Irksome management decisons [Archive]

cather74

10-14-2011, 09:49 AM

When they stopped the monorails for EMH in September when we were there I was mad to say the least. We just shelled out all this money to stay at the Polynesian so we would have the monorails to take us home. We always take advantage of the EMH. So we had to take a bus from Epcot and the last night we were leaving MK the lines for the little boats were horrendous. I asked a CM what he would do and he said take the ferry to the TTC and then wlak to the Poly. Which we did. I might as well stay at a moderate resort or cheaper because we are no onger getting what we paid for. And believe me I love the Poly and Disney more than anything. I've never had a complaint in my life but this one hurt.

DizneyRox

10-14-2011, 10:11 AM

None of those particularly bother me.
Really? Bother or impact?

I know I will never be impacted by these, however the trend towards putting it to guests is disturbing.

If there's nothing in the shops to buy, I don't care if they lock the doors, get those CMs off the payroll system faster (which s what's driving this I'm sure).

Monorail service after EMH doesn't go to AKL or any other resort I would stay at.

And the ADR thing is just another revenue stream implemented under the guise of solving a problem.

So, impact? No, Bother? Sure... What's next?

c&d

10-14-2011, 11:59 AM

Gator

10-14-2011, 03:37 PM

I can't afford monorail resorts, so that's out. However, I love to shop (even in the sea of people) after the parks have closed. There's nothing like hitting the Emporium right after Wishes. If they took that away, I'd be bothered.

jetsdc

10-14-2011, 04:20 PM

I think it's a bit of a misnomer to say they close the stores (or even the monorail) at Park close. The "closures" are taking place during Extra Magic Hours, not regular hours. And EMH have always been marketed as extra time in the parks when "not all attractions are available" and "schedule may change." To me, this is no different than complaining that "I paid all this money" and X ride isn't open during EMH. It's a limited benefit being offered - always has been.

KODABEAR

10-14-2011, 04:31 PM

Actually have no problem with any of the changes. :mickey:

EeyoresBestFriend

10-14-2011, 04:50 PM

None of them bother me. We've always had the worst luck with the monorail breaking down and taking forever to get where we were going. The $10 fee, if it frees up more tables at restaurants for ADR's I'm all for it. I shop while I'm in the parks so not having them open is not a problem.

I agree! None of them bother me either.

The dining fee actually makes sense to me. If it wasn't a problem, they would not be putting a fee on it.

It really only impacts the people that are in the habit of skipping ressies without the courtesy of cancelling so someone else can be seated. Works fine for me. . . . .

Urbss

10-14-2011, 06:25 PM

Personally I don't think any of these things are going to affect me in a negative way, but here are my thoughts on each one.

I think the monorail thing is just wrong - if the parks are open, then all the transportation should be running.

I think they are foolish for closing the shops and I would bet that they will realize a loss in revenue and change this back.

And, I'm glad they are going to charge people for skipping reservations. People are rude. I have heard people talk about making reservations while realizing there is a very small chance that they will actually use them, but they didn't care because they weren't going to be held accountable.

Ian

10-14-2011, 07:54 PM

The monorail thing, from all that I've heard, is safety related and not cost cutting related. Unless I hear differently from a credible source, that one bothers me not a bit.

I really don't see why anyone would be bothered by them closing the shops at the same time the park closes. I always thought it was kinda weird they stayed open later anyway.

And the charge for skipping ADR's has been a long time coming. You may not realize it, but there are a lot of trolls out there that will schedule 2, 3, 4, or even 5 different ADR's for every meal just to cover places they may be during the course of a day. That's half the reason it's so darn hard to get ADR's these days.

I think those inconsiderate jerks should be charged a lot more than $10 ...

JPL

10-14-2011, 08:25 PM

None of those really bother me at all! :thumbsup:

I actually applaud them for starting to charge for missed ADRs :clappy::joy:

MstngDrvnDsnyLvr

10-14-2011, 09:26 PM

Applaud the decision on ADRs - means that visitors will be reluctant to make multiple ADRs for the same day/time to pick the one that suits best and screw those that are looking for a time at a place the original people are pretty sure they won't eat at, but want to save "just in case".

Monorail - Never stayed at a Deluxe monorail resort, so could care less. Buses still run.

Shops, guess what, I'm usually more worried about getting my exhausted butt out the gate slowly than shopping after closing and so are the poor guys working in the shops (worked retail for a few years and understand their situation).

Jared

10-14-2011, 10:31 PM

The monorail thing, from all that I've heard, is safety related and not cost cutting related. Unless I hear differently from a credible source, that one bothers me not a bit

Honestly, the monorail situation irks me a bit. The entire infrastructure is outdated and deteriorated because of years of systematic abuse and ignorance. The monorails for years were able to run without interruption. Now it seems like problems sprout up every day. I hope that the extra down time now will help Disney slowly do the necessary maintenance, but it's just a Band-Aid over the real problem: Disney World needs a new monorail fleet, and the management team definitely knows it. It's just a matter of how long they can scrape by with what they have.

Ian

10-15-2011, 07:57 AM

Honestly, the monorail situation irks me a bit. The entire infrastructure is outdated and deteriorated because of years of systematic abuse and ignorance.That's a fair point. I agree with you on that, now that I think about it more.

Good catch, Jared.

Cassieblanca

10-15-2011, 09:05 AM

Jared

10-15-2011, 11:19 AM

I think another thing affecting monorail maintenance is the lack of slow seasons. With increased year round attendance, I believe they're finding it difficult to perform the in depth maintenance each train is supposed to undergo annually. That, coupled with the fact that they have one less train ever since the accident, seems to really be affecting monorail performance.
That's true to an extent, and having a full fleet will definitely help the system. It's nice to see Peach online, but I wish Disney would have spent the money for a new monorail instead of repurposing an old one.

This is a problem we're seeing property-wide these days. Because there really is no offseason anymore, the Orlando management team has been so reluctant to take attractions offline and give them the work they need. That's why Splash Mountain spent most of this year in such horrible shape, and it's why Big Thunder Mountain Railroad needs such a long rehab in a few months. Ideally, Disney would have closed Big Thunder for a few weeks when things started getting rough. Now they're forced to essentially redo the entire attraction and ultimately inconvenience more guests.

I think it's a fair comparison to the monorail situation. Instead of running limited or delayed service on the beams for a few weeks, they pushed the system to the absolute limit, and now it's at a lurch.

EDIT: I like when we see eye to eye, Ian. I hope the Eagles fare a little better than the Phillies. ;)

Hammer

10-15-2011, 01:17 PM

Honestly, I do not have any issues with any of the decisions listed above. As the monorail broke down one of the two times we used it last week (this was during the day), I believe time needs to be allotted the monorail really needs more time for maintenance. I have never been much of a shopper, so that does not bother me. We make most of our reservations same day and only do a character meal once every 3 years, so not an issue for us either.

Same thing with rides- RRC and Test Track kept breaking down and I think both are in need of an extensive refurbishment.

DNS

10-15-2011, 02:50 PM

I picked store hours, but I did not realize at the time that this is just for EMH. Honestly, none of them are big deal to me.
I did not realize there is a $10 fee for missing an ADR. So does that just apply to those restaurants that charge in advance?

jillluvsdisney

10-15-2011, 07:04 PM

None of them bother me. I think the $10 ADR charge is a good thing for the same reason others before me have.

Daddy Mouse

10-15-2011, 08:11 PM

Limited monorail hours Hasn't affected me personally. Yet I understand both sides. I think it is more of a financial issue than, but people staying at the monorail resorts feel it is a perk for them.
Shops closing immediately at park closing What is the rationale for this move? I would think there is probably a 30 minute to 1 hour when the shops would be makeing revenue. Maybe, this move should be examined and keep certain shops open for an hour.
$10 a head charged for missed ADRs at select restaurants I think it should be at all restaurants.

Katzateer

10-15-2011, 08:37 PM

And the charge for skipping ADR's has been a long time coming. You may not realize it, but there are a lot of trolls out there that will schedule 2, 3, 4, or even 5 different ADR's for every meal just to cover places they may be during the course of a day. That's half the reason it's so darn hard to get ADR's these days.

I think those inconsiderate jerks should be charged a lot more than $10 ...

None of these changes really bother me.

But how are people able to make more than one ADR - the last trip I had two dinings within an hour of each other and I could not even get the second Seating until the first one was cancelled.

I was going to cancel one of them but I wanted to wait a couple of weeks in case our plans changed. We had some friends trying to decide if they wanted to eat with us but felt our first choice was too expensive. I ended up just canceling for that meal and we ate at Earl of Sandwich ( which they loved).

lizzi6692

10-16-2011, 05:07 AM

None of these changes really bother me.

But how are people able to make more than one ADR - the last trip I had two dinings within an hour of each other and I could not even get the second Seating until the first one was cancelled.

I was going to cancel one of them but I wanted to wait a couple of weeks in case our plans changed. We had some friends trying to decide if they wanted to eat with us but felt our first choice was too expensive. I ended up just canceling for that meal and we ate at Earl of Sandwich ( which they loved).
They do it by using multiples accounts or by calling in multiple times, rather than doing it online.

crltkcagle

10-16-2011, 11:01 AM

I must have missed the new rule about the missed ADR's. When did they start that? Not that it makes a difference to me because we never miss our ADR's :eat:

DisneyDoug2

10-16-2011, 11:03 AM

What got me was the elimination of the EMHs at Animal Kingdom.

Joannelet

10-16-2011, 11:17 AM

Are shops closing at regular park closing or when emh's end?
It would bother me a little bit if they closed right at regular park closing but not for emh.
The rest of the list doesn't bother me one bit. I feel that they are necessary.

TheVBs

10-16-2011, 07:01 PM

I don't think any of these changes are going to impact us or the way we vacation at WDW, especially if we're talking about stores closing at the end of EMH, not regular hours. But, even if they close at regular hours, we usually do our shopping earlier in the day.

wildernesslady

10-17-2011, 08:24 AM

The only issue I have is with the ADRs. What if you have an emergency/sickness that happens within the 24hr. mark? Hopefully there will be some flexibility if that happens and you wouldn't be charged.

bigpoppadk

10-17-2011, 12:31 PM

I have no problems with any of these. For the $10 fee for missed dining reservations, may be those you who double book reservations will now noy do that. I am in favor of the charge. Only book reservations that you know you will use.

ransam

10-17-2011, 02:10 PM

None of them impact me or bother me.

Eric87

10-17-2011, 06:53 PM

None of them impact me or bother me.

Ditto

RAIDER

10-18-2011, 03:18 AM

I voted for none of them
The $10 ADR penalty should have happened years ago and i welcome it as it was being abused .
The shops i dont have a problem with as people want to get home after a hard days work as well and their open all day anyway .

TheVBs

10-18-2011, 06:49 AM

big blue and hairy

10-18-2011, 07:09 PM

The monorail thing, from all that I've heard, is safety related and not cost cutting related. Unless I hear differently from a credible source, that one bothers me not a bit. That's what I've heard too, I agree.

I really don't see why anyone would be bothered by them closing the shops at the same time the park closes. I always thought it was kinda weird they stayed open later anyway.Actually, I thought this one was weird. I could be completely wrong, but I thought the stores made a lot of money on folks on the way out.

And the charge for skipping ADR's has been a long time coming. You may not realize it, but there are a lot of trolls out there that will schedule 2, 3, 4, or even 5 different ADR's for every meal just to cover places they may be during the course of a day. That's half the reason it's so darn hard to get ADR's these days.

I think those inconsiderate jerks should be charged a lot more than $10 ...

Yeah, that stinks. The worst I have done is two adr's months ahead and one cancelled very quickly. Just letting adr's sit there blocking people stinks.

:sulley:

Mogie

10-19-2011, 12:21 PM

none of these really affect me, but i could see how the monorail hours could have an effect on the efficiency of the bus system. Speaking of which didnt they reduce the number of buses recently to cut cost?

MNDisney Dad

10-22-2011, 06:31 PM

kdsjjb

10-29-2011, 10:03 AM

We always hit the shops after closing. I don't want to take time away from attractions.

We're DVC owners at BLT and always walk from MK anyway. We drive everywhere else, so the monorail thing doesn't bother me.

I like the idea of the charge for missed ADR's.

comicguy

11-06-2011, 11:08 AM

I'l be honest those decsions do not really bother me but I can see where the monorail descion would bother some people.

Jared

11-06-2011, 12:24 PM

Reading some of the responses in this thread is a little disturbing. It's this attitude that will allow Disney to continue cutting back service. No matter what the company does, it seems the apologist fans can rationalize it away. This is why Disneyland is run up to standards, while the Florida property is struggling.

Just because certain decisions do not personally affect you does not mean they shouldn't bother you as a Disney fan. The monorail situation may primarily affect people staying at the Magic Kingdom, but the reasoning behind the cutback is problematic. I just returned from a few days at Port Orleans and still managed to ride the monorail about four times during our stay. At least one beam was closed regularly, particularly the express track. Disney is eliminating service under the guise of "maintenance" when it's their fault the monorail needs this much service in the first place. They let the infrastructure deteriorate to this point.

The fans must unite!

Narawen

11-06-2011, 12:40 PM

When I first heard of the cancellation fee for ADR's, I thought the fee would be about $50. Was somewhat surprised it was only $10. Maybe $25 would have been a better deterant for the ones who make the multiple ADR's with the idea of going to which ever one they happen to be by at that particular time of day.

The fee is $10 per person. I assume this means the average penalty for missed ADRs would be at least $30-40 per missed meal, since most groups at Disney are families, not individuals or couples. This also cuts back on a somewhat smaller, but still real problem, of people making ADRs for more people than are in their party in order to get an ADR slot. I've seen people with parties of 3 or 5 make make the ADR for 4 or 6 because those tables are easier to get. Now if you do that, you get charged for the "missing" person.

98'cpTyphoonGuard

11-07-2011, 12:46 PM

The monorail hours do not impact me, but if I were staying at a monorail resort I would be disappointed with the limited hours. However, maintenance is a necessity. And I'm sure there would be a terrible uproar if they closed the enitre monorail for a period of time for a refurbishment.
I enjoy walking through the stores and looking and sometimes making purchases as I exit the park, so this one disappoints me most.
However, I am ecstatic about the $10 fee for missed ADRs people are very inconsiderate when making their reservations mostly due to their being no consequences. Perhaps with there now being a penalty people will be more responsible when planning their ADRs.

Zawadi

11-07-2011, 02:54 PM

None really bother me. If I had to choose one then the Monorail (only if I was staying at a MK monorail resort).

I think that the ADR no-show charge should be $10 per person in the party. This would be charged for a no-show of the entire party. Having to make ADRs 180 days before a trip is ridiculous :mad:

Goes4FastPass

11-07-2011, 03:11 PM

Such stupid "business" decisions.

And don't try to play the safety card on me. The safety upgrade the monorail needs the most seems to be a full stop to late hours (after the bosses have gone home?) horsing around. Isn't that already a thing of the past?

But the resorts near the MK are not called "Bay Lake Resorts" They're marketed and priced as being monorail resorts where guests pay big bucks for great transportation including during EMH. Really folks, is a Mickey Waffle really better at the Grand Floridian?

What Sick Sigma genius made a Powerpoint deck to show how closing Main Street shops during EMH was a good idea? Only my credit card thinks late EMH without Main Street shops is a good idea.

LAURA.WDWLOVER

11-09-2011, 04:24 PM

We are staying a Bay Lake Tower and use the monorail quite a bit. Because of the monorail system being down or having broken monorails pass us by, I have cancelled some of my ADR's at EPCOT - refuse to leave 2-3 hours early to get there. Why should anyone have to hassle the ADR fee when it's a transportation problem? Disney should fix this problem before they even consider charging people. There are better ways of controlling rsvs - ie: tie them into phone number or address.

DizneyRox

11-09-2011, 08:11 PM

There are better ways of controlling rsvs - ie: tie them into phone number or address.
They already do and it is still not enough. Money talks, that's the only way to curb this behavior... It won't however, and the only ones who will lose are the honest, hard working folks that play by the rules.

CU Tiger

11-10-2011, 12:28 PM

Monorails for me. This makes it inconvinient.

Cinderelley

11-10-2011, 11:40 PM

Shops closing bothers me the most. I like to shop while I'm waiting for the bus lines to dwindle down.

While the monorail won't impact me, I think it is poor customer service for those who stay on the monorail line.

$10 per person charge at some restaurants? I don't think it will change much of anything. The restaurants that require payment/credit card while booking already have a policy.

Mousemates

11-18-2011, 10:11 AM

Well, it looks like the poll has kind of played out and I guess my closing thoughts would be these:

First, I was kind of surprised by the number of folks who went with the no big deal option. However, I do wonder if some will change their mind about that once they experience the changes firsthand (as kind of seems to be happening with the discussion concerning early monorail closures in the "John is right! (of course) I got caught by the monorail closing" thread.

Second, in retrospect I wish I had offered one more option in the available answers that would have been something along the lines of "while no single management change is a big deal to me, I am concerned about the trend in diminished services some of the changes seem to point to." In the end, I guess thats where I am at. The monorail and shop closures to me are indicative of an incremental decline in the overall quality of a WDW vacation.

DizneyRox

11-18-2011, 12:58 PM

The monorail and shop closures to me are indicative of an incremental decline in the overall quality of a WDW vacation.
These changes are supportive of the trend that's been happening for a number of years.

Cutbacks, etc have been happening for almost 10 years now. Problem is they have usually been behind the scenes things. now that the "fluff" is gone, you (we) will start seeing more and more guest impact. Mark my words! :D

I can faintly remember the Clean Plate Club stickers that used to be common at 50's Prime Time. I might even have one that I stuck on a 50's Prime Time napkin that I "stole" as a souvenier to show my grandkids. Turns out, I need it just a few years later to show people how much things have changed for the worse...

Mousemates

11-19-2011, 03:19 PM

I can faintly remember the Clean Plate Club stickers that used to be common at 50's Prime Time. I might even have one that I stuck on a 50's Prime Time napkin that I "stole" as a souvenier to show my grandkids. Turns out, I need it just a few years later to show people how much things have changed for the worse...

I didn't realize those had become scarce...we were just looking through some photos from our 2009 trip and came across the one I "earned" ...lots of fun.