Hello, so this is a trip review and also a request on who i should send my feedback to at Disney to have the best chance of having it read.
Sunday-8.15.21-uneventful flight from baltimore to MCO. ME had a long line but checked in and on bus in 20 min and at yacht club (3rd stop) by 1:00 pm. Did mobile check in and room was ready by 1. Needed help getting to room went to front desk. Was met by nicest employee whom I got her name but don't want to mention it on here. Said employee insisted that she pull up our reservation and make sure all our tickets, and magic bands were linked with our accounts (4 people in a room, three separate accounts). I assured her that they should be because i did all that from home and took me 45 minutes to make sure everything was properly set up with each bank account. Now mind you last january, pre-covid in 2020 i had a disaster with the same issue during
festival of the arts when i went with my friend and disney messed up our accounts on magic band and my friend purchased several art pieces on her band which Disney did not set up her bank account correctly on and charged my debit card for her art as well as placed holds on my account, draining my account and pretty much leaving me cashless until the holds came off my account and her purchases in 3 or 5 days. Now that time even though it took port orleans manager three separate times to correct the situation we were in my opinion adequately compensated so I didn't take offense.
So the magic band account issue is something i am very sensitive too. So after spending valuable park time with this so nice employee at the front desk we board our bus to AK and our there by my target time of three pm, actually are there at 2:45. Go to tap into park and we are blocked and told we don't have park tickets and sent to guest relations. Now we have a four day military pass and true we did purchase for half the gate price, but were also staying at the yacht club paying almost 600 a night during this three night stay. So the lady at guest relations comes out and says the military tickets need to be activated. And we said ok lets do this and they said we need our military id. To which we responded we left it in the room because no where on the ticket does it say you need the military id to activate the tickets and they were activated when we bought them on base and remember the nice employee at the hotel told us we were good to go to the parks and all our tickets were linked. We then asked for a manager who treated us like second rate citizens because we had discount tickets and said because we got such a "deal" on them she could not help us We could purchase tickets for the day and charge them to the room and take it up with guest relations and we might get credited for that. And when i said aren't we at guest relations the manager's response was sir don't get smart with me I am trying to help you. So then another family member who did not purchase the tickets said she had her military id and could we use that and they said that was fine, and yes we are idiots but we didn't think of that because she didn't purchase tickets. So now it is past 4 PM, we are tired from traveling and dealing with disney employees who would not give us any sort of compensation because of our discount tickets, and head into the park with my niece who is in tears because of the employees refusal to offer any type of assistance.
Ok rant over part 1-Go into AK and it is amazing! No wait for EE, KS, FOP, and 10 min wait for Navi. Did FOP 3x. Then went over to epcot and saw fireworks, although did not see the kites this time. Go to buy shaved ice in Japan which is amazing by the way and magic ban pin not working, so try my nieces, surprise hers doesn't work and neither does my moms, this is deja view from 2020. Nice employee gives free shaved ice and urges me to rectify situation.
Day 2-HS-Get boarding group 38 for ROR. In park arrow d 8:30, held till close to 9 walked to a delayed SDD. By the time we got there line was to Woody so we walked on TSM, Alien saucers, and got back in line for SDD which just opened line queue, and were on in 20 min. Then to RNR, 15 min. wait, TOT 10 min wait, B&B show, Star tours 10 min wait, ROTR boarding group called on in 15 min. Made same night reservation for le collier. Waited 40 min for Smuggler's (longest wait of trip)(still think its the most overhyped disney ride). Then since we had a second went to guest relations at HS to try to get magic band accounts linked. Lady takes us in resets our magic bands and says lets see if this works and goes to the kiosk right outside guest relations gives him my band and asks him to check it. Unbeknownst to me said employe without our permission tries our bands to purchase a water, and of course three of ours are still not working. So we go inside to guest relations ask for the manager and manager comes out. Then first guest relation employee says that the guy at the kiosk charged us for a water by mistake when he was checking our bands. Yes you got it i know from last time you have to purchase something to test the magic band because of disney's idiotic technology, thought that have been fixed, but nope, not only were we charged to the one band that actually worked but not given the water. So the managers response is they didn't even give you the water, thats not cool, and she said it in a joking matter which set me a criminal defense attorney off and said no thats not only not cool that is theft and fraud because there is an unauthorized expense on my account. She told me to calm down and I know the old kill them with kindness at disney saying that usually or at least pre-pandemic worked but you can only take so much incompetence. So i then once again settled down and said we needed compensation and she said the first guest relations host already gave us 2 fast passes, now mind you they were for epcot where we were going that night, expired that night and were for test track, which had a 20 min wait and soaring which was a walk on. I said we now have to rush my elderly mother in 100 degree weather to the skyline to epcot in 30 min when we had allotted for over an hour because we chose to address an issue with our magic bands that we were still not sure if were corrected at hollywood studios because they once again wanted to have us a buy a water to test them and credit it back and we declined because after fraudulent transaction number one did not trust them.
Got to Le Cellier 5 min early drenched in sweat from rushing, to have the most amazing service. All had steak (actually i think steak was the only thing on the menu), steak was decent but get better at Texas Roadhouse for fraction of the price. Creme brûlée was delicious and again our waitress was exemplary. After dinner did TT (with fastpass from guest services), however it broke down and waited all together maybe 30 min. Then walked on soaring, and got in line at 8:50 for frozen. On in 25 min, wanted to look at Noway Store but was closed when we got off the ride, which was kind of surprising because those stores were always kept open after park close.
Day 3-back to epcot at 11, walked on soaring, the land, SE, Mission Space, Three Caber., Got food at kiosk for lunch and surprise surprise magic bands not working but again very nice employee felt bad for us and gave us free hot dog, 2 sodas, pretzel and cheese. Hopped to Studios, M&M rail was down got in line anyway and was up in 10 min and then a walk on. Shopping and dinner for mom's birthday at Prime Time, again excellent service, and food was good, and they did give mom free cupcake for dinner. Did toy story mania with a 30 min wait and then watched Cartoon show on Chinese theater which was mediocre at best but cute. Then did sari's with niece which was so much fun for her. Back to Yacht club by 10:30 went to front desk told worker our tale of magic band woe got slight credit to room, but was more concerned about letting front desk know about said nice employee from day one that screwed us on our magic bands, told us we were fine to get into the parks with our military tickets and cause much strife and wasted time, that no one wants to deal with on their vacation. I don't like to get employees in trouble but when you actively say let me make sure everything on your magic band is set up and you mess that up and take 45 min to do so, you have to take responsibility or repercussions for that. And it is possible that maybe it is just the entire magic band account system that does not work which is fine, but then she should have told us not to use charring privileges that it never works which is what i was told by the front desk staff that credited us in the end.
Fourth day at disney checked out of yacht club stored bags, was at MK. Fantastic day, short lines, actually saw cast members with smiles which was lacking the other days for sure. and ended with happily ever after which i love.
That night transferred to universal and let me tell you night and day. Disney's customer service that i would normally score a 9 or 10 out of 10 was about a .5 this trip, universals was 100 out of ten. So disney really needs to quit making pandemic excuses because that is simply not the case at universal. So ok my trip report and rant our over. I have been to disney 25 plus times and did the college program i still get goosebumps when i see the castle and this is the second trip with bad customer service although i consider it my first because they made up for it on trip number one with magic bands by providing adequate compensation but hardly did anything this time. So am i being harsh, maybe, but when you charge that much, you need to deliver on service and be consistent every time, if not lower the prices. So i want someone who works at disney to read this, any suggestions. I don't want any compensation just a sir we ready your feedback and that sucks, just some sort of acknowledgment, because this visit was different. Came in January 2021 on a solo trip and it was great, this trip was not disney, it was six flags customer service at best and that is just not acceptable. And though i would hate to do it, if this is the new disney post-pandemic, and no one at least reads and responds to my feedback disney doesn't need my money or others in the same position because i know my family was not alone, even though waits were very low park goers did not seem as happy or carefree as normal at disney something is different. Also and I am being very critical but when i was in the college program if you had a small tiny tattoo on your wrist that you had covered they still changed your job you were hired at and sent you to the back of the parking lot so even though i knew tattoos were allowed now i was still kind of shocked when i saw full back tattoos and kind of laughed to myself and thought what would Walt think.