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Updated by user Mar 10, 2014

I received a phone call from Joan Martin at Disney Customer Relations. She was very gracious and understanding.

Ms. Martin offered to make us reservations at our favorite restaurant at Hollywood Studios and offered my family tickets to go to the Magic Kingdom again and set up meet and greets personally for Cinderella.

I am happy with Disney's response and glad that they were willing to listen. I sincerely hope that changes are made so that other families don't have to experience the same frustrations.

Original review posted by user Mar 06, 2014

Let me start out by saying that I love Disney World, or at least I did until my recent trip on Monday, March 3, 2014. I have been to Disney at least twenty times. I honeymooned at Disney World. I have Disney stock. I never ever thought I would ever write a complaint letter to the "happiest place on earth". Granted, I have not been in a few years. There have been lots of changes at Disney, and most of them are not good. The reason I have not gone in a few years is that I have been busy having children, an adorable little Princess who is 2 years old, named Skye, and my 5-month old little Prince Dylan. I also have a twelve year old princess, Julie, and 14 year old princess, Kaitlynn. We are a big family. We paid lots of money for our tickets.

The charge of parking has gone up. It is $14.00 and it was $10.00. When you park for the Magic Kingdom, you actually wind up at the ticket and transportation center and then have to take a tram. You can't put the baby and all the stuff in the stroller because it will not fit on the tram. I guess you could walk, because it took fifteen minutes to wait for the tram anyway. After you get to the Ticket and Transportation Center then you have to take the ferry or monorail to the actual Magic Kingdom. It took over an hour to actually get to the gates of the Magic Kingdom from the time we parked. I think that's a little ridiculous.

The first thing I noticed from the monorail is that the castle is under construction (hmmmm, not very magical). Once inside the park the moat is drained!!!! It is ugly, not magical at all. And the inside of the castle is closed. There were two cast members blocking the way who rudely told us we could go around the back - past the smoking area and drained moat - which is very un-magical. The cast members could clearly see that Skye was crying because all she wanted to do was see Cinderella's castle and meet Cinderella. They didn't do anything!!!! In fact, they just looked disgusted that we were bothering them and now my annoying kid was crying. They didn't say, "Don't worry, you'll see Cinderella later." or offer to escort her in back themselves, or tell us where we could meet or see Cinderella later, or even say "I'm sorry, little princess, please don't cry!" So basically, we were there for less than fifteen minutes and my little girl is crying. So we went in the back way, made a wish in the fountain, and saw what we could of the castle, which wasn't much.

My little girl never did see Cinderella that day. I thought we could meet her after the castle show because all the characters come down afterwards to greet the children, but apparently that is a thing of the past. After the show the characters disappeared? This caused my little princess to cry again. Then I was told that they are holding Cinderella captive in the new Princess Fairytale Hall and you can get a fastpass so you don't have to wait in line for over an hour. Well, I went to get fastpasses and the new system would not allow me to get one. Ariel was also "unavailable" and so was Rapunzel. I was able to get a fastpass to meet Mickey but that wasn't until 6:30pm - 7:30pm. I used to be able to get a fastpass outside any ride. Now you can only get three? This is a horrible system. I was waiting in line for 45 minutes to get the fastpasses! How is that fast or magical?

At lunchtime, we went to Cosmic Ray's, or at least tried to. I got little Dylan out of the stroller along with all the stuff and sent my hubby to get the food so I could sit down with the little kids. There were two cast members guarding the door to where the seating is blocking the way. I was told that I couldn't sit down unless I have bought food!!!!! What!!!!!!!! Are you serious?????? I pointed to my husband in line and told him that I could not wait 30 minutes with a two year old and five month old without a stroller. I told my husband who was furious and complained to the manager, Sam. Sam did nothing. Sam did not apologize. Sam did not let me sit down. Sam did not give us vouchers for free dessert. Sam did nothing but stand in front of the door and treat us like second-class citizens. I wasn't bringing in food from home. I was planning to buy it, but even if the opposite was the case - why aren't people allowed to sit down anywhere for free? Especially people with little children who paid over $100 per person to get into the park? I was so angry I left and went over to Pecos Bills. They also had cast members guarding the seats. I was hungry and frustrated, so I gave in and waited with the kids to get all the food before I sat down. This is a ridiculous policy and it needs to be changed right away. People are paying ridiculous prices for so-so food and you won't let a mother of four sit down! I'm serious, if you keep doing this to mothers with little kids, it will cause a riot. There was a mother of twins and another grandmother at Cosmic Ray's who were just as angry as I was. I would also like to mention that Julie , is a picky eater. She eats chicken nuggets or pizza. There was nothing on the menu at Pecos Bills for her to eat - only burgers. I talked her into a Southwest Salad, which had grilled chicken on it. Food selection, quality and customer service is better at the state fair, than at Disney World restaurants. Don't you think all the restaurants should have staples for the kids? - Hot dog, hamburger, pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, corn dogs. Skye wanted ice cream. I couldn't get it there. I was told to go to a vendor outside. And why don't you sell McDonald's fries anymore. I loved that! After we were seated I needed to get up and get napkins and toppings. Apparently, you are paying the guards to watch the guests because three cast members asked me what I was doing out of my seat and reminded me that I couldn't sit down unless I had bought food. They were not offering to help me get everything I needed to feed my troop - they were strictly enforcing the rules and treating everyone like cattle. A cast member followed me back to my seat to make sure I had really bought food! So lunch was not very magical at all. I paid over $70 dollars for everyone and nobody was happy.

For dinner, I tried to make reservations but was told there was nothing available unless I went to Downtown Disney. Crystal Palace and Be Your Guest had a three hour wait and we were told that people with reservations have priority. I find it really hard to fathom that Disney World is making it so difficult to get a simple meal. We skipped dinner and ate at Denny's - which was cheaper and made everyone happy.

Next week we are planning to go to Epcot or MGM during spring break. I called Disney Dining to make reservations. I was appalled when I was told I had to guarantee any dining reservation with a credit card and cancel up to 24 hours in advance or be charged $10 per person. Ok, so that's $60 if we are stuck on a ride or get there late. People with four kids are rarely on time. At this point, I was angry enough to ask for a manager to discuss all of these "new policies". I spoke to Winston. He was also no help. He said he would gladly take my reservation but not without a credit card. I told him about the debacle at Cosmic Ray's. He said he had never heard of that happening before, so I guess it's not his problem. I told him that I took my two year old princess to the Magic Kingdom and she was unable to see Cinderella or Mickey Mouse. Apparently, he didn't care about that at all? Then he had the nerve to tell me that everyone is held to their high standard of policies, even Executive Vice Presidents! Really, well how does he know I'm not an Executive Vice President? He said he knew because an Executive Vice President would not cut off his sentences. Wow! Well, you can tell Winston that I am not an Executive, but I am a travel agent. And you can bet that this letter is going to be emailed to everyone I can think of at this point. And if any of my clients ask me where they should visit in Orlando - I will definitely tell them that Disney World is not worth the money anymore. Their customer service is sub-par at best and they simply don't care if a little kid is crying because they can't meet their favorite character. And if I could have a dollar for every time a Disney Cast member rolled their eyes at me on my visit - I would have over $100 dollars - which would cover the cost of my over-priced Disney ticket. I asked Winston to refund my tickets because at this point I never want to go to Disney again. He offered to transfer me to ticketing but reminded me that the tickets are non-refundable. Great customer service Disney! Epic Fail! I am ashamed of you. I've been a loyal Disney fan and guest for forty years. It's a shame that that loyalty was shattered in one visit to the so-called Magic Kingdom. If you refuse to do anything to make this right, any future visits to theme parks for my family will be spent at Universal Studios or Busch Gardens. And I mean more than a half-hearted apology and an eye roll!

Monetary Loss: $700.

Location: Orlando, Florida

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Guest

How adorable. You made up a fake resolution to pretend like Disney admitted you were right to complain.

No one believes that Disney responded to you. Your story was completely nuts. You obviously have some severe issues with entitlement and live in a bubble where you think you should recieve better treatment than anyone else. It must be difficult being the child of someone so selfish.

Also please stop saying you are a travel agent.

I have never met a travel agent as completely incompetant or clueless as you. You are insulting the entire profession.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-901270

Oh Katiebug. You're nuts.

Guest

You are an ***, probably the worst travel agent in the world not to mention a horrible mother. I pity your children, I pity your husband and I pity your clients.

I rarely comment on things online but to think an adult and a travel agent is such an ignorant spoiled whiny brat who knows nothing at all about the most visited tourist attraction in America is shocking. Please quit your job, quit breeding and quit posting things online you thoughtless ***.

Guest

If it makes you that unhappy then stop going. Less annoying people in the parks when I am there.

Guest

You self entitled POS. You don't deserve anything from Disney. How DARE you seek compensation for your terrible planning and parenting skills!

Guest

If you are a TA, I definitely don't want to use you. How could you not know about fp, renovations, etc if you are a TA?

You actually expected the CMs to give your 2 yr old a private greeting with Cinderella because she was crying? And you do realize there's nothing really to see "in the castle" right? It's just a tunnel with a restaurant, BBB, and a mural.

No rooms or attractions to see. You must lead a very entitled life to expect these things!

Guest

I'm sooo pissed off they compensated you with ANYTHING, you entitled, selfish brat. You deserve nothing, and Disney will do JUST FINE without your money ever again.

Please, never come back. None of those CMs want to deal with you ever again.

First B

The fact that you refer to your children as little princes and princesses says a lot about you.

Guest

Ok, First of all you are a travel agent and you don't know that you have to take a monorail or ferry to get to the Magic Kingdom? That is the way it has always been, this is not anything new.

Second, why do you expect them to give a private meet and greet to your daughter just because she is throwing a fit and acting like a huge brat?

I was also there this year during spring break, at about 8pm we walked straight up to the Cinderella meet and greet there was no line, and only two families inside waiting, and we did not use fastpass.

Third , the quick service restaurants make you wait until you have food to sit down so that there are actually tables available for those with food, If all the tables are hogged by people without food there is nowhere for those with food to sit.

Fourth, being a travel agent you should know that most table service restaurants require you to make ADR's at 180 days out to get a table, and if you want any chance of getting Be Our Guest you better be staying on site and take advantage of being able to make 180 day plus 10 day out ADR's.

All of your complaints are due to ignorance and poor planning on your part. None of them are Disney's fault.

Guest

gosh, you'd think a travel agent would know how necessary dinner reservations are. it would have taken a lot less time and energy than writing this crazy letter and sending it everywhere on the internet. thank YOU for confirming that travel agency is a dying business for a reason!

Guest

I'm just gonna hit some of these major points here.

1.

You chose to come during one of the busiest times of the year, spring break. Of COURSE the park was exceedingly crowded.

2. Cinderella Castle is the most photographed icon in the world.

It needs maintenance, and unfortunately that happened while you were there.

3. The moat is drained because they are building a second walkway around the castle to increase guest flow and make it easier to get around. Once again, that construction just happened to take place during your trip.

It has to happen sometime.

4. Your little girl never got to see Cinderella that day? Your little girl was one of tens of thousands of little girls all wanting to see Cinderella. While I agree that the new FastPass+ system has its flaws, you should have done some research and planned ahead if it was that important to you.

Get to the park early. Set aside time to wait in line. You don't just show up to Magic Kingdom, the world's busiest theme park, and expect to not have to wait to meet Cinderella.

5.

The new seating policy at the quick service restaurants is for your own good. "Why aren't people allowed to sit anywhere for free?" The answer is simple: because then there would be no seats available. That open table you saw when you entered Cosmic Ray's? It would have been occupied by someone else who was also waiting for their food.

If you thought it was bad having to stand around with all of your kids and belongings, imagine how it would feel to stand around with all your kids and belongings AND trays of food and have nowhere to sit! This new system ensures that tables will be open and available to those who have their food, because they are the ones who need the tables most. And once those folks are done eating, the tables can be quickly turned over to other families who have food, not someone who's going to sit at the table for a half hour before they even begin eating. 6.

Sam was doing her job. She was not treating you like a second class citizen, she was treating you like everyone else. If she had made an exception for you, she would have to make exceptions for EVERYONE. 7.

Do you realize that Be Our Guest is Disney's newest and most popular restaurant and that it books up SIX MONTHS in advance? Do you also realize that all 75,000 other guests who were at Magic Kingdom that day also wanted to eat at one of their sit-down restaurants for dinner? That is not Disney making it impossible to have a simple meal. That is YOUR poor planning in action.

8. Disney holds your credit card information in order to make a reservation, absolutely. Remember that night you wanted to get into Be Our Guest or Crystal Palace? How would you feel if half of their reservations never showed up after you were told you couldn't get in?

This policy prevents that from happening. Disney's most popular restaurants have a 99% reservation return rate BECAUSE of the fact that people don't want to get charged. 9. Disney does not charge if you are late for your reservation, only if you don't show up.

10. Complaining to the manager on the DINING LINE is a waste of your time. Those Cast Members are sitting in an office somewhere and have absolutely no control over what happens in the parks. If you want results and have legitimate complaints, which you do not, contact Guest Relations.

11. You're a TRAVEL AGENT?! I hope no one tries to book a Disney vacation through you because with your planning skills, they are screwed.

Disneyfan said it best: Disney requires planning. Do it or suffer.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-798104

I think this response nailed it! I have nothing else to add

Guest

I had a similar experience after planning every derails. I think the lost their magic

Guest

This person needs to get over herself. I suspect she's prevaricating with some details and compensation offered.

Disney requires planning.

Do it or suffer. It that's simple.

Guest

I don't believe one word of your up date. You are just making up bs to try and save face. Don't you have better things to do with your time like looking after your precious little snowflakes?

Guest

We recently went with 5 children and had a truly magical experience. This review has to be a troll....we were greeted by almost every cast member with kindness and respect...but then again we are big believers in what you put out for karma/vibes/attitude goes a long way! Maybe next time try some positive vibes and less sense of entitlement you might have a better trip.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-793875

EXACTLY. Glad you had a magical trip.

We were there in October and it was the best vacation ever . . . and even with a couple kids we managed to be EARLY for all our ADRs .

. .

Apparently, she's raising her kids to be just like her, since they were utterly useless with the whole Cosmic Rays debacle . .

. SMH

Guest

What a pathetic excuse for a mother!! Entitled whiny assed ***......she's an *** of the worst kind......one who believes her own ***

I have seen this crass *** post all over the internet, primarily on the Dis site, then got her cowering mouse of a husband post in her defence....lol.....certainly kept us all amused for days.

I only go to Universal now so hope she doesn't end up bringing her entitled *** over to The Darkside and keeps all her whining for Disney.

Don't believe a word of her update either......Disney are not *** but she absolutely is. What kind of a person could make this up...........obviously an entitled whiny *** with entitled snowflakes as kids. Get a life katiebug!!

Guest

What a load of BS that "update" was. News at six: "Nobody believes you, sweetie."

Guest

Your update is BS!

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