What do you mean the travel agent sold tickets that the Magic Kingdom wasn’t included? IMPOSSIBLE. Disney has varying ticket media but none that universally exclude a specific park. Furthermore, FL Resident Epcot after 4 ticket wouldn’t be sold by any travel agent.

Arriving late to a Character Breakfast is also a non issue. Unless you are hours late and the breakfast is over by the time you get there, Disney will do everything possible to get you a table as quickly as possible. Yes, you may wait a bit but you won’t be turned away.

I’m not sure I even understand a “5 hour wait for fastpasses.” Your return time MAY be 5 hours in the future but I think everyone can agree that for Sorin’ that is reasonable and to be expected. Heck, in peak-season, fastpasses for Sorin’ are often GONE for the day by lunchtime.

The DDP has been around for years. Servers also ask when they first greet you if you are on the DDP. That is SOP, and again, has been for years.

Frankly, I think Disney was overly generous in their response.

Our room at the AKL was not what we were promised initially, but a supervisor at the front desk fixed it and gave us a credit for the trouble. It was a long check in process, but all ended well.

We used the Dining Plan and found that as long as you read the instructions on what it covered and what it didn’t, dining out at Disney was very easy. I had no trouble with gratuities the entire stay, despite that they were all put on my room card. It’s a bit unusual adding the gratuity before you pay the bill, but not horrible. People at every restaurant were also very helpful in explaining what the Dining Plan covered.

We knew Soarin would have a long wait, so we went there at Epcot’s opening and got a Fastpass for two hours later. That’s not Disney’s fault that a ride is popular, and any preparation would have shown that.

Waiting until you leave to complain at Disney makes no sense, because people are very attentive.

But Chris I disagree strongly that just because the OP didn’t write the letter the way you know how to, he deserved a fricking 8-month wait. UNacceptable!

I don’t know if this went to execs or not, but I doubt it – that delay sounds more like routine customer “disservice” and if he is anything like the cast member you profiled in the other article, not a surprise whatsoever.

I’m glad you helped him get results though in the end.

Finally Danh’s situation? That female “manager”s head would have been on a platter if she tried to force me, kids and luggage to move in the middle of the night after someone else already approved the room stay. Brilliant move with the camera, but I would have levelled her in front of the biggest crowd possible at the busiest time, lost her tons of business, and THEN called her manager demanding her firing. HOW DARE she ruin guests experience there like that making paying guests feel like criminals?!?!

Danh you should really send that story to consumerist.com with her name, her phone number and specifics. Managers who bully paying customers for no reason and cruelly should be treated in blunt instrument, direct frontal “no prisoners” style, especially at a place like Disney with a higher bar for quality.

When the night manager came she was not happy with the move and called
at night to demand us to move out the new room with kids sleeping and luggages and all by ourself (You have to move yourself no one will help and in the mid of the night). She also had coming visitors sit in front of the room, and
have securities open the room without knocking.

I had a sick kid at the time and she was really threatening. I mean if the hotel
made a mistake of assigning us into a room why can we wait until morning to
straighten it out. We persist because I have a sick kid and she let us have the room, but still we had such a bad feeling about how WDW treated us especially when this is a place for kids.

May be she let us have the room not out of compassion but because when we seeked her up her office with the camera she retreated inside and let her employee dealed with us.

What didn’t they get after the first problem encountered with the dining plan? The Disney dining plan is the easiest thing to figure out and Disney offers plenty of information about the whole plan (such as which restaurants participate, type of meals eligible, etc.). I agree with John – simply tell the server you are using the dining plan and the server will be glad to inform you of what’s included in it for you. Communication and common sense should have been used to avoid the “embarrassing situations”.

The only problem we found when we used the Disney dining plan was the food portions were way too huge!!

Here’s another suggestion when it comes to Disney. They plan for everything. Odds are when something happens they have an alternative in the works just ask.

As far as the Dinning Plan, my wife and I have used it as long as its been around (years). If you simply tell your server you are on the plan at the start so they can steer you to what you can / can’t do you’ll be fine. The only time we had a problem, we forgot to tell the server from the begining.

Having said all of that, A) we travel in NON-PEAK times B) We plan, do research on boards and have read all of the books.

I travel 60,000 miles a year for work and take 2-3 major vacations a year. I have never found a place more accomodating than WDW. All you have to do is ASK. Anything from food allergies to room location (yes, we have said we disliked our view and were moved promptly).

This person’s travel agent should be the source of the refund for messing up the tickets. Disney went WAY above and beyond in their more than generous refund.

Treat it like a Mount Everest expedition. It requires lots of planning and research, stamina, and tons of money.
Bob