larger staff on Monday mornings than they do at any other time.

 

I never have asked if there's more than one supervisor. I'd guess there were, but guessing isn't much good.:o

[moki'smommy]

They are trained to NOT give a call to a supervisor if at all possible. This was my personal experience and confirmed by someone who used to be a DCL phone rep (she moved out of the Orlando area...not a disgruntled employee.)

[kurukthemal]

Just your undershorts. It's required. :p

 

Love it!

[ducklite]

I didn't see him/her asking for a free cruise.....it sounds like just a sympathetic ear would have been sufficient. No one likes to feel as though their concerns are being blown off.

 

Exactly. I recently had an issue with a hotel where I didn't receive the room I booked or any amenities that are guaranteed (not just subject to availability) based on my level with that chain. I called the corporate headquarters to complain after the hotel informed me incorrectly of the corporate policies and a manager never contacted me despite my request. (There is siginicant value with the amenities I didn't receive, not just a bottle of water or a newspaper.)

 

The woman I spoke to at corporate agreed that the hotel had dropped the ball and reached out to them on my behalf. Later that day, a manager called, was extraordinarily apologetic, agreeing that her front desk staff had some training issues due to their lack of understanding of what guests who have reached my level are supposed to have available to them. She issued me the equivelent of a nights stay in points plus arranged for a triple upgrade at my next booking instead of the double upgrade I'm guaranteed. I'll most definitely continue to stay with them.

 

On the other hand, I had a guest service issue with a different chain that was never resolved to my satisfaction--live bedbugs in my bed and not handled at all even on the corporate level, even though I had caught a few of them, photographed them, and presented them to the front desk. They didn't take my concerns seriously, never apologized, and although I used to spend 100 nights a year with them, I'll never stay at one of their branded hotels again, because they obviously didn't value my business. All it would have taken to retain my business was a sincere apology and a different room. Instead I got a shrug of shoulders.

 

I had a pretty major problem at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (dirty room, dirty towels behind the bathroom door, beer bottles stuffed between the mattress and springs, the list goes on. I complained, they didn't care. I won't go back. A friend manages a different Disney resort and asked why I didn't call him when the subject came up months later over dinner. I told him because it wasn't his hotel. He offered to get me free nights at another Disney hotel, I declined. To be honest, their hotels have been on a downward spiral for years, and I'd rather stay in my own bed if I'm that close to home.

Edited March 31, 2014 by ducklite

[Loonbeam]

As far as the Disney hotels go, with the explosion of rooms related to DVC I just don't think they can recruit, train and supervise staff like they could when the resort was smaller.

 

In just the past what, 7 years or so they have added Kidani Village, Bay Lake Towers and Grand Floridian Villas. That's easily 1200 plus rooms, and I think I am missing some.. Also, Art of Animation opened with 2000 rooms.

 

If you go out 10 years, the number is even scarier in terms of rooms added.

 

When you add that many rooms, without a significant increase in talent pool, by necessity, your standards have to slip a little (assuming the average housekeeper does 15 rooms a day, that means just for those hotels they needed 300 more staff in that one departments. Plus they become more complex to manage overall.

 

Sadly, as Disney keeps cranking out DVC (Poly is getting some now), I don't see improvement coming soon.

 

 

 

Exactly. I recently had an issue with a hotel where I didn't receive the room I booked or any amenities that are guaranteed (not just subject to availability) based on my level with that chain. I called the corporate headquarters to complain after the hotel informed me incorrectly of the corporate policies and a manager never contacted me despite my request. (There is siginicant value with the amenities I didn't receive, not just a bottle of water or a newspaper.)

 

The woman I spoke to at corporate agreed that the hotel had dropped the ball and reached out to them on my behalf. Later that day, a manager called, was extraordinarily apologetic, agreeing that her front desk staff had some training issues due to their lack of understanding of what guests who have reached my level are supposed to have available to them. She issued me the equivelent of a nights stay in points plus arranged for a triple upgrade at my next booking instead of the double upgrade I'm guaranteed. I'll most definitely continue to stay with them.

 

On the other hand, I had a guest service issue with a different chain that was never resolved to my satisfaction--live bedbugs in my bed and not handled at all even on the corporate level, even though I had caught a few of them, photographed them, and presented them to the front desk. They didn't take my concerns seriously, never apologized, and although I used to spend 100 nights a year with them, I'll never stay at one of their branded hotels again, because they obviously didn't value my business. All it would have taken to retain my business was a sincere apology and a different room. Instead I got a shrug of shoulders.

 

I had a pretty major problem at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (dirty room, dirty towels behind the bathroom door, beer bottles stuffed between the mattress and springs, the list goes on. I complained, they didn't care. I won't go back. A friend manages a different Disney resort and asked why I didn't call him when the subject came up months later over dinner. I told him because it wasn't his hotel. He offered to get me free nights at another Disney hotel, I declined. To be honest, their hotels have been on a downward spiral for years, and I'd rather stay in my own bed if I'm that close to home.

[moki'smommy]

DVC keeps growing because people keep buying. We are DVC members and love it. The rooms typically fill (and isn't that the idea?) and those that don't fill with DVC members are often rented by non-members. That's the one thing that bothers me--the rooms "owned" by Disney do get discounted at times...but again, any dollars in count, right?

 

As DVC members want more options than the strictly DVC resorts or OKW, Saratoga Springs, Bay Lake, and Kidani Village, Disney has chosen to add a small number of villas at existing resorts. Due to space limitations, these are not huge numbers of rooms--for instance, Wildeness Lodge has 15 "sets" of rooms (one bedoom + studio which can combine to form a 2 bedroom). Beach Club has a similar number.

 

We've seen the hotel situation at WDW go up and down over the years. There was a horrible phase where I didn't speak the language needed to communicate with anyone in housekeeping including the supervisors. And then, the routinely reported banging on the door at 8 am when check out was 11 (and I was dumb enough to believe they'd made a mistake with us...till I read of others with the same experience. Yes, in that phase, we seriously considered not retuning on any sort of regular basis. Fortunately, things improved.

 

We've also had great experiences, and the experience doesn't necessarily correlate with the level of resort. On our fist several WDW trips, we were at Value resorts and had all sorts of sweet touches. We'd come "home" to see the favorite stuffed animal waiting on the window sill "looking for" my daughter or taking a nap on the bed all "tucked in" with a towel as a blanket. Or the time we didn't tell anyone that it was my daughter's birthday (must have been in the computer), but arrived at the room to find a card signed by the characters.

 

If they are in a down phase now, here's hoping it improves quickly!

[ducklite]

DVC keeps growing because people keep buying. We are DVC members and love it. The rooms typically fill (and isn't that the idea?) and those that don't fill with DVC members are often rented by non-members. That's the one thing that bothers me--the rooms "owned" by Disney do get discounted at times...but again' date=' any dollars in count, right?

 

As DVC members want more options than the strictly DVC resorts or OKW, Saratoga Springs, Bay Lake, and Kidani Village, Disney has chosen to add a small number of villas at existing resorts. Due to space limitations, these are not huge numbers of rooms--for instance, Wildeness Lodge has 15 "sets" of rooms (one bedoom + studio which can combine to form a 2 bedroom). Beach Club has a similar number.

 

We've seen the hotel situation at WDW go up and down over the years. There was a horrible phase where I didn't speak the language needed to communicate with anyone in housekeeping including the supervisors. And then, the routinely reported banging on the door at 8 am when check out was 11 (and I was dumb enough to believe they'd made a mistake with us...till I read of others with the same experience. Yes, in that phase, we seriously considered not retuning on any sort of regular basis. Fortunately, things improved.

 

We've also had great experiences, and the experience doesn't necessarily correlate with the level of resort. On our fist several WDW trips, we were at Value resorts and had all sorts of sweet touches. We'd come "home" to see the favorite stuffed animal waiting on the window sill "looking for" my daughter or taking a nap on the bed all "tucked in" with a towel as a blanket. Or the time we didn't tell anyone that it was my daughter's birthday (must have been in the computer), but arrived at the room to find a card signed by the characters.

 

If they are in a down phase now, here's hoping it improves quickly![/quote']

 

I disagree on the number of Beach Club DVC rooms. I can't remember the exact number, but it was slightly over 200. The resort with the smallest number of DVC rooms is the Grand Floridian, and even that hotel has almost 150 DVC units. None have only 15 rooms--that would be cost prohibitive to manage.

[Loonbeam]

We've gone off topic a bit, but the Wilderness Lodge is the smallest DVC I think, with 136. GF is 147, Beach is close to 300

 

But my point wasn't the quality of DVC, it's simply that they added a ton of rooms in a fairly short relative time period, and there is no possible way that cannot affect overall quality. It may smooth out, but I doubt it, because they are continuing to consider building.

 

There's also a corresponding issue with park overcrowding becoming more and more common as more rooms mean more people and there hasn't been a significant park expansion since AK. (New Fantasyland doesn't count much, only added one restaurant, and 3 net new rides, with some improvement on Dumbo as well). That's 16 years since a major expansion of park space

[christa]

I've just returned from a Disney Cruise on the Magic. I was greatly disappointed with my entire experience.

Knowing nothing about Disney Cruises , I relied solely on the assistance and advisement of the Disney Cruise Representative Anthony. I thought that the Disney Representative was suppose to be there to help me understand what ship had the things I wanted. I told him the specific things I wanted to do on the cruise. I also informed him I did not know the names of the ship and that it might have been the Magic but I wasn't sure. Anthony informed me that there was going to be a story time with Elsa and Anna, which I thought was great because I had purchased those princess dresses from disneystore.com. He also told me that the bunk in the room had glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. I added that I wanted to be on the ship that had the slide that went around the whole ship. When I booked my family cruise I thought we would be getting all of these things on the ship I was booking, but sadly that wasn't the case at all.

Upon arriving on the boat and realizing it was not the ship I wanted at all. I called Disney Cruise right away and the representative that I spoke with told me when we got back to call him and he will take care of it. I wanted to make the best of the trip and tried to assure my girls that despite the fact that they were not going to see their favorite princesses, Elsa and Anna, that they were going to have a great time. Even the slide that was on the ship was a disappointment because two of my children weren't tall enough to go on the slide.

When we arrived at our room the housekeeper advised us that she just had to vacuum and our room would be ready. We went for a walk to get familiar with the ship and then returned. Once the room was set my family went in to get settled in and I found a pair of little boys dirty underwear in the night stand drawer. I went directly to Guest Services, because I didn't want the girls to know there was an issue, and told the about the issue and where they would find the dirty underwear. The gentleman in Guest Service advised me that he would send someone up right away to take care of the issue. I then received a text message on the room cell phone informing me to call Guest Services. I was around the corner from Guest Service and just walked over instead of calling. I was informed at that time I was told that it had been disposed of and the room was all set. After returning back to the room that night I noticed the voice mail light was flashing on

the room phone. The message was from a woman stating that the underwear had been taken out of the room. I immediately went to the drawer and they were in fact still there. Again I called Guest Services and then sent someone over to remove the underwear once and for all, but unfortunately now the kids were aware of the situation and, being little girls, were completely grossed out. The housekeeper stopped me in the hall the next day and told me I should have gone to her first and that she might lose her job over this situation. Sorry, then you should have done your job. Upon returning to the room that afternoon there were three stuffed Winnie the Poohs for the girls. Despite the fact that the girls thought it was great, I was not as impressed.

I was determined not to let this second incident ruin, what I had planned to be a great family trip. Sadly, it didn't end there. On the last night we went to Lumière's for our family dinner. I was looking forward to have the lobster and pasta dinner. While I was eating I saw something blue in my food. I put it off to the side because I wasn't sure what it was. I called over the server to show him and he reluctantly told me it was a piece of an SOS pad. The server then showed it to the head server and they brought it to the chef. After about 20 minutes later, after my family was almost finished with their meal, the chef came out apologizing for the mishap and stated that sometimes these things happen. He then asked if I wanted another dish of the same. I had lost my appetite at that point. He then sent over six chocolate covered strawberries.

Once we got back home I called the Disney Cruise. I was then informed I needed to email Disney's Communication Department and that there was no way to call them directly. So, I did as I was instructed and emailed the Communication Department and waited and waited. I finally got a call from Joel. Joel told me he had listened to my conversation with Anthony, the booking representative and it was not Anthony's fault that I was put on the wrong ship and that it was in fact my fault. Needless to say I was extremely upset and emotional. Joel would not let listen to anything I said. He continued to cut me off and made light of the other issues as well. I asked to speak with his supervisor and he informed me that he didn't have one and that the President of the Disney Corporation gave him the final call on the situation. Joel made me feel even worse about my experience and

offered me 15% off at any of the parks. We've spent a lot of money for this cruise to get the Disney experience and felt that that offer was a slap in the face.

Since we've become Disney Annual Pass Holders in November it seemed only natural that we continue with the Disney experience and take our family on a Disney Cruise. Disney has always had the reputation of being family oriented and to go above and beyond to give families a magical experience and I didn't mind paying the extra cost to get it, but we didn't get the magical experience we had hoped to share with our family.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Hi Hannon,

 

I just read about your cruise experience and I'm curious: what do you think Disney should do or should have done to correct these issues? What do you think is fair? Would you feel right about accepting a full refund, partial refund, all expenses paid cruise? Do you think the cabin steward and/or chef should lose their jobs? A fifteen percent discount sounds very generous to me for the minor issues you experienced.

 

I think you should put things in perspective as you might find life much more enjoyable if you do not let the little things get to you and shed your sense of entitlement. Also, your children will learn from your behavior. Why not teach them to make the best of the situation instead of dwelling on it. Move forward- live, learn, look for the good, and have fun!

 

The world has enough critics, be an encourager. Maybe you would like to post some of the good experiences you had on the Magic (if there were any?)

[moki'smommy]

We've gone off topic a bit, but the Wilderness Lodge is the smallest DVC I think, with 136. GF is 147, Beach is close to 300

 

This makes more sense than the numbers I was quoted...

[Bdd2043]

I'm sorry you had a bad cruise. There were definitely errors on both parts. But Remember you were ON A CRUISE. A BAD day cruising, to me, beats a good day on land!

 

 

Should you have gotten better answers from the phone rep? YES

Should you have reviewed and confirmed what you spent thousands on? YES

- to not know ANYTHING about the boat you booked on until you get to the port???!!! THAT is 1000% on you! Trust but verify.

 

Should the room have been free of the previous owners "belonging" ? YES

Should you not had a Brillo filled Lobster? Yes..

 

But, Should you have let that ruin the REST of the cruise? NO

You did right in reporting the issue in the drawer immediately. You did right in dealing with the waiter immediately. That's an hour out of the cruise.. maybe 2.

 

Did your kids have fun? Or did you make them sulk and be unsatisfied? If there is a picture of them with a smile, remember THAT as the reason you cruise. Plans change, situations happen. Its how you deal with them that determines what happens.

 

 

My $.02 And I'm OK it you don't like that.

[sippican]

To be honest, their hotels have been on a downward spiral for years, and I'd rather stay in my own bed if I'm that close to home.

 

Exactly why we love going back to our motorhome at Fort Wilderness each night when we visit WDW!

[Tonka's Skipper]

Hi Hannon,

 

I just read about your cruise experience and I'm curious: what do you think Disney should do or should have done to correct these issues? What do you think is fair? Would you feel right about accepting a full refund, partial refund, all expenses paid cruise? Do you think the cabin steward and/or chef should lose their jobs? A fifteen percent discount sounds very generous to me for the minor issues you experienced.

 

I think you should put things in perspective as you might find life much more enjoyable if you do not let the little things get to you and shed your sense of entitlement. Also, your children will learn from your behavior. Why not teach them to make the best of the situation instead of dwelling on it. Move forward- live, learn, look for the good, and have fun!

 

The world has enough critics, be an encourager. Maybe you would like to post some of the good experiences you had on the Magic (if there were any?)

 

I totally agree and was wondering the something. There was error on both sides.

 

I do think the offer of 15% off at the parks was not something to feel was like a slap in the face. Seems she was looking for more.

 

I do have to wonder since the OP has not returned.

 

 

AKK

Edited March 31, 2014 by Tonka's Skipper

[wdwlvr]

I'm sorry you had a bad cruise. There were definitely errors on both parts. But Remember you were ON A CRUISE. A BAD day cruising, to me, beats a good day on land!

 

 

Should you have gotten better answers from the phone rep? YES

Should you have reviewed and confirmed what you spent thousands on? YES

- to not know ANYTHING about the boat you booked on until you get to the port???!!! THAT is 1000% on you! Trust but verify.

 

Should the room have been free of the previous owners "belonging" ? YES

Should you not had a Brillo filled Lobster? Yes..

 

But, Should you have let that ruin the REST of the cruise? NO

You did right in reporting the issue in the drawer immediately. You did right in dealing with the waiter immediately. That's an hour out of the cruise.. maybe 2.

 

Did your kids have fun? Or did you make them sulk and be unsatisfied? If there is a picture of them with a smile, remember THAT as the reason you cruise. Plans change, situations happen. Its how you deal with them that determines what happens.

 

 

My $.02 And I'm OK it you don't like that.

 

Best response I've seen.

 

IMHO there is no reason why someone spending hard earned vacation dollars wouldn't do research of any kind. Even back booking my first cruise in the '70's I poured over the brochures and asked pointed questions of the travel agent before booking. I did research before booking my first Disney trip (also in the 70's and remember buying the Birmbaughm (sp?) guide to help). When looking at buying DVC I had the extra help of the internet but did lot of research before signing on.

 

Having just come back from a week at WDW it seems that there are many who don't do any research at all and it is just so much easier to blame Disney if they don't have a good time. Was Disney partially at fault in this case - sure buy so was the OP. I've seen a number of instances where people blamed Disney and again IMHO it was all their own fault.

[JeanfromBNA]

A cruise for the whole family costs as much as a good used car. Wouldn't you research a car that you were planning to purchase? I don't think of a $Xthousand cruise as an impulse purchase in which there was no time to vet the choices and make sure it was the right decision for you.

[e2011]

That sounds like a terrible experience. The only thing I cannot understand is the fact that the OP booked a cruise without knowing for sure what ship she was on. Most people are so excited about a cruise that the first thing they do is go to the Disney cruise web site and see where there room is located and look at the deck plans. For those who do not use the web, they can go to a travel agency and get a Disney Cruise book with the deck plans, etc. Most travel agency people are happy to give out cruise books in hope you will book through them. (And if you do, you will get the right ship!) The op learned a valuable lesson about trusting a $12 per hour customer service agent at the end of an 800 number. I am betting they won't make this mistake again.

[DahliaRW]

Am I the only one who would have just thrown away the underwear and not thought a second thing about it? I mean, yes, it shouldn't be there, but I could see a busy stateroom host on their busiest day forgetting to open one drawer. It happens. And I personally think that the free stuffed bears was going above and beyond. An apology and removal should be sufficient. Ditto on the food thing - they tried to make it right, they can't undo it. It happens.

 

Slide wise, the ship had a slide, that goes over the edge, like the dream and fantasy. The DCL rep who probably had never been on a ship could easily just think the OP meant a new slide, and 3 of the 4 ships have that. 2 minutes on the DCL website (which if the OP did any reservations he/she was probably on) would let you see the slides.

 

I'm curious what the OP thinks they are entitled to based on this?

[MizDaisy]

Just an FYI...all of the phone reps DO take a short cruise to familiarize themselves with the ships. At the very least, an extensive tour.

 

 

 

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