Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 Just returned from, in general, a wonderful 10 day trip to WDW. Everything was great except our experience at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Since my mother (age 82) was going on the trip I called a few days in advance and asked if we could have a room on the third floor, fairly close to the lobby and with a view of the Arusha savannah. (I paid extra for a savannah view room.) Ended up on the 4th floor, looking at the Sunset savannah and had to go down 2 very long hallways. When I checked in I asked if we could have a different room and the was told very matter-of-factly that once rooms are assigned there is nothing they can do. Housekeeping was terrible. Dirty towels left on the floor, beds not made well at all, melted water in the ice bucket never empited on 6 of our 10 day stay, coffee packets never replaced on 5 days (they always left plenty of sugar and creamer however), and one day they even took the empty hangers that the clothes we were wearing would be used for that evening. Had a terrible experience in the Victoria Falls Lounge. Went there to celebrate the 78th birthday of a friend who had also joined us on our trip. No one came to take our order so my friend, the one whose birthday we were celebrating, went to the bar and asked the bartender if he could send the waiter over and he replied very rudly that they were busy and short handed and if she wanted a drink just order if from the bar and he would bring it over when he could. Once he did bring it over he sat our dirnks down, looked at my friend and said "now just chill-out!" I could not believe what I heard, went to speak to the food and beverage manager who I found in Jiko. He apologized, and then started making excuses for the bartenders actions. All in all the experience at the Animal Kingdom Lodge was very dissapointing. We were staying at a "deluxe" resort and frankly the package I bought thru the Auto Club that went thru Disney Travel was not cheap! Just wonder if I was expecting to much? I have sent a letter to WDW and will be interesting to see what they have to say. As for the rest of the trip it was great...overall my vacation at Walt Disney World was absolutely fantastic. I could not have been more impressed. It seemed that everyone we came into contact with at the Parks, restaurants, and shops were always happy, friendly and sincerely interested in making sure we were having a great time. It was the experience at the AKL however that was the disapointing part. Will I go again...of course, but I will think twice about staying at the AKL.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I'm sorry your experience at the AKL was bad. A couple of areas that I'm familiar with and can comment on: 1) Location/View Disney never guarantees location or view (unless you are paying extra for it). I've found that my location requests are granted most of the time during the off season but less than 50% of the time during busy periods. 2) I don't know what the policy is in the Deluxe resorts, but in the DVC resorts (which are Deluxe level) you are just given a 'starter supply'. We always have to buy additional coffee at the gift shop. That has always seemed HUGELY CHEAP to me on the part of Disney, but I guess that is just the way it is.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper No, I don't think your expectations were too high, particularly for a place that trains it's cast members to strive to "exceed guest expectations". The comment from the bartender is unreal. When I worked at WDW I could have expected to be fired for saying that...and likely on the spot if it was overheard by management. Were the prices lower because they were short staffed? No. It sounds like this was an isolated incident but one that you have every right to be ticked off about.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom So sorry to hear about your experience while staying at the AKL. I will be staying there in a month so I might have a better prespective after my trip.
Originally Posted By leemac <<All in all the experience at the Animal Kingdom Lodge was very dissapointing. >> Mickeyfan1 I would strongly recommend that you call the duty manager, outline the specifics of your issues, take their name and make sure they follow up. Letters tend to get clogged in the Guest Services department. Can I ask why you didn't raise any of the housekeeping issues during your stay? It seems you had good reason to complain about the standard of your room during your stay. My worry is that as you didn't raise it at all during your stay that DAK Lodge (perhaps rightly) will say that they would have responded during your trip if it had been raised. Interesting how this isn't the first post of late from WDW about the standard of upkeep in the resort rooms. Very disappointing indeed.
Originally Posted By leemac <<2) I don't know what the policy is in the Deluxe resorts, but in the DVC resorts (which are Deluxe level) you are just given a 'starter supply'. >> RT that is only in DVC resorts. Deluxe resorts should have the coffee replaced daily. Much like I wouldn't expect Trash n Towel service only at DAK Lodge.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Yikes, I missed the housekeeping issues. As a former hotel manager I would have not given up until things were resolved to my satisfaction. I have gone so far as to ask the housekeeping manager or general manager to come to my room to see for themselves what conditions were like. That said, I agree that it isn't fair to be overly critical unless you did make every effort to get things taken care of. There was nothing worse than getting a comment card from a person who had a terrible stay when we did not know there were problems that needed fixing. Short of being unhappy with a view, there isn't much that could cause concern that ISN'T fixable.
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 Just to clear a few things up. Yes, I did speak to the housekeeping manager on several occasions...a different one each time it seemed. On one occasion I did ask them to come to the room when the towels were left on the foor and then did come, apologize, picked up the towels and left. On the other occasions they would apologize and they did respond to our requests immediately if we needed something and did stress they would speak to the housekeepers about the other issues we had. I must have spoken to a manager in housekeeping on four occasions. After a while I just gave up and accepted the fact that this was simply the way it was going to be. As for the front desk person I did not ask to speak to someone as it had been a long day of travel from the West Coast and I just wanted to get to the room, unpack, get some dinner and then get to bed so as to be ready for the next day in the Parks. I suppose I should have sought out somone, but after seeing the room, my Mom said it would be fine so I did not press the issue. As for the issue in the Lounge I did seek out the manager. He was quite young I felt, but non the less he was the manager of food service, so I felt I had the top person. After I explained the situation to him he did apologize and then began making excuses for Tony and our experience at the lounge. I told him politely as a customer I was not interested in excuses. If the lounge was open and inviting people to come in then service should be their chief concern. If they did not have enough help a section of the lounge should have been blocked off or since he seemed well aware of the shortage of staff, since he expressed that excuse to me, he should have been up in the lounge helping serve the people who had come in. He again apologized and simply went on his way. I would have thought he might have come up to the lounge to see what exactly was going on, and to speak to Tony about his attitude toward our party. While I was not expecting to have our drinks comped, the gesture would have been nice, but it was never made. I have written what I feel is a very objective letter to both Guest Relations and have sent a copy to the General Manager of the AKL. I will keep you posted on their reply should I get one. Again, I had a wonderful time once away from the AKL, but I was so looking to staying at a deluxe resort for the first time in my many trips to WDW, and it was anything but memorable.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj I've been staying at WDW resorts since the late 70s. Service and housekeeping has always been spotty. I can't think of one stay I've had on Disney property where there wasn't some sort of issue. The hotels have never been Disney's strong suit. That being said, Disney does create great themed environments in their resorts, they are very convenient to the parks, and they have some great recreational activities nearby. I've never found that the poor housekeeping kept me from enjoying my stay. It's just something I've grown to expect over the years at the "deluxe" resorts.
Originally Posted By leemac <<After a while I just gave up and accepted the fact that this was simply the way it was going to be. >> I know this is all with hindsight but my advice would be to never accept second best. Keep escalating it up the food chain until you speak to the GM. Sorting the room out after you complained each time is not good enough by far. I hope you got all of the CMs' names and noted them down in your letter. The Viccy Falls issue is undefensible IMO. The F&B manager should have dealt with it rather than apologize. They have two of the finest dining establishments on property at DAKL that attract a lot of non-residents. Any bad experience they observe will prevent them being future guests. I must admit I've probably spent a total of 6-8 weeks in DAKL since it opened and have never had anything but exemplary service but I guess these things do happen.
Originally Posted By jmuboy "Interesting how this isn't the first post of late from WDW about the standard of upkeep in the resort rooms. Very disappointing indeed." Not surprising to me. This is a small example of WDW's overall decline. SAD, sad indeed.
Originally Posted By stitchcrazy Hey Mickeyfan 1. I just stayed at AKL 12/8-12/11. I'm sorry you had an unpleasant experience there. My husband and I have had 4 very enjoyable stays there now of varying length. However I definitely think you had a string of terrible treatment. First the person who checked you in. When we just checked in on 12/8 there was no indication that a room had been pre-selected for us or if there had the CM ignored it. She actually sat for a good 5-10 minutes talking to us while working away on her computer looking for a room after she voluntarily on her own asked if we had a preference as to where the room would be and we then said well if possible we'd like to be on the Arusha savannah as its where we honeymooned. In the end she put us on the Sunset savannah as the Arusha was booked but said specifically that she'd chosen a room she thought we'd like (it was a great spot too). So while the "pre-selecting" might be true, without us even asking the CM who checked us in on her own specfically picked a room while we were standing there. For them to say they have no control over it just isn't true. As for Victoria Falls - don't get me started! We've always had terrible service there and only go back as its the closest place to get a drink and wait for a table at Boma. On 12/8 it was no exception. The bartender who took our order from my husband was not nice in any way shape or form. Then the drink I ordered he gave to me frozen and when my husband asked for a straw the guy loudly proclaimed THERE ARE NO STRAWS AT THIS RESORT FOR THS SAFETY OF THE ANIMALS! Well we knew that already from a previous stay my husband really meant to ask if we could have something to get the FROZEN drink out of the glass and "straw" just came out of his mouth from habit. I'm sure they get that question a lot but you know its not like the average person has ever been there before so have a little patience! After that display I said don't worry about it and sat and waited for my drink to melt so I could enjoy it. The bartender had been so loud that as we walked away a woman at the other end of the bar tapped my shoulder as I walked by and said she'd had the same problem the night before. Overall our good expereinces have outweighed the bad ones for us. I feel very disappointed on your behalf however that your stay went so poorly. It bugs me that you were told what you were when you checked in when I just had the opposite experience and it really bugs me that apparently the service at Victoria Falls is an issue all around and not just a few bad incidents that I've happened to have. I'm glad that overall you still had a great trip! The important thing on any trip I've found is to be able to rise above the obstacles that pop up throughout and still have a great time. Sounds like you were able to keep your good attitude about the trip on the whole!
Originally Posted By Mr X No straws at the resort for the safety of the animals? Is this bar indoors? If so, seems a little silly.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Interesting how this isn't the first post of late from WDW about the standard of upkeep in the resort rooms. Very disappointing indeed.>> This has become a consistent problem over the past decade. WDW is OVERBUILT ... at least until it decides to start offering living wages to Mousekeepers and stop raiding the islands in the Caribbean with work visas in hand ... also, listening to consultants who keep telling them how to cut costs (i.e. cleanliness) needs to stop. Of course those consultants, if they ever bring their families would be comped into top of the line suites OR be at the Ritz, so why should they care that if you showed me 100 rooms on property randomly, I would bet 75 of them would have serious upkeep/cleanliness issues and another 20 would have some smaller issues. <<I know this is all with hindsight but my advice would be to never accept second best. Keep escalating it up the food chain until you speak to the GM. Sorting the room out after you complained each time is not good enough by far.>> Great advice Lee. I admit, I'm a bit surprised. Disney's corporate policy is wanting Guest Relations to deal (blow off) custo...I mean guests' complaints. <<I hope you got all of the CMs' names and noted them down in your letter. The Viccy Falls issue is undefensible IMO. The F&B manager should have dealt with it rather than apologize. They have two of the finest dining establishments on property at DAKL that attract a lot of non-residents. Any bad experience they observe will prevent them being future guests.>> Yep. You MUST bring things to the attention of people. And if they don't care, you keep going over their heads. <<I must admit I've probably spent a total of 6-8 weeks in DAKL since it opened and have never had anything but exemplary service but I guess these things do happen.>> DAK Lodge is generally one of the best run resorts on property. That's why they consistently get my business. But it doesn't matter if most people are having a great experience if you have one from hell.
Originally Posted By pitapan16 You were not expecting too much. That was Disney's fault for delivering such low quality, although overall the Resort's median is not yet that low, lol.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I'm a little surprised by this. We had a couple of hiccups a few weeks ago (allocated a smoking room when we requested a non smoking) - it was resolved within minutes and the housekeeping manager was dispatched immediately without request to ensure our cot was set up for the baby. All our experience there was excellent (accept for the buses) and other thing. In the Mara Counter service, Sarah sat down and felt something sharp. When she stood up, she had ripped her jeans on a loose screw in the chair. She informed a cast member so no one else got hurt (being a brit and not thinking compensation). 5 minutes later the manage came out, thanked us for bringing the situation to our attention, comped our meals and gave a us $40 voucher to buy another pair of trousers. Now that's the Disney service I remember (although the cynic in me says it was to halt any legal action!). I hope your letter gains attention and I'm glad you had a good time the rest of your trip. Oh, and another day, housekeeping forgot to replace the coffee. I left a note and that evening we had 3 bags!
