Originally Posted By leemac <<Sounds like either the Mouse ain't taking care of you very well any longer or you were just plain lied to (not unusual by anyone at Disney on any level). >> Dunno - you'd have to ask my assistant. I'm not familiar anymore with what we should get in WDW. I wasn't too concerned as it was only a handful of nights and I was up and out before 7am each day and not back until midnight - and although I'm a sucker for Westin's Heavenly Bed I can't complain about Pop's beds.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Because I tried to get a discounted room for the very period before I wisely opted for a $35 suite about two miles off-property and was offered many resorts.>> Is that an admission that you were stalking me AGAIN?
Originally Posted By plpeters70 leemac, feel free to not answer this if you're not comfortable, but I was wondering - do you work directly for Disney, or are you contracted to them? The reason I ask is that I was wondering if the company had a policy about employees posting to message boards? I know that some cast members post here, and elsewhere, but since it sounds like you work in higher levels of the company, do you run a risk by posting your opinions here?
Originally Posted By leemac <<do you work directly for Disney, or are you contracted to them? The reason I ask is that I was wondering if the company had a policy about employees posting to message boards?>> No problem - yes to both parts. However I effectively have dispensation for LP - providing I don't talk about specific projects or my work then I'm fine. I've always been opinionated and I think it is tolerated. I talk a lot at industry conventions etc. (particularly on emerging markets which is my specialty) so it comes with the turf. Occasionally I do venture "off-course" but I try to avoid it. There aren't many folks in the world that do what I do so I'm lucky that I'd be in demand anyhow.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 Thanks for the response leemac - and that's really great that you're able to participate here! It's always nice to get an insiders opinion on all the different projects that go on at Disney!
Originally Posted By SuperDry Christi22222 wrote: <<< I agree, SuperDry, thanks for some excellent points and information. The only thing I'd take issue with is that RCID is independent enough to relieve Disney from some responsibility for bad roads. I have no extra knowledge about RCID, >>> Thanks for the kind words. I think you, The Spirit, and me are all on the same page here, once we clarify things a bit. Spirit made a specific comment that the main thoroughfares at WDW are well maintained, but the the roads at the individual properties are not (parking lots, access roads, etc). My point was that the roads that *are* well maintained are those under the jurisdiction of RCID. That is, RCID is operating just fine. The only roads that seem to have problems are the private roads owned directly by Disney.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< I talked to someone that was paying over $200 per night for DAKL (always the cheapest deluxe) but the values were available for $55 per night and the moderates for $119 per night at the same time. I just can't fathom how the deluxes are worth more than twice as much as the moderates and over five times as much as the values. The gulf between the values/moderates and deluxes seems to be getting bigger and bigger in terms of price point. >>> ... and less and less in terms of what you get. It used to be that there were clear distinctions among value, moderate, and deluxe resorts in terms of build-out, amenities, service, and location. The amenities and service distinctions seem to be slowly going away over time, and of course every homogenization that takes place always seems to be toward the least common denominator. I've written before about how the GF lost a star or diamond rating since opening because they chose not to maintain the high level of service that they opened with. The bedding and towels have been reduced resort-wide to the least common denominator. The provided toiletries at most resorts have been lowered to a level you'd expect at a budget "Express" hotel. Many have written about how maintenance and housekeeping standards have been lowered, and I've run into this personally. Former "standard" features at certain levels, such as 24-hour room service at Deluxe resorts, have been eliminated in some cases. In short, other than the overall theme, and the specific location, I find that you can't rely on *any* particular level of service or quality at any WDW resort these days, other than the "least common denominator" in every service category. That is, it will be a mostly clean room, with fixtures not in terrible repair, and it will have at least some food options on-site during certain hours, and there will be free parking at the resort and the parks, and free DME and on-site transport, and EMH as offered. Beyond that, it's really hit or miss as to what you get. And don't try to make price point comparisons with anything off-site, or you're bound to be disappointed. It didn't used to be that way. It used to be that Moderate and Deluxe resorts were on par with their counterparts off-site and in the industry in general. WDW used to pride itself, especially at the Deluxe level, at offering a level of service that would be universally recognized. Not any more. I suppose in one way, it's just good business sense: somebody at some point figured out that people were staying at the deluxe resorts primarily for the enhanced theming and the location, and not for the amenities. Or, perhaps more to the point, even though people expected that they'd get "deluxe" service and amenities that you'd expect for the price, people didn't scream during the exit surveys when they took those things away, as most people generally had a good experience while staying on-site with their families. But this sort of downscaling of service level offered (driven by cost savings) often takes on a life of its own. Instead of asking the question "what can we not provide to guests that they probably won't miss anyway because of the unique nature of a Disney vacation?", it can turn into "How much cutting can we get away with before guests start to revolt?" The problem is that the "revolt" is often a slow roast. There's no one identifiable "breaking point" where you've gone too far, and by just taking one step back, you're okay once again. Look at what leemac said in the quote I started this post off with: he didn't say that that he'd be unwilling to pay $200/night for a hotel room. His gripe was specifically that he didn't see how the deluxes were worth 2x the moderates and 5x the values. Since no resort has monorail transport to more than 2 parks or any of the other locations (DTD, golf, water parks), you're stuck with bus service or your own car service to most destinations at any resort you stay at. And, all other benefits of staying on-property are the same no matter what level resort you're at. Now that they've taken away many of the upscale amenities at the moderate and deluxe resorts, what's the incentive to pay 2x or 5x the price? It seems to me that this creates an ever-increasing whirlwind of discounting in one form or another to fill rooms (AP discounts, DDP, or what not). And notice that the only non-DVC resort expansions announced in the past decade are at the value level.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>I think you, The Spirit, and me are all on the same page here, once we clarify things a bit. Spirit made a specific comment that the main thoroughfares at WDW are well maintained, but the the roads at the individual properties are not (parking lots, access roads, etc). My point was that the roads that *are* well maintained are those under the jurisdiction of RCID. That is, RCID is operating just fine. The only roads that seem to have problems are the private roads owned directly by Disney.<< I understand now! Thank you!
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Post #108 is spot on. Excellent, SuperDry. You've encapsulated precisely what's wrong with the WDW Deluxe Resorts, and why I haven't stayed in one for six years now. They simply aren't worth the $$$.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Dunno - you'd have to ask my assistant. I'm not familiar anymore with what we should get in WDW. I wasn't too concerned as it was only a handful of nights and I was up and out before 7am each day and not back until midnight - and although I'm a sucker for Westin's Heavenly Bed I can't complain about Pop's beds.>> I've never had an uncomfortable bed at WDW ... like ever. But I have had major issues with clean sheets (or lack thereof ... no, you shouldn't find fresh blood on sheets when you check in or weird hair etc). Of course, I recall when you'd have your bed triple sheeted and nightly turndown at all deluxes in every room. But I am sure the typical guest today doesn't really care.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Because I tried to get a discounted room for the very period before I wisely opted for a $35 suite about two miles off-property and was offered many resorts.>> <<Is that an admission that you were stalking me AGAIN? >> Nah. I'm still convinced we'll have a pleasant and very spirited meeting when the time is right ... and I hope for both of us that it isn't in Orlando.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Post #108 is spot on. Excellent, SuperDry. >> agreed ... so much so that I hit print as it's worth keeping for a well-written, concise 'splanation as to why Disney is harming its brand with homogenization and missing the point that the WL isn't interchangable with POP and the GF isn't the same product as the ASMu or CBR! <<You've encapsulated precisely what's wrong with the WDW Deluxe Resorts, and why I haven't stayed in one for six years now. They simply aren't worth the $$$.>> No, they aren't ... sadly even at 50 or 60% off. I don't need the pixie dust. I feed on the tears of fanbois!
